Chapter 4

004

Todd had long seen through their lowly level. From the various circumstances, it seemed that the group here was a collection of the dregs among deserters.

Could these cowards, who had fled in fear of battle, fight against reanimated corpses?

Corpses attacked them from all directions.

“Uuuaaaah!!”

A corpse with a split head lunged forward. The undead, which had immediately lunged with its mouth, made a chilling sound as its jawbone clacked together.

The soldier, who was trying to stop it with a spear, was knocked over by the sheer force.

Crunch, crack, boom.

In the thick fog that had settled, figures struggled, entangled with each other. They swung their weapons, fell and became food for the dead, and rose again.

Clang—!

Another chime.

The screams that had filled the area had subsided.

Only the gurgling moans of the dead, mixed with phlegm, filled the air.

Realizing he was alone, the centurion gritted his teeth.

“Damn, damn. Damn!”

The determination of a cornered human is formidable. See the desperate will to survive.

The centurion swung his axe and sword like a windmill, tearing apart the undead that charged at him.

Occasionally, a corpse with a severed waist would bite his ankle, but he kicked its head and chopped off its arm.

If he had shown such remarkable martial prowess on the battlefield, he might have reached a much higher rank than a centurion.

But what is the point of a last-ditch effort that only shines in the final moments?

Still, he managed to kill thirty-nine undead.

Though his body was drenched in blood, his bloodshot eyes gleamed fiercely.

Beautiful!

Occasionally, those cornered at the end push themselves to the limit to overcome reality!

Todd, impressed, clapped his hands willingly.

“Remarkable skills. Centurion Bruno! I wonder why a warrior like you was wasting your talent here.”

Bruno, who had clenched his teeth, gripped his axe.

“Is that all?”

Todd, looking around, shrugged.

“Yes, it seems the walking corpses are nothing more than meat shields. Still, it's impressive. I didn't think you'd face all of them alone...”

The centurion lunged at Todd with lightning speed.

Even the merchant and the fence, who had been stunned by the tragedy unfolding around them, couldn't react in time.

But Todd's mouth was still chattering.

“Because you couldn't, right? By the way, how many did you kill while pretending to conduct a search here?”

“...Shit... ...Arm!”

An inch.

The distance between Todd's face and Bruno's axe blade.

If he had extended his arm a little more, he could have slashed Todd's cheek.

Behind Bruno, fingers emerged from the ground and grabbed him.

Todd met Bruno's enraged gaze. The necromancer whistled, wiggling his fingers.

“Business seems to have gone quite well, doesn't it? The people who bear grudges against you could fill three wagons.”

Bruno's nightmare materialized and bound him.

Faint shadows loomed over him, whispering in clear voices.

He struggled desperately to move, but the more he struggled, the tighter the grip on him became.

It was his karma.

In the end, the centurion managed to choke out a plea.

“Spare... ...me...”

“No can do.”

Todd smiled.

Not a chance. How much blood debt do you have?

He helped the merchant, who had been sitting on the ground, to his feet.

“Go check if the mage is okay.”

“A, yes. Yes...”

Following his instructions, the merchant, trembling, approached the mage, but she refused his help.

Karina ignited flames on her torn flesh, then applied a potion from her waist.

The wound boiled fiercely, making a sizzling sound, and quickly formed a scab.

She didn't even make a sound of pain. She has some guts.

The mage, tidying her disheveled clothes, muttered with a pale face.

“I thought you had disappeared.”

“We did.”

Karina, pondering Todd's meaningful answer, looked around.

“...”

Her gaze finally fell on Bruno, who was covered in the grip of the spirits. The sight of the spirits surrounding him was hard to bear.

She closed her eyes tightly.

“What do you want from me?”

“You need to finish this.”

Karina asked weakly.

“Why me...”

“Well, he's quite tough. To prevent his karma from spreading, you need to kill him in one go. Fire spells are quite lethal, aren't they?”

The fence and the merchant, still in shock, couldn't even stand properly. They would probably need to stab him several times to finish him off.

Bruno twisted his body desperately, but Karina, who had clasped her hands, murmured softly.

I've noticed it's quite slow.

In this game, when you develop a mage, "Casting Speed Reduction" is a must-have passive skill. It seems her development method is seriously flawed.

Swinging the condensed energy at her fingertips, a flame like an arrow pierced the centurion's forehead.

“Gurgle...”

Bruno, spitting out a mouthful of blood, fell to the ground.

Todd, standing before him, knelt and stroked the blood flowing on the ground.

“Sinful one. Blood must be paid for with blood. I will take your karma.”

Swoosh.

Not only Bruno, but the intangible aura from the fallen deserters around him seeped into Todd.

The fence and the merchant didn't notice, but Karina, with her knowledge of magic, saw it clearly.

The necromancer greedily consuming the thick aura of death.

A rare scene, not even recorded in the archives of the magic tower.

Todd, having gathered the karma, opened his eyes.

It was quite a satisfying harvest.

He stood up with a satisfied smile.

“Now, let's clean up a bit.”

Despite his cheerful tone, the surroundings were filled with the stench of blood and corpses.

Everyone except Todd had grim expressions.

The rain had stopped, and the fog had cleared.

///

The pit had already been dug, but it needed to be expanded to bury the deserters' bodies.

The merchant cautiously asked Todd, who was digging.

“Sir, black mage. Though it may be presumptuous of me, couldn't you just raise the corpses to dig the pit? There's no need to go through all this trouble, is there?”

“Once incapacitated, the undead cannot be raised again.”

