《Death is a Suggestion [LitRPG Necromancer Comedy]》 1. The Other Side Thump. Levi landed in an ungainly pile of limbs, upside down, all tangled. He laid there for a long moment, waiting. Grass swayed before his eyes. High above him, a great blue sky welcomed him. Warm sunlight beamed down, and a few clouds scudded across the sky. A gentle breeze blew, cool on his upturned ass. ¡°This isn¡¯t what I expected,¡± he commented, to no one in particular. ¡°Welcome, heroes!¡± Levi untangled himself. He climbed to his feet. ¡°Who the fuck¡¯s calling me a hero?¡± He stood in a vast meadow. In the distance, a forest loomed, and beyond that, a tall stone wall enclosed the whole space. A small group of people stood, crouched, or cringed around him. Opposite them, a tall man and a short man in regalia were backed by dozens of armored soldiers. The tall man, who wore long, multicolored robes frowned. He ran a hand through his long white beard disapprovingly. ¡°Please. You¡¯re in the presence of royalty.¡± ¡°What? Where?¡± Levi looked around. Four other ordinary-looking people stood around him. They wore t-shirts and jeans, and in one case, a stuffy suit and glasses, with a slightly-too-large gut. Three kids, about Levi¡¯s age, and one old man. The lone girl clutched a Starmucks cup to her chest like a life preserver. One of the boys gave the world a derisive look and a scoff, dismissing all of it. The other cringed, eyes wide with fear. The old man stood there numbly. He pushed his glasses up. No expression passed over his face, but sweat dripped down from his combover. Fear reeked from his body. Levi frowned. ¡°Which one of them? Starmucks girl? God, I wish I had some coffee right now.¡± ¡°Ah-hem.¡± A high-pitched voice let out a petite cough. He turned back front. Gazing at the old man for a moment, he finally dragged his eyes downward to the short man. Not a man at all, he realized abruptly, but a child. Haughty cheekbones, chubby child cheeks, and a weak chin. An itch instantly built up in Levi¡¯s leg, a great desire to punt the bratty-looking child. ¡°Don¡¯t do it, Levi,¡± he muttered to himself. From the gold and gems in the boy¡¯s regalia, he was at least a prince. Not knowing at all the danger he was in, the boy drew himself to his unimpressive height and looked down on Levi and the rest of the group. ¡°Heroes! I bid you welcome. You come to our kingdom in a most trying time.¡± Levi leaned toward the terrified-looking boy. ¡°Is it just me, or is it way less impactful to hear that speech in that high-pitched voice?¡± The terrified blonde youth to his right flinched. He stared at Levi and trembled a little. With effort, he managed a shy shrug. The young royal¡¯s face screwed up in rage. He pointed at Levi. ¡°Guards!¡± ¡°Prince Harold, please. Restraint. We need these heroes, no matter how tasteless,¡± the robed man urged him. He stood tall and stroked his beard. ¡°I¡¯ll take over from here. Heroes, our kingdom is in dire straits. We summoned you on the eve of our defeat. If not for you, the Demon King¡¯s army will overwhelm our entire kingdom. Please, now, more than ever¡ªwe need your strength.¡± ¡°What strength?¡± the old man asked, before Levi could speak. Levi pointed at him, nodding. Like he read my mind. ¡°There is a power only you heroes possess. The Status Screen. Call out to Status in your hearts, and you should be able to summon its power,¡± the old man said. Levi raised his brows. ¡°What, like a video game?¡± Status. System Resetting¡­ Levi | 18 | Lv 1 Class: Soldier Str: 1 Mag: 1 Dex: 1 Spd: 3 Def: 1 Res: 1 He shrugged. ¡°Could be worse.¡± The aloof boy frowned. ¡°Only ten in each stat? Is that really fitting for a Hero?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a Hero?¡± the prince asked, startled. He looked at the old man. The old man made an expression somewhere between a smile and a grimace. ¡°Ah, if only we had more time¡­ Hero, thank you for your presence. Adelie, you may have a week¡¯s rest for your efforts.¡± Behind the old man and the prince, a slender girl gasped. She was so bone thin, dressed in such rags, that Levi hadn¡¯t seen her at first. Clutching a staff tight, she leaned forward and stared at the man. ¡°Truly?¡± ¡°Truly.¡± Adelie dropped to her knees. She gripped her staff in both hands. ¡°Thank the gods.¡± Levi eyed her. ¡°I¡¯m getting bad vibes about the working conditions here. Anyone else?¡± Starmucks girl raised her hand. Timidly, the scared boy raised his as well. ¡°Heroes, please don¡¯t despair! We might be in dire straits now, but once you dispel the danger of the Demon King¡¯s army, you will be feted with the finest of feasts and heaped with honors. We will provide everything for you, and you will live your life in ease,¡± the old man promised. He clasped his hands together. ¡°Now, if you come this way, we¡¯ll get started on working you up to your first class advance at level ten. Once you hit that level, you¡¯ll be able to fight the Demon King¡¯s army on even footing.¡± Levi frowned and pointed at the old man and the prince. ¡°If it¡¯s so easy, why don¡¯t you two do it?¡± ¡°We have no access to the holy Status Sheet. Only heroes from other worlds can access it,¡± the old man said, shaking his head in regret. ¡°Ah¡­ yeah. Sounds reasonable,¡± Levi said. He met the girl and boy¡¯s eyes and shook his head slowly. ¡°Who cares? Point me at the monsters. It¡¯s time for the Hero to level up,¡± the aloof boy declared, stepping forward. ¡°First, names. And Class, please. It¡¯s in your status sheet, if you can¡¯t find it,¡± the old man requested, clasping his hands together. ¡°Kai, Hero,¡± the aloof boy declared. ¡°God, what a fucking main character,¡± Levi muttered under his breath.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. The nervous boy laughed. He caught himself a second later and glanced down. ¡°Brooke. Mage,¡± the girl declared firmly. ¡°Jake Ablesworth. Er, my class says ¡®Fighter,¡¯ but I¡¯ve never fought a day in my life,¡± the old man said. He drew out a tissue and mopped his brow. The nervous boy glanced at Levi. Levi gestured for him to go ahead. Glancing at his feet, he stammered, ¡°C-colin. Er, healer.¡± ¡°And you can call me Levi,¡± Levi chipped in with a smile. ¡°Class?¡± the old man prompted him. ¡°Let¡¯s hear your name, first.¡± The prince bristled. He stepped forward, his face twisting in fury. Before he could speak, the old man put his hand out. ¡°It¡¯s a fair question, Prince Harold. You may call me Magus Argo. I am the Grand Mage of the kingdom.¡± ¡°And you aren¡¯t out fighting the Demon King because¡­?¡± Levi asked, raising his brows. ¡°You dare question the Grand Mage¡ª¡± The old man rested a hand on Prince Harold¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Peace, child. No, this, too, is a fair question. I am old. While I have the skill to cast immense spells, it takes me a great amount of time to cast them. Days. By the time I finished the preparations for a fireball, the Demon King would already have overrun the capital. In my youth, perhaps¡­ but there¡¯s no point wondering about what ifs. Instead, we must rely on you heroes.¡± Levi shrugged. ¡°Sure. I mean, you could just say, ¡®Fuck that shit. Have fun on the front line, chumps,¡¯ but I guess that sounds nicer. I¡¯m class Soldier, by the way. Shit class, if my stats are anything to go by.¡± Behind the old man, Adelie flinched. She cowered, preemptively covering her head. Grand Mage Argo merely patted her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Adelie. You also brought us a Hero. You will get your rest.¡± She looked up, shocked. Afraid to speak, she nodded mutely. Grand Mage Argo clapped. Armored men appeared from behind him and marched forward. ¡°Please follow your instructors. In the next few days, they will guide you to level ten.¡± ¡°Hey, um, before we go. I couldn¡¯t help but notice that there was no ¡®Lives¡¯ counter?¡± Levi asked. ¡°What?¡± Grand Mage Argo asked. Levi nodded. ¡°You know, ¡®Lives.¡¯ Like in the most basic, early platformers. You usually get at least¡­ three? Can earn more? Since we¡¯re in this game-like situation, and we¡¯ve got stats and a stat sheet and all, shouldn¡¯t we get Lives, too?¡± Grand Mage Argo frowned. He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of such a thing. Maybe at the highest levels¡­?¡± Levi licked his lips. He grinned. ¡°That is unfortunate.¡± ¡°Then go, noble heroes! And grow strong. I will look forward to congratulating you on your return.¡± With that, Grand Mage Argo swept away, leading Prince Harold with him. ¡°Can I opt out?¡± Levi asked. Giving no indication he¡¯d heard Levi, Grand Mage Argo walked into the distance. The armored figures approached them. They gestured, guiding the five of them off into the yard. Levi took in the space once more. Tall walls encompassed a large area, including an open yard and a vast forest. There was no break in the wall. Armor glinted from atop the walls. Here and there, archers stood at crenelations. Watching them. Their bows pointed inward. Levi raised a brow. ¡°Heroes, huh? I don¡¯t feel like one.¡± -- The armored people led them to a bloody, trampled yard. One stepped forward. Unlike the others, she wore a plume on her helmet. Crossing her arms, she looked down at them. ¡°Who can use swords?¡± ¡°None of us?¡± Levi asked. She rolled her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s in your proficiencies.¡± Levi raised his brows. He called up his status sheet. At a guess, he called silently, proficiencies. Soldier Proficiencies: All basic weapons (sword, spear, axe, mace) ¡°Me,¡± Kai announced, raising his hand. He stepped in front of all the other otherworlders and reached toward her, demanding a weapon. Levi held up his hand as well. ¡°Me, but un-pompously.¡± ¡°Er, mine says ¡®none?¡¯¡± Jake said. ¡°You¡¯re a Fighter? You use your bare fists,¡± she said. ¡°And you two, casters?¡± ¡°Mage,¡± Brooke said. ¡°H-healer,¡± Colin stammered. ¡°Would you like tomes or staves? It¡¯s all the same to me,¡± the woman said. ¡°Staff,¡± Brooke said decisively. Colin glanced at her, then nodded. The other armored figures brought them their weapons. One brought out some cloth and started wrapping up Jake¡¯s fists. As the five of them strapped on their weapons, the woman crossed her arms. ¡°You can call me Captain Tash. As far as you¡¯re concerned, I¡¯m the Goddess. Whatever I say is law. If you stick by my commands, I¡¯ll get you to level ten in five days. Fuck around¡ª¡± ¡°And find out?¡± Levi interrupted. He weighed the sword in his hand. He¡¯d never held one before, but this one fit neatly into his hand. Its weight felt familiar, comforting, even. He slashed once or twice, getting used to its length. I¡¯m used to knives, not swords. But it¡¯s not that different, in the end. ¡°¡ªand you won¡¯t be ready for the Demon King,¡± she said, ignoring him. She scanned over them, her blue eyes flashing. Blonde hair fluttered under her helmet. ¡°It¡¯s my job to whip you losers into shape, so you won¡¯t crumple the first time you see a sword pointed at you. Now. Are you ready?¡± ¡°For what?¡± Levi asked. ¡°For your first level.¡± ¡°Enough talking,¡± Kai interrupted. He spun his sword and caught it, gripping it firmly before him. ¡°Let¡¯s start the slaughter.¡± ¡°Jeeeeesus. Were you this edgy in the real world? Did you cut yourself on that edge, emo lord?¡± Levi asked, rounding on Kai. Kai looked down at him. He scoffed and looked away. Levi turned to Colin. ¡°Are you hearing this? Do you believe this shit?¡± Colin glanced at him, then glanced away. He hugged his staff. Captain Tash turned around. She snapped at her underlings. ¡°Release the goblins.¡± Saluting, the armored men marched to the far side of the yard. One turned a crank. A cage rose up out of the ground. Small, green-skinned creatures were crammed inside it. They clawed at the bars, fighting to break free. ¡°Kill them all.¡± With that, Captain Tash marched away. Levi gripped his sword tight. He leaned forward, licking his lips. Brooke¡¯s knuckles whitened on her staff. She held it out in front of her like a talisman, as if it could ward off the monsters before them. Colin cowered behind them, hugging his staff to his body. Jake reluctantly stepped forward, giving his fists an uncertain look. Kai charged the cage, his sword already drawn back. The front panel of the cage hit the floor. The goblins burst out. The first three charged Kai. The rest split around him like water around a rock. They rushed at Levi and the others. Kai¡¯s sword flashed. The first three goblins fell. He turned to chase the others. A blast of fire struck down one of the goblins as Brooke raised her staff. Levi ran out. He cut down one of the goblins with ease. The creature was small and unarmed. It had no hope of reaching him past his sword. They¡¯ve engineered this so we can¡¯t lose. They¡¯re setting us up to think we¡¯re stronger than we are, he noted quietly. A claw flashed at his side. Thoughtlessly, he blocked it with his free arm. A gash opened on his forearm, and blood spilled out. ¡°Oh,¡± Levi muttered, looking at it. He laughed quietly. Colin yelped in alarm. He all but threw his staff out. Bright gold light shone from its tip, then sparked around Levi¡¯s cut. The cut sealed itself shut. ¡°Hey, thanks!¡± He raised his hand, beaming at Colin. Colin smiled back nervously. He gave a little wave. ¡°Don¡¯t look away from the fight!¡± Jake blasted past Levi and punched a goblin in the head. The goblin tumbled away, punch-drunk. ¡°Right!¡± Levi nodded. He jumped forward, finishing off the downed goblin. The four of them formed a loose formation. Levi and Jake formed the front lines. Brooke hit the ones who got past them. Colin healed anyone who got hit. And out in front, Kai swept across the field, murdering over half the goblins that escaped the cage. The first cage emptied. The soldiers lowered it back into the earth and raised it back up, full of goblins once more. Over and over, until everyone but Kai wobbled, on the brink of exhaustion. Jake had long since removed his suit jacket, and his shirt was soaked through at the pits and chest. Levi¡¯s tattered clothes tinged darker by the moment. Brooke¡¯s coffee cup emptied, and perspiration spotted her flawless brow. Even Colin, on the furthest of the back lines, sagged against his staff. Captain Tash stepped forward. She raised her arm, halting the soldiers from drawing up the next cageful. ¡°How many levels?¡± ¡°Four,¡± Kai declared. Levi held up three fingers, and Brooke did the same. Colin and Jake both held up two. ¡°That¡¯s enough for today. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll fight hobgoblins. Expect a tougher fight. Remember, you hit your first class promotion at level ten. Think about what you might want to be,¡± Captain Tash said. Kai stepped forward. ¡°I can keep going.¡± ¡°Did you hear me? That¡¯s enough for today. The first five levels are freebies. It gets tough from here. Don¡¯t underestimate the System,¡± she barked. Kai closed in. He pointed his sword at the Captain. ¡°I can keep going.¡± Levi raised his brows. He glanced over his shoulder, at the archers on the battlements. Arrows glittered. Bows drew taut. Captain Tash glanced up as well. She lifted her hand, forming a fist. ¡°Stand down, soldier. Fighting tired is no way to fight. You¡¯ll have plenty blood soon enough.¡± Kai hesitated. His eyes flashed upward, following Captain Tash¡¯s glance. He harrumphed. Silently, he lowered his sword. Captain Tash nodded. ¡°It¡¯s good to be eager, but there¡¯s a limit. Let¡¯s get you fed and get you a good night¡¯s sleep. More of the same tomorrow.¡± Levi raised his hand. ¡°Are you having us actually fight instead of just farm EXP because we¡¯re going to need to know how it feels to kill, soon?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got a bright future, Soldier. We need you to fight the Demon King. Does us no good if you¡¯re bloated up with EXP, but have never had a taste of combat. Recruits start puking on the field, and that¡¯s useless to all of us.¡± Levi nodded. He opened his mouth, then shut it. A small smile spread over his face. ¡°Dinnertime.¡± -- In the Heart of the World, deep beneath the Sepulture of the Church, a blind woman turned her eyes to the sky. For the first time in a decade, she spoke, breaking a decade¡¯s worth of silence in her chamber. ¡°They have come. Those who shall be the final Champions have arrived.¡± Across the chamber, a man rose. ¡°Then I shall hunt them. The end must not come to pass.¡± ¡°The end is the Gods¡¯ will.¡± ¡°Nonetheless, I oppose it.¡± Pulling a black cape around his shoulders, the man departed. 2. Farming Hard ¡°Anyone else get the vibe that they¡¯re farming heroes?¡± Levi asked, tearing off a hunk of rough brown bread. The meal before them was hardly the stuff of legend. Homely loaves of bread sat beside a thick, equally brown stew. Still, it was hearty, and stuck to the ribs. Exactly what he needed after a long day of fighting. The soldiers had collected their weapons at the end of the day. They¡¯d practically had to wrestle the sword away from Kai, but everyone else gave their weapons up peacefully. Little as Levi had wanted to, he¡¯d given in to peer pressure and handed over his sword as well. With that done, they¡¯d been led to the dining hall, where they and the soldiers ate in the same large, open space. Across the hall, Adelie, who¡¯d summoned them, all but slept in her stew. There was no sign of the Grand Mage or the Prince. ¡°What?¡± Colin asked. He stared at Levi in shock. Kai scoffed. ¡°It¡¯s just because you¡¯re weak.¡± ¡°Kai the asshole king aside, it¡¯s pretty obvious, isn¡¯t it? I mean, that whole goblin-kill-farming cage. The walls with the archers pointed inward. We¡¯re not beloved heroes, we¡¯re conscripts being given the bare-minimum treatment.¡± Levi leaned forward. He bridged his fingers together. ¡°Putting the tinfoil hat on, I bet we aren¡¯t even fighting a Demon King. We¡¯re probably just foot soldiers in some bullshit regional war.¡± ¡°We¡¯re the only ones with stats,¡± Kai pointed out. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. Levi nodded. ¡°Granted.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make us incredibly more powerful than the enemy soldiers?¡± Brooke put forth. ¡°Unless they can also summon ¡®heroes,¡¯¡± Levi pointed out. Jake mopped his brow. ¡°What are we supposed to do about it?¡± ¡°Level up. Get as strong as we can. I mean, what the hell, right? No point turning down free levels. But the second they let us out of this hellhole, we run for it. Sprint for the hills. I¡¯m not here to fight some other world¡¯s wars. I¡¯m here to have a good time.¡± Kai rolled his eyes. He looked away. ¡°Leave me out of this.¡± ¡°Sure. I was planning to, anyways,¡± Levi allowed, without skipping a beat. Colin stared at Levi. ¡°Can we escape? Is that¡­will they let us?¡± Levi rolled his eyes, mimicking Kai moments ago. ¡°Of course they won¡¯t let us. They need us, for whatever reason. We¡¯re going to desert, because that¡¯s bullshit.¡± ¡°The first thing you¡¯re going to do in another world is go on the run?¡± Brooke asked. ¡°Better than fighting a war I don¡¯t give a shit about.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m going to see it out. They won¡¯t force us to fight forever, surely. And what if there really is a Demon King? You have no evidence to the contrary.¡± Levi leaned toward Jake. ¡°Easy for a backliner mage to say.¡± Brooke¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°The burden of proof is on the one with the wild theories. Prove that we aren¡¯t their heroes. Prove that any of this bullshit you¡¯ve suggested is real. One single iota of proof.¡± Levi shrugged. ¡°The archers, pointed inward? The bloodstained field? The cage full of monsters? What part of that wasn¡¯t suspicious to you?¡± ¡°What archers? And all the rest of that¡­ maybe the previous heroes failed, and they had to summon more. There¡¯s no rules against summoning more heroes.¡± ¡°Right, and it¡¯s not suspicious at all that they had to summon so many more heroes that they have a whole system and complex set up for it?¡± Levi pointed out. Brooke rolled her eyes. ¡°Sure, a little. It¡¯s not ¡®cut and run¡¯ levels of obvious threat, like you¡¯re making it out to be.¡± Levi threw his hands up. He looked around the table. ¡°Anyone else? Any other opinions?¡± Jake shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m going to stay in, too. Do the lawful thing. The right thing. I¡¯ll ask for early release, if you are right. They seemed reasonable. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll grant it. They have no reason to keep us forever.¡± Surprised, Levi raised his brows. He scanned the group, left to right. ¡°Damn, really? I expected it from Kai, but the rest of you?¡± Brooke shook her head. Jake wrinkled his nose. Kai turned away. ¡°Colin?¡± Levi made eye contact. Colin quickly turned away. He glanced at the floor. ¡°I, um. Don¡¯t want to get in trouble.¡± Levi snorted. He eyed Colin for another moment, then looked away. ¡°Alright, alright. It was just a joke. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Brooke snorted, exasperated. ¡°Don¡¯t joke about that kind of thing.¡± Jake laughed. He wiped his shiny forehead. ¡°You really had me going there.¡± Kai gave him a disbelieving look, then dismissed him. Colin glanced around. He licked his lips, then leaned forward. ¡°Um. How¡¯d everyone get here?¡± ¡°What, you mean like, how¡¯d we get isekai¡¯d?¡± Levi asked. Colin nodded. ¡°I was crossing the road. That¡¯s the last thing I remember.¡± ¡°Truck-kun. A classic,¡± Levi said, nodding in approval. ¡°Same. I got destroyed by a truck,¡± Brooke agreed. Jake wiped his face on his sleeve. ¡°Tripped and fell off a bridge.¡± ¡°Oh, tripped, huh,¡± Levi muttered. He looked at Kai. Kai twisted his nose. ¡°Got shot.¡± ¡°Got shot?¡± Levi raised his brows. ¡°Yeah.¡± Kai turned away. ¡°That¡¯s not ominous,¡± Levi muttered. Brooke leaned in. ¡°What about you, Levi?¡± ¡°Oh, me? I jumped in a portal,¡± Levi said. The other three stared. Even Kai turned around and gave him a look. Levi spread his hands. ¡°It seemed like a good idea at the time¡­?¡± ¡°There¡¯s portals where you¡¯re from? Hold on, are we not all from the same Earth?¡± Brooke asked. ¡°You¡¯ve never seen a Gate?¡± Jake asked. Colin stared around, wide-eyed. He shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s fantasy.¡± Jake and Levi shared a look. Levi raised his shoulders. ¡°Different Earths! That¡¯s fun.¡± ¡°Why are we even listening to you?¡± Kai asked abruptly. He stood. Without another word, he walked off. One of the soldiers peeled off the wall and gestured for Kai to follow him, and the two of them vanished into the night. Levi licked his lips. He turned back to the group. ¡°Over-under on that guy surviving the night?¡± ¡°Who, Kai?¡± Brooke asked. ¡°No. The poor soldier escorting Kai.¡± She gave him a dead look. ¡°Why are you so harsh on Kai? Calm down. He¡¯s just stressed, the same as the rest of us. You make him out to be some kind of serial killer¡­monster, or something.¡± Levi spread his hands. ¡°Because he is? Are you blind?¡± Colin patted Levi on the shoulder. He shook his head. ¡°He¡¯s a bit of an edgelord, but that¡¯s it. He¡¯s just an edgy guy. Don¡¯t take him so seriously. You¡¯ll only encourage him,¡± Brooke said. ¡°Alright, alright. Hey, when you find yourself in a dark alley alone with Kai and he pulls the cleaver out, don¡¯t come crying to me.¡± Levi pushed up from the table. A soldier stepped forward, but he waved his hand. The soldier ignored his wave and marched to Levi¡¯s side. Levi eyed him up and down. ¡°Hello, Big Brother.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not your brother,¡± the soldier snapped. ¡°I know. Follow me at your own risk, by the way. Kai¡¯s in a mood.¡± With no further explanation, Levi walked away. The soldier followed at his heel. -- ¡°Left.¡± Levi glanced over his shoulder. ¡°Is it a crime to wander? I just want to see the area.¡± The soldier lowered the spear he carried. The blade shone next to Levi¡¯s face. ¡°Left.¡± ¡°Message received! Wow, you guys are real fun.¡± Levi shook his head. He looked over his shoulder at the soldier. ¡°You know, the rest of them believe the ¡®heroes¡¯ bullshit. If you¡¯re a little nicer than this, they might keep falling for it.¡± The soldier remained impassive. He jabbed the spear threateningly at Levi. ¡°This isn¡¯t your first rodeo, huh.¡± From nearby came a gurgle. A horrible moan echoed down a narrow alley. The soldier whirled. Levi raised his hand. ¡°Let me handle it.¡± The soldier gave him a suspicious look, but didn¡¯t stop Levi as he slid down the alley. At the end, the alley opened up into a small nook, and there, Kai pressed his guard up against the wall by his mouth. A knife from the dinner table jutted from the man¡¯s stomach. Kai whipped around. He ripped the knife out of the man¡¯s gut and brandished it at Levi. Calmly, Levi stepped in. He pressed the knife down with the flat of his hand. Kai immediately fought against his push, lowering his other hand to struggle against Levi¡¯s one. The second he dropped his second hand, Levi¡¯s other hand snapped out and caught Kai¡¯s throat. He threw Kai against the wall with his momentum, pinning him by the throat. Kai glared at him. He fought with all his might to free his knife. His hands lifted, pulling it toward Levi. Levi¡¯s pathetic stats couldn¡¯t beat Kai¡¯s. But that wasn¡¯t important. ¡°Shh. Shh. I¡¯m here to help,¡± Levi said. Kai slowed. He narrowed his eyes. ¡°Stop trying to stab me, and we¡¯ll talk.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Kai grunted. ¡°Uh, because I don¡¯t want to be stabbed?¡± ¡°Why help?¡± ¡°Ohhh. Right. Because these soldiers are full of bullshit and deserve to die for forcibly conscripting us. That¡¯s a war crime, by the way. Forcible conscription of fighters who aren¡¯t a party to the conflict.¡± Kai stared at him. His hand stopped pressing against Levi¡¯s. He dropped the knife. ¡°There we go! We¡¯re all friends here.¡± Levi stepped back, releasing Kai. Kai lunged. His hands closed in on Levi¡¯s throat. Levi ducked, turning his body to the side. He grabbed Kai¡¯s hands as they slammed past him and pushed his hip into Kai¡¯s center of gravity. He pulled and turned, sending Kai up and over him. Kai dropped to the floor with an oof. Levi snatched up the knife. He pointed it at Kai. ¡°Dude. Chill. I checked, I asked, we¡¯ve only got one life each. I don¡¯t want to waste mine here. Let¡¯s be rational. Same team, same team.¡± Kai climbed warily to his feet. He narrowed his eyes at Levi. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to report me?¡± ¡°Hell no. I approve. Kill more soldiers. Actually, I just came to tell you to stab them in the back instead. They let out an instinctive huff and don¡¯t scream. Nice and quiet.¡± Levi gave him a thumbs up. Kai stared at him blankly. Levi tossed the knife in one hand. ¡°Look. I already figured out that you¡¯re a psycho serial killer¡­ question mark, serial killer wannabe? This is no revelation. Only thing I¡¯m mad about is that no one took me up on my bet.¡± ¡°Your bet?¡± Kai asked. ¡°Yeah, on whether or not your guard would survive the night.¡± Levi tossed the knife to Kai. ¡°Any chance you might be interested in escaping?¡± Kai snorted. He snatched the knife out of the air. ¡°I work alone.¡± ¡°Wow, lone wolf, such protagonist, very edge.¡± Levi made a face. ¡°Yuck, you made me meme at you with a stale-ass dead meme. Gross.¡± Kai stared. Levi pointed finger guns at him. ¡°If you ever feel like working alone at the same time as I also work alone to escape, let me know!¡± He backed toward the mouth of the nook. ¡°Wait.¡± Levi waited. He raised his brows expectantly. Kai looked him up and down. ¡°What are you?¡± ¡°A very ordinary human being who knows one or two judo throws, just like all people do,¡± Levi said. He slid backward into the alley. ¡°No way. There¡¯s something more to you. You¡¯ve seen battle. Real battle.¡± Kai narrowed his eyes at the slit as Levi retreated down it. ¡°What was your Earth like?¡± ¡°Normal. Completely normal. Nothing strange about it at all. A perfectly normal apocalyptic hellscape.¡± ¡°A perfectly normal¡ªwhat?¡± Kai stared at empty darkness. Levi was gone. He grimaced. ¡°Fucking freak.¡± 3. Grind for Days At the mouth of the alley, the soldier nodded at Levi and gestured with his spear. Levi beamed at him. ¡°You¡¯re the no questions type. I like that about you.¡± ¡°Shut up and walk.¡± Levi mimed zipping his lips and moved his feet. ¡°What was down there?¡± ¡°What happened to no questions?¡± The soldier angled his spear toward Levi. Levi put his hands up. ¡°It was just a raccoon. Those things make freaky noises. I scared it off.¡± The soldier nodded. He turned away from Levi again. They reached the barracks in a short time. Rows of identical dorms stretched off down the aisle. The soldier pointed at the first four. ¡°Pick one.¡± ¡°I choose¡­ number one!¡± Levi said. Reaching to his hip, the soldier drew out a metal tag and hung it on the door. He pushed the door open, revealing a dark interior. He grabbed a torch from the exterior wall and touched it to a candle inside. ¡°Gather at dawn outside your room, at the ready. You¡¯ll find everything you need inside. A bed, nightclothes, and a change of day clothes as well. We¡¯ve also provided you with basic toiletries.¡± ¡°Like toilet paper?¡± The soldier gave him a blank look. ¡°Loo roll? Tissues? The back pages of a cheap paperback?¡± Levi tried. ¡°The toilet is at the end of the barracks,¡± the soldier said, pointing to a rundown hut at the far side of the field. ¡°Message received. Leaves it is.¡± With a final thumbs-up, Levi stepped into his room. He turned around, taking stock. It was a simple room. One bed, one window on the far side of the room from the door, one chair. Cloth was folded neatly on the chair, and a few sundries sat atop the clothes. The soldier clunked away. The second his boots cleared the corner, Levi stepped out of his room. He glanced around. Seeing no one in the immediate vicinity, he walked around to the back of the building. Before long, Kai appeared. He glanced at the dorms, then slid into the second room. Reaching into his pocket, he hung a metal token on the door. A soldier clunked by, leading another victim. Levi perked his head up. Colin glanced around, timidly following the soldier. The soldier gestured toward the third room. Colin stepped inside. Excellent. Levi pushed the window open from outside and slid in as Colin shut the door and waved goodbye to the soldier. He slipped across the room and sat down on the edge of the chair. Colin turned around. He jumped. His eyes went wide. ¡°Good evening, Colin. I couldn¡¯t help but notice your reaction at the dinner table,¡± Levi said. Colin raised his hands. Blushing, he turned away. ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m flattered, but I¡¯m not¡ª¡± ¡°You want to run away, don¡¯t you¡ªwait, huh? What?¡± ¡°What?¡± Colin returned, equally flustered. Levi raised his brows. ¡°No, go on.¡± ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s nothing. You¡ªyou go on,¡± Colin said quickly. Levi chuckled. He stood and paced the room, putting his hands cooly behind his back. Subtly, he checked his ass for cuts. I really should¡¯ve checked on the razor they gave us before I sat on that pile. I guess they only had straight razors back then, but still. Dangerous thing to toss on a chair. ¡°I saw you. You want to run away, don¡¯t you? There¡¯s no one else around. You can admit it now.¡± Colin¡¯s eyes flicked to Levi. He gulped, then nodded, barely half an inch. Levi grinned. ¡°Excellent. I have a plan, but it requires your cooperation. If you weren¡¯t on my side, I¡¯d have to bother you until you gave in.¡± ¡°S-so, what¡¯s the plan?¡± Colin asked. Levi bridged his hands together. ¡°Right now, they¡¯re on guard. They¡¯ll be on guard until they¡¯re convinced we¡¯re on their side. So, we don¡¯t escape now. We wait. Wait until we reach the battlefield. Fight one battle, even. And then, only then, do we make a break for it.¡± Colin gulped. ¡°But that means we have to fight. In battle. Risk our lives.¡± Levi waggled his finger. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. That¡¯s where your part comes in. You¡¯re a healer. I have a high pain tolerance. I fight, and you heal me, and only me. If I can fight recklessly, I can keep anyone from reaching you. You¡¯ll be safe, and you¡¯ll be keeping me safe. We will survive. And after battle, we¡¯ll escape.¡± Colin took a nervous breath. He thought for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Okay. Yes. Okay. We¡¯ll do that.¡± ¡°Once we get away, we¡¯ll have to live rough for a few weeks until the army forgets about us, or while we make a break into enemy territory, but then we¡¯re home free. We get to live our best isekai life.¡± ¡°A peaceful life. That¡¯s what I want,¡± Colin said firmly. Levi clasped him on the shoulder. ¡°And that¡¯s what we¡¯re going to do. Find our peaceful lives. Just as soon as we get away from this bullshit.¡± Colin nodded. He took a deep breath, then nodded again. ¡°Yes. Right. We¡¯re going to get out of here.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Levi released Colin and backed away. He paused. ¡°Oh, one last thing. They mentioned a class-up, or whatever. I need you to choose whatever class heals more. Go hard on healing. I¡¯m going to pick a stealth class. Between the two of us, we¡¯ll get out of this alive.¡± Colin gave a thumbs-up. Grabbing the windowsill, Levi slung his leg over. ¡°See you in the morning.¡± He hopped down and crossed back to his room. He slid in through the window. Brooke stood there, arms crossed. ¡°Whoops. Wrong room.¡± Levi began to back out, then paused. He squinted. ¡°Wait, this is my room.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± He slid in. ¡°So, me, you, a man and a woman, all alone in my room?¡± ¡°Stop whatever you¡¯re doing,¡± Brooke demanded. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to make you uncomfortable. I just assumed¡ª¡± She gave him a dead look. ¡°I meant the plan. Your stupid conspiracy theory. Stop it.¡± Levi raised his brows. He took off his shirt and tossed it on the bed. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m not going to stop.¡± He unbuttoned his jeans. She gave him a look. ¡°Are you really undressing?¡± ¡°Are you really trespassing in my room?¡± Levi kicked his shoes off. He gripped his pants and raised his brows at her. ¡°You¡¯re disgusting.¡± She backed through the door. ¡°You¡¯re committing a crime. I¡¯m not. Seeeee ya!¡± Levi gave her a jaunty wave and shut the door. ¡°You stop what you¡¯re doing!¡± she called as she left. ¡°I¡¯m getting naked in my room whether you like it or not!¡± he shouted after her. She made a disgusted sound and marched off. Levi locked his room. Half-dressed, he sat down in his chair and stared at the door. He ran his hands down his face and took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯ve got this.¡± -- Everyone but Kai gathered at the break of dawn and headed back down to the same field. Kai was there when they arrived. He and Captain Tash faced one another, swords drawn. They clashed. Sparks flew. Captain Tash narrowed her eyes. With a flick of her sword, she sent his blade to the side. One quick step, and she put her blade to his throat. Kai grimaced. His nose twisted in disgust. Behind him, Levi raised his brows. Interesting. Captain Tash didn¡¯t have a status sheet, if the Grand Mage could be trusted. Nonetheless, she could fight on par with Kai, the member of their team with the strongest stats. She clearly had some ability to reach higher strength levels than ordinary people from Levi¡¯s world. He couldn¡¯t discount people without status sheets in this world¡ªor at least, not at his current level. Wonder if that¡¯s why they pump us up to level ten first. Then again, the Grand Mage doesn¡¯t appear to have been isekaied. Maybe it¡¯s possible to reach the same heights as those of us blessed with the System, but it¡¯s harder or slower. He raised his brows. No¡ªI bet that¡¯s it. It takes decades to build a mage without a System. With one, it takes days. No wonder they¡¯re summoning us. We¡¯re not cannon fodder. We¡¯re cannons, who are also fodder. ¡°Good. You were close, that time.¡± Captain Tash stepped back. Lowering her sword, she sheathed it and turned to the others. ¡°As I promised, you face hobgoblins today. They¡¯re more dangerous than ordinary goblins. In the wild, they often possess small bows or slings. Here, they are merely stronger and larger goblins. Take care. We have had heroes die to the hobs before. Especially healers.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Colin stiffened. He clutched his staff tight to his chest. ¡°I won¡¯t let them touch you,¡± Levi promised quietly, patting Colin¡¯s shoulder. After all, he needed Colin for his plan. No way was he letting some shitty little goblins ruin his meticulous efforts. Colin relaxed just an inch. He managed a nervous smile at Levi. Captain Tash clapped. Soldiers stepped forward, distributing their weapons once more. Levi tossed his sword, getting a feel for its weight. He checked his status. How much did I grow? Levi | 18 | Lv 4 Class: Soldier Str: 3 Mag: 4 Dex: 3 Spd: 8 Def: 4 Res: 3 He chuckled under his breath. ¡°Ah. Now I see.¡± No wonder Adelie had cowered after summoning a Soldier. It was the everyman class. The great at nothing, okay at everything class. The even-growths class. Except for speed, which was twice as high as everything else. Levi shrugged to himself. If he had to pick one stat to be high, he could do worse than Speed. If a Hero, who started with ten in each stat, could fight a non-System-possessing Captain on even footing at level five, then he was well and truly fucked. It¡¯d take him ten levels to hit Kai¡¯s starting point. Five more levels to match fifteen points. And that assumed Hero could only grow one point in each stat per level. I need to Class up fast. This Class is shit. The soldiers turned the crank. The cage creaked up out of the ground. Large, yellow-skinned goblins clamored at the bars, A few of them gnawed at the iron. Massive fangs jutted out of their jaws, and slit-pupiled eyes glared at the five of them. Kai strode out in front of the group. He raised his sword. ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡± Levi and Jake exchanged a nod. They walked out in front of Colin and Brooke. Brooke stepped slightly in front of Colin, who hung in the very back. The cage door struck the ground with a resounding blow. The hobgoblins burst free. Kai laughed. He swept his sword, anticipating a mad rush. The hobgoblins saw the strike coming. They leaped into the air, dodging Kai¡¯s strike. Stubby wings unfolded from their backs. Like leathery chicken wings, they weren¡¯t nearly large enough to allow powered flight, but they could glide and fight gravity for a few seconds. The highest leaper propelled himself toward Kai¡¯s face, while the next two behind him swooped for his limbs. They latched on, weighing him down. The second he was incapacitated, the rest of the hobgoblins swarmed him. Yellow flesh and bright fangs flashed. ¡°Kai!¡± Brooke screamed. She sniped one of the hobgoblins off him with a well-placed fire beam. One hob fell away, singed and stinking. Jake rushed toward Kai. Levi sighed. ¡°He kinda deserves it, but I could use a homicidal distraction.¡± Digging in his toes, he blasted off the ground. He sprinted past Jake and closed in on Kai. He dashed by. His sword flashed. Two hobs fell to the ground, gripping severed limbs. A third one screamed like a stuck pig, a massive slash open in its side. Its organs slopped out, soaking blood into the floor. Levi whirled around. Recognizing him as a threat, the hobs lifted off Kai to hurtle at him. Their little wings powered at the air. Levi slashed once, twice, three times. Three hobs hit the ground. Kai let out a bloodcurdling scream. He ripped a hob off his face and threw it to the ground, stomping its face in. Grabbing left, right, and center, he tore the hobs off him. The second they hit the ground, they rebounded at Kai. ¡°Nah. Not today.¡± Levi spun his sword around and stabbed. As Kai pulled the hobs off of him, Levi finished them off. Jake jumped into the battle. He helped Kai peel the hobs away. Colin ran up, too. He kept a healthy distance between him and the hobs, but raised his staff. Gold light streamed into Kai and the others. Deep gashes on Kai¡¯s flesh began to seal shut. Brooke fired off another few fireballs, destroying the few hobs who survived the onslaught. Panting, she leaned against her staff. ¡°Kai, come back. Join the formation. Please.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be ready, next time,¡± Kai growled. Lifting his arm, he wiped blood off his face. Gold light danced around him, sinking into his many wounds. ¡°No, you won¡¯t. Don¡¯t be a dick. Or do. I mean, it was kinda funny watching you get swarmed by a billion hobs,¡± Levi informed him. Kai narrowed his eyes at Levi. He lifted his sword. ¡°Hey, edgelord. Watch where you point that dagger. We just saved your life. We don¡¯t have to, next time,¡± Levi said. He lifted his finger and pushed the sword away. ¡°I don¡¯t need your help.¡± ¡°Okay. Have fun with the hobs,¡± Levi said. He put his hands up and backed away. Colin glanced at Levi. He backed away, too, and lowered his staff. The gold light faded. Kai wavered where he stood. He whirled around, glaring at Colin. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Colin jumped. He went to raise his staff again. Before he could, Levi put a hand on his arm and pushed it back down. He looked down his nose at Kai, doing his best to adopt the exact bratty child attitude Prince Harold had had days ago. ¡°You don¡¯t need help.¡± Kai bared his teeth. ¡°Healing and help are two different things.¡± ¡°Levi! Let Colin heal him,¡± Brooke snarled. She stomped over to Colin and reached for his staff. Levi pointed his sword at her. She jolted to a halt. He waggled his finger. ¡°Nope. Kai cooperates or he doesn¡¯t, but he doesn¡¯t get the benefits if he doesn¡¯t cooperate. You remember kindergarten, right?¡± ¡°He¡¯s going to die!¡± Brooke snapped. Levi glanced over his shoulder. Kai panted, his face twisting in pain every time he heaved a breath. Blood ran down his whole body from a multitude of cuts. ¡°Eh. Die, no. Be in pain for a long time, sure. Do you want him to do this same dumbass thing the next time they haul a crate of hobs up here, and put us all in danger trying to save him? Again? Or do you want him to learn his lesson and play nice?¡± He glanced at Kai. ¡°This is still the kindergarten curriculum, in case you¡¯re following along.¡± Hatred flashed over Kai¡¯s face. He lifted his lip, and his nose twisted in disgust. ¡°You¡¯d withhold healing from an injured man?¡± ¡°I¡¯d do it from an injured dumbass,¡± Levi returned. ¡°Fight with us and get healed, or don¡¯t, and get mobbed by the next round of hobs. What do you say?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need you,¡± Kai bit. His hands shook in anger. ¡°Yeah, sure. Fine. Accepted. But do you want us?¡± Levi paused. He cleared his throat. ¡°I mean, do you want to be healed?¡± Kai¡¯s whole face twisted up. He clenched his hands into fists. ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Good! The first step is admitting you have a problem. Okay. Now for step two. Will you fight in formation with us, instead of trying to soak EXP alone on the frontlines like a dumbass?¡± He looked away. His jaw moved. Levi lifted a hand to his ear. ¡°Couldn¡¯t hear you!¡± ¡°Fine! Whatever. Just let him heal me,¡± Kai grumbled. ¡°There we go! That was easy, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Levi beamed and clapped. He stepped back, letting Colin lift his staff again. Colin stepped forward. Gold light flowed to Kai. Despite his best efforts, Kai¡¯s shoulders unwound. Tension flowed off his body as his wounds closed. His eyes shut. He let out a slow breath. Levi patted Colin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Good work, soldier. You did a great job standing up to Kai. Stick close to me, and you¡¯ll go far.¡± Colin nodded. He managed a nervous smile. Brooke scoffed. She rolled her eyes and turned away. Captain Tash walked over from the edge of the field. As the last gold sparks faded from Kai, she looked them over. ¡°Ready for the next round?¡± ¡°Ready,¡± Levi confirmed. Kai grunted. He pushed his hair back and adjusted his grip on his sword. Levi leaned toward Captain Tash. Raising a hand to his mouth, he stage-whispered, ¡°That¡¯s edgelord for ¡®I¡¯m ready.¡¯¡± Captain Tash broke a grin against her will. She raised her hand. ¡°Ready the next round!¡± The chains creaked. The cage lowered back into the bowels of the earth. The group backed away, and this time, Kai came with them. He stood in the middle, flanked by Levi and Jake. Eyes straight ahead, he refused to acknowledge them in any way. ¡°Get in my way, and I won¡¯t hold back,¡± Kai muttered. ¡°Don¡¯t threaten Jake with a good time,¡± Levi shot back. Jake startled. ¡°What? Why am I catching strays?¡± ¡°You know why, trip boy.¡± ¡°I really did trip!¡± Jake protested. Levi raised his brows, but said no more. The cage clanked to the surface. The hobgoblins roared, banging their claws on the cage. ¡°These things have intelligence. They can use strategy. Don¡¯t be a hero,¡± Levi said, raising his sword. Jake nodded and lifted his fists, assuming a fighting stance. Kai just grunted. The cage door dropped. A tide of mustard-yellow flesh stampeded out. The three of them held their ground, waiting. Brooke hefted her staff. Fireballs bore the frontrunners to the ground. The hobgoblins behind them trampled over them in their mad rush. Blood splashed over their ankles. They closed in on the three melee fighters. Swords flashing, fists flying, the three of them rushed to meet the hobgoblins. The day passed quickly. Cage after cage of hobgoblins creaked to the surface and unleashed its deadly occupants. Time and time again, the five of them struck them down. Before long, everyone was level five, but as Captain Tash had predicted, their growth slowed there. By the end of the day, Levi and Brooke were level six, and Kai alone reached level seven. Jake and Colin lingered at the back of the growth rates, only reaching level five. In this manner, the five days Captain Tash had prescribed came to pass. By the fifth day, they were all at level nine. Both the slow and the fast levelers were dragged to the same pace by the immense amount of EXP required to level past level five. Or maybe this is as far as these weak monsters can get us, Levi noted silently. All the monsters they fought now had been captured by ordinary soldiers and put in cages. But they had the System. Stats. The ability to level up faster than an ordinary soldier of this world. They needed more than the kind of monsters mere soldiers could catch. As the last of the monsters died, Captain Tash walked out onto the field. She clasped her hands behind her. ¡°Welcome to the evening of the fifth day. I trust you all have reached level nine?¡± ¡°Sir, yes sir!¡± Levi said, snapping a salute. Colin nodded nervously. Jake glanced at Levi and managed a sloppy salute. Kai harrumphed, and Brooke nodded primly. A roar echoed up the shaft. The cage shuddered as it descended into the earth. Levi glanced behind her, raising his brows. ¡°The hell¡¯s that?¡± ¡°This is your first true life-or-death battle. No one will step in to save you. This monster is a boss monster that even I am not comfortable facing without a full party.¡± At the distant walls, wheels rumbled. Cannons faced inward, dark, broad barrels pointed down at the field. ¡°Should you fail, we will launch cannon fire at the beast. Those remaining alive at that juncture should flee for their lives. We will fire indiscriminately.¡± ¡°Got it. Taking out the trash,¡± Levi muttered to himself. ¡°Should you succeed, you will have the right to Class Up. You should choose your class wisely. The right class can make or break an Awakened, such as yourself.¡± She looked slowly from left to right, taking them all in. ¡°I have high hopes for you. You¡¯ve grown immensely since your arrival. Defeat this monster, and claim your Class advancement.¡± Captain Tash glanced upward at the cannons. ¡°Or die under the weight of a hundred pounds of lead. The choice is yours.¡± With that, she strode off. She raised her fist. The soldiers manning the wheel pulled with all their strength, but still struggled. Another dozen soldiers ran to the wheel and helped them turn it. The chains screeched. Slowly, the cage crawled into view. This cage was taller than the rest, and the bars thicker and further apart. Black iron reinforced the corners. As it lifted, its occupant came into view. A hairy head. Two massive horns, curling over either side of two long, broad ears. A flat nose, wet, dripping with spittle. Two dark eyes glared at them. A long, pink tongue snaked out of the flat muzzle, licking the wet nose. Broad, human shoulders. Massive hands, large as dinnerplates. A chest you could spread a picnic blanket on. And huge, furred legs, ending in hooves big enough to crush a head in a single step. Levi gasped. He jumped in place. ¡°Ohmigosh! A minotaur! Fucking sick! This is the best!¡± ¡°We have to fight that thing,¡± Brooke reminded him. ¡°Yeah, but look, if we die to a minotaur, that¡¯s sick as fuck. Die to a goblin, and that¡¯s just kind of sad,¡± Levi pointed out. Jake nodded. ¡°He¡¯s got a point.¡± ¡°Minotaurs are classic. I mean, literally Classic. Who doesn¡¯t want to fight a minotaur at least once?¡± Levi said, spreading his hands. Colin glanced at Levi. He gave a nervous nod. Kai nodded. Rolling her eyes, Brooke snorted. ¡°Men.¡± ¡°Enough talk. It¡¯s time to fight,¡± Kai said, drawing his sword. ¡°No, no, no. Not enough talk. Not at all.¡± Levi turned. He pointed at Brooke. ¡°Hammer him out the gate. Everything you¡¯ve got, and I mean everything.¡± He turned, pointing at Kai and Jake. ¡°We¡¯re the frontline. Block him. Distract him. If he gets past us, we¡¯re dead. We stake our lives on keeping the backliners alive.¡± He looked at Colin. ¡°Prioritize heals to whoever the minotaur is focusing. If it¡¯s you, run. That goes for you too, Brooke. If the minotaur starts going after the backliners, it¡¯s our job,¡± he gestured at the three melee fighters, himself included, ¡°to draw aggro, no matter what it takes. Break an arm. Lose a leg. Doesn¡¯t matter. Colin will patch us up. We can¡¯t let him reach Colin. He reaches Colin, and we¡¯re dead.¡± Jake nodded. Brooke twisted her lips, but she nodded as well. Colin tightened his grip on his staff. ¡°As if I wasn¡¯t going to do that already,¡± Kai scoffed. ¡°Good! Good talk. Alright. Let¡¯s oneshot this thing,¡± Levi said. He turned around, drawing his sword. The cage reached ground level. All five of them tensed. The door clanged open. The minotaur swung its giant head. Left. Right. Those hateful black eyes locked onto them, and they widened. It pawed the cage floor. Lowered its head. Levi crouched. He adjusted his grip on his sword. ¡°Here it comes.¡± With a hideous roar, the minotaur charged. 4. Minotaur Letting out a hideous roar, the minotaur charged. Kai led the charge, with Levi and Jake close behind. Brooke pummeled it with fire from the rear. It charged through the flames. They caught in its fur and flickered around its body, but it didn¡¯t let the heat or the pain stop it. With all the power of a linebacker on steroids, it charged for Kai. Kai met its charge headlong. Planting his feet, he raised his sword to meet its horns. The minotaur twisted its head as it closed in. Its lower horn dropped under Kai¡¯s stance, tip charging toward his stomach. Levi darted in. He spun around and struck at the minotaur¡¯s feet as it ran, striking at its ankle. Blood spurted. The minotaur stumbled, just for an instant. At the last second, Kai sidestepped. The minotaur jerked its head upward, intending to gore him, but its swing met no resistance. Between Levi¡¯s cut and Kai¡¯s feint, the minotaur stumbled. Its hooves slipped on the blood-slicked grass, and it fell. ¡°Now!¡± Levi shouted. He, Jake, and Kai all charged the prone beast. Levi stabbed at its neck. The thick fur absorbed the weight of his strike. He barely slashed its skin, and its muscles deflected the rest of the attack. Grimacing, he yanked his sword back and stabbed for the eye instead. Before his blade could reach, a hand swept through the air. It smacked Levi back. He threw himself with the blow, somersaulting across the grass. He bounded back to his feet, arresting the rest of his motion by grabbing the earth. ¡°Help!¡± Jake screamed. The beast had him in its fist. It lumbered back to its feet, squeezing Jake the whole time. Jake punched its hand as hard as he could, but the minotaur barely seemed to notice his blows. And why would it? He had no angle, no base from which to punch. Kai stood cooly back, watching as the minotaur climbed to its feet. Levi grunted. ¡°Not gonna help, huh?¡± He charged in. The minotaur raised Jake to its mouth. It opened its jaws. Hot, fetid saliva dripped down Jake¡¯s neck. Jake flinched away. He lifted his hands, ready to meet the minotaur¡¯s jaws. ¡°Brooke! The eyes!¡± Levi shouted. ¡°On it!¡± A fireball slammed into the minotaur¡¯s face. The minotaur staggered. It lowered Jake and batted at its face with its free hand. Levi leaped into the air, striking upward at the same time. He sliced into the minotaur¡¯s fingers. Blood surged out, and two meaty fingers fell away. The minotaur roared. It released Jake. The man fell to the ground with a thump, breathing heavily. Levi grabbed his arm and jerked him backward. Even as he did, gold light coiled around him, healing his wounds. ¡°Recover. When you¡¯re ready, rejoin the fight,¡± Levi ordered. He released Jake and charged back in. The minotaur stood. Its eyes glowed red. It swept its gaze across the field, searching for the one who¡¯d burned it. It found Brooke, and its eyes narrowed. ¡°Nope,¡± Levi said. He struck at its legs. Like its neck, the thick fur around its thighs blocked a serious blow. Levi twisted his nose. He bounced back and redirected his blow upward, seeking out the minotaur¡¯s human, unarmored chest. A red slash appeared. His blade shuddered off its ribs, barely doing more than a scrape. The minotaur stomped forward, closing in on Brooke. Kai still stood to the side, watching. Levi glared at him. ¡°Hey, Hero! You waiting for a personal invitation, or what?¡± Kai ignored him. ¡°Alright, no help from Captain Fuckwit, got it.¡± Levi charged in again. The minotaur swung its arms carelessly, aiming a backhanded blow at him. He ducked the swing and closed in. Its ribcage stood at head height, its armpit well over his head. Ignoring both of those, he grabbed his sword in both hands and sunk it into the minotaur¡¯s gut. Blood spurted out. The hot liquid splashed over Levi¡¯s face. He closed his eyes on reflex. The second he did, his heart sunk. Uh oh. There was an enraged roar, and then a semitruck caught him in the chest and launched him across the field. Levi tumbled. There was no three-point landing, no somersaults. He fell, rolling like a ragdoll. Earth sprayed around him. Rocks bit into his bones. He slammed into a tree, and for a second, the world went dark. Get up. Levi forced his eyes open. A blurry world wobbled before him. He rolled over, and his ribs screamed. Biting back a scream, he got his arm under him. His legs trembled. The slightest twitch sent searing pain through his hips. He couldn¡¯t climb to his feet. He could barely push himself up. He gritted his teeth. His eyes narrowed. Get up. Gold light shone around him. It sunk into his body. A horrific crack sounded from his hips, and a surge of vomit-inducing pain charged up his spine. Levi grunted. He forced himself up. He stumbled to his feet. Across the field, the minotaur closed in on Brooke. Jake threw himself into its legs. It staggered slightly to the side. Brooke fled, barely dodging its charge. Levi stabbed the ground. He forced himself up. Yanking his sword out of the ground, he staggered toward the minotaur. His legs clicked when he walked. One leg was definitely longer than the other. Nonetheless, he forced himself to a run. ¡°Hey, fathead! Over here!¡± The minotaur ignored him. Levi scowled. He grabbed a stone off the ground and threw it at the minotaur. ¡°Asshole! Look here!¡± The minotaur turned, slowly. Red eyes glared Levi down. He laughed. His hips clicked again. Pain washed over him. He paled, and he looked down as bile rose in his throat. With effort, he swallowed, and forced a grin. ¡°That¡¯s right. Come here, big boy.¡± His legs were the same length, now. His ribs still hurt, and he bled from a thousand nicks and scrapes, but he could stand. Stand, and hold his sword. Across the way, Kai stalked closer. Before the minotaur could charge, Levi did. It lifted its hands as he grew close, preparing to slap them down on his head. Levi grinned. ¡°That¡¯s right, big boy. Biiiiig hug.¡± He sprinted faster, clutching his sword hard. Roaring, the minotaur rushed to meet him. Its hooves pounded the soil. Its eyes locked onto Levi. It slammed its arms toward him. Levi threw himself at the ground. In a baseball slide, he slid under it. He thrust his sword up from dead underneath it, plunging it into soft flesh. Using the force of his slide, he ripped through the fur and flesh alike. The minotaur let out a roar like never before, a roar that verged onto a scream. Blood poured down. It staggered and dropped to its knees. Those huge hands clutched its undercarriage. Behind it, Levi jumped to his feet. He laughed and closed in again. ¡°Wear clothes, idiot.¡± A flash of silver. Blood flew into the blue sky. The minotaur¡¯s head slipped to the side, sliced off its shoulders. Level Up! Class advancements available! Kai stood on the far side of the minotaur, his sword held high. Slowly, he stood, lowering his blade. ¡°Mother fucking kill steal!¡± Levi shouted, legitimately angry for a single second. He pointed at Kai, his hand trembling. Kai looked at him. He crossed his arms. ¡°Cooperate, or don¡¯t. Weren¡¯t you the one who said that?¡± Levi closed his eyes. He took a deep breath. He managed a smile. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Cooperation. Motherfucking kill stealer wants to talk about cooperation? Fucker who sat on the sidelines and did none of the work, then swooped in and took the bulk of the EXP. That piece of shit wants to talk about¡ª¡± Cold metal pressed against his neck. Kai stood beside him, his sword leveled. ¡°One more word.¡± ¡°Levi!¡± Colin shouted. Gold light poured into Levi. Levi¡¯s jaw worked. His body trembled. With visible effort, he swallowed his words. ¡°Right. Yeah. I¡¯m good. We¡¯re all good. We killed it, yay!¡± Kai snorted. He lowered his sword. ¡°Never forget who your betters are.¡± Levi twisted his nose. He glared at Kai¡¯s back. If looks could kill, his would have. After a second, he ripped his eyes away. ¡°Whatever.¡± Colin ran to his side. He looked Levi up and down. ¡°You¡¯re alive?¡± ¡°Yeah. Somehow.¡± Levi paused. He looked at Colin.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been thinking. It strikes me that if I want to survive in this world, I¡¯m going to need to get strong very, very, very fast. The amount of shit I talk without thinking¡­ I¡¯m not going to survive long unless I¡¯ve got hella stats.¡± Colin nodded. Levi nudged him. ¡°You aren¡¯t supposed to agree. You¡¯re supposed to say, ¡®no, Levi, you¡¯re a reasonable person who talks a reasonable amount of shit.¡¯¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t going to lie to you,¡± Brooke said, walking by. She knelt next to the minotaur. ¡°Damn. This thing is huge.¡± ¡°You only realizing that now?¡± Levi asked. She snorted. ¡°I was a mile from combat for most of it. And when I was running, I wasn¡¯t exactly taking the time to measure its limbs.¡± ¡°Fair.¡± Levi opened his status sheet. Let¡¯s not let Kai the asshole ruin my good time. Speaking of. It¡¯s time to Class Up! Levi | 18 | Lv 10 Class: Soldier (Class Up Available) Str: 10 Mag: 11 Dex: 11 Spd: 15 Def: 9 Res: 9 He twisted his lips. I did get over one stat per level a few times, but it wasn¡¯t notable enough to really think about. Whatever I choose for my Class Up, I need something with an actual stat focus, not flat +1 in everything every level. All this worthless stat spread is garbage. He clicked on Class Up Available. A menu appeared before him. Five Classes Available from Soldier Two additional Classes Available from Personal Affinities Soldier II Captain Swordsman (Side Class) Fighter (Side Class) Beast Master (Side Class) Black Dagger Shadow Caster He sighed. Instantly, he dismissed the first five classes. Soldier was a trash class. He didn¡¯t need the second tier of it. Captain didn¡¯t sound like much of an advancement. As for the other three, they were side-classes. Jake even had one of his options. He didn¡¯t want to waste his progression sidestepping into a second basic level class. Especially not when his trash talking habits would doubtlessly lead him to conflict. Which left him with the last two. Black Dagger and Shadow Caster. Both sounded promising, since he wanted to class up to something with stealth. Darkness and shadows were both associated with stealth. Did the System hear my wishes? Is that what it meant by ¡®personal affinities?¡¯ He pulled up the description for both classes. Black Dagger A first promotion Assassin class. Move with stealth and speed. Close in on your opponents and hit their weak points from the shadows. High growths: SPD, DEX, STR. Shadow Caster A first promotion Mage class. Strike from the shadows. Step through darkness. This caster class offers mobility and stealth, as well as ranged strikes. High growths: SPD, DEX, MAG, RES. Levi pinched his chin, thinking. Both offered stealth. Both had more limited growths, which meant higher growth in that particular stat. When it came down to it, though, the answer was obvious. ¡°I can already do assassin shit with my own two hands, so why would I pick that one? Plus, magic.¡± Without hesitating, he chose Shadow Caster. Class Up! Minimum Stats granted. Minimum stats? For free? Levi pulled up his sheet. Levi | 18 | Lv 10 Class: Shadow Caster Str: 10 Mag: 15 Dex: 12 Spd: 15 Def: 9 Res: 12 [Basic Swordsmanship] You have basic skill with the sword. [Shadow Manipulation] Freely manipulate your shadow. The shadow must cover the same surface area as your shadow, but can otherwise be freely reshaped. Your shadow has the consistency of weak cloth, and can be used to lift and manipulate objects weakly. [Shadow Step] In shadow or darkness, your speed is doubled and visibility is halved. Levi whistled. Damn. Soldier really has shit for stats. Getting one point in everything is nice, but if I got that many stat-ups for changing to a new class, then I was really getting trashed this whole time. One point per stat was worse than average, clearly. This absolute bullshit. Giving me a shit class¡­ does this world¡¯s god hate me, or something? Did I do something to insult you, god? Levi paused, then shrugged. Okay, yeah. Probably did. He lifted his hand and snapped his fingers. His shadow changed shape, taking on the form of a fist lifting a giant middle finger. He grinned. Reaching out, he grabbed at the grass. The shadow wrapped around the grass and pulled at it. A few strands of grass twisted out of the ground. Not the strongest, but I do only have one level in this class. Once I hit higher levels, I assume it¡¯ll grow stronger. He glanced at his stats. Or if he got more points in Magic, which would also come with more levels. Either way, he needed to level up and get stronger. ¡°Congratulations!¡± Captain Tash stepped onto the field, clapping. She smiled. ¡°You¡¯ve all Classed Up, right?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Levi said. ¡°Then let me congratulate you a second time, on your graduation.¡± She gestured, and a steel carriage rolled toward the field. ¡°Climb in. You are no longer constrained to this barracks. From today, you are free to fight on the field of battle.¡± ¡°Right. Free,¡± Levi muttered. Colin nudged him. He eyed the carriage. It was a smart move on the country¡¯s side. While they were all still tired from killing the boss, ship them directly to the front lines. Made it almost impossible to break out on their transit there. I wasn¡¯t planning to break out in transit, but I wasn¡¯t afraid to improvise. Seems like they¡¯ve already counter-moved against my not-a-plan. He shrugged. Didn¡¯t matter, ultimately. He¡¯d figured they¡¯d have a plan for transit, whether it was a teleportation spell or some kind of restraint. After they got to the battlefield, though, that was the time to strike. When the army was too busy fighting its literal war to spend all its brainpower on keeping him and the other ¡®heroes¡¯ restrained¡ªthat was when he¡¯d break out. Of course, if he¡¯d been given the chance to break out, he would¡¯ve taken it. He wasn¡¯t picky. But he hadn¡¯t expected it. Kai narrowed his eyes at the steel carriage. He clicked his tongue. Levi glanced over at him. He chuckled under his breath. Lone wolf thought he was going to break out in transit, huh? Small brain planning over there. He clapped. ¡°Let¡¯s hop to it, then. No time like the present.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you agree. Rations will be served on the carriage. You can sleep on it, as well. When you wake, you¡¯ll be exactly where you need to be.¡± Captain Tash smiled. She gestured toward the carriage. ¡°Right now? Can we go grab our things?¡± Brooke asked nervously. ¡°No use for your things on the battlefield. After you defeat the Demon King, they¡¯ll be waiting for you,¡± Captain Tash promised. ¡°¡­Waiting for you in the traaaaaash can,¡± Levi sing-songed. Colin nudged him again. Brooke shot him a nasty look. ¡°The friendly and safe trash can of love,¡± he quickly amended. Unbothered, Captain Tash clapped. ¡°Shall we?¡± Levi shrugged. He walked toward the carriage. Kai stepped forward, blocking Levi¡¯s way. Saying nothing, he stared Levi in the eye. ¡°Yo, kill-stealer, you blocking now, too?¡± Levi asked. Kai narrowed his eyes. He still said nothing. ¡°Move, bitch. Get out of my way.¡± Silence. Kai stood before him like a rock. ¡°Some of us have places to be.¡± Levi twisted around Kai. A hand snaked out. It jabbed toward his neck. He threw himself forward, somersaulting into the carriage. Inside, he flipped Kai the bird in dramatic fashion. ¡°We aren¡¯t all soft-brains like you.¡± The veins on Kai¡¯s forehead bulged. His teeth ground. ¡°He means, not yet,¡± Colin murmured softly, pushing by Kai. Kai¡¯s eyes widened. Understanding flashed through them, then confusion. He glanced at Levi, but immediately looked away, knowing there¡¯d be no clarification coming from his direction. Brooke stared over her shoulder at the barracks. Reluctantly, she stepped into the carriage. Jake followed her. Captain Tash slammed the door shut and slapped a lock on it from outside. The second the lock shut, a green light encased the carriage. It glittered for a moment, then faded. ¡°What was that?¡± Brooke asked, concerned. ¡°Probably a spell to lock us in.¡± Levi sat back against the wall and shut his eyes. What he needed right now was to rest. Gather his strength. Once they got to the battlefield, everything would be hectic. He¡¯d have no time at all. He needed to use this scrap of time to its full potential. ¡°Does that not worry anyone else?