Chapter 87

After learning about the entire structure of the Tempest tomb from Malaki, Al exited through the door in the room with the guardian golem where he had entered. This door also took about five minutes to open and close, and it was designed not to open simultaneously with the door leading to the tomb of Tempest. This was to prevent intruders from ignoring the guardian golem and rushing through.

Beyond this door lay a long corridor that twisted and turned, going up and down repeatedly. Malaki had explained that it was designed to disorient one's sense of direction and height, but Al didn't quite understand it. He thought it might just be confusing because of the many turns, but it seemed there was more to it. Guri explained the key points along the way.

"Here, these stone piles are intentionally slanted. So, even though you're going down, it looks like you're going up."

"This corner looks like a right angle, but it's not."

Each time Guri pointed something out, Al was amazed. When Guri had helped him decipher the spellbook, he had thought Guri had an incredible memory, but it seemed Guri also had an amazing spatial awareness.

After repeating the process of going up and down for over 30 minutes, they reached a wide space. Al had no idea which direction he was facing or how deep he was. There, he saw three shadowy figures moving slowly. Thinking they might be tomb raiders, Al quickly hid behind a corner. The surroundings were pitch black. Thanks to the effect of enhanced perception, Al could barely see, but ordinary humans would hardly be able to walk. However, the three figures were slowly approaching with their hands stretched out in front of them. Their cheeks were sunken, and their expressions were dull. From their appearance, they were not human; they were probably zombies. Behind them, a white, hazy smoke-like substance was visible, which looked like a ghost.

It was said that humans who died with strong grudges or resentments could become undead creatures like zombies and ghosts. These slowly approaching figures were likely the remains of tomb raiders who had died during their attempt. Indeed, this was a tomb, and it wasn't strange for undead to wander around. However, if undead had appeared in their own tomb, both Tempest and Malaki would surely feel that the tomb had been desecrated. The undead should be defeated and laid to rest.

However, this was Al's first encounter with zombies and ghosts. Zombies could be defeated with physical attacks, and destroying their heads would neutralize and bury them. Ghosts could be defeated with holy water and consecrated weapons. Al knew this theoretically. In his case, he could use magic arrows to target the zombies, but the problem was the ghost. He had used a dagger to dissect prey and clear jungle vegetation, but he hadn't wielded a dagger in combat for years. He could throw a bottle of holy water, but he only had one. If he missed, he would have no way to deal with the ghost.

Al started to retreat, keeping an eye on the three zombies and one ghost. The undead seemed to sense his presence and were gradually approaching. There were four of them, and this was his first time fighting them. He wanted to avoid the risk. He had come here out of mere curiosity to see ancient ruins, not for any specific mission. There was no need to fight unnecessarily.

He decided to put some distance between himself and the undead and started to move quickly. The zombies and the ghost increased their speed. Fortunately, the zombies didn't move much faster, but the ghost, which was just a white shadow, was much faster than Al could run.

*Slow*

The ghost's speed slowed slightly but was still faster than Al. Panicking, Al quickly tried to take out the holy water bottle from his backpack. But it was too late to reach the approaching ghost.

Al felt on the verge of panic and stood there, scratching his head. He should have kept the holy water easily accessible since he was going to a tomb. He desperately tried to think of a solution. A way to use the holy water on the ghost...

The white shadow approached Al. He moved his hand to swat it away. But the moment his left hand touched the white shadow, it suddenly turned cold, and he lost sensation from his wrist down.

*So lonely...*

A feeling of desolation, like that of the ghost, suddenly welled up in his heart. A sense of resignation washed over him, and his will to live rapidly faded.

"No, Al... Stay calm."

Guri's voice sounded right next to his ear. Right! Al suddenly had an idea. Holy water was a liquid, and there was a way to spray it.

(Not the usual ink bottle, but the holy water bottle)

*Spray*

With a hissing sound, the ghost's body, which looked like white smoke, dissolved in the air. The ghost disappeared upon being hit by the holy water.

"Phew... I made it..."

Al let out a sigh of relief and almost sat down on the spot.

"Al, not yet. The zombies are coming."

That's right. The zombies, though slow, were following the ghost. Al remembered this upon hearing Guri's warning and saw the approaching zombies. They were about 50 meters away, moving slowly and occasionally shaking their heads, but they wouldn't be hard to target. Al extended his right hand forward, took a deep breath, and aimed at the head of the middle zombie.

*Magic Arrow* - Converge, Extend Range

The head of the first zombie exploded, and it collapsed to the floor.

*Magic Arrow* - Converge, Extend Range

The head of the second zombie also exploded, and it fell. One more zombie remained, now about 20 meters away.

*Magic Arrow* - Converge

The last zombie fell to the floor.

"This time, I made it... Thanks, Guri."

Al said this and let out another deep sigh of relief.

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