Not yet. Todd wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Moreover, unlike the 'Blood Karma' accumulated by forcibly reviving the dead, 'Tear Karma' is accumulated through funeral rites.

Todd, who was diligent in farming opportunities, completed a brief ritual to pray for the dead and cremated the bodies with Karina's help.

By the time they finished, it was already midnight.

The group, now four in number, gathered around a campfire.

Their expressions were varied.

No one spoke, but the merchant, gathering his courage, broke the silence by poking the fire.

“My name is Piet. As I mentioned earlier, I'm a merchant. I was heading to Kehrling to make a fortune amidst the chaos.”

Though he mustered the courage, the suffocating silence still lingered. The fence, already with a grim expression, frowned even more.

“Hey, old man. Are you suggesting we exchange names in this messed-up situation?”

“No, but we're the only ones left. We have to spend the night here, so we can't just sit in silence, can we?”

All the people in the carriage were dead, and he still had the nerve to act so nonchalantly after seeing the corpses rise.

Todd's evaluation of Piet changed from "nosy chatterbox" to "bold man."

Todd nodded.

“You're right. I'm Todd. A regular undertaker.”

Everyone was speechless at his brazen introduction.

It was a truly nasty joke.

“I'm Soren. Unclaimed items are money. Especially in the conflict between large territories, many will die.”

Soren, glancing at Todd, muttered.

“I never imagined I'd see the dead rise again...”

He avoided Todd's gaze, lacking the courage to meet his eyes.

“From your skills, you don't seem like an ordinary merchant.”

Soren, still rubbing his sore wrist, replied.

“Well, I used to be a mercenary. I've retired, but let's just say I have a somewhat ordinary background like you.”

Todd chuckled.

Naturally, everyone's gaze turned to the last person, but the mage was still hugging her knees and had her head down.

Todd, smiling, licked his dry lips.

“In any case, we all have Kehrling as our destination.”

The campfire flared, sending sparks flying.

Like the different intentions and desires burning in the hearts of those heading to the conflict zone.

“I'm not familiar with the geography here. Does anyone know how long it will take to get to Kehrling from here?”

Piet, as if waiting for the question, answered.

“It takes two weeks from Bounhafen, where the carriage started, to the border of Kehrling. Today is the sixth day, so we're not even halfway there.”

Todd, looking at the overturned carriage, smacked his lips. Flies buzzed over the dead horses.

“Where do you think we are?”

Piet, suppressing a groan, scratched his head.

“We were supposed to follow a tributary of the Allesang River, but the driver took a forest path to avoid the battlefield. Though we deviated a bit, it was a safer route...”

The fact that deserters had infiltrated this far, acting as bandits, was a sign that the conflict had intensified.

Soren rubbed his chin.

“Shit, this means we'll likely encounter more of these incidents on the way. And if a centurion like him can escape, it's clear which side is winning.”

“I've heard that the Duke of Lirig is known for his excellent military skills, but I didn't expect Duke Stefan to be so overwhelmed.”

Todd didn't know the full details.

In any case, he was a necromancer.

The karma he gained from small funerals or grave robbing wasn't much.

He needed a bigger opportunity, so he came here, where many casualties were expected.

From the appearance and stories of the deserters, it was clear that in the Kehrling conflict, the Duke of Lirig was the favorite, and Duke Stefan was the underdog.

In this situation, the camp Todd would join was clear.

However, the mage's ears perked up whenever Duke Stefan was mentioned, which made him chuckle.

“So, the two of you will join the Duke of Lirig, then.”

“Of course. The Duke of Lirig is known for his cruel methods. If the tide has turned, it's better to join him and get whatever scraps you can.”

Those scraps must be quite substantial, which is why people are flocking to him. Piet, who seemed to agree, didn't say much.

“However, our mage seems to have different thoughts.”

At Todd's words, the mage's body twitched.

Knowing the general movements of Duke Stefan's troops and assuming she was from his camp were not solid reasons.

But the way she immediately showed hostility in her eyes made the answer clear.

“...No matter how much you are a necromancer, I'm grateful that you saved me in that situation.”

Oh, you know gratitude. That's good.

“But if you plan to hand me over to the Duke of Lirig, I won't go down as easily as before. The rain has stopped.”

Her eyes burned like the campfire.

The sudden tension made Piet gulp, and Soren's hand slowly moved.

“Let's talk. Miss Karina, who came from Moehlendorf.”

“Say it properly. I'm Karina von Esteritz.”

Esteritz?

I've heard that name before, but I can't quite remember.

In any case, if that's what she wants.

“As you wish. Miss Esteritz.”

Todd dramatically held out his hands.

“Why did the Red Tower send you to Duke Stefan, especially as an apprentice?”

Karina's pupils darted.

Moehlendorf is home to one of the seven magic towers, the Red Flame Tower. Having visited it several times for quests, identifying Karina's affiliation was easy.

To Todd, Karina was still an inexperienced novice.

As a seasoned gamer, Todd sensed that some kind of event was involved.

Karina, trembling as if a fuse had been lit, shouted with a red face.

“I, I'm not an apprentice! I've reached the 5th Circle... I'm a Master!”

Huh?

Tilting his head, Todd recalled the mages he had faced in-game before possession.

A 5th Circle mage is a formidable expert on the battlefield.

Bruno, the centurion he had just killed, was unexpectedly skilled, but not to that extent.

At most, he was around level 20?

Struggling against such a low-level opponent...

“Alright, let's say that.”

“Grr...!”

It seems her self-defense will be lengthy.

Todd bit into an apple from his pack.

“Let's eat dinner and talk more in detail.”