¡± Brooke looked around the carriage, her eyes wide. Jake gave her a nervous smile. ¡°Sure, but what can I do?¡± Colin glanced at Levi. Levi winked and gave him a thumbs-up, then went back to sleeping. Kai stared intently at Levi, something between hatred and fear burning in his eyes. The carriage rattled down the road. With no modern shock absorbers or wheels, it was a bumpy ride. A cold wind blew through the barred windows. As the sun set, the carriage itself grew cold. There were no cushions or blankets on the bare steel benches. Kai sat up awake all night, staring out the window. Jake and Brooke laid head-to-toes on the floor, trying to sleep. Colin leaned against the wall and shut his eyes, but barely caught any sleep. Levi, meanwhile, slept soundly. He laid against the corner like a ragdoll, dead to the world. Dawn broke. Brooke resumed her seat on the bench. Groaning, Jake climbed to a sit and rested there, rubbing an aching back. Kai jerked awake, then sat back, playing it off like he¡¯d never been asleep. Ahead, smoke rose to the sky from dozens of separate campfires. They broke through the treeline and came out into a vast, empty plains. Tents rolled over the hills. Closer to them, white tents clustered close to a walled city. On the far side, hundreds of yards away, a second army camped in red tents. Distant mountains encircled this flat valley. They thrust up, forming a bowl. Behind them, the walled city sat in the foothills, but ahead of them was nothing but flat land. The white army lined up in the field, defending the city. The red army lined up in answer, facing the city. The carriage rolled merrily along, jolting toward the front of the line. At last, it reached it. With a jolt, it came to a halt. At last, Levi woke. He yawned and stretched. ¡°That was a good sleep, huh?¡± Everyone else in the cabin glared at him. Even Colin sighed tiredly. A soldier walked to the back. He unlocked the rear door and threw it open. ¡°Everyone out. Line up in front with the other heroes.¡± ¡°Other¡­?¡± Brooke asked. She climbed out of the carriage and looked around. Levi followed her out, hopping to the ground. A sparse line marked the very front of the army. In front of the spearmen, in front of the shieldbearers, they stood. One per company, loosely strung across the front. And in the very middle, five slots stood empty. Levi giggled. ¡°We¡¯re in danger.¡± The soldier pointed. ¡°Line up with the others.¡± Levi winked at Colin. Doing a quick visual sweep of the field, he took up the spot closest to the left edge. Following his lead, Colin stood beside him. The others finished the line, Kai next to Colin, then Brooke and Jake. ¡°I was right, but I¡¯m not happy,¡± Levi informed the man to his left. The kid looked up sharply. Deep in his empty eyes, a shadow of horror flickered. He gave no indication that he¡¯d heard Levi¡¯s words. Numbly, he faced front again. ¡°War. War never changes,¡± Levi rumbled, deep in his throat. He swung his hands, clapping them together when they hit. ¡°Damn. I¡¯m actually kind of nervous. You know, I always avoided this position. This one, right here. The frontlines. You tend to die.¡± Colin glanced at Levi, his eyes wide with fear. ¡°We won¡¯t, but you know. The general ¡®you¡¯ tends to.¡± Levi gave him a reassuring nod. Colin¡¯s nervous look didn¡¯t change. Levi glanced over his shoulder. Spears brandished at his back. The full might of the army awaited him from behind. Yep. Not getting away right now. He turned back to face front. The army on the other side bristled with shining steel, all of it pointed at him. Don¡¯t like that view, either. One battle. Just one battle. As long as we survive this, we¡¯re home free. The bugles sounded. From the rear, an authoritative voice shouted: ¡°March!¡± The army lurched forward. Those glittering spears lowered, pointing at the backs of Levi and everyone else. The other ¡®heroes¡¯ started walking. Levi shook his head. He looked over his shoulder, making eye contact with the soldier directly behind him. ¡°I really hate being right.¡± The soldier stared back. Eyes cold. Uncaring. ¡°Right, right. Marching!¡± Levi put his hands up. He shook his head. ¡°Not even any armor? We¡¯re totally disposable, aren¡¯t we. Bet they¡¯re already summoning another batch.¡± ¡°You have to earn armor,¡± a voice rasped from his left. Levi turned. The boy behind him managed a shaky smile. ¡°If you do well, they might give you a piece of armor.¡± He patted his chest. A shiny breastplate protected his vitals. ¡°Sounds like a raw deal to me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not so bad, once you get used to it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really convincing me, Mr. Thousand-Yard-Stare.¡± A hollow laugh. The boy faced forward once more. On the far side, horns echoed their bugles. The red army marched to meet them. 5. Battle One of the ¡®heroes¡¯ lifted a greatsword. She let out a ragged cry and charged. The other ¡®heroes¡¯ charged with her. Levi pushed himself to a jog, using the chance to put a little distance between him and the spearmen in the front line. He gestured for Colin to fall in behind him. The blond boy obeyed. He crossed over to the edge of his company and ran a little slower. Levi ran toward him, so the two of them ended up stacked, Levi in front of Colin. Levi drew his sword. He shouted a string of unprintable curses in an approximation of a war cry. The red soldiers drew near. He could make out their faces, then their eyes. He gestured, throwing his shadow ahead of him. His feet landed in shadow. He surged forward, faster than ever. SLASH. A blade whooshed past his ear. It sliced through his hair, severing it on one side of his head. To his right, Brooke and Jake fell. Their heads slid off. Kai ducked low, shock written all over his face. The entire front five ranks of the white army¡¯s soldiers directly behind Brooke and Jake collapsed. One after another, like puppets with their strings cut, they tumbled to the floor. Blood stained their white uniforms. Their weapons slid out of dead hands. Levi froze. He stared. A man in red stood at the front of the red army. He held a sword, an ordinary length sword. And yet, the air shuddered around it. It danced. For a good ten feet in front of the end of the sword, the air trembled, as if something unseen sliced it open to reveal the void past the sky. The man stepped forward. He looked at the heroes, who¡¯d stopped their charge. Even the white army slowed, staring at him in shock and awe. ¡°If you surrender now, I will spare your lives. If you continue to attack, to resist the Rosado Kingdom¡¯s holy conquest, I will cut every last one of you down.¡± Levi glanced back at the paralyzed white army. He glanced ahead, at the man in red. Whipping around, he grabbed Colin by the arm. ¡°Change of plans. We¡¯re getting the hell out of here, right now.¡± ¡°Right now?¡± Colin asked, shocked. ¡°Can you heal me, if that guy beheads me? The plan only works if we¡¯re fighting normies. If they¡¯ve got heroes, and they obviously do, we need to get the hell out of here.¡± Colin looked at the man in red. He gulped. ¡°Right. Let¡¯s get out of here¡ª¡± The man in red met Levi¡¯s eyes. He smiled, a gentle, approving smile. Fire blazed in Levi¡¯s heart. You son of a bitch. You think I¡¯m doing this for you? Hell no. Give me a year¡ªno, a month! I¡¯m going to level up and beat your ¡®understanding¡¯ ass. I don¡¯t need your approval to desert. I was going to do it before you showed up, asshole. You just gave me a good opportunity. He paused, shoving down his anger and pride for a moment. And I can¡¯t beat you. I¡¯m not delusional. I¡¯m getting the hell out of dodge to save my own skin. ¡°Levi?¡± Colin asked, worried. ¡°Nothing.¡± Levi ripped his eyes away. He ran for the edge of the battlefield, dragging Colin. The numb boy beside him stared. He gestured him on. ¡°Come on! What are you waiting for? Do you want to stand around and get your head cut off?¡± The boy jolted. He shook his head. He sprinted after Levi and Colin, leaving the white army behind. Seeing him flee, the other ¡®heroes¡¯ ran off as well, abandoning the white army. They peeled away from the white army, Levi glanced over his shoulder. The man in red stood there, as he promised. Not advancing a single step.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Stop them!¡± The authoritative voice from the back of the white army howled. The soldiers leaped into action, but between the red army, the man in red, and the fleeing ¡®heroes,¡¯ they didn¡¯t know which to prioritize. At the same time, the red army charged. The gap between the two forces narrowed. Their escape path thinned. Levi dragged Colin along at top speed, hurtling along, sped by his own shadow. Ahead, the armies merged. Spears crossed, then clashed. ¡°There¡¯s nowhere left to go!¡± Colin shouted. ¡°Stick to the plan!¡± Levi charged into the spears, breaking a route open with his body. Gashes opened up on his arms and legs as he shoved the spears aside. Colin followed close behind. Gold light constantly flowed over Levi¡¯s body, closing the gashes as they opened. The other heroes had paused at the closing gap, but as Levi bashed a path open, they charged with him. Kai fought his way alongside Levi and the others. Madness shone in his eyes. Blood stained his face. ¡°If you run, there will be nowhere on earth you can hide! We will track you down¡ª¡± The authoritative voice faded into the clash of battle. The man in red dashed forward, piercing deeper into the white army. The last of the spears stabbed past Levi. Still dragging Colin, he lurched out into open field. He didn¡¯t stop running. He and all the other heroes ran on, fleeing the battle. ¡°Man. No wonder they were desperate enough to summon us. The other side has monsters like that guy,¡± Levi muttered. He glanced at the boy with the thousand-yard stare. ¡°They bring him out before?¡± The boy shook his head. ¡°We were fighting a different country before. And another different country, before that.¡± ¡°Oh. Damn. I guess this was working out for them, until they encountered this Rosado Kingdom?¡± Levi asked. The boy nodded. He gave a weak smile. And then an arrow pierced through his chest. He gasped. Grappled at the arrow. Then fell. ¡°What? No back armor? Fuck, man. That¡¯s brutal,¡± Levi said. He kept running, still dragging Colin. As he ran, he glanced back. Arrows rained down on them from the heavens. ¡°Shit. Colin, maximum healing, okay?¡± Levi pulled to a halt. He threw himself in front of Colin, covering the healer¡¯s body from the arrows. Colin cowered, squatting in Levi¡¯s shadow. Kai cursed. He sprinted faster, racing past them. Arrows slammed into the ground all around them. Kai tripped as an arrow pierced through his calf. Arrow after arrow struck Levi¡¯s back. He grimaced, baring his teeth. ¡°Ow, fuck. Fucking hurts!¡± ¡°Sorry, sorry!¡± Colin desperately cast cures. The wounds closed around the arrows. ¡°Ah, fuck. Wait, wait.¡± Levi reached over his shoulder. Three arrows stuck in him. He yanked them out, one after another. ¡°Okay, now. Heal.¡± Colin nodded. Gold light flowed again. A few men from the white army chased after them. Some stragglers from the red army charged as well. Grabbing Colin¡¯s arm again, he ran on. Kai limped after them. He bit his lip, fighting the urge to scream in pain as he forced himself onward, despite the gaping wound in his calf. Colin glanced over at Kai. He lifted his staff. Gold light flowed to Kai. Kai¡¯s leg healed, and he ran once more. ¡°Don¡¯t help him. He¡¯s a lone wolf. He doesn¡¯t need our help,¡± Levi grumbled sarcastically. He didn¡¯t stop Colin from healing Kai, though. Nor was he particularly troubled by it. Kai was providing a decent distraction for them. Between Levi and the healer, and the guy who had the Hero class, Levi knew which one he¡¯d pick. The white army seemed to agree. They closed in on Kai. Kai put on a sudden burst of speed. He charged past Levi and Colin in the blink of an eye. Levi could only stare after him, shocked. ¡°How the hell¡­¡± Colin shoved him. ¡°Keep running!¡± ¡°Right.¡± Levi cast his shadow in front of him again and sped on. Dragging Colin, he moved slower than he could have, but fortunately, some of the other heroes were slower than the two of them. The white army¡¯s soldiers closed in around the slowest of them. Leaping on them, they dragged them back. ¡°Go, go, go!¡± The treeline loomed at last. Ahead of them, Kai vanished into the forest. Levi closed in soon after. He and Colin raced into the shade. His concealment skill activated, and his body faded. Levi didn¡¯t know another way to describe it. The colors desaturated. His skin grew dimmer. His dark hair tended toward bark-color. He faded, blending into the forest. ¡°Whoa,¡± Colin whispered, amazed. ¡°Pretty awesome, huh? Just one of the many talents of a Shadow Caster. What was your second class, by the way?¡± ¡°Cleric of Life,¡± Colin said. ¡°It, um. It¡¯s just a better healing class. Focuses on healing and curing. It¡¯s useless in combat but it has the best healing power of any secondary class. Or¡­ that¡¯s what the description said.¡± ¡°Dude! Awesome. Exactly what I told you. Colin! My man!¡± Levi offered him a high five, and Colin grinned and took it. Levi thumbed over his shoulder at the mountain. ¡°Let¡¯s hoof it up there and chill until things cool off. No one should bother looking for us up there, and if they do, we¡¯ll be able to see it coming from miles away. Literally.¡± Colin nodded. He hoisted his staff. ¡°Let¡¯s get going¡ª¡± A sword pierced through his back. Colin staggered, dropping to his knees. ¡°A failure, huh? And I had such high hopes.¡± Levi backed away. He raised his sword. ¡°Get the fuck away from Colin.¡± Captain Tash laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t think I will.¡± 6. Tragedy, Death, and a Rise From It Colin gasped. He spat blood. Pink-tinged bubbles burst at the corner of his mouth. Clutching his chest, he fell to the ground. ¡°Healer! Heal thyself!¡± Levi snapped, tense. Captain Tash shook her head. ¡°He can¡¯t. The one person healers cannot heal is themselves.¡± Levi wrinkled his nose. He scowled at Captain Tash. ¡°What the hell? Why do you have to ruin my dreams? Colin¡¯s dreams? He¡¯s bleeding out!¡± Soldiers stepped out of the woods around her. They closed in around the two of them. Blood dripped from some of their weapons and splashed on their white uniforms. ¡°We knew we weren¡¯t likely to win against the Rosado Empire. We were prepared to lose this battle from the start. But if you¡¯d stayed, if you¡¯d stood and fought, you might have become true heroes.¡± She sighed. ¡°Not for you, though. You had to run.¡± ¡°True heroes? What, like Brooke and Jake? Be out there on the battlefield right now, headless, super dead?¡± Levi pointed out. ¡°We did not know that Blatt would be there,¡± she said evenly. ¡°Yeah, well, now that we do know, can you fault me for running?¡± ¡°Yes. And like all the others, you will be slaughtered.¡± She shook her head at him. ¡°I really had high hopes for your group. Especially that Hero. But you just had to corrupt them all.¡± ¡°I did what?¡± Levi asked. He rolled his eyes. ¡°Oh, come on.¡± ¡°For the record, I suggested slaughtering you on the first day for the good of the batch. But the higher-ups refused. We needed all the men we could summon, they said. And look where that got us.¡± ¡°Why summon us at all? Why push us to level ten? What¡¯s the point?¡± Levi asked. He spread his hands. ¡°Free cannon fodder that¡¯s powerful enough to wipe out battalions of the enemy army. Cannon fodder that we can summon five at a time, train in a week, and trample the world with. What¡¯s not to love? You wouldn¡¯t know, but we¡¯ve swept through all our neighboring countries with these strategies. We were once a small, entrenched mountainous country. Now, we are a grand empire. All thanks to our hardworking summoners. Thank the gods for giving us the first summoner and allowing us to become so dominant.¡± She spread her hands to the sky as if in prayer. ¡°And uh, people like Blatt?¡± Her nose wrinkled. ¡°There are other countries with summoners. And occasionally, you freaks get summoned naturally. It is truly unfortunate, but there¡¯s nothing we can do.¡± Levi nodded. ¡°Right, right. And you don¡¯t want us to get far beyond level ten, because how the hell do you control a force of nature like that Blatt guy, right? So you train us to the bare minimum, pitch us against humans on the battlefield¡ªI¡¯m guessing humans don¡¯t give much EXP¡ª¡± ¡°That would be correct.¡± ¡°¡ªand then use us as weapons until we break or die, at which point, you summon more disposable ¡®heroes.¡¯ Fuck, man. I thought I was callous, with a sad, shriveled heart, but that¡¯s cold. That¡¯s ice cold.¡± Levi whistled. He shook his head. ¡°I mean, smart as fuck. I get it. Wow. Fantastic strategy. But fuck. Cold. As. Ice.¡± Beside him, Colin sagged. He dropped to the ground. Impatience flickered in Captain Tash¡¯s eyes. She stepped forward. Levi took a deep breath. I¡¯m running out of time. She¡¯s running out of patience. I¡¯ve only got a few more seconds before she takes my head. Do I have any plans? He wracked his brains. Nothing. Emptiness. Alright. Well, fuck it. Let¡¯s stall for those last precious seconds. ¡°One last question. How long did it take you to get strong enough to easily suppress a level ten Hero?¡± She laughed. ¡°My whole life. I was bred for this role. My parents were chosen for their physical characteristics and high mana counts, and their parents, and their parents before them. I was trained from childhood to absorb mana and use it to enhance my body when I fight. My masters were grandmasters of the sword, and taught me more swordplay than you could dream of knowing. If not for you freaks, I would be one of the strongest fighters in the country¡ªno, on the planet.¡± Levi clicked his tongue. ¡°And a Hero spawns in, trains for five days, and can fight you on even footing. Ouch. That must smart.¡± Captain Tash lifted her sword. ¡°Are those your last words?¡± ¡°Nah. My last words are fuck you¡ª¡± Levi charged her, knowing he wouldn¡¯t land the blow. Her sword struck. He threw himself forward. Even as his head separated from his body, he lunged his weight at her. His body fell forward, and his sword cut the shallowest of slices on her arm. With his dying effort, he grinned. His head hit the floor. Everything went dark. He heard the Captain walk away, and the soldiers troop after her. So, this is it. Heads survive longer than I thought without a body, huh? Cold sunk in. The darkness grew deeper. His thoughts grew numb. Oh¡­ no. I¡¯m losing it. Alright, well. It was fun, I guess. See you on the other side. Been long enough. A hand reached out. Bloodstained, no, bloodsoaked, it landed on Levi¡¯s severed head. Colin struggled to breathe. Each breath was a battle. His life was ending, and there was nothing he could do about it. ¡°M-miracle,¡± he murmured, tasting blood the whole way. His body went limp. His last breath left him, and he died. -- Levi opened his eyes. He sat up. Touched his chest. His neck. His head. ¡°What the fu¡ª¡± He put his hand down and touched a cold hand. Looked up it to find Colin¡¯s lifeless body. His hand strayed to his neck again. ¡°I was decapitated. I know I was. No question. And Colin¡¯s a healer. A cleric.¡± He stared at Colin. Shook his head. ¡°No way. No fucking way. You rezzed me? How? They said¡­ we can¡¯t¡­¡± Come. He who has affinity with death, come. Levi looked up sharply. It wasn¡¯t the System, nor was anyone nearby, but nonetheless, a soft female voice whispered in his ear as if someone stood right next to him. ¡°Okay, now I¡¯m hearing things. That¡¯s how I want to start my second life.¡± A faint beckoning rose in his heart. Unbidden, his eyes moved. Toward the mountain that loomed over him. Up, up, up, toward its barren and cragged peak. Come. ¡°Are you a goddess? Please tell me you¡¯re a goddess. I really thought I was going to meet a goddess, and honestly, I kind of feel cheaped out by this whole lack-of-a-goddess thing so far. I mean, have you even been isekaied if you haven¡¯t been welcomed by a half-naked woman with giant gazongas?¡± Come. ¡°Not the chatty type, huh?¡± Levi climbed to his feet. He swayed for a moment, and his vision went black. He pressed a hand against a nearby tree and waited for it to fade. ¡°Raising me did not fix the blood-loss-from-losing-my-head problem. Noted.¡± Come. ¡°I¡¯m coming. Gosh, Mom.¡± Snarking to himself, he staggered over to Colin. He stared down at the boy in silence, then took a deep breath.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving.¡± Levi knelt and grabbed Colin¡¯s arm. It took a few tries, and many spates of waiting for the darkness to fade from his vision, but he got the boy over his shoulders in a fireman¡¯s carry. He patted Colin¡¯s leg. ¡°You¡¯re coming with me, buddy. We¡¯re going to see the goddess. Together.¡± He set off toward the mountain, following the call in his heart. One foot after another. Clambering up slippery shale and around steep cliffs. He forced his way up slopes so steep he had to pull himself up by the slender trees growing out of it, and scrambled up slippery riverbeds on all fours. Through the day and well into the night, until darkness fully enveloped him. Only the stars provided light; even the moon hid its face. Strange beasts howled and called in the distance, but Levi trudged on. The goddess was calling him, and he would Come, no matter what. ¡°When I see her, I¡¯m going to make her bring you back to life,¡± Levi grunted aloud, as he shouldered Colin up a slender, overgrown path. ¡°I don¡¯t care what she says. I¡¯m not leaving until you¡¯re¡ª¡± He turned a corner and stood before a vast, dark cave. A pool of blood covered the entire floor of the cave, utterly still. In the depths of the cave, a huge, red heart beat over an obsidian altar. The blood dripped from the heart to the altar as the heart beat, and slid down the altar to join the pool below. The small ripples were swallowed by the pool of blood before they propagated. A thick scent of blood and rot filled the air. Levi raised his brows. ¡°¡ªokay, yep, uh, might be an easier sell than I thought, buddy. Or harder! I don¡¯t know how evil gods work in this world.¡± He looked around, then raised his hands to his mouth. ¡°Heyoooo, goddess!¡± I am here. A cold hand touched the back of his neck. For a second, he thought Colin¡¯s body had shifted, but then another one, this one hard and bony, slid along his throat. He gulped. ¡°Nice to meet you?¡± A pale figure strode out from behind him. Half of her body was skeletal, not a scrap of flesh left. Her flesh peeled back from the other half of her body, rotting and corroding even as she stood. Where her skin remained, it was just as pale as her skeleton. If not for the garish slice of red between the bone and skin where her muscles and organs slowly rotted away, he might have mistaken her for a skeleton. On her fleshy half, she wore gauzy, white layers; they draped loosely over her skeletal half, falling to the ground at the edges. Not hiding. Not complimenting. No. Where her body became a skeleton, her clothes became a death shroud, little more than a shapeless, translucent veil. Beneath her feet, the blood pool was not disturbed in the least. I have been watching you. ¡°Good? I think?¡± You amuse me. She turned and sat on the altar. The Goddess of Light dislikes you, but you have pleased me greatly. I am the one who rules over Death. I am the one who allowed you to return from Death. ¡°Oh¡­ that wasn¡¯t Colin¡­?¡± She laughed silently. Her single remaining eye, milky white with cataracts, squinted in glee. The Miracle spell has three conditions. Two are well known. One, the priest must be willing, from the bottom of their heart, with no reservations, to give up their life to restore the life of another. ¡°Makes sense. Prevents priest abuse,¡± Levi said, nodding. Second, the deceased must have died seconds before, in a way that cut their life unfairly short. It cannot be used on those who die of old age, of disease, or as a consequence of their own foolish actions, as predetermined by the Fates. ¡°Yep. Unfair death clause. We don¡¯t want anyone founding a religion and fueling their immortality with the lives of their fellow priests.¡± Third. This is the unknown clause. What foolish mortals refer to as the ¡®failure chance.¡¯ This¡­ is my clause. I am the ruler of Death. This spell is from the domain of Life. No one can pluck a death from my hands without my permission. She grinned, clenching her skeletal hand. ¡°Isn¡¯t the phrase, pluck a life¡­ no, no, no, er, never mind,¡± Levi said, quickly backtracking. This goddess likes me. Now isn¡¯t the time for snark. Ignoring him, as many wise beings are known to do, she continued. I was amused enough by you to allow you to return from beyond. And not only that, but your strange affinity. You have a deep affinity with Death, unlike any I have ever seen. Even I, Goddess of Death, do not fully understand it. I wish to know more. Levi spread his hands. ¡°Happy to oblige. So, uh, since I¡¯m so amusing, would you mind bringing my buddy back to life? I mean, if we¡¯re talking about unfair deaths, his is the most unfair. Guy did nothing wrong. Literally wouldn¡¯t hurt a fly. I don¡¯t think he deserves oblivion, no?¡± She chuckled. Patience. In all the history of the world, no one has had a high enough affinity with Death for me to grant my unique class to them. All the other gods and goddesses have had avatars, people who have embodied their affinity to the point that they can wield the power of that very god or goddess. All save me. And those foolish deities thought that it would never happen. They staked the world¡¯s end on it. But here you are. Ready to be my Champion. ¡°Oh, neat! Awesome. Shadow Caster is great, but it¡¯s not that great. Er, but would this class, would it possibly be¡­¡± Necromancer. Levi¡¯s eyes lit up. He punched the air. ¡°Hell yeah! Colin! You¡¯re coming back, baby! I knew it! I knew the goddess would save you!¡± You accept this class? The goddess tilted her head. Levi gave an enthusiastic thumbs up. ¡°It¡¯s the highest tier of class, one granted to one person by a goddess herself, and also, all my other class options are kind of shit. Plus, it lets me bring Colin back. So yeah! Let¡¯s do this!¡± Granted. Darkness descended around Levi. Something cold swirled inside him. Cold, but powerful. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Icy winds swirled around him, each of them full of strength. He called them to him, and felt the coldness inside him grow. That is mana. Now that you are a true caster, you will need to absorb it to use spells. Class Changed! Minimum stats assigned. Levi opened his status sheet. Levi | 18 | Lv 10 Class: Necromancer [SPECIAL] Str: 10 Mag: 25 Dex: 12 Spd: 15 Def: 9 Res: 20 [Basic Swordsmanship] [Shadow Manipulation] [Shadow Step] [Raise Dead] Raise the dead. At low levels, you will only be able to raise weak undead. Higher levels will give you access to stronger undead. Undead¡¯s stats are based on their stats in life. Raise Dead will fail on units with too high a stat total. Your stat total determines the power of Undead you can Raise. Undead available: Zombie, Skeleton. Body condition determines the type of Undead. ¡°Reasonable. If I could raise something way stronger than me, this class would truly be OP,¡± Levi commented. Fire burned in his eyes, and he grinned to himself. The urge to level up and gain higher stats grew stronger. After all, the higher my stats are, the stronger the Undead I can raise. It doesn¡¯t even matter too much if I have a shitty stat distribution. As long as my stat total is high, this class is OP! Levi breathed in, gathering more mana into himself. Gently, he shifted Colin off his shoulders and went to lay him on the ground. Here. On the altar, the goddess said, patting the stone beside her. Levi raised his brows. He looked at the bloody, crimson floor, then shrugged to himself. Lifting his foot, he strode toward the goddess. He¡¯d been expecting to step into shallow blood. Maybe enough to wet his sole. Maybe ankle deep. Instead, he plunged up to his knee in blood. Startled, Levi staggered. He sloshed through the blood, off balance. Don¡¯t fall, don¡¯t fall, don¡¯t fall¡ª He found a section of rough stone where the rock wasn¡¯t so slippery and caught himself. He breathed out, relieved. Taking a blood bath in the mountains with no water bath in sight was not how he wanted to start his hermit life. Gathering Colin up, he walked onward. The blood deepened as he drew closer to the altar. From his knees, to over his knees, to mid-thigh. The altar loomed high over him. He¡¯d assumed it was waist height over a shallow pool of blood, but now it stood as tall as his shoulders. The goddess, too, was immensely larger than him. The altar had looked normal, with her sitting on it. Closer, he realized it was a matter of perspective. It was large, and she was large. Together, they looked normal. But when he and Colin joined in, the size difference became apparent. I swear she was my size when she stepped out from behind me. Levi pursed his lips, then shrugged. Goddess stuff, I guess. He laid Colin on the altar beside the goddess. The altar was large enough to fit Colin laying out beside her. His feet didn¡¯t even touch her side. She lifted her hand over Colin. Her eye shut. The half of her face that was skull continued to stare blankly into eternity. As a bonus for your quick acceptance, I grant you a small boon. Colin¡¯s soul will be bound to this undead. Usually, this would only be possible at the highest levels, but consider this a small advance from a goddess who expects great things. ¡°Thank you,¡± Levi said, earnestly. I shall await you at the World¡¯s End, my Champion. With that, she stepped back, relinquishing the altar to Levi and Colin. He took a deep breath. The air was so thick with mana here that he almost choked on it. Just one breath, and he felt full to the bursting with mana. He held his hand out over Colin. ¡°Raise Dead!¡± Sickly, bright-green light poured from Levi¡¯s hand and rooted its way into Colin¡¯s body. Torrents poured into him, filling every inch of him with green light. The cold energy escaped Levi. It seared through his hand and left him, entering Colin instead. Fatigue came over Levi. His knees shook, and he braced himself against the altar. He forced himself to take a breath, sucking in more mana. A little more. Just a little more! The green energy faded. Levi sagged, utterly exhausted. With effort, he gazed at his first undead. ¡°Colin?¡± Colin opened his eyes. He sat up. His gaze landed on the goddess, and he startled and jumped away, only to realize there was blood below him. He looked from Levi to the goddess, lost. ¡°Colin! You¡¯re back!¡± Levi hugged him. He let go after a second. ¡°Woof. Still stink though. And you¡¯re cold as fuck.¡± Colin looked around. He touched his throat, then looked at his hands. He tilted his head. ¡°Oh. Right. I¡¯m a necromancer now, and you¡¯re my first undead! Congratulations! Thanks for bringing me back, by the way. I mean, I couldn¡¯t not return the favor, right?¡± Colin smiled. He nodded. ¡°Can¡¯t talk?¡± Levi asked. Colin shook his head. Levi waved his hand. ¡°We¡¯ll figure that out later. Thanks, by the way¡ª¡± He turned to the goddess. No one sat on the altar. In fact, it was no longer an altar, but a large boulder. And there was no blood on the floor, only the usual dirt and detritus of a cave. A wind blew, stirring up the leaves on the floor. Levi snorted. ¡°Guess she¡¯s not much for goodbyes.¡± Colin climbed off the stone. He patted Levi¡¯s arm, then gestured outside and shrugged. ¡°What do we do now? Good question.¡± Levi gazed down at the battlefield below, at the red and the white armies. His eyes narrowed. ¡°I think the first thing we do, is crush this godsforsaken country that summoned us just to use us as fodder. What do you think?¡± Colin¡¯s eyes widened. He froze. After a second, he shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s right! ¡®Hell yeah!¡¯ That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about.¡± Levi grinned down at the city below them. A second later, he turned back to Colin. ¡°But first, you need some friends. And I need some stats.¡± 7. Get You Some Friends They spent the night in the cave. Levi slept. Colin stood near the entrance, gazing down the mountain. It was there that Levi found him in the morning, watching the sun rise. Far, far below, the red army swept through the remnants of the white army. Wagons worked backward, retreating into the white army¡¯s territory. Soldiers in white streamed through the forest. Routed. Fleeing. The red soldiers chased after them, close on their heels. ¡°Serves them right,¡± Levi muttered. Colin looked at him. He lowered his head, a frown on his face. ¡°What? You can¡¯t be feeling sorry for them. They literally conscripted us against our will. Which is a war crime, by the way, since we aren¡¯t citizens of their country.¡± Colin sighed. He shrugged and shook his head, turning away. Pointing at Levi, he gestured around them, then shrugged again. Levi tilted his head. He thought for a second, then nodded. ¡°What are we doing next? Great question. We¡¯re going to chill up here and grab some levels, so we can take revenge on the assholes who used and abused us poor isekaied refugees for the last who-knows-how-long.¡± Colin nodded. He gave a thumbs-up. ¡°Hey. Important question. I¡¯m not going to value you less as a human bei¡­zombie being if you can¡¯t, but like, I need to know.¡± Colin raised his brows. Levi took a deep breath. He pressed his fingertips together and leaned in. ¡°Can you heal?¡± Colin shrugged. He patted around his body. ¡°Oh, right! Yeah, I grabbed your staff¡­ here.¡± Levi pulled a worn stick out of his belt and handed it over. Colin snatched it out of his hands like a drowning man thrown a rope. He hugged it to him. Pulling it away, he checked it closely, looking for scratches or nicks. ¡°It¡¯s just a stick. Not like the magic is going to fall out of it,¡± Levi commented. Colin glared at him and went back to checking the staff. Levi shrugged to himself, lost. ¡°I cast magic without a staff. It can¡¯t be that important.¡± Colin pointed the staff at Levi. He furrowed his brows and shook his head threateningly. ¡°Alright, alright. C¡¯mon. Heal me already.¡± Levi spread his arms wide. Colin took a deep breath. He closed his eyes. Holding the staff in front of him, he voicelessly murmured a chant. Gold light built in the staff, then flew toward Levi. All the cuts and scrapes on Levi¡¯s body from his long climb healed. ¡°Woah! Awesome. You can still heal!¡± Levi gave him a thumbs-up. Colin flinched. He dropped the staff and looked at his hands. His palms were bright red, burned. ¡°Less good. Do you think gloves or something could fix that?¡± Levi asked. He stepped forward, inspecting Colin¡¯s hands. A cold power welled up in his gut. As he touched Colin¡¯s hands, the cold sensation flowed from his gut, through his arms and hands, and onto Colin¡¯s hands. The burned flesh healed. Colin returned to his base undead state, without any further injuries. ¡°Oh,¡± Levi said. He flexed his hands. A grin spread over his face. ¡°Colin, do you realize what this means?¡± Colin shook his head. ¡°You heal me, I heal you. We¡¯re a perpetual motion machine!¡± Levi said. He paused. ¡°Until I run out of mana, I guess.¡± Colin pointed at himself as well. ¡°And you run out of mana. Okay, not perpetual motion, fine, fine. But we¡¯re hard as hell to kill, as long as we¡¯re together.¡± Colin nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s get out there and kill some monsters!¡± Levi cheered. Levi stepped out of the cave and stretched, gazing down at the world below them. He looked up and down, left and right. Kneeling, he picked up a stick, balanced it on its tip, and let go. The stick fell to the right. ¡°Right it is.¡± Colin fell in behind him as he headed through the wilderness. The mountainside terrain was no less forbidding now than it had been the previous night. Levi stretched and rolled out his shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s easier to walk around without a corpse on my shoulders.¡± Colin startled. He ducked his head, embarrassed, and bobbed an apology. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s not your fault. Well, okay. It is your fault, since it¡¯s your body, but I won¡¯t hold it against you. I did decide to carry you up the mountain on my own.¡± Colin nodded. They wandered through the forest for a while. No giant monsters jumped out at them. In the distance, beasts howled and birds called, but nothing swooped at them. Levi put his hands behind his head and hummed a little tune. At last, he glanced at Colin. ¡°Fewer monsters than I expected.¡± Colin pointed at himself and tilted his head. Levi shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s a good guess, but I don¡¯t think your scary undead aura is what¡¯s repelling the monsters. Nothing attacked me on my way up, either, and you were just plain dead back then. Might be there aren¡¯t many monsters on this mountain. That¡¯s definitely odd, though. They had no shortage of goblins at the training site. Should be plenty of monsters to hunt.¡± Colin put a finger on his chin, thinking. He pointed down. ¡°Huh? Under us? Monsters in tunnels? Don¡¯t be¡­ well, hold on. Dungeons might be a thing.¡± Levi twisted his lips, then nodded. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s keep our eyes open for dungeon entrances while we¡¯re walking.¡± They walked on. Sunlight dappled their path. The leaves shifted gently overhead. Abruptly, Colin drew to a halt. He froze, head turned sharply toward the rising slope. ¡°What is it, buddy? Did little Billy fall down the well?¡± Levi asked. A second later, he smelled it too: blood, almost as thick as when the Death goddess welcomed him to her cave abode. ¡°Ohhh. Right, yeah. Probably a lot of people dying in a dungeon.¡± Levi nudged him. ¡°Might even find some brains for you to munch on.¡± Colin gave him a disgusted look. ¡°No need to harbor self-disgust. You¡¯re a zombie. You¡¯ve gotta eat. What¡¯s the difference between a few scoops of brain from some idiot who died on their own, and buying pork at the supermarket? I mean, aside from the consistency. The point is, you don¡¯t even have to do the dirty work!¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Colin cleared his throat. With effort, he spoke, his voice gargling up through some still liquid as if it were percolating out of a mud bath. ¡°Don¡¯t be gross.¡± ¡°Oh? You can speak? Neat!¡± ¡°Hurts.¡± Colin closed his mouth again. Levi sighed. ¡°Oh well. Come on. Let¡¯s go see what¡¯s going on over there.¡± Drawing his sword, he led the way toward the scent of blood. The bodies of small wolf-like monsters piled up at the foot of trees. Others, large as racoons but with the spread-skin wings of flying squirrels, splayed along open avenues. Broken and slashed branches laid about, falling off their trees. Here and there, bloody handprints colored the trunks. ¡°Recent signs of battle,¡± Levi murmured in his best detective voice. He strode forward, closing in on the origin. ¡°Stay back!¡± Levi halted, putting his hands up. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± A bleeding and tattered Kai sat against a stone wall. He panted, his chest rising and falling rapidly. The blush of fever colored his cheeks, but his eyes burned with hatred. When he saw who approached, that hatred didn¡¯t diminish an inch. ¡°You.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve done anything to deserve that kind of attitude, young man.¡± Levi put his hands on his hips and shook his head at Kai. Colin stepped forward. He raised his staff. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t waste your mana¡ªour mana¡ªon this guy!¡± Levi protested, but it was too late. Golden light flowed to Kai. The worst of his wounds began to seal shut, and his flush diminished. Once again, the staff seared Colin¡¯s hands. This time, he held on, biting his lip so deeply that his still blood oozed up. Rather than thank them, Kai glared. He lunged, suddenly ferocious. ¡°Go away! Leave me alone!¡± ¡°Is that what you say to the guy who¡¯s going out of his way to heal you?¡± Levi asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for your help. Go! Leave!¡± Kai snarled. He swept his sword drunkenly at them. Colin startled. He jumped back. The surprise startled him out of his spell, and the gold light faded from around Kai. ¡°I can tell when we¡¯re not wanted. Come on, Colin. Even if we fixed him up, the ingrate would only shit on us. And I¡¯m not into scat.¡± Levi patted Colin on the shoulder, subtly sending him a stream of mana. Colin¡¯s hands healed, and a vague emptiness came over Levi. Is that all the mana I have? Damn. I¡¯m a real one-pump chump right now. I need to get more mana. In other words¡ªlevel up! As they left, Levi glanced over his shoulder. ¡°Oh, by the way¡­ is there a dungeon nearby?¡± Kai had already been grimacing, but now his face twisted into something truly hideous. He threw himself off the ground and struck wildly at Levi. Every muscle on his body stood taut. Every vein throbbed. ¡°Fuck off!¡± Levi danced back, neatly parrying Kai¡¯s sword out of his hand. It wasn¡¯t hard. As injured as Kai was, he barely had a grip on the thing. ¡°Jeez, man. Just asking a question. Goddess.¡± Kai kept running at them, wildly throwing blows like a madman. Levi grabbed Colin¡¯s arm and fled. ¡°I¡¯d stay and teach you a lesson, but I don¡¯t have enough mana to keep healing Colin!¡± Kai collapsed at the edge of the clearing he sat in, and the two of them easily made their escape. Levi glanced back as they walked away. ¡°Damn. That was crazy. Wonder what his problem is?¡± Colin shrugged. ¡°You know, Colin, you¡¯re so right. ¡®Being Kai¡¯ is a problem on its own.¡± Colin¡¯s eyes widened. He waved his hands. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be shy. I understand you, even without words.¡± Colin shook his head emphatically. ¡°It¡¯s like we¡¯re blood brothers. Speaking heart to heart, without¡ª¡± Levi stopped mid-sentence. He raised his brows. ¡°Oho, have we found the source of poor Kai¡¯s trauma?¡± Before them, a picturesque mountain cabin sat in the center of a large clearing. Smoke rose from its chimney. But it wasn¡¯t the cabin that Levi¡¯s eyes locked onto. Behind it, two large wooden doors barred off a large cave entrance. A wooden sign hung from their center. Dunjun Entery Fee: 10 Br/Hed A mountain of a man, hefting a two-bladed axe, fixed the sign back to level. Fresh blood dribbled down the axe¡¯s edge, dripping on the ground. He glanced over his shoulder at Levi and Colin. ¡°You two with that freak I just ran off?¡± Levi perked up. ¡°Hey, Colin.¡± Colin glanced at him. Levi beamed. ¡°I figured out what happened to Kai.¡± The man narrowed his eyes at them. ¡°That a yes?¡± ¡°That is a resounding no, sir. We merely encountered him on the road. We are, however, interested in entering your dungeon.¡± The man knocked the sign with his knuckles. ¡°Ten bronze a head.¡± Levi tapped his fingertips together. ¡°That¡¯s, how should I say. Something of a barrier for us.¡± ¡°If you ain¡¯t got no money, get the hell outta here,¡± the man grunted. ¡°Wait, wait wait wait. We don¡¯t have money, no. But if we leave here, then neither you, nor we, have gained anything. What if I can make a value-added proposition for you?¡± Levi suggested, bringing his fingertips and leaning in. The man cocked one brow. He gave Levi a skeptical look. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What if I find a way to guarantee you money, as long as you let us into the dungeon?¡± he translated. Leaning back, the man looked Levi up and down. ¡°Usually I¡¯d run you off just for callin¡¯ me a proper-stitchin¡¯, but things are tight with the war going on. Hit me.¡± Putting on an earnest expression, Levi spread his hands. He shook his head mournfully. ¡°Right! War going on, no one dungeoneering, what¡¯s a profiteer like you to do? You can¡¯t shake down adventurers for their hard-earned gold if there¡¯s no adventurers coming through.¡± ¡°Ain¡¯t that the truth,¡± the man agreed. ¡°And here we are. Two bright-eyed young men eager to enter your precious dungeon that you¡¯ve righteously camped, but unfortunately, we¡¯re broke as hell. So how can a virtuous resource hog like yourself turn a profit?¡± The man narrowed his eyes. He tapped his axe. ¡°Get to the point.¡± Levi glanced at the axe as well. He smiled with the brilliance of a natural salesman. ¡°Allow us in. On the way out, you get the first pick of the loot. Win-win scenario. We get to enter the dungeon, and you get to profiteer. What do you say?¡± The man stroked his chin. He swung his axe around, then thumped it down again. ¡°What¡¯s to stop you from running off?¡± Levi gestured. ¡°Your illuminous, moneygrubbing self, sir. There¡¯s only one exit to the dungeon, after all. You merely have to bar the door, and we¡¯ll be stuck inside until you let us out.¡± The man raised his brows. ¡°There¡¯s¡ª¡± He paused, then nodded to himself. ¡°¡ªonly one exit. That¡¯s right. I¡¯ll let you boys in, then. If you don¡¯t find at least thirty bronze worth of loot, though, I¡¯ll feed ya to the gremlins.¡± ¡°Gremlins?¡± Levi asked. ¡°Little wolf ¡®n squirrel-looking things. Live at the top of the dungeon. I call ¡®em gremlins. I feed ¡®em sometimes, so they recognize me. I let ¡®em out when I need to chase someone away. They won¡¯t bite the hand that feeds, but they¡¯ll fight anything else they see.¡± Levi nodded. He shared a glance with Colin. ¡°That tracks.¡± ¡°Right.¡± The axe-wielder lifted the sign off the door and swung the doors open. Ungreased hinges squealed. The doors flapped emptily around a vast stone space. A very large bat dropped from the ceiling in the near distance and swooped toward them. It filled the doorway, easily twice as tall as Levi. Huge white fangs gaped. Levi jumped back. He reached for his sword. The man drew back his arm. When the bat grew close, he unleashed a devastating blow on its muzzle. The bat flopped to the ground. It flapped weakly a few times, dazed. Dusting off his hands, the man shook his head. ¡°Dumbass bat. Never learns.¡± He turned back around to Levi and Colin. ¡°You boys head on in. I¡¯ll bar the doors behind you. Bang real hard when you wanna get out.¡± Levi¡¯s eyes widened. He saluted. ¡°Yes, sir! Profiteer, sir!¡± He scurried inside, Colin on his heels. The door swung shut behind them, cutting off the daylight. With a heavy thump, the doors shut. Vaguely, Levi could make out the man¡¯s shadow as he barred the gates, then hung the sign once more. Levi ran to the bat and slashed open the monster¡¯s throat. ¡°Gimme your EXP, loser!¡± The bat struggled, but after the man¡¯s punch, it couldn¡¯t really fight back. It managed a few weak struggles before it gave up and hit the ground. Colin shook his head disapprovingly. ¡°What? It¡¯s free EXP. That thing¡¯s at least a miniboss. I¡¯m not missing out on EXP because someone else did the work.¡± Levi yanked his sword free. Colin shook his head again. As they walked on, he pointed backward and gestured for money. Levi snorted. ¡°We¡¯re absolutely not giving that guy anything. Not unless we have no other choice. He¡¯s literally just a high-level player camping the entrance to an essential levelling cave. Or, well, the equivalent to that in this world. I have no respect for him, and neither should you.¡± Colin thought for a moment, then shrugged. He pointed at the door. ¡°Yeah. Think about it, though. It¡¯s a dungeon. Not a chance it only has one entrance. Sure, his slip-up was pretty revealing, but even if he hadn¡¯t, I was willing to bet thirty bronze that there was another way out. Well.¡± Levi grinned. ¡°Thirty potential bronze. Which we¡¯re never going to give him, because fuck that guy.¡± Colin spread his hands. He didn¡¯t care. ¡°You just don¡¯t have enough anger in your soul. That¡¯s okay. I¡¯ve got enough for both of us.¡± Levi headed deeper into the dungeon, leaving the bat behind. Colin hesitated. He looked at the bat, then ran over and grabbed Levi¡¯s shoulder. He pointed at the bat. ¡°What? You want me to res it?¡± Levi looked at the bat. He touched his chest, where mana seemed to live. Only a tiny scrap of cold remained. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have enough mana.¡± Colin gave him a sad face. ¡°I probably don¡¯t have a higher stat total than a miniboss, either.¡± Colin sighed. He gazed longingly at the bat, then waved goodbye. Levi hesitated. ¡°I¡¯ll get you some friends soon. Just¡­ not this soon. Besides, that thing was kind of a chump, you know?¡± Regretfully, Colin nodded. He gave the bat a final look and walked away. ¡°You can bring it with you if you want a snack.¡± Colin gave him a disgusted look and shook his head. He left the bat behind and headed deeper into the dungeon. ¡°What? Even people eat bats. It¡¯s normal people food. Kind of.¡± Shaking his head, Levi followed after Colin. 8. Dungeon Delving The floor descended downward. A few of the little monsters like the ones that had swarmed Kai roamed around. They mostly ignored Levi and Colin. Colin pointed at them. Levi glanced over. He shook his head. ¡°Nah. This high in the dungeon, it¡¯s going to be well picked over. No loot. EXP is nice, but why not EXP and loot at once? We might as well head lower, rather than waste our energy fighting little gremlins that give almost no EXP and no loot.¡± Colin thought about it for a moment, then nodded. ¡°If we hit enemies we can¡¯t beat, it¡¯s different. But until then, let¡¯s keep going down.¡± They descended further. Branching paths arced off from the main tunnel. The main tunnel was large enough to drive a car through, while the branching paths varied in size. Some were barely wide enough for one person to squeeze through. Some were literal cracks in the earth. One or two of them were even larger than the main path, enormous gaping rooms that stood wide enough to swallow anything up. Monsters flickered by, visible only in brief dashes as they darted from tunnel to tunnel. The two of them followed the main tunnel straight down, deeper and deeper into the maw of the earth. Abruptly, Levi stopped. He threw his arm out. Colin halted. He tilted his head. Levi lifted his finger to his lips. ¡°You hear that?¡± Colin shook his head. Levi crept forward slowly. He softened his footfalls. His leather shoes were all but silent on the dusty stone floor. Squawking cries echoed down the stone tunnels. Faint at first, they quickly grew louder. Colin drew close to Levi, clutching his staff so tight his knuckles grew white. ¡°What are you nervous for? You¡¯re already dead,¡± Levi muttered. Bright light spilled around the next corner. Levi drew up to it and put his back to it. He peered around the edge, barely tipping his head far enough to see around it. A group of scaled lizard-people danced around a fire. Their scales glittered in the fire, shades of red, yellow, and orange reflecting the fire¡¯s light. Massive claws arced up from their feet, like the claws of a velociraptor. They wore simple leather clothes, decorated with scraps of colorful fabric and beads. As they danced, they cried out, causing the squawks they¡¯d heard from afar. ¡°Wonder if the locals are friendly?¡± he murmured to himself. Levi glanced at the fire. A very human torso, still clad in strips of cloth and the remnants of leather armor, turned on a spit. He raised his brows. ¡°Looks like a no to me.¡± Levi leaned back around the corner. He nodded at Colin. ¡°How do you feel about cooked human meat?¡± Colin squinted at him. ¡°Because the guys around the corner are big fans.¡± Levi patted him on the arm. ¡°Healing duty. I¡¯m going in.¡± Colin hefted his staff. He nodded nervously. Levi dashed out from around the corner. He drew his sword as he ran, racing up on the nearest of the scaled beings. The other three startled, leaping away from the fire. The one he was bum rushing looked around, lost. It looked over its shoulder. Their eyes met. ¡°Sayonara, sucker.¡± Levi thrust the sword through the lizard¡¯s back as the lizard went to jump up. The lizard huffed. It grabbed at his blade. Levi yanked it back through its ribs and kicked it to the floor. The other three lizardfolk stared at him, their slit pupils dilating. They flared their nostrils and flicked forked tongues at him. Levi gestured for them to come on. ¡°Let¡¯s dance.¡± All at once, all three launched at him. They wove around the fire, then all leaped at once. Six pairs of white claws slashed down at him. Levi threw himself forward. He dove under their charge and jumped back to his feet behind them. Grabbing the nearest by the neck, he plunged his sword into its heart. It latched onto the blade. The other two whirled around and leaped again.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Fuck¡ªyour own guy?¡± Levi released the sword and jumped back. The lizards¡¯ claws swept down, slicing into the lizard Levi had stabbed. It crumpled, well and truly dead. Without a second of hesitation, they raced toward Levi again. Levi snatched up a burning log from the fire. The hot wood seared his fingers. Clenching his teeth against the pain, he forced himself to hold on. He smashed the smaller of the two lizards out of the air with the flaming log, then dropped it on top of the lizard. The lizard screamed and clawed at the log. It rolled out from under it and laid on the ground, hissing in pain. The other lizard slashed Levi¡¯s shoulder open. A second blast of pain stabbed into his shoulder and chest. It landed and charged again. He tried to raise his arm, but it wouldn¡¯t move properly. Claws slashed open his side. Fuck. Another charge. Levi swayed back. As the lizard¡¯s claw whiffed past him, he snatched it out of the air. The lizard jerked to a halt. It stared, looking at its foot, then Levi, then back again. Gold light shimmered. His shoulder healed, popping back into place. He gripped the lizard¡¯s ankle with both hands and yanked with all his might. The lizard was swept off its feet. Instead of stopping there, he kept spinning. Around and around, spinning the lizard around by its ankle. It screeched in pain and horror. ¡°He¡¯s got a good spin! Fantastic rotation. And¡­ the release!¡± Levi threw the lizard. It smashed into the wall and went still. Levi shaded his eyes, pretending to watch it fly. ¡°The throw is short, but it¡¯s a good try. Team Levi might not be taking home the gold in shotput, but I think they¡¯re proud of what they did here today.¡± Colin walked out from behind the corner. He squinted at Levi. ¡°What? Does your world not have the Olympics?¡± Levi asked. Colin nodded. ¡°Mine used to, anyways. Real pity when they became irrelevant. But hey! Let¡¯s focus on the present. Where were the heals, man? I can¡¯t fight like a madman if there aren¡¯t constant heals.¡± Colin showed his hands. They were bloody, the skin peeling back from the palms. Levi sighed. He put a hand on Colin¡¯s shoulder and pushed the last of his mana into him. ¡°I get it. This shit hurts. But you¡¯re going to have to get over that. We¡¯re team pain tolerance, okay?¡± Colin shook his head emphatically. Levi sighed again. ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s supposed to be unafraid of pain, not the necromancer. Come on.¡± Another head shake. Levi turned. Grabbing his sword out of the lizard¡¯s back, he kicked the human torso off the fire. He knelt next to one of the lizard and started skinning it. It was slow-going with the sword, but he made it work. ¡°How do you feel about roast lizard?¡± he asked. Colin shook his head. ¡°Come on. I¡¯m eating it. They¡¯re just monsters!¡± Levi complained. He sliced a section of thigh meat off the lizard. Walking over to the half-roasted human torso, he yanked the spit stick out of it and shoved the thigh meat on instead. He plopped it back on the fire and started turning the spit. Colin stared into the fire. He swallowed. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that if I start eating, I¡¯ll never stop.¡± ¡°Convenient, that.¡± Levi remarked. Colin blinked at him. ¡°Huh?¡± Levi gestured. ¡°You¡¯re like a garbage disposal! I¡¯m going to kill a lot of peo¡­monsters from here on out. You¡¯re going to keep me out of a lot of trouble with the law¡­ fellow dungeon-goers.¡± ¡°I want to stay human. As human as I can,¡± Colin said earnestly. ¡°Nothing inhuman about having a few gator nuggets,¡± Levi countered. He gestured. ¡°Toss me another one of those bad boys. Not the burned one.¡± Colin obeyed, passing Levi one of the dead lizards. Levi took it and carefully removed its skin. ¡°I¡¯m going to make you some lizard gloves. See if that helps your staff-holding problem a bit.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Levi ate dinner, then worked with the lizard skin for a bit. He fashioned two crude gloves from the raw skin and tossed them at Colin. ¡°Give ¡®em a shot. Let me know if they¡¯re too big.¡± Colin nodded. He slipped them on, then made a face. He wiggled his fingers in disgust. ¡°What? I don¡¯t have anything to tan them. That¡¯s the best I can do. It¡¯ll be a little slimy for a while, but it¡¯ll get better with time.¡± Colin nodded. He flexed his hands a few times, then lifted his staff and pointed it at Levi. Gold light flowed over to him. ¡°So?¡± Colin gave him a thumbs-up. ¡°It won¡¯t last forever, but it¡¯s better than nothing.¡± ¡°Excellent.¡± He cut more skin off the lizard and got to work making a few more pairs of gloves. When he was done, he checked his status. Levi | 18 | Lv 11 Class: Necromancer [SPECIAL] Str: 11 Mag: 29 Dex: 13 Spd: 16 Def: 9 Res: 23 [Basic Swordsmanship] [Shadow Manipulation] [Shadow Step] [Raise Dead] [Drain] Absorb life force or mana from your opponent and convert it into your mana. If you kill an opponent with this ability, they cannot be Raised with Raise Dead. ¡°Neat. A level and a new ability. What about you, Colin?¡± Levi glanced over. Colin looked his sheet up and down, then nodded. ¡°Nice. Levels all around.¡± A cool sensation swirled around Levi as he sat there. He breathed it in. The coolness in his chest grew stronger. He touched his chest. More mana? He looked at the bodies. Lifting his hand, he swept it through the air. Not that cold. He passed his hand over a body. That cold sensation swirled through his palm and wrist again. ¡°Ohhhh. No, that makes sense,¡± Levi murmured. He turned. ¡°Hey, Colin. Do you get more mana, just sitting here?¡± Colin glanced at him. He wavered his hand back and forth, then pointed upward. ¡°It¡¯s better on the surface, surrounded by plants and living shit?¡± Colin nodded and gave a thumbs up. ¡°Yeah, that tracks. You¡¯re a Life Cleric, so you fill up your mana from life. I¡¯m a Necromancer, and I get mine from death. Makes a lot of sense.¡± Chirps sounded nearby. Strange squawking calls that sounded oddly familiar. Levi hopped to his feet and dusted himself off. ¡°Stay on top of those heals this time. Swap the gloves when you need to.¡± Colin nodded. He climbed numbly to his feet. Levi tossed him a wink and a jaunty salute. He backed toward the hallway, swirling his sword with a grin. ¡°Daddy¡¯s going to work.¡± 9. Daddy Goes to Work Claws skittered over the ground. Levi spun and found himself facing a hallway full of the lizards. Their jaws gaped. Their giant claws glittered in the torchlight. Uncountable black eyes stared at him with vicious hunger. Levi¡¯s eyes widened. He sprinted back around the corner. ¡°Where the fuck are those dead lizards?¡± Colin startled. He pointed at the floor. Levi ran to each one, patting its shoulder. ¡°Wake up, wake up, come to daddy, there¡¯s a good boy¡­ Colin! Meet your first friends!¡± The zombie lizards stood there shakily. One hobbled, its leg somewhat chewed on. Another sported hand-shaped cuts in its leathery skin. Their dead eyes stared into infinity. Levi slapped the nearest one on the haunch. ¡°Get out there and get to work!¡± The lizard zombies charged around the corner. There was a clash. Horrible squawking echoed in the hallway. Levi grabbed Colin¡¯s arm. ¡°We gotta get outta here. This room¡¯s too big. I need a bottleneck, stat.¡± Colin twisted his arm free and ran alongside him. In the flickering shadows, Levi didn¡¯t even need to shape his shadow to gain the darkness-based speed buff. He quickly sped ahead of Colin. He swung his head left and right, searching for a side hall to dart into. Up ahead, a narrow one-man-wide crack opened in the wall. Levi pulled a one-eighty. The kobolds closed in, hot on Colin¡¯s heels. Levi grabbed him by the arm again, unequivocally this time, and dragged him into the hole. He shoved Colin in first, ignoring the zombie¡¯s protests. ¡°Yeah, yeah. It¡¯s fight time. We can talk about your feelings later.¡± Whipping around, he stood just inside the crack. He positioned himself far enough in that the kobolds would have to step into the narrow hallway to approach him, but shallow enough he could still stab past the opening with a lunge. Drawing his sword, he waited. He didn¡¯t have to wait long. The first of the lizardmen ran toward him, its eyes red with rage. Its nostrils flared wide, and its eyes locked onto the blood on his blade. ¡°A feeding frenzy, is it? Come to daddy. I¡¯ve got more than enough blade for everyone!¡± Levi declared. He thrust his sword through the kobold¡¯s chest. The lizardman let out one last cry and slumped, sword still stuck in its ribs. Behind him, Colin put his face in his hands. Before it hit the ground, another kobold leaped into the mouth of the hallway. Levi kicked it back. Stomping on the downed kobold, he jerked his sword free and raised it again, just in time for the kobold to throw itself forward. It saw the blade too late. Its eyes widened and it threw out its stumpy arms, to no avail. It landed on the sword and slid home, all the way up to the grip. Yet another kobold charged into the gap. With no other recourse, Levi pointed the remaining sword at it. A second lizard joined the first in a gruesome shish kabob. ¡°Stop impaling yourself so deeply! I know daddy¡¯s blade is delicious, but daddy needs to stab, okay?¡± Levi complained. ¡°Stop,¡± Colin begged him aloud. Levi lunged forward as the next lizardman ran in, pushing it back with the now-blunted weapon. It staggered, tripping into the lizards behind it. As the lizards figured out that traffic jam, Levi tipped his sword downward. He lifted his leg and pushed them onto the growing pile of dead beneath him. He glanced back at Colin. ¡°What, don¡¯t want to hear about daddy¡¯s big, fat weapon?¡± Colin gave him a deadpan look. He shook his head. ¡°People are so sensitive to violence nowadays! A man can¡¯t even talk about his sword in peace.¡± Levi tsked and shook his head. ¡°Fine. Daddy will keep it to himself.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call yourself daddy, either.¡± ¡°Smh. Wait, do they have that in your world?¡± ¡°Text speech? Yeah.¡± ¡°No, specifically the shortener for ¡®shaking my head.¡¯ I once had someone tell me it was unreasonable for anyone to understand that.¡± ¡°Huh? It¡¯s pretty normal. Cringe to say it aloud, but that clearly doesn¡¯t stop you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re cringe,¡± Levi returned. Exhaustion passed over Colin¡¯s face. He rolled his eyes at Levi¡¯s back. One after another, the kobolds piled up at the entrance to the hallway. When the bodies stacked too high, Levi charged the pile and knocked it away. At last, the back of the group of kobolds appeared in the distance. The four zombie kobolds clawed at the final members, ineffectually attacking their backs with clumsy slashes.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Damn waste of good mana,¡± Levi muttered. A second later, he did a double take. Wait, how many are there? Fighting the remaining kobolds on autopilot, he counted again, more carefully this time. One, two, three, four, five¡­ five? One of the zombie kobolds lunged. Its jaws clamped down on the neck of the kobold in front of it. The kobold twisted, screeching. It clawed at the kobold zombie, but the kobold zombie clung on. It felt no pain. Even as the live kobold clawed chunks of the zombie¡¯s chest away, the zombie refused to let go. The live kobold stilled. It went limp. Levi held his breath. Come on¡­ Its eyes brightened again. It struggled. The other zombie released it, and the new zombie stood. Levi clicked his tongue. ¡°I might have unleashed a kobold apocalypse.¡± Colin startled. He looked at Levi. ¡°No, no, no. It¡¯s still draining my mana,¡± he said, a moment later. ¡°Once I run out of mana, they¡¯re all going to hit the floor.¡± He paused. ¡°Or I¡¯m going to lose control, and they¡¯ll be free to do whatever they want. But they¡¯ll probably just re-perish! Probably.¡± Colin gave him a worried look. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about it. Let¡¯s finish up these last kobolds and get on with our lives,¡± Levi said, patting Colin¡¯s shoulder. Colin nodded. ¡°Sorry. Get on with my life. You¡¯re dead, after all. Don¡¯t have a life to get on with.¡± Colin sighed. The final kobold hit the floor, buried under the claws of the zombie kobolds. It struggled, still alive. The zombie kobolds drew back, preparing to gnaw on it. ¡°Wait. Stop,¡± Levi said. The zombies froze. Green light glowed in their eyes. Levi¡¯s mana drained rapidly for a beat, then stabilized. He huffed out a breath, startled. ¡°Commands take mana? Noted.¡± He stepped forward. His mana was running low. It was a perfect time to check out his new ability. Levi took a deep breath and put his hand on the kobold. It twisted, trying to bite him. The zombies instinctively slammed it back to the floor, protecting Levi even without a command. ¡°Oh? Also good to know.¡± The zombies would protect him on autopilot. That was very convenient. Levi activated Drain. The kobold had been struggling all this time, trying to fight back, but now it squirmed. With all its being, it tried to escape his grasp. He kept pushing, refusing to lift his hand. The life swirled out of it, flowing into Levi as a cool stream of mana. It shriveled under his hand. From a healthy, plump lizard, it shrank away to nothing. Its skin hung loose on its bones. Its eyes dulled. It let out a final sigh as its entire body gave up. It disintegrated into dust. The zombies dropped to the floor with nothing to lean on. Levi stood upright. He dusted himself off. Coolness rushed around his lungs. A comfortably full sensation came from his mana. He sighed aloud. ¡°Nothing like a good suck.¡± Colin visibly flinched. ¡°God.¡± Turning, Levi shook his finger at the zombie. ¡°It¡¯s goddess, now. Don¡¯t be rude to the nice lady who let me bring you back. Even if she did only have one gazonga.¡± Colin stared at him blankly. ¡°What? You met her. Big lady, and I mean big big. Skeleton on one half, gazonga on the other¡­ anything come to mind?¡± ¡°Can you describe her any other way?¡± Colin requested. ¡°So you do remember her. Be polite to my new patron goddess, okay? Make sure you use her name in vain, not some other previous-world deity. I mean, we didn¡¯t even meet that one in the flesh, you know?¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re the one being impolite. And aren¡¯t we not supposed to use gods¡¯ names in vain?