Chapter 82

<82. Reunion (2)>

Thud, thud.

Oliver headed towards the base of the O'Toole Family, along with Joe and the others.

The O'Toole Family not only had over a dozen members but also included residents (raiders) under their protection, making it a small village in scale.

Despite this, there was no sign of life, as if they had already been raided, just as Joe had said.

"I, like you, had planned to raid the O'Toole Family and take their books and technology. Their technology is quite good, you know."

Oliver agreed.

Setting aside the modification of zombies, the technology to transfer control to a third party required a high level of skill.

They indeed possessed quite good technology.

"I see. So, did you hire these mercenaries?"

"No, officially, the mercenaries hired us, and in reality, we're collaborating. We agreed that the mercenaries would take the monetary spoils from raiding the necromancers and raiders, while we would take the books and tools."

Oliver nodded.

If they could trust each other, it seemed like a pretty good deal.

Especially in the Contaminated Zone, where having someone to watch your back was necessary. Oliver just hadn't had a suitable partner.

"But there's one thing I don't understand."

"What is it?"

"Joe, you specialize in disease magic, so why are you interested in manipulation magic? Are you planning to study it as well?"

"......No, I'm not. I'm going to provide it to our crew. Studying another type of magic isn't efficient unless you're a special case."

Joe finished speaking and looked at Oliver.

"Ah...... You're going to provide it to your crew?"

"Yeah, we have a manipulation magic necromancer in our crew. We help each other become stronger."

Wow...... Oliver was impressed.

Having only experienced the Joseph Family, a necromancer organization, this seemed quite impressive.

Ironically, the family he had joined to become stronger through magic didn't want any of its members to become too strong, as it could become dangerous if they did.

But the Fighter Crew helped each other become stronger.

Though he didn't know the details, it seemed more productive than the traditional families based on what he had heard so far.

"Thank you for the detailed explanation."

"Don't thank me. I'm not just teaching you without any thought."

"Excuse me?"

"Here we are."

Instead of answering Joe's question, he pointed ahead.

At the end of where he pointed was a destroyed small shantytown, with the barricades around the village shattered.

Scattered debris everywhere.

The damage suggested it wasn't just a zombie attack.

There were even signs of explosions on the central building.

"Who is that?"

As they approached the destroyed village, someone said.

Twenty mercenaries armed with protective gear and firearms, and a necromancer.

Joe spoke to his companion.

"Dave...... Do you remember when I was knocked out?"

"Ah... The one who killed Nico and Big Jaw?!"

"Yes, it's me. I'm sorry. I regret it."

The unknown necromancer started laughing, seemingly accepting Oliver's sincere apology.

Then the other mercenaries started laughing too, but suddenly the unknown necromancer pulled out a gun and fired.

Bang!

He aimed right next to Oliver's head, and the sudden gunshot made the air freeze.

The friendly atmosphere was gone, replaced by a deep silence.

After a long silence, the unknown necromancer spoke.

"Wow...... You've got some guts. Not even blinking. Not afraid of dying? Is that why you killed our friends?"

"No, I'm definitely afraid of dying...... I'm sorry about Nico and Big Jaw. I had to kill Big Jaw to save myself, and I failed to control my strength with Nico...... Anyway, I apologize again."

The unknown necromancer laughed in disbelief and pointed the gun at Oliver's head.

"Can I shoot a bullet into your head and apologize too?"

The tension was palpable, and this time it seemed more serious.

Oliver's sincere apology seemed to have irritated him.

Confused, Oliver looked around.

The mercenaries were preparing to fight, mirroring the necromancer's attitude.

He didn't want to fight a pointless battle here, but just as he was at a loss, Joe intervened.

He lowered the necromancer's gun and calmed him down.

"Calm down, Sam. We brought him as a guest."

"Guest? This guy killed Nico and Big Jaw? Because of him, we're all suffering here."

Hmm...... It seemed the Fighter Crew wasn't as wholesome as it initially appeared.

At first, it seemed like they cooperated to grow together, but with Sam's words, it felt more like they were forced to come.

Oliver wanted to ask more, but the conversation between Joe and Sam was getting serious, making it hard to interject.

"We need to cooperate with him."

"Ugh...... Why?"

"Because he's strong enough to take down me, Nico, and Big Jaw at the same time. You know something's off here, right?"

Sam hesitated, as if he saw the point.

