Episode 65

Undead.

Bizarre entities created when corpses were resurrected by the strange residual powers of this world.

Eeoooooo.

Uooaaaaa.

The reason why a follower of the Corpse Lord leading these monsters had entered this place was unknown, but what mattered not was their intent, but rather, how to escape from this situation.

Fortunately, it seemed that the summoner wasn’t present, but even without their command, the undead were beings deeply engrossed in consuming the living, faithful to their instincts.

What would follow was a chaotic battle, with dozens of undead converging on me, wanting to consume me alone.

Woooooo.

Was it possible?

Could I, with only the weapon in my hand, defeat this many undead?

Hyooooooo…

No, I didn’t need to defeat them all, just enough to open a path to escape.

As I tensely aimed my spear at the undead from the wall, I suddenly realized they had stopped in their tracks and were staring at me.

Staring at me with hollow eyes, their mouths agape…

Wooooo, Hyooooo…

With my spear raised in alert, they began to tilt their heads, still looking at me, and started to emit a dull voice.

With hideous mouths smeared in blood from devouring several people…

Woooooo, Hyooooo…?

It was clearly a distinct word, not just a groan uttered by a corpse.

Woo Hyo, Woo Hyooooo…

Eooooo, Woo Hyoooo….

What’s with these creatures?

Why were they suddenly calling my name?

Woo Hyoooooooo….?

Oo, Woo Hyooooooooo…

For a moment, I thought I was mistaken, but listening again, they were definitely uttering my name.

For some reason, they only said “Woo” and omitted the surname, but that might be due to their tongues and jaw joints not being normal.

Yes, since they were creatures that only thought of eating upon encountering a person, it wasn’t normal for them to just stand there and say something.

So, they must indeed be saying my name…

Woo Hyoooooo!!!

Woo Hyoooooooooh~~!!!

But wasn’t it a bit strange after all?

Even if the undead were the type to swarm and shout, why were they suddenly gathering and calling my name?

Whoooong.

And what about you, Ego Weapon?

If you think this situation is dangerous, you could just jump out like before, but why are you harmonizing with them at this time?

Woo Hyooo~ Woo Hyooo~

Whooong.

But no matter how much time passed, an atmosphere of hostility between us didn’t form.

Seeing even the Ego Weapon just quietly moaning, I started to feel foolish for having been tense against them before.

I didn’t know the reason, but at least judging from the current atmosphere, it didn’t seem like these creatures were going to attack me.

“Uh, um… If you’re not planning to attack me, may I pass through?”

Woo Hyooooo…

Despite my questioning, the undead just stood there dazedly, not attacking.

Still, just to be safe, I nudged them aside with the shaft of my spear, and their legs weakly moved aside, opening a path.

Even upon direct provocation, they showed no reaction.

After carefully stepping past them one by one, I entered the corridor I’d come from and saw them start to cry out as I walked away.

Moan.

Wooooo Hyooooooo Suuuuu.

“…It’s my name, but seeing them like this, it feels like some kind of voodoo ritual.”

Surviving this situation felt unsettling in many ways.

But seeing my weapon still humming in my hand, it made sense why the undead had reacted that way to me.

Indeed, the Ego Weapon, once devoid of self, had quickly awakened under my power.

Similarly, the instinct-driven undead might have become unable to ignore my presence, perhaps due to the power that forced them to imprint my name.

Of course, thinking back to when I faced the Knight of Death, I doubt such a power of mine would work on someone of the Four Knights’ caliber.

“It’s unlikely to work on a boss-level entity, though.”

After leaving the scene, I prepared to return to where my party was and took some time to assess the situation.

Currently, this dungeon is inhabited by a being with enough power to twist Airi’s prophecy.

Even if it weren’t the Corpse Lord himself, who rivaled the Demon King in danger, meeting any of his followers, the Four Knights, and expecting kindness would be unreasonable.

The only possibility might be the Knight of Death I met before, but even he spared me with the expectation of making me a comrade someday, so I should be cautious in any encounter.

So, ideally, I should leave this dungeon as soon as I rejoin my party, but as I was planning that, I saw dozens of undead gathered together in front of me.

Groan.

Growl.

These weren’t ordinary undead.

Despite their armor being worn, each one was an elite being, fully armed.

Certainly, they were not adventurers turned zombies but forces brought in from outside, indicating that one of the Four Knights had entered the room where my party was.

“Damn it, they’re already here.”

Airi’s prophecy had collapsed, and all I had was a mithril Ego Weapon.

Logically, the best course of action would be to abandon the party and flee to save myself.

And to ignore the fate of the party members who entered this death trap with me.

And the thought that I should flee and ignore the child who had been labeled a fallen hero because of me, to be miserably killed by the undead, like the murderer who was previously devoured…

Clench.

The tension in my jaw as I thought about this.

Even though withdrawing would be the wisest move, my steps were moving towards the location where my party and one of the Four Knights were confronting each other.

There really wasn’t a choice in the first place.

To escape the dungeon, I needed a map and food, but all the maps and bags of food I had drawn up to now were with the party.

Moreover, with the uncertainty of what dangers lay ahead, cooperation with someone of a hero’s caliber was essential.

…Uuuuuh?

Facing the undead as I continued forward with determination, I aimed the tip of my spear at them and quietly said,

“It’s not ‘Uuuuuh’. It’s Woo Hyo-sung, you things.”

Hoping that this damned ability would help me survive against these monsters resurrected from the dead.

There was no such thing as a safe zone for humans inside a dungeon.

However, Henrietta, a mage following the fallen hero and currently exploring this dangerous place, did not feel any immediate sense of danger.