¡± Levi shrugged. ¡°I dunno. Didn¡¯t ask her. I¡¯ll put it on the list of questions for the next time I see her. Right after, ¡®what happened to your other gaz¡ª¡¯¡± ¡°HEY! What¡¯re you fuckers doing to my kobolds?¡± Levi and Colin whirled. A beat later, the kobold zombies turned as well. Four thugs stood at the hallway the kobolds had emerged from. Three bulky, muscular men stood in a loose arc behind a slender but muscular woman. She grimaced at them. ¡°I was farming those for EXP. Killsteal!¡± ¡°How the hell was I supposed to know, when they came pouring down my throat? Can¡¯t blame me for just trying to stay alive,¡± Levi argued back. ¡°Didn¡¯t you think it was weird when a hundred kobolds came rushing at you? Didn¡¯t stop to think that someone might be deliberately herding them?¡± She crossed her arms at her and knitted her brows. Levi crossed his arms back. ¡°Uh, no, I didn¡¯t. Why the fuck would anyone know enough about kobold biology to know if they¡¯re herd animals or not? As far as I¡¯m concerned, they might move in packs of a few hundred.¡± Colin waved his hands. He lifted a finger to his lips. ¡°Get ready for heal duty,¡± Levi murmured quietly to him. He rolled out his shoulders, lowering his hand near his hilt. Across the way, the thugs narrowed their eyes as well. Their leader, the woman, cracked her knuckles and subtly slid brass knuckles onto her fingers. Colin sighed. He backed into the nook in the wall and raised his staff. ¡°You were reincarnated here, too, weren¡¯t you?¡± the woman guessed. Levi bowed. ¡°Incorrect. I jumped in a portal. The name¡¯s Levi. It¡¯s good to meet you, however brief our meeting might be.¡± She snorted. Thumbing to her left, she said, ¡°Jessie, and them boys¡¯re Mac the Killer, Hammerhead Joe, and Dave. What class did you get?¡± ¡°Me? Soldier. Colin back there was a priest. Is a priest,¡± Levi replied. Colin raised is brows at Levi. Ignoring him, Levi quickly drew up his status sheet. What level am I, now? Levi | 18 | Lv 18 Class: Necromancer [SPECIAL] Str: 16 Mag: 39 Dex: 18 Spd: 20 Def: 10 Res: 37 [Basic Swordsmanship] [Shadow Manipulation] [Shadow Step] [Raise Dead] [Drain] Not bad. Let¡¯s beat these guys and hit 20. He dismissed the screen, turning back to his enemies. ¡°Ha. You might have the one class worse than my ¡®Thug.¡¯ Kiss my boots, Soldier boy, and I might forgive you.¡± ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m not into humiliation play.¡± Levi paused. ¡°¡­where I¡¯m the one being humiliated.¡± She laughed. In a heartbeat, she sobered. She snapped her fingers. Her three underlings rushed at Levi. Levi drew his sword in a flash of steel. The five kobold zombies stood closer, eyes locked onto the thugs. He laughed, eyes alight with the thrill of battle. ¡°Come at me, lameos.¡± 10. Thugs and Mean Mugs The thugs charged at Levi. Levi raised his sword in answer. One ran directly at Levi, while the other two looped around to flank him. ¡°Go, my minions!¡± Levi called. Green light glowed in the zombies¡¯ eyes, and his mana ticked downward. The kobolds leaped toward the thugs, intercepting the two who meant to flank Levi. A one-on-three battle suddenly became two three-on-ones and one duel. The center thug suddenly found himself in a one-on-one with a sword. His eyes widened. For a second, he flinched back, but then he narrowed his eyes and forced himself onward. He swung a valiant punch at Levi. Levi countered with the edge of his blade. The man¡¯s fist split open. Blood gushed out. He screamed and fell back, grabbing his arm. ¡°Whoa! Guys! Bringing fists to a sword fight is a super bad idea! Who would¡¯ve thunk?¡± Levi mocked him. For a second, real fear flickered in the man¡¯s eyes. He turned to flee. ¡°Attack him,¡± the female Thug snarled. The man stilled. He turned back around. His eyes were numb. He lifted both fists, paying no mind to his gruesome injury. ¡°Oh man. That might be less ethical than necromancy,¡± Levi commented. Growling, the man charged him. His motions were clumsy. Forced. Levi swayed with the swings, completely unthreatened. He danced around the man, toying with him. ¡°Let¡¯s take a moment and consider where minion mind control falls on the scale. I mean, it¡¯s clearly worse than raising the dead. From an objective moral standpoint, raising the dead is neutral to positive. Aside from cultural expectations around bodily respect, there¡¯s nothing wrong with making use of meat. People do that every time they cook. But since the actual being is dead, there¡¯s nothing morally wrong with using them. So mind controlling a living being and overwriting its will is definitely worse than that.¡± The thug wound up and threw a haymaker at Levi. He swiped his sword and removed the man¡¯s arm at the elbow. The man screamed. He fell back again, both arms now ruined. ¡°But on the other hand, I killed these beings, then raised them from the dead. That has to be considered at least slightly morally negative, since I killed them for the purpose of¡­ well, EXP, but for argument¡¯s sake, let¡¯s say I killed them for necromancy¡¯s sake. Then the question becomes if murder for the purpose of what is essentially the same as mind control is worse than mind control.¡± Levi darted in. His sword flashed. The man¡¯s head went flying, and he hit the ground with a thump. He strode forward, toward the female Thug. She drew a club, her expression tense. ¡°I know it¡¯s a hardliner stance to take, but I would argue that it is less bad. After all, the beings only suffer for a moment, then feel no negative emotions for eternity. Whereas with mind control, they suffer the whole time. In fact, were we to take the utilitarian standpoint that the proper decision is the one that brings the most happiness, or least suffering, into the world, then I could safely argue that the proper decision is to make everyone a zombie. I am happy, everyone else is neutral. I have thus eliminated all suffering from the world, and brought about a state where I am the only being who can feel. So as long as I¡¯m happy, I am in the right.¡± He spread his hands and shrugged at her. ¡°But that¡¯s the same line of utilitarian bullshit that means that gods are morally right to cause entire populations suffering, so long as it pleases that god, assuming gods are capable of feeling infinitely more pleasure and suffering than any given human. Utilitarianism is kind of busted, honestly. Severely needs a patch. There¡¯s a reason no one uses proper Utilitarianism anymore.¡± He nodded at the Thug. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°I think you should shut the fuck up.¡± She rushed at him, clutching the club in both hands. Levi sighed. ¡°No one appreciates a good moral argument, anymore.¡± The club slammed down on him. He sidestepped, then cut at her exposed arm. She jumped back, escaping his reach. He chased after her, and her eyes lit up. She punched him with her free hand. Brass knuckles dug into his ribs. He heard them crack, one after another. Wincing, Levi jumped back. ¡°Healer!¡± Gold light streamed over him almost before he finished talking. The pain diminished. He stood straight again, resuming his sword stance. Jessie¡¯s eyes darted to Colin. She whistled, gesturing. Her two minions pulled away from fighting the kobolds and charged Colin. The kobolds clung to them, but they powered through anyways, eyes blank.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Hey! That¡¯s cheating!¡± Levi protested. ¡°All¡¯s fair in love and war,¡± Jessie returned. She spun her club around and charged Levi again. Furious blows left and right left him no time to think, let alone check on Colin. He gritted his teeth and went on the defense, fending off most of the blows. Not all of them. Some got through, slamming heavily into his limbs and torso. For all that Necromancer gave far more stats than Soldier, it nonetheless gave fewer physical stats¡ªless strength, dexterity, speed, and the one he felt most urgently at the moment: defense. The gold light faded from around Levi. His wounds stopped closing. The muffled sound of blows echoed from behind him. Colin cried out in his ragged, muffled voice. ¡°Kobolds! Save Colin! Do whatever it takes!¡± Levi shouted. ¡°Those tiny lizards? They¡¯re already dead,¡± Jessie sneered. ¡°I know,¡± Levi replied earnestly. The remaining kobolds ran toward the thugs. The ones that had fallen climbed back to their feet. They limped on broken limbs, necks drooping brokenly, arms and chests tattered. None of that mattered before Levi¡¯s orders. They had to save Colin. Levi focused all his energy on Jessie. The two of them struggled back and forth. Despite her upper hand in physical stats, he managed to barely hold his own. She narrowed her eyes. ¡°Where did you learn to fight?¡± ¡°Up your butt!¡± Levi snapped. He jabbed his sword at her. His reach went too far, and he exposed his side. ¡°Got you!¡± Jessie snarled. She slammed her club toward his side. Levi didn¡¯t flinch. The club hit him. He slammed his arm shut and clutched it to his body with all his might. Stepping backward, he turned away from Jessie. The motion forced her to either let go of her club, or move with him. She chose the latter. Levi dropped his sword. He slammed his hand on her face, giving her a massive open-palm slap. ¡°Eheh. Get humiliated.¡± Jessie¡¯s face contorted in anger. ¡°You tiny glob of shit¡ª¡± She struggled, fighting to free her weapon. Surprise crossed her face. She pulled again, but it still didn¡¯t budge. Levi tilted his head at her. He smiled. ¡°Aww, is someone feeling Drained?¡± ¡°Wh¡­what?¡± Jessie stammered. Her face paled, and she began to wither. ¡°You know, I do enjoy a good battle, but I was thinking. If you¡¯re going to play dirty, I might as well finish this fast, right? And that means playing to my strengths.¡± ¡°What strengths? You¡¯re a Soldier,¡± she snarled. She struggled again, but her body was so weak Levi barely had to try to keep her pinned. Levi tsked. He shook his finger. ¡°I was a Soldier. I¡¯ve become something far, far more powerful.¡± ¡°You¡­ you lied?¡± she managed. ¡°Uh, yeah? Who the fuck tells their enemies the truth? That¡¯s just bad business,¡± Levi told her. Jessie glared. She dwindled to skin and bone, then burst into dust. Levi waved his hand, coughing. ¡°Oh, goddess. I have people in my lungs.¡± The dust cleared. He stood there for a second, his brows furrowed. ¡°There was something¡­ something important¡­¡± A faint cry sounded from behind him. Levi jolted. ¡°That¡¯s right. Colin! I¡¯m coming!¡± He whipped around and ran toward Colin, then slowed. He raised his brows and licked his lips. Gently, he said, ¡°Hey, Colin.¡± Colin startled. He looked up sharply. Green light glimmered in the depths of his eyes. ¡°You hungry, buddy? Having a little snack?¡± Levi asked, his voice all soft like he was speaking to a child. Colin frowned at him. He squinted at Levi. ¡°Oh, back among the living? As it were. Since you¡¯re¡­¡± Levi waved his hands. ¡°Anyways, you, uh. Wanna drop what¡¯s left of that thug?¡± Colin frowned deeper. He looked down. He held half the corpse of one of the thugs. The thug¡¯s stomach had been heavily gnawed, his spine exposed from his front. Blood stained his jaw, dripping all the way down the front of his robes to his waist. He still chewed, slowly. Abruptly, he realized what he was doing and spat. A bloody glob hit the floor. The other thug laid at his feet, torn in half. The kobolds chewed eagerly on it. Belatedly, Colin dropped the corpse he held. He put his bloody hands behind his back. Jerking, he wiped his face, then hid his hands again. None of his efforts did much. There was blood on his hands and his chin, so wiping his chin with bloody hands only smeared it around. And no amount of hiding or wiping could hide the smear of crimson on his chest. Levi clapped. He nodded approvingly. ¡°Excellent! Now that¡¯s some true zombie action. That¡¯s the kind of attitude we need here.¡± Colin shook his head. He stared at the floor, ashamed. Levi crossed to him. Putting a hand on his shoulder, he peered at Colin¡¯s face. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be embarrassed about being a zombie. This is just essential nutrition for you. And when you think about it, I was going to kill that guy anyways. His life was only shortened a few seconds. Once he¡¯s dead, might as well eat him, right?¡± Colin¡¯s face drooped. Despair flashed across his face. Levi sighed. He let go and backed away. ¡°I was never all that good at motivational speaking. Listen. I don¡¯t care. Who else matters?¡± Colin pointed at himself. ¡°I mean, I guess,¡± Levi allowed. Colin glared at him. ¡°What? You¡¯re being very silly right now. You just ate a bad guy. That¡¯s a good thing!¡± Colin shook his head. Levi sighed. ¡°At this rate, you¡¯re going to snap, and I don¡¯t really have time to deal with the aftermath, so¡­ what if I told you that I ordered you to eat those guys?¡± Colin startled. He stared. ¡°Yeah, yeah. I was getting sick of waiting for you to start eating people on your own, so I gave you the orders. There we go. It¡¯s all my fault! Not yours at all. How¡¯s that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not true,¡± Colin grumbled. ¡°It is true.¡± Colin squinted at him. ¡°Yeah. I totally did that. It¡¯s my fault. So don¡¯t worry about it, and just blame me.¡± Colin sighed. He took a deep breath, then nodded. ¡°It¡¯s your fault.¡± ¡°Yep. All my fault.¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Worry? Pfft.¡± Levi waved his hand. Colin managed a smile. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Nothing to thank me for. In fact, you should hate me!¡± Levi declared. He patted Colin¡¯s shoulder one last time, then walked over to the men¡¯s corpses. He crouched. Their bodies were in pieces. Unsalvagable, whether for zombies or skeletons. ¡°Hmm,¡± Levi muttered, pinching his chin thoughtfully. Colin stepped beside him. He looked at Levi and tilted his head. ¡°What am I thinking of? Oh, just whether I should commit crimes against the gods and humanity,¡± Levi said. Colin gave him a disapproving head shake. Levi clapped his cheeks. ¡°What am I thinking?¡± Colin perked up. He grinned. ¡°Of course I should.¡± 11. Abuse of a Corpse is Only a Misdemeanor Levi grabbed the remnants of the men¡¯s corpses. He drew his sword and cut the arms off both of their bodies. Setting them aside, he sliced the spines out of the bodies, including the severed spine. He arrayed the pieces together, connecting the spines directly to the shoulder joints. They laid next to each other. Nothing bound them in place. He added a few more shoulder and rib bones for extra support, then slapped his hand down on it. ¡°Go go, necromancy!¡± Green light shone from his palm. The dead flesh and bones knitted together. Tendons wrapped around bones they were never meant to grip. Spines connected to shoulder joints. A horrific amalgamation of corpses laid on the floor. ¡°Hell yeah! Come to poppa.¡± Levi gestured, holding his arms out like a hug. The disembodied arms pushed off the ground and threw themselves at Levi. He spun around, offering his back. The spines wrapped around his body, hugging tight to him. The four bonus arms flexed over and under his shoulders, making a mockery of Levi¡¯s wiry arms. He posed a few times, letting the bulky arms make bodybuilding poses. Colin chuckled. He shook his head at Levi, trying to force down a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be able to fight four times as effectively now,¡± Levi said, grinning. A second later, he frowned. ¡°No, wait. Three times. Because I had two arms to start out, and now I have six. Two times three is six.¡± Colin applauded. ¡°Don¡¯t applaud. Come on. I didn¡¯t drop out of middle school, just high school.¡± Abruptly, sharp pain slammed into his head. It pierced his brains like a railroad spike, and his concentration and mana both wavered. Levi stumbled. He pressed a hand to his forehead. Startled, Colin rushed to his side. Levi waved him away. ¡°I just overreached on my active undead.¡± He snapped. The kobolds fell back to the ground. They dissolved into dust. In return, he received about half of the mana he¡¯d put into them. He took a deep breath, sucking it in. Like a mint, mana flowed around his lungs with a refreshing coolness. His strength returned, and the pain in his head faded away. ¡°There we go. Just me, my healer, and my arms.¡± He flexed with all six and grinned. Colin held up his staff. He shook his head. ¡°Out of mana? What do you need?¡± Levi asked. ¡°Life.¡± ¡°Eating those guys didn¡¯t help?¡± Colin hesitated, then nodded. Reluctantly, he held up two fingers a tiny bit apart. Levi nodded. ¡°If we find some more monsters and just chill for a bit, will that help?¡± He nodded. ¡°Right. Let¡¯s go find you some living monsters.¡± ¡°Eating those guys did¡­ help my throat,¡± Colin admitted. Levi glanced back at him. ¡°Yeah, I noticed. Now it just sounds like you gargled gravel. Some people even find that kind of thing sexy. You know, on singers and stuff.¡± Colin nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not so bad.¡± ¡°What, you aren¡¯t going to ask?¡± Levi asked.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Ask what?¡± ¡°If I find it sexy.¡± Colin shot him a deadpan look. Levi grinned back. ¡°If you do, I don¡¯t want to know about it,¡± Colin said. ¡°Nah. It¡¯s really not my thing. More of a female-vocals guy,¡± Levi said. Another deadpan look. Levi shrugged at him. ¡°You said you don¡¯t want to know if I do find it sexy. You didn¡¯t say anything if I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Are we going to go find living monsters or not?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. Let¡¯s get moving. Forever downward.¡± Levi gestured for Colin to follow and marched deeper into the dungeon. His four bonus arms folded close to his back. They crossed themselves to center their weight as close to his center of gravity as possible. ¡°Is that heavy?¡± Colin asked. ¡°Yeah. Not too bad with my strength stat, but heavy enough I need to adjust to it before I use it in battle. Otherwise, I¡¯ll end up swinging twice and falling flat on my face,¡± Levi informed him. Colin nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not like I can just attach extra pieces to my body and instantly know how to fight with them. I need time to practice and adjust. I¡¯m probably not going to get that time, but I can at least get used to wearing them before we go into battle.¡± Colin nodded again. He waited expectantly. Levi opened his mouth again, then shook his head. ¡°No, that¡¯s all. How are those gloves working out for you?¡± Lifting his hand, Colin showed a slightly-scorched glove. ¡°Not too bad. I¡¯ll need to swap them out soon, but it¡¯s fine for now.¡± ¡°Good. Keep me up to date on those gloves. If you need more, I can always make more.¡± ¡°How do you know how to make gloves?¡± Colin asked, tilting his head. ¡°Huh? Gloves are easy. You just outline your hands twice, then stitch them together. The stitching part is a pain in the ass but gloves are probably one of the easiest pieces of clothing to make, conceptually,¡± Levi explained. Colin paused. He looked at Levi. ¡°Let me rephrase. How many clothes do you know how to make?¡± ¡°All of ¡®em. It¡¯s a useful life skill. What, did you just buy clothes all your life? Rich bastard. The custom stuff is super expensive to buy, you know.¡± ¡°What was your world like? You said it was apocalyptic,¡± Colin said, taking another track to approach what he wanted to know yet again. ¡°Huh? Did I? It was kind of a weak-ass apocalypse. Players¡ªyou know, people with status sheets¡ªstarted showing up, and they were all pieces of shit. World went to hell in a handbasket, as you might expect. There were portals, and monsters endlessly shooting through them. Players were supposed to fight those, but mostly they played god-emperor.¡± ¡°And you were one of those Players?¡± Colin asked. Levi barked a laugh. ¡°Nope. Not for a while. And not properly for a long time after that. How about you? What was your world like?¡± Colin shrugged. ¡°Uh, normal. I mean¡ªboring. Strip malls. Highways. High school, college, and a nine-to-five. Nothing as exciting as an apocalypse.¡± ¡°Exciting times aren¡¯t very fun when you¡¯re the one experiencing them,¡± Levi commented. They lapsed into silence. The tunnel continued downward. Rocks emanated heat to their left and right. They glowed a faint red, lighting the space. Plantlife clustered around the warm rocks. Hardy, scraggly bushes and dark-leaved flowers clustered close. Levi frowned. ¡°The hell are those things getting UV rays from?¡± ¡°Magic?¡± Colin asked. ¡°Huh.¡± Large lizards and snakes coiled on the rocks ahead. They were smaller than the kobolds, only about a forearm¡¯s length for the lizards, or half Levi¡¯s height for the snakes, but still large enough to pose a threat. They perked up as the travelers passed. Levi rested his hand on his sword, and Colin clutched his staff tight. Ahead, a single kobold tended to the small bushes. It carried a weighty bucket on one hip, and all the lizards and snakes tracked the bucket as it wandered from bush to bush. It hadn¡¯t noticed Levi or Colin yet, and continued at its duties. Levi widened his eyes. ¡°Ohhh. Hey, Colin. Have you ever considered that we might just be raiding a kobold¡­ I don¡¯t know what to call it. Village? Warden? Hutch?¡± ¡°Village. That guy seems to be farming,¡± Colin said. ¡°Right, which does imply a certain level of intelligence. In any case. Do you think, just maybe, we¡¯ve been tricked into entering this ¡®dungeon,¡¯ which is actually a kobold village, as some form of pest extermination?¡± ¡°But that guy was charging admission,¡± Colin pointed out. ¡°What a great idea. Charging admission for pest extermination. I mean, think about it. If not for those Thugs, we probably only would¡¯ve killed a few kobolds. Sure, we get EXP, and normies in this world get mana, or whatever, but it¡¯s not really a proper dungeon. Just a hole in the ground where some lizards live, that some guy had a bright idea to charge people to go kill for him.¡± Levi shook his head, impressed. Ahead of them, the farming kobold finally heard them. It whipped around and hissed. All the lizards and snakes drew up on high alert as well, staring at Levi and Colin. ¡°Well, no point in stopping now.¡± Levi¡¯s extra arms uncrossed from his back. They punched their open hands as he closed in. Colin fell back, still holding his staff. The kobold leaped at Levi, long fangs bared. The lizards and snakes charged him as well. 12. Its a Good Thing I Have Six Hands Levi drew his sword. He caught the kobold jumping down at him with the two arms over his shoulders, while the two arms below caught two leaping lizards. In three quick slashes, Levi dispatched all three. The rest of the reptiles reached him. He knelt and spun around, using his lower hands to knock them away. The lizards and snakes bit at his new hands, but the zombie arms felt no pain. ¡°Man, these things are awesome,¡± Levi said excitedly. He charged forward, running his hands over the ground. They threw lizards and snakes into the air left and right. Levi slashed the flying animals out of the air. Blood and visceral flew, splattering on the floor behind him. Whoosh. Something flew at him from behind. He whipped around and grabbed a snake out of the air. It snapped, venom dripping from its fangs. Levi clenched his zombie hand and snapped its neck. Two sharp pricks stabbed into his ankle. A snake drew its head back from two pinprick wounds. Hot acid pain rushed into his leg. Levi hissed. He stomped the snake dead. ¡°Healer!¡± Colin hoisted his rod. Gold light swirled around his leg, but only for a moment. The wounds sealed, and the light faded. He looked down, then up. ¡°You know, I should¡¯ve asked this ahead of time. Can you cure poison?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Colin said. Levi raised his brows. ¡°I guess we find out together, then. Shows me for making assumptions.¡± Another snake struck. Levi jumped back. Tapping his shoulder, he released the arms from his shoulders. They dropped to the ground, then pushed up, ¡®standing¡¯ on their fingertips. Levi hopped onto the platform formed from the overlapping spines. The arms carried him forward, into the remaining reptiles. The lizards and snakes struck at it, but their blows bounced harmlessly off the zombie arms. Levi crouched on the platform. He sliced left and right, slaying the beasts by the dozens. His leg burned. The poison slowly seared higher up his calf toward his thigh. He flicked his finger toward a dead snake. Mana flowed from his chest, and the snake jumped up. It wrapped around his leg just under the knee and cut off bloodflow, forming a makeshift tourniquet. The searing pain no longer climbed higher. Unfortunately, in return, his leg began to go numb. ¡°Hey, Colin,¡± he called. ¡°Yeah?¡± Colin asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think you can heal poison.¡± ¡°Oh. Th-that¡¯s unfortunate.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ve got it handled.¡± Levi patted his leg tourniquet. He finished the last of the lizards and snakes and hopped off the arm-spine platform. The arms threw themselves into the air, and the spines latched around his torso once more. Colin glanced at it. ¡°You know that kills the flesh, right? Unless you remove it and get it treated, your leg will die.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Levi shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m a necromancer. I¡¯ll figure something out. And maybe it¡¯s one of those poisons that just hurts a lot but won¡¯t kill you.¡± ¡°How do you plan to find that out before you lost your leg?¡± ¡°Luck.¡± ¡°Luck isn¡¯t a plan.¡± Levi spread his hands. ¡°Luck is all we¡¯ve got. Luck, and the ability to freely manipulate the dead. So, you know. I¡¯m not that worried about killing my leg. Worst case, I just become a selfromancer.¡± Colin flinched. ¡°God.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m already a self¡ª¡± ¡°Can we move on? Or rather, do you need to wait?¡± Colin glanced at his leg. ¡°What¡¯s the point of waiting? My leg will die if we sit around. Honestly, my best bet might be to stuff you full of EXP and level you up until you can cure poisons.¡± Levi paused. He squinted at Colin. ¡°You are still levelling up, yes?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Colin confirmed. ¡°In your healer class?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Okay, okay. Just checking. I mean, I dunno. You could be levelling up in Zombie or something. I don¡¯t know how being undead works. I barely know how this System works,¡± Levi defended himself. Colin nodded. He took a deep breath and pointed onward, deeper into the dungeon. ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving, then. See if I can get a poison-healing skill and fix your leg.¡± ¡°I¡¯m kind of warming to the idea of a zombie leg, honestly,¡± Levi said, shaking his leg. Pins and needles prickled at his flesh as the restricted bloodflow really set in. He stumped along. His ankle was already numb, and refused to move correctly. ¡°I¡¯d rather avoid that. Only one of us needs to be undead.¡± ¡°I¡¯d only be partially undead.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too much.¡± ¡°What, are you only happy if we¡¯re one-hundred-percent in different categories?¡± Colin cracked a grin. Levi shook his head at Colin. ¡°Where are these jokes coming from? I thought you were shy.¡± ¡°When I don¡¯t know people, sure. And I died, so,¡± Colin said, shrugging. ¡°What¡¯s death got to do with it?¡± Levi asked. Colin shrugged. ¡°Guess you¡¯d have to experience it to find out.¡± ¡°I did! I did. You were there,¡± Levi said, pointing at Colin. Colin raised his brows. A thoughtful expression crossed his face. ¡°I was there. Huh. I guess death just hit different for me.¡± ¡°Damn. Hitting me with that ¡®skill issue.¡¯ Can¡¯t even fucking die right.¡± Levi muttered. After a beat, he chuckled. He shook his head and staggered on. ¡°What?¡± Colin asked, following him. ¡°Some things never change.¡± Levi turned. He pointed. ¡°Look.¡± Colin looked. A wide tunnel opened to the side. It ended in a huge dead-end room, one that stood completely open at the moment. From where they stood, they could see gear and broken weapons piled up along the wall, tossed aside from previous challengers. Levi waggled his brows. ¡°Does that say ¡®boss room,¡¯ or what?¡± ¡°If this is more a kobold warren than a proper dungeon, will it even have a boss room?¡± Colin wondered aloud. ¡°Only one way to find out.¡± Levi pointed. ¡°Besides, look at those bags. Some adventurers less stupid than us might have actually brought an antidote. If I can¡¯t rely on you, I¡¯ll have to rely on other dead people.¡± He glanced back. ¡°Get it? Because if this is a boss room, and their gear is here, then they¡¯re¡ª¡± ¡°I got it,¡± Colin said, rolling his eyes. Levi strode into the room. He rested one hand on his sword, ready to attack, but nothing lunged. A big round room stretched all around him. The lost gear laid on the ground opposite the entrance, all piled up in one big lump. Levi glanced toward the far end of the room, checking to make sure nothing waited there. He paused, then looked up. The ceiling was clear. He breathed out. Turning around, he pointed at Colin. ¡°Remember, you always gotta check the sky.¡± ¡°Did you have to do that a lot, back home?¡± Colin asked jokingly. ¡°All the time. Constantly. It was a life-and-death essential,¡± Levi said distractedly. Colin fell silent. He looked at the floor, then back at Levi. ¡°Sorry. I forgot.¡± ¡°Why¡¯re you sorry? You had nothing to do with it.¡± Levi held up a bottle. ¡°What do you think this is? Antidote? Potion?¡± ¡°I, uh¡­¡± Levi popped the cork and sniffed it. He shrugged. ¡°Smells medicinal.¡± Colin startled. He took a step back. ¡°Levi¡­¡± Levi tossed back the bottle. He made a face. ¡°Yuck. This world needs to learn about putting sugar in medicine. Either that, or this thing was topical.¡± ¡°Levi!¡± ¡°What?¡± He looked back. His eyes widened. A grin flashed over his face. ¡°Hello.¡± 13. It Was a Boss Room, After All From this angle, Levi finally saw it. A second pathway opened in the wall. It pointed away from the initial entrance and from the rest of the room. If a giant kobold, tall enough its head brushed the ceiling and so heavy its fat drooped on the floor, wasn¡¯t standing half out of the entrance, he might have never seen it. As it was, it suddenly seemed incredibly obvious to him. Levi clapped, once. He stood up, drawing his sword. ¡°I like that! Good. Sneaky back entrance to the room. Leave the loot so we go check it out, then stab us in the back while we¡¯re distracted. Good plan. Honestly? Good plan. You get credit for that one.¡± He quietly stepped away from the loot pile. If the persistent aching in his leg was anything to go by, that potion he¡¯d drunk wasn¡¯t an antidote. In fact, he was starting to wonder if it was a healing potion at all. Maybe he¡¯d just drunk someone¡¯s anti-parasitic potion¡ª STR + 10 ¡°Ohhh. That¡¯s handy. Remember, kids, always drink random potions you find abandoned on the side of the road! It always works out!¡± he said, giving a thumbs-up to no one. Colin sighed. Levi shifted his feet, putting his bad leg under him. ¡°Heal duty.¡± ¡°On it.¡± The giant kobold roared and stomped at Levi. The loot behind him jumped under the force of its stomps. It hefted a claw, eyes locked onto Levi. He held his ground. As it closed in, he tightened his grip on his sword. His eyes narrowed. The claw flew toward his neck. It slashed through thin air. Levi was gone, completely out of its sight. It looked left, then right. Its eyes latched onto Colin, and it lifted its foot again. ¡°I don¡¯t think so, fatso.¡± Levi stood up from where he¡¯d crouched under the bulge of its enormous belly, slashing upward through its protruding stomach as he went. The giant kobold screeched and stumbled back. It kicked, knocking Levi away. He stumbled back, bad leg crumpling under him. Gold light shone around him, but it couldn¡¯t heal his self-inflicted tourniquet. The kobold keened in delight. It charged forward again. Blood spurted from its sliced belly, but Levi¡¯s sword had only pierced its fat. It hadn¡¯t taken any significant damage from his slash. It sliced at Levi. Levi¡¯s upper two arms grabbed the kobold¡¯s claw. Latching on tight, they pulled Levi toward the massive beast. Levi sliced its stomach over and over, while his lower two arms pummeled the fresh wounds. The beast screamed in pain. It slashed at Levi with its remaining claw. Levi¡¯s upper arms shifted to block the second claw. He caught the blow, and a horrible, sharp crack rang out. Levi jumped back. His right-upper arm sagged, broken at the forearm. He pushed a pulse of mana into it, and it began to heal, but slowly. It ate at his mana, too, drawing more of it than he¡¯d like to use. Scowling, Levi stopped trying to heal the arm. For now, in-battle heals are out of the question, huh? At least for wounds as bad as a bone break. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The kobold clawed at him again. This time, Levi jumped back rather than take the blow. Its claw swooshed by his face, close enough to stir his bangs. Before it could recover from the miss, he grabbed its shoulder with his three remaining arms. The kobold stood, taking Levi with it. It whipped its head around. Beady, vicious, hungry eyes glared at Levi. Levi grinned. He waggled his real arm¡¯s fingers. ¡°Hello.¡± It darted its muzzle at him, going for the throat. Levi jumped forward. Using his three dead hands, he did a three-handed cartwheel over the kobold¡¯s head and landed on its other shoulder. He shook his head. ¡°Now I¡¯m just being mean. Let¡¯s end this before it gets too embarrassing for you, okay?¡± He thrust the sword into the kobold¡¯s eye. It screamed and thrashed, clawing at its shoulder. Levi yanked his blade free in a spurt of blood and jumped away. The giant, fat kobold staggered across the room, clutching at its eye. Blood flew everywhere. It hit the wall and stumbled, then fell on its rear. Kicking its legs, it tried to stand again, but failed. It sunk against the wall, unable to rise any longer. Level Up! Levi pulled up his menu. Levi | 18 | Lv 20 Class: Necromancer [SPECIAL] Str: 19 (Temp: 29) Mag: 43 Dex: 20 Spd: 22 Def: 11 Res: 40 [Basic Swordsmanship] [Shadow Manipulation] [Shadow Step] [Raise Dead] [Drain] [Shape Dead] Freely shape undead into new beings. Amalgam undead have less than or equal to the status points of the combined stats of their respective parts. ¡°I was already doing that,¡± Levi commented. He pinched his chin. Did I get that skill because I created the Arminator 5000, or did I not notice getting that skill at level 19, and just coincidentally have the ability to create new undead? ¡°List undead.¡± Active Undead [Colin] [Unique] [Ensouled] [Garter Snake] [Arm amalgam] ¡°Rename that last one. Call it the Arminator¡ªno, wait. Call it the Armalgam,¡± Levi declared. [Arm amalgam] > [Armalgam] ¡°Garter snake¡­ man. Do you have a sense of humor, or did I just get lucky?¡± he wondered aloud, looking down at the snake wrapped around his leg. He turned. ¡°Yo, Colin. Find an antidote yet?¡± Colin stood hunched over the bags, digging through them one by one. He started to shake his head, then nodded and held up a small crystal bottle, barely bigger than his thumb. ¡°Awesome! Is it topical, or do I drink it?¡± ¡°No idea,¡± Colin said. Levi looked at the bottle, then shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s do a little of each.¡± He tossed it back, taking a quick swig. Turning to his leg, he sliced the snake bite back open, then poured the antidote into the wound. It burned, but a good burn. The deep, acid pain of the poison faded. ¡°Awesome! It¡¯s working. Colin, you ready with the heals?¡± Levi hovered his hands over the Garter Snake, waiting. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Levi flicked his fingers. The garter snake uncoiled. In almost the same second, gold light settled around his calf. The pins and needles vanished. The gold light also wiped away the discoloration that had been accumulating beneath the tourniquet, an ugly, bruised purple that melded back to healthy peach. ¡°Whew. I wouldn¡¯t have minded an undead leg, but on second thought, I probably shouldn¡¯t. The stink won¡¯t be too popular with the ladies¡ªoh. Sorry,¡± he said, nodding at Colin. ¡°Uh huh,¡± Colin said. ¡°What the hell? That was my kill!¡± Levi and Colin exchanged a glance. Levi rolled his eyes first. ¡°Not again.¡± 14. My Kill ¡°Hey! That was my kill!¡± They turned. A fit but heavy woman stood at the door, her hands on her hips. Her entire body was thick, like a pillar. She reminded Levi of female weightlifters, sturdy and stubby. A pair of long metal claws hung from either hip, the triple blades somehow reminiscent. Levi reached for his sword. Colin backed away. She beamed. ¡°Juuuust kidding. What? Don¡¯t look so serious, guys! Come on. It¡¯s a low-level boss. I¡¯m not going to fight you over such chump change.¡± Chump change? Levi raised his brows, suddenly even warier than before. If the kobold boss¡¯s EXP was chump change to her, she had to be high level. High enough level to pose a serious threat to Levi and Colin. She tilted her head. ¡°What¡¯s that on your back? The arms¡­ thing.¡± ¡°Oh, this?¡± Levi glanced at it. He opened his mouth, then hesitated. I probably shouldn¡¯t admit I¡¯m a Necromancer. Aside from being generally bad vibes, it¡¯s also associated with the Death Goddess. And gods associated with death are not generally highly regarded. He coughed. ¡°I¡¯m an Arms Dealer. I can manipulate any number of arms. Even grow more of them. Isn¡¯t that neat?¡± Casually, he started pushing mana into the Armalgam¡¯s broken arm. If this came to a fight, he¡¯d need every advantage he could get. ¡°Damn, that¡¯s super cool. I¡¯m just a Claw Master. Weapons selection is shit, but the rest of the class isn¡¯t bad. Standard martial class.¡± She looked Levi and Colin up and down, then nodded. ¡°You guys, uh, from another world, too?¡± ¡°Yeah! Yeah. Yep. Summoned to be frontline fodder. You?¡± She grimaced. ¡°That¡¯s a common story. I had the fortune to be summoned outside of Ician¡ªyour country used white as its color, right?¡± Levi confirmed with a nod. ¡°So it was Ician. Of course it was, with the way they treated you, but¡­ Anyways. I was summoned outside of Ician, so I had an easier time of it. A smalltime local Summoner summoned me over in the hinterlands of the Rosado Empire to clear a goblin infestation from a town near the capital. Once I did that, I was free to go. Way easier than getting conscripted right off the kick.¡± ¡°No kidding,¡± Levi muttered. He offered his hand. ¡°Levi, by the way. And chatty back there is Colin.¡± She shook his hand. ¡°Taylor. You guys fresh?¡± ¡°Freshly arrived, yeah. First dungeon, right here.¡± ¡°You felt it. Well, and you are still wearing Ician¡¯s conscript gear.¡± She grinned. ¡°How¡¯s the apocalypse treating you?¡± ¡°The¡­ what now?¡± Levi asked, squinting. Taylor gestured all around them. ¡°The apocalypse! The System Apocalypse. This place was a pretty standard sword-and-sorcery kind of world until recently, from what I hear. Then Summoners started appearing, people started getting pulled into this world with the System¡­ this world¡¯s Church is calling it the end of the world.¡± ¡°So this isekai thing, it¡¯s recent?¡± Levi asked, curious. He joined Colin in going through the bags, stealing a sturdy leather one for himself. One after another, he picked the most whole useful items from the other bags and packed it into the one he¡¯d chosen. Spare clothes, coins, a bedroll. ¡°Relatively. For so many people to come at once, it is. From what I¡¯ve heard, people have always been summoned here, but super rarely. Like, legendary-hero-every-hundred-or-so-years rarely. But recently, it¡¯s picked up. People getting summoned every fifty years, then ten, then multiple every year. The summons first picked up about a century ago, and the super-fast multiple-every-year summoning rate has been going for about five, ten years or so. From what I hear, the gods have stopped speaking to their worshippers, too.¡± ¡°Wait, really? The gods aren¡¯t talking to them?¡± Levi interrupted. I talked to one just yesterday, and I never said a single word of worship for her. Hell, I didn¡¯t even know she existed until she showed up in the flesh. She shook her head. ¡°Apparently they prefer to talk to us. I haven¡¯t seen any of ¡®em, but that¡¯s what I¡¯ve heard. It¡¯s serious, man. All the bigwigs in the Church are convinced the world is eating it. All the harbingers of the Apocalypse have come to pass, all the prophesies are coming true, all that good stuff. Really, only one prophesy hasn¡¯t.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Colin stood. Levi stood as well, passing the full bag to his arms. They strung it over themselves, then around his real arms to help center the weight close to his body. He nodded at Taylor. ¡°Right. Sounds bad. All the gods are silent, and all the major prophesies are kicking off¡­except one?¡± ¡°Yeah. From what I understand, it¡¯s the biggest one. Something about the gods each picking a Champion and having a great big proxy battle to the death,¡± she said. She led him out of the room and deeper into the tunnel. Levi followed at a small distance, just far enough to draw his sword before she gutted him. Uh-oh. Sounds like that might be what happened to me. She did mention something about a Champion. And about the other gods staking the world on her never getting one. I thought she was just being dramatic, but I guess not. ¡°That one isn¡¯t kicking off?¡± She waved her hand up and down. ¡°The gods have definitely picked some champions. Our Rosado Empire¡¯s Blatt¡ªoh, you probably don¡¯t know him¡ª¡± ¡°We¡¯re acquainted,¡± Levi said. Behind him, Colin nodded. ¡°Ahhhh. Yeah. Surprised you survived the encounter, what with being summoned by Ician and all. But yeah, supposedly he¡¯s the Champion of the God of the Sword. There¡¯s a few others. Some are just rumors, others are all but confirmed¡ªStacey of the Harvest, Kyo of the Wild, Igor of the Heart¡ª¡± ¡°Igor of the what?¡± Levi asked, squinting. ¡°¡ªand on the unconfirmed side, there¡¯s Mew of Magic, Leo of the Sea, and a guy who¡¯s only known as the Unknown, who just shows up places, fucks them up, and vanishes. Still, we¡¯re pretty sure he¡¯s one of them. Even so, there¡¯s still plenty of gods and goddesses in the pantheon who haven¡¯t picked anyone. The Goddess of Life and the Goddess of Death, for example,¡± she said. Levi shivered. He ran his hands over his real arms. ¡°The Goddess of Death? That¡¯s terrifying. Whoever she picks has got to be nasty.¡± Colin cocked a brow in Levi¡¯s direction. ¡°I know, right? But the Apocalypse¡ªor I should say, their Apocalypse, can¡¯t kick off until all the Champions are summoned. To be clear, the gods having Champions doesn¡¯t mean the world¡¯s ending. Plenty of gods have had Champions before. It¡¯s the all-the-Champions, all-at-the-same-time part that¡¯s scaring people. Usually there¡¯s one Champion. Maybe two. Now? Four that I know of, for certain, and I don¡¯t even believe in this shit.¡± ¡°That does sound troublesome. How many gods are there?¡± Levi asked, a little nervous. Five Champions. Seven, if he was being generous and including all her uncertain ones. Sword, Harvest, Wild, Heart, Magic, Sea, Unknown. With him, that made eight. Proportionally speaking, is eight Champions most of the pantheon, or just a little? ¡°Uh¡­ like, twelve?¡± she said, frowning. Levi grinned nervously. Eight is almost three-quarters of twelve. Higher than I¡¯d like to hear. ¡°Are you sure there aren¡¯t a hundred gods, maybe? Or even twenty, or so?¡± She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s twelve. Or something around there. Ten. Fifteen. Don¡¯t worry too much, though, guys. The sky will rain blood and the sun will turn black when all the Champions arrive. When it happens, we¡¯ll know.¡± Levi nodded. ¡°Seems pretty clear-cut to me.¡± Guess I wasn¡¯t the last one. Then again, the Goddess of Death said the other gods had had Champions before, not that they all had them now. If all the gods could acquire Champions but her, and she now had a Champion¡­ I can put two and two together. It¡¯s just a matter of time. He swallowed. Hopefully it¡¯s not ten gods in the pantheon. Then we¡¯re really fucked. She paused and pointed. ¡°Exit¡¯s dead ahead, you can¡¯t miss it. Have you seen a woman, by the way? Tall, muscular, probably flanked by two¡ªno, three beefy dudes?¡± Colin jolted. He looked at Levi. Levi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I was wondering what a high-level adventurer like yourself was doing in such a small dungeon. You were looking for someone! That makes so much sense.¡± ¡°Yeah. Jessie, is her name. She got summoned at the same time as me, and we were kind of close, but lately she¡¯s gone a bit off the rails. She¡¯s a good person at heart, she really is. There¡¯s just too much of a difference in our levelling speed, and it just kept getting under her skin. I told her low and slow would get her there all the same, but she refused to believe that. I get it, though. It¡¯s painful to watch someone else surpass you, while it feels like you¡¯re treading water. ¡°Last I saw her, she was storming off after a little fight we had in the tavern down the hill. She¡¯s been hanging out with some shady company, trying to boost her strength. I¡¯m worried about her. Hopefully I can stop her before she does something drastic, or tries too hard to farm EXP,¡± Taylor said, shaking her head mournfully. Levi sighed. He spread his hands and grimaced. ¡°I wish I could help you, but we haven¡¯t seen anyone but kobolds, the whole time we were down here.¡± ¡°Damn.¡± Taylor looked over her shoulder, then shook her head again. ¡°I¡¯m going to keep going anyways. You really didn¡¯t see anyone?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Levi tapped his chin, then snapped his fingers as if he¡¯d just thought of something. He turned to Colin and nodded. ¡°Oh! Right! Kai!¡± Colin squinted at him, lost. ¡°I didn¡¯t think of him because he was part of our party, at the start. We had a bit of a falling out and separated. He¡¯s, uh. A bit of a handful, so¡­ I don¡¯t think we should stick around. But if you see him, could you point him our way? We¡¯re planning to head down the mountain, maybe check out that tavern of yours.¡± Taylor smiled. She clapped Levi on the shoulder. ¡°Of course I will. Even if you have a fight, you¡¯re still friends, right?¡± Levi smiled. ¡°Sure!¡± She pushed off and headed back into the dungeon. ¡°I¡¯ll see you guys around. And if you see Jessie, send her toward the tavern, alright?¡± ¡°Will do!¡± Levi called, tossing her a salute. He turned and headed for the exit. Colin shot a last glance behind him, then followed Levi out. 15. Liar, Liar Once they were out of earshot, Colin nudged Levi. ¡°Why¡¯d you lie to her about Jessie?¡± Levi gave him a look. ¡°Are you blind? Did you see her? Plus, calling that kobold ¡®chump change?¡¯ If you want to turn into paste, be my guest and go tell her. As for me, I like my head right where it is, thanks.¡± Colin glanced back, then bit his lip. He shook his head. ¡°Right? Yeah. Nope.¡± ¡°What was that bit about Kai, though? He didn¡¯t come in with us.¡± Levi shook his finger. ¡°I never said he came in with us. I just said he was with us at the start, which is true, he was summoned with us. Then I said we had a falling out, also true. And that we lost track of him¡ªwhich, if you¡¯re tracking, is also also true. So I didn¡¯t tell a single lie. As for why¡­ what, man, you want her to put two and two together and come after our asses for killing Jessie? Better to point her at Kai. Who knows? He might survive her. And if he doesn¡¯t, no big loss.¡± ¡°What? That¡¯s Kai you¡¯re talking about,¡± Colin said, flabbergasted. ¡°Yeah. Kai. The same guy who stabbed a guard to death after dinner as a bit of light exercise to settle his stomach. That Kai,¡± Levi said, rolling his eyes. Colin blinked. ¡°Kai did what?¡± ¡°Stabbed a guy for no reason? Yeah. I think he was a serial killer in his own world,¡± Levi said. He shrugged. ¡°Or he could¡¯ve come from his own apocalypse, like me. Anything¡¯s possible. But what¡¯s for sure is that Kai¡¯s fucked up in the head in a nasty way. I don¡¯t feel bad at all about misleading a high-level adventurer into hunting his ass down instead of our collective ass.¡± ¡°Oh. I guess¡­ if he really did, then¡­ yeah,¡± Colin agreed. They stepped out into sunlight. Levi squinted, lifting a hand to shade his eyes. Colin started heading down the mountain. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Levi asked. ¡°To the tavern. We told Taylor we were¡ª¡± He paused and squinted at Levi. ¡°Was that a lie?¡± Levi nodded. He held up two fingers and lowered them one at a time. ¡°One, if she figures it out, no way I¡¯m going where I said I was going. Two, the army¡¯s down there, looking for us.¡± He pointed in the other direction. Not down the mountain, but up it. Or more precisely, around it. ¡°There¡¯s a gap just up ahead. I figure we shoot through that and figure out where to go from the other side.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that put us deeper in Ician?¡± Colin asked. Levi shrugged. ¡°Maybe. Better than sticking around right where we deserted.¡± Colin nodded. Carrying their newly-acquired bags, the two of them set off into the mountain. A few days passed in that manner. The two of them worked their way around the mountain, hiking in daylight, sleeping under the sky at night. The few monsters they encountered were relatively weak. Levi and the Armalgam easily took them out. Colin healed what few cuts and scrapes he accumulated in the fights. At night, Levi ate the monsters he killed. Colin sat quietly and ate nothing, no matter how hard Levi tried to coerce him. The first three days, they ran into no humans in the mountains. No one else ventured along the path. Once or twice, Levi paused to watch motion lower down the mountain, but it always turned out to be birds or monsters. On the fourth day, Levi drew to a halt again. He lifted his nose to the wind and sniffed. Colin tipped his head. He sniffed as well. Abruptly, his whole body tensed. His grip on the staff turned white. Levi glanced back. He eyed Colin and grimaced. ¡°So, it¡¯s human blood, then. Let¡¯s go see whose.¡± The smell of blood grew stronger the further they walked. Colin gripped his staff so hard that his gloves cracked. Veins strained against his forehead, and his jaw clenched tight. Up ahead, smoke billowed into the sky. Red light washed against the forest. ¡°At a guess, someone just finished pillaging some mountain village and just set it on fire. Be ready to come in hot,¡± Levi warned Colin. Colin nodded. He glared ahead of them. A wind blew. Embers glittered in the sky. Thick smoke choked the path ahead. Hooting and hollering, a mob of bandits ran at Levi and Colin. At the sight of them, they paused for just a moment before the muscular leader jabbed a finger at them. ¡°Get ¡®em, boys! Kill ¡®em and loot ¡®em like we did the rest!¡± Levi drew his sword. He tossed his backpack aside and unfurled the extra arms. ¡°Colin!¡± ¡°I¡¯m on it.¡± Colin backed away. Levi swirled his sword. He looked from one bandit to the next and waggled his brows. ¡°I could use four more weapons.¡± ¡°Kill the freak!¡± the leader shouted again. The bandits cheered and raced in. As they closed in, Levi pointed, one after another. ¡°You, with the axe. That sword there. That spear, and thaaaaat¡­is that a hand-and-a-half or a two-hander? Doesn¡¯t matter. Those weapons are coming with me.¡± The fastest of the bandits closed in on him. Levi spun his sword. He darted toward the man. The man¡¯s eyes locked onto Levi. He rushed to meet him. His sword flashed out. Levi threw himself at the ground. He released the extra arms from his back and slid baseball-style through the first bandit¡¯s legs. Bounding up on the other side, he stabbed the man in the back while the bandit struggled with the arms. The man let out a coughing hiss and dropped to the ground. ¡°And now, at last¡­it¡¯s time for psychological damage!¡± Levi howled, slapping the fallen bandit¡¯s back. The man¡¯s eyes glowed green. Cold energy flowed out of Levi, and the man climbed to his feet and faced the other bandits. ¡°Hahaha! How does it feel to face your own friend¡ª¡± A sword jabbed at Levi. He jumped back, parrying the blade as he escaped. ¡°Right. Real damage, too. Arms!¡± The arms scurried to his side. Levi closed in on the burly sword-wielding bandit. An axe-wielding bandit tried to close in on him from behind. Levi flicked his fingers. The arms leaped at the axe-wielder. He slammed his axe into their heart, but it did nothing. The arms hugged him tight. Too tight. The man screamed. Horrible crunching and squelching came from his body, and then he went silent. While the arms did their thing, Levi dueled the swordsman. Their blades flashed back and forth. The bandit had the upper hand on strength. Every one of his blows landed heavy on Levi¡¯s sword. He turned his blade aside time and time again, unable to parry outright.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Yet another bandit charged at Levi from the side, his spear lowered to catch Levi in the gut. Levi¡¯s eyes flashed. This time, as he turned the man¡¯s sword aside, he grabbed the man¡¯s collar as well. The man¡¯s weight was already shifted forward, his all put into the blow. As Levi put his hip under the man¡¯s center of gravity and turned, the man had no option but to move with Levi. ¡°Get out of the way!¡± the spear-wielder shouted. ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± the swordsman replied. ¡°Get ¡®em,¡± Levi said. He released the swordsman and backed away. The zombie bandit charged in. He pushed the swordsman forward before the spearman could shift his spear away. The spearman pierced the swordsman through, and the zombie along with him. He stared in horror at his two friends. ¡°Yummy shish kebabs! Anyone want em?¡± Levi asked, reappearing behind the spearman. Before the man could react, he slammed his sword into his back. A chain of shadows connected the zombies, the spear, and the spearman. A quick usage of Shadow Step had given him all the speed he needed for the surprise attack. ¡°Stand down, or I kill your friend!¡± the bandit leader shouted. He held his sword to Colin¡¯s neck. Colin gave Levi a sheepish look. Levi shrugged. ¡°Go on. Good luck, have fun.¡± He snapped his fingers. The arms crawled toward the bandit leader while Levi charged toward the last three bandits. Four arms, churning over one another, fingers tap-tap-tapping, the Armalgam rushed the bandit leader. Cursing, the bandit leader slit Colin¡¯s throat and released him. Colin tensed, then frowned. He touched his throat. The flesh hung away from the bone, bare white visible at the back of his neck, but it did nothing to stop him. ¡°What?¡± the bandit leader asked. Colin touched his throat again, a lost expression on his face. It twisted to horror, then anger. Whipping around, he grabbed the bandit leader by the shoulders and field-goal-kicked him between the legs. The bandit leader¡¯s face paled. He dropped to his knees, hands on his junk. Armalgam reached him. It launched into the air and dropped on his head. The bottom tips of the spines Levi had used to bind the arms together pierced the bandit leader¡¯s eyes. He screamed and thrashed. Armalgam pierced deeper into his skull. Levi cringed. ¡°Yikes. My pets do some scary shit sometimes.¡± The remaining bandits rushed him, screaming in rage. Levi whistled. The Armalgam leaped off the bandit leader and scurried to his side. He knelt. It cartwheeled onto his shoulders. The spine straps slid smoothly into place. Levi stood as the first of the men reached him. The man slashed at his shoulders. Levi threw himself backward. The man charged in, trying to press his advantage. Levi grinned. The Armalgam had caught him. From a firm handing on the floor, he shoved himself back upright and stabbed the man before he could land a second slash. Pushing the man to the side, he ran to meet the next bandit. A scythe whirled at his head¡ªnot the proper, intimidating looking kind, but a half-circle blade, sharpened on the inside, meant for reaping wheat and nothing else. ¡°Save that shit for flags,¡± Levi said. He jabbed his sword up, catching the blade before it met his neck. The bandit pushed. He forced Levi¡¯s blade inward. His scythe inched toward Levi¡¯s neck. Levi stared in horror. He pushed back with both hands, but he couldn¡¯t stop the slow, inevitable creep of the blade. It touched his neck. A thin line of red appeared. Abruptly, Levi grinned. ¡°Gotcha.¡± Armalgam brandished a sword it had stolen from the previous bandit. It stabbed the bandit up under the ribs. Blood gushed out. It yanked the sword free, loosing a waterfall of crimson. Levi pushed again, and this time, he easily pushed the scythe away. He shrugged. ¡°You watched two hands¡­ but did you watch all six?¡± The man¡¯s only answer was a slow exhale as he fell to the ground. ¡°I didn¡¯t think so.¡± Levi wiped his sword on the man¡¯s shirt. He turned, then snapped his fingers. The zombie bandit crumbled to dust. Another snap. Armalgam jolted upright. It hopped off his back and hurried around the field, gathering up the fallen weapons. Levi whistled and pointed. The arms paused, then snatched a more-or-less unscathed cloak off one of the men. They scurried back to Levi and settled onto his back once more, throwing the cloak around both Levi and themselves alike. ¡°Colin, come over here,¡± Levi called, adjusting the cloak¡¯s collar. Colin gave him a betrayed look. ¡°What? Oh. I did let you get stabbed. But come on! You¡¯re undead! What¡¯s the point of you being undead if you don¡¯t die a little from time to time?¡± Levi asked. He walked over to Colin and put a hand on his shoulder. He pulsed cold energy into Colin. Slowly, Colin¡¯s neck healed shut. Colin coughed. He stared at Levi. ¡°You just let me get my throat cut!¡± ¡°And you were fine! You were fine. What¡¯s the problem?¡± Levi asked, lost. ¡°My throat. Was cut!¡± Colin snapped. ¡°It was. And now it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°I was terrified!¡± ¡°Oh. But¡­you¡¯re already dead?¡± Colin glared at him. ¡°How do you not understand? Even if I heal you, you still don¡¯t want to get cut, right?¡± Levi nodded. ¡°Right, but that¡¯s because I feel pain. You don¡¯t, right?¡± Colin¡¯s eyes narrowed further. ¡°That¡¯s not the point.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Levi paused for a moment. He ran his hair back, then gave Colin an apologetic grin. ¡°Sorry. I won¡¯t let them cut your throat next time.¡± Colin glared at Levi for another few seconds, then sighed. He shook his head. ¡°As long as you understand.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t, but I¡¯ll be good,¡± Levi said. Very quickly, he added, ¡°unless it¡¯s essential or like super convenient.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Huh? Nothing. You must be hearing things!¡± ¡°Levi¡­¡± Levi spread his hands. ¡°Okay. Random scenario. Let¡¯s say the choice is between your life and mine. Should I let them slit your throat?¡± Colin sighed. He rolled his eyes. ¡°In that case, it¡¯s fine, but¡ª¡± ¡°What about if it¡¯s a small child and you?¡± ¡°The small child¡ª¡± ¡°An adult? Where do we draw the line?¡± Colin stomped. ¡°If it¡¯s not necessary, don¡¯t just let me get injured because you can! I don¡¯t like it. It feels gross, and I hate it.¡± ¡°Fine, fine. Look, man. It¡¯s my first time being a necromancer. I don¡¯t know how to do this,¡± Levi said, putting his hands up defensively. ¡°Is that all? You¡¯re just figuring it out?¡± Colin asked suspiciously. ¡°What? Yeah. Do you think they gave me a handbook? I¡¯m as blind as you,¡± Levi said. ¡°Because it felt like you didn¡¯t care. Like my¡ªmy death, was something you calculated, accepted, and moved on from.¡± Levi opened his mouth. He shut it, then opened it again. ¡°Okay. So, yes. That is what happened. But I have a good reason for it!¡± Colin raised a brow. Levi pointed at him. ¡°You¡¯re dead. You can¡¯t die from something as simple as that.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know that. You just said you don¡¯t know what it is to be a necromancer.¡± Levi barked a laugh. ¡°That¡¯s true, but don¡¯t underestimate me, either. I knew you wouldn¡¯t bite it again from that.¡± He thumped his chest. ¡°I felt it. Right here.¡± Colin stared at him. ¡°Am I supposed to rely on that?¡± ¡°On what, my heart? Yeah. If you can¡¯t¡­ well, I don¡¯t know what to tell you. I carried you up that mountain to revive you. It¡¯s no exaggeration to say you¡¯re the most important person to me. I¡¯m not going to do anything that actually risks your unlife.¡± ¡°You¡­ really?¡± Levi gave him a look. ¡°What, did you think the goddess teleported us to that cave?¡± Embarrassed, Colin looked down. ¡°Kind of, yeah.¡± Levi scoffed. ¡°She wasn¡¯t going to lift her godly finger to help me. I got to that cave, or I didn¡¯t. And I carried your carcass all the way up those stones. One step at a time. In the dead of night, with monsters all around me.¡± Colin stared at the floor. Quietly, he whispered, ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Hmph. That¡¯s right. Don¡¯t doubt the great Levi. I¡¯m absolutely not going to risk you. You¡¯re my precious healer,¡± Levi assured him, patting him on the shoulder. At that, Colin looked up. As they started walking toward the town, he tilted his head. ¡°How did you end up with such a great pain tolerance? You treat yourself like the zombie, honestly. Even before you were a necromancer, you did that.¡± Levi paused. He snorted and shook his head. At last, he looked at Colin. ¡°Told you I came from an apocalypse, right? Shit happened.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I guess so,¡± Colin said. He looked at Levi expectantly, clearly hoping for more, but Levi blithely ignored him. They walked on in silence, leaving the bandits¡¯ bodies behind. On Levi¡¯s back, the extra arms traded their weapons around a bit, then stacked them all up and hugged them in a tight hold, then vanished under Levi¡¯s new cape. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t go in there. The town¡¯s on fire!¡± a man called from the forest. Levi jerked to a halt. He beamed. ¡°Hello, sir! Do you live here?¡± ¡°I do¡­ I did. Until the bandits set it on fire, that is.¡± The man approached the road, but didn¡¯t step onto it. He gestured for Levi to come to him. ¡°Hurry. Let¡¯s not talk here. The bandits might come back.¡± Levi looked over his shoulder. ¡°Yeah¡­ I don¡¯t think you have to worry about that.¡± The man blinked. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°We killed ¡®em. Me and blondie,¡± he said, thumbing at Colin. Colin gave a shy wave. ¡°R-really?¡± the man asked. He stepped toward the road and stood on his tiptoes, trying to see the way from which Levi and Colin had come. ¡°Really. What¡¯s up with that, by the way? You guys get hit by bandits a lot?¡± Levi asked. The man hesitated, then nodded. He glanced up the mountain. ¡°Ever since Ician invaded and ran the Count out, it¡¯s been like this.¡± Levi followed his gaze. A Gothic manor jutted out of the trees in the distance, its slender spires and narrow gables nearly as sharp as the mountains themselves. He raised his brows. ¡°Oh¡­? Tell me all about it.¡± The man nodded, then paused. He glanced over his shoulder. A woman and two children huddled in the woods. The woman stared at Levi and Colin in abject terror, clutching her children tight. ¡°I understand. In the morning?¡± Levi suggested. ¡°Of course. Er¡­ I would offer you a room, but¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯re used to sleeping under the stars,¡± Levi said, waving the man¡¯s offer away. He nodded at Colin. Colin nodded back and followed him. The two of them set off into the woods, leaving the family alone. 16. Overbringers and Undertakers In the morning, Levi and Colin joined the townsfolk. They mingled among the people as they gazed at their ruined houses. Very little remained. A few stone chimneys. A small stone outhouse. The church, its stones scorched but not broken. The rest of it was flattened. Nothing remained but embers and charcoal. ¡°Well, that¡¯s unfortunate,¡± Levi commented to no one in particular. A hand landed on his shoulder. Levi whipped around. His cloak flew as the Armalgam reached for its weapons. The man from the previous night smiled at him. ¡°You asked me to tell you everything.¡± ¡°From the start,¡± Levi said, nodding. Colin pulled up tight behind him. He nodded as well. ¡°Then, here goes¡­¡± The village was once prosperous. The Count was a distant ruler, but a fair one. Under the Count¡¯s rule, the village hadn¡¯t been overly taxed, nor had it been subjected to undue laws. It pittered along, and the Count seemed to have all but forgotten it. Sure, the Count had a quirk or two, but the townsfolk were happy to provide. Theirs was a peaceful codependence. ¡°Uh, one second. This Count, their quirks¡­ did he maybe have a strange preference for maidens in white nightdresses? Would the maidens come back pale and, er, drained?¡± Levi asked, shooting a meaningful look at the formidable, dark mansion. The man thought for a moment, then nodded. ¡°But we didn¡¯t mind. The girls never complained. My older sister used to visit the castle monthly, and she always seemed to look forward to it.¡± ¡°I see. Go on,¡± Levi said. The man cleared his throat. His eyes hardened. ¡°Until Ician came. They defeated the Count. And our lives changed completely.¡± Levi glanced around. A few of the townsfolk had gathered, having realized at last that there were strangers in their midst. He caught snippets of their whispers. ¡°Heroes¡­?¡± ¡°Maybe adventurers?¡± ¡°Are they here to help?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need more bandits.¡± ¡°Cost too much, bah.¡± Unaware of, or perhaps ignoring, the whispers, the man pressed on. ¡°Under Ician, everything was different.¡± Huge taxes were levied on the people. They struggled to produce enough food to both pay the tax and feed themselves. The farmers worked themselves to the bone, and still couldn¡¯t keep up. The land was poor here in the mountains, and largely unsuited to agriculture. The levies Ician called for were reasonable for flat, arable land, but in the terraced, rocky soil of the mountains, they were ridiculous. At last, Ician sent officials. The villagers had rejoiced, thinking their new kingdom might have finally come to survey the village and realize it simply could not provide the taxes Ician asked for. Instead, the officials tore open their storehouses. They siphoned all the grains the villagers kept for thin times and left them with nothing in their fields. When the officials left, there was nothing left in the village. They¡¯d done their best to recover. They were a proud village, with a long history. They had been through worse. Or so they thought. ¡°That¡­ was when the war drew close. Soldiers deserted. They formed roving bands of bandits. If Ician was unreasonable, then the bandits are¡­¡± The man fell silent. He gestured. ¡°I understand,¡± Levi said, unusually sober. He gazed up at the manor. It stood over the village, dark and looming. ¡°But if the bandits are so bad, why haven¡¯t they bothered the Count? He¡¯s clearly richer than you.