Oliver seized the opportunity.

"What's going on here?"

"......This cleanup is different from usual. Very different."

"In what way?"

"Zombies usually attack as soon as the enforcer arrives, but this time they're running away. No, they're luring us. And there are no raiders in sight."

"You mean the raiders?"

"Yeah, usually, you'd see a few if you went a bit deeper, but now there's not a single one. Not just raiders, but no other humans either. Nothing but zombies. Most importantly......"

Joe paused.

"We visited two other necromancer organizations, and they were in a similar state."

"Someone attacked them?"

"Yeah. This isn't just an increase in zombies. It's much more dangerous...... That's why I brought you here and explained everything...... Will you cooperate with us for a while?"

"Cooperate?"

"Yeah, cooperate. The situation is off, so how about you travel with us for a bit?"

"Your unexpected offer is a bit confusing...... Is it okay for me to travel with you?"

"You have the skills...... It's not a bad deal for you either. It's not bad to have someone watching your back when unexpected dangers arise. I'm not saying this with any ulterior motives."

He was sincere. For some reason, though Joe harbored no ill feelings towards Oliver, he had no intention of harming him, at least for now.

"I trust you...... But is it okay for Joe to travel with me?"

Joe was silent for a moment before answering.

"......I don't think you'll break your word."

This was also sincere. Oliver fell into deep thought.

Under normal circumstances, he would have refused and moved on, but the fact that other necromancer organizations had been raided was concerning.

Clearly, something was off.

"......If we obtain any necromancy books in the process, how will we divide them?"

"Hmm...... It's a problem we'll have to address when it happens, but I'll try to divide them fairly."

Sincere.

Meanwhile, Sam, who had been listening quietly, interjected.

He questioned why Joe was making such decisions unilaterally, but Joe explained that the situation was serious and they needed to strengthen their forces.

Oliver also thought it through.

Having a group to watch his back and share necromancy books didn't sound bad.

Just as Oliver was about to answer, a crackling sound filled the air.

Oliver checked the communication device, but it wasn't his.

It was Joe's.

"What is it?"

[Crack...! Click...! Damn...! Backup...! Help...! Crack...! Zombies are...! Click! They have weapons and are shooting...! Damn...!]

Zombies, weapons, guns.

Oliver doubted his ears.

The message said zombies were wielding weapons and firing guns.

***

"Damn it......!"

Collin, a mage of the Mjolnir School of Magic in the Mage Tower...... or more accurately, Collin Mallory of the Mjolnir School of Magic in the Mage Tower, cursed.

Driven by the desire to become a powerful mage, he joined the Mjolnir School without hesitation.

A traditional school that specialized in elemental magic for combat.

The reason was simple.

The essence of a mage was power.

Recently, due to industrialization, fields like magical engineering, alchemy, life sciences, and golem technology had gained popularity, but to Collin, these were just fleeting trends.

To him, the truth of the world was power, and the essence of a mage was power.

The respect mages received and their rise to leadership in society were all due to this power.

Collin left the safety of the Mage Tower to experience the violent world outside, confirming that his beliefs were correct.

He saw the underside of the world that couldn't be learned in the Mage Tower.

He saw firsthand the rampant violence behind the world that seemed to be run by law and order.

Raw, living knowledge!

A realm that bookish students in the Mage Tower could never understand, Collin not only learned but also became a part of that world.

He wiped out a gang on his first mission, defeated a retired military enforcer on his second, decapitated a necromancer on his third, and overcame street mages on his fourth.

He struggled a few times with unexpected situations but overcame them with his innate talent and education, earning him the title of a rising dark horse in Zone B, even without the Mage Tower's name.

It wasn't bad.

Being recognized for his abilities.

Being approached with respect and caution by wealthy and powerful clients seeking his help.

All of this made Collin happy.

Of course, he was occasionally assigned to tedious public works in the city, but it was just a minor inconvenience.

Something he could end anytime he wanted.

It was definitely like that. It should have been.

"What the hell is this?!"

Collin shouted, firing a magic missile imbued with a fire spell.

It required complex incantations, but it was the most effective in terms of overall power and efficiency. As expected, the magic missile, now a fireball, collided with a dozen or so zombies, exploding and burning everything.

Screams and howls filled the air.

The zombies, weak against fire, were wiped out.