Unlike other times, there was one ‘capable fool’ in the party who would unconditionally listen to her.

“You’ve really worked hard. Thanks to the hero blocking all the passages in this area, we can comfortably search the entire region!”

“That’s… that’s good to hear… Ah ha, ha.”

With all the passages connected to the area now blocked by stacked structures, Henrietta approached the hero, who had exerted effort in constructing barricades, and chuckled as she handed her a water bottle.

The water bottle was not for rest, but to replenish the energy needed for upcoming tasks.

“But, you know, Hero, since this area is wider than we thought, could you lend a bit of your strength to the search as well?”

“Search too, you say?”

“Yes~ I know you’re working hard dealing with monsters during the night watch, but we can only investigate one at a time. However, with your strength, we might be able to investigate an entire section at once~”

“Ah, yes. I’ll do it. Just a bit more…”

With trembling legs, the Fallen Hero Yi Ga-ram again set out to search the room.

Seeing this, Henrietta burst into giggles, prompting the vanguard and the monk from the same party to approach her.

“Miss Mage, isn’t this a bit too much?”

“Yeah, even a hero doesn’t have infinite stamina.”

“Haha~ We’ve blocked everything. What immediate danger could there be?”

Henrietta was chuckling and fiddling with the staff in her hand.

In her eyes, watching the Fallen Hero’s ragged steps, there was not even a hint of restraint regarding her actions.

“As I said before, there’s absolutely nothing to be apprehensive about. If you don’t assert your position like this from the beginning, she’ll surely ignore and oppress us just like the other heroes did.”

“…Well, let’s just wait and see for now.”

“Yes, for now.”

They were not directly involved, but they also harbored the same disdain for the race of heroes.

Even if she fell, that girl would surely treat them no differently than the heroes who had oppressed them.

With such conviction, Henrietta wore a bitter smile, taking time to tend to the staff in her hand.

‘Haha, I never thought I’d see the day when that damned psychopath would bow down to my words~ It would be nice to keep milking this situation in the future~’

She only trusted in the sturdiness of the barricades erected by the hero.

Thinking only of how to manipulate the hero further.

Rumble.

But an unexplored dungeon remained an unknown territory, untouched by human hands.

Relying solely on a hero who listened to her could lead to dangers far greater than any attack by assassins.

This included the possibility of transcendent beings from the outside, not humans, along with monsters inside that surpassed human understanding.

Crash!

The moment such a being broke through the barricade and intruded on the scene.

The faces of the party members gazing at the spot began to pale.

“What the… An attack!?”

“This can’t be! Why are undead here!!”

The undead horde began to enter through the cracks in the barricade, forming one giant undead.

Realizing that it was a ‘Patchwork Golem’ made from dozens of people rather than a giant’s corpse, Henrietta screamed in horror and began running towards Ga-ram.

“Hero! It’s an attack! The undead are attacking…”

“I’m… I’m sorry. I’m out of strength right now…”

“This damned, useless hero!”

Perhaps a bit of rest would help, but up until now, she had exerted too much strength in a short time, trying to appease the unreasonable demands.

But Henrietta was in no state to show any consideration or kindness towards such a girl.

“Kyaaa! Everyone, get ready! We need to defend this place until the two scouts return… Wait! Where are you going!”

“Shut up! How are we supposed to deal with that number with these people?!”

Sizzle, Boom!

Henrietta, using magic against the urgently incoming undead, was dealing with them.

Passing by those falling from flames and electric currents, Henrietta ran towards the escape route she had created, laughing triumphantly.

Taking advantage of the moment the undead’s attention was on her comrades, she tried to escape alone through the cracks in the barricade.

“Haha! Yes, yes! Even without a hero’s strength, corpses like these are no big deal… Cough!!!”

But even such an attempt to flee was thwarted by the sudden appearance of an undead.

Henrietta, surprised by the being that emerged from the darkness and grabbed her neck, cast a spell, but the corpse, hit by a fireball, instead of burning up, only tightened its grip on her neck while remaining standing.

“What… what is this undead?! Let go of my neck right n– Gah!”

“Did you try to abandon your comrades and flee?”

Indeed, this was no ordinary undead.

It was evident from its resilience to withstand her magic and the thirst emanating from its grasp around her neck.

“Ah, ah, gah, ugh… w-wait…”

By the time she realized, her body was already being drained of moisture and nutrients, starting from her neck, her outstretched hand withering in real-time as the hooded figure’s hollow gaze fixed on her.

“What a bad idea you had. I’ll make you a graduate student!!!”

Crunch!

Everything within her body was rapidly drained, and soon, her desiccated body fell to the ground, light as a feather, instilling terror in her party members.

“What… what is that…?”

“Suddenly, her body dried up… Huh!”

But even that was just the beginning.

The sinister force that seeped into the spots deprived of nutrients soon awakened instincts based on the lingering attachment to that flesh.

The strong obsession with the living was driven by the instinct for survival, which was paramount to all creatures.

“Uh, uhh. Uhhhh…”

The being that took the revived undead with a dried body under its command approached the terrified adventurers surrounded by undead and spoke.

“You living ones over there. Since we’ve met like this, let’s make a proposal.”

A rough voice flowed from beneath the black hood.

A dried-up body where bones and skin clung together, making decay meaningless.

The wraith in the black hood, symbolizing hunger and famine, opened its hollow mouth and spoke its purpose to them.

“The world is vast, yet human life is too short to know this world…”

“So, would you join me in becoming the dead and infinitely learning about the world?”

Gorgon, the Knight of Famine.

A loyal servant among those who served the Corpse Lord, overseeing drought and hunger, self-proclaimed ‘Predator of Knowledge’.