¡± The man cringed. ¡°The Count is¡­ known to be mercurial. You don¡¯t understand. The Count is far more powerful than a mere villager or bandit. We dare not intrude. Neither do the bandits.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s still alive, then? Just chilling in his castle, thumb up his ass, sore over one loss,¡± Levi surmised. The man cringed again. ¡°Er, in a way¡­ I would never say such a thing, but¡­¡± ¡°Message received. This Count is some kind of powerful¡­ what do you call people with powers in this world?¡± ¡°Um, it depends. The Count would be considered a mage, I believe.¡± ¡°The Count is a powerful mage, and due to his stupid pride, he¡¯s hiding up there rather than fighting back for you. He¡¯s even letting stupid bandits trod roughshod all over his territory.¡± Levi twisted his lips. He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve decided!¡± Both the man and Colin jumped. The man cleared his throat. ¡°Y-yes?¡± Levi planted his hands on his hips. ¡°I¡¯m going to go drag that lazy-ass Count of yours out of retirement and force him to do his damn job. Goddess knows I don¡¯t want to stick around here forever, but we can¡¯t let a quaint little village like this just die, can we?¡± ¡°Really?¡± the man and Colin both asked, almost in concert. ¡°Of course. I bothered to kill those bandits, and now I feel a sense of responsibility. Plus, I¡¯m pretty confident in myself. I¡¯m sure we can go awaken this Count with no problems. Isn¡¯t that right, Colin?¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Colin startled. He glanced around, then stared at the floor. He nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. Let¡¯s go!¡± Punching the air, Levi led the way to the manor. The villagers watched them go. Not with admiration or expectations, but with the dreary eyes of those looking at the already-dead. Colin stared over his shoulder for a split second before he had to look away. The second they left earshot, he scurried up behind Levi. ¡°Is that true?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°That you felt a sense of responsibility, and all that?¡± ¡°Of course not. That¡¯s all bullshit.¡± He pointed at the manor. ¡°A spooky mansion. A guy called the Count. What¡¯s that call to mind?¡± Colin frowned. He squinted, then shrugged. ¡°Uh, Victorian nobility?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so literal. Come on. Think!¡¯ Colin shrugged helplessly. Levi sighed. He leaned in. ¡°Vampires! And what are vampires?¡± ¡°Undead?¡± Levi grinned. He pointed at Colin. ¡°Bingo. Super powerful undead, at that. Imagine what I can do if I get one of those under my control?¡± He kissed his fingers. ¡°Perfection.¡± Colin nodded slowly. After a second, he paused. ¡°What if the Count is higher level than you, and you can¡¯t control him?¡± Levi scoffed. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. We¡¯re¡­ what, level twenty? Twenty-two?¡± He pulled up his status screen to consult it. ¡°Captain wasserface trained all her life to beat a level ten hero. Come on. No chance the Count is more powerful than us.¡± Levi | 18 | Lv 22 Class: Necromancer [SPECIAL] Str: 21 Mag: 46 Dex: 21 Spd: 24 Def: 11 Res: 42 [Basic Swordsmanship] [Shadow Manipulation] [Shadow Step] [Raise Dead] [Drain] [Shape Dead] Levi nodded. Not bad, not bad. Probably not better than a level ten Hero¡¯s, if I¡¯m being honest, but it¡¯s a start. ¡°And if the Count is stronger than us?¡± Colin asked. ¡°Then¡­ then we wake him up, send him to the village, and uh, let them feel appreciated.¡± He paused and looked back. The townsfolk struggled down below. They picked through the scraps, searching for what little remained of their lives. The man knelt, sifting through the ashes. His wife followed alongside. She knelt and fished a shovel¡¯s spade out of the ash. He heaved a sigh. ¡°Dammit. I was trying not to care, but dammit. That town¡­ You know, I do actually want to help out a little. I hate seeing good people get shat on like that.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah, really. Hold up. Let¡¯s go back for just a minute,¡± Levi said. They turned back. The man looked up as the two of them drew up once more. He stood, brushing the ash off his hands. ¡°Can I help you?¡± ¡°Yeah. What¡¯s your name?¡± Levi asked. The man stared. After a second, he coughed. ¡°Ren. I¡¯m Ren Tar.¡± ¡°Ren. Come here for a second.¡± Levi looped his arm around the man¡¯s shoulder and led him away. ¡°How can I help you?¡± Ren asked, lost. ¡°Your village. Considering the Count and all¡­ how do you feel about undead?¡± ¡°Undead?¡± Ren¡¯s eyes widened. He leaned in. ¡°Are you an Overbringer?¡± Levi blinked. ¡°A¡­ what?¡± ¡°An Overbringer. They do the opposite of an Undertaker?¡± Ren prompted. Levi thought for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Ahhh. I¡¯m getting it. Kind of a junior Necromancer?¡± ¡°Yes. Well, Necromancers are the stuff of legend, you know? Able to summon infinite undead and freely shape death. That¡¯s not for us mere mortals. Overbringers are more¡­¡± Ren waggled his hand. ¡°I can bring back the dead, yes,¡± Levi confirmed, cutting him off. ¡°Would you like me to? To help out, you know. I could go get the bandits.¡± ¡°The bandits? Why wouldn¡¯t you bring back some of our own?¡± Ren asked, puzzled. ¡°Er¡­ the sanctity of death, and all that?¡± Levi tried. Ren shook his head. ¡°We have different beliefs than Icians. They follow the Goddess of Life and Light. We follow¡­ followed a different deity. Being brought back by an Overbringer is the highest honor one can seek in death. Even in death, you¡¯re given the opportunity to serve the living. It guarantees that you enter the highest heaven.¡± ¡°Oh. In that case, point me at a few bodies, and let¡¯s get started!¡± Levi said. Ren nodded. He looked around at the other villagers, then nodded again. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back!¡± He dashed from villager to villager. Levi waited, hands held together. The villagers Ren spoke to looked up sharply, then stared at him. Levi smiled and waggled his fingers. He leaned in to Colin. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, it¡¯s a little uncomfortable, getting this much attention.¡± ¡°I thought you liked attention,¡± Colin muttered back. Levi stared at Colin. He dropped his jaw. ¡°What? Me, like attention? How¡¯d you get that idea?¡± ¡°No clue,¡± Colin muttered. At last, Ren returned. He brought two people with him, who each carried a body with them. One was a young woman with a tearstreaked, ash-stained face. She dragged the body or a man about her age with her. The other was a man, who carried his wife. Ren gestured, and they laid the bodies before Levi. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir. We¡¯d have brought you more of them, but everyone¡¯s wary of Ician. They hate Overbringers. They murdered every one for miles around, and hung everyone who associated with them, at that. Even this is a risk,¡± Ren explained, bowing his head in apology. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not sure I can bring back more than these two,¡± Levi said. He beamed at the two bereaved. ¡°If anyone asks, some nasty traveler forcibly stole their bodies and brought them back to life, against your will.¡± The woman sniffed. She nodded. The man just stared dead-eyed. Levi crouched. He took a deep breath, sucking in the cold energy. Hovering a hand over each of the bodies, he breathed out. Cold energy flew down his arms and sunk into the corpses. They trembled. Green light shone around their bodies, then faded. The dead laid still. Levi stood. ¡°That¡¯s the best I could do.¡± The man and woman stared bleakly. The woman¡¯s head fell, disappointment written all over her face. The man still just stared, but this time, he stared at his wife. Ren stepped forward. ¡°Just an apprentice, are you? It¡¯s fine. We understand. Overbringing is a tough¡ª¡± The man twitched. His eyes shot open. Green light glimmered from under his eyelids. Slowly, robotically, he sat up. Beside him, the woman sat up as well. She climbed to her feet. The man gasped. Beside him, the woman trembled, something between hope and relief written across is face. Levi patted the man on his shoulder. The zombie staggered and almost fell. Levi lunged and caught him. ¡°There we go. Good as new. Well, good as dead, anyways. They ought to obey simple commands. They¡¯ll help you rebuild the village, night and day, no matter the weather. I don¡¯t know how long I can allocate this much mana to you guys, but I¡¯ll try not to dismiss them until at least tomorrow night.¡± ¡°That¡¯s more than enough. Thank you so much, sir. Thank you!¡± Ren said, nodding desperately. ¡°Right. Er. Back to the Count, then. You go rebuild your town. I¡¯ll see to the rest of it.¡± Levi popped a quick salute and turned away once more. Colin nodded. He waved farewell and followed Levi once more. This time, though, he followed Levi with an earnest smile on his face. 17. The Counts Domain They wound up the mountain. As they approached the Count¡¯s manor, the sky grew dark and grey. Thick evergreens cloaked the slopes. An eerie mist cloaked the ground, thickening as the peak eclipsed the sun. Ravens picked at a dead deer strewn by the side of the path. They burst into the air at Colin and Levi¡¯s approach, cawing a warning. ¡°Damn. Atmospheric as fuck. What did I tell you? This Count is absolutely a vampire,¡± Levi said, nudging Colin. ¡°I didn¡¯t disagree,¡± Colin said. The dirt path drew to a large, peak-topped red door. The dark stone edifice of the manor bore down on them, looming ominously. Peaked dark windows gazed at them. Small diamond-shaped panes gleamed in the reflected light. Gargoyles crouched at the corners of the roof. Black scum and scattered dead branches sat atop roof tiles. Darkness cloaked the entire building. It emanated rot. Cobwebs clustered thick in the rooms beyond the windows, drifting like ghosts in the drafty spaces within. Levi hefted the brass wolf¡¯s-head knocker. He let it fall. THONK. Ravens cawed in the distance. Levi turned. He nodded, impressed. ¡°That¡¯s good. I like this Count already.¡± ¡°Why are you so excited about this? The Count is probably a vampire. A real, actual, boss monster vampire. You should be terrified,¡± Colin pointed out. He held his staff close and eyed the door with trepidation. ¡°What? Vampires are sexy. I mean, I¡¯d prefer a Countess, but a sexy male vampire minion is super useful, too. We¡¯ll get all the ladies to help us out,¡± Levi said. ¡°Why are you assuming he¡¯s going to be sexy? What if he¡¯s a Nosferatu-style vampire? Some hideous, pale, mucus-covered monstrosity?¡± Colin pointed out. Levi shrugged. ¡°Then we kill him. Simple.¡± ¡°You¡¯re assuming that¡¯s simple. Vampires can be crazy hard to kill.¡± Levi gestured at Colin. ¡°Says the Life Mage, who¡¯s the antithesis to all undead. And who¡¯s also dead, so totally unthreatened by a vampire. You¡¯re asking why I¡¯m not afraid, but the better question is, why are you? Your spells literally tear you apart, and you aren¡¯t even pointing them at yourself.¡± Colin opened his mouth. He shut it, then shrugged. ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking of it like that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why not. You might be kind of useless¡ªoffensively, offensively¡ªin a fight with normal monsters, but you¡¯re crazy OP against other undead. You¡¯re the anti-undead undead rifle.¡± Colin nodded slowly. ¡°So fear not, and let¡¯s go recruit a vampire!¡± Levi knocked a few more times. He waited. Colin coughed. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s coming.¡± ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m starting to get that vibe, too.¡± Levi glanced around. ¡°See a broken window anywhere? Shoddy lock?¡± Colin backed up a few steps. He pointed. ¡°Round the corner, there, the window¡¯s shattered.¡± Levi backed up as well. From this angle, he could see through one window to another one around the corner, where sunlight streamed in uninhibited. He nodded. ¡°Right, then. Tally-ho.¡± The window stood about shoulder-height. Levi put down the Arminator. It set its weapons down and waited for Levi to climb atop it. Once he was on top, the Arminator did one very impressive pushup, lifting him a few feet to put the window at waist-height. He scrambled in, then turned around to offer a hand for Colin.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Colin took his hand. The man¡¯s hand was clammy and cold, and slightly slimy from the lizardskin gloves. Levi grimaced but persisted, and hauled Colin into the window. The Armalgam scrambled up the wall once they were both in. It hopped over the windowsill and scrambled up beside Levi. Dipping, Levi offered it his shoulders, and it slid into place. ¡°Too bad about the weapons, but I guess one per hand was always unrealistic,¡± Levi commented. The Armalgam wiggled. Its hand flashed, and it showed Levi a knife. ¡°Tricky! Where¡¯d you get that from, huh?¡± The Armalgam showed Levi one of its wrists. This one was wrapped in what Levi had assumed was a leather bracer. The Armalgam spun the knife, then slid it into a concealed hilt in the inside of the bracer. ¡°Sick. Alright, I give it to you. That¡¯s a good idea.¡± Colin peered at the Armalgam. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have a head, let alone a brain. How is it able to think up tricks like that? Or communicate with you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a magical undead. Logic doesn¡¯t apply,¡± Levi said. The Armalgam gave a thumbs up. ¡°I guess I¡¯m rotting, but totally capable of independent thought, so whatever,¡± Colin muttered to himself. Levi peered around. This room was windswept, the furniture peeling and ruined. Nonetheless, gold claws still gripped the floor, and the torn velvet slumped off what had once ben proud armchairs and loveseats. Dark wallpaper drooped. In one corner, a knee-high pile of leaves coiled tight. Nothing appeared to be sleeping in it at the moment, but it certainly looked slept in. A half-ruined door hung open. Levi pushed it open and stepped into a dark hallway. This hallway was in better repair than the initial room. Its rugs remained intact, and its wallpaper mostly clung to the walls. A mirrored table stood against the wall. Something scurried away in the depths of the hall with a flick of a furless tail. Levi drew his sword. The Armalgam spread wide, preparing to attack. Colin fell back, staff at the ready. In this formation, they proceeded down the hall. Doors opened to the left and the right. Levi nudged them open. Cobweb-draped furniture and abandoned rooms stood behind each door. There wasn¡¯t much else to comment on. Nothing leaped out at them. In the filtered light of day, the manor was more sad than spooky. A reminder of what had once been grand, rather than the fear of what might be. ¡°So, what do you think? Basement or bedroom?¡± Levi asked, nudging another door open. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The vampire. Basement or bedroom? If they¡¯re proper Dracula, they should be in the basement in a coffin, right? But if they¡¯re a true glam vampire, they¡¯ll be in the bedroom.¡± Levi pushed open another door to reveal a rickety set of bare plank stairs, leading down into darkness. ¡°We should check the basement while it¡¯s still day,¡± Colin said, hugging his staff tighter. Levi nodded. He descended into the darkness. The planks creaked under him. ¡°Good call. It¡¯s less spooky if there¡¯s some daylight.¡± Colin hesitated. After a moment, he followed Levi down. Faint sunlight flowed in from the open door. It illuminated a small square of bare earth floor. Levi gestured Colin down. ¡°Activate that magic of yours. We need some light.¡± Colin nodded. He held his staff up. Gold light glowed from its tip. It lit up the space, revealing a surprisingly spacious basement. Huge wooden pillars stood evenly across the room. Huge wine casks and smaller boxes sat here and there across the space. The entire basement was full of the food supplies one might expect from a fully staffed manor. ¡°I don¡¯t drink¡­wine,¡± Levi mocked, swishing a pretend glass in his hand. Colin rolled his eyes. Levi wandered around the room. He peered behind the casks. Peeked under crates. Prodded at the corners. At last, he stood and put his hands on his hips. ¡°You know, I see a shocking lack of vampire materials, and a plethora of human materials. Food. Wine. Not a single coffin. Not even a smattering of bats or a stench of blood. I¡¯m starting to wonder if this Count is actually just an ordinary, and very dead, man.¡± ¡°Could be,¡± Colin agreed. ¡°Only one way to find out. To the bedroom!¡± Hoisting his sword, Levi headed back up the stairs. Colin hesitated one moment. He looked back, his brows furrowed. Something flickered through the shadows. Something large. Colin yelped. He held up his staff. On the stairs, Levi looked back. ¡°What is it?¡± Gold light played over the room, illuminating nothing out of place. Crates and casks, just as they¡¯d been moments ago. ¡°N-nothing,¡± Colin said. ¡°Just a play of the light.¡± ¡°C¡¯mon. Let¡¯s go invade the bedroom,¡± Levi said, turning around again. Colin stared at the room. He slowly climbed the stairs, watching over his shoulder the whole time. Only when he shut the door behind him did he finally relax. In the utter black of the basement, a dry laugh echoed off the walls. A dark figure stood alone, eyes narrowed at the cracks of sunlight around the door. ¡°You won¡¯t awaken the Count. Not if I have anything to say about it.¡± 18. Belongs to Me At the end of the hall, they stepped out into the grand foyer. Cobwebs cloaked a crystal chandelier. A sweeping grand staircase led up to the second floor, arrayed with a plush red carpet. Two plinths held alabaster busts of dignified men, one on either side of the door. Large vases filled with long-dead flowers stood on either side of the staircase. ¡°There we go. Now we¡¯re starting to get some real vibes going. I was worried this was just going to be a derelict manor walking sim kind of quest, but I¡¯m finally feeling like we¡¯re going to actually fight someone,¡± Levi said. He spun around, gesturing around them. ¡°Look at this room. That chandelier! Even the vases and the busts! It¡¯s ideal for a midboss. There¡¯s gotta be something in here that¡¯s willing to fight us.¡± ¡°Is ¡®willing¡¯ the right word?¡± Colin questioned. ¡°Yes. We need levels,¡± Levi confirmed. Colin sighed. ¡°You¡¯re right. You are right.¡± Levi turned. He gazed down the hallway behind him. ¡°You can come out, now.¡± Silence. A rat scurried somewhere down the hall. Levi sighed. ¡°Come on. You were monologuing aloud in the basement. I pretended not to hear you, but the house is quiet as fuck¡­and now that I say that, I¡¯m starting to think that maybe my levels have enhanced my senses or something, because I probably shouldn¡¯t have heard you. But I did! So get your ass out here and be my goddamned midboss.¡± Silence stretched for another few beats. The hallway door creaked open, complaining every inch of the way. A woman in a long black mourning dress stepped out from the hallway. A heavy black veil obscured her face, but couldn¡¯t hide her beauty or her pallor. She lifted her hand. Long, black nails slid from her fingertips. ¡°Now we¡¯re talking,¡± Levi said, grinning. ¡°You will not take the Count from me,¡± she growled, deep in her throat. Levi lifted his hands, gesturing for her to wait. ¡°Hold on. We¡¯re not taking anyone from anyone. What do you mean, take the Count from you?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not?¡± Colin asked. Levi nudged him. ¡°She doesn¡¯t know that.¡± She narrowed her eyes. Firmly, she repeated, ¡°You¡¯re not taking the Count.¡± ¡°Wait¡ªlike sexually? No, no. No worries. He¡¯s all yours,¡± Levi said, waving his hands. The woman squinted at him. She lowered her head to stare him in the eyes. ¡°The Count is a woman.¡± Levi blinked. ¡°Okay, never mind. I am a threat to your romance. If she¡¯s into men, anyways.¡± ¡°She isn¡¯t picky. That¡¯s the problem!¡± the woman howled, and launched herself at Levi. Levi swung his sword to meet her. Her claws met his blade. They clanged, as solid as steel. Without hesitating, she jabbed her other hand toward Levi¡¯s gut. Levi jumped backward. The pale girl pressed the advantage, chasing after him. As she closed in, he suddenly planted his feet and lunged. He cut her stomach open. Bats fluttered out. The woman laughed and melted into a cloud of the small mammals. They fluttered around the room, biting and clawing at Levi. Pinpricks of pain burst out all around his body. Levi gritted his teeth. He swung his sword. On his back, his bonus arms clapped bats out of the air. Small black bodies dropped to the ground, crumpled. An arm formed out of the bats. It clawed at Levi¡¯s back. ¡°Levi!¡± Colin shouted. Rolling forward, Levi dodged the blow. The Armalgam pushed him back upright. The vampire girl reformed behind him. She snarled and rushed Levi. He spun around, raising his sword. Once more, claws and blade clashed. ¡°Levi, should I¡ª¡± ¡°Not yet. Hold!¡± She slashed at him, left hand, right hand, left hand, right. He parried them, but she forced him back. One step at a time, retreating across the floor. She was far stronger than him. Each blow left his sword trembling. He laughed, eyes wide. His heart beat fiercely, loud in his ears. ¡°Hell yeah!¡± ¡°You fool. I have you.¡± Levi¡¯s back hit the wall. Shock crossed his face. The vampire girl¡¯s eyes flashed. She drew back her hand to deal the death blow.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. His shock melted to a cheeky grin. ¡°No, you.¡± Shoving off the wall with the Armalgam, Levi thrust his sword directly into her heart. She gasped. Her death strike fell limp, whole body shuddering in pain. Dark blood seeped from the wound. And then she laughed. She straightened. ¡°Did you think this would¡ª¡± ¡°Colin, now!¡± A blast of gold light seared across the room. It landed soundly on the vampire girl¡¯s back. She shrieked. Her skin blackened. Her body caught aflame. In her last moments, she lunged for Levi. Her canines extended into snakelike fangs. ¡°Nope. If anyone¡¯s biting me, it¡¯s big momma. Accept no substitutes.¡± Levi threw his bonus arms forward. She sunk her teeth into the Armalgam, not Levi. She screamed in frustration. Yanking her teeth free, she pointed at him. ¡°I¡¯ll be back. I¡¯ll be back! The Count is mine. Mine!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see what the Count has to say about that. Consent is key!¡± Levi shouted back at her. Gold light consumed her. With a final enraged growl, she faded into ash. Levi dusted off his hands. He nodded at Colin and spread his hands. ¡°Heal me!¡± Colin gave him a deadpan stare. He didn¡¯t move at all. The gold light finished destroying the vampire girl and fell on Levi, healing the bites and scrapes he¡¯d accumulated from the battle. Levi sheathed his sword. He stretched, then scowled. ¡°That chick was strong.¡± ¡°She looked like it,¡± Colin commented. ¡°No, I mean¡­ strong. I underestimated the Count. If that girl was just an underling, no way in hell I can control the Count.¡± The vampire girl was stronger than him. Physically stronger. And she was just an underling. The Count was her boss, and doubtlessly far stronger. There was little chance that the Count¡¯s stat total was lower than Levi¡¯s. ¡°I always thought that plan was insane. What¡¯s our move? Are we retreating?¡± Colin asked. Absent-mindedly, he adjusted the gloves, and they cracked. The dry skin shattered, leaving nothing behind. Colin grimaced. Shaking the scraps away, he put on a new pair of gloves. ¡°Last pair of gloves?¡± Levi asked. Colin nodded. ¡°But that¡¯s not important, because we¡¯re leaving, right?¡± Levi frowned. ¡°Leaving? Are you insane? We came here to recruit the Count. I¡¯m not leaving until we meet her. Only one thing changes.¡± Colin cocked a brow. Levi grinned. He leaned in and whispered, ¡°Now, we ask nicely.¡± -- A black-cloaked man climbed the mountain alone. Up, up, endlessly marching toward the peak. His black cloak flowed in the breeze, but the deep hood never swayed far enough to reveal his face. He stopped. Turned. ¡°Wanna enter the dungeon? It¡¯s ten bronze,¡± a muscular man challenged him. He hefted his axe. Blood stained his clothes, and recent cuts marred the cloth, so fresh their edges weren¡¯t yet frayed. Nonetheless, the skin beneath was unbroken, either thanks to a powerful potion or a regenerative spell of some sort. ¡°By whose authority do you call this a dungeon? This is a kobold warren,¡± the black cloaked man returned. ¡°Ha? My authority. I said it¡¯s a dungeon, so it¡¯s a dungeon. Why¡¯s everyone playing wordgames these days? First that grifter duo¡ªI shouldn¡¯t have let them through. Then that kid I sicced the gremlins on, he had some harsh words before he turned to his sword. I didn¡¯t understand none of ¡®em, but they weren¡¯t nice. Now you. I¡¯m gonna be talked to death, here!¡± The black-cloaked man frowned. The lower portion of his face was visible below the deep hood, but no more. ¡°Only the Church can designate or administrate dungeons.¡± ¡°So what? It¡¯s all the same to the adventurers. They pay to go in, they get EXP, mana, whatever, everyone¡¯s happy.¡± ¡°The Church has strict regulations on dungeons for a reason,¡± the black-cloaked figure returned. The axe-wielder harrumphed. He spun his axe and thumped its long handle on the ground. ¡°You want in or not? Ten bronze! I¡¯m not afraid to sic the gremlins on you.¡± The black-cloaked man chuckled, deep in his throat. He twitched his cloak aside, revealing the hilt of a blade. The hilt was wrapped in white and set with silver, like a decorative sword. ¡°No need. I only have a few questions before I¡¯m done with you.¡± Nodding, the axe-wielder gestured for him to speak. ¡°Then out with ¡®em. I don¡¯t have all day.¡± ¡°Have you seen anyone suspicious lately? Any strange people? Obviously isekaied individuals, with unusual techniques?¡± The axe-wielder rolled his eyes. ¡°I just told you, didn¡¯t I? There were two guys. One was real chatty, and the other was pale and silent. They grifted me out of twenty bronze, so if you see them, make sure they get that back to me.¡± ¡°Anyone else?¡± ¡°That boy I sicced the gremlins on. The words he was spouting¡ªwell, I sure as hell ain¡¯t heard ¡®em before. One day, I sic the gremlins on him and cut him up, real easy. I don¡¯t mean to brag, but I¡¯m at least as strong as a level fifty otherworlder, as long as I¡¯ve got the gremlins on my side.¡± The black-cloaked figure snorted under their breath. ¡°I doubt that.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± the axe-wielder demanded. ¡°Please, carry on.¡± ¡°Anyways, I overwhelmed him with numbers and a bit of the old venom-dipped axe. Easy fight. I mean, he came in strong¡ªmust¡¯ve been at least level 100¡ª¡± The black-cloaked figure laughed aloud. ¡°Like hell.¡± ¡°Excuse me? I say something funny?¡± the man demanded. ¡°No, no. Carry on.¡± Straightening, the black-cloaked figure schooled their expression back to neutral. ¡°Anyways. The next day, he comes back¡­ night and day. Totally different fight. I didn¡¯t even get the chance to fight back before I was flat on my ass.¡± The black-cloaked figure lowered his head. ¡°A Champion. It must be.¡± ¡°A Champion? You think? He was strong, but not that strong. You know how those ee-say-kai people can be. Anyways, they both went through the dungeon.¡± The axe-wielder hefted his axe and held out his hand. ¡°Ten bronze.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.¡± ¡°Haaaaa? I¡¯m the one who says if it¡¯s necessary or no¡ª¡± Ssszt. The black-cloaked man stood on the other side of the axe-wielder. He sheathed his sword. ¡°Thank you for your services.¡± ¡°What services?¡± The axe-wielder went to turn, but only his upper half moved. It slid sideways, then slumped to the ground. His knees crumpled a second later. The two pieces of the axe-wielder laid on the ground. ¡°What¡ªhow¡ªI¡­¡± He screamed, unable to express the horror of his situation. The black-cloaked figure reached out. He pushed on the gate. It fell down, carved into a dozen pieces by a slash too fast for the naked eye to see. Inside, the gremlins huddled back. The ones who could fled, while others simply froze, afraid to attract the black-cloaked man¡¯s eye. The black-cloaked man harrumphed. He stepped into the kobold warren, leaving the axe-wielder to die screaming behind him. ¡°Daring to pass off a kobold warren as a dungeon¡­ such blasphemy.¡± Flicking his cloak, he left the axe-wielder behind him. 19. Waking the Count Levi headed up the grand staircase toward the second floor. Like on the first, a long corridor led toward the left and the right. To the left, cobwebs choked the hall. To the right, the rug was worn and stained. The center of the hallway remained free of cobwebs. Altogether, it appeared as if someone had continuously paced the hallway. Back and forth, back and forth, until the dirt dragged in on their shoes became indelibly ensconced in the rug. ¡°You getting the vibes that vampire chick was just a liiiiitle bit clingy?¡± Levi asked, taking it in. Colin raised his brows. ¡°You think all this is from her?¡± ¡°Either that, or the Count has a problem with recruiting overly-devoted headcases,¡± he muttered. He followed the path to the right. The stain ended at the door at the end of the hall. Levi tried it. To his surprise, it easily swung open, neither locked or fully closed. Not a hint of a squeal hid in its well-oiled hinges. Heavy curtains choked the light, but a single ray remained, enough to illuminate the room. A grand four-poster bed laid empty. Lush rugs and a plush chaise spoke to luxury, but both were threadbare and moth-eaten. ¡°Hello? Anyone home?¡± Levi called. No response. He stepped inside. From around the edge of the bed, a coffin came into sight. It laid on the floor, its lid open. A desiccated corpse stretched out inside it, arms crossed, feet pointed. Fangs protruded from its gaping jaw. The single beam of sunlight fully illuminated the coffin, beaming down on it. Levi whistled. ¡°Damn. Talk about ¡®if I can¡¯t have you, no one else will.¡¯ I think our friendly vampire chick took rejection a little hard.¡± ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s the Count?¡± Colin asked. ¡°What? Who else would it be?¡± Levi asked, confused. Colin gestured. ¡°It¡¯s wearing a suit.¡± Levi turned. He looked at the corpse again, then back at Colin. ¡°So?¡± ¡°So¡­ men wear suits,¡± Colin said. ¡°Woooow, Colin. Way to be sexist. Women can wear suits, too. And for that matter, men can wear dresses. Don¡¯t assume the corpse¡¯s gender just because it¡¯s wearing a certain outfit. Jeeeeez.¡± ¡°What? No! I just mean, we¡¯re in a, like, semi-medieval society. People could get executed for wearing the wrong clothes!¡± Colin said, flustered. ¡°Colin the oppressor over here. Wow. Didn¡¯t know I was hanging out with that kind of zombie. Gosh, Colin. I know you¡¯re undead, but there¡¯s no need to be regressive, too,¡± Levi said, shaking his head in disappointment. Colin blushed, a sight to see with his pallid flesh. ¡°Shut up! You know what I meant.¡± Levi grinned. He walked over to the curtains and yanked them shut, cutting off the sun. Darkness fell over the room, save for a glittering crystal on the bedstand that emitted a low, warm light. He nodded at Colin. ¡°Steal that shit.¡± ¡°Steal what?¡± ¡°The glowing crystal,¡± Levi said. ¡°That¡¯s gonna be mega useful if we encounter a full-size dungeon.¡± Colin hesitated, then nodded. He picked the crystal up off the bedstand. ¡°Wow, first you stereotype, and then you steal from her? Wow, Colin.¡± He dropped the crystal as if he¡¯d been burned and whipped around to glare at Levi. ¡°You told me to!¡± Levi snorted. He grinned. ¡°I¡¯m just joking. But seriously, nab that crystal.¡± ¡°You nab it.¡± Colin put his hands behind his back and backed away. ¡°What? I summoned you from the dead, and you¡¯re making me do all the hard work?¡± Levi asked, mock-startled. ¡°I brought you back from the dead first. And more effectively.¡± Levi put his hands up. ¡°Alright, alright. Fine. I¡¯ll go steal the crystal.¡± Colin stood back. Levi crossed over and grabbed the crystal. He tossed it to the Armalgam, who stuffed it into his bag. ¡°There we go. That wasn¡¯t hard, was it?¡± Colin glared at him. ¡°You¡¯re the only one making it annoying.¡± ¡°What? Me? Would I do that?¡± An angry look was his only response. Levi wandered back over to the vampire. He crouched down. ¡°I took the sunlight off you. You gonna wake up, or¡­?¡± Colin edged along the outer line of the room. ¡°Maybe you need to feed it blood.¡± ¡°It? Is that how you refer to women?¡± Another glare. Colin shut his mouth. ¡°Aww, no, don¡¯t give up. I¡¯m having a great time over here,¡± Levi said. He reached out and grabbed the vampire¡¯s chin, tilting it left and right. ¡°Blood is a good idea. That usually works, right?¡± He reached up to the Armalgam. The Armalgam handed him its concealed knife. Levi held it over his palm. He gazed down at the vampire. ¡°If you are some random male vampire and not the Count, I¡¯m going to feel so stupid.¡± Taking a deep breath, he slashed his palm. Blood welled up in the cracks of his hand. He poured it into the vampire¡¯s mouth. Blood splashed into the back of the vampire¡¯s gaping mouth. Nothing happened. The corpse remained desiccated. The vampire didn¡¯t so much as twitch. ¡°Did you know that you are not supposed to feed passed out people water? Even if they passed out from heat stroke. They might choke on it and die,¡± Levi commented.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°And this came to mind now, because?¡± ¡°Well, I thought magical stuff would happen. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d just pour blood into someone¡¯s throat.¡± Colin sighed. ¡°Have you considered that she might be dead?¡± ¡°What¡­for real?¡± Levi looked at the vampire. He frowned. ¡°She is pretty dusty.¡± ¡°She was bathing in sunlight for a long time. Months, if not years. And Ician ¡®defeated¡¯ her before that, whatever that entails. It¡¯s not impossible that she¡¯s just¡­¡± Colin looked at the desiccated corpse. He shook his head. ¡°¡­dead.¡± ¡°No! I refuse to believe it. I can¡¯t. She isn¡¯t dead. She can¡¯t be! I refuse!¡± Levi paused. He sighed. ¡°No, but yeah. I mean, she looks pretty dead. You might be right. But vampires are hard to kill. Come on, Colin. What else? What else can we do to revive vampires?¡± ¡°Um¡­ sometimes they require the blood of a virgin, or something,¡± Colin said. Levi pressed his fingertips together. ¡°Question. Do we qualify as virgins?¡± ¡°H-huh?¡± ¡°I mean, I had sex in the world I came from. But I haven¡¯t since I came here. Is this my original body that I¡¯m in? In which case, I¡¯m¡­ probably not a virgin. But if instead, our souls alone were transferred here, and new bodies materialized upon our arrival, then we are virgins. Probably. This does also make a few assumptions about what this world considers virginity. Is virginity a quality that transfers with the soul? Or is it a bodily property?¡± Colin threw his hands up and shrugged. Levi sighed. ¡°In any case, we can¡¯t just run around, kidnapping virgins. That¡¯s strictly baddie territory. And since we aren¡¯t¡­¡± He paused. He squinted at Colin. ¡°We aren¡¯t¡­?¡± Colin looked away. ¡°You are? Even in your original world?¡± ¡°I, uh. Didn¡¯t get out much.¡± Levi gestured him over. ¡°Colin. Come here. Drip some blood in this nice lady¡¯s mouth.¡± Colin hesitated. He looked at his hands. ¡°I¡¯m dead. Will my blood work?¡± ¡°She¡¯s dead. Why not?¡± Colin shrugged. ¡°I guess.¡± He walked over and offered his hand. Levi slit it. He kneaded the flesh and finally squeezed a drop of blood out. It clung to Colin¡¯s hand, refusing to drip. He lowered it to the vampire¡¯s lips and wiped it off in her mouth. The vampire trembled. She shivered. Her body tensed, and her hands clawed toward her center. She swallowed dryly, barely able to force the blood down. ¡°M¡­more¡­¡± ¡°Pick me!¡± Levi called, raising his hand. With surprising quickness, the vampire jumped upright. She lunged for Colin. Colin tensed in fear. He raised his staff to block her advance. ¡°I¡¯ve got you, brother!¡± Levi leaped in front of Colin. The vampire latched onto him and sunk her teeth into his neck. She drank deeply. Levi threw his arms out and closed his eyes, giving himself up to it, then frowned. He stood up a little bit and glanced around looking for Colin. ¡°This is bullshit. I don¡¯t feel anything. It hurts and it feels cold, but that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°What? Did you expect something else?¡± Colin asked, crossing his arms. ¡°Of course I did. In vampire shows and books and stuff, it¡¯s always like¡­ ecstatic, you know? Their eyes roll back in their head. Their knees go limp. They moan in pleasure. It¡¯s like they¡¯re cu¡ª¡± ¡°I get it,¡± Colin interrupted. ¡°Right. But it didn¡¯t feel like that at all. I mean, this whole experience is kinda shitty. It just hurts. It sucks, man.¡± ¡°You are literally getting sucked.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not supposed to feel sucky.¡± Colin sighed. ¡°Isn¡¯t everyone¡¯s first time supposed to suck?¡± ¡°Like you¡¯d know, cherry boy.¡± Colin stared at him. ¡°Also, it lasts so long. It¡¯s always like, a quick shot and it¡¯s over in the movies. But I¡¯m just sitting here, waiting. It¡¯s so boring!¡± ¡°Have you never donated blood before?¡± Colin deadpanned. ¡°Yeah, but I thought it¡¯d be sexier having a sexy vampire do it.¡± ¡°Honestly? That¡¯s on you,¡± Colin stated. The vampire slowly reinflated. From a skin-and-bones sundried corpse, to a lush, plump human being. Two soft hands gripped his shoulders. Well-shaped legs tangled with his. A reinflated chest pressed against him, and the vampire gasped a breath in between guzzling blood. Levi glanced down. He looked back up. ¡°I take it back. This isn¡¯t so bad.¡± Colin rolled his eyes. At last, the vampire¡¯s face re-plumped. Dried out dark hair grew shiny once more. A handsome woman with high cheekbones drew back. She took a deep breath. Her face twisted in disgust. ¡°Where did my virgin go? I didn¡¯t wake up for this ordinary trash blood.¡± ¡°And I didn¡¯t want to be ordinary-trash-sucked. What was that? Where was the romance?¡± Levi demanded. ¡°Why would I waste my charm on trash like you?¡± she asked, taken aback. ¡°Now tell me, filthy man, where has my virgin gone?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re asking about the one who woke you up, Colin¡¯s right there. He is a little dead, though. If you¡¯re asking about that girl who was creepily obsessing over you, she¡¯s gone. We killed her,¡± Levi said. Colin startled. He looked at Levi. ¡°You¡¯re just admitting it?¡± He shrugged. ¡°Yeah? She was a creepy stalker. That was a good deed. Why wouldn¡¯t I admit it? Plus, I¡¯m an honest person who doesn¡¯t tell lies.¡± Colin gave him a deadpan look. ¡°Creepy stalker? Oh, you mean Valere? Ah. Yes. I do need to punish her. Placing me in the sunlight for a decade after I sought out a new servant is less than ideal,¡± the vampire murmured, mostly to herself. ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it,¡± Levi agreed. ¡°I don¡¯t think the switch will be enough this time. Perhaps the pommel horse¡­? No, for her, a bit of neglect ought to be worse,¡± she mused. Colin frowned. His brows furrowed. Levi coughed. ¡°Your nighttime plans aside, er¡­ it¡¯s nice to meet you?¡± The woman took them both in. She drew back and bowed elegantly. Now that her body had reformed, the suit fit her perfectly. Tailored trousers with narrow ankles drew attention to the length of her legs, while the suit and vest were carefully cut to reveal the fullness of her form. She stood back upright. ¡°Apologies for not greeting you immediately. I am the Count of this small town, Count Isadora Novoline, but you can call me Isa. Whom do I have the honor of greeting?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Levi, and that¡¯s Colin. I¡¯m alive, but not a virgin, and he¡¯s a dead virgin. Nice to meet you!¡± Levi stuck his hand out to shake. Isa gave him a look. She offered her hand to Colin instead. Surprised, Colin took it. She knelt and kissed the back of his hand. ¡°If only you were alive, my sweet, we could have known one another so well.¡± ¡°Oh, come on. Discriminating asshole,¡± Levi complained, rolling his eyes. ¡°Shut up. I already drank your blood, and it was one of the lowest points in my long life.¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t taste that bad.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the principle. If another vampire smelled you on me, they¡¯d never let it go.¡± Levi startled. ¡°Vampires can smell virginity? From blood? What kind of metaphysical bullshit is that? I mean, in the first place, we haven¡¯t even established if virginity is a property of the body or the soul, and now you can smell it in the blood someone else drinks?¡± She cut her eyes at him dismissively. ¡°Obviously. What a stupid thing to question.¡± ¡°Is it?¡± Levi muttered to himself. ¡°In any case, I do owe you some thanks for awakening me. Is there anything I could do for you?¡± she offered. Levi drew himself to his full height. In her riding boots, Isa remained about an inch taller. He smiled at her and offered his hand again. ¡°Join me. As my companion.¡± ¡°What? For how long?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Until I get bored,¡± Levi said, shrugging. ¡°What are you trying to accomplish?¡± He grinned. ¡°I¡¯m kind of a big deal, you know? I¡¯m like, part of some kind of prophesy of the world¡¯s end. So I need strong people on my side, to help me level up faster so I can get super strong and kill all the other gods¡¯ Champions, or whatever.¡± ¡°Is that why we were recruiting the Count? I thought we were doing it because vampires are cool, or something,¡± Colin asked to himself. ¡°Shush, you. It¡¯s a good and noble quest.¡± Isa looked him up and down, shocked. ¡°You¡¯re a Champion?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She frowned. ¡°I thought Champions were strong.¡± Colin snorted. ¡°I just became a Champion! I need time to get strong,¡± Levi complained. ¡°If I get strong companions, I can level up faster and beat the other Champions.¡± ¡°Who is your god? If you¡¯re really a Champion, you have a patron god. If it¡¯s one I¡¯m aligned with, I¡¯ll follow you,¡± Isa said. Levi gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Good news! It¡¯s the Goddess of Death!¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Isa walked over to him. She put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re undead, so I know you¡¯re aligned with the Goddess of Death¡ªhey, hey, what?¡± Isa gripped him by the collar and dragged him toward the window. She pushed the window open and shoved him toward the daylight. Her skin sizzled where the sun landed on it, but she ignored it, too intent on pushing him out. ¡°Hey, hey, hey¡ª¡± Levi grabbed onto the window frame. He latched on with all his strength. The Armalgam spread out, grabbing onto every inch of wood it could reach. ¡°Talk! Use your words! Let¡¯s talk!¡± 20. To the Window Bracing his arms and the Armalgam against the wall, Levi lifted his legs and kicked Isa away. She staggered back. Her legs hit the lip of the coffin, and she flopped back into it. ¡°Armalgam, go!¡± Levi pointed after Isa. The Armalgam jumped off his back and leaped onto Isa. It grappled her down into the coffin. Isa fought back. It flew out of the coffin, but immediately scurried back in and fought her again before she could get up. ¡°Sit on her upper chest! It¡¯s almost impossible to get leverage out of that hold!¡± Levi shouted. The Armalgam saluted and hopped onto her chest. It dropped all its weight there and clutched onto the coffin with all four arms, locking her in. Isa struggled a little longer, then fell back. She glared at Levi. Levi walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at her. He crossed his legs and knitted his fingers on his knee. ¡°So. Isa. Would you like to tell me why you, a dead person, hate the Goddess of Death? Words, please. Violence is not helpful here.¡± ¡°Release me, you clod!¡± she snarled. ¡°First off, I¡¯m not the one holding you. Second off, I saved your life. Un-life. And your response is to treat me like shit and try to shove me out the window. I think I¡¯m being very reasonable here, honestly. Lesser men¡ªlike a certain guy named Kai ahem ahem¡ªwould¡¯ve already tried to kill you out of rage, but I¡¯ll be honest, I don¡¯t really care that much. A lot of people have tried to kill me. Some have succeeded. You know? I¡¯m willing to forgive a good death attempt, every now and again. ¡°I just want to know why you tried to shove me out the window when I told you I was the Goddess of Death¡¯s Champion.¡± Her face twisted. She spat. Levi dodged. The spit fell back onto her face. He sighed. ¡°They don¡¯t teach you about gravity in this world, huh? Look, I extended a hand of trust. I haven¡¯t told anyone I¡¯m the Champion of the God of Death. I haven¡¯t even told Colin, though I think he kind of figured it out from context clues.¡± Colin pursed his lips and waggled his hand back and forth. Making an earnest face, Levi pressed his hand to his heart. ¡°I¡¯m being all trustful here, real vulnerable, and how do you reply but by defenestrating me? Honestly, I¡¯m hurt. I¡¯m hurt. I really thought we were bonding, coming to a place of mutual understanding, and you turn around and window-toss me like that. The betrayal. The pain. At least tell me why.¡± Her lip lifted. ¡°Ask your friends in the Death Cult.¡± ¡°In the¡­¡± Levi nodded slowly. He sat back, putting his fingertips together. ¡°Ohhhh. Oh. I see. We have a classic misunderstanding here. You see, Isa, I¡¯m just some dude who got isekaied a month ago.¡± ¡°I know. You were summoned by the Death Cult. They still believe they can create a Champion for the Death Goddess. And they did! Look at you. They succeeded. So congratulations. But fuck off. I don¡¯t want anything to do with them,¡± she snarled. ¡°No, no, no. You know what they say about assumptions, right? The whole ass outta you and me thing? Which isn¡¯t a very good joke. Who says assume, in that context? It¡¯s always assumption, and then the joke doesn¡¯t¡ªI¡¯m getting off track. The point is, I was summoned by Ician to be cannon fodder. I got cannon foddered. My friend Colin back there¡ª¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Colin waved. ¡°¡ªwas, er, is a Life Cleric. He brought me back with Miracle. I got chosen by the Goddess of Death, for, you know, experiencing death and all, and here we are.¡± She stilled. Her eyes widened. ¡°That¡¯s not possible.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯ll find it is, my friend.¡± She stared at him for another few beats, then burst out laughing. ¡°All these years. Decades. Centuries. Centuries, the Death Cult has worked at crafting the perfect Champion for their Goddess, so that the world, the whole world, can finally experience the peace of death. And here you are, just another cannon fodder from Ician, and you¡¯re the Goddess of Death¡¯s Champion.¡± ¡°I only found out there was a Death Cult just now,¡± Levi admitted. ¡°You didn¡¯t even know? Gods! Gods, that¡¯s funny. Oh dear. Oh Goddess. Fuck, that¡¯s funny.¡± Levi laughed along with her. ¡°It is pretty funny. Bunch of try-hards working over there, and I just spawn in way over here on my own.¡± Isa¡¯s face went dead. Her upper lip lifted. ¡°It¡¯s not funny at all.¡± ¡°Whoops, sorry. Thought we were having a laugh.¡± ¡°The things those people did to me, trying to craft Death¡¯s perfect Champion. The things I had to go through. And in the end, when I was spent and wasted, when I was nothing but a vampire and not anyone¡¯s Champion, they left me out in the sun to die.¡± She laughed, but it was dry. Bitter. ¡°But as you can see, I don¡¯t die in the sun. So the next time they threw a poor, bloodied soul into the pit, I woke up.¡± ¡°And killed them all?¡± Levi asked. She lifted her lip in disgust. ¡°If only. I was too weak. I killed the ones that got in my way on the way out, but I was more concerned with escaping than getting revenge.¡± Levi nodded. He lifted his bridged fingertips to his lips, then separated them, palms out. ¡°What if we went back and got your revenge?¡± She stared at him. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I, the true Champion, need no competition. And besides, if there¡¯s some stupid motherfuckers out there besmirching my good name as Champion of Death, I need to put a stop to that posthaste. So, what do you say? Let¡¯s go kick some cultist ass.¡± ¡°Why? We just met and I attacked you, so why¡­¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m a good and noble person,¡± Levi said, putting a hand to his heart again. He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m disappointed you¡¯d even question my motives.¡± ¡°Uh huh,¡± Colin deadpanned. Levi coughed. ¡°And a pit of cultists sounds like a great place to pick up a bunch of levels. That¡¯s classic dungeon shit.¡± Isa snorted. ¡°As if the Goddess of Death would let you kill her worshippers.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t heard a veto yet. Hey, Death Goddess! I¡¯m gonna go kill everyone in the Death Cult. What do you say? Yes? No?¡± He turned his head upward, spreading his arms to heaven. There was no response. Levi shrugged. ¡°See? She doesn¡¯t care. Let¡¯s go kill some cultists.¡± Isa pushed at the Armalgam. ¡°Get this thing off me.¡± ¡°Are you going to throw me out the window, or otherwise attack me?¡± ¡°No.¡± He extended his little finger. ¡°Pinkie promise?¡± ¡°Let me out of here and I promise I won¡¯t snap that finger.¡± Levi laughed. He snapped his fingers. The Armalgam hopped off Isa, but hovered nearby, watching her. She climbed out of the coffin and stretched. Lowering her arms, she glanced at Levi. ¡°You¡¯re serious about killing the cultists?¡± ¡°I need levels, so sure, why not? I can¡¯t find any dungeons to save my life, and I¡¯m on the run from Ician, so somewhere far away from here that also gives me lots of levels sounds fantastic,¡± Levi said, nodding. She turned, gazing back toward the entrance to the manor. ¡°The town¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re in kind of a tight spot. I gave them a couple zombies to reconstruct the village, but with all the bandits, it might not stick.¡± Isa rounded on him. ¡°Bandits?¡± ¡°Burned down the town yesterday. They¡¯re rebuilding it today.¡± Her lip lifted. ¡°Valere will have quite a lot to answer for. As much as I¡¯d like to destroy the cult, I can¡¯t leave in good conscience with my town in danger.¡± ¡°Then¡­ should we go wipe out the bandit camp on the way out? We can go ask Ren where they are. He¡¯s a knowledgeable guy,¡± Levi said. ¡°Didn¡¯t he say¡ª¡± Levi elbowed Colin. ¡°If there¡¯s a main camp, that should suffice for now. Valere will handle the rest, once she revives.¡± Tossing her hair, Isa marched for the door. ¡°Can you really rely on her, after she¡ª¡± Isa looked him dead in the eye. ¡°She won¡¯t have a choice.¡± Levi raised his brows. ¡°Fair enough.¡± 21. To the Door At the door, Isa yanked a heavy cloak off a hook. She went to throw it over her head, then noticed all the dust on it. Grimacing, she gave it a few smacks. A dust cloud rose in the hallway. Levi coughed, waving his hand. ¡°Watch it. Some of us have to breathe.¡± ¡°More like, one of us,¡± Isa muttered. She threw on the cloak. A deep hood shaded her face. She drew gloves out of the cloak¡¯s pockets and pulled them on as well. ¡°Alright, alright. Let¡¯s not get too technical here. Breathing is good, okay?¡± Levi said, looking from left to right. Colin shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m getting by fine without it. It¡¯s kind of annoying to have to remember to breathe so I can speak, but that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll eventually get back into the habit of breathing all the time, and mentally shut it off from time to time. Breathing is simply too useful,¡± Isa informed him. ¡°I¡¯m already there, honestly,¡± Colin confessed. ¡°Good. Stay in the habit.¡± They walked back toward the town. As they walked, Levi clapped. ¡°So, Isa. I was getting vibes earlier, but uh. Are you¡­ or rather, were you isekaied?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Isa cocked a brow. ¡°Did you come here from Earth?¡± Levi clarified. Isa hesitated, then lowered her chin just an inch. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How¡¯d you go? Get trucked? Fall off a building?¡± She frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t know what ¡®getting trucked¡¯ is. I died in a fire sometime around the turn of the century, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking.¡± ¡°In the aughts?¡± Levi asked. ¡°It was 1794, to be precise,¡± she said, ignoring him. Levi raised his brows. ¡°Ohhhh. No, right. Vampire. I forgot about that.¡± She snorted. ¡°Even if I wasn¡¯t, there are ways to live centuries in this world. Don¡¯t assume people will remember a world like yours, even if they were¡­ isekaied.¡± ¡°Roger. You know, I ran into someone who told me the Apocalypse had been booting up for fifty years, and I assumed there were just some real old men running around, but I didn¡¯t think about vampires and fantasy races.¡± ¡°Even putting aside fantasy races, the Rosado Empire¡¯s Blatt has been a menace for over half a century,¡± Isa said, shaking her head. Levi raised his brows. ¡°That guy¡¯s over fifty? Holy shit. He didn¡¯t look a day over twenty-five. What¡¯s his skincare routine?¡± Isa gave him a look. He broke into a grin and waved his hand. ¡°I get it. I¡¯m not stupid. Believe it or not, I had some people like that in the world I came from. Weird assholes who got hopped up on their powers and could live for decades without outwardly aging. I was not a fan.¡± ¡°I take it you weren¡¯t one of them?¡± Isa asked. ¡°No, I was. After a fashion. But I was relatively weak, so I got shat on a lot.¡± Isa looked at Colin. Colin put his hands up. ¡°I was from a very normal world, with cars, and electricity, and law and order. This is all new to me.¡± ¡°My world had cars and electricity and¡­ okay, not law and order, but¡­¡± Levi shrugged. He pointed. ¡°Look! We¡¯re almost back.¡± The town was still in shambles, but with the zombies¡¯ help, the foundations had been cleared, and people were felling logs to form the frames of the houses. The zombies numbly helped to erect the frames and hold them in place while the villagers worked to fix them permanently into the foundations. Isa¡¯s eyes hardened. Her jaw clenched, and her fist curled. ¡°Valere has more to answer for than I thought.¡± At their approach, Ren hurried over. He looked from Levi and Colin to the Count, then gasped. He started to fall to a knee. Isa caught him. ¡°No. I¡¯ve failed you. Don¡¯t show me respect.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Ren hesitated, half dropped. He looked to the others. ¡°What? I don¡¯t know medieval courtesy rules,¡± Levi said, shrugging. With some uncertainty, Ren rose back to his feet. He clasped his hands to the Count. ¡°It¡¯s an honor, ma¡¯am. How may I help you?¡± ¡°Who did this to you? Point me in their direction,¡± she said. Her voice was calm, but her eyes simmered with rage. Ren stepped back in fear. Nonetheless, he lifted a shivering finger. ¡°That way. There¡¯s been a bunch of Ician deserters camped over there for a while. They raid us every now and again.¡± ¡°Deserters, are they? They betray their country, then betray their consciences. Once a betrayer, always a betrayer. The lowest of the low,¡± Isa murmured. Levi nodded. ¡°Fuckin¡¯ deserters, am I right? Who¡¯d do something like that? A bunch of losers, if you ask me.¡± Colin glanced at Levi. He snorted quietly, but said nothing. She swept her cloak. ¡°Follow me.¡± Levi mimicked her cloak sweep with his own ragged cloak. ¡°I vant to suck your¡ª¡± Isa turned. She gave him a dead look. ¡°¡­eheheh. Let¡¯s kill some deserters! Woohoo!¡± He hurried past her, toward the direction Ren had pointed. ¡°Can you try not to annoy our new friend to death?¡± Colin asked. ¡°I¡¯m trying, but my sparkling personality keeps getting in the way,¡± Levi complained. Isa chuckled. Levi whipped around. He raised his brows and pointed at her. She hit him with the same dead stare. ¡°Fine, fine.¡± He mimed zipping his lips. Isa led the way. With confidence, she led them toward a slender path in the woods. It wound into the forest, little more than a deer track. Dappled sunlight played over them as they walked. Birds sang in the distance. A cool breeze blew, dissipating the heat of late summer. ¡°This is nice. You know, I thought the birds would be quiet with undead around, but they¡¯re just kind of doing their own thing,¡± Levi remarked. ¡°Why would the birds care about us?¡± Isa asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. That¡¯s how it works in all the horror movies and shows and shit. Except for ravens. Ravens caw like crazy when the living dead are on the march,¡± Levi explained. ¡°Movies?¡± Levi opened his mouth. He closed it. ¡°You know what? You¡¯re better not knowing.¡± Isa snorted. She nodded. ¡°I feel that way about much of what you have to say.¡± Colin laughed. Putting his hands over his mouth, he quickly stifled it. As the path worked along, it approached the base of a set of sheer cliffs. They jagged in and out, forming deep blind gorges. Isa pointed. ¡°There.¡± Smoke rose from one of the gorges ahead. The faint sounds of conversation echoed through the forest. ¡°You seem familiar with the route,¡± Levi remarked. ¡°These aren¡¯t the first bandits to set up shop in these mountains. Before I came around, they were a veritable plague. You couldn¡¯t swing a cat without hitting a bandit. With me around, they grew a little sheepish. Weren¡¯t so eager to attack my people. But I see that in my absence, they¡¯ve forgotten whose territory this is.¡± Levi grinned. He rested a hand on his sword. ¡°Let¡¯s go remind them who¡¯s boss.¡± She looked him up and down. ¡°If you¡¯re the Goddess of Death¡¯s Champion, then you¡¯re a Necromancer, right?¡± ¡°Correct!¡± ¡°Can you heal undead?¡± Levi grimaced. He waggled his hand. ¡°Contact only, and it costs a lot of mana. I¡¯m kind of all tied up powering those zombies back in the village. I can heal¡­ probably one serious injury, without overdrawing my mana.¡± She frowned, then nodded. ¡°You have to touch me to heal?¡± ¡°Yeah. Colin can do it at range, but he¡¯s doing normal healing, not undead healing,¡± Levi said, thumbing at Colin. Colin waved. He grinned, embarrassed. Isa stared at him. After a second, she pointed at Colin. ¡°He¡¯s a healer?¡± ¡°Yeah. Did you miss that? I thought I mentioned that,¡± Levi said. ¡°He¡¯s undead, but he¡¯s a healer? A Life Cleric?¡± ¡°Yep, that¡¯s Colin,¡± Levi said, nodding. Isa shook her head. She stared at him. Her jaw worked. At last, she managed, ¡°How?¡± ¡°Skills, baby.¡± Levi pointed finger guns her way. Colin cleared his throat. ¡°Do you have gloves? I¡¯m running low.¡± ¡°I¡­ certainly.¡± She reached into her cloak and handed him a pair of wooly mittens. Levi held back a snort. Colin glared, but put the mittens on. He smiled at Isa. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure,¡± she murmured, looking him up and down. Colin blushed. ¡°Jeez, stop flirting with my undead. He¡¯s mine, okay? You can¡¯t have him.¡± Levi stepped in between Colin and Isa. Isa clicked her tongue. Her eyes rested on Colin¡¯s neck, and she licked her lips. ¡°If only he were alive. I would eat him up.¡± ¡°Your weird sexual predilections aside, can we go kill the bandits now?¡± he asked. ¡°Let¡¯s. I¡¯ll take the far side. You handle this one.¡± Isa strode ahead. As she approached the opening of the gorge, her body blurred. She flitted between the shadows of the trees. Every few moments, she became fully visible, only to blend into the shadows once more and dash on. ¡°I can¡­kind of do that,¡± Levi muttered. He paused. ¡°Hey, Colin. Any chance you can heal blood loss? I¡¯m a little woozy. I can handle it, but¡­¡± ¡°I just got a new skill that says it can heal ¡®ailments¡¯ instead of ¡®injuries. Let¡¯s see if it works.¡± Colin held his staff out. A paler gold light streamed into Levi. Levi¡¯s lightheadedness melted away. He took a deep breath and shook his head. ¡°That feels great. Thanks, Colin.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Colin gave him a thumbs up. Returning the thumbs up, Levi drew up to the nearer edge of the gorge and peered inside. His eyes darted from left to right, taking stock of the bandits. About a dozen men wandered around the gorge. They wore the ragged, bloodied remains of Ician¡¯s military uniform, or had abandoned it entirely to wear peasant clothes or furs. Several wore helmets or chainmail, and a few kept shields nearby. All carried swords or some form of blade. Two campfires burned, one with a chicken on a spit, and the other with a soup pot boiling. Two or three military-issue tents leaned haphazardly together at the edge of the gorge. He licked his lips. Three of them had their backs to him, but the second he attacked, all the others would snap to him. Better to let Isa initiate the attack, as a nigh-unkillable undead, then blindside them. Levi waited. And waited. And waited. She¡¯s not going to initiate, is she. Dammit. He took a deep breath. Hopping in place, he shook his arms out. ¡°Here goes nothing.¡± Stepping forward, he lifted his hood and rounded the edge of the gorge. 22. Gorges at This Time of Year Sitting beside the tent, Cam ground his blade, sharpening the ragged thing. He checked the edge. Still ragged, but sharper, now. Almost sharp enough to cut instead of hack. Putting it back to the block, he ran the whetstone down its length again. Over and over, as if he could rub the blood clean. ¡°The hell are you doing?¡± He looked up. It was Tom, again. The same question as usual. He gestured at his sword. ¡°Sharpening my blade.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point? We ran away from all that shit. No Captain here to kick our ass if it¡¯s not perfectly sharp. No one to fight against but some chickenshit peasants. We don¡¯t have to fight the King¡¯s stupid wars for him anymore, so who cares?¡± Cam sighed. He sat back, lowering the whetstone. ¡°It¡¯s relaxing. Quiets my heart.¡± ¡°There you go again with that bullshit. I hope Sarem gets back soon. I could use some fresh food. If the peasants have anything left, anyways.¡± A man in a ragged, dark-red cloak stepped out of the forest. Tom stood, pointing as he walked toward him. ¡°Speak of the devil! Sare,, my man! Did those peasants have anything hidden away in the cellar? I¡¯m so sick of boiled roots and venison. Give me some good news!¡± Sarem waved. He gestured Tom closer, reaching toward his hip as he did so. Cam stiffened. He froze, whetstone raised in one hand, other hand pressed to his blade. There was something wrong. Something¡­ off about Sarem. He lowered the stone and gripped the blade with both hands, rising from a sit to a crouch. Tom grinned. He raised his hand to clasp Sarem¡¯s. ¡°Show me something good. Some chicken, maybe? Hell, I¡¯d take some flour or butter¡ª¡± Silver flashed. Sarem drove his blade through Tom¡¯s gut. Tom stared. He glanced down. ¡°Wha¡­ why¡­¡± Even as Tom fell, Cam jumped to his feet. He dashed toward the man, who wasn¡¯t Sarem at all. ¡°Attack! We¡¯re being attacked!¡± Not-Sarem snatched Tom¡¯s sword from his belt and tossed it backward, then kicked Tom to the ground. Something behind him caught the sword. It vanished under the cloak at a slow, deliberate speed. Shouting, Cam closed in on the man. The other deserters ran with him, all of them drawing their weapons. To his surprise, the man raised his hands. ¡°Whoa, whoa, same team, same team! I deserted, too!¡± Cam slowed. The other deserters slowed just a beat as well. Lowering his blade, Cam tilted his head. ¡°Then why kill Tom?¡± Was it a personal conflict? Tom was kind of an asshole. He could understand holding a grudge against him. ¡°Uh, ¡®cause he killed a bunch of innocent villagers and set their town on fire like an asshole. Anyone here not do that?¡± not-Sarem asked. He raised his hand and looked around for anyone else to raise theirs. Cam looked at the ground. He hadn¡¯t directly participated, but could any of them say their hands were clean? They ate the villagers¡¯ supplies, whether they went out of their way to procure those supplies or not. All their hands were tainted by the blood of the innocent. Behind Cam, the other deserters rushed toward not-Sarem again. ¡°Yeah¡­ thought so.¡± A blade hurtled toward Cam¡¯s neck. Everything went sideways, and then it all went dark. -- Two down. Ten to go. Levi stole the headless man¡¯s sword out of his dying grasp and tossed it back to the Armalgam. The Armalgam caught it, drawing it under the cloak. The other men closed in on him, shouting war cries as they hefted their weapons. And if there¡¯s any in the trees, this much noise is bound to draw them. Levi grinned, spinning all three blades. There was only one thing to do: go absolutely ham on the men in the camp. The first two closed in. Levi whistled. The Armalgam yanked off his cloak and threw it at the men. They grabbed at the cloth, tossing it aside. Before it even cleared their head, Levi closed in low and slashed diagonally upward, splitting their guts open. The men screamed and staggered back, clutching at their guts. Levi ran past them. He closed in on the next men. They spread out, trying to drag him into the center of their small group where they¡¯d have him surrounded. Levi raced right in. His eyes darted from face to face. Battle-hardened. Numb. Eager. Afraid. That one. He leaped to the side and raced toward the furthest left member of the group. Fear transformed into panic. The man backed away, swinging his sword away from his body as if he were flailing at an insect. Levi lifted his blade. He pushed the man¡¯s sword outward and ran in. The man screamed in fear. From behind Levi¡¯s back, the Armalgam struck. Blood flew from the man¡¯s thighs. Squealing like a stuck pig, the man fled a few stumbling steps before he fell face-down. Levi stabbed him in the back before he could lose any more of his dignity. The other three men raced toward him, quickly resetting their formation. Levi backed away, refusing to let the two to his left and right get behind him. The wall of the cliff loomed, closer than he¡¯d like. The tents appeared in the corner of his eye. He stepped left, walking along the cliff.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Whoa, whoa, whoa, guys. Let¡¯s talk this out. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s just a big misunderstanding,¡± Levi said. ¡°You killed half our men!¡± one of the men shouted. ¡°Yes, I did, and I¡¯m very sorry about that. It was a mistake! I thought you were Ician soldiers. You know. Non-deserted ones.¡± He kept backing up. A fire flickered beside him, and he froze, unable to go any further. The men approached him, closing in around him. One of the men rolled his eyes. ¡°The first thing you said was¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. I know.