Without proper instructions or enhancements from a necromancer, this was to be expected. But the problem was......

"Sir Mage!"

An enforcer armed with a reinforced shield rushed to Collin's side, shielding him.

A significant explosion followed.

The shield deployed, blocking the explosion, but surprisingly, a zombie had thrown a bomb, taking advantage of a gap.

Or was that a stroke of luck?

"Sir Mage, are you—"

Bang!

A zombie with a sniper rifle, seemingly fresh, shot the enforcer who had shielded Collin.

Despite lacking intelligence, the zombie had successfully sniped the enforcer and was now reloading.

[ Magic Missile ]

Collin fired a magic missile at the zombie reloading on the rooftop, taking it down.

Crack!

—Thud!

"Sir Mage......! We need to retreat."

An exhausted enforcer, after nearly two hours of battle, suggested.

Collin agreed.

The zombies...... individually, they were nothing.

But the problem was their sheer numbers.

"Arm of the Bear!"

Druid David, using the power of nature, sent a massive force through his club, sweeping away a group of zombies armed with clubs and guns.

Zombies with clubs and guns...... What a terrible joke.

"Everyone, this way! More zombies are coming!"

David's shout prompted everyone to run in that direction.

It was truly strange.

Up until the outskirts, the zombies were manageable, but suddenly, they were pouring in from somewhere.

It was as if they were waiting.

"Damn it...! They're already behind us, the zombies!"

"Just hold on! I've found a safe spot...... Here!"

The safe spot David found was a building deep in the Contaminated Zone, surrounded by high walls with only one narrow entrance.

Collin, securing the rear, gathered his breath and mana, drawing it into the air.

He imbued the mana with his will and cast the spell, forming a magic circle. At that moment, a horde of zombies, numbering in the hundreds, appeared.

Even a corpse golem, made from multiple zombies, was among them.

[ Flame Thrower ]

With the incantation, a powerful flame erupted from the magic circle.

The scorching fire mercilessly burned the zombies, turning them to ash in an instant. The fire also spread to any zombies it touched, like a contagious disease.

Hundreds of zombies were reduced to ashes.

Escaping the pursuit of the armed zombies, Collin finally caught his breath and then approached someone.

The fake mage who had led them to this deathtrap.

"Hey, you...... What the hell is going on? What's happening here?!"

Shavi, the necromancer, looked terrified and stammered.

His already pitiful appearance became even more pitiful.

"Ugh...... I, I don't know. I've been here over ten times, but this is the first time...... I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Ugh......"

Surprisingly, he was crying. Seeing his pathetic state, Collin's anger subsided.

An enforcer regained his composure and interjected.

"Sir Mage...... I agree this is unusual. I've participated in cleanups three times, but this is the first time I've seen this."

"You mean zombies with guns and bombs?"

"Yes...... I've never seen this before. The numbers are also too high. They were always numerous, but not this organized."

Collin implicitly agreed.

Naturally occurring zombies were merely evil, inferior beings driven by the desire for life.

For them to act in an organized manner was absurd.

There was only one explanation.

A necromancer.

This thought wasn't just Collin's; the enforcer and druid seemed to share it. Collin felt both absurdity and anger.

It meant that he, a mage, had been hunted by a fake.

"......It's probably a manipulation necromancer."

"Excuse me?"

"If there's a mastermind behind this, it's likely a manipulation necromancer. To control zombies to this extent, they must specialize in manipulation. They're troublesome."

Indeed. Manipulation necromancers, hiding in safety, sent zombies to attack, making it a one-sided battle.

Cowardly bastards.

"This isn't just a cleanup. The level of organization suggests a group, not an individual, and they're not ordinary. They might be a cult of demon worshippers...... We need to report this to the city and move with the city's forces."

"That's true, but the problem is how to get there. Zombies are everywhere. Some enforcers have already fallen."

"If we rest here and move—"

"—No, we don't have time."

Druid David, with his hand on the ground, spoke.

He was sensing the surroundings, and his expression darkened.

"More zombies are coming, and in large numbers...... Not just zombies, but corpse golems and contaminated organisms too...... Damn it, it looks like we've been lured into a trap. We're like rats in a cage."

The enforcers, already exhausted and scared, were shaken.

Collin was equally troubled.

He needed time to recover his mana, but if they stayed, they would run out of mana and stamina, and they would be the ones to fall first.

Where could they escape to......