¡± Levi gestured. The Armalgam shot out one of its free arms and snatched the boiling pot off the fire. It threw it at the nearest of the three men. Boiling soup splashed all over him, followed moments later by the red-hot iron pot. The man screeched in pain, batting at his own body in a futile attempt to stop the liquid from scalding his flesh. Levi closed in. He slashed the man¡¯s throat, putting an end to his suffering. The other two men darted in, closing what remained of the pincer attack. Levi turned his back to one and faced down the other. The one he turned his back to scoffed. ¡°You fool¡ª¡± Two blades whirled at him. The man¡¯s mouth shut. He fought back desperately, putting his all into preventing the Armalgam from striking him with either of its blades. Levi dueled the other man at the same time. He pushed hard, forcing the other man to back away. ¡°Getting away from the cliff?¡± the man huffed between blows. ¡°Well, that too.¡± Levi whistled. One of the man¡¯s fallen comrades¡¯ eyes flashed green. The corpse lifted its hand and grabbed ahold of the man¡¯s ankle. The man looked down. He yanked his leg, trying to break free. Levi jumped in and stabbed the man before he could escape. At the same time, the Armalgam leaned off his body. Using all its strength, it beat the other man¡¯s sword away, then slashed his throat. The remaining men raced at him. Levi backed away, panting hard. His heart raced, his stamina at its limits. Calling that corpse back to grab the man¡¯s ankle had taken the last scraps of his mana. He was running on fumes. On the bits he could absorb from the corpses around him and nothing. He backed toward the cliffs. Putting on a smug face, as if he wasn¡¯t tired at all, he gestured. ¡°Come on. I¡¯ll take you all.¡± A black blur flashed out of the forest. One man after another dropped to the ground, neck broken, throat slashed open. The men turned, facing the forest rather than Levi. Three remained. Two. One. Holding the last man¡¯s head in her clawed hand, the Count gazed into his eyes. ¡°Do you know what you¡¯ve done? Do you repent?¡± The man¡¯s lips trembled. He shook, too afraid to say anything. Her eyes flashed. She sneered in derision. ¡°Filth.¡± She clenched her fist and cracked the man¡¯s skull. His eyes rolled up in his head. She dropped him, and he hit the ground, limp. Levi waved. He pushed off the wall. ¡°Took your damn time.¡± ¡°I was finishing off the men in the forest, so you and your pretty little healer wouldn¡¯t get ambushed,¡± the Count flatlined. She nodded at Levi. ¡°No injuries?¡± ¡°No, but plenty of EXP.¡± He drew up his status sheet. Levi | 18 | Lv 25 Class: Necromancer [SPECIAL] Str: 27 Mag: 52 Dex: 25 Spd: 28 Def: 12 Res: 48 [Basic Swordsmanship] [Shadow Manipulation] [Shadow Step] [Raise Dead] [Drain] [Shape Dead] [Heal Undead] Expend mana to heal dead who are not aligned under you. Levi raised his brows. ¡°Alright. This is some bullshit.¡± ¡°What is?¡± Isa asked, glancing at him. ¡°I swear the Goddess is just making up skills as I do them. Or¡­ I do something, and then it becomes a skill the next time I level up?¡± Isa nodded. ¡°That¡¯s how it works. If you think of, or attempt, something with your powers, the System will consider it. If it¡¯s a valid technique, it will validate it by turning it into a skill, at which point, it will be readily available to you without conscious thought. For some skills, such as spells, you won¡¯t be able to call upon them until the System validates them, while others you will be able to use with conscious thought and effort even before validation. There are a few skills that the System will gift you at certain level intervals, but most skills will be the things you think up.¡± ¡°Oh. You know, that makes a lot of sense,¡± Levi said. ¡°Explains why Colin can heal poisons now, too.¡± ¡°Afflictions,¡± Colin clarified. ¡°Like poisons?¡± Colin hesitated. He nodded. ¡°Looks like, yeah.¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty convenient,¡± Levi said. Isa nodded. ¡°It¡¯s also dangerous. It means that most people you meet will have unique skills. No two Soldiers, Adventurers, or Heroes will be exactly the same. Don¡¯t ever grow complacent and think you know what to expect from a certain class, because it will be at that moment that you¡¯ll find out that particular Hero dreamed up a new skill no other Hero has ever thought up before.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m used to that, though,¡± Levi said, nodding. ¡°Are we done, then?¡± Levi started to nod, then froze. ¡°Wait, hold up. I just had a great idea.¡± ¡°Oh, did you,¡± Isa deadpanned. ¡°Yeah. Hold up. Just one minute.¡± Levi drew his sword and approached the nearest corpse. Colin pulled a face. He looked away. Isa raised her brows. She crossed her arms and put her weight on one foot, watching him curiously. Levi put his foot on the corpse, then slashed. One to the left of the spine, one to the right, one above, one below. Leaning down, he grabbed the spine and pulled with all his might, freeing it from the man¡¯s body. He tossed it over his shoulder and moved on to the next corpse. Like a strange lumberjack, he hacked at the man¡¯s spine. Two. Three. Four. At last, he¡¯d collected about seven intact spines. He looked at them. ¡°About two feet per spine, seven spines, that¡¯s fourteen feet. What do you think?¡± ¡°What the fuck are you doing,¡± Isa asked, deadpan. Levi waggled his brows at her. He laid out the spines end to end, then raised his hands over them. Calling on that cold power, he pushed it into the spines. ¡°Gobbledygobbledygoo!¡± The spines jolted. They twitched, then thrashed around like one giant snake with its head cut off. ¡°Gods,¡± Isa muttered, disgusted. Levi whistled. The spine jolted. It reared and looked around, then pointed its front end at Levi. He patted his waist. The spines surged forward and wrapped around his waist, coiling into some kind of macabre belt. Looking up, he grinned. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°You¡¯re bleeding a little,¡± Isa pointed out. He glanced down. Liquids oozed off the spine. He shrugged. ¡°It¡¯ll dry.¡± Colin glanced over. He instantly winced and looked away. ¡°What? What¡¯s with that reaction? It¡¯s cool!¡± Levi said. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ something,¡± Isa said, looking him up and down. She shook her head. Levi sighed. ¡°Genius is never understood in its time. When you¡¯re trapped down a well, you¡¯ll understand the beauty of the Spinal Cord.¡± Colin just kept shaking his head. Isa stared at him, disgusted. He clapped. ¡°Alright! Now that I¡¯ve got a nifty new tool, I think our job here is done. Shall we go check on the villagers one last time before we go?¡± Isa snorted. She turned away and nodded. ¡°And Valere, as well. She requires¡­ punishment.¡± ¡°You can keep your ¡®punishment¡¯ between you two, you dang exhibitionist,¡± Levi muttered. Isa grinned. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you be disappointed if we did?¡± He hesitated. ¡°A little bit, yeah.¡± Isa chuckled. She shook her head, then nodded at Colin. ¡°If you¡¯d like, you¡¯re invited.¡± Colin froze. He shook his head adamantly. ¡°I¡¯ll come,¡± Levi offered. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Dammit.¡± 23. Time for Punishment Levi wandered the gorge. He picked through the fallen men¡¯s weapons, carefully choosing the best-maintained swords. In the end, he selected three new ones and strapped them to his hips, two on each side. ¡°Think you have enough?¡± Isa asked, looking him up and down. ¡°One for me, two for the Armalgam, and an extra sword in case one breaks,¡± Levi explained. ¡°You¡¯re not dual wielding? I¡¯m shocked. What restraint,¡± Isa commented. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid enough to dual wield. Swords are fucking heavy. Dual wielding looks good in movies, but it¡¯s not actually that good in real life. I mean, think about it. I¡¯m holding a sword with one hand, you¡¯re holding one with two. Who wins that exchange? Not mister one-hand. And let¡¯s not even get started with how fast you get worn out with two swords,¡± Levi said. Isa¡¯s brows raised even higher. ¡°You sound like a warrior.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ¡®cause I¡¯m a mother-fucking warrior.¡± Isa rolled her eyes. ¡°Two knives, now, that¡¯s a different story. Short range. Lighter. You don¡¯t have to worry about the leverage at the tip of a long sword when your knife is all of six inches. Plus, less blade means less room for someone else to parry you. You aren¡¯t going to hit the one-hand-versus-two-hand issue. Just fist ¡®em and go to town.¡± He reached into his pockets and spun two hand-sized hunting knives, then mimed punching someone a lot with them. ¡°I get the idea,¡± Isa drawled coldly. ¡°Also¡­¡± Flipping the knives back into his pockets, he held up a heavy sack full of coins. ¡°Money!¡± ¡°Thank you for recovering the villagers¡¯ belongings.¡± Isa snatched the money away from him. ¡°What? Oh, come on,¡± Levi complained. He pouted, but only for a moment. The money clearly belonged to the villagers. Where else would the deserters have found so much? He wasn¡¯t petty enough to steal from a bunch of poor people. Even if Isa hadn¡¯t taken the bag, he¡¯d been planning to give it back. ¡°What about the Armalgam?¡± Colin asked. Isa and Levi both stared at him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The Armalgam is dual wielding,¡± he pointed out. Levi glanced over his shoulder. He laughed. ¡°Yeah, the four-armed undead with no stamina that¡¯s as buff in one bicep as I am on my thigh. Plus, it¡¯s got four arms. If it needs to single wield, it can balance on one hand and double-one-hand single-the-other-hand dual wield.¡± Colin nodded slowly. He squinted, frowning, and tilted his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t understand it either,¡± Isa said. Levi opened his mouth, thought better of it, then grinned. ¡°Fuck the rules, it¡¯s an undead.¡± ¡°Ohhh.¡± Colin nodded. ¡°That made sense to you?¡± Isa asked. ¡°Well, you know¡ª¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. She lifted a hand. ¡°No need. I don¡¯t care that much.¡± ¡°Aww, are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The three of them followed the trail back to the village in relative silence. Levi hummed an upbeat tune to himself. It was nothing Colin had heard before, but nonetheless, he found himself nodding along to the catchy tune. Isa glanced over, her eyes slightly narrowed, but said nothing. Before long, they¡¯d returned to the sunny road. Isa vanished into the depths of her cloak, and Levi hefted his over the Armalgam. The village loomed up. With the zombies¡¯ help, the villagers had erected a single house, and had begun work on the second one. Another deeply hooded figure helped the zombies and the villagers with the second house. As they approached, that figure jolted. It whipped around to reveal the dark-haired vampire girl from the manor. She no longer had the haughty expression from before, but now wore sheer terror on her face. ¡°Valere,¡± Isa rumbled, displeased. Valere ran over, then dropped to the ground. She groveled. ¡°Please forgive me! I did what I had to¡ª¡± ¡°You betrayed me and neglected the civilians. Allowed my town to be burned to the ground. Is that what you had to do?¡± Valere trembled. Words came to her lips, but she held them back. ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°If I didn¡¯t, Mistress, you would have found others. People beside me to drink from. I couldn¡¯t bear¡ª¡± ¡°Did I imply, in any way, that you had the right to choose whom I took at night? Did I not tell you that it would be foolish to only drink from one person? That it would kill you, and endanger me? And what did you do, but seek out the ability to become a vampire on your own, without my consent, then sneak attack me in the day and bind me to my coffin? All my trust in you was let down.¡± Valere cowered. She stared at the floor. Her jaw clenched and her fists knotted, but she said nothing. Isa continued, her eyes hard. ¡°Valere, I ban you from the manor. I have already spoken with the System. You shall no longer have access to the place you called home.¡± Valere jolted. She looked up. ¡°Mistress¡ª¡± ¡°Instead, you will remain here, in this village, as I go on my journey. You will watch over the citizens, and ensure they thrive in safety. If I return and find all is well, I might choose to allow you into my manor¡­ and my heart, once more. But if you abandon them, follow me, or in any way fail me again¡­¡± Isa trailed off. Her eyes burned. ¡°I will kill you with my own hand.¡± Levi yawned. He glanced over, and his eyes widened. Wandering off, he knelt and touched the soil. ¡°Mistress, please! Let me come with you. I¡¯ll prove¡ªI¡¯ll regain your trust¡ª¡± Isa lifted her hand. ¡°No. It is not for you to tell me how you¡¯ll regain my trust. I have already told you the method. If you have not heard, then I suppose we can never again understand one another.¡± Valere¡¯s eyes widened. On the brink of tears, she glanced down. She shook her head, but said nothing. Levi stood again. He jogged to Colin¡¯s side. ¡°Have you taken a close look at the soil?¡± Colin shook his head. ¡°No¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s poor. This mountain is a volcano. It¡¯s ashy and thin,¡± Isa stated. ¡°Correct! But incorrect, at the same time. It¡¯s great for grapes,¡± Levi said. He patted the ground, then pointed up. ¡°The ashy soil drains well, and it reflects the heat of the sun. This is the southern face of the mountain. It¡¯s warmer. It¡¯ll keep the grapes from frost in the early spring and late fall. It would take a hardy vine, but with the right grape, this is prime winemaking territory. You have a cash cow right under your feet, whether you know it or not.¡± ¡°Is that so,¡± Isa mused, interested. Valere¡¯s eyes widened. She nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll¡ªI¡¯ll make sure that happens! By the time you return, your lands will be known as the best wine-growing lands in the country.¡± ¡°To accomplish that, you¡¯ll have to protect the citizens,¡± Isa reminded her firmly. Valere nodded. She pressed a hand to her chest. ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah, and you¡¯ll need to make terraces. It¡¯s a big investment, but¡ª¡± Isa cut Levi off. ¡°You?¡± she asked, looking at Valere. ¡°I pledge my life. I shall keep them safe, and build the vineyard.¡± ¡°Excellent.¡± Isa turned away. Levi swished an invisible glass and waggled his brows at Colin. ¡°I do drink¡­ vine¡ªow!¡± Colin retracted his elbow. ¡°Can you be serious for one second?¡± ¡°Er¡­ no? It¡¯s a coping mechanism!¡± Levi shot him a thumbs up. ¡°That doesn¡¯t give you an excuse to be an asshole.¡± ¡°Ah, but that¡¯s where I¡¯ve got you. I don¡¯t need an excuse to be an asshole. I can just¡­ do it.¡± He leaned in. ¡°You¡¯ll find that this is the mindset of many an asshole across the lands. Most just aren¡¯t as charmingly self-aware as me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a way to describe yourself,¡± Colin muttered back. Isa glanced over her shoulder at them. ¡°Are we going, or no?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going! Hell yeah. Vampire acquired!¡± 24. Vampire Acquired They left the little town in the mountains behind. Isa took the lead, guiding them toward the Death Cult¡ªor, at least, the last place she¡¯d known it to be. ¡°I¡¯ll warn you, it was over a hundred years ago. My knowledge likely is not completely accurate.¡± ¡°As long as we get close enough to start the raid, I¡¯m good,¡± Levi replied, nodding. She glanced at them. ¡°I never returned for a reason, you know. If you underestimate the cult, you¡¯ll be the one to die.¡± ¡°I doubt that. I am their Champion, after all.¡± Levi puffed out his chest. ¡°Even worse, then. They¡¯ll seek to control you. Enslave you.¡± ¡°Well, yeah, that sounds horrible. I¡¯ve been there before, and I didn¡¯t like it the first time. But you know. It¡¯s something I can keep in my back pocket as a one-time get-out-of-jail-free card.¡± He paused. ¡°Get-into-jail-free?¡± ¡°That¡¯s usually free,¡± Colin remarked. ¡°Avoid-execution-once, how¡¯s that?¡± Levi asked. ¡°Probably more accurate.¡± Isa narrowed her eyes. ¡°If you think that will save you, you¡¯re more the fool.¡± ¡°Yeah. I know.¡± Levi scowled. He stretched. ¡°We really should just go grind some monsters, huh?¡± ¡°If we see any along the way, we should absolutely fight them. I¡¯m not the only otherworlder the Death Cult kidnapped, or outright summoned. There are others. Others who cooperated with the cult, rather than resist it, as I did. Expect to face people who have had many more years to level up than yourself.¡± Levi popped a salute. ¡°Message received!¡± She flicked her eyes over him, looking him up and down. Quietly, she murmured, ¡°Of course, they aren¡¯t Champions¡­¡± He nodded at her. ¡°Where is this Death Cult, then? It has to be some out of the way place, if they¡¯re openly worshipping the Goddess of Death.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± she commented dryly. The three of them walked on, down the mountain. Day passed into night, night passed back into day. Whenever they encountered a monster, Isa stepped back to let Levi and Colin confront it alone; even Levi didn¡¯t complain. Of the three of them, she had the highest level, so she¡¯d only be hogging EXP for no reason. Even so, Levi began to tire of the monsters they encountered. None of them were difficult, which meant none of them gave much EXP. At night, Colin and Isa swapped off on carrying Levi on their backs. Since he was the only one who needed to sleep, there was no point stopping the whole train to let him sleep, and he agreed. He had no trouble sleeping on the move, so sleep on the move he did. In this manner, they spent one week. At last, they left the forest and its dirt paths to step onto what was unmistakably a road. Levi threw his hands out and dropped to his knees. ¡°And on the seventh day, the Lord said, let them see the goddamned road!¡± Isa looked down on him and shook his head. ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad. Don¡¯t exaggerate.¡± Levi climbed back to his feet. ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad, I guess. I was just starting to despair that this world was nothing but one big forest.¡± Isa laughed. She pointed. ¡°If we¡¯d gone any of the other directions, we would have encountered a town within a day or two at most. It¡¯s only this way that there¡¯s no route.¡± Her eyes hardened. ¡°Deliberately.¡± ¡°Yeah, I get it. Run away from your traumas, and all that.¡± He dusted off his knees and gestured. ¡°Which way now?¡± She pointed. ¡°There¡¯s a town that way. If things remain as they did the last time I came through, it contains the very last outpost of the Death Cult. From here on out, we will both have to step carefully. My face might be recognized, and if you reveal your affiliation¡­¡± ¡°As the Champ¡ª¡± Isa glared. ¡°Message received!¡± He flashed her a grin. She looked at Colin. ¡°As for you¡­ you¡¯ll also want to avoid flashy displays. As you can imagine, the Cult of Death has no particular love of the Goddess of Life and her adherents. You should treat your magic as illegal, and only cast it in the most dire of straits.¡± ¡°No healing pet dogs or small children,¡± Levi said sternly, shaking his finger. ¡°Understood.¡± Colin gripped his staff tighter, then looked at it. He held it away from him, then awkwardly slid it under his coat. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. A generic staff like that has no clear affiliation. No one should question you on sight of that,¡± Isa said, waving her hand dismissively.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Colin hesitated, then pulled it out from under his coat. He nodded. ¡°Then, shall we?¡± Isa strode on once more. Levi looked over his shoulder before he walked on. From here, he could faintly see Isa¡¯s manor, watching over the land from high, high on its mountain. He chuckled under his breath. Too afraid to return, but wary enough she couldn¡¯t resist acting as sentinel. ¡°Like watching a spider on your wall. It¡¯s not so bad while you have it in your sights, but when you look away and it vanishes¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Isa asked, turning back. ¡°Nothing.¡± Levi jogged to catch up. Isa shook her head. More and more traffic filled the roads around them as they walked. Here and there, farms dotted the forests, their fields sharp breaks from the heavy forest all around. Although the majority of the travelers were civilians and merchants, the three of them, armed and cloaked, didn¡¯t stand out. A few other groups of armed and armored people moved around on the road, some of them even better outfitted than the three of them. Some of the merchants, too, were followed by a contingent of protectors. Those eyed the three of them, and everyone else on the road, with a wary gaze. At last, they came to the town. It was a small affair, little more than a single main street and a cluster of houses. Peddlers hawked fresh produce and tasty hand pies. Isa swept through without sparing them a single glance. Levi gazed hungrily at the pies, but had to walk by. He still lacked any coin to purchase them. They exited out the other side. Levi frowned. ¡°That seemed like a perfectly ordinary town. You¡¯re telling me it was an outpost?¡± Isa turned back. She pointed. He followed her finger. On the gate over the town¡¯s exit, a simple skull marking was painted in black. ¡°Don¡¯t trust anyone from this point on. Anyone could be affiliated,¡± she warned gravely. ¡°Yeah, because we¡¯re really chatting up these random fellow travelers of ours,¡± Levi snarked. She gave him a stern look. ¡°Tonight, we¡¯ll stay in a larger town. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll reach the region¡¯s unofficial capital. From there, it¡¯s a straight shot to the cult¡¯s headquarters. When I say don¡¯t trust anyone, take that seriously.¡± Levi put his hands up. ¡°Got it, got it. Don¡¯t worry, Mom. I¡¯m not the trusting sort to begin with.¡± Colin hesitated, then nodded. She tossed her hair. ¡°As long as you understand.¡± They saw the larger town on the horizon long before they arrived. It wasn¡¯t a massive thing, but it stood at the top of a windswept hill. Stone walls surrounded it, breaking the wind and raiders alike on its unfeeling granite walls. The sun set behind it. Piercing rays of light gave the rocky walls a dramatic flare. Ahead of them, the straggling villagers climbed the hill to their homes, while a few merchants huffed and puffed, pushing their carts from behind in an attempt to lighten the load on their beasts of burden. One step at a time, the three of them clambered up the hill. The wind lashed at their capes, sending them into a wild flurry. Isa raised a hand to clasp her hood in place, wary of the sun. Levi let the wind sweep his away. He spread his hands to the sun and laughed. The wind rushed through his hair and his clothes, whisking some of the sweat away. It invigorated him, as refreshing as a spring shower. Following after Isa, with Colin at his heels, he approached the gate. The doors stood wide open. No one blocked their way. There were guards, but they were inspecting a wagon, and waved the three of them through without more than a cursory glance. Isa glanced around from under her hood, visibly wary. She tugged at the hood, making sure it covered her face, then glanced at Levi and Colin. ¡°I¡¯m going to get us a room in the Black Raven. It¡¯s the only inn in town. Has a stuffed raven in the window. Can¡¯t miss it.¡± ¡°And we¡¯re free to wander?¡± She snorted. ¡°We all want dinner, no?¡± ¡°No,¡± Colin said quickly. Levi glanced at him. He turned back around, then grinned at Isa. ¡°We¡¯re still working on it. Cannibalism is a big hump to get over.¡± She cast a wary look Colin¡¯s way. ¡°Right. Don¡¯t deny yourself. Better to take things at your body¡¯s pace than try to refuse what your transformed body needs now.¡± ¡°Trust the vampire,¡± Levi whispered, shaking Colin¡¯s shoulder and pointing at Isa. Isa narrowed her eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t even say that?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Alright, fine.¡± Levi nodded and zipped his lips. He gave her a thumbs up. She sighed. Shaking her head again, she walked away. ¡°So¡­ dinner?¡± Levi asked. Colin gave him a wary look. ¡°Dinner for me, and you can watch,¡± Levi promised. ¡°Give me someone to talk to, so I don¡¯t look like a total loser all alone in the restaurant.¡± He laughed, then nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± -- Not long ago. The black-cloaked figure strode up to a ruined town. The whole town worked together, putting their homes back up in the ashes of their previous homes. As he approached, the townsfolk paused, looking at him¡ªall but three of them. Two shambling, tired-looking figures and a woman in a heavy cloak kept working. The man cleared his throat. The woman paused. She turned at last. Catching sight of him, she stood there in silence, warily eyeing him for a time. ¡°I¡¯m looking for someone. I wonder if you could help me?¡± the man asked loudly, loudly enough the whole town could hear him. The woman stepped forward. She gestured for the rest of the townsfolk to go back to work, and they joined the gray-skinned people in their tasks. Adjusting a pair of heavy work gloves, she looked him up and down. ¡°Who are you looking for?¡± ¡°Three people. Or rather, one, and also two people. A man, alone, wearing simple clothes and carrying a sword. He would be dressed raggedly, likely with some bloodstains.¡± She shook her head. ¡°No idea.¡± ¡°And the other would be two men. One of them very pale, carrying a staff. The other¡­ wielding a sword, perhaps? With a silver tongue?¡± Her brows raised. ¡°Who would like to know?¡± The man smiled. ¡°I notice you haven¡¯t taken off your hood either, madame.¡± She looked down at him like he was a speck of dirt on her shoe. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I will.¡± The man laughed. Smiling, he put a hand to his chest. ¡°If neither of us wishes to reveal our face, then how about this? I¡¯m someone with the world¡¯s best interests at heart.¡± A pained look flashed across her face. ¡°Only the world can know that. You¡¯re only making baseless assumptions.¡± ¡°Nonetheless. Have you seen these men?¡± She paused another second, then lifted her arm and pointed. Into the woods where Isa had vanished. ¡°That way.¡± The man bowed. ¡°Thank you. I will remember this favor.¡± He began to walk away. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± He paused. Turned back. Something ugly flashed over the little he could see of her face. She looked away, hiding even that. ¡°This isn¡¯t a favor. Don¡¯t remember it. Forget you ever met us here.¡± He ducked his head again. ¡°As you wish.¡± Valere watched the man walk away. She only turned away when he was well out of sight. The second she did, a shiver crawled down her spine, making her whole body shake. She ran a hand over the back of her neck. Every instinct told her she¡¯d just escaped death. That she¡¯d met someone more terrifying than anyone she¡¯d ever encountered before. Even Mistress. She shook her head, forcibly banishing the thoughts, and went back to rebuilding. 25. Within the Bounds of the Cult Levi sighed aloud. ¡°Where does anyone find food in this era, huh? Do I even have a choice? Or is it the tavern and nothing?¡± ¡°You can always keep eating rations and jerky,¡± Colin pointed out. ¡°I¡¯m so sick of rations and jerky! Come on. I snitched a few coins off Isa for a reason. Let¡¯s find a place to spend them!¡± ¡°You mean, for you to spend them,¡± Colin muttered. Levi stopped. He looked back, then walked over to Colin. Putting a hand over his shoulders, he leaned in. ¡°Hey, man. Are you doing okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, why?¡± ¡°Look, I¡¯m just saying. If you¡¯re hungry, you need some brains or whatever, just say the word. I am more than happy to go find some degenerate who deserves to die for you. I¡¯ll even kill him for you. Hell, I¡¯ll crack his skull open and find you a spoon¡ª¡± Colin pushed him away. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s fine, Levi.¡± ¡°Are you sure? I mean, you heard Isa. The hundred-year-old vampire knows what she¡¯s talking about. I don¡¯t want you to go berserk.¡± He paused. ¡°Okay, I kind of do want to see that, but for your mental health, let¡¯s say I don¡¯t.¡± Colin rolled his eyes. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Let¡¯s go get some food.¡± Levi grinned. He turned the corner, then gasped. ¡°A restaurant!¡± Following his gaze, Colin found a warm storefront awaiting them. Light poured out from the window and the crack in the door. Through the picture window, they could see dozens of patrons digging into plates of steaming hot steaks, potatoes, and vegetables. They sipped wine or quaffed beer. Everyone smiled, laughing and chattering to one another. ¡°Hot damn, let¡¯s go,¡± Levi muttered. He closed in on the door. ¡°Will Isa¡¯s coins pay for that?¡± ¡°You ever hear of a dine and¡ªfuck!¡± ¡°People usually call that a good first date,¡± Colin replied. Levi rolled his eyes at him. He thumbed at the door. ¡°Private event. Motherfucker. There¡¯s gotta be another place¡­¡± He closed his eyes and sniffed. Taking a few steps, he sniffed again. He took a sharp turn down a narrow alley, then pointed. ¡°I smell something delicious down there. What do you say?¡± Colin started to nod, only to suddenly freeze. He smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll wait here. You go get your food.¡± Levi looked him over. ¡°Dude, seriously. Are you¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine! I just need to sit for a minute and gather some mana,¡± Colin said. He waved his hand. ¡°There¡¯s lots of life mana here because of the party. I¡¯ll just rest here and wait for you.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re sure.¡± Levi glanced at Colin one last time, then shrugged and walked off, following his nose into the next street. The second he left, Colin tensed. His whole body curled around his stomach. His face clenched into a grimace. Cold pain bit into his gut. His body withered under his clothes. He was able to plump it up forcibly by pushing mana into it, but that hurt. It ate at him from within. When he released it, it was all the more obvious how withered he was. Even using the technique withered him more, but what could he do? He couldn¡¯t admit to Levi that he was¡­ not dying, but¡­ collapsing. Falling apart. His hands shook. He clenched them, trying to still the shake. He couldn¡¯t. He was too weak. He grimaced. How pathetic. And the worst part was that he knew the solution. Levi knew the solution, Isa did, everyone did. He knew Levi would help him out. Gods knew the psychopath was more than willing to kill for him. He even believed Levi would find someone ¡®worth killing,¡¯ to the extent that such a thing existed in the world. It was just. Could he do it? Could he eat someone? He already had. Once. But it had been¡­ He shook his head, banishing the memory. Horrible. The worst. He¡¯d lost all control. There was no Colin left. It was just the zombie, taking over. That was what Levi didn¡¯t understand. It wasn¡¯t just that he didn¡¯t want to eat people. He didn¡¯t, but that was only some of the reason. It was the way the other part of him took over. The way Colin vanished, leaving nothing but a slavering undead. And when it was over, and he returned to a bloodsoaked body and the reminder that he wasn¡¯t himself anymore, wasn¡¯t even human, and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it¡ªThe narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. More than anything, that was what hurt. He put his head in his hands. ¡°What do I do?¡± BAM! A door flew open beside him. Startled, Colin lifted his arms to hide his face. Light and conversation spilled out, along with a burly man. The man dragged a boy of about twelve by the arm, his face twisted in anger. He threw the boy up against the opposite wall. The boy slammed into it and dropped to the ground, limp as a ragdoll. Colin stared in disbelief. What? Without hesitating a second, the man stomped over and kicked the boy. ¡°You filth! Daring to spill soup on His Holiness? You¡¯ve shamed me today! Shamed me and my entire restaurant! Filth. Rat. I was a fool to take you in when your mother died. I should have left you to die.¡± The boy laid limply on the floor. He covered his head with his arms and curled up, but he didn¡¯t fight back. His eyes gazed at nothing. Dead. Alive, but dead. For just a second, his and Colin¡¯s eyes met. And then the boy looked away. Colin¡¯s hand clenched in his shirt. His heart ached. No. I can¡¯t just let this happen. The man caught the line of the boy¡¯s gaze and turned to find Colin sitting there. He laughed. ¡°You think that junkie is going to help you? Idiot. He¡¯s just another junkie, strung out on the Cult¡¯s ¡®incense.¡¯ Better off dead, if you ask me.¡± He turned back to the boy and raised his leg again. Pushing off the wall, Colin struggled to his feet. He tried to speak, but his voice stuck in his throat. He cleared it. ¡°Stop.¡± The man paused. He looked at Colin, then laughed. Turning back to the boy, he gestured. ¡°Look, he does want to step in. It¡¯s your lucky day.¡± The boy curled up a little tighter and said nothing. Blood ran down his arms and face. The sharp scent of copper filled Colin¡¯s nose. He swallowed, but it wasn¡¯t enough. Saliva welled up constantly, dribbling down his chin. He forced himself not to look at the kid. Not to look at the blood. ¡°Leave him alone.¡± ¡°Yeah? What¡¯re you gonna do about it? Slobber on me?¡± the man challenged him. He closed in on Colin. A wave of foul breath washed over him, along with the reek of unwashed body. He grimaced, leaning away. His whole body craved that scent. Craved what waited at the other end of it. It smelled so good. Delicious. It shouldn¡¯t! A hand closed around his collar, jerking him back to reality. Colin staggered toward the man. He loomed close, his face huge in Colin¡¯s vision. He shouted something, but Colin couldn¡¯t hear a thing. All he heard was the throb of the man¡¯s jugular. The steady thumping of his heart. The whoosh of his lungs. It¡¯s just the zombie speaking. Resist. Resist. Colin held back. He braced himself with all his might. Curled his hands into fists so tight his fingernails bit into his palms. The man curled his lip derisively. He shoved Colin away and walked back to the boy. ¡°Piece of shit. Now, where was I?¡± He drew back his leg. Rage sparked in Colin¡¯s chest. Something in him snapped. He stomped forward, closing the gap between them in a matter of seconds. He grabbed the man by the shoulder and whipped him around. It¡¯s not just the zombie. I, Colin, agree. This man deserves to die. And I¡¯m really, really, really fucking hungry. Colin opened his mouth wide and lunged for the man¡¯s neck. ¡°Ha? You not done, mother fu¡ª¡± The man¡¯s curse turned into a scream as teeth pierced his neck. Colin bit down hard. He tore through skin, veins, muscle. Blood flowed hot in his mouth. He yanked, pulling a mouthful of muscle with him. The man pushed at him. Punched. Kicked. Colin felt none of it. He grappled the man closer, taking bite after bite. Unlife-giving food flowed down his throat. Heat. Meat. Nothing else passed through his mind. Just the simple joy of food, the desperate satiation of a starving hunger. At last, Colin looked up. He gasped a breath. The man had stopped struggling at some point. He laid on the ground now, torn apart. Little of his body remained. His bones were snapped, his muscle gnawed off, his head split open. He looked down to find a mushy gray goo in his palm. Brains. He shrugged to himself and slurped it down. Clap clap clap. Rapid, furious applause sounded out. Colin looked up sharply. Levi stood there, applauding. He caught Colin¡¯s look and froze, then grinned. ¡°Er, congrats? I hope?¡± Colin laughed. It sounded high-pitched to his ears, a little off-kilter, but he meant it. ¡°Yeah. Congrats it is.¡± Levi patted him on the shoulder. His full muscled, firm shoulder, not the withered skin-and-bone thing it had become. Taking a bite of a chicken kabob, he grinned at Colin. ¡°I¡¯m proud of ya. Seriously.¡± Colin nodded. He stood, looking down at himself. A bloody mess smeared down the front of his clothes. He pulled them away from him. ¡°Ugh. I need some water.¡± A high-pitched noise caught his attention. The boy still laid at the edge of the alley. He stared at Colin, frozen in shock. Colin shooed him gently away. ¡°Run. You¡¯re free now.¡± The boy scrambled backward. He stumbled to his feet and fled, leaving the alley behind at speed. Levi grinned at him. He nudged Colin. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you! Good on ya, man. I knew you could do it.¡± Colin pushed him away. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Let¡¯s go find a well.¡± ¡°We definitely should.¡± Levi peered around. He reached for his cloak, but Colin pushed it back at him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Between bloodied clothes and the monstrosities wrapped around you, I¡¯d rather hide the monstrosities,¡± Colin said. Levi froze, then peered under his cape. The Spinal Cord glittered, and the Armalgam¡¯s connections shone in the low light. He nodded slowly. ¡°Fair. I don¡¯t suppose our friend down there had a cloak?¡± Colin looked at the bloody, gnawed mess. ¡°Even if there was, I don¡¯t think it¡¯d be clean.¡± ¡°Fair enough. What do you say we make tracks before the police come?¡± ¡°Does this world have police?¡± ¡°Probably not, but¡ª¡± The back door swung open. Gold light played over Levi, Colin, and the gnawed body lying against the wall. A woman locked eyes with them, an empty bottle tucked under her arm. Her arm went limp. The bottle fell. Levi lunged. He threw his hand out and caught the bottle before it shattered on the ground. Turning, he smiled at the woman. ¡°Hi! Please don¡¯t scream. I swear we¡¯re friendl¡ª¡± A piercing shriek rent the night air. 26. And So, Here We Are A piercing shriek rent the night air. Levi sighed. ¡°So much for that.¡± Guests rushed toward the rear door. Levi grabbed Colin and whirled, running for the exit to the alley. Not the one toward the restaurant¡¯s entrance, but deeper, toward the direction he¡¯d found the chicken kabob. Another door opened further ahead. Men and women streamed out, blocking his way. Levi swept Colin up over his shoulder. He reached out the Armalgam¡¯s arms and pushed its palms into either side of the wall. Putting his mana into the construct, he scurried up the two walls toward the ceiling. ¡°Freeze.¡± Energy gripped his body and the Armalgam together. Levi struggled against it, to no avail. Whoever had caught him was far more powerful than him. Oh, fuck. He glanced at Colin. ¡°How do you feel about a second cast of Miracle?¡± Colin grimaced. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s what I thought.¡± The power drew Levi and Colin down, back to the ground. A young woman with pure white hair glared at them, her eyes flared wide. Her chest heaved. ¡°You foolish heretics dare interrupt our dinner?¡± ¡°Heretics? What? Murderers I get, but heretics¡­¡± Levi trailed off. His eyes lit up, and he tried to snap his fingers, only to fail under the immobilization magic. ¡°You¡¯re the Death Cult!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± a soft voice said. The young woman turned. She quickly scurried backward and bowed. ¡°Your Holiness!¡± A man in long dark robes embellished with skulls and purple embroidery drew close. He looked down at Levi and Colin. ¡°What were you two doing?¡± ¡°Er, just trying to grab a bite, Your Holiness. If you don¡¯t mind, we¡¯ll go ahead and get out of your sight forever,¡± Levi promised with a smile. The man peered over at the gnawed corpse. He smiled back and raised his staff. A vicious green light swirled at the staff¡¯s tip. ¡°Wait, wait, wait. Your Holiness! Are you really going to kill a promising young talent like me?¡± Levi asked. The man hesitated. He tilted his head. ¡°Promising young talent?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! I was just an ordinary boy until I unraveled the secrets of nec¡­of Overbringing all on my own. I raised this corpse,¡± he tried to pat Colin, and when that failed, turned his eyes toward the zombie, ¡°and brought it all the way here to show the Cult. It got hungry at the last minute¡­ I¡¯m so sorry, Your Holiness! I¡¯m just a young Overbringer. All I wanted was to join the Death Cult.¡± ¡°Overbringer? I¡¯ve never heard of such a thing,¡± the man mused. ¡°Ah, yes! In my town, it¡¯s an honor for it to be brought back to life by an Overbringer. It was suppressed by Ician when they conquered us¡­ maybe that¡¯s why you¡¯ve never heard of it?¡± Levi said quickly. ¡°Interesting. A primitive form of true necromancy¡­¡± The man raised his eyebrows. He turned to an older woman beside him. ¡°Is this Shaheed¡¯s one to keep an eye on, do you think?¡± ¡°He could very well be, Your Holiness.¡± Levi beamed, waiting. He looked from one to the other, almost like a puppy looking for a treat, with the same brainless desperation behind it. What the fuck is gong on. What are they talking about? Do I want to be Shaheed¡¯s eyes-on-guy, or whatever? The man cast a glance at the gnawed body. ¡°I did find our host rather tasteless.¡± ¡°My zombie didn¡¯t! I mean, haha, forgive me, your Holiness,¡± Levi mumbled, voice fading. ¡°You wish to join the Death Cult?¡± the man asked. I wish to survive. Levi nodded eagerly. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The man snapped his fingers. Green light flew from the large dark gem at the tip of his staff and seared toward Levi. Levi flinched away, but to no avail. It burned into the back of his hand, forming a primitive skull brand. He winced. Yikes. Now I have a tacky tattoo forever. Aloud, he laughed in joy. ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± The white-haired young woman clicked her tongue. ¡°Inducted by His Holiness himself? You should be groveling on your knees!¡± ¡°I¡¯m being immobilized by you. What the fuck do you want me to do?¡± Levi snapped. The man chuckled. He patted the white-haired girl on the shoulder. ¡°Release him, Demi. He¡¯s one of us, now.¡± Tsking again, she snapped her fingers. Motion returned to Levi¡¯s limbs. He quickly stood, offering Colin a hand up. Wary, Colin stood, then shuffled behind Levi. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to great things from you, young man.¡± Levi bowed. When he stood, the man in ornate robes had left. The old woman remained. She handed Levi a piece of paper. ¡°Recruitment starts at dawn. Arrive on time, or we will leave you behind. Don¡¯t think you have any special status just because His Holiness inducted you.¡± ¡°Nah, I¡¯m used to that.¡± Levi took the paper. He gave it a cursory glance, then stuffed it in his pocket. The men and women filtered back into the room, leaving him and Colin alone in the alley. All alone, Levi sighed. ¡°Fuck.¡± ¡°That bad?¡± Colin asked. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s not actually that bad. I mean, easier to destroy from within than without, right?¡± He pressed his lips together and shook his head. ¡°Isa¡¯s gonna rip us a new one, though.¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Colin tensed. His eyes widened. He nodded, slowly. ¡°Oh well. What¡¯s done is done! Let¡¯s go get you washed and scurry on home. Sooner we get it done, the sooner we get it over with.¡± Returning to his usual upbeat self, Levi clapped Colin on the shoulder and led the way down the road. He glanced back. ¡°I think you know, but around them¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk, act like a brainless zombie. Yep. I¡¯m not stupid.¡± ¡°Last thing we want is for them to figure out¡­ well.¡± Levi shook his head and walked on. He threw up his hands. ¡°Fuckin¡­ terrible dungeon design, man.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Levi gestured. ¡°This world, you know? It¡¯s got all the trappings of a game. Magic, a system, levels, skills¡­ but who the hell throws the final boss right at the start of the dungeon? That¡¯s not my fault.¡± Colin snorted. ¡°It isn¡¯t a game, though.¡± ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s the problem, isn¡¯t it? The final boss can just walk out of the dungeon and go wherever he wants.¡± ¡°At least we learned a lot. We know what he looks like. And what his bodyguards look like. So we know who to avoid, now,¡± Colin pointed out. Levi snorted. ¡°So we¡¯re calling this one a scouting run?¡± ¡°Yeah! That¡¯s the word I was looking for.¡± He shook his head. ¡°No. You¡¯re right, though. Not a total loss. And actually¡­ Isa aside¡­¡± He waggled the back of his hand at Colin. ¡°I can get some mileage out of this one.¡± Colin tensed. He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. ¡°Why does that make me worried?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t make you worried. It should make the Death Cult worried, though.¡± He grinned and walked away, leading the way through the town. -- They arrived back at the inn well after dark, Colin and Levi both sopping wet. Using the key Isa had given him, Levi let himself in the back door and led the way up the stairs. He unlocked the door to their room and peered inside. Isa sat in the window, one leg propped up in the frame, the other dangling in the room. She stared out at the night, letting her breath fog on the cool air. As the door creaked shut, she sighed. ¡°You¡¯re late.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± She turned, then did a double take. ¡°And wet.¡± Levi shrugged. ¡°Little Timmy fell down the well, so¡­¡± Colin glanced at Levi. ¡°I needed a wash, and he joined in for fun, I guess.¡± ¡°What? What ¡®for fun.¡¯ I¡¯m disgusting. We¡¯re all disgusting. How long has it been since any of us bathed? I figured I might as well get a bath, as long as Colin was washing up.¡± Isa raised her brows. She nodded slowly. He shook himself and shot a hopeful look at the Count. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you have a spare set of clothes?¡± ¡°Not for you.¡± She went to turn back to the window, then froze. She turned, oh-so-slowly. Isa narrowed her eyes, glaring at Levi¡¯s hand. He laughed coquettishly and flipped his wrist at her, showing her the brand. ¡°Do you like my new ink?¡± Her jaw worked. Her hand clenched on the windowsill, and the wood cracked. Levi glanced at his hand, apparently blissfully unaware of Isa¡¯s growing anger. ¡°It doesn¡¯t wash off, by the way! I tried.¡± ¡°You joined. The Death Cult. The Cult I told you not to¡ª¡± Levi put his hands up. ¡°Okay, okay. Wait, wait, wait. Listen. Here¡¯s what happened.¡± He quickly explained the situation, including the party in the restaurant and their near escape. At last, he finished, ¡°¡­and that¡¯s how Colin got over his fear of eating people!¡± Isa lowered her head slightly. She glared. ¡°Is that all?¡± Levi shook his head. ¡°Of course not. That¡¯s the funny part. The important part is that we¡¯re gonna break this thing open from the inside. We could just attack the cult, but that¡¯s boring. Why not tear them apart slowly? Turn them against one another. Let them do some of our work for us. Plus, it plays to my strengths.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Isa asked. Her voice remained cold, but a bit of intrigue glittered in her eyes. ¡°If we infiltrate the Death Cult, I can slowly convert our fellow cultists to zombies, and use them to further spread the zombification throughout the cult. Once we have enough of the cult zombified, we can start sowing the seeds of fear among the cult. Make them question who¡¯s zombifying them. Who the true culprit is. Plant evidence on some high-rank cultist and then¡­¡± He waggled his brows. Isa considered. At last, she stood and dusted her pants off. ¡°It¡¯s a bit crude, but it has the makings of a good plan. I certainly appreciate that you put some thought into this, rather than merely attempting to take on the Death Cult head-on. You¡¯d certainly die if you tried that. Instead, you¡¯re just somewhat certain to die.¡± ¡°What? Certain to die? And you were just going to let me?¡± She shrugged. ¡°It sounded amusing.¡± Levi sighed. He shook his head. ¡°Sending me to my death for your amusement. How original.¡± ¡°But I can¡¯t enter the Death Cult like this. Someone would surely recognize me.¡± She stretched, leaning left, then right and bent over, touching her toes. ¡°So¡­ you gonna turn into a bat, or something?¡± Isa laughed. ¡°Or something.¡± She lifted her cloak and spun it around her, obscuring her body from view. When it settled back around her shoulders, a younger, fresh-faced Isa stood before them. She was flat-chested and her hips were thin as well, and there was more muscle on her body than before. Levi blinked. He looked Isa up and down, then turned over his shoulder at Colin. He pointed. ¡°Is she a dude now?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Isa said, in a deeper voice. ¡°One of my skills lets me freely modify my body shape. I could have turned into a child, an elder¡­ a wolf¡­¡± ¡°One of these things is not like the others,¡± Levi muttered. Ignoring him, she continued. ¡°I turned into a boy your age. The kind of person the cult recruits. And of course, I already have the mark.¡± She lowered her collar to her shoulder, showing him an identical skull mark to the one on his hand. ¡°Why a boy?¡± Levi asked. ¡°Because there are cultists who might remember what I looked like as a girl.¡± She touched her head, feeling her long hair, then frowned and focused. Her hair shortened to jaw length. Drawing out a ribbon, she tied it up into a very short ponytail. Long bangs hung to either side of her eyes. The resulting look reminded him of characters from colonial-era dramas, except she had natural dark hair in the place of a powdered wig. She looked down at her baggy suit and frowned. Pinching and patting, she reshaped it to fit her new body. She changed its detailing, too, turning the fine suit into a much cruder, simpler one. In a few moments, a handsome boy in a slightly ragged suit stood before them. ¡°Fair enough. Er. Pronouns?¡± Isa gave him a look. ¡°I¡¯m disguising myself as a boy. Obviously, use ¡®he.¡¯¡± ¡°Hey, just checking. It¡¯s polite to check,¡± Levi said, shrugging. He paused again. ¡°Even in private?¡± ¡°Nothing is private within the cult.¡± Levi gasped. He staggered back and grabbed Colin¡¯s shoulder. Isa and Colin both looked at him. Colin sighed. ¡°What?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve downgraded to a sausage party,¡± Levi said, distraught. Colin rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m still a woman. I¡¯m just a man right now,¡± Isa pointed out. ¡°But physically. Wait. Physically¡­?¡± He squinted at Isa. ¡°No.¡± ¡°No? Not a sausage party?¡± ¡°No, you won¡¯t find out,¡± Isa replied, grinning. ¡°Damn. Hey, speaking of. What¡¯s your boy name?¡± He tossed his hair¡ªor tried to. It was too short to toss. ¡°Isadore. You can carry on calling me Isa.¡± ¡°Convenient, having a masculine version of your name one letter away,¡± Levi remarked. ¡°Indeed it is. Not the first time I¡¯ve taken a masculine form. I¡¯ll have to reveal myself as a vampire sooner or later, but as long as I get past the entrance exam without being revealed, I¡¯ll be fine. I doubt the low ranking members of the cult have been around long enough to remember my first time through. It¡¯s only the older, high-ranking members who might recognize me.¡± ¡°Only the dangerous ones? Got it, got it.¡± Levi adjusted imaginary glasses and pretended to take notes. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°This skill takes a great deal of mana, so don¡¯t expect me to cast it at will. Only if you have an excellent reason to require shapeshifting, will I consider using it.¡± Levi saluted. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Isa gestured at the beds. ¡°Go to sleep, so we can join the Death Cult.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ let me dry out first,¡± Levi said, looking at himself. Isa snapped his fingers. A wind gusted, blowing fiercely around Levi and Colin. It whipped their clothes against them and rushed through their hair. When it passed, their hair and clothes were both dry. ¡°Wow, thanks,¡± Levi said, looking over himself. He flopped down into the bed and curled up. ¡°Nighty night.¡± 27. Infiltrating the Death Cult A cold hand grabbed his shoulder. ¡°Wake up.¡± Levi startled awake. He drew his knife and lunged, stabbing center-of-mass. Isa caught him by the wrist. In a flash, he extended his free hand to Levi¡¯s shoulder and forced him back to the bed. The two of them stared at each other, Levi¡¯s heart pounding, Isa stone cold. Abruptly, Levi smiled. He patted Isa on the shoulder. ¡°Just testing you! Haha.¡± Isa released him and stepped back. ¡°Sure you were.¡± Levi took a deep breath. He ran a hand through his hair. It was still dark outside, not even the faintest glimmer of dawn on the horizon. ¡°What time is it?¡± ¡°Time to get moving.¡± Isa threw his cloak on. Wiping his eyes, Levi called the Armalgam and the Spinal Cord to him. He dragged his cloak on over both. Colin stretched, then put his arms out in front of him and shambled toward the stairs. Levi paused. He patted Colin on the shoulder and shook his head. ¡°Just act normal.¡± Colin lowered his hands. Embarrassed, he rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°I guess I don¡¯t know what normal zombies are like.¡± ¡°Just¡­ you know. Normal. Pretend like I gave you orders to act like a normal human being,¡± Levi clarified. Colin nodded. He gave Levi a thumbs up. Straightening his back, he rolled his shoulders rearward, puffed up his chest, and marched forward with purpose. Isa shook his head at them. ¡°Honestly, both of you are ridiculous.¡± ¡°Says the vampire.¡± ¡°What¡¯s so ridiculous about that?¡± ¡°The shapeshifting, overpowered vampire.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that I¡¯ve worked hard and leveled up a lot in my long life,¡± Isa said, tossing his hair again. They reached the ground floor and emerged into the back of the inn. A short walk later, they reached the place that had been written on Levi¡¯s paper. To his surprise, they weren¡¯t the only ones there. A few young men and women already stood around in the early dawn, milling about the empty square. Levi approached one of the groups and flashed a smile. ¡°Here for the Death Cult, too?¡± The group looked up. Two girls and one boy, all of them about Levi¡¯s age, met his eyes. One of the girls had long, slender ears, the boy had wolf¡¯s ears, and the final girl lurked over the other two, with an impressively muscular build, a large body, and slightly green-tinged skin. The elf-girl was the first to speak. She laughed and gave a friendly nod, glancing toward his swords. ¡°That¡¯s right. I take it you¡¯re here for the same reason as us?¡± ¡°Of course! Which would be¡­?¡± ¡°Easy access to the region¡¯s largest dungeon,¡± the muscular girl grunted. Seeing Levi¡¯s surprised expression, the wolf-boy leaned in. ¡°The Death Cult controls the entrance to the only serious dungeon around here. Usually, they¡¯re controlled by the Church, but since the Death Cult has more influence here, it¡¯s taken over the dungeon. Adventurers like us need to¡­ ¡®join the Death Cult¡¯ in order to access it.¡± From the other side, Isa leaned in. ¡°It¡¯s not uncommon for career adventurers to pledge themselves to several different gods and goddesses in order to access dungeons. Almost every dungeon entrance is maintained by a cult or religion, perhaps in imitation of the central Church¡¯s control of the mainland¡¯s largest dungeons. Even I have my fair share of false pledges to various lesser churches.¡± ¡°Oh. You know, if I¡¯d known that, I definitely would¡¯ve entered the Death Cult to get access,¡± Levi said. He shook his head. ¡°Unfortunately, we were recruited due to inevitable yet unfortunate events. But you are correct in guessing that we¡¯re adventurers! I, Levi, and my friends Isa and Colin here, are looking to level up.¡± Isa nodded. Colin glanced at Levi, confused. Conflict played across his face as he struggled between acting like a zombie and playing along as a normal person. In a kind of compromise, he gave a vague head bob, almost but not quite like a nod. ¡°I¡¯m Mae, and that¡¯s Roan, and that¡¯s Piri,¡± the elf said, pointing at the wolf boy and the green-skinned girl in turn. ¡°The Death Cult is definitely the most intense religion we¡¯ve joined yet, but the dungeon is really top notch.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Levi asked, interested. Mae nodded. ¡°It¡¯s one of the three Great Dungeons on the continent, and it¡¯s the only one of the three not maintained by the Church. Plus, everyone¡¯s afraid of the Death Cult, which means the dungeon is almost untouched. Compared to all the other over-delved dungeons, where you have to dive super deep to get any decent loot, the Death Cult¡¯s dungeon is the best stocked and the least well cleaned out! Even low-level adventurers like us can come away with really nice loot!¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re getting me excited,¡± Levi said, grinning. Not just the Death Cult itself, but also a dungeon? Hell yeah. We should¡¯ve just planned to join the cult from the beginning! Roan put a hand on Mae¡¯s shoulder, calming her. He turned a sober expression toward Levi and his group. ¡°But the Death Cult¡¯s dungeon is also the most dangerous of all the dungeons, precisely because it hasn¡¯t been delved or mapped before. We can¡¯t underestimate its difficulty. Plus, the Death Cult isn¡¯t known for its loving care toward its initiates. We¡¯ll be thrown in with whatever we have on our backs, and may not be let out after we get injured. In fact, the Death Cult is notorious for not releasing those sent into its dungeon unless they return with their objective.¡± Levi raised his brows. ¡°Bunch of entry-camping assholes, then, is what you¡¯re saying.¡± ¡°Strange words,¡± Piri grumbled. Isa kicked him. ¡°Don¡¯t use otherworld terms,¡± he muttered quietly. Loudly, he continued, ¡°We¡¯re from an isolated village in the mountains. Please forgive my friend¡¯s strange language. He hasn¡¯t learned any better.¡± Mae waved her hand. ¡°It¡¯s fine! You should¡¯ve heard me, in my first month out of the forest. Oh! It was so embarrassing. I was using all kinds of weird elf terms¡­¡± ¡°Y¡¯know, since I came down th¡¯ mountain, I ain¡¯t seen anythin¡¯ but humans,¡± Levi slurred in a poor imitation of a Southern accent. This time, it was Colin who nudged him. ¡°We mostly stick to our own countries, far away from the humans. But when you¡¯re an adventurer, you need to travel if you want to find the best dungeons,¡± Roan explained.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°No human make party, so party together,¡± Piri explained. Mae pressed her hands together and smiled apologetically at them. ¡°Sorry, Piri is a short-lived race, so she couldn¡¯t take the time to learn Common.¡± Roan rolled his eyes at Mae. ¡°Everyone¡¯s a short-lived race compared to you. She could¡¯ve learned Common, like I did.¡± Piri grinned. ¡°Piri lazy.¡± ¡°I approve of that. Honestly, based,¡± Levi said, nodding. He looked at Roan. ¡°So, the different races each have their own countries? Do you have your own religions, then, and not the Church?¡± Roan shook his head. ¡°The central Church isn¡¯t as powerful in my country as it is in the human country, and the individual branches that each worship one of the gods are more powerful, but we follow religion. We aren¡¯t godless.¡± ¡°No, I mean, other¡­¡± Levi trailed off, realizing he was being a bit stupid. In this world, the gods were material. Real, physical beings. They could appear on the planet and speak to individual worshippers. Why would there be any religion but the religion? After all, even if some false god sprung up, the real gods could quickly quash their sect before it got large. He raised his brows. And actually, what¡¯s to say that¡¯s not how gods are born? I don¡¯t know anything about holy physics. Maybe they all started as false gods, but reached a critical mass of worship and became true gods. Or maybe they were sufficiently powerful humans that they became worthy of worship and ascended to godhood, and false gods randomly concocted by conmen looking to found cults are just as false as they are in my original world. I have no idea. I¡¯m just spitballing. ¡°Huh?¡± Roan tilted his head. His ears flopped with the motion, just like a puppy trying to figure out what strange command he¡¯d been given. ¡°No, no, no. Never mind.¡± Levi swung his hands, looking around. The first rays of dawn had begun to glimmer on the horizon, which meant it was time for the Death Cult to arrive. He craned his neck and searched the far end of the clearing, looking for any of the people he¡¯d seen at the party last night. Someone smacked into his shoulder. They clearly meant to knock Levi to the side, but with his twenty-some levels worth of strength enhancements and the sheer mass of the Armalgam and the Spinal Cord on his side, Levi stood stock still, not budging an inch, while the one who knocked into him bounced off and almost fell to the ground. All six of them stood and stared at the man who¡¯d bounced off Levi. Dressed all in black, with black hair and heavy black eyeliner, the man recovered. He drew himself to his full height and spat. ¡°Fake Death Cult converts. You¡¯ll be the first to die.¡± Levi rolled his eyes. In a high-pitched voice, he said, ¡°It¡¯s not a phase, mom!¡± The man tensed. He started to turn back, then forced himself not to. With visible effort, he ignored Levi, sauntering off to a large group of other black-dressed and black-haired people. They looked over their shoulders and laughed at the six of them. Lifting his hand to his eyes, Levi shook his head. ¡°Damn. Bunch of fuckin¡¯ emos.¡± Isa frowned. He narrowed his eyes at the emos. ¡°The Death Cult wasn¡¯t like this when I was here. The cult members were¡­ different. Truly devoted to the cause.¡± Levi glanced at him. ¡°Devoted to the cause? You longing for the good old days?¡± Isa glared at him. ¡°No. We simply weren¡¯t posers.¡± ¡°Heh. You should go tell them that,¡± he said. ¡°No.¡± As dawn began to truly blossom over the horizon, and the crowds swelled ever so slightly further, the white-haired girl and the old woman who¡¯d handed Levi the instructions walked out of the street and stood before the crowd. The white-haired girl stood deferentially behind the old woman. Stepping forward, the old woman cleared her throat. ¡°Everyone who wishes to join our vaunted sect, please step forward and form a line. If you already bear the mark, stand to the left. If you do not yet bear a mark, stand to the right. Once everyone has been properly evaluated, we will proceed directly to the dungeon. No one will be permitted to enter the sect until they prove themselves by slaying at least one gem-bearing monster within the dungeon, nor will they be permitted out of the dungeon. If you are in a party, that does mean one gem per party member.¡± Levi nodded. He pinched his chin. ¡°I think I¡¯ve figured out how the cult makes money.¡± ¡°This is the least of it,¡± Isa muttered darkly. The old lady clapped her hands. ¡°Now then. Queue up.¡± Immediately, two lines began to form. The right line grew longer by the second, while only a few people stood in the left line. All the dark-dressed people, who had stood near the front of the space, lined up toward the front of the right-hand line. The one who¡¯d bumped into Levi smirked back at them. Mae sighed. She shook her head. ¡°I guess it¡¯s the back of the line for us.¡± ¡°Speak for yourself.¡± Smugly, Levi flashed the skull on the back of his hand. Isa tapped his shoulder. Colin gazed at nothing, truly uncertain what to do in this situation. ¡°Really? Wow! You guys were committed. Maybe next time we should do that,¡± Mae said. ¡°I told you we should get marked ahead of time,¡± Roan complained. He shook his head and walked slowly to the end of the long line. The man who¡¯d bumped into Levi laughed. He turned to Levi, an expectant look on his face. Levi turned to him. He started to walk toward the right-hand line, and the man¡¯s smirk grew deeper. Abruptly, he stopped and looked at his hand. He put on a shocked expression, then flashed the mark at the emo man and flaunted his way toward the left line. The man¡¯s expression soured. He glared after Levi, deeply irritated. ¡°Do you have to be such a drama queen about everything?¡± Isa muttered. ¡°I prefer drama king, thanks.¡± ¡°That guy is absolutely going to try to kill us,¡± he warned him. Levi spread his hands. ¡°So? What¡¯s the problem? We¡¯re here to kill Death Cult people. It¡¯s easier for me to justify self-defense than murder.¡± Isa opened his mouth, then shut it. He shrugged. ¡°I guess.¡± They drew up to the front of the left line in no time. The others in line were villagers and locals, people who had clearly grown up in the Death Cult. Their eyes shone with excitement, and they carried cheap or improvised weapons. The girl ahead of them in line turned back. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you around. Are you believers in the Death Cult from afar?¡± Levi opened his mouth, then closed it. He smiled. ¡°Yes, indeed.¡± ¡°Wow. That must have been hard. I know it¡¯s not easy to worship the Death Goddess outside of our homeland,¡± she said. ¡°No. No one understands the beauty of uh, dying¡­?¡± Levi tried. ¡°No. There¡¯s this perception that the Death Cult is a cult about killing, but that¡¯s not it at all! We just worship the sanctity of nature and the inevitability of death. If you ask me, the Life Goddess and her healing powers are the ones who are truly unnatural.¡± She shook her head disappointedly. ¡°Right, yeah,¡± Levi said. ¡°Welcome home. You¡¯re safe here. You can worship our Goddess to your heart¡¯s content,¡± she said, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder. He clasped her hand. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll remember this kindness.¡± ¡°Of course! Oh, how about this? Since it¡¯ll be your first one after so long outside, how about I save you a front row seat to the ritual killing of nonbelievers this new moon? After we get our gems, of course!¡± She grinned at him and tapped the side of her head. ¡°That would be awesome! The ritual killing¡­?¡± What happened to ¡®not being all about killing,¡¯ huh? ¡°You don¡¯t have that outside? Ah, of course not. Bathing in the blood of the slaughtered would be hard if you have to hide your religion, not to mention it¡¯s hard to make flutes from their bones, too. For the dance afterward, of course.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the problem, yeah. The bone flutes,¡± Levi said, nodding. Colin stared at her, wide-eyed. Slowly, he turned toward Levi. His brows raised so high they almost left his forehead entirely. She clasped her hands. ¡°You¡¯re going to love it. It¡¯s a great way to give our thanks to the Goddess and punish nonbelievers at the same time.¡± ¡°Two birds, one stone,¡± Levi agreed. Behind him, Isa glowered in disapproval, but said nothing. ¡°Next.¡± ¡°Oh! It¡¯s my turn. We¡¯ll have to talk later!¡± The girl turned around. Levi glanced over his shoulder. ¡°So, Isa, how many times have you bathed in the blood of the innocent?¡± ¡°Zero.¡± Isa¡¯s glower grew deeper. ¡°Something has changed. The Death Cult wasn¡¯t so crude when I was a member. It had a purpose. A purpose I deeply disagreed with, but a purpose nonetheless. Now, it¡¯s merely¡­¡± ¡°A lifestyle?¡± ¡°I was going to say ¡®a club.¡¯¡± ¡°Same difference.¡± Colin leaned in. ¡°Are we evil?¡± ¡°Only if you want to be. The cult is evil, for sure,¡± Levi replied. ¡°I mean¡­ we¡¯re aligned with the goddess this cult worships. Doesn¡¯t that make us evil-aligned, as well?¡± Levi shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t see it that way. It¡¯s not like I asked for her blessing. She gave it freely, and I¡¯m going to use it freely. Whether it¡¯s good or evil is up to me. As for the cult¡­ I mean, I told her what I was going to do to it, and she hasn¡¯t said anything. I think she might not actually care about the cult too much.¡± ¡°Next.¡± Levi stepped forward. He flashed a winning smile and extended his hand. Before he could even say anything, the old lady edged up behind the man who was inspecting marks. ¡°That one was marked by His Holiness, himself. He¡¯s the one Shaheed said to keep an eye on.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± the man looked Levi up and down, an appraising look on his face. Levi waved. ¡°Hi.¡± From behind Levi came a booming voice. ¡°I said what?¡± 28. I Said What The old lady looked up. Levi spun around. A hulking man even larger than Piri with blue-tinged skin stood over them. He had the same build as Piri, and a similar face. He crossed his arms. ¡°I did recommend someone to the cult, but it wasn¡¯t this pipsqueak.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The old lady looked Levi up and down. She squinted. ¡°Then what were you doing¡ª¡± Levi put his hands on his chin and gave her puppy dog eyes. ¡°I was just so eager to join the cult that I couldn¡¯t help myself. I snuck into the back of the party so that senpai would notice me, uwu.¡± Isa kicked him. Even Colin gave him an exasperated look. Shaheed laughed. He waved his hand. ¡°No need to punish someone so eager to join our ranks, Knell. We¡¯ll simply count him as another adherent. Isn¡¯t it always a joyous thing to welcome new soldiers to our ranks?¡± Levi winced. ¡°Don¡¯t call me that. I have trauma over that word.¡± ¡°What, adherent?¡± Isa asked. ¡°No. Soldier.¡± ¡°Here is the man I meant to introduce. A powerful otherworlder who sees things the way we do.¡± Shaheed flourished his cape, throwing it aside to gesture behind him. From the back of the plaza, a man walked forth. He moved with deadly purpose, his head low, eyes blazing. His broad shoulders were firmly set, and a sword sat on his back, hilt within easy reach at his shoulder. Every inch of him was covered in lean muscle. Even the way he walked spoke to the poise and strength of a warrior. ¡°Mother fuck,¡± Levi muttered, narrowing his eyes. Kai strode into the center of the field. He looked around haughtily and put a hand on his hip. ¡°I heard there¡¯s a dangerous dungeon here?¡± ¡°Boo, hiss. No one asked for you,¡± Levi complained loudly. Kai turned. He met Levi¡¯s eyes, and his narrowed. He jolted to a halt. ¡°I thought you would have died by now.¡± ¡°I was hoping the same for you,¡± Levi retorted. Shaheed¡¯s eyes widened. He looked from Levi to Kai. ¡°Do you know one another? Then, are you, perhaps, also an¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen this trailer trash before in my life,¡± Kai declared. ¡°Yeah, same. I don¡¯t hang with total edgelord losers like that guy,¡± Levi replied. The man checking marks looked from Levi to Kai, then back to Knell, completely lost. He gestured at Levi. ¡°Ma¡¯am, should I let him in, or¡­?¡± ¡°Let him in. At the end of the day, His Holiness still marked him personally. We must honor that mark.¡± The man nodded. He gestured at Levi. ¡°Come on in, then. Welcome to the Cult.¡± Levi stepped forward. Colin followed. ¡°Wait, hold on. I haven¡¯t checked him yet,¡± the man called. Shaheed stepped in front of Colin. ¡°Stop right there.¡± ¡°He¡¯s mine,¡± Levi asserted. The man at the desk looked at Knell. She paused, then nodded. ¡°Let him through.¡± Shaheed raised his brows. He looked at Colin, then reluctantly stepped aside. As he did, he tossed a nod at Knell. ¡°You¡¯ll tell me about this later.¡± She hummed primly. ¡°Perhaps.¡± Levi raised his brows. Interesting. She didn¡¯t clarify aloud that Colin is my zombie. I wonder why not? And the way she acted toward Shaheed¡­ His gaze flicked to Shaheed, then away. Internal politics weren¡¯t his problem. Not until they became convenient for him, anyways. Behind him, Isa lowered his shirt, showing the man behind the desk his mark. The man peered at it, then nodded and marked Isa¡¯s name. Isa buttoned up his shirt and joined Levi on the far side of the line, where those accepted into the cult milled around at random. Kai stood alone in the corner, arms crossed. ¡°Hey! You guys got in, too? Congrats!¡± Mae offered Levi a high five. Levi took it. He nodded over her shoulder. ¡°Look at that loser in the corner. His hair in his face like a real cool guy, a cold look in his eyes. Trying to be tall, dark, and dangerous, but he doesn¡¯t even pull off tall. Honestly, I¡¯m embarrassed for him.¡± Mae tilted her head. She looked Kai up and down. ¡°He looks pretty tall to me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Levi turned. He looked Kai up and down. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it tall, per se.¡± ¡°He¡¯s taller than you.¡± ¡°That is entirely beside the point,¡± Levi insisted firmly. Mae giggled. She glanced at Isa. ¡°Do you guys know that guy?¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Who, Levi? Never heard of him,¡± Isa said, glancing in the opposite direction. ¡°Aww, what do you mean? We¡¯re besties. You¡¯ve even sucked on my neck before. It doesn¡¯t get any closer than that.¡± Isa winced. He grimaced. ¡°Don¡¯t remind me.¡± Mae¡¯s eyes widened. She looked from one to the other. ¡°You two have that kind of relationship? Gosh! I never would have guessed. I thought for sure it was him,¡± she pointed at Levi, ¡°and blondie. I mean, right? They totally have that codependent vibe.¡± She leaned toward Roan, who leaned away. ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°None of us have any sort of vibe, the unfortunate realities of our pasts aside,¡± Isa grumbled. Levi gasped. He clasped his hands to his face. ¡°What? You can¡¯t deny what happened between us, Isa.¡± ¡°I can, and I will.¡± Mae¡¯s eyes just kept getting wider. She pulled out a notebook and startled scribbling. ¡°Please, don¡¯t mind me. Keep going. I¡¯m nothing. I¡¯m a breath of air, a fly on the wall.¡± ¡°Even if you put it behind you, I¡¯ll never forget that day in your bedroom, and the passion we shared,¡± Levi pledged, a hand to his heart. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You can forget it,¡± Isa reposted. ¡°So cold, so cruel! But that¡¯s fine. My desire to become a beautiful vampire will never¡ª¡± Isa kicked him in the leg. ¡°Shut up.¡± ¡°Resorting to violence? Domestic violence!¡± Mae lifted a hand from her notebook to put a hand on Isa¡¯s shoulder. ¡°There¡¯s no need to get violent. I understand being ashamed by your feral desires on that fateful, lustful night¡ª¡± Isa stared at her, lost. Behind her, Levi broke out into silent laughter, slapping his thigh. ¡°¡ªbut there¡¯s no need to hurt him, just because he¡¯s more open about his love for you.¡± ¡°What love?¡± Isa asked flatly. Mae gripped her heart. ¡°Ah! The cold dom and the passionate sub, what a perfect pairing!¡± Isa¡¯s jaw clenched. He turned away, irritated. ¡°Anyone else I wouldn¡¯t mind, but this manwhore?¡± ¡°Sorry, man. Can¡¯t help that we¡¯ve got top tier yaoi chemistry.¡± Levi nudged Mae, drawing her attention. ¡°Hey, Mae. No reason, but are the elves infested by otherworlders?¡± Levi asked. She tilted her head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say infested. But we are fascinated by them! Some of us devote their entire lives to the study of otherworlders. And it¡¯s a huuuge fad to talk like otherworlders, too. I mean, isn¡¯t their way of speaking like, super cute?¡± Levi nodded slowly. ¡°Right. Yeah. So that¡¯s a yes.¡± Isa frowned. Quietly, to himself, he muttered, ¡°What the hell happened to the world after I left it?¡± Levi grimaced. He shook his head. ¡°Oh, man. Yeah. A lot. World Wars¡ªtwo of them. Several cultural revolutions and at least one Cultural Revolution. Girls can wear pants now¡ªyou¡¯d probably approve of that¡ªand shorts, and miniskirts. Boys can wear makeup and heels.¡± ¡°Boys could always wear makeup and heels,¡± Isa said, confused. Levi paused. A second later, he nodded. ¡°Right. Seventeen hundreds. Powdered cheeks and all that. I totally forgot. Anyways, so, it¡¯s back in fashion. Kind of. And there¡¯s cars and computers and shit. A lot has happened, it¡¯s all very confusing.¡± Colin nudged him. ¡°What about the apocalypse?¡± ¡°That only happened in one world, not all of ¡®em. No need to bring up something so pointless,¡± he replied. Colin pursed his lips. ¡°Stingy.¡± Mae gasped. ¡°No way! You¡¯re an otherworlder?¡± ¡°What, me? No, no. I¡¯m an otherworlder otaku, just like you,¡± Levi said. She clasped her hands together. ¡°Oh my gosh! We have to exchange notes. I¡¯m such a huge fan, you have no idea.¡± ¡°For sure! In your tent, maybe? Alone? Tonight?¡± Levi suggested. She giggled and fluttered her lashes. ¡°Why don¡¯t we chat over dinner and see how things go?¡± Levi grinned. ¡°You¡¯ve got a deal.¡± Isa rolled his eyes. Slowly, the lines wound down. As the last new cultists joined them on the other side of the tables, the old woman, Knell, moved to the front of the group and climbed onto a low platform. Shaheed stood beside her, while the white-haired girl stood slightly in front of both of them, her eyes on the crowd. Levi eyed her. Bet she¡¯s the other two¡¯s bodyguard. Actually, I wonder if she¡¯s an otherworlder? If she was their bodyguard, it implied that she was stronger than them. At their age, they could at least have the stats of a level twenty Hero, and that was a conservative guess on Levi¡¯s part. For the girl to have higher stats than them, she¡¯d have to be an otherworlder, with a System and a Class. Or the other two are just administrators, but then it still would be strange to pick anyone but an otherworlder for their bodyguard, since their cult forcibly recruits otherworlders all the time, according to Isa, anyways. He nodded, feeling safe in his guess. The old woman cleared her throat. She stepped forward and gave them a stern look. ¡°Welcome to the Death Cult, new adherents. Here, today, before you go forth to enter the cult¡¯s dungeon and prove our worth, I want to remind you of one very important fact.¡± She looked across all the new cultists. ¡°The end of days is upon us. All the other major gods and goddesses have called forth Champions. Only a few Champions remain. The Champion of War. The Champion of Life.¡± She took a deep breath, meeting each of their eyes in a slow sweep. ¡°And our very own Champion. The Champion of Death.¡± ¡°Teehee,¡± Levi whispered to himself. Across the group, Kai glanced up. He smirked. ¡°I want to remind you that the Champion of Death has never been seen before. We, the Death Cult, have tried for many long, hard years to bring about her Champion, and we have failed. Over and over again, failed.¡± She threw her hand out. Her eyes turned hard. ¡°This cannot stand! This is our chance to unite the entire world with Death. To bring all the citizens of the world, regardless of their belief, to our Goddess.¡± Levi raised his brows. Uh. What? ¡°We must have a Champion. And who knows? Our Champion might be among you.¡± She gazed out into the crowd. Her eyes rested on Levi for just a moment before moving on. Addressing the crowd once more, she called loudly, ¡°Go forth! Grow strong. Attract our Goddess¡¯s eyes, and prove yourself worthy to be her Champion!¡± The crowd broke out into applause and cheers. Using the crowd noise as cover, Levi leaned toward Isa. ¡°Uh. Am I going to, uh, lead the whole world to death?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Do you feel like you¡¯re going to do that?¡± ¡°I mean, if I win. Is that the end game?¡± Isa shrugged. ¡°No one knows. It¡¯s not like the world has been through an Apocalypse before.¡± ¡°Oh. Right. Fair. I mean, yes, obviously, but¡ª¡± ¡°In any case, the scripture is vague, but it¡¯s clear on one thing. Whoever wins, whichever Champion is the last man standing¡­ they are the one who gets to impose their will upon the world. So if you don¡¯t will for everyone in the world to die? They probably won¡¯t die.¡± Levi wiped his brow. ¡°Phew.¡± ¡°But no one¡¯s actually sure. After all, it¡¯s the end of the world. Maybe everyone dies, no matter what. Maybe the final Champion is the only one who survives. No one knows, because how could they?¡± ¡°Hey, as long as I¡¯m not forcibly required to kill everyone if I win, that¡¯s good enough for me. I¡¯m a man who¡¯s good at wiggle room. Got a lot of wiggle in me.¡± He shook his hips to demonstrate. ¡°Keep that between you and Mae,¡± Isa muttered, rolling his eyes. ¡°Mae thinks we¡¯re keeping it between us,¡± Levi pointed out. ¡°Everyone makes mistakes sometimes.¡± He chuckled. ¡°But hey, any time you want to turn me into a vampire¡ª¡± ¡°Absolutely not.¡± ¡°Why not? Is it too intimate?¡± Levi asked, waggling his brows. Isa steadied him with a dead look. ¡°I don¡¯t want to have to put up with you forever.¡± Colin snorted. Levi nodded. ¡°Yeah, I get that a lot.¡± 29. To The Dungeon Knell and Shaheed turned away, leading them toward carriages that awaited them at the far side of the square. Levi and the others followed Mae and her party into the same carriage. The emo-looking adherents of the Death Cult filled another two or three. Kai slipped in with the remnants, some ragged-looking men and women that Levi didn¡¯t like the looks of. They bumped along. Levi watched the terrain pass by outside the carriage window. They wound into desolate lands. The forest thinned, diminishing to slender, withered trees barely clinging to dry earth. Rocks pushed through bleached soil. A few scrubby plants clustered here and there. Down through narrow ravines and up through thin passes, they wound through the absolute wilderness. The Death Cult didn¡¯t need to block the windows. The land was so inhospitable that they¡¯d never make it back here without their support. That night, Levi and Mae chattered about the otherworld. Levi got invited back to her tent, and he flicked a thumbs up at Isa. Isa rolled his eyes. In the morning, Levi stumbled out, his eyes dead and his body drained. He stumbled into the carriage and thumped down next to Isa. ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± Isa asked, smiling pleasantly. ¡°She never stopped talking,¡± Levi managed, exhausted. He flopped down on the bench. ¡°Do elves not need sleep?¡± ¡°Nope!¡± ¡°Fuckin¡¯¡­ and you didn¡¯t bother telling me?¡± Isa shrugged. ¡°You seemed so eager. I wasn¡¯t going to presume.¡± Levi cracked his eyes open just far enough to roll them at Isa, then shut them again. ¡°I¡¯m gonna catch some Z¡¯s. Don¡¯t let that deranged creature wake me up.¡± Mae bounded into the carriage. ¡°Levi! So what do you think about the talkie-box and the phone? Which one came first?¡± Levi rolled over. He let out some loud, fake snores. Isa chuckled. He patted Levi¡¯s shoulder and lifted his finger to his lips. ¡°Oh! I forgot. Humans need sleep!¡± Mae tapped her head with her knuckles and grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll just have to ask him when he wakes up.¡± ¡°Tell her I¡¯m sleeping forever,¡± Levi muttered. Isa nodded at Mae. ¡°He¡¯s just taking a quick cat nap. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be awake in no time.¡± Levi groaned. Two days passed. By the end of the second day, even Isa was sick of hearing Mae babble along. He leaned his head against the wall, exhausted. Levi, too, had tapped out, and mostly snoozed on and off. Colin kept up the conversation, able to match Mae¡¯s sleeplessness. At one point, Levi wobbled toward wakefulness and patted Colin on the shoulder. ¡°Want me to tap in?¡± ¡°No, no. This is nice, actually. I have someone to talk to all day. I can¡¯t sleep, so it¡¯s real boring when everyone else is snoozing. Having someone else who can¡¯t sleep is nice,¡± Colin replied. Levi nodded. He closed his eyes and curled up again, leaving Colin to it. At last, the carriages rolled to a halt. The back doors swung open. Death Cult members gestured them out, dressed from head to toe in flowing black so that they couldn¡¯t see their faces, bodies, nothing. Black cloth masks wrapped their faces, dark hoods hid their heads, and long, flowing clothes covered the rest of them. ¡°Into the dungeon!¡± one of the people in black demanded. A red charm glowed at their neck, distorting their voice.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Hey, hey. No need to shout. We¡¯re all here for the same thing,¡± Levi said, waving a hand in the black-clad person¡¯s direction. He hopped out, dusting his pants off. The black-clad person lashed out, trying to sweep Levi¡¯s ankles. A bony rope snapped around their ankle. Levi flicked his wrist, and the Spinal Cord upended them entirely. He turned slowly to face them, shaking his finger and giving them his best disappointed teacher look. ¡°What did I say? Violence isn¡¯t the answer, either. Tsk, tsk.¡± The other Death Cultist drew their sword. They pointed it at Levi. ¡°Unhand them, or I¡¯ll be forced to take action.¡± ¡°Forced to? What is this nonsense? He took action. I took reaction,¡± Levi said reasonably. He turned to face the other man, still supremely unperturbed. The black-clad figure wobbled in his grasp, swaying by their ankle. The sword-bearing cultist dashed in. Levi turned slightly. The Spinal Cord swung in front of him, putting the other cultist between him and the swordsman. The swordsman clicked his tongue and jumped back. ¡°Release them!¡± Levi put his hands around his mouth. ¡°Everyone, look! I¡¯m being brutalized by the police! They¡¯re brutalizing me!¡± ¡°What? What¡¯s happening?¡± Mae asked, looking at Levi¡¯s companions for answers. Colin put his head in his hands and shook his head. Isa rolled his eyes. ¡°Something stupid, that¡¯s what.¡± ¡°What is the matter?¡± Knell stomped over, her eyes narrowed. Levi immediately dropped the black-clad figure. They dropped to the ground with a little yelp. The Spinal Cord flashed back under his cloak. Levi hunkered back, suddenly small and fearful, turning watery eyes towards the swordsman. ¡°I did nothing, and they attacked me!¡± Knell looked at the swordsman. ¡°Mer, what are you doing? Lower your sword at once. That¡¯s no way to treat a new member of our fine religion.¡± ¡°I¡ªI¡­¡± ¡°And you, San. Why are you lying at his feet? On yours, chop-chop. This undignified, disorganized behavior is no way to display our sect to such newcomers.¡± The one who had fallen jumped up. They started to say something, then saw it was Knell and bowed their head. ¡°Sorry,¡± was all they said. Knell turned toward Levi and the others. ¡°I¡¯m quite sorry about all that. This is not the way our sect behaves.¡± ¡°Of course not, of course not! Just a few bad apples,¡± Levi said, standing up straight once more, whatever tears he¡¯d managed to squeeze up completely forgotten. He flashed a smile at Knell. ¡°I¡¯m sure the rest of the sect is far better behaved.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± She cut a dark look at the two black-clad figures. They melted back like fresh snow in the late spring. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal!¡± Mae said brightly, completely misreading the room. Roan nudged her. She looked at him. ¡°What?¡± Knell graciously pointed toward the gates that all the other new members were gathering by. ¡°Please, right this way.¡± Levi strode forth. ¡°Yes, yes. We¡¯re all good, well-behaved cultists here.¡± Colin shot a wary look at the black-robed figures and tightened his grip on his staff. Isa paid them no mind. Mae waved happily and Piri hummed to herself, while only Roan kept a weather eye on the black-clad cultists. Other black-clad cultists formed a loose semicircle around the new adherents. Up at the front, three of them worked together by the gate, waving their staffs and chanting together. The gate itself was massive. It stood at least ten, maybe twenty feet tall. Made of bronze, it had long since corroded, leaving its bars a sickly green. Carvings of demons, ghosts, and underworld monsters sprawled over its posts and twisted around the bars. A huge, intricate lock hung in the center of the gate, holding the gates tightly shut. The three cultists¡¯ chanting reached a climax. Green light swirled around them. On the giant gate, a green magical circle appeared, resonating with their chant. The light and the circle glowed brighter, pulsing in sync with one another. ¡°Whoa, didn¡¯t expect the lights show,¡± Levi said. He bobbed his head along to the music. ¡°Anyone have some¡­ah, damn. No. We¡¯re a few centuries too early, huh.¡± ¡°I have wine,¡± Mae offered. ¡°Oh, really? Shit, man. Let¡¯s drink it. Why¡¯ve you been sitting on that this whole time?¡± Levi asked. Mae reached to her hip. Roan grabbed her hand, stopping her. ¡°Mae, no. We don¡¯t need to get drunk before we enter the dungeon.¡± Her face fell, and she sighed. ¡°Yeah. I guess not.¡± ¡°What? No elven wine? Come on,¡± Levi complained. ¡°You don¡¯t need to get drunk now, either,¡± Isa deadpanned. ¡°No, but I¡¯d enjoy it,¡± Levi returned. Ahead of them, the lights and the chanting grew to a fever pitch. At last, it reached its climax. The chanters screamed together. Green light streamed from their staves. The magical circle began to rotate. It turned a half circle, then clunked. And, with a heavy thump, the giant lock fell off the gates. Fog rolled out from the dungeon. A blast of cold, dank air washed over them as the gates swung to a halt. The chanting cultists fell back, panting. Levi leaned forward. All the other people gathered there stood at attention as well, ready to sprint in at the drop of a hat. ¡°The dungeon has been opened. Let the yearly hunt begin!¡± Knell declared, her voice rolling off the depths of the dungeon¡¯s entry cave. Shouting, everyone charged in. Levi charged with them, racing in toward the dark depths. Colin and Isa ran close by his heels. The three of them stuck close together, even in the pushing mob of people. ¡°We¡¯ll see you in there!¡± Mae shouted, as the crowd separated them. Levi waved over his shoulder. He sped up, grinning. ¡°Let¡¯s go get some kills!¡± 30. Cutesy Wootsey Slimey Wimey Monsters charged them immediately inside the doors, horrid wormlike creatures with tubular mouths full of razor-sharp teeth. Levi rushed toward one and slit it open, then whirled. Too late. Everyone else had already overwhelmed the worms. Dead worms laid on the floor, unable to withstand the tsunami of swords and attacks the dungeon enterers had leveled at them. Levi glanced back. He gestured. ¡°Come on. We have to go deeper!¡± ¡°Obviously,¡± Isa said. He rushed ahead. Colin tore by, running as fast as he could. He kept his eyes locked on Isa and charged on. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me behind.¡± Levi laughed. He ran after the others, chasing them deeper into the dungeon. The entry space was large. A massive chamber opened in the earth, big enough to fit a cathedral. Dozens of paths opened up on the walls, leading deeper into the dungeon. Straight back, to the left, to the right, sloping up, sloping down. Some even opened halfway up the wall. The chamber¡¯s wall was so inundated with entrances that it almost looked like a beehive, absolutely riddled with holes. Levi drew ahead of the others. He picked an entrance that no one else had picked yet and dove in. Isa and Colin followed. Quickly, the sound of other dungeon entrants faded, and only their footsteps resounded in the hallway. They took a few lefts and rights, picking side paths at random. A few small monsters intercepted them¡ªlarge worms, striders, spiders. Levi quickly dispatched them, and Colin, desperate for EXP, patched up any scrapes Levi accumulated in the encounters. At last, when Levi was satisfied he¡¯d traveled far enough from the mainstream, he slowed to a walk. The other two pulled up beside him, walking as well. ¡°Ahhh. Now that I¡¯m down here¡­¡± Isa flipped back his hood and stretched. His body shifted, growing larger, changing back to female. ¡°Is that fine?¡± Levi asked, looking her up and down. ¡°What if someone sees you?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m just the mysterious unaffiliated girl you crawled the dungeon with, only to be reunited with your good friend Isa on your way out,¡± she said, leaning left and right. ¡°Oof. It felt so¡­ cramped in there.¡± ¡°In your body?¡± ¡°Mmm. You wouldn¡¯t understand.¡± Levi shrugged. ¡°I mean, I could do my best, if you let me in.¡± She gave him a cold look, but her lips curled up a little. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Damn.¡± Colin jolted. He pointed. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°What¡¯s what?¡± Levi turned, then gasped. He put his hands to his chin. ¡°Noooo, no way! Holy shit, that¡¯s awesome!¡± A little blue ball bobbled on the path ahead of them. It leaned to the side, then rolled their way, wobbling up and down as it approached. ¡°It¡¯s just a slime,¡± Isa said. ¡°Just a slime? Just a slime? You take that back. Slimes are the quintessential monster. The original. The simplest, stupidest, most baller design. Who the fuck had the balls to draw a circle and go, ¡®there¡¯s a monster?¡¯ Because I¡¯m impressed. I¡¯ve always been impressed.¡± Levi crouched. He waved. ¡°Hello, little guy.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. The slime hesitated, then lurched up. It imitated his wave. Levi gasped. ¡°Ohmigosh, look! It waved back! So cute!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that exciting,¡± Isa said, crossing her arms. ¡°You just don¡¯t understand a man¡¯s romance,¡± Levi declared. He scooted closer. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m gonna catch it. It¡¯s gonna be my pet. I¡¯m gonna love it forever and keep it as my sweetums.¡± Levi crouched closer one step at a time, holding his arms out. ¡°It¡¯s going to attack you,¡± Isa warmed him. ¡°I¡¯m tough. I can handle it,¡± he declared. ¡°Their spit hurts.¡± ¡°Aww, just a little spit? That¡¯s not so bad¡ª¡± The slime squelched down, then bounced up. A stream of acid splashed over Levi¡¯s face and chest. The scent of sharp acid and flesh melting filled the air. He froze in shock. Blood and liquid flesh streamed down his face. For a moment, bone appeared as the rest of his face sloughed away. ¡°Levi!¡± Colin ran forward, casting his healing spells. Two colors of gold light surrounded Levi¡¯s face. ¡°Mother fucking piece of¡ª¡± Levi stomped the slime over and over, until nothing but a splash of blue remained. Colin stared. He kept healing Levi, but he stared all the same, his eyes wide. Levi tossed his hair and stood, shaking his head. ¡°Phew. What a terrifying, vicious monster. You saw. I almost died! That was justifiable self-defense.¡± ¡°Uh huh,¡± Isa said, smirking. ¡°Onwards and downwards, as I always say. And let¡¯s progress carefully. You never know when something harmless will turn out to be dangerous! Luckily, I¡¯m here to take the hits, but if one of you made that kind of mistake¡­¡± He shook his head. ¡°I think you¡¯re the only one who would try to befriend a slime apropos of nothing,¡± Isa opined. ¡°And that¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong!¡± Levi replied. ¡°Look at Colin. He¡¯s so precious and innocent. He might try to befriend anyone or anything. We need to keep him safe.¡± ¡°I¡¯m dead,¡± Colin pointed out. Levi gestured at Colin. ¡°We¡¯ve already failed him once! We can¡¯t fail him again!¡± Isa shook her head. ¡°Are we levelling up or not?¡± ¡°Levelling up, of course.¡± Levi dusted the last of the slime innards off himself and walked on, deeper into the dungeon. Isa walked alongside him. ¡°If there¡¯s slimes, then beware. They¡¯re often immune to¡ª¡± ¡°Physical or magical attacks, or particular elements,¡± Levi interrupted her. ¡°You¡¯ve encountered them before?¡± she asked, surprised. He nodded. ¡°Sure. They¡¯re a classic JRPG enemy. I was a gamer, you know. Well, okay. One of the people I lived with was a gamer, and I borrowed their console without asking all the time.¡± Isa blinked. She turned to Colin. ¡°What?¡± Colin cleared his throat. ¡°Er, in our era, there¡¯s these things called video games, where you, uh¡­ well, it¡¯s like a magic screen where um, you watch a play, but you¡¯re the main character in that play, and you have to kill a lot of monsters and level up like you do here, in order to advance the story. And none of it is real. It¡¯s all just pretend, like in a play, but like¡­ light, in a box.¡± ¡°Ah. Light in a box, hmm. And slimes are enemies in this interactive play?¡± she asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± Colin said. ¡°So¡­ is it as ridiculous as it sounds that he¡¯s confident he can take them on, based on his experiences in an interactive play in a light box?¡± ¡°Er¡­ yes. It¡¯s extremely ridiculous,¡± Colin said, nodding. She nodded. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°What? Guys, stop roasting me behind my back.¡± Levi shook his head at them. A squelching, blorping sound emanated from around the next corner. Levi put his back to the wall and peered around the corner. He inched back. ¡°Five slimes, dead ahead. All different colors, all at least knee height. Isa, slime expert. What do we do?¡± ¡°I thought you knew all about slimes,¡± she said dryly. ¡°Even I know when to consult the experts,¡± he replied, gesturing for her to go on. ¡°What colors?¡± she asked. ¡°Blue, red, yellow, orange, and black.¡± She thought for a moment. ¡°Most of those are no problem. All the chromatic slimes¡ªthat is, ordinary colored ones, are immune to specific elemental spells, but as you discovered, you can easily dispatch them with blunt trauma. The black one, though¡­ that might be a metal slime, a death slime, an impenetrable slime¡­ nothing we want to see, anyways.¡± ¡°Do they give good EXP? We can still retreat,¡± Levi pointed out. ¡°Slimes are known for giving excellent EXP. It¡¯s relative to their size, though. How big were they?¡± ¡°Knee height. Some pushing thigh-height,¡± Levi said. Isa nodded. ¡°Worth it. We can run from the black one if we need to.¡± Levi grinned. ¡°That¡¯s what I want to hear. Colin, be ready with the heals. Those things spit some nasty acid.¡± Colin gave a thumbs-up. ¡°Ready when you are.¡± Levi charged in, drawing his sword as he closed in. The Armalgam threw back the cloak, freeing itself from the cloth¡¯s grasp. It drew two of its blades as well. Together, they dashed toward the first slime. 31. Slimin and Grimin Levi closed in on the slime, his sword held high. Some of the slimes alerted, turning toward him, but the closest one, a blue slime about mid-thigh-height, didn¡¯t react at all. He slashed through the bulbous thing. It split in two, barely resisting his sword. Its upper half hit the ground and laid there for a second, then bobbled back up into a second smaller slime. Both halves of the slime turned toward him. Isa watched from around the corner, her arms crossed. ¡°I forgot. Don¡¯t cut them, they¡¯ll¡ª¡± ¡°Awesome! They do it in real life, too!¡± Sheathing the Armalgam¡¯s swords, Levi knelt and pummeled the blue slimes to death with all six arms. Isa looked at Colin. Colin shrugged back. ¡°I can¡¯t explain him.¡± ¡°What? You mean you don¡¯t enjoy a sick sense of satisfaction from slicing a slime in two to create two smaller, equal-sized slimes? Like cutting a chunk of jello and slurping it down. It¡¯s satisfying! Except you don¡¯t get that nice slippery wiggle down your throat,¡± Levi said. He charged toward the next slime. It charged him back and squinched down, preparing to spit acid. At the very last second, Levi dodged. The acid burned into the rock instead, and the slime met the same fate as the first. ¡°Jello?¡± Isa asked. ¡°God, do you hear yourself?¡± Colin asked. ¡°I do. And you hear me, too. And I love it.¡± ¡°God,¡± Colin muttered, grimacing. He leaped toward the red slime and punched. It dodged to the side, quicker than the other one. Before it could get away, the Spinal Cord shot out from under his cloak and lassoed it. It drew the red slime closer. As it dragged the slime, it pinched it, making it narrower at its midpoint. The bone sizzled, but Levi didn¡¯t seem to notice. He watched the slime closely, until the pinch finally snapped through, and two smaller slimes hit the floor. ¡°You know what? This is really doing something for me. I wasn¡¯t expecting it, but I¡¯m really enjoying this,¡± Levi commented. He finished off the red slime with a few punches, then turned to the final chromatic slime. ¡°Keep that to yourself,¡± Colin requested. ¡°Dun wanna,¡± Levi replied petulantly. Isa crossed her arms. ¡°Absolute degeneracy.¡± The yellow slime darted toward him. Electricty fizzled around it. He launched a punch, then yelped and jerked back instinctively, shaking his fist. ¡°Yooo, electric shocks are not part of my nascent slime-based fantasy!¡± ¡°Thank the gods for that,¡± Colin said. Levi¡¯s eyes flashed. He lashed out with the Spinal Cord. Rather than encircling the slime, he beat it with the flat of the tail, smacking it down to the ground. Electricity shocked over the spine, but dissipated in the bone long before it reached Levi. The yellow slime quavered, melting toward the ground. Shocks grounded all around it as it desperately tried to attack Levi. The whole time, the black slime had sat in the back, watching. As the yellow slime died, it suddenly jumped forward. Before Levi could finish the job, it engulfed the remains of the yellow slime. There was a horrible squelching sound, somewhere between a burp and a fart, and the electric slime vanished into the black slime¡¯s belly. Levi backed up. He lifted his fists, bouncing in place like a boxer. On his back, the Armalgam made threatening gestures as well.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Ah,¡± Isa said, realizing something. ¡°Yeah?¡± Levi asked. ¡°It¡¯s not a black slime. It¡¯s a brown slime¡­sometimes called a rainbow slime or a foul-feeder. They¡¯re voracious eaters. They¡¯ll swallow anything. Other slimes, people, monsters, even rotten remains.¡± Colin stiffened. He backed away. ¡°Oh. So it¡¯s just a normal slime,¡± Levi said. He approached it slowly, readying his fists. The slime went limp. It spread over the floor, rushing toward his feet. ¡°Get back!¡± Isa shouted. Levi jumped back on pure instinct, then paused. He looked at her. ¡°Why?¡± She pulled a scrap of leather from her pocket and tossed it at the brown blob. The blob hissed. On its surface, the leather popped around. It emitted a fierce stream of pale smoke, then was absorbed into the slime. ¡°Oh.¡± Levi frowned. He gestured. ¡°How do we fight it?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t. This route is cut off until it backs away.¡± ¡°No way. It¡¯s just a slime. There has to be a way,¡± Levi said. He looked at Colin. ¡°Cast life magic on it.¡± Colin frowned. ¡°What¡¯s that going to do?¡± Levi shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but don¡¯t you want to find out?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Isa pursed her lips. ¡°It won¡¯t hurt. It¡¯s not like we¡¯ve done any damage to the foul feeder. You can¡¯t heal what hasn¡¯t been injured.¡± Colin hesitated. He looked at Isa, then nodded. ¡°Okay. Everyone back up, just in case.¡± ¡°Okaaaaay.¡± Levi retreated, but kept himself between Colin and the slime. Isa backed away a step, just far enough to stay out of spitting range. Colin hefted his staff. Gold light streamed forth, as bright as the sun in the dark tunnels. It landed on the dark brown slime. Nothing happened. Light shone on the slime, making it look a little paler brown than before. Levi tilted his head left, then right. He pinched his chin. ¡°You know what? If you move back and forth, it does have a rainbow to it. I mean, it¡¯s just iridescence, but I see it, now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s more obvious outside, in the sun,¡± Isa told him. Colin blushed. ¡°If you¡¯re just going to make fun of me¡ª¡± ¡°We weren¡¯t doing that at all! But the light show is very pretty,¡± Levi said, nodding. Colin lowered his staff. The light cut off. ¡°Oh, shut up.¡± The slime trembled. Its surface shivered, ripples spreading from the point where Colin had shone his light. Abruptly, it gathered up into a tight knot. With the bulk it had gained from the electric slime, it now stood taller than any of them. It hovered for a second, then lunged, shooting directly for Colin. ¡°Want more, huh? Not a chance!¡± Levi jumped in. He sliced the slime in two horizontally. Two smaller foul feeders dropped to the ground. They dashed around him and closed in on Colin. White bone lashed out. The Spinal Cord wrapped around the slime, stopping it momentarily. The slime pressed against it. The bone began to hiss. The slime ate it away, chewing through it like nothing. ¡°Nope.¡± Levi pounced on one of the two little slimes. He and the Armalgam pounded it, smashing it into the rock floor. His knuckles reddened as the slime ate into them, and the surface of the Armalgam¡¯s fists burned away, but he didn¡¯t stop. ¡°Levi!¡± Colin pointed his staff, sending gold light Levi¡¯s way. His knuckles healed even as he finished pounding the brown slime to death. The second slime perked up at the sight of light. It launched into the air, flying toward Levi. Levi laughed. ¡°Keep that light on me, Colin!¡± He drew back his fist and launched a punch directly at the flying slime. A hole burst out from its center, soft jelly giving way with the force of his fist. The Armalgam reached around him and clapped, smashing the jelly into tiny bits. The bits splattered over the ground. They laid still for a moment, then struggled to reform. ¡°Nope, nope, nope.¡± Levi ran over to the bits and stomped them to nothing one after another, until nothing remained. ¡°Huh,¡± Isa commented. ¡°You know, I never considered fighting in such a way that you fundamentally throw your body away from the start. I guess you can kill foul feeders, if you start from the premise that you¡¯re willing to die.¡± ¡°Colin, heal me!¡± Levi called, walking back over. ¡°Also, I¡¯m not starting from the premise that I¡¯m willing to die. I¡¯m starting from the premise of having a pocket healer. You should try it. It¡¯s not cheating, it¡¯s based, thanks.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. Totally different,¡± Isa snarked. ¡°It is, by the way. You should see me fight when I¡¯m starting from the premise of being willing to die. Talk about unleashing the beast! That¡¯s like, all limiters off, remove-the-training-weights Levi.¡± ¡°Wow, I can¡¯t wait! When are we going to see that?¡± Isa asked. ¡°Never, unless you want to make me a sexy vampire, and then right now,¡± Levi said, shooting her a grin and double finger guns. ¡°My only comfort is that one day, you will die,¡± Isa flatlined. ¡°And what a pity that is.¡± Levi nodded ahead of them. ¡°Now that the path isn¡¯t cut off, shall we proceed?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s.¡± 32. Slime Pit They continued down the path. More slimes leaped out at them. Some dropped from the ceiling or crawled out of tight crevasses, but Levi quickly smashed all of them. Once, they even faced a smaller foul feeder, but Levi handled it with his usual panache, and Colin healed his wounds afterward. Their first fight left the Spinal Cord badly damaged. After a few more encounters, it hung on by a thread. Levi put mana into it, forcibly regenerating the bone. For all that, it wasn¡¯t enough to level up. He frowned, dissatisfied. Idly, he spun a bracelet they¡¯d found in a slime¡¯s body around one finger. ¡°Killing slimes is shit. Are you sure they give good EXP? I still haven¡¯t leveled.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure,¡± Isa replied patiently. ¡°They give good EXP for easy-to-kill monsters.¡± Levi threw his hands up. ¡°Now you clarify.¡± ¡°They still give good EXP,¡± she said, unbothered. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Let¡¯s keep moving. Gotta keep that kill counter rolling,¡± Levi muttered. He clapped and let his arms swing back, then shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s better than not killing monsters, I guess.¡± ¡°Oh, quit your whining. Slimes are good, safe EXP. Plenty of adventurers got their start killing slimes. Besides, weren¡¯t you enjoying it?¡± Isa pointed out. ¡°I¡¯d enjoy it more if I was also leveling up,¡± Levi muttered. Isa sighed. ¡°The further we go, the denser they will become. Before you know it, you¡¯ll be wishing for a break like this.¡± Levi pushed his hair back. He gazed on, into the depths of the dungeon. Pale green flames flickered in iron brackets set into the walls, presumably maintained by the Death Cultists. They marched into the depths of the tunnel, providing its sole form of light. The tunnel sloped gently up, then back down, hiding whatever stood beyond the bend. ¡°What else is in this dungeon? Surely it¡¯s not just slimes.¡± Isa pinched her chin, thinking. ¡°On the first level, it¡¯s mostly bugs and slimes. You¡¯re fighting the most dangerous, high-EXP monsters on this level, except for the bosses.¡± Levi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Bosses?¡± ¡°By now, I imagine the Death Cultists have already sought them out and slain them. Their parents would have told them where they were, and how to kill them. They aren¡¯t great bosses, anyways. Two or three levels down¡­ that¡¯s when we start talking about serious bosses,¡± Isa said. Levi twisted his lips, unsatisfied. ¡°Ugh. Killing all my fun. Come on, let¡¯s go kill some slimes before I find out anything else depressing about this dungeon.¡± Colin put his hands up. ¡°It sounded good to me. We can save our energy for the next boss.¡± Perking up, Levi pointed at him. ¡°Colin! Always putting things in a positive light. Yeah! That¡¯s the way to see it. We don¡¯t need to waste our time and energy on those lesser bosses. Let¡¯s rush to the second floor!¡± Isa frowned and stroked her chin, thinking. She opened her mouth, then shut it, then opened it again. At last, she spoke. ¡°If that¡¯s what you want to do, and kill lots of slimes on the way there, I know just the place. It¡¯s a shortcut to the second floor, but it¡¯s not easy.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so? Let¡¯s do it,¡± Levi said. ¡°Which way?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just up ahead. There¡¯s a crossroads, and if we take the leftmost road, we¡¯ll encounter a pitfall trap. If we fall into the trap, we can climb out the pit¡¯s far wall to reach the door to the second floor,¡± Isa said. ¡°Oh. So we have to avoid the spikes at the bottom of the pit, but then we¡¯re home free?¡± Levi asked. Isa opened her mouth. She thought for a moment, then shook her head. ¡°No¡­¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°No spikes? Awesome. Let¡¯s go.¡± Without waiting any longer, he rushed ahead. Up the hill, then down it. Slimes stood in the path ahead of him, but in his excitement, he barely registered what kind of slimes they were before he pummeled them to death. Level up! ¡°Now we¡¯re talking,¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°Hey, hold up!¡± Colin chased after him, holding out his staff in one hand and hoisting his robes in the other. He unleashed a stream of gold magic ahead of him, healing Levi¡¯s wounds almost as fast as he could acquire them. ¡°I wasn¡¯t done,¡± Isa informed an empty hallway. She sighed, then followed after the other two at a more stately pace. As Isa had promised, they came to a crossroads in no time. Levi drew to a halt, looking at the passages. Five different routes opened up in the rocky earth. One burrowed into the earth, one continued straight ahead, and the other three took leftward and rightward paths. He looked back over his shoulder. ¡°Leftmost, right?¡± Isa strode down the path, stepping primly around puddles of slime so her pristine leather boots wouldn¡¯t get eroded. She looked up. ¡°Yes, leftmost. There is something in the pitfall trap, you know.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. I put two and two together. Where is it?¡± She looked around. ¡°Should be just up ahead. I can¡¯t remember precisely where.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Levi twisted his lips, thinking. All at once, he snapped his fingers and threw out his hand. ¡°Disposable minion, go!¡± The Armalgam leapt off his shoulders and scurried into the hallway ahead of them. Colin put a hand to his chest and breathed out. ¡°For a second, I thought that was me.¡± ¡°What? Don¡¯t be ridiculous. You¡¯re, like, a blessing from a literal Goddess,¡± Levi said, waving his hand dismissively. He followed the Armalgam at a short distance, letting it try the floor ahead of them. Shocked, Isa stopped dead and stared at Colin. ¡°He¡¯s a blessing? What? How?¡± Colin nodded. He glanced back at Isa as he followed Levi. ¡°Kind of, anyways.¡± ¡°Yeah, didn¡¯t I tell you? The Goddess of Death gave me his soul, so I could bring him back intact. It was a signing bonus,¡± Levi said. ¡°Signing bonus?¡± ¡°You know, when you get a new job and they give you a little perk so you stay in it?¡± Levi explained. Isa started to shake her head, but then her eyes lit up, and she nodded. ¡°Ah. Like the advance they give to seamen in case the ship goes down at sea, so their widows have something to live on.¡± ¡°Not¡­ quite, but sure!¡± Levi said, popping a thumbs-up. Ahead of them, the floor creaked under the Armalgam, then gave out. Two metal doors dumped a coating of dirt and the Armalgam into the bowels of the earth. Levi sprinted forward and peered down before they could reset. Down below, the Armalgam landed with a splash of mud. It padded around a few steps on its hands, then tilted to the side, turning its spines toward Levi in a kind of shrug. ¡°That¡¯s about, what, twenty feet down? That¡¯s not bad.¡± Levi gestured. The Spinal Cord unwound from his midsection. He pointed. It drove the end of one of its spines into the ground, then looped down into the hole. Grabbing the bone, he lowered himself hand-over-hand into the depths. Colin stood at the edge, waiting for Levi to reach the depths. When Levi splashed down, he stuck his staff into the back of his belt and started climbing down as well. Isa harrumphed and stepped off the edge. She landed next to Levi, splattering mud all over him. ¡°Hey! That was unnecessary,¡± Levi complained, brushing the mud off his clothes. She laughed. ¡°But it pleased me.¡± He spread his hands. ¡°Anything to please mistress.¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°The way you said that displeases me.¡± Pretend-scared, Levi cowered. ¡°No, mommy, mommy, no!¡± Isa crossed her arms and raised a single brow. ¡°Gods, can you calm down for ten seconds?¡± Colin asked, halfway down the cord. ¡°Ten seconds? It¡¯s been ten minutes, slowpoke. Hurry up, mommy needs her belt,¡± Levi told him. Colin stopped climbing. ¡°Now I don¡¯t ever want to get off this rope.¡± Isa offered him a hand. ¡°Come down, my sweet. There are dangers down here. Levi will need his weapons.¡± ¡°Look at this discrimination,¡± Levi accused her. ¡°You chose to stop being a virgin,¡± she shot back. He nodded. ¡°I definitely did that.¡± Colin took her hand and dropped off the Spinal Cord. She caught him and set him on the ground. Levi reached up. The cord yanked itself out of the ground and dropped toward him, landing in a heavy loop on his shoulders. ¡°Ow,¡± he muttered. The cord slithered over his body, fast as a striking snake, and settled around his hips again. He patted it happily, then whistled to the Armalgam. The Armalgam hesitated. It lifted a hand, looking at its finger tips. Bare bone poked out of the end of its fingers, up to the depth of the mud underfoot. ¡°Uhoh,¡± Levi said. The mud lurched. Like the ocean before a tsunami, it drew away from their feet. The brown, murky mud lunged up into a towering, twenty-foot tall, thirty-foot-wide slime. Lit only by flickering sconces above the pitfall, it appeared to tremble, shimmering with sickly green light. The massive foul feeder loomed over them, shuddering with anticipation. Isa looked up at it. She whistled, low and appreciative. ¡°It¡¯s gotten larger.¡± ¡°Holy fuck,¡± Levi agreed, staring at it. Colin backed away. ¡°We aren¡¯t fighting that thing, are we?¡± The Armalgam scuttled to Levi¡¯s side. Levi pushed a pulse of cold mana into it, healing its bony fingertips. He grinned, cracking his knuckles. ¡°Oh¡­ I think we are.¡± 33. Foul Feeder The slime loomed over them, dark and dangerous. Big, fat drops of acid splashed down from above. The Armalgam stood beside Levi, and the Spinal Cord lifted from his hips, swaying like a cobra. Colin fell back. Isa stretched, eyeing the slime up. ¡°I¡¯ll help, this time. You¡¯ll still get plenty of EXP even with me fighting.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take all the help I can get.¡± The giant slime spread wide, pressing all the way to the wall on either side. It stretched up as well, reaching to the ceiling. Trembling, the wall of slime approached them. ¡°I can¡¯t disagree with that tactic,¡± Levi said, looking the wall of slime over. He shook his head. ¡°I mean, yeah. That¡¯s the ninety percent solution to anyone who falls down here.¡± He stepped back, grabbing Colin by the wrist. ¡°Stick close. Isa?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± She drew toward Levi as well. He gestured with his free hand. The Armalgam clambered up his body. Two arms gripped his shoulders, while the other two linked over his head, creating as large of a platform as possible. He called up enough of the Spinal Cord to cover the length of his body and set it spinning in front of him. Levi took a deep breath. He leaned forward, bobbing on the balls of his feet. ¡°Healing duty, Colin.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And I¡¯ll keep the undead un-alive.¡± The wall closed in on them. It jiggled overhead. Acid splattered down all around them. ¡°Three. Two.¡± Levi burst off, charging into the wall. Colin and Isa ran with him. Isa kept pace, while Colin ran with all his might. The Spinal Cord struck the surface of the slime and sent the jelly flying. It carved a hole into the surface of the wall, but at the same time, the foul feeder corroded it away. Levi pushed mana into it, forcibly healing it, but couldn¡¯t keep up with the pace of the corrosion. He spooled out more Spinal Cord as the foul feeder ate it away. Overhead, the Armalgam corroded as well, but slower. It wasn¡¯t being weed-whackered into acid, so it could hold up a little better against the corrosion of the foul feeder. Levi fed a small amount of mana into it, just enough to stave off total corruption, but focused most of his mana on the Spinal Cord. Despite his best efforts, the cord shortened with every step. One spine vanished into the foul feeder, then another. Brown, oily slime parted around them and closed in behind them. They existed in a breath, in a bubble, in the space between a thought. Death in front of them, death behind. The air was thick with acrid acid, burning their lungs and eyes. Levi¡¯s skin grew raw. Wounds opened in his arms and chest. Gold magic settled over his whole body, constantly healing it, but it couldn¡¯t keep up. The acid did too much damage, too fast. ¡°How much longer?¡± Colin asked. He tried to hold it back, but fear crept into his voice. Levi said nothing, too focused on keeping the Spinal Cord alive and spinning to reply. The slime darkened. Faintly, Levi could see something beyond its limits. The Spinal Cord shortened, down to two spines. Levi took it off his waist and held it in his hands, letting it use everything it had left. Darker and darker. The slime thinned, growing translucent. The Spinal Cord eroded. One spine remained. ¡°Come on!¡± he shouted suddenly. Gripping the spine firmly, he shoved it forward. The final spine diminished to a few bones¡ªand broke through. Levi stumbled out. Isa flashed past him, escaping into clean air. Behind him, Colin stumbled out, coughing and waving his hand. The slime continued on behind them, seemingly unaware of the hole burrowed through its center. As it finished crossing the room, the hole slowly closed, but at the same time, the slime grew smaller by that amount. ¡°At least we did damage,¡± Levi muttered. He looked at the short length of spine left in his hand, then sighed and tossed it away. The spine dissipated to dust, no longer animated by necromancy. Even if he shoved all his mana into it, he wouldn¡¯t be able to heal it back to its former glory. His undead healing could only repair what was there, not return lost body parts. Once a spine was corroded away completely, it was gone. He couldn¡¯t recall a spine that had already rotted away any more than he could reanimate an undead that had collapsed into dust. He looked at Isa and Colin. Isa pulled her suit away from her body, gazing at the ruined fabric in despair. Colin¡¯s hands were bright red, his gloves completely ruined. The Armalgam hopped off his shoulders. It landed, only for its arms to slip out from under it as the exposed bone on its top almost gave way. ¡°Not you, too.¡± Levi put his foot on it, forcibly healing it with a surge of mana. He gestured Colin over. ¡°Come on, you too.¡± Colin hesitated. ¡°You should save your strength. You¡¯re our primary fighter.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Don¡¯t say that before you see me fight,¡± Isa said. Dropping her suit, she stepped forward and cracked her knuckles. ¡°You gonna finish it off?¡± Levi asked. ¡°I can¡¯t do that, but I can weaken it. Foul feeders are pretty vulnerable to fire, but one that big won¡¯t go down with one spell. Or at least, not one of my spells. I¡¯m not a magic specialist. More of a generalist.¡± ¡°Pity,¡± Levi muttered. He looked around him. He¡¯d half expected to find a field of bones on the far side of the slime, but he¡¯d underestimated the foul feeder. It left nothing behind. Not the bones, not the flesh, nothing. The stone floor shone in the low light, gleaming and polished from the foul feeder¡¯s acid. Overhead, green light shone through slits in the floor where the other end of the pitfall trap provided another opportunity to fall into the slime pit. ¡°Cleanest godsdamned pitfall trap I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± Levi commented. He thought for a minute. No bodies. No bones. Not even scraps remained. The foul feeder had doubtlessly killed dozens, but it had eaten them so thoroughly that there weren¡¯t even piles of foul feeder crap for Levi to attempt reanimate. Still, cold energy shimmered around him. The room was full of death, inundated with it. Every breath reinvigorated him. His core brimmed over with mana, but he had nothing to put it into. Nothing? When it came to undead, there was a whole world of variety available to him. There were zombies, yes, and skeletons, even vampires¡­ but what about ghosts? Shades? All manner of immaterial undead? ¡°Hey, System. How about it, huh? Can I raise some of these ghosts?¡± Levi asked the thin air. Colin raised his brows. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. Do you think it¡¯ll let you do that?¡± ¡°I dunno. Worth a try,¡± he said. The slime hit the far wall. It rebounded off the wall and crawled toward them again, approaching them at the same exact speed it had charged them the first time. Isa stood at the halfway point. Her lips moved, muttering a spell. She focused on her hands, pressing them tightly together. A small red light flickered between her palms. With each passing moment, it grew brighter. Heat and light swirled around her. ¡°Ha!¡± She threw her hands out. A small spark of fire sizzled out from her hands and danced toward the slime. Levi stared. ¡°After all that posturing, that¡¯s all we get? I thought we were gonna get a fireball, at least.¡± Isa rolled her eyes at him. Behind her, the mote continued bobbling toward the slime. ¡°Patience.¡± ¡°No, no, I get it. It¡¯s hard to perform under pressure. We¡¯ve all been there.¡± He reached out to pat Isa¡¯s shoulder. The mote of fire touched the slime. The spark spread. Lines of fire burst out from the compressed point of light, and it surged up the slime¡¯s surface. In an instant, it completely engulfed the foul feeder. A wall of flames raged to the sky. The foul feeder fell back on itself. It thrashed, batting at the fire. The slime wall collapsed as the foul feeder desperately rolled around, battering off the flames. Levi¡¯s eyes widened. He sucked his lips in, then let them out with a breath. ¡°Welp.¡± ¡°It might be hard for you to perform under pressure, but I never miss a beat,¡± Isa said smugly, tossing her hair. ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Levi pulled up his System. Let¡¯s see if it¡¯s done anything about my plea. It¡¯s a standard necromancer¡¯s move, seems like something reasonable to ask for. Levi | 18 | Lv 28 Class: Necromancer [SPECIAL] Str: 33 Mag: 60 Dex: 30 Spd: 32 Def: 15 Res: 57 [Swordsmanship] [Shadow Manipulation] [Shadow Step] [Raise Dead] [Drain] [Shape Dead] [Heal Undead] [Call Ghosts] In places inundated with the unquiet dead, call their grudges and resentment to you. Once you accumulate enough resentment, unleash it as a corrupting beam of necromantic power. ¡°Nice,¡± he muttered. He took a deep breath, then threw out his hand and activated the skill. ¡°Calling all ghosts!¡± The cold energy he¡¯d felt since the moment he arrived in the pitfall trap suddenly¡­ woke up. There wasn¡¯t another way to describe the sensation. Until he activated the skill, the energy had simply been there, passively waiting for him to absorb it. But now it had eyes. And it was watching him. To his surprise, it didn¡¯t immediately rush to him. Instead, it waited. It had been woken, and it wanted to know why. Levi cleared his throat. ¡°Hello. I bet you¡¯re wondering why I¡¯ve gathered you together here, today.¡± The slime battered out the last of the flames. It hoisted itself back up, no longer a wall-to-wall ten foot thick monstrosity, but still plenty large. If it had been twenty feet wide by ten tall by ten long before, it was ten by five by five now. It charged toward them, faster for having less mass. ¡°Levi, whatever you¡¯re doing¡ªspeed it up!¡± Isa said, retreating. Colin retreated with her, keeping a nervous eye on the foul feeder. ¡°Right, right. So. Listen. I get it. You were killed by that slime over there, and that¡¯s some real bullshit. I mean, a slime? Killed you? How lame.¡± He felt the energy turn away. Some of it felt as though it was returning to sleep. ¡°Whoa, whoa. All right. No more jokes. Listen, guys. I know you¡¯re dead, and I know you¡¯re not happy about it. Some dumb unfair pitfall trap dropped you directly into a huge, crazy dangerous slime? Totally unfair. So listen. Give me your power, and I¡¯ll wipe out that slime¡ªno. We can destroy that slime.¡± Eyes turned toward him again. He felt the weight of unseen attention on his shoulders. Grinning, Levi spread his hands. ¡°One last time, from beyond the grave, let¡¯s hit this slime where it hurts, huh?¡± Darkness flowed toward his hand. First a trickle, then a stream, it began pouring toward his hand. Green light flickered in the depths of the darkness, pouring through the eyes and mouths of screaming faces. A ball of green light formed in his palm. It bubbled with black smoke riddled with faces. Each face only existed for a moment, just long enough to mime a scream or cry a few tears before it was pulled down into the depths of the smoke again. Isa eyed it hesitantly. ¡°Is that spell evil?¡± ¡°What? Why would you say that? I¡¯m just gathering the resentment of the dead and using it as my own power. What part of that sounds evil?¡± Levi asked innocently. ¡°All of it,¡± Colin said. Isa gestured at him. ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m using it to destroy the slime and save our lives, so it¡¯s not that bad, is it?¡± Levi pointed out. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to stop you. I was simply pointing it out,¡± Isa said with a shrug. The slime closed in on them. It pulled itself up tall, preparing to slam down on Levi. Levi danced back. At the same time, he threw out his hand. ¡°Go!¡± 34. Corroding Beam ¡°Go!¡± Levi threw his hand out. The green-and-black energy in his palm had grown to a fever pitch. It bubbled and boiled on his palm, barely contained. When he finally gave it permission to escape, it blasted off toward the slime at speed, in one thick bolt of green-black energy. The bolt slammed into the slime and sunk into it. It dissipated. Black and green threads bit into the slime, spreading throughout its entire body. The slime lunged at Levi, slamming itself down. Levi threw himself to the side, barely dodging the wall of slime. He scrambled to his feet and fled, watching the slime over his shoulder. ¡°Is that all? Come on.¡± The green and black threads grew wider, into veins. As they spread, the slime¡¯s body corroded from the inside out. Grey dust shook out of the hole the bolt had carved on its way in. The slender veins thickened, reaching the slime¡¯s surface. Grey dust spouted out of those holes as well. The slime chased after Levi, but slower. It leaked dust with every step, its body corroding out from under it. ¡°Hahaha, hell yeah. That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about!¡± Levi charged in. He pummeled the weakened slime with the Armalgam¡¯s help. Under their combined fists, the slime collapsed, falling to nothing. Letting out a breath, Levi backed away. He shook out his aching knuckles. Before he could even say anything, gold light washed over his hands. He looked up sharply. ¡°Hey, Colin. It¡¯s not a serious wound. Don¡¯t injure yourself for that kind of thing.¡± ¡°Still, I don¡¯t want you to be hurt,¡± Colin said. ¡°The man has to level up somehow,¡± Isa butted in. ¡°Yeah, and I support that, and he can, once we get him another pair of gloves so he doesn¡¯t chew his hands up every time he heals someone.¡± Levi crossed to Colin and passed him enough energy to heal his hands. He took a deep breath, expecting to replenish his mana, but very little flowed in. Levi raised his brows. Huh. He looked at his hand, the one that he¡¯d used to cast the corruption bolt. It gathered the resentment of the dead and let him use it offensively, but it seemed that also meant it gathered all the cold mana in the area. If he used that spell, he¡¯d wipe out his chances to recover mana from the same area. There was plenty of death in the dungeon, so he wasn¡¯t too worried about it now, but it was something to keep in mind. He closed his hand and turned back to the others. ¡°What now?¡± Isa pointed. ¡°Now we use the shortcut.¡± Following her finger upward, Levi found himself staring at the backlit outline of the other end of the pitfall trap in the ceiling. He nodded. ¡°Right, but how? I mean, I had a plan when I jumped down, but that plan involved the Spinal Cord, which I had to use to save all our lives, in case you forgot. Now I don¡¯t have a rope anymore, and I don¡¯t have a plan, either.¡± ¡°I can turn into bats and fly away,¡± Isa said. ¡°Can bats lift the pitfall door?¡± Levi asked. ¡°Smoke, then.¡± ¡°You can turn into smoke?¡± he asked, flabbergasted. She shrugged. ¡°Only for a short time. I can¡¯t do anything else while I¡¯m smoke, and I can¡¯t use it consecutively or in high winds, or any wind, really¡­ but yes, I can turn into smoke.¡± ¡°Damn. You really are a whole-ass vampire. Go on. Turn into smoke, then. Get us a rope and come back,¡± Levi said. Isa saluted. She stared upward, toward the cracks. Her body dissolved from the head to the toes, dissipating into her-colored smoke. When she had completely become smoke, she surged upward and poured through the cracks in the ceiling, vanishing into the dungeon beyond.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°And now we wait,¡± Levi said. He looked around them. Without the slime to menace them, there was nothing in the space. It was a featureless stone box. There wasn¡¯t even anything on the ground, since the foul feeder had dissolved everything it came in contact with. Flesh, bones, clothes, even gear, it had completely absorbed them all. He sighed. ¡°Where¡¯s the loot? A dungeon without loot is sad.¡± Colin lifted his staff. He turned it in a circle in the air, summoning a ball of light. Levi gave him a look, but the spell didn¡¯t appear to have injured Colin¡¯s hands. Colin shook his head. ¡°We¡¯re still on the first floor of the dungeon. Any loot would have been picked clean long ago. We need to go deeper, way deeper, if we want to find real loot. Or fight some secret boss no one¡¯s ever been able to beat.¡± ¡°What did we just do? Does that not count as a secret boss?¡± Levi asked, gesturing around them. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a boss, it was a punishment. We just happened to beat it, but no one expected us to,¡± Colin argued. Levi sighed. He shook his head. ¡°The thing is, it would have had loot, but it dissolved it all. It was the nature of the beast, I suppose.¡± Levi sat down and leaned back, staring at the sky. ¡°What do you think this dungeon was, originally? Was it something? Some kind of underground bunker gone horribly wrong? Or is it that darkness is drawn to darkness? In caverns beneath the earth, where the sun doesn¡¯t shine, dark magic accumulates until it forms monsters and traps¡­¡± Colin shook his head. ¡°No idea. We should ask Isa when she gets back. She¡¯s been here longer. She might know.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a good point.¡± A quiet squelch caught Levi¡¯s ear. He sat up. ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Colin glanced over. ¡°Hear what?¡± Levi climbed to his feet. He paced toward the squelching quietly, pausing to listen between each step. His shadow preceded him, lit from behind by Colin¡¯s light orb. He gestured, using Shadow Manipulation to pull his shadow to the side. A tiny lump of brown slime squelched its way across the room. It looked around, lost. Colin jolted. ¡°Kill it!¡± Levi tsked at him. ¡°Colin, come on. It¡¯s just a baby.¡± Squinting, Colin took a closer look. The little lump of slime tilted. It was only about a handful in all, barely more than a jar of jelly. It wobbled toward them, as uncertain as a toddler taking its first steps. ¡°Oh.¡± Colin let out a breath. ¡°It scared me!¡± ¡°Hey, while we¡¯re waiting, why don¡¯t we make a new friend? Give it some healing light,¡± Levi suggested. Colin looked at him like he was insane. ¡°I¡¯m not injuring myself for that.¡± Levi grabbed his cloak and tore two strips off its end. Taking Colin¡¯s hands, he bound them in the strips of cloth. ¡°How¡¯s that?¡± Turning his hands over, Colin shrugged. ¡°Yeah, I guess that works.¡± He held out his staff and cast a thin stream of gold on the tiny slime. The slime jolted. It scooted toward the light, then puddled down. It reminded Levi of a cat in the sun, splaying out to absorb maximum rays. He cooed. ¡°Look at how cute it is!¡± ¡°It¡¯ll still eat you if you touch it,¡± Colin warned him. ¡°Yeah, I know, but I can still appreciate the cuteness.¡± Levi tilted his head back and forth. ¡°I wish we could take it with us.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that cute.¡± ¡°Cute? Don¡¯t be ridiculous. Yes, it¡¯s cute, but I don¡¯t just want it for its cuteness. This thing is crazy useful. A slime that can dissolve anything? Imagine. We get stuck in a cell? We dissolve the lock. We get cuffed? Dissolve the cuffs. We have a body we don¡¯t want? Dissolve the body.¡± At first, Colin was skeptical, but as Levi argued, he raised his brows and nodded along. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say it in such a shocked voice,¡± Levi muttered. He reached into his pack and poked the slime with a tiny scrap of dried meat. The slime perked up and stuck out a tiny stubby arm, taking the meat from him and dissolving it away. ¡°If only there was a way to tame the slime¡­¡± Overhead, the pitfall doors banged open. Levi looked up. ¡°Isa, are you¡ª¡± Three bodies tumbled down. They hit the ground with wet thumps. Three familiar faces gazed up at them, pale in death, but nonetheless recognizable. Piri, Mae, and Roan. All of them bloodied, throats slit, backs stabbed. Colin ran for the doors, eyes flashing with anger. Levi caught his arm and held him back. Meeting Colin¡¯s eyes, he shook his head. Not yet. He swept his hand, calling shadow over them. From within the darkness, he tilted his head, getting a look at who had tossed the trio down here. The black-dressed members of the Death Cult stood at the top of the pitfall trap, already walking away. Only the one who¡¯d tried to push Levi over remained at the lip, looking down. He sneered, pleased with himself. ¡°That¡¯s what those fakers deserve.¡± ¡°Come on, Sean. There¡¯s four more fakers to kill,¡± another cultist called over his shoulder. With one final sneer, Sean retreated. The doors swung shut. Levi released Colin. With another wave of his hand, he dismissed the shadow. Darkly, he chuckled. ¡°I was going to leave you guys for later, but someone just volunteered to be on the top of the kill list.¡± 35. Top of the List The doors clanged open again. A rope unspooled into the darkness. ¡°Wait long?¡± Isa asked. ¡°Just long enough.¡± The rope went taut. Isa tightened her grip on it, leaning her weight against the rope to make the job easier. A pale hand gripped the edge of the pit. She reached down, offering a hand up. ¡°Come along, my sweet.¡± A bloodied, slippery hand gripped hers. A very dead Mae, cataracts forming in her eyes, met Isa¡¯s gaze. Isa jolted, surprised. Her grip slipped. ¡°Don¡¯t let go of that zombie! I worked hard for that!¡± Levi shouted from the depths. ¡°How many are there?¡± Isa asked. Recovering from her shock, she gripped Mae¡¯s hand firmly and lifted her out of the depths. ¡°Two more. One of ¡®em¡¯s special.¡± The rope grew heavy. Piri climbed to the top and reached for Isa¡¯s hand. Grunting, Isa hauled her free. ¡°One more?¡± ¡°One more. Special one.¡± The rope took weight yet again. It was less heavy than the first two times. This time, a skeleton reached for her hand. She lifted Roan¡¯s skeleton over the edge and found herself facing¡­ something. Isa furrowed her brows. ¡°What the hell is this?¡± ¡°A slombie.¡± The rope trembled as Levi climbed up it. A moment later, Colin followed him up. Standing beside his masterpiece, Levi proudly gestured to Roan. Brown slime clung to his bones, not quite coating them, but present. ¡°A slime-zombie!¡± ¡°Why?¡± Levi tutted. He shook his finger. ¡°Everyone thinks of zombies as disposable minions. And they are! But what if they were more than disposable, weak minions? What if they could also hide a secondary attack? A zombie, infected with a slime¡­ think of the possibilities. I can control the skeleton, and the skeleton is coated in a slime that dissolves pretty much everything. Isn¡¯t that crazy overpowered?¡± ¡°Won¡¯t it dissolve the skeleton?¡± Isa pointed out. ¡°It will, which is why they¡¯re still disposable minions. But hey! If I can¡¯t tame a slime, this is the second best thing. And¡­ that¡¯s not even the best part.¡± ¡°No?¡± Isa asked skeptically. Levi stepped back. He patted Colin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Show her.¡± Colin lifted his staff. A beam of golden light streamed from its tip and drew a small circle on the wall. The Roan-zombie swayed toward it. The slime lifted off its bones, craning toward the gold light. ¡°That¡¯s enough for a demo, thanks, Colin,¡± Levi said.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Colin nodded and lowered his staff. ¡°See? We can control the zombie for macro-movements, and control the slime for micro-movements. It¡¯s the ultimate weapon!¡± ¡°It is definitely a thing you can do,¡± Isa agreed. Levi shook his head at her. ¡°Where did you learn all this modern slang? Honestly.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t live in a hole the whole time after I arrived in this world. I probably know more otherworlders here than you knew people back in your world.¡± ¡°Doubt it, but I guess it¡¯s possible. Anyways. The point is, we were just chilling in that pitfall trap, minding our own business, when suddenly the Death Cultists¡¯ goth wannabes dump these bodies down on our heads. The bodies of our friends! Dumped, unceremoniously, like so much trash!¡± Levi clenched his hand and gritted his teeth. ¡°That¡¯s awfully rude of them.¡± Levi nodded. He narrowed his eyes, glaring after the Death Cultists. ¡°And that¡¯s why we¡¯re going to figure out where they sleep, and slit their throats in the night like the dogs they are.¡± ¡°With the¡­what was it. Slombie?¡± Isa asked. Cracking a grin, Levi gave her a big thumbs up. ¡°You know it!¡± Colin looked at the slombie. He tilted his head. ¡°It did start as a slombie, but it¡¯s more of a skeletslime now.¡± ¡°Yeah, but sleleton is a terrible¡ª¡± Levi paused. He pinched his chin thoughtfully. ¡°Skeletslime¡­ skeleslime¡­¡± Isa interrupted him, rolling up the rope as she spoke. ¡°Then I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be happy to discover that I have already found their camping spot.¡± Levi perked up. ¡°Really?¡± She held up the rope. ¡°Where did you think I found this?¡± ¡°Oh, nice! Awesome! Wait¡­ did you encounter them while they were still alive? Since you were going to their camp on the same timeframe where they were heading here to dump them,¡± Levi asked, gesturing at his new zombies. ¡°No. I presume they didn¡¯t take them to the camp to kill them. They probably simply killed them where they encountered them, then tossed their bodies in here.¡± ¡°You know, that does sound shockingly reasonable.¡± ¡°Why dump the bodies?¡± Colin asked. He looked Piri and Mae over. ¡°We¡¯re in a dungeon. Couldn¡¯t they simply leave them somewhere?¡± Levi shook his finger. ¡°That, my young Colin, is short-sighted. Just because we¡¯re in another world doesn¡¯t mean there isn¡¯t some way to understand who, or what, killed a body. I mean, just look at them. Stabbed in the back, their throats slit. Tell me what kind of slime did that, huh?¡± ¡°Right, but who¡¯s going to hold them accountable? The Death Cult police?¡± Colin scoffed. Again, Levi shook his finger. ¡°Short-sighted! Come on, Colin, you¡¯re smarter than this. These people have friends. Family. I mean, look at Piri. You¡¯ve seen Shaheed. Imagine if her dad found out she got stabbed in the back, and where, and decided to take issue with it. How do you feel about her dad hunting you down, huh?¡± ¡°I¡­ yeah, I guess I wouldn¡¯t be too happy about it,¡± Colin admitted. Crossing his arms, Levi nodded. ¡°There doesn¡¯t have to be police for there to be accountability in the world. Now, sure, there¡¯s less of it. But I mean, do you want to piss off a wolfman, or a clan of elves, or an¡­ orc¡­?¡± ¡°Troll,¡± Isa corrected him. ¡°Troll? Really. Damn. My next guess was djinn, believe it or not,¡± Levi informed her. He turned back to Colin. ¡°So yes, they could have left the bodies behind. But that¡¯s a loose thread. You know what isn¡¯t a loose thread? Letting a foul feeder dissolve them to nothing.¡± Colin nodded slowly. ¡°No, I get it. You were right, Levi. I wasn¡¯t thinking.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get to hear those words often, but god, it feels good when I do,¡± Levi said, pleased. ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking?¡± Isa deadpanned. ¡°No, I hear those words from my mouth all the time. The ones before them.¡± ¡°No, I get it?¡± Levi took a deep breath. He sighed. ¡°Oh, Isa. You know what? I¡¯m glad you stayed up with the times.¡± ¡°We made these kinds of stupid jokes back in the 1790s, too. We just spent a few more words getting there,¡± she said, shaking her head at him. Levi clapped abruptly. ¡°Enough chit-chat. Let¡¯s get down to business. Isa? Lead the way.¡± She saluted and took point. Levi and Colin followed her, with the three zombies trailing at the back. As one, they marched for revenge. 36. Midnight Massacre The cavern was broad and tall, tall enough Jon didn¡¯t feel strange pitching a tent in it. Around him, other devotees of the Death Cult erected their tents. Someone cooked dinner over a smokeless magical fire, turning the soup with a big ladle. The room filled with the scent of simmering potatoes and aromatic tomato. A shadow fell over him. He looked up. Arun smiled down at him, fixing her ponytail. Her cat ears twitched, a remnant of her mother¡¯s ancestry. ¡°Did you finish securing the south exit?¡± Jon turned. Several tunnels fed into this room, some from such heights that no one had bothered to secure them. As for the rest¡­ he looked at the southward tunnel, where he¡¯d piled rocks and boulders along with the other cultists. They¡¯d remove them in the morning, but until then, the scraping of stone-on-stone would warn them of any human arrivals, and the rock blockage would do enough to hold off any monsters. He gestured. ¡°Look for yourself.¡± She turned, then sighed. ¡°You know it¡¯s all a grey blur to me.¡± Jon raised his brows. ¡°Your eyes are still bad?¡± ¡°Of course they are! We¡¯re on the first floor. I¡¯ve killed seven worms. What do you think I am, an otherworlder who can get some Far Sight skill after two kills? I need to accumulate lots more mana if I¡¯m going to enhance my senses,¡± she chided him gently. He smiled. ¡°What, you haven¡¯t awakened a System already?¡± She rolled her eyes playfully. ¡°Only idiots like Sean seriously believe we might unlock a System if we ¡®defeat the dungeon,¡¯ whatever that means. No one¡¯s even seen the bottom of the dungeon, so good luck getting there.¡± ¡°Speaking of Sean, where¡¯d he go?¡± Arun waved her hand. ¡°Who knows? He said something about killing the non-believers, or whatever. And good riddance, honestly.¡± ¡°To who, them, or Sean?¡± She laughed. ¡°Either of them! Sean, because he¡¯s an asshole, and the interlopers because fuck ¡®em. They don¡¯t deserve our dungeon. Who¡¯s been protecting it all these years, huh? Even if the Cult doesn¡¯t care, I¡¯m not going to be happy if some outsiders come in and take all our loot. They offer nothing and steal what¡¯s rightfully ours, attack our families, hell, some of them eat our children, do you know that? And they call us the Death Cult! Fucking outsiders. They all deserve to die. If Sean kills them all, I might actually thank him.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll toast to that,¡± Jon said, raising an imaginary glass. Arun raised hers back. Something dripped from their imaginary glasses. Both of them startled. They exchanged a look, then, slowly, looked up. From a tunnel directly overhead, a skull gazed down at them. Brown sludge surrounded the bone, obscuring it, but not hiding it. ¡°What,¡± Jon said, unable to manage any more. A man¡¯s face appeared, one of those very interlopers they¡¯d been talking about. He tossed them a jaunty wave and a grin. ¡°Sorry about that. The slombie¡¯s hungry.¡± Jon¡¯s brows furrowed deeper. Arun jolted back in alarm. She opened her mouth to scream. ¡°Whoopsie. I guess that spoiled the surprise. Slombie, I choose you!¡± A slime-coated skeleton dropped into the center of the large cavern with a splatter. Two other bloody figures landed on either side of it. One loomed tall, gripping a greataxe in both meaty, green hands, while the other clutched a sword, short and slender. At the sight of the cultists, their eyes suddenly glowed green. Black and green energy swirled around them. Their muscles bulged. The whole camp stared. A few people stood up in the distance, reaching for their weapons. ¡°Ooh, that¡¯s new. I like that,¡± Levi commented to himself, eyeing the writhing energy. He was using the zombies against the people whom they were most likely to hold a grudge, and it seemed that was working in his favor. Something to remember for later. He gripped the edge of the hole. At the last second, he glanced back and waved at Isa and Colin. ¡°Can¡¯t leave my audience waiting. You two, be good. Daddy will be back soon, and I swear I¡¯ll have that milk.¡± Isa frowned at him, lost. Colin sighed. Levi leaped down from above. He landed with a heavy thump. Dust flew up all around him. As it cleared, he turned slowly, taking in the room. ¡°Hello, ladies, gentlemen, and otherwise! Are you ready to fuckin¡¯ die?¡± The stares intensified. Arun fled. Jon lunged. Levi drew his sword. The Armalgam¡¯s arms unfolded from under his cloak and drew four additional swords. He gave them a little spin and tossed the room a winning grin. ¡°Because I¡¯m ready to kill.¡± Up in the hole, Isa put her hand on her face. Colin sighed heavily, a pained expression on his face.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Is he always like this?¡± Isa asked. Colin shook his head. ¡°I wish the answer wasn¡¯t ¡®yes.¡¯¡± Jon reached Levi. Levi didn¡¯t even turn. The Armalgam whirled, and Jon fell down in pieces. As if they¡¯d been waiting for a cue, all the rest of the cultists jumped up and charged him and his zombies. Levi snapped his fingers. Each of the zombies rushed off in a different cardinal direction. Levi took the remaining direction. Cultists rushed toward him. Fireballs, rocks, and arrows flew toward him. The Armalgam wrapped its arms around him, tanking the hits. ¡°Die, fucker!¡± a man shouted. ¡°Ooh, I¡¯ve reached ¡®em already?¡± Levi spread the Armalgam¡¯s arms wide, slashing out at the same time. The cultist had enough time to look shocked before two swords sliced through his chest and stomach. Three other cultists rushed toward him. The Armalgam held off the other two, while he took on the one charging him directly. Their swords clashed. The other man¡¯s muscles bulged, trained over years of practice. Even so, Levi held his blade easily. ¡°Damn. I already knew it, but the System is a hell of a cheat, isn¡¯t it?¡± Levi asked him. The Armalgam struck out with both its arms, swaying Levi forward. He used its swing to shove the other man back, then followed it up with a kick to the man¡¯s shins. The man staggered, gritting his teeth against pain. He dashed in and thrust, piercing the man¡¯s chest with his sword. The man gagged on his own blood. Lifting his foot, Levi kicked him off his sword. The other two fell back as well, but four more rushed in to take the fallen cultists¡¯ places. Levi considered for half a beat as they charged, then shrugged. ¡°Spin to win?¡± He held out his swords, all five of them, and spun around on the spot, transforming into a makeshift blender. The cultists slowed. They exchanged a glance, then shrugged collectively. Levi stopped. He lurched to the side, barely catching himself, a little dizzy-drunk. ¡°I see now that I was foolish.¡± The cultists charged. ¡°Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up, one second,¡± Levi requested. He staggered leftward, off-balance. ¡°I¡¯ve gotta stabilize here.¡± The leftward cultist¡¯s eyes widened. He lunged, stabbing at Levi. The Armalgam slashed with its two leftward blades, taking the man¡¯s head like a pair of scissors. ¡°Whaaaaa¡­ I¡¯m getting there, hold on.¡± Levi stumbled right. Fire flared. The Armalgam flexed its arms and took the hit. The cultist backstepped, but Levi stumbled faster. A blade flashed out from under the Armalgam and cut the man¡¯s stomach open. ¡°Oh no! Watch out!¡± Levi tripped forward. The cultist smirked. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting.¡± The muscular woman drew back a heavy sledgehammer, unleashing a heavy blow at Levi. He jumped nimbly back, suddenly recovering his balance. ¡°Phew, that was close!¡± The woman rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Uh huh.¡± ¡°Yeah, okay. It was kind of obvious, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Levi snapped his fingers. The Armalgam sheathed two swords. It leaped off his back and rushed the man behind him on its two newly opened hands. Freed of its load, Levi sped toward the hammer-wielder. She drew back her hammer, trying to launch another blow, but her hammer was too heavy to move that quickly. He reached her in a blink of an eye and smiled. His sword sunk into her chest. The woman swung her hammer one last time, but he was too close. It thumped into his side. It bruised him, but it didn¡¯t land a heavy blow. Levi pushed her away. ¡°Next.¡± The cultists rushed at him. He sliced the blood off his sword and charged them in turn. Gold light shone down on him from above as Colin did his part. Across the battlefield, the zombies fought on. The slombie lurched forward. The cultists hit it with magic, but the blows glanced off the skeleton. Blades struck the skeleton and sunk into the slime, dissolving in the foul feeder¡¯s powerful acid. The cultists backed away one step at a time. It lurched forward, arms out. Screaming, one of the cultists rushed the slombie. It pivoted toward him. The cultist struck out. Its sword burrowed deep in the slombie¡¯s ribcage, severing several ribs. He yanked his sword back and struck again. This time, he severed the slombie¡¯s spine. It slumped forward, falling on him. Its legs hit the ground. The man panted. Caught his breath. Standing up, he grinned. ¡°Take that¡ª¡± The slombie gripped the man¡¯s shoulder. Slime spread from the slombie¡¯s bones and crawled over the man¡¯s body. He screamed and shoved it away. The slime slithered up the man¡¯s arm, undeterred. The man¡¯s arm withered to bone. Up to the shoulder. To the chest. The man screamed louder, but it did nothing to stop his inevitable demise. The slime left its original skeleton behind and covered the man, boiling his flesh away. In a few moments, nothing was left but the skeleton. Levi jolted. He looked over his shoulder. ¡°Huh. I can feel when they re-die, can I?¡± Jerking his knife out of a man¡¯s eye, he pointed and snapped his fingers. ¡°Biddly bobbledy boo, a new skeleton for you.¡± The slombie¡¯s skeleton jolted. It stood upright. Turning, it continued its slow advance toward the other cultists. ¡°Rick, no! Rick! Riiiick!¡± a girl screamed. She launched fireball after fireball at the advancing skeleton, backing up to the wall. The slime flinched inward, letting the fireballs bounce off its bones. It reached out for the girl. ¡°I don¡¯t envy her.¡± Levi leaped into the melee again. The other two zombies battered the cultists away. They accumulated wounds, but in true zombie form, they didn¡¯t react to the pain. Unfeeling, unstoppable killers, they stomped numbly into the crowd, mowing down cultists one after another. Slowly, the numbers overwhelmed them. Mae dropped, then Piri, and only the slombie and Levi remained. For all that, few cultists remained. Mae and Piri had made a considerable effort against the cultists. Half of those who remained focused their efforts on the slombie, while the other half chased Levi and the Armalgam around the room. Levi fled and rolled, laughing, having the time of his life, and the Armalgam skittered around him, occasionally darting out to sweep someone¡¯s legs so he could finish them off. Despite the overwhelming numbers against them, the fight was clearly leaning in Levi¡¯s direction. Isa stepped forward. ¡°If I don¡¯t join now, there won¡¯t be anyone left to eat.¡± She dropped into the room, landing in a perfect stand, as though she¡¯d stepped down a small ledge rather than dropping from the ceiling. She looked left, then right, then vanished. A swirl of bats reappeared behind one of the men. A hand gripped his face, and fangs sunk into his neck. His fellow cultists whirled, charging at Isa, but before their blows could land, she vanished again, reappearing in front of a woman. She struck once more, tearing out the woman¡¯s throat and messily slurping her blood. From above, Colin watched, shocked. He shook his head, but Isa was still down there, savaging the cultists with her bare teeth. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be the normal one?¡± Isa looked up. Licking a bead of blood off her thumb, she winked at him, then vanished again. ¡°Yeah, gods. I guess I forgot she¡¯s a vampire.¡± Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to Levi. Blood flowed freely down Levi¡¯s side, but the man didn¡¯t seem to feel it. He hefted his staff, pushing more mana into the spell. Colin sighed aloud. ¡°Is it too much to hope I can meet someone normal in this world?¡± 37. Aftermath At last, the last cultist fell. Levi crouched, checking their face to be sure, then stood. ¡°Yep, that¡¯s the last of them. Isa, you full?¡± Isa gulped noisily. A petrified cultist stood bolt upright in her grasp, stiff as a board and pale as the moon. She discarded the woman, and the cultist collapsed to the floor, dead. ¡°They made a fine snack.¡± Across the room, the slombie got down on its hands and knees. It crawled from one body to another, hungrily absorbing their flesh. Levi glanced over. ¡°You think that¡¯s a problem?¡± Isa followed his gaze. She shrugged. ¡°Worst case, we shove it back in the pitfall. You control the bones, right? So it¡¯s not a problem.¡± ¡°Yeah, true.¡± Levi looked over the dead. ¡°You know, I didn¡¯t see that guy among these dudes. You know. The one who dropped the bodies in the trap.¡± Isa squinted at him. ¡°The¡­ what?¡± ¡°Oh, right. You weren¡¯t there. Yeah. Some prick named Sean was the one who dropped our dear friends into the hole. I reaaaaally wanted to kill him, but I don¡¯t think he was here.¡± Levi took in the carnage again, then shrugged. ¡°Ah, well. You heard those cultists. If Sean hadn¡¯t done it, someone else would¡¯ve come after us. Xenophobic bastards.¡± ¡°Well said,¡± Isa agreed. A cough echoed down from above them. ¡°Um, can someone help me?¡± Colin asked timidly. ¡°Just jump down. You should have the stats for that,¡± Levi suggested. Colin gave the gap a hesitant look. ¡°I¡¯m a caster. My physical stats are¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m a caster, too,¡± Levi pointed out. ¡°Like fuck you are. Get the man a rope,¡± Isa demanded. ¡°You can¡¯t fly up there?¡± Levi asked, gesturing. She sighed and patted her belly, pushing it out to make it even more round. ¡°Too full to fly.¡± Levi shook his head at her, then shrugged. ¡°I was thinking of making a new Spinal Cord, anyways. That thing was useful, and I barely got to use it in combat.¡± Colin made a face. ¡°Am I going to have to watch all that again?¡± Lifting his sword, Levi approached the first corpse. A moment before he swung down, he hesitated and looked over his shoulder. ¡°You can look away if you like.¡± Colin groaned. A half hour of corpse dismemberment later, a fresh Spinal Cord arced into the sky and burrowed itself into the tunnel overhead. Colin tested it, then climbed down slowly. ¡°How¡¯d you know about that tunnel, Isa?¡± Levi asked, watching Colin climb down. He put his hands on his hips and leaned to the side, getting a better angle on it. They¡¯d had to squeeze into a crack barely wide enough for a human to fit to get here. The crevasse had cut back on itself several times before finally widening out to a true route. If Isa hadn¡¯t insisted they were going the right way, he would have given up long before he reached the cavern. Isa snorted. She gestured at the blocked-off walls. ¡°Those rocks have been there for centuries. The Death Cultists always use this as a base, every time they open the dungeon¡ªit¡¯s one of the reasons why Death Cultists are usually the only ones to come out the other side of the dungeon. Everyone else has to fight the bugs and slimes for a place to sleep, while they take the prime land. I was a young, hungry vampire back then, without any tolerance for my own hunger. My nose led me to the crevasse, and my body refused to back out until I found blood. I beat myself bloody dragging myself through those rocks, but ah, the sweet, sweet payoff¡­¡± She sighed at the memory.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Gnarly,¡± Levi commented. Coming back to reality, she waved her hand. ¡°I widened the route after the first pass through, when I was well-fed, stronger, and less desperate. During the years I lived in the dungeon, I always came back up to have an easy bite whenever the Death Cultists opened the doors again. They almost abandoned the camping spot, so I had to back off for a few rounds¡­ good times.¡± ¡°You lived down here?¡± Levi asked. She spread her hands. ¡°It¡¯s dark, it¡¯s close to where I was turned, and there¡¯s plenty of prey and few consequences for killing. It¡¯s a good place for a young vampire to be.¡± ¡°Wait, but then¡­ how deep did you get?¡± Levi asked. He paused, then amended himself. ¡°In the dungeon, I mean.¡± Colin facepalmed. She snorted. ¡°Not very. I never ventured past the third floor. I wasn¡¯t trying to clear the dungeon, and I wasn¡¯t interested in the loot¡ªI assumed I¡¯d be on the run for the rest of my life, and so had little use for most of the unwieldier items in the depths. I had two goals: get stronger and stay alive. The first three floors were sufficient for both of those.¡± ¡°Fair enough. How many floors are there, do you reckon?¡± Isa twisted her lips. She thought for a second. ¡°Ten? Fifty? A hundred?¡± Levi widened his eyes. ¡°The range is between ten and a hundred? One of those is very clearable, and the other is not.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a Great Dungeon,¡± she said, as though it made it obvious. She shook her head at him. ¡°The other Great Dungeons have never been cleared, either. The Death Cult¡¯s is the worst-delved, partially because it¡¯s controlled by the Death Cult, partially because their adherents kill all the competent delvers who come here through any means possible. But of the other two Great Dungeons, one has over fifty confirmed floors, and the other has seven confirmed floors. Those seven are as large and as hard to pass as the fifty floors on the other Great Dungeon. Do you get the picture?¡± Levi nodded slowly. ¡°Sounds like a hell of an investment. Why bother at all?¡± She gave him a look. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Money and EXP?¡± Levi paused. He nodded. ¡°Okay, fair.¡± ¡°Other delvers are driven by fame, as well,¡± she added. ¡°Fame is for fuckheads,¡± Levi replied. Isa raised her brows. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that from you.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re, like, the biggest attention wh¡­ grabber I¡¯ve ever met,¡± Colin chimed in, stepping off the Spinal Cord. Levi nodded. ¡°I do love attention. But fame? Fame is different. Attention is great. I turn it on, everyone watches me, and it¡¯s fantastic. And then I go home and I sleep, and that¡¯s that. Fame? Fame is fucked. That¡¯s when creepy people follow you home. When people beg for your farts in a jar and cry because you looked at them. Not only is it a pain in the ass for you, but it changes people. You and the people giving you fame, both. I once had a good friend who¡ª¡± Levi cut off abruptly. He gazed at the wall for a moment, his eyes cloudy. All at once, he grinned and finished, ¡°¡ªgot famous and got a big head, and we couldn¡¯t be friends any more, the end.¡± Exasperated, Colin rolled his eyes. ¡°Why won¡¯t you tell us about your past? What, afraid we¡¯re going to be mad because of things that happened in another world? What did you do, commit war crimes?¡± ¡°Yes, and¡­ no! I wasn¡¯t at war, so they were regular crimes. Speaking of, Colin, there¡¯s lots of bodies around here. Eat up. I don¡¯t want to get recruited into another cult when you hold back for too long and eat a friendly cultist in front of the big bad again.¡± He thumped Colin on the back and grinned, then walked off, picking over the bodies himself, but taking their valuables instead of their flesh. Colin scratched his arm. He squirmed, scowling at the floor. ¡°Why¡¯s he bring that up every time?¡± ¡°You¡¯re prodding his sore spots, so he¡¯s poking at yours,¡± Isa informed him. ¡°I know, but still. It¡¯s rude.¡± ¡°Ah yes, Levi. Notoriously polite,¡± Isa deadpanned. Colin nodded. He tipped his head. ¡°Yeah, fair.¡± Turning serious, she looked him in the eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve said it before, but I¡¯ll say it again. He¡¯s right. You can¡¯t deny what your new body needs. Eat. I know it¡¯s disgusting. I know you hate it. I¡¯ve been there. But you can¡¯t deny this. The more you deny it, the worse it¡¯ll get.¡± Colin opened his mouth. He took a deep breath, then shut it. ¡°I know, but¡ª¡± ¡°We¡¯ll all look away. You go off in that corner and do what needs to be done. Take all the time you need. All night, if need be. But get it done.¡± With that, Isa turned on her heel and followed Levi off toward the fallen cultists. Running his hands down his face, Colin sighed again. He looked at all the bodies around him. Drool welled up in his mouth. Forcibly, he swallowed it down. They¡¯re right. They¡¯re right, and I know it. But¡­ No buts. I can¡¯t be a liability. He turned away, walking into the corner. Levi glanced up as Isa drew alongside him. In a quiet, high-pitched voice, he whispered, ¡°Gods, you¡¯re so cool, Isa.¡± ¡°Shut it. If you¡¯re trying vinegar, then I¡¯ll try sugar,¡± she returned, bending to yank a pendant off a man¡¯s neck. ¡°No, you¡¯re right. By hook or by crook, we need that boy to eat.¡± He glanced ahead of them. ¡°How long do you think it¡¯ll take?¡± ¡°I gave him the whole night.¡± Levi nodded ahead of them. A skeleton half-crawled, half-slurped across the floor, hoovering up all the flesh in its path. ¡°That¡¯s generous, but if he takes that long, the slombie¡¯s gonna get them first.¡± Isa snorted. ¡°We¡¯ll let that be a forcing factor.¡± ¡°Right, right.¡± 38. Welcoming Death The three¡ªno, four of them, counting the slombie, made bed in the ruined cultist camp that night. Levi snoozed in one of the nicer tents, while Isa dozed and kept an eye on the slombie. Some time around midnight, the sound of crunching and tearing flesh came from Colin¡¯s corner. She didn¡¯t look over, respecting her promise, but her lips tugged upward a hair. Some eight hours later, Levi stumbled out of the tent, scratching his stomach. He looked around, taking in the remnants of the carnage. Pursing his lips, he nodded. ¡°That slombie does good work.¡± Isa sat up, yawning. She nodded. ¡°I was impressed.¡± What had been dozens of bodies had transformed overnight into dozens of skeletons. Not a single scrap of meat remained on their bones. White, bleached bone stood under the flickering green light, as clean as though it had rotted away for centuries. Levi lifted a hand to his eyes, peering after the slombie, who stood at a wobbly attention near one of the entrances. ¡°Don¡¯t foul feeders eat bones?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t like them. It takes them a long time to fully dissolve them, and they¡¯ll only choose to eat them if they have no other food source. Otherwise, that skeleslime of yours wouldn¡¯t have lasted this long,¡± Isa pointed out. ¡°I was wondering about that.¡± He stretched. More quietly, he added, ¡°What about our other zombie friend?¡± ¡°Ate well.¡± ¡°Mmm. Good. Hey, Colin!¡± Across the room, Colin looked up. His whole face and his clothes were perfectly clean. He smiled, as if nothing had happened. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Have you tried asking the System for Life magic resistance? It came to me last night. Why are we doing this runaround with gloves when we can just ask the System for things?¡± ¡°I¡­ actually did.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve managed to level the skill up to ten percent Life resistance,¡± Colin said, nodding. Levi pursed his lips and hissed a slow breath. ¡°Oof. Guess they won¡¯t hand it out that easily, huh?¡± Colin rubbed the back of his neck. Tipping his head to the side in embarrassment, he smiled again. ¡°It seems even being able to use life magic as a dead person is pushing the limits, let alone asking for resistance.¡± Levi nodded slowly, then gave him a thumbs-up. ¡°Good going. Keep on that grind.¡± Rock ground against rock. All three of them spun toward one of the entrances. The rocks shifted, falling in on themselves, and on the far side of the entrance, someone grunted. Levi drew closer, quietly drawing his sword. Colin stiffened and clambered to his feet, staff at the ready. Isa simply turned her head, standing completely still where she was.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The final rock slid aside, and finally a tunnel opened, letting the person outside see what awaited inside. Sean, the one who¡¯d bumped Levi and dumped the other party into the slime pit, gave a friendly smile. ¡°I¡¯m back¡ª¡± His expression soured. His eyes narrowed. ¡°Welcome home, honey!¡± Levi trilled in a falsetto. He charged the hole, stabbing through to the other side. Sean jerked his head back. The blade slashed his face open, but it failed to pierce his eye. He glared. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Come on in, I¡¯ll tell you all about it,¡± Levi invited him, stepping back. He eyed the hole, stroking the Spinal Cord contemplatively. ¡°Why would I do that? You already tried to kill me!¡± Abruptly, Levi¡¯s expression turned sure. He threw out his hand. The Spinal Cord leapt into action, surging through the hole and curling toward Sean¡¯s throat. Sean blurred backward with supernatural speed. The Spinal Cord curled around nothing. Levi clicked his tongue, displeased. ¡°Almost had him.¡± On the other side of the rocks, Sean sprinted around the corner and out of sight. Isa drew up alongside Levi. ¡°Want me to eat him?¡± Colin cringed closer. ¡°Should we run?¡± Levi shook his head. ¡°Might as well clean up the hanging threads, right? I¡¯m betting he comes back with whatever¡¯s left of the cultists. Let¡¯s make a nice entrance for them. Invite them in.¡± He turned, gesturing at the floor around them. Skeletons littered the earth, lying ready for his call. A grin spread across his face. ¡°After all, why abandon a position of strength?¡± -- ¡°Just up ahead. We need to finish him off,¡± Sean said, gesturing. Muscular men and women followed him. One nodded. They were the elites of the Death Cult, the ones who had no fear ranging alone in the dungeon. Veteran delvers, who had spent years in these depths. Most of them preferred to delve alone, but when they¡¯d heard tell of the man who¡¯d killed all their weaker comrades, they¡¯d all joined up with Sean. An outsider, killing Death Cultists in their own dungeon? Even the most lonesome delver wouldn¡¯t stand for such a thing. The sheer audacity of such a person, the foolishness¡ªthey all felt the same wrath. Outsiders? Otherworlders? Killing Death Cultists on their home turf? They might as well have signed their own death warrants. Looking back, Sean barely suppressed a smug smirk. That foolish outsider didn¡¯t know what he¡¯d done. He had no idea what he¡¯d invoked. He might think himself invincible for killing the weakling Death Cultists, but he was only a fool who didn¡¯t know his place in the world. And they would teach him where he belonged, shortly before he stopped learning anything at all. He turned back to face forward, pointing ahead. ¡°Right up here¡ª¡± A figure stepped out of the darkness. Sean jumped, screaming instinctively. The Death Cultists behind him tensed, reaching for their weapons. The handsome outsider strode forward, blocking their way. He carried a single sword at his hip and wore a haughty look, as though he could barely stand to look at them. Unlike the other outsider, who had a scruffy and unwashed air to him, as if he¡¯d spent an entire life on the road¡ªnot to mention a pervasive rotten stench akin to meat gone bad¡ªhe stood tall and firm, as crisp and clean as the day he¡¯d arrived. Kai tossed his hair. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Sean quavered for a heartbeat, hesitating, then scoffed at himself. What was there to fear? The strongest delvers of the Death Cult stood behind him, second in strength only to the Death Cult¡¯s elders and the few Holy Otherworlders who had been recognized by their leader. He stood upright again, smug look returning. Who cared if he insulted this outsider? All the better! It would give the veterans an excuse to kill him. ¡°To kill those filthy outsiders.¡± The man raised a single brow. ¡°Who, Levi?¡± Sean hesitated. ¡°The dirty one who smells like death?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He nodded. The outsider barked a laugh. His eyes narrowed, and he gestured for Sean to go ahead. ¡°Lead the way.¡± 39. Besieged ¡°Hey, Isa. Do you think your village still needs those two zombies?¡± ¡°Hmm? What, those? They were still animated?¡± she asked, startled. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a no,¡± Levi replied. He looked at his status menu again, considering his options. Levi | 18 | Lv 30 Class: Necromancer [SPECIAL] Str: 37 Mag: 66 Dex: 34 Spd: 36 Def: 15 Res: 61 [Swordsmanship] [Shadow Manipulation] [Shadow Step] [Raise Dead] [Drain] [Shape Dead] [Heal Undead] [Call Ghosts] [Death Resist] ¡°Oh, nice. The power to resist death, just what I needed,¡± Levi muttered. He checked it to be sure, but as expected, it was a skill that provided a small percentage resistance against death magic and death effects. He couldn¡¯t imagine it was the most useful resistance in the world¡ªfire resistance would do wonders, for example¡ªbut in the Death Cult, it would probably come in handy. ¡°Hey, show me my active undead, will ya?¡± he requested. Active Undead [Colin] [Unique] [Ensouled] [Armalgam] [Spinal Cord] Mk. 2 [Slombie] [Unnamed Dead 1] [Unnamed Dead 2] He pinched his chin, looking over the list. The last two were probably the undead he¡¯d left at the village. He snapped his fingers, releasing them. They dropped off his list. Miles away, two dessicated corpses suddenly went still, then toppled over. The townsfolk gathered round, quickly whispering prayers to the re-dead. One turned his head to the sky. ¡°Thank you, noble Overbringer!¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Completely unaware of the praise offered him, Levi twisted his lips and consulted the System again. ¡°What¡¯s my max number of undead?¡± Max Undead: 10 ¡°Nice, nice.¡± With the removal of the two unnamed dead, that put him back at four active undead, with six available slots. He looked around the room. The three of them had unblocked the entrance Sean had come to earlier, leaving it wide open. Skeletons clustered around it, all tangled up in a bundle. Levi snapped his fingers, and five of them came to life, green light glittering in their eyes. They shifted, starting to rise. Before they could, Levi put his hand out flat. ¡°Not yet. Let¡¯s give our good friends a surprise, hmm?¡± The skeletons rattled, then laid back down. Once more, their eye sockets went dark. ¡°And that leaves one slot open, in case I need an emergency undead,¡± Levi commented to himself. He lifted his head, looking at Isa and Colin. ¡°Everyone ready? Colin?¡± Colin gave him a thumbs-up from the passage in the ceiling. Using the Spinal Cord, he¡¯d retreated back into the passage, where melee fighters would have difficulty fighting him, and he could easily retreat out of the range of archers and mages. ¡°Isa?¡± Isa crossed her arms. She stood beside him in her adult form, and what a form it was. Her eyes glittered. Her hair shone. Her skin took on a baby¡¯s softness. Every inch of her was full of life and power, and ready to fight. She chuckled, deep in her throat. ¡°On the off-chance you need my help, I¡¯m willing and able.¡± ¡°Slombie?¡± The creature turned numbly toward him. Brown slime coursed over its bones, dripping from its fingertips. It had no face, nor ability to make an expression, but he got the impression that it was hungry. ¡°Excellent.¡± Levi clapped, pleased with himself. ¡°Then there¡¯s just one last thing to do¡­¡± -- Sean pointed. ¡°Here they are.¡± Looking ahead, he paused. The entryway had been cleared of rocks, as if to welcome them. For the first time, a scrap of doubt crept into his mind. If the enemy welcomed them, was it the right decision to charge in? One glance over his shoulders settled his heart. The Death Cult¡¯s elites and the powerful-looking outsider were all on his side. What did he have to fear? He just had to point them at the enemy and wait in the back for everything to resolve itself. And then he saw what awaited them, and his heart quavered again. A mound of bones piled high in the center of the room. Skulls, ribcages, femurs, all of them bleached white as though they¡¯d been left in the desert for months. He knew they¡¯d only died the day before, but he could hardly believe it. Those dead, sterile bones couldn¡¯t be the product of one night. But that wasn¡¯t what drew his eye. It was the man crouched atop the bones that demanded his gaze. A loose red cloak hugging his shoulders, far too many swords at his hips, he lounged atop the mound as if it were the most natural thing to do. And in the place of a face, he wore a skull. No¡ªgripped it between his palms. Yet, for a moment, Sean had truly, from the bottom of his heart, seen a dead man before him. A chill crawled down his spine. The sensation of standing in the presence of not an outsider, but something utterly, completely alien, something that commanded power beyond his understanding, something that had watched over unseen aeons in silence, bearing it all¡ªcame over him. This man told a joke, but it was one only he understood. No one else in the world could laugh along, a joke he told all to himself. The final joke, the kind of joke that he didn¡¯t need you to get in order for it to be funny. Undeniably, unavoidably, Sean stepped back. He was in the presence of the inevitable. The motionless, yet unstoppable. The certain. Death. Sean sucked a breath. His chest quavered, his heart raced. In that moment, there was no doubt in his mind. His legs trembled, wanting to bend at the knee. Words sprung to his lips unbidden. My Champion. The man lowered his hands, drawing the skull to the side to expose a sly smile. ¡°Well, well, well. Look who it is! If it isn¡¯t my old shoulder-bumping buddy, Generic Cultist B.¡± The spell broke. Sean jolted back to reality. His face twisted in disgust. Even for a moment, even for a heartbeat, it was inexcusable. Seeing this outsider as the Champion? Impossible! He threw out his hand. ¡°That¡¯s the one who killed our comrades. Kill him!¡± The Death Cultists ran forth, shouting in rage as they drew their weapons. Levi clicked his tongue. He stood and extended his hand, snapping his fingers. ¡°Rise!¡± As one, an army of skeletons rose from the floor to greet them. The cultists slammed into them, and they flew back, but instantly reformed. Drawing weapons of their own from the ground, they charged the cultists. 40. Wiping Out the Cultists Levi stood, then almost fell onto his ass as the bones shifted under him. He threw out his arms and barely caught himself. Slipping and sliding, he made it to the bottom of the bone mound with a proud ¡°aha!¡± ¡°Man. That looked cool, but tactically speaking, it was a real throw. Thank you, skeletons, for doing your job! If they¡¯d got past you, I would¡¯ve been fucked for real.¡± Levi tossed a salute toward the battling skeletons, then threw the skull at a stray cultist. The cultist ducked, and a skeleton immediately jumped on him, digging into his flesh with its bare finger bones. Lifting his head, he scanned the room. ¡°Speaking of doing your job, slombie, c¡¯mon, man! There¡¯s flesh to dissolve! You sleeping on the clock, or what?¡± The slombie lurched up from where it had been lurking against the wall. Moving slowly, weighed down by the slime on its bones, it approached the cultists from the side. One of the cultists lunged for it. Their sword flew out, only to slow as it hit the slime. The slime perked up. It leaped from the slombie¡¯s bones and sunk into the cultist¡¯s limbs. In a matter of seconds, nothing remained of the man¡¯s hand but sheer white bone. The man shrieked in shock and pain. The slombie, hungry as always, drew the man into a bear hug and enveloped him in its goopy arms. Slime coated the man. He melted into the slime, screaming the whole way. Levi winced. ¡°Ooh, nasty.¡± Behind the muscular men, Sean stared. He hesitated, lost somewhere between joining the charge and fleeing for his life. Levi¡¯s eyes flashed. He darted in, unspooling the Spinal Cord as he ran. ¡°Not letting you get away!¡± One of the muscular women lunged at him. He flicked his fingers, and a skeleton took the blow in his place. Sean saw him coming and turned to run. His foot lifted, and that blur appeared. ¡°Not this time.¡± Levi threw his hand out, sending the Spinal Cord shooting ahead of him. Before Sean took a single step, the Spinal Cord lashed out and wrapped around Sean¡¯s lifted ankle. Sean tripped and fell flat on his face. The Spinal Cord wrapped him up, holding him tight. Levi walked over, tutting. ¡°You fool. Shouldn¡¯t have killed those three. I didn¡¯t really have a grudge against you, until you killed that party. But now I¡¯ve gotta kill you, all because you went out of your way to kill those three. Next time, think about cause and effect before you run off killing people.¡± Sean spat at him. Levi sidestepped it. Shrugging, he raised his sword. ¡°Or, you know, don¡¯t. Because you¡¯re about to die.¡± Silver flashed in the corner of his vision. A surge of sharp killing intent assaulted him. Levi threw himself to the side, barely dodging a sword thrust. He jumped up and whipped around. ¡°Skeletons! You guys sleeping on the job aga¡­oh. Hi, Kai! Been too long!¡± Kai said nothing. Eyes narrowed, he slashed at Levi. Levi jumped back again, dodging the slash rather than parrying it. ¡°Whoa, whoa, whoa! Last time we met, Colin saved your shitty little life! What¡¯s the big idea, huh? Shouldn¡¯t you thank me?¡± ¡°I owe you nothing.¡± Kai¡¯s form blurred. He flashed in. The Armalgam threw its arms in front of Levi. A sword slashed into them, faster than Levi himself could react. Kai clicked his tongue again and jumped back. Levi subtly flicked his fingers. The Armalgam drew its swords. He pushed mana into the construct, healing it. ¡°Okay, so maybe you don¡¯t owe me anything, but you owe Colin something. So maybe go easy on me?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Fair.¡± Kai slashed again. This time, Levi jumped in, parrying the blow with his and the Armalgam¡¯s combined strength. The second his blades took the weight, he whirled around, spinning into Kai¡¯s reach, and punched the man on the chest. Kai staggered back. He huffed in pain and looked down. A small puncture wound dug into his chest. Levi grinned and tossed his knife back into a close pocket. ¡°Whoopsies. That¡¯s bad duel etiquette, isn¡¯t it? My bad!¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Kai¡¯s expression soured. His knuckles turned white on his hilt. He stepped forward, transferring his weight to his lead foot. That¡¯s bad news. Levi hopped back preemptively. At the same time, he blocked with all four of the Armalgam¡¯s swords and pushed his mana into the Armalgam, empowering it as much as he could. Kai struck. His arms blurred, moving too fast for Levi¡¯s eyes to track. His blade hammered into Levi¡¯s defenses. Two of the Armalgam¡¯s swords shattered, but the blade caught on the last two swords. Levi swayed backward with the hit, barely soaking it. His shoulders ached. He winced. Gaining a good class in Necromancer didn¡¯t make Kai any less overpowered. His immense stats were still tough to deal with. Levi pursed his lips. His advantage in knowing how to fight a little better than Kai wasn¡¯t going to last forever. Eventually, Kai would clue in and figure things out. He still had to get stronger. Strong enough to laugh in Kai¡¯s face. Though I feel like my strength and brute strength are not going to be the same. Kai lashed out again. Levi retreated one step at a time, using the retreat to soak some of the weight of Kai¡¯s blows. He watched silently, following Kai¡¯s feet. Subtly, he leaped back a little further this time. Kai stepped to match him, and stepped a little too far. Levi jumped forward. With a vicious kick, he swept Kai¡¯s ankle. Kai stumbled, trying to recover. Levi lashed out, slicing at Kai¡¯s ankles. Blood spurted. Kai fell backward. Levi followed him down. He pinned Kai¡¯s arms with his legs and sat his weight on the man¡¯s sternum. ¡°Stop.¡± Kai struggled. He fought against Levi¡¯s hold. ¡°Why are you fighting me?¡± ¡°Fuck you!¡± ¡°No, seriously. I¡¯ve pissed off a lot of people in my life, but I don¡¯t remember pissing you off. Maybe I just forgot, so fill me in. Why are you fighting me?¡± Kai wrinkled his nose and shook his head. He struggled harder. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Levi spread his arms. ¡°If it was obvious, would I be asking you?¡± At last, Kai narrowed his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re one of them, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°One of who?¡± ¡°The Champions.¡± Levi widened his eyes. His mouth turned to an O. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s why you¡¯re trying to kill me?¡± ¡°If all the Champions are chosen, the world ends,¡± Kai said. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that. You don¡¯t give a shit about this place.¡± Kai twisted his lips. ¡°The last Champion standing gets everything they ever wanted. Don¡¯t you want that?¡± ¡°Well, yeah, obviously. But do you really think that¡¯s true? I mean, there¡¯s an obvious problem with the whole thing, isn¡¯t it? Namely, the fact that this is the world¡¯s apocalypse. When all¡¯s said and done, and one Champion¡¯s standing at the top of everything, the world¡¯s over. How can we get our wishes if there¡¯s no world to wish them into?¡± Levi pointed out. It was the obvious way to persuade Kai. He wouldn¡¯t use such a technique on an ordinary person. On someone normal, who had normal emotions, it wouldn¡¯t work at all. Of course, in the first place, someone normal wouldn¡¯t haul off and decide to kill someone else because of something as vague as a rumor of a prophesy of a wish. But it was precisely because Kai was abnormal, that he knew this tactic would work. Kai wasn¡¯t killing him for emotion. He wasn¡¯t killing him for any real reason. He was a psychopath, and he was killing Levi because he thought it would benefit him. Thus, the way to prevent Kai from killing him was to point out that there was no benefit to doing so. The bonus to persuading Kai this way was that as long as the conditions remained true, he had no reason to fear Kai. So long as Kai accepted his reasoning, he could effectively ignore the man until the apocalypse actually started. Expecting Kai to wait until the very end was unrealistic, but expecting him to wait until there was some benefit to killing Levi was. Fucking murderhobo. Though I can¡¯t throw too many stones. It¡¯s only because I lived that way for so long that I know precisely how to persuade him. Kai opened his mouth. He thought for a second, then closed it. His brows furrowed. ¡°How did you think of that?¡± ¡°What? What¡¯s that supposed to mean? I think like everyone else does. I have a normal brain,¡± Levi pointed out. ¡°Doubt that.¡± Levi gave his shoulder an affectionate pat. ¡°So? What do you say? Shall we postpone the killing-one-another thing until we figure out the whole world-is-ending thing? Plus, the apocalypse hasn¡¯t properly kicked off yet. I kill you, you kill me, who knows if it counts, or if we just postpone things until the gods pick their next Champions.¡± Kai raised his brows. ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°How do you know the apocalypse hasn¡¯t kicked off?¡± Levi rolled his eyes. ¡°C¡¯mon. Has it rained blood? Has the moon descended and turned the color of blood? Has day turned as dark as night? Apocalypse ain¡¯t kicked off yet. Some god is still being picky.¡± He nodded slowly, then struggled again. ¡°Let me up.¡± ¡°Nah. I¡¯m enjoying this.¡± Kai¡¯s eyes turned deadly. Laughing, Levi hopped off him. ¡°Jo-king, joking. Hey, you don¡¯t mind if I kill these cultists, right? I have a bit of a personal grudge with them.¡± Kai shrugged and fell back against the wall. Crossing his arms, he watched. ¡°Taking a passive stance? I always knew you had it in you. I bet the fangirls think you¡¯re an aggro super top type, but I can see it. You¡¯re actually¡ª¡± Eyes narrowing, Kai dropped his hand to his sword. ¡°Whoa, big boy, keep that thing in its sheath. I¡¯m just kidding.¡± Levi turned half-sideways to Kai and shimmied back toward the melee. He passed the squirming figure of Sean, and casually slit the man¡¯s throat. As Sean writhed, bleeding out on the floor, the Spinal Cord unwound and returned to its usual spot around his waist. At the edge of the fight, he turned back. ¡°How¡¯d you know I was a Champion?¡± Kai scoffed. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Levi stared at him. ¡°No¡­?¡± ¡°Blind.¡± Kai turned away and refused to explain any further. Clicking his tongue, Levi shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask Isa.¡± He spun his sword and charged in, rushing toward the cultists again. ¡°Hey, fuckers! Time to die!¡± 41. Time to Die ¡°Jared! Watch out!¡± The skeleton clumsily lurched at the cultist. Jared stepped backward, only to collide with Anne. She fell forward with a shout. ¡°What are you¡ª¡± There was no time to reply. Jared slashed at the skeleton. His blow sheared through bone, but the skeleton didn¡¯t react. A few ribs lighter, it continued to lunge his way. Anne fell against him again. He pushed her away. ¡°Get out of my way!¡± ¡°How rude. Isn¡¯t she your beloved comrade? And you just dropped her corpse, just like that!¡± Jared didn¡¯t have time to turn. A blade slid between his ribs and pierced through the front of his chest. He grunted and stumbled, all the air leaving him. Both hands and the Armalgam¡¯s hands on his sword, Levi twisted it, then yanked it free. Jared joined Anne on the ground, gasping his last breaths. Levi looked around. ¡°Was that all of them?¡± Crack. Across the huge cavern, Isa tossed a cultist with a broken neck aside. She gave him a derisive look. ¡°One got through. He could have hurt Colin.¡± ¡°Sorry, sorry. They¡¯re just standard-issue skeletons¡­ well, except the slombie.¡± Levi twisted his lips. ¡°I really need a skill that enhances the undead I make.¡± Right now, any undead he made was stat capped to whatever stats they had when they died. He also couldn¡¯t rez any undead with higher stats than he himself had. That led to two problems. One, any undead he made had to be weaker than him. There were ways to overcome this, of course, or mitigate it. The most obvious example would be to redistribute his stats. He had 66 magic and 61 resistance to magic, but if a zombie, who needed no magic and didn¡¯t care much about defenses anyways, had the equivalent of both of those stats combined put into strength, then it would have 127 strength¡ªfar beyond his strength. The problem was that he had to raise a person who already had 127 Strength, yet fewer total stats than his total combined stat count of 249, in order to capitalize on that. Hence why he had created the Armalgam. By raising some strong people¡¯s arms, he¡¯d been able to physically carve out the stats he wanted, in this case, Strength, and carve out the ones he didn¡¯t want, everything else. But that was clunky. He had to carve up several men in order to create it. While he was fine with doing that kind of work for important zombies he meant to keep around for a while, he didn¡¯t want to do it for every single mob skeleton he raised. This was all putting aside the other obvious problem: he could only raise dead with stat totals less than or equal to his own stat total. That meant that the second he leveled up, all the zombies he¡¯d previously raised were outdated. In fact, even the Armalgam had struggled to stand up to Kai. It was Strength-optimized, and had far more Strength than Levi¡¯s meager 37, but Levi had created it ten or so levels ago. He had far more stats now, but the Armalgam was stuck at his old stat cap. It couldn¡¯t have 249 Strength, even if he¡¯d optimized it perfectly. It could only have whatever his old stat cap¡¯s worth of Strength was. And every time he leveled up, it would only get worse. He didn¡¯t mind so much¡ªhe could keep harvesting arms, after all¡ªbut then he ran into the third problem: the denizens of this world had to work way harder than isekaied people to gain stats. Which meant that, at level thirty of a Champion class, the only way to fully optimize a construct like the Armalgam was to hunt fellow isekaied people¡¯s arms. Not only that, but hunt the arms of people who were higher level than him and had put nearly all their stats into Strength. Strength was a common stat to raise, so it wasn¡¯t outright impossible, but nonetheless, it was a ridiculous requirement. A ridiculous requirement that only got worse the higher his stat cap grew. He¡¯d be caught in a loop of eternally hunting fellow isekaied people for their arms, only to immediately need to hunt a new isekai arm the second he leveled up. And sure, he was meant to be hunting Champions, but even so, did any other Champion have such a ridiculously stringent requirement capping their power output? He glanced at the Armalgam. Even the arms it was using now came from an isekaied woman¡¯s minions, who were doubtless boosted by her skills. Replacing them wasn¡¯t as simple as using a cultist¡¯s arms. In fact, he doubted he¡¯d run into a cultist yet who had arms strong enough to qualify as upgrades for the Armalgam. ¡°So, in summary, I need to be able to strengthen both specialized constructs like the Armalgam and mob skeletons if I¡¯m meant to keep on like this,¡± Levi finished aloud. Isa squinted at him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing. Just silently bargaining with the System,¡± Levi said. She snorted, then tensed. Her eyes narrowed at something behind him. Levi frowned. He looked over his shoulder, then back at Isa, then over his shoulder again. At last, his eyes widened. ¡°Oh, right! Isa, meet Kai. Kai, Isa. Kai¡¯s an isekaied guy like us. He¡¯s kinda a douchenozzle but we¡¯ve struck a truce for now.¡± He leaned in. Raising his hand, he continued at a whisper, ¡°Also he¡¯s waaaaaay stronger than me, so this is a good thing for us. Don¡¯t antagonize him.¡± ¡°So sayeth the pot,¡± Isa intoned. She leaned to the side, getting a better look at Kai. From across the canyon, Kai eyed them warily back. ¡°Right. Well, as long as you understand.¡± With that, Levi opened his System. Levi | 18 | Lv 31 Class: Necromancer [SPECIAL] Str: 39 Mag: 68 Dex: 35 Spd: 37 Def: 15 Res: 64 [Swordsmanship] [Shadow Manipulation]Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. [Shadow Step] [Raise Dead] [Drain] [Shape Dead] [Heal Undead] [Call Ghosts] [Death Resist] At the bottom, a message popped up, overlapping his skill menu. A chat scrolled down on the message, as if he were receiving texts from a useless IT bot on some manufacturer¡¯s help website. [Request Heard. Processing¡­] [Warning! Skill requires more levels than user has acquired.] [Would you like to defer future skills to accelerate your acquisition of this skill?] Levi raised his brows. ¡°Huh. How long would it take me to get the skill if I did that?¡± [Level 40] ¡°And if I didn¡¯t?¡± [Level 55] ¡°Damn, fifteen more levels? Yeah, okay. Defer skills. I need that buff ability posthaste.¡± He paused, then squinted at the screen. ¡°To be clear, I need a permanent buff, not just a temporary boost.¡± [Level 40] Levi nodded. ¡°Good, good.¡± Isa squinted at him. ¡°Are you talking to your System?¡± ¡°Yeah. You don¡¯t?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m not crazy,¡± Isa said. Levi shook his head. He patted her shoulder. ¡°You should try. It¡¯s gotten me pretty far.¡± She hesitated, then shook her head and sighed. ¡°You can communicate with it through thought alone. You don¡¯t need to speak aloud.¡± ¡°Oh. But that¡¯s boring.¡± He walked over to the hole in the ceiling and extended the Spinal Cord for Colin to climb down again. ¡°Sorry, by the way,¡± he said. ¡°Hmm?¡± Colin asked, distracted. He carefully placed his boot on the next bone down and lowered his weight onto it. ¡°I didn¡¯t get hurt much in that fight. Not much healing for you,¡± Levi apologized. ¡°Huh? No, no. That¡¯s a good thing,¡± Colin assured him. ¡°But you won¡¯t get to level up that way! Wait, I know. What if I rez a bunch of low-level skeletons, and you use your life spells to kill them? Can we farm EXP for you that way?¡± Levi wondered aloud. ¡°It¡¯s fine, really¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be like that! Now isn¡¯t the time to be demure. Look at all these skeletons! They¡¯re just begging to be rezzed and used for EXP farming! Isn¡¯t that right, guys?¡± Backing up, Levi slung an arm around one of his skeletons. Putting his other hand to the side of his mouth, he muttered, in a bad approximation of ventriloquism, he continued, ¡°That¡¯s right, Colin! We¡¯d love nothing more! Put our tired old bones to use!¡± ¡°Won¡¯t it waste your mana?¡± Colin pointed out. Levi waved his hand. ¡°I¡¯d rather waste it now to level you up, than not have a healing spell we need later. Plus, what do you mean, wasted? We¡¯re getting you sweet, sweet EXP! That¡¯s not waste at all!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even know if it¡¯ll give him EXP,¡± Isa chipped in. Levi winked and finger-gunned her direction. ¡°That¡¯s why we ought to find out! What do you say, Colin?¡± Behind him, Kai scoffed quietly, but just loud enough to be sure they¡¯d heard him. He turned, walking away, deeper into the dungeon. Levi let him go. No reason to stop him. The man was a loose cannon at best. For now, he wouldn¡¯t deliberately harm them, but he didn¡¯t have any reason to want to hold Kai close, either. Better to let the loose cannon bounce around and roll over someone else. They had enough to worry about with a whole dungeon ahead of them. Colin hesitated a few more seconds, then nodded. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re okay with it, Levi, I guess there¡¯s no harm in trying.¡± Levi nodded excitedly. He stepped away from the skeleton and backed toward Isa and Colin, gesturing for Colin to start whenever he liked. Colin took a deep breath, visibly centering himself. He looked at the skeletons, then bobbed in a quick bow. ¡°Sorry.¡± He spun in place, hefting his staff high. Bright gold light shone from its apex, then beamed out and fell on the lead skeleton. The skeleton¡¯s jaw opened in an approximation of a scream, and it crumpled. ¡°So? Did it work?¡± Levi asked. Colin bit his lip. After a long second, he looked at Levi. ¡°How do I check my EXP?¡± Isa burst out laughing. Levi couldn¡¯t help a chuckle. He shook his head. ¡°Try asking the System. Then, uh, asking it again after you kill the next one.¡± ¡°Right! Right.¡± Colin shook his head at himself. He gestured at the air for a few seconds, communing with the System, then hefted his staff again. Once more, gold light burst forth. Once more, a skeleton hit the floor and dissolved into bone dust. Isa nudged Levi. ¡°Might want to get your slombie out of there.¡± ¡°Huh? Oh! Good point.¡± Levi whistled. The slombie looked up, then slowly lumbered his way, out of the group of skeletons. He turned to Colin while it crossed to him. ¡°Did it work?¡± Colin squinted, leaning in close to get a good look at something. He lifted his head, paused, then lowered it, quickly transitioning into a nod. ¡°Yeah! Yeah, it worked.¡± ¡°Excellent!¡± Levi snapped his fingers. Two more skeletons rose from the floor. ¡°Let¡¯s spend today here, then. Tomorrow, we can move out, after Colin and I replenish our mana.¡± ¡°Er, I might need a few pairs of gloves, too,¡± Colin said sheepishly. Levi hopped to, a little more literally than Isa would have liked, from the look she shot him. ¡°On it, sir!¡± He headed off, scouring the floor for gloves, or cloth that could be transformed into gloves. As he found them, he piled them up at Colin¡¯s ankles, rezzing more skeletons whenever he noticed the stocks getting low. At last, when he¡¯d found all the premade gloves, he sat at Colin¡¯s side and pulled out his scissors and a needle and thread. Isa glanced at him. ¡°How domestic of you.¡± ¡°It was an essential skill, where I¡¯m from,¡± Levi informed her. ¡°He comes from an apocalypse,¡± Colin added. ¡°That¡¯s right. How was I supposed to look fly as hell in some storebought threads? Sewing clothes was an absolutely essential skill. Plus, I went through clothes at turbo speed. Where¡¯s homeless, jobless guy supposed to find the money to buy new threads every day, huh?¡± Colin froze. He looked at Levi. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean, what?¡± ¡°I thought it was¡­ well, because there were no new clothes in the apocalypse, or something!¡± ¡°Oh. Well, it was an apocalypse, yes, but¡­ you know. The kind where it happened, and then everyone picked up their briefcases and went back to work. Right? It¡¯s not like a few monsters are going to stop the grueling crush of capitalism from marching on.¡± ¡°So wait, you just learned how to sew to look cool?¡± ¡°Fly as hell, not cool. But yes. I had a sick cape and everything. Leather armor. I looked so fuckin¡¯ fly.¡± Needle in hand, cloth in the other, Levi posed in a quick demonstration of how cool he looked in the past, then turned back to his sewing. ¡°You were dressed in normal clothes when you landed in this world, though. I remember. You were wearing some kind of mismatched tracksuit,¡± Colin pointed out. Levi let out a dramatic sigh. ¡°Unfortunately, I go through clothes like a porn star goes through condoms. But with more holes. Me and my clothes, that is. Hopefully not the porn star condoms.¡± ¡°Holes? What, were you a smoker or something?¡± Colin asked, holding his staff up again. ¡°Gods, no. There¡¯s an infinite number of better ways to kill yourself.¡± ¡°But the only people I knew who got holes in their clothes all the time were smokers,¡± Colin said. ¡°I told you I had a high pain tolerance right from the start, right?¡± Levi hinted. ¡°What does that mean?¡± Colin stared at him, totally lost. Levi snapped twice and pointed ahead of them. ¡°Hey, healer boy. Those skeletons won¡¯t kill themselves. C¡¯mon, get shootin¡¯.¡± Sighing, Colin turned back to the task at hand. Isa sat down beside Levi and gestured. ¡°Have some extra cloth?¡± ¡°Sure. You sew?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t have another option. I hate sewing, honestly. But there¡¯s no point standing idle when I can help.¡± He glanced at her. ¡°You don¡¯t have to. I really don¡¯t mind. It gives me something to do.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I need something to do, too. Idle hands and the devil, right?¡± Handing over the cloth, he waggled his brows at her. ¡°I¡¯d be happy to watch your idle hands do the devil¡¯s work.¡± ¡°Ha. You wish.¡± Like that, the three of them settled in, two of them sewing while the third one farmed EXP. Though, to be completely honest, Levi benefitted from it as well. Repeatedly rezzing the skeletons gave him EXP, too. On top of that, completing the same action over and over helped him optimize the simple, low-level rez spell. Even without trying, so much repetition made the inefficiencies of the spell clear, and with a few adjustments to the flow of mana, he optimized the mana needed to rez a skeleton. [Raise Dead] > [Optimized Raise Dead] 42. Floor Boss Day passed into night. Levi took a break to sleep, while Isa and Colin watched the lone unblocked entrance. When day came again, Levi dusted himself off and climbed to his feet. ¡°Alright. That¡¯s enough farming. Let¡¯s keep moving. Go get our hands on some loot!¡± ¡°Won¡¯t that man have taken out the first level¡¯s floor boss already, though? The one who walked off yesterday. He had plenty of time to do it,¡± Isa pointed out. ¡°It doesn¡¯t respawn that quickly.¡± Beaming, Levi pointed at her. ¡°Exactly. One less nuisance for us to fight. The first floor boss has been beaten before, probably dozens of times. Whatever loot it drops is passe, worth a few coins at best. We¡¯re aiming for that high class loot, the real deal. I mean, look at us. We can only carry so much. Do we want to burden ourselves with some B-tier loot? No siree! S-tier only!¡± ¡°You have a literal zombie army to carry loot for you,¡± Isa deadpanned. ¡°A literal zombie army who can carry lots of S-tier loot,¡± Levi returned. She took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. ¡°You know, I didn¡¯t consider that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why not. It¡¯s elementary, really. Pre-school, even.¡± Colin stepped forward. He grinned nervously. ¡°There¡¯s no point worrying about it. Kai¡¯s probably already killed the first floor boss. We can worry about the bosses that haven¡¯t been killed yet.¡± ¡°Right. Why do I even bother talking to Levi? You¡¯re right, Colin. Let¡¯s press on.¡± Isa hefted her bag and moved for the exit. Colin nodded at Levi, giving him a nervous grin. ¡°Um, is that okay?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not good with people. Hey, if she isn¡¯t actively killing us, I count that as a win.¡± He reached into his bag and handed Colin a stack of gloves. ¡°Let me know when you run out again. I¡¯ll keep making more at a low burn, but if you need a lot more, I can always surge.¡± ¡°Actually, next time¡­ will you show me how to make them?¡± Colin asked. ¡°Sure. It¡¯s easier than you¡¯d think. The only real trick is getting a hand on the stitching technique,¡± Levi said. He patted Colin¡¯s shoulder and headed off, following Isa. As he passed the slombie, he whistled. It turned, then slogged after him one slow step at a time. The walk to the exit was a short one. As Isa had promised, taking the slime pit was, in fact, a shortcut to the exit. If they hadn¡¯t gotten distracted with revenge, they could have reached the final chamber in less than a minute. The doors to the final chamber hung open. A bloodied body laid strewn on the floor, dead. Beyond it, two heavy iron doors swung inward, beckoning them deeper into the dungeon. Isa heaved a heavy sigh. Levi deliberately ignored her. Colin glanced between the two, fretting like a small child in the middle of a divorce. Levi squatted near the monster. He inspected it closely, lifting the ox-like beast¡¯s legs and checking its head, then sighed. He stood. ¡°Stats too high for me to rez, and it doesn¡¯t have a single arm. Not even one! Let¡¯s keep moving.¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The three of them passed through the iron doors and entered the second floor of the dungeon. A hot, fetid smell filled the air. Humidity filled the halls, clinging to their skin. Liquid sloshed nearby, in a slow, thick kind of way. Ahead of them, the corridor turned sharply, so that on the far side of the door, all that greeted them was a stone wall. Levi wrinkled his nose. ¡°Whew. That stinks, and I¡¯m the one saying it.¡± ¡°Dungeons are mysterious places. Anything can happen,¡± Isa commented. She turned along the wall, turning again to vanish out of their sight. ¡°Anything can happen? Isa, are you telling me not to give up?¡± Levi asked, following her around the corner. His foot sunk into thick mud. Grasses swayed around his legs. Thick, slow water licked against his ankles, uncomfortably warm. Levi raised his eyes. Somehow, he¡¯d stepped into a swamp. Twisted old trees reached gnarled eyes toward a gray, clouded sky. Mist swirled around the space, fading the distance into an unknowable haze. That heavy, bestial scent hung on the air. It came from everywhere and nowhere. The scent mixed into the mist and rebounded off the clouds, emanated from the water itself. ¡°What the fuck,¡± Levi muttered. Isa stepped into the water beside him. The swamp barely stirred around her ankles. ¡°This is the second floor of the dungeon. No one knows quite where its boundaries are. You need to find the exit, or else wander here indefinitely. And that is why I didn¡¯t kill you for letting that man ahead of us.¡± ¡°Oh, wonderful. I like not fighting my party members,¡± Levi commented. A moment later, he added, ¡°Nice arms, though.¡± Ignoring him, she lifted her finger and pointed ahead of them. A fragment of black cloth fluttered in the branches of a tree ahead. If she hadn¡¯t pointed at it, Levi wouldn¡¯t have seen it at all. It was too small, too irregular. He would have dismissed it as a leaf, or an accidental tear. ¡°The Death Cult has long since mapped out the path to the exit. Follow the flags, and we can quickly pass this level¡­ as long as you don¡¯t get distracted.¡± ¡°Me? Get distracted?¡± Levi shook his head. ¡°What kind of monsters are in here?¡± Colin asked, chancing a step into the murky water. ¡°The kind you¡¯d expect in a swamp. Monstrous snakes and reptiles. Leeches. Fish. It gets worse the deeper the water gets. Stick to the shallows. The depths will suck you down, so deep you might never return.¡± ¡°Reptiles have arms,¡± Levi muttered to himself. Isa cut him a look. ¡°Can you stop talking about arms?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking about them. My poor Armalgam is getting long in the tooth, you know? It needs a refresh. A strengthening. And you know what would give it that?¡± Levi asked. ¡°A new arm?¡± Isa asked. Levi clicked his tongue. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to let me say that part.¡± She spread her hands. ¡°It¡¯s a monster made up of arms. Am I supposed to not guess the obvious?¡± Colin sighed. ¡°Come on, you two. Now isn¡¯t the time to bicker.¡± ¡°Yeah, Isa. Don¡¯t bicker,¡± Levi chipped in. Isa glared. Caught in between them, Colin ducked. Something darted through the water. All three of their heads snapped around toward it, but by the time any of them turned, all that remained was a V-shaped ripple. ¡°Anyone hungry for a big fish lunch?¡± Levi asked, drawing his sword. The Armalgam drew its two remaining swords. Isa snorted. Colin dropped back. The ripple faded, leaving only still water. Levi pursed his lips. He gestured. ¡°You. Come here.¡± The slombie stumbled forward. Levi gave it a quick kick in the rear, and it jolted ahead, off the path Isa had been leading them down. It sunk to its knees in the turbid water, then stumbled another step and disappeared up to its neck. The slime, not exactly excited about being submerged, bobbled up to the skull. The skeleton¡¯s neck creaked under the weight of the bulbous mass. ¡°I¡¯m learning so much about this new world¡¯s biology. Who would¡¯ve thought that slimes hate water?¡± Levi commented cheerily. ¡°They aren¡¯t fond of it. They drink¡­eat¡­ take in mass via their skin, so they often struggle with being submerged in any substance. That being said, I¡¯ve heard there are undersea slimes,¡± Isa commented. ¡°Neat. But first, let¡¯s get some fish!¡± Levi snapped his fingers, and the skeleton began dancing in the water. Waves burst out from its body. Instantly, a half-dozen ripples all closed in on the skeleton. Fins poked through the surface of the water with deadly intent. ¡°Slombie, watch out! The sharks are coming!¡± Levi shouted in excited anticipation. 43. Fishing with Live? Bait V-shaped ripples closed in on the slombie. Fins poked through the surface of the water at the apex of those Vs. A tail slapped the surface of the water, and then a fat green-and-brown shark with snaggled teeth and long catfish-like whiskers leaped out of the water, jaws agape. ¡°A catshark. Those are nasty,¡± Isa commented. ¡°What is that, half catfish, half shark?¡± Levi gestured, sending his mana out to the skeleton. The skeleton¡¯s eyes glittered as he took direct control. It lifted its arms in sync with Levi and grappled the catshark by the jaws. Hefting himself back, he headbutted the air. In the water, the slombie headbutted the catshark. The foul feeder smashed into the catshark¡¯s head and greedily ate into it. ¡°More or less,¡± Isa said, nodding. The catshark thrashed, screaming soundlessly. It broke free of the slombie¡¯s grasp and dropped back into the water, leaking blood. The other three catsharks whirled. They closed in on their fellow catshark and tore it to shreds. ¡°I see. Very sharklike of them,¡± Levi commented, watching as they fought amongst themselves. ¡°Do we get the EXP for the kill if they kill each other?¡± ¡°No,¡± Isa said. His face contorted. ¡°How dare you pathetic fish steal my kills! Get back here! Slombie, get ¡®em!¡± The slombie reached into the bloody water and grabbed one of the churning catsharks. Levi yanked back, and the slombie pulled the catshark into its grasp. The giant fish thrashed. Levi headbutted the air, and the slombie smashed its slime-covered head into the shark¡¯s side. The catshark fought harder, but Levi tightened his grasp. The other three catsharks closed in on it, charging for the blood spreading in the water. Levi abandoned his direct control of the slombie, leaving it locked clutching the first catshark. He charged into the shallow water and slashed. Blood spewed from another catshark. The remaining two whipped around. They charged Levi, biting at his legs. He gritted his teeth and stepped toward one of them. He stabbed through the shark¡¯s gills and pinned it into the muddy floor below. The catshark bucked against his sword, struggling to be free of it. The other catshark closed its jaws around his leg. Pain surged, and his own blood joined the catsharks¡¯. Levi grimaced, pushing back the pain, and pointed at the shark. The Armalgam hopped off his back. It leaped into the air, spinning, and extended both swords. Still spinning, it struck the catshark and sliced it open. The Armalgam completed one final rotation, its blades trailing crimson blood and murky water, then drew them back and pierced through the shark. It stood there on its swords, two hands gripping each sword, a sense of pride to its stance. Levi clapped. ¡°Encore, encore!¡±Stolen story; please report. The Armalgam lifted a hand off its sword and bowed. Isa looked at him. ¡°Are you not controlling that undead?¡± ¡°Sometimes I am,¡± Levi said. She frowned. ¡°Its behavior is far too complex for an ordinary undead. It almost reminds me of an Ensouled undead, like myself or Colin, but¡­it isn¡¯t quite that aware, either.¡± ¡°It¡¯s learning. Like a puppy,¡± Levi said. He whistled. The Armalgam bent. Pushing with all its might, it hopped into the air and used its swords as stilts to return to Levi¡¯s side. ¡°Is that a good thing?¡± Colin asked. He gave it an uncertain look. ¡°I mean, undead gaining consciousness, isn¡¯t that the start of a bunch of horror movies?¡± ¡°Oh, come on. Look at how cute it is!¡± Levi said, gesturing at it. Colin and Isa both stared at the hideous amalgamation of human arms, sewn together in unnatural formation and holding dangerous weapons. Colin raised his brows. Isa gave him an uncertain look. Levi grinned. ¡°It¡¯s cute!¡± ¡°Is this that thing where every pet owner thinks their pet is the cutest?¡± Colin muttered to Isa. She nodded, slowly. ¡°It¡¯s a beast only a mother could love.¡± ¡°Aww, you¡¯re just jealous you¡¯re not getting 24/7 hugs.¡± Levi reached out to the Armalgam. It clambered up his arm and onto his back once more. The spine-straps bound across his chest, holding it firmly to his back. He gave the straps a friendly pat, and the straps patted him back. ¡°It¡¯s an abomination,¡± Isa replied firmly. ¡°It¡¯s my abomination.¡± Levi turned to go, then paused. He looked back at the swamp. The slombie slowly slogged its way out of the muddy water, and the sharks floated on the surface. He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. It was a water level, after all. And he had open undead slots. ¡°Uh oh,¡± Colin muttered. Levi snapped his fingers. The most complete of the three sharks jolted back to life. It swam over to its compatriots and dragged them back to shore, then kicked its tail hard and put its upper half onto land. Kneeling, Levi drew his sword and a needle and thread. He reached for the shark, then glanced over his shoulder. ¡°What you¡¯re about to see, ladies and gents, is a bit of live surgery! If you¡¯re squeamish or faint of heart, you might want to look away!¡± Colin whirled. He couldn¡¯t turn his back to Levi fast enough. Isa popped her hip and raised a single immaculate brow, waiting. ¡°Aaand¡­ here we go!¡± Levi wielded the thread with the determination and strength of a madman. Blood flew, and bits of gore fell into the water. At last, he stood up and wiped his brow, gazing down at his creation with pride. ¡°Welcome to the family, Triple Shark!¡± A three-headed shark kicked its tail happily. It turned, swimming into the water. Three fins cut through the dark surface. ¡°Gods,¡± Isa muttered. Levi dipped his hands in the water, washing the blood off his skin and the needle alike. He put the thread away. ¡°Shall we continue?¡± ¡°Might as well,¡± Colin said. They walked on, slombie staggering in the rearguard. The Triple Shark swam apace, cutting back and forth in the deep water when they walked too slowly for its liking. At times, it had to swim wide, while at other times, it swam close to the party, showing the boundaries of the deep water. Every now and again, a catshark charged toward the Triple Shark. The Triple Shark would whirl and chase after the other shark, blood would cloud the water, and Levi would grin smugly as he accumulated a little more EXP. Isa led the way, moving confidently from tree to tree. She never stepped into deep water or soaked herself with a misstep. Levi, on the other hand, tripped into hidden plunges every dozen or so steps. Colin watched the two of them closely and followed in Isa¡¯s footsteps while avoiding Levi¡¯s missteps, thus avoiding the majority of the mud. The slombie tromped numbly after him, completely unaware of whether it sunk into mud or walked on firm ground. They proceeded deeper into the swamp. The mist grew thicker around their ankles, climbing higher, to their knees, then their thighs. And before they knew it, it had swallowed them whole. 44. Swamps Dont Have to Poison You The mist clung close to them, growing into a thick fog. Levi squinted ahead, struggling to see the next tree. He glanced at Isa. She walked on, confident of the route. Shrugging, he followed her. Something splashed nearby. He whipped around. Something flickered in the water near them, not a shark fin, but large enough to be one. It vanished before he could get a good look at it. He flicked his fingers and called the Triple Shark to investigate. It swam over, but found nothing but a strange scent on the water. Another splash. This time on the opposite side of the path from the Triple Shark. Levi glanced over, but as expected, by the time he turned, there was nothing but a faint shadow vanishing into the depths. ¡°Don¡¯t let them know you¡¯ve noticed,¡± Isa said quietly. She kept her eyes ahead, not deviating an inch from the path. ¡°No?¡± He glanced at her and quirked a brow. ¡°They¡¯ll retreat and attack later, and we might not catch them later. Better that they ambush us now.¡± Levi nodded. ¡°Aye-aye, loud and clear.¡± She glanced back at Colin. ¡°Come between us. They like to snatch the weaklings from the back of the party.¡± Colin¡¯s eyes widened. He scurried up, passing in front of Isa, while staying behind Levi. Levi whistled and gestured. The slombie stumbled to a halt, waiting for Isa to pass it, then staggered on once more. ¡°Good thought,¡± Isa complimented him. ¡°I have one, every now and again,¡± Levi replied. ¡°A good idea?¡± ¡°A thought.¡± She rolled her eyes at him, but not without a hint of a grin. They continued along the path. Levi followed the flags, though Isa occasionally corrected him from time to time. The splashes grew louder and more numerous. From the left and the right both, the water grew agitated. Small waves lapped against the deep mud of the path. Occasionally, fins broke the surface of the water, only to vanish again. ¡°There¡¯s no way they think we don¡¯t know they¡¯re there,¡± Levi muttered. ¡°They¡¯re dimwits,¡± Isa replied. ¡°Ah. That clarifies everything.¡± The splashing grew to a fever pitch. Fins churned the water. It sloshed wildly against the muddy shore, washing over their shoes. Levi drew his swords. Isa clawed her hands. Slender, catlike claws emerged from her fingertips. The Triple Shark stood at the ready. It paced in the deep water, waiting for the signal to wreak carnage. A chilling shout pierced the air. A slick-skinned frogman with big, wide eyes, a horizontal slit of a mouth, slender limbs, and fins on his forearms and calves burst out of the water. He blocked their path and shot his tongue at Levi. Levi sliced the slimy appendage out of the air. The frogman staggered backward, gripping his mouth with both big floppy hands. Chasing after him, Levi cut his throat before he could recover. He turned and snapped his fingers. The Triple Shark bolted in, chewing through the frogmen¡¯s backlines as the frontlines leaped out at the party. Levi charged toward the Triple Shark¡¯s side, catching the frogmen in a pincer attack. The slombie staggered toward the other side, joining Isa in fighting back the frogmen¡¯s encroachment of their narrow solid ground. Colin glanced left and right, watching both fights and positioning himself out of the frogmen¡¯s reaches.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. The frogmen swarmed Levi. He fought them off with all six hands, wielding his swords and throwing punches with the swordless arms, but there were just too many of them. One jumped at him. He cut it down, but the frogman behind it was already closing in. It grabbed his arm. The Armalgam swept its blade down, severing the frogman¡¯s hand. Two more frogmen immediately leaped up to take that frogman¡¯s place, while two more closed in on either side of Levi. They grabbed the Armalgam¡¯s arms and weighed them down. Levi swept his sword at them, cutting one away, but another grabbed onto the Armalgam in the next instant. The remaining frogmen charged him, and he was forced to focus all his attention on fighting off the ones trying to grab his arm. He had no more time to free the Armalgam. From the back of the swarm, a frogman leaped and landed on Levi¡¯s face. It wrapped damp arms around his head and hugged tight, screaming in something like a language. ¡°Fuck!¡± Levi threw his sword point-down into the ground and grabbed it with both arms, only for the rest of the frogmen to grab onto him. He went down in a pile of froggy flesh. Teeth gnawed at his flesh, and deceptively sharp claws cleaved deep into his limbs. He fought them off with all his strength, but they were at least as strong as him, if not stronger. Perfect for the Armalgam, he thought, but the thought fell immediately by the wayside. First, he had to survive this encounter. He could think about upgrading his aberrations later. In the water, the Triple Shark tore through frogmen at first, but then the frogmen rounded on the shark. Used to hunting the catsharks, they barely paused at the need to fight three at once. They shredded the catshark with claws and teeth, until there was little more than a bloodslick in the water where the Triple Shark had been. With Levi down, the frogmen advanced toward Colin, claws bared menacingly. Colin backed away one step at a time, refusing to break eye contact. The frogmen stared back, as best he could tell. Their eyes pointed at either wall, and their pupils were long, horizontal bars, so he wasn¡¯t quite sure where they were looking. He kept his staff high, still desperately healing Levi. As long as his mana drained, Levi was still alive, deep in that ball of writhing limbs. The closest frogman lunged at Colin. Shouting, he jumped backward and swung his staff at it. The wooden construction bounced off its slimy head. It blinked, then reached out again. Unnaturally long limbs unfolded, and long webbed fingers grasped at Colin, seeking to draw him in. Black and red flashed. The frogman froze, its head gone. For a moment, it stood there, reaching for Colin; in the next, it stumbled. A shadow appeared behind him, and Isa drew Colin close. Her cloak flapped around them protectively. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare lay your unclean hands on him.¡± ¡°Isa! Thank you,¡± Colin said. ¡°Hmm.¡± She vanished once more, and the other frogmen approaching him vanished in a blast of gore. Colin stepped forward, pointing. ¡°I¡¯m fine, now. Levi needs your help.¡± She gave the pile of frogmen a derisive look. ¡°Levi can help himself.¡± Colin eyed the pile of swarming frogmen uncertainly. ¡°Uh, are you¡ª¡± The pile trembled. Green-and-black energy flickered in its depths. From within, something rotated furiously, slicing two extended blades into the frogmen at the ground level. The frogmen flew back, thrown by the force of the spin, to reveal the Armalgam rotating in place at top speed. Levi crouched atop it, clutching onto the monstrosity with both arms, legs tucked under him. The remnants of the death-energy bolt wisped around him, black smoke clinging to his hair. The Armalgam slowed to a halt. Levi slumped drunkenly off it, falling to all fours, then the floor. He was covered in cuts and gashes. Blood, mud, and swampwater stained every inch of him. ¡°Levi! Are you okay?¡± Colin asked, terrified. He burped loudly, then grimaced. ¡°Ugh. I¡¯m gonna puke.¡± The frogmen lunged. Levi¡¯s eyes clarified in a heartbeat. He jumped upright and lunged for the blade he¡¯d stuck in the mud, yanking it free. Still dizzy, he stumbled as the frogman flew at him. Without bothering to recover, he swung his sword, putting all his off-balance weight into it. The blade cleaved through the frogman wholesale. Blood and intestines flew. Levi staggered to its far side. His feet slipped and slid on the mud, and he lurched toward the water. A frogman leaped out of the water, reaching for his ankles. Levi laughed. He swung the blade down, cutting its hands off. ¡°Don¡¯t try, bud.¡± Gold light glimmered his body, and his wounds began to heal. The light wiped away his nausea and his dizziness. He stepped back from the edge, swirling his blade. ¡°Come at me, frogdudes! Give me your arms!¡± Dead frogmen rose from the banks, their eyes blank, their claws bared. Isa sighed. ¡°He¡¯s never going to shut up about the arms, is he.¡± Colin shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so, no.¡± 45. Frog Legs are a Delicacy, But Have You Ever Tried Frog Arms? Levi and his undead frogmen charged. Compared to the living frogmen, their numbers were few, but unlike the living frogmen, they felt no pain, nor were they bounded by the limitations of their bodies. The living frogmen hesitated to strike them, but they didn¡¯t hesitate to strike their once-allies. With his fresh frogmen zombies on his side, Levi quickly turned the tides on his side of the path. The frogmen retreated, rushing into deep water. His zombies lurched after them, but Levi snapped his fingers, calling them up short. ¡°I can¡¯t see you in the deep water. They could set up any trap down there, and there¡¯s nothing I could do about it. Let¡¯s stay on the defensive for now.¡± On the other side, Isa and the slombie pushed their share of the frogmen back, too. The frogmen floated in the deeps, daring them to follow into their domain. Horizontal pupils watched them from either side of the path. Levi clenched his fist. ¡°If only I still had my Triple Shark!¡± ¡°You already tried, and they already shredded it,¡± Isa reminded him. He turned to the sky, spreading his hands in despair. ¡°If only!¡± ¡°You can send your frogmen out there, if you want.¡± ¡°No. I need them.¡± Isa rolled her eyes. ¡°Then, shall we continue?¡± ¡°Will they follow us?¡± Colin asked. ¡°Can you stop them?¡± she asked. He gave the water a wary look, then scooted in between Isa and Levi. Levi eyed the slombie. The slime wobbled over the entire surface of the skeleton, at least eight inches thick at all points. It looked seriously obese, except for the part where he could see through the slime to its bones. ¡°We¡¯re gonna need to prune you soon, or you¡¯re not going to be able to keep up.¡± ¡°Why not here?¡± Isa asked. Levi raised his brows. ¡°Leave it to deal with the frogmen? That¡¯s not a bad idea.¡± Drawing his sword, he approached the slombie. The slime jolted. It lifted off the surface of the bones, leaning away from him. ¡°Hold still. This won¡¯t hurt. Probably.¡± Levi lunged. His sword blurred. Slime fell to the floor in a pile. For a few seconds, it simply sat there, but then, squelching and shivering, it congealed into a pile. The newly-formed slime burbled up into a gumdrop-shaped lump. It looked around, left and right. ¡°Look! You made a baby!¡± Levi said, patting the slombie lightly on the shoulder. After a second, he gasped. ¡°We made a baby.¡± ¡°Gods,¡± Isa muttered, physically turning away. Colin winced. ¡°Levi¡­ have you ever considered your phrasing? Even once?¡± ¡°I think about phrasing a lot, actually,¡± Levi said.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Gods,¡± Isa repeated. He looked at the newly-lightened slombie. ¡°How¡¯s that feel? Less heavy?¡± The slombie swung its limbs. It stretched, then gave Levi a thumbs-up. ¡°Good, good. Quickest way to lose weight, right there. Push out a baby, ten pounds down. Though I think you lost a little more than ten pounds, there.¡± Ignoring Levi¡¯s continued baby-related commentary, Colin nodded at the slombie. ¡°How much of that is the slombie, and how much is you manipulating the zombie?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Like, did the slombie thumbs-up, or are you just doing prop comedy?¡± Levi raised his brows and put a hand over his mouth. ¡°I¡¯ll never tell.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s prop comedy,¡± Colin muttered to himself. ¡°Mostly. The Armalgam sometimes does stuff on its own that I didn¡¯t even think of. Concerns me a bit, honestly. I mean, it doesn¡¯t even have a brain. How¡¯s it thinking of things?¡± The Armalgam tightened around his chest, as if nervous. ¡°No, no. It¡¯s alright. I like it. I¡¯m just not sure how it happens,¡± Levi reassured it, giving it a little pat. It relaxed its hold and patted him back. Colin shook his head. He looked at Isa, lost. ¡°What are you looking at me for? I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with him,¡± Isa said. The little slime inched along, exploring its new abode. It approached the water curiously, reaching out a little arm to pat at the murky depths. ¡°Baby¡¯s first steps! Someone take a picture,¡± Levi said. Isa cleared her throat. ¡°Shall we move on?¡± Levi nodded. Keeping Colin in the middle, the frogmen in front and the slombie acting as rearguard, they walked on. Frog eyes watched them from the mists, unblinking, waiting for an opening. Occasionally, one would slosh quietly out of the water behind them, gripping a spear, only to find a hungry slombie ready to absorb them whole. The little slime slopped along behind the slombie. For a little while, it kept up, but then the slombie regurgitated half a frogman and left it on the floor for the baby slime. The baby slime hopped onto it with glee. Slowly, it engulfed the frogman, the process a little like watching a snake unhinge its jaw to eat a rodent twice as wide as it. Engaged in swallowing the frogman, it fell behind, and before long, the mists closed around it. They sloshed through the mud. When Levi had to sleep, they returned to carrying him, rather than stop and expose weakness to the frogmen. Like that, they continued for several days, just slogging along through the mud, following the flags. The gray, muddy monotony was only broken by the occasional frogman attack, but every time, they were easily driven back. They were unwilling to consign dozens of frogmen die in order to take out the party. All the attacks they launched were sneak attacks during a moment of inattention, and never lasted long. The second the frogmen saw the attack wasn¡¯t going in their favor, they¡¯d retreat to try again later. ¡°No wonder people struggle to clear this thing. It¡¯s massive. If we had to fight frogmen nonstop, we¡¯d have run out of supplies and been too injured to continue long ago,¡± Levi commented. ¡°And if we also didn¡¯t have two healers,¡± Isa commented. ¡°That¡¯s right! Pocket healers are the ultimate cheat,¡± Levi said, slinging a friendly arm around Colin. ¡°And you¡¯re an undead healer, for Isa,¡± Colin pointed out. ¡°Yeah, but she doesn¡¯t need it. She¡¯s already overpowered.¡± ¡°I need healing occasionally. I haven¡¯t needed it yet, but the time will come. I meant for Colin, and the other undead.¡± ¡°Oh, right. Yeah. I think of that more as an upkeep cost,¡± Levi told her. ¡°I have an upkeep cost?¡± Colin asked. ¡°What, did you think you were keeping those pretty eyes for free? You¡¯re pretty high maintenance, honestly,¡± Levi said, thumping his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°No, no. I mean, compared to those,¡± Levi said, gesturing vaguely at the undead frogmen. One turned. Flesh dripped off his face and stripped away from his waterlogged feet. Cataracts clad his eyes, and flies swarmed, eating them down. Colin recoiled. ¡°Er, thanks.¡± ¡°That¡¯s more like it. You¡¯re welcome.¡± Clapping his shoulder again, Levi released him and walked on. Abruptly, Levi stopped. Colin almost bumped into him. He peered past him, lost. Still water stretched on either side of them, the mists low and dense. Leafless trees poked out of the swamp here and there. In other words, the scene remained the same as it had for days. ¡°What is it?¡± Levi pointed. ¡°The frogmen. They¡¯re gone.¡± Isa startled. She looked around them, searching the water. ¡°Prepare yourself. It means we¡¯re close.¡± ¡°Close to what?¡± ¡°The boss.¡± Levi pumped his fist. ¡°Hell yeah.¡± 46. Water Boss The water churned. A huge shadow loomed in the mists, obscured by the darkness and the low clouds. Beneath their feet, the ground trembled. Waves washed over it, and the earth itself shook. Puddles of water welled up on its surface, and the consistency grew soft and muddy. Levi craned his neck forward, but from here to the next flag, and from where he stood to where the mist closed in behind them, there was nothing but sloppy, wet path. ¡°We¡¯re fighting on quicksand, then. But don¡¯t worry! It¡¯s less dangerous and way slower than you¡¯d expect. Honestly, you really have to try to fall into it.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. I used to play in it when I was a kid,¡± Colin said. Levi and Isa both stared at him. ¡°What? Like you said, it¡¯s way less exciting than it sounds. There used to be a ton of it around my parents¡¯ gym. We¡¯d sink up to our knees and yank our feet out, or pitter around on the surface. It really wasn¡¯t that dangerous.¡± Levi nodded approvingly. ¡°Hardcore.¡± Colin blushed. ¡°It isn¡¯t, I promise.¡± ¡°You already know, but all you need to do is not stand in one place for too long, and you¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯s more dangerous for Isa and I and the zombies. The melee folks. Our footing¡¯s gonna be shit and the mud¡¯s gonna slow our footwork down, so be ready to compensate.¡± ¡°Speak for yourself.¡± Cracking and snapping like breaking bones, wings folded out from Isa¡¯s back. Spreading those batlike filaments wide, she flapped once, twice, caught the air and flew, hovering over the mud. ¡°Damn. Look at that cheater, outright cheating. I¡¯m gonna report you for hacking,¡± he accused her. More quietly, to himself, he added, ¡°Next on the list after arms: wings.¡± ¡°Are you planning to construct yourself a Frankenstein¡¯s monster, piece by piece?¡± Colin asked. ¡°No. Frankenstein was a weakling who passed out a lot. I¡¯m a cool guy who swordfights. Frankenstein made a monster who was lame, like him. I¡¯m gonna make a monster that¡¯s cool, like me.¡± Colin groaned. ¡°More seriously, nah. I don¡¯t need a humanoid figure. I can just rez people. Better off using my special zombie sewing skill when I need it, not just to ¡®make a better person.¡¯ Rather than waste my time on something like that, why not just find a stronger body, you know?¡± ¡°Frankenstein wasn¡¯t trying to¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. I was talking about me, not him.¡± Isa looked from Colin to Levi. ¡°Your homeworlds had some kind of¡­ famous necromancer?¡± ¡°Famous fictional necromancer. And I¡¯m not sure if he counts. He only made one dude,¡± Levi pointed out. ¡°Ah. Fiction. That stuff rots your brain, you know? They say it¡¯s leading to the downfall of the youth. They spend all their time reading novels instead of working,¡± Isa commented.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°No, no. It¡¯s videogames, now. Novels are good, and children should read,¡± Levi corrected her. She blinked at him. Slowly, she shook her head. ¡°Times have changed. Next, you¡¯ll tell me that children are not expected to work.¡± ¡°Actually, it¡¯s illegal. Child labor laws,¡± Colin said. ¡°The state interferes with a child¡¯s right to work? With a parent¡¯s right to expect value from their offspring? What a strange world you must live in.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, women can own property now, too,¡± Levi pointed out. ¡°That does sound preferable,¡± Isa allowed. The whole time they chatted, the dark form lurched closer. It moved slowly, fighting the muck and the water to approach them. Now, at last, it pushed through the mists and appeared before them. A massive fish man with a huge, gaping mouth heaved his bulk onto the shallow water. It stood three, maybe four times their height. Thick fin-limbs propelled it slowly forward. A big fat tail wobbled at the end of its body. Although there were human-like elements to it¡ªa slender pair of arms and legs, tucked close to its bulk¡ªit was very much more fish than man. ¡°Is it bullying to attack it?¡± Levi asked, looking at the fat, pitiful beached fish. It was huge, but it wasn¡¯t particularly scary. It felt more like dinner had delivered itself, rather than the threatening final moments before a boss attacked. In the air, Isa fell back. ¡°Be on your guard. This isn¡¯t its true form.¡± The giant fish (man) turned its head. An enormous eye gazed at Isa. ¡°You said you would never return.¡± Levi startled. ¡°It talks?¡± Isa flapped her wings slowly, gazing at the giant fish. ¡°I never intended to come back.¡± ¡°Yet here you are! Come to prey upon my people and their filthy swamp blood yet again?¡± ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m only here to help someone else. I haven¡¯t sunk my teeth into a single swamp-blooded frogman.¡± The giant fish harrumphed. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t matter anymore, anyways. My people¡¯s hearts are dead. They no longer remember their proud pasts. Now, they¡¯re nothing but beasts of the dungeon¡­ and soon, I too shall be no more than a mindless beast.¡± Isa¡¯s eyes clouded. ¡°No¡­ that can¡¯t be.¡± The fish shook its head. Its whole body wiggled from the action, waggling across the earth. ¡°Have you not heard? The end times are upon us. Those of us lucky few who retain our senses will surely lose them. The world is hungry, and it needs our energy. We, who were recruited to safeguard its treasures, are no longer required. The time has come for this world to be consumed, and its legacy passed on to the next. To pass on that legacy, now, it needs us to fail. To lose repeatedly, so that the peoples of this world can finally realize the truth.¡± The fish paused. ¡°I only hope that it is not too late.¡± Isa drew her sword. ¡°I will remember you, Kuja. You were a worthy foe.¡± ¡°Hmm. Perhaps at one time, I was. Now I¡¯m nothing but an old fish.¡± Kuja trembled. His scales shimmered. His body bulged and wavered. Great chunks of bulk moved around under his scales, shifting to different parts of his body. His fat fish body grew slender, and his limbs grew huge. Muscles bulged all over his arms and legs. He climbed to his feet. Where a fat fish had once sported skinny little limbs, now, a slender fish sported massive, bulging, muscular limbs. His fish face gaped at them, big, flat fish eyes gazing unblinkingly down at them. Now that all his bulk was in his limbs, he nearly bumped his head on the ceiling, truly enormous. And that was with him standing knee-deep in murky water. He flicked his fishy tail and lifted a hand, gesturing them on with his fingers. ¡°Come!¡± ¡°Already on that, boss. I don¡¯t need an invitation. Holy shit. Colin, do you see those arms?¡± Levi asked, all but salivating. ¡°There¡¯s no way you have enough stat points to rez one of those arms,¡± Colin pointed out. ¡°I¡¯m keeping them until I do,¡± Levi pledged. His extra arms folded out from under his cape, clutching their swords. The undead fishmen gathered in a phalanx around him. The Spinal Cord unwound from his midriff, baring its razor-sharp tip toward the giant fish man. Isa fell back, letting Levi take center stage. ¡°So, you are to be my opponent?¡± Kuja rumbled. ¡°Damn straight. Let¡¯s go!¡± Kuja hauled back his arm. Levi darted in, sprinting through the mud. 47. Fish vs Necromancer The fishman and the necromancer clashed. Muddy water flew. The two of them punched at one another, meeting one another head on. A second before their fists met, Levi dropped to the ground. Kuja¡¯s fist flew over him. From his prone position, the Armalgam slashed at the fishman¡¯s wrist. Blue blood flowed. Behind Levi, Kuja¡¯s punch hit the ground. A deep hole opened in the ground behind him. Water gushed into it, filling it with darkness. Levi rolled over. Mud immediately coated his body. Paying it no mind, he scrambled back to his feet. His shoes slipped in the mud. Reaching down, he yanked them off and tossed them Colin¡¯s direction. Truth be told, he¡¯d planned to rush toward Kuja the second the fishman threw the punch, but he¡¯d slipped instead. The quicksand effect of the shivering mud was one thing, but it was also slippery. Truly the worst possible footing. Kuja turned. He was so huge he didn¡¯t need to step to chase Levi. He lifted another hammer-like hand with every intention of driving Levi into the mud. Levi kept rolling, moving as fast as he could in the mud. His cape grew heavy as mud soaked into it. Even as he rolled, he shouted, ¡°Go!¡± The fishman zombies hurtled into action. They rushed Kuja from either side, baring claws or pointing spears. Without any care for their safety or lives, they charged his legs. Kuja grunted. He changed the angle of his punch, slamming the ground instead of Levi. A tsunami of muddy swamp water rushed over the narrow path, wetting the path yet further. The frogmen fell back. Levi used the momentary distraction to climb back to his feet. Every step he took sunk deep into the ground, and every hole he left behind remained forever. A dozen tiny potholes opened up behind him as the ground caved in where he¡¯d stood. ¡°At this rate, we¡¯re going to end up swimming,¡± Levi muttered to himself. ¡°Isa, grab Colin!¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing fine,¡± Colin protested. ¡°It¡¯s not about doing fine or not, it¡¯s about real estate,¡± Levi replied. ¡°Understood.¡± Isa swooped down, grabbed Colin by the armpits, and took to the sky once more. Levi whirled his sword. He hung back, watching as Kuja flattened his previous subordinates with a few huge stomps. This fight couldn¡¯t last long. Kuja¡¯s techniques were clearly geared toward taking out the already shaky ground. Even if he blocked all the fishman¡¯s attacks, the ground gave way on its own, falling away under his feet. Kuja clearly held the advantage in a swimming battle. By the time it came to that, he¡¯d already lost. His brows furrowed. He held his off-hand out, calling the remnant death energy in the room to him. Black-and-green energy swirled around his fingers. Not much. Just enough for one attack. His Armalgam sported two swords; three, if he used his personal reserve sword. The Spinal Cord twitched, ready for action. The Armalgam flexed, likewise. All the rest of his zombies were dead, save pure-support Colin. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re undead?¡± he quipped at Kuja. Kuja looked up. His eyes were dark, full of sorrow. ¡°Many times, I have buried my people. This time, you made me end them personally, with my own hands. I will tear you limb from limb, slice you inch by inch. Your death will be suffering.¡± Levi shrugged. ¡°Nothing I haven¡¯t done before. Hey, big man. Come on in. Let¡¯s stop playing with the mud and have a real fight, mano-a-mano, huh?¡± Kuja chuckled darkly. He lifted both hands, forming one massive hammer fist. ¡°That¡¯s right. Come on in. We¡¯ll settle this, once and for all.¡± Levi nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± He strode forward, into the range of the boss¡¯s strike. ¡°Are you stupid?¡± Isa asked. ¡°Whether he is or not, it¡¯s my victory!¡± The fists slammed down. As they fell, the Spinal Cord leaped out from Levi¡¯s midriff. Its sharp end impaled itself in Kuja¡¯s shoulder. Instantly, the spines retracted, rolling Levi up to the boss¡¯s shoulder. The fists landed behind him, hammering the path out of existence where they landed. Kuja looked around, searching for Levi. With his fixed head and immobile eyes, he couldn¡¯t turn toward his shoulder. ¡°Colin! Heal me!¡± Levi shouted, barely clinging on. His vision whirled, and vomit rose up in his throat. He¡¯d just spun himself at top speed a thousand times, and it was a struggle to figure out where he was, let alone fight.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Oh, right!¡± Colin lifted his staff. Pale gold light streamed over Levi. The nausea lifted. Levi¡¯s inner ears settled. Levi stood, putting his feet against the fish¡¯s slippery scales. His Spinal Cord hooked into Kuja¡¯s shoulder, bracing him upright. ¡°There you are.¡± Kuja slapped at his shoulder with his opposite hand, as if he were slapping a fly. ¡°Levi, run!¡± Colin shouted, shocked. He hefted his staff in preparation. Levi stabbed his sword into the boss¡¯s shoulder alongside the Spinal Cord, completely digging in. His Armalgam gripped its two swords with two hands each and pointed them outward, toward Kuja¡¯s descending palm. The enormous palm struck him with all its strength. His two raised swords sunk into the palm, impaling it straight out the back of Kuja¡¯s hand. Levi sunk into Kuja¡¯s shoulder. His bones groaned and his joints strained. His bare feet dug deep dents into the fish body¡¯s soft shoulder. His sword slipped, slicing through fish meat. The Spinal Cord sunk deeper, wiggling its way to truly root itself in the fish¡¯s depths. Kuja shouted in shock. He yanked his hand back. Levi almost came with him, and would have, except for the spines coiling tight around his waist. The blades slurped free of the boss¡¯s hand. He slammed back down on Kuja¡¯s slippery shoulder. As Kuja flinched back, Levi whirled. Unspooling the Spinal Cord just enough, he stepped toward Kuja¡¯s head, for the fish couldn¡¯t be said to possess a neck. Levi dropped low. The Armalgam swung both its blades, slicing just under the gills. Blue blood flew, soaking the already-muddy Levi. Gritting his teeth, he dug his toes in, pushing with all his strength. The Armalgam¡¯s blades met resistance as their very tips touched Kuja¡¯s spine. Then they sliced through, leaving the bone unbroken. ¡°Shit,¡± Levi muttered. ¡°A good cut. But I remain,¡± Kuja rumbled. He bent. Levi swung with the motion, barely holding on. Kuja grabbed a handful of mud and swung again at Levi. Using the mud to protect his palm¡ªhe¡¯s smart. Levi kicked off Kuja¡¯s neck, throwing himself sideways across the front of the fish¡¯s throat. The Spinal Cord jerked free, releasing its deep hold. For a second, Levi dropped. The mud-filled hand landed home. Mud rained down, blinding Levi. ¡°Fuck! Just go!¡± He pointed toward where he¡¯d last seen Kuja. The Spinal Cord flew forth. It found flesh and dug deep. Levi¡¯s drop jerked to a halt. He swung in place for a few beats. Spitting curses and mud, he wiped the filth out of his eyes. Colin snorted. Isa rolled her eyes. Kuja stared down at him, big fishy body turned sideways to present one big round fish eye to him. The Spinal Cord had found purchase in Kuja¡¯s belly. Levi dangled below that, swinging between Kuja¡¯s thighs like something unmentionable. No one moved. ¡°Fish stick,¡± Levi said. Kuja slammed his thighs shut. Before he could crush Levi like the watermelon he aspired to be, the Spinal Cord retracted, rolling Levi with it. This time, Colin didn¡¯t need to be cued in. He hit Levi with the anti-dizziness spell even as Levi retracted. Reaching the belly, Levi drew his reserve sword. In the moment of impact, he struck home with both swords, digging them into Kuja¡¯s gut like two enormous fangs. The Spinal Cord jerked itself free. Yanking his swords free, Levi climbed his way up Kuja¡¯s belly like an ice climber forging their way upward with ice picks. Kuja roared. He smashed both hands toward his gut. The Spinal Cord flashed out, flying back up to the other side of his neck, and once more, Levi whirled after it, spinning like a top. Gold light banished his dizziness. Kuja¡¯s hands were on his belly. Nothing blocked his way. He ran up the steep slope of the fish¡¯s shoulder, sheathing one sword as he went. Hauling back, he unleashed a giant cleaving strike at Kuja¡¯s gills, pushing deeper than he had before¡ªswinging the swords to the hilt, so his hands pressed against fish scales. The blade found the spine, and this time, it severed it. Kuja toppled onto his side. His enormous body sunk half into the water. One fish eye remained above the surface. It stared blankly at the sky, showing no emotion. ¡°I suppose this must be it. Our final go-round,¡± Kuja grumbled, speaking with effort. ¡°Shit! He¡¯s sinking! Quick, someone, help! I can¡¯t let these beautiful arms go to waste!¡± Jerking the blades out of Kuja¡¯s neck, Levi ran to his shoulder and started hacking away at his collarbone. ¡°¡­¡± Kuja stared, speechless. Isa descended. Gently setting Colin down, she strode to Kuja¡¯s side. Her feet sunk into the water, but when she strode, not a drop of mud clung to her boots. She crouched at his side. ¡°Farewell, old friend.¡± ¡°Hmm. At least you were there. Do you remember what I told you, the tenth you defeated me?¡± She chuckled. ¡°I do. What was it? ¡®Stop killing us down here in the dark, and go seek a challenge in the day.¡¯¡± ¡°No, the rest. What I told you, about what little I remember of the truth.¡± Her eyes turned hard. She pressed her lips together and nodded, just once. ¡°If the time has come for the truth to be revealed¡­¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯ll do all I can to make sure it ends up in the right hands.¡± ¡°And he, is he the one?¡± Not far away, Levi crooned. Wrapping both hands around Kuja¡¯s freshly severed arm, he dragged it toward the relatively dry path. ¡°Hell yeah. Arm get!¡± Isa snorted, gazing after him. ¡°I have my own reservations, but I can at least promise you this: he¡¯s nothing like the others.¡± Kuja laughed, just once. ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s what we need. Not someone with grand plans, or great goals, but merely someone determined to get the job done.¡± Smiling, Isa patted his head. ¡°Get some sleep, old one. I¡¯ll watch over this truth you¡¯ve entrusted me with.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Kuja¡¯s eyes went dead. He let out one final sigh, and that was it. Isa bowed her head, just for a second. Her eyes shut. Colin hovered awkwardly nearby, twisting his hands on his staff. ¡°Uhm, uhm¡­ are you okay?¡± She looked up. Resolve shone in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m fine. In the end, he was nothing but a training partner.¡± Colin opened his mouth, clearly wanting to say something more, but shut it. He nodded and looked away, pretending not to see the single tear that glimmered in Isa¡¯s eye. 48. Death of a Boss Kuja¡¯s body sunk deeper into the water. His head vanished under the surface of the water. All at once, the earth below him gave way, and he fell backward, sucked into the depths. ¡°Wait, stop¡ªah, dammit. Well, one¡¯s better than none.¡± Levi looked at the arm he¡¯d grabbed, then at the hand toward it. Green-black energy still swirled around it. He waved his hand, dismissing the undead energy back into the air. He hadn¡¯t needed the beam, in the end. Better to dismiss it, so he could use it to resurrect Kuja¡¯s arm. He wasn¡¯t quite sure how the energy in the air, the mana in him, and skills and spells all interacted, but he did know that it was far easier to resurrect things when he had that dark energy available to him. ¡°Hurry,¡± Isa said shortly, sprinting past him, Colin in her arms. ¡°Huh?¡± Levi asked. He turned. The path crumbled into the water behind them. In seconds, it approached Levi¡¯s toes. ¡°Oh, shit!¡± Raising his hand, he called the undead energy back to him. Better to take it along than leave it here. Running, he kneeled just deep enough to scoop up Kuja¡¯s arm and throw it over his shoulder, fireman-style, then chased after Isa. Ahead of them, the entrance to the third floor loomed out of the mist. Rusted iron doors hung shut, waiting for a champion to push them open. Behind them, the path gave way, mud sinking more rapidly with each passing moment. Isa led the way, sprinting faster with every passing moment. Levi lagged behind, struggling under the weight of his prize. Isa reached the door and shoved it open. She stepped through and carefully set Colin down, then turned back. ¡°Drop the arm! You aren¡¯t going to make it with that thing!¡± ¡°It¡¯s me and the arm, or nothing!¡± Levi growled, full of determination. Isa rolled her eyes. ¡°Come carry me, if you don¡¯t believe in me!¡± he called. Then he shut up, putting his all into running. The mud crumbled at his heels. He felt it slide out from his feet with every step, felt the void of deep water behind him. If he fell in, he¡¯d fall directly to the hungry things that waited in the depths, longing to snap him up. He charged faster than before, pushing his legs to their very limits. Something stirred in the depths of his mind. Drawing on his very first skill, he cast his shadow in front of him and ran with it, using the shadow-speed boost to surge ahead. Even so, the mud collapsed at speed. His trick was only enough to gain him a few seconds. He burst over the edge of the door and stumbled through into the next room, still carrying Kuja¡¯s arm. ¡°Gods,¡± Isa commented. She watched the very last of the mud crumble into the water, then turned to Levi. ¡°You¡¯re madder than I thought.¡± ¡°Thank you, thank you.¡± Tossing Kuja¡¯s arm to solid ground, Levi turned as well. Nothing but murky, depthless water stretched behind him. There was no sign of the path, not even where the flags fluttered. He frowned. ¡°What happens to Kai? Is he stuck?¡± Isa shook her head. ¡°After a time, the floor resets. Kuja will respawn, and the path will regrow. When Kai wanders his way here, he will encounter much the same scenario we did.¡± ¡°Damn. I was hoping that was the end of him. Guess we can¡¯t have it all.¡± Levi sighed, disappointed. He looked around the small room they¡¯d entered. It was an antechamber more than anything, a gap between two floors. Iron doors barred the way on either side. Rusty ones marked the way back, while black, fresher doors blocked the way ahead. There were no threats, nothing interesting, just earthen walls, celling, and floor. A few glowing bulbs curled around the top of the hollow dirt cube, casting light, but that was all. Crouching, he flicked his fingers, and the Armalgam released his back and crawled beside him. He rested his hand on it, healing the cuts, bruises, and sprains it had been inflicted with during the fight, then patted it. Obediently, it turned. He tilted his head, thinking. ¡°So, Isa, I was wondering¡ª¡± ¡°Where to put Kuja¡¯s arm?¡± ¡°No, no. I¡¯ve already decided. I¡¯m putting it here,¡± he patted a seam, ¡°and we¡¯re going to ride with the four-arms-plus-one-biggun configuration for a while until I figure out a better organization for it. But I mean, there¡¯s worse bodyplans than starfish, right?¡± ¡°¡­I suppose,¡± Isa said, with the confidence of someone who had no idea what they were agreeing with. ¡°No, I had that figured out.¡± He drew his small knife and slit open the seam. ¡°What I was wondering, was what the hell was that ¡®truth of the world¡¯ shit you and Kuja were chatting about?¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°You heard that, hmm?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve got ears. I might not seem to be paying attention, but my mind¡¯s like a kitten on crack. I¡¯m doing like, fifteen things at all times, and one of them was subconsciously recording your conversation with Kuja for later examination. Well, the cracked-out kitten finally latched onto that particular thread, so now I¡¯m pulling at it. Spill. Truth?¡± Horrible cracking and squelching came from the Armalgam. An unidentifiable dark liquid spilled out of the seam, and an absolutely choking smell filled the air. Levi coughed and pulled his shirt up over his mouth. ¡°You¡¯re really going to make me breathe enough to speak while you¡¯re doing¡­ that?¡± Isa asked, disgusted. ¡°If it bothers you, stand upwind.¡± She sighed. Moving dutifully upwind, such that there was an upwind in the small room they found themselves in, she began, ¡°It¡¯s only a theory of Kuja¡¯s, based on what he¡¯s experienced. To consider it true or absolute would be just as wrong as to dismiss it out of hand.¡± Levi nodded. Dragging Kuja¡¯s arm closer, he closed his eyes, drawing a deep breath. He put both hands to the clammy surface and pushed. All his mana, all; the undead energy he¡¯d gathered, all of it poured into the arm. Come on. It¡¯s just an arm. It has to have a lower stat total! For that matter, what is my stat total? I need to check. Dark energy poured into the limb. Its skin crackled with green, and a faint black mist swirled around it. It twitched, then went still. The energy faded. ¡°I refuse. You¡¯re coming back to life, no matter what shitty tricks I need to use!¡± Levi slammed his hands back onto it. He gathered every iota of mana in his body and smashed it into the limb. It didn¡¯t matter if it was over his stat cap. Stat cap? Who cared? Even if it was against the rules, he was bringing it back to life! Who¡¯d set that limitation anyways? The Goddess? The System? Or was it only a factor of his own weakness? ¡°Colin! Can you restore my mana?¡± ¡°Er? A little,¡± Colin said, somewhat uncertain. ¡°Do it!¡± Gold light streamed over. His mana slowly restored. Isa stepped forward as well. She put her hand on Levi¡¯s shoulder. A small stream of that dead green energy poured into him. Nodding his thanks, he pushed everything he had into the arm. Rules? Laws? Since when had he followed them? Even if it was the Goddess or the System, fuck them! He was bringing the arm back to life, no matter what they wanted! The arm twitched again. Green energy flickered, then streamed over it, snapping and crackling like electricity. The fingers curled, and then it shook itself and hopped upright, standing on its fingers. Levi fell back, panting, eyes wide, in shock at his own success. Abruptly, he whooped and punched the air. ¡°Hell yeah! Handy¡¯s here!¡± The hand waggled a few fingers in an approximation of a wave. ¡°Okay, Handy. I know you were only just born, but it¡¯s time to meet the neighbors. I had to rez you individually, but everyone get along, okay? It¡¯s cooperation only from here on out!¡± Levi gestured. Handy toppled over, baring its shoulder joint to him. He dragged it closer, then, pulling out needle and thread, stitched it into the gap he¡¯d opened in the Armalgam. ¡°Wait, so you rezzed¡­ ¡®Handy¡¯ alone so you wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the Armalgam¡¯s stat cap, then stitched it into the Armalgam so it¡¯s still part of the Armalgam from your perspective, but from the System¡¯s perspective, they¡¯re two different entities? That¡¯s a complicated hack,¡± Colin commented. ¡°The best ones always are. Hey, if I could backstep fifty-two times into a wall and do three backflips to open a console into this world, I would. Infinite gold and infinite stats in record-breaking time. Get the world-record speedrun for going from isekai loser straight to god.¡± Colin thought for a minute, then shook his head. ¡°No, I think you¡¯d still lose that speedrun.¡± Levi snapped. He pointed at Colin. ¡°Right, shit. I forgot about the ¡®reincarnated as god¡¯ genre.¡± Isa cleared her throat. ¡°Truth of this world! That¡¯s right. Where were we? Something about this being Kuja¡¯s wild theory with absolutely no basis?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say that¡­ but it isn¡¯t incorrect. Kuja, as you know, is a floor boss. He lives in this dungeon. Every time he¡¯s defeated, he respawns in this dungeon. His people, likewise, live the same lives. According to him, they were simply another race, once, like the elves or beastmen, but over the centuries, their species died out on the surface. In that way, his people, his village, were the most fortunate. After all, they survived. However, from another perspective, they were the least fortunate. After all those cycles of reincarnation, his people lost their minds, their individuality, their sentience. They became no better than mindless monsters. Kuja, more powerful and therefore less likely to face death, managed to retain his conscience¡­ or maybe it was simply that he had a tougher mind from the start. ¡°Either way, by the end of it, he was alone. The previous one of his people lost consciousness a hundred years ago when I met him, and when he realized I wasn¡¯t going to leave the dungeon so easily, we grew to develop a kind of friendship.¡± ¡°A friendship where you killed him?¡± Levi interjected. Isa shrugged. ¡°I needed the EXP, and he might have kept his mind, but it wasn¡¯t a sure thing. If we sat still and chatted, he¡¯d abruptly break out and attack me at random. Whereas if we spoke while we fought, he could speak easily, keeping his self-awareness, but of course, if I didn¡¯t slay him, he would slay me, so¡­¡± ¡°Friends with death benefits,¡± Levi said. A second later, he frowned. ¡°No, wait. That sounds like you were stealing his inheritance or something.¡± ¡°In a way, I did. But his inheritance was his truth. Or rather, his theory about the truth.¡± ¡°Right, the wild and baseless theory that you¡¯re going to tell us about,¡± Levi reminded her. ¡°The theory¡­ that this world, that these dungeons, were all built for one reason. Or should I say, one man¡¯s mad goal?¡± Isa took a deep breath. She lowered her eyes, then lifted them. ¡°Levi, have you heard of this world¡¯s apocalypse?¡± 49. This Worlds End Levi stared at her. He frowned, then tilted his head. ¡°Man. After all that buildup, I really thought it was going to be something dramatic.¡± She rolled her eyes at him. ¡°It¡¯s more than just that. I¡¯ll take it that you¡¯ve heard of the apocalypse. Which takes us to Kuja¡¯s theory. As he watched his fellow fishmen lose their minds, as he felt his own slowly deteriorate, he began to wonder if there was a time limit to how long they were meant to protect the dungeon. Knowing of the prophesies of the apocalypse, even long before any of us otherworlders started showing up, Kuja began to wonder: was he only meant to protect the dungeon until the end of the world began?¡± ¡°Uh-huh. Still not following,¡± Levi said, squinting. Isa sighed. ¡°Why do I bother¡­ To put it simply, he wondered if he would lose his consciousness when the apocalypse began. And not only him, but all the dungeon bosses all over the world. Imagine it. If every dungeon boss suddenly lost their sentience and became nothing but a beast¡­¡± Levi¡¯s eyes finally lit up as the pieces connected. ¡°Ohhh. So basically, the dungeons all suddenly become way easier, just as us isekaied folk show up with super ultra powerful skills to stomp all over them. If he¡¯s right, then it¡¯s almost as if whoever created the dungeons, created them specifically to deliver loot and levels to us isekaied folk.¡± ¡°Not only that. But also to reveal the truth of the world.¡± ¡°The truth of the world?¡± Isa shook her head. ¡°Even I don¡¯t know. Kuja wouldn¡¯t even whisper what he thought it was. I have my own thoughts, but I have no idea if any of them are right. But if we reach the dungeon¡¯s end¡­ we might find out.¡± Levi nodded slowly. ¡°I buy the monsters-getting-suddenly-weaker thing being some kind of wild conspiracy, if it happens. The truth of the world¡­? I mean, come on. What does that even mean? You gotta give me more to go on.¡± ¡°The two could be associated,¡± Colin pointed out. Isa nodded. She pointed at him. ¡°Yeah, I mean, I get it. I¡¯m not stupid. I just¡­ you know. It¡¯s a little too mysterious for me. It¡¯s like when a so-called fortune teller starts out with, ¡®you¡­ has something gone wrong in your life recently?¡¯ Of course it has. No one has a perfect life. Everyone can think of something. That¡¯s what this feels like. The opening line to a cold reading. I need more to latch onto. Some real¡­ meat.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s what prophesies are. Vague cold reading lines,¡± Colin pointed out. ¡°Not all of them. That one girl¡­ you know the one. We killed her friend.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°I turned her friend¡¯s friends into the Armalgam?¡± Isa raised her brows. ¡°Beg pardon?¡± ¡°Yeah, that one. I know who you¡¯re talking about, it¡¯s just, her name¡­¡± Colin furrowed his brows. ¡°The Thug lady was called Jessie¡­ uh¡­ oh, that¡¯s right! Taylor.¡± ¡°Taylor! Yeah. She gave us some real meat. Wrote out the whole end-of-days thing pretty clearly. Twelve Champions, raining blood, black sun, all very crisp and clear. By the way, by my counting, we¡¯re up to nine out of twelve Champions summoned. Three left until the world starts eating it.¡± ¡°Nine? It¡¯s worse than I thought,¡± Isa commented. ¡°You were lying dead in a manor for a few years,¡± Levi reminded her. ¡°Mmm. True. I was only aware of six summoned Champions. Blatt of the Blade, Stacey of the Harvest, Kyo of the Wild, Mew of Magic¡ª¡± ¡°He¡¯s confirmed? Also, be real with me. Is he a cat?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never met the man¡­ or woman. Where was I? Ah, yes. Mew of Magic, Igor of the Heart, and of course you. Which would make you Levi of Death.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Levi of Death¡­¡± Levi twisted his lips. ¡°Not sure I like it. It has ¡°Stacey of the Harvest¡± vibes. Not very intimidating.¡± ¡°Champions are not chosen for having names that fit their roles,¡± Isa stated dryly. ¡°Oh, I knew that already. If Igor of the Heart taught me anything¡­¡± On the opposite side of them, the iron doors ground open. Isa looked up. ¡°Our rest is over. We must move on.¡± Levi nodded. He stood, stretching. ¡°How deep are we going? How many floors?¡± Isa paused. She looked ahead of them. ¡°I¡¯ve only been to the bottom of the third floor. I defeated the boss, but I never advanced. The fourth floor is not a place accommodating to vampires.¡± ¡°What, does it have a sun or something?¡± Levi asked. She grimaced. After a moment, she waved her hand. ¡°Regardless, the fourth floor is¡­ not somewhere you can rush into, after you beat the third floor.¡± ¡°What? Isn¡¯t it supposed to be a smooth descent? Level up enough on one floor to smash through the next?¡± Levi asked. Isa shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s the same across all dungeons. Whether you¡¯re a member of this world, or an otherworlder, there is a point where the dungeon will no longer provide enough experience that you can progress to the next floor. There are multiple solutions. You can grind the floors, like I did. But that takes weeks, if not months. The more typical solution is to leave the dungeon you¡¯re in, and enter a different dungeon. Progress those floors until that dungeon ¡®breaks,¡¯ then leave the dungeon at the ¡®break point¡¯ and go find another. Like that, you can wind your way down through the dungeons, progressing all of them evenly, until you reach the bottom of all of them.¡± She paused. ¡°Of course, as I mentioned earlier, no one has.¡± Levi tipped his head. ¡°This break-point thing, is that what you meant when you said that fifty-some floors of one dungeon were equivalent to three of another?¡± ¡°To some extent,¡± Isa said, lowering her head slowly. He lifted his head, gazing ahead of them. A narrow, dark hallway wound into the earth. No signs of a dark swamp, or any monsters, appeared. ¡°And I suppose this inability to reach the bottom ties into the ¡®truth of the world¡¯ that Kuja believed in?¡± ¡°Yes. Why prevent anyone from progressing smoothly to the bottom of any dungeon? Why require them to visit all the dungeons and complete them at the same pace? Why not allow someone to reach the bottom of any given dungeon?¡± ¡°It does beg the question, I¡¯ll allow that,¡± Levi said. ¡°Beg the question? Who is this fancy man, and what happened to Levi?¡± Colin asked, mock-shocked. ¡°Who is this chatty guy, and what happened to my shy and silent Colin?¡± Levi replied. ¡°I¡¯m used to you guys. I have no problem talking now,¡± Colin replied. ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± After a moment, Levi squinted. He walked into the darkness, leading the way. ¡°What about that Blatt guy? He could cut air itself. You¡¯re not going to tell me he couldn¡¯t defeat the dungeons.¡± ¡°He¡­probably could. But he has no interest in it. Everyone is weak compared to him. He has no need to grow stronger, and, well, a dungeon¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the most pleasant place to be. I get it,¡± Levi said, nodding. ¡°He doesn¡¯t believe in the truth of the world, either, so there¡¯s absolutely no reason for him to try,¡± she added. ¡°Is that a cult, or something? The way you say that¡­¡± Isa laughed. ¡°There¡¯s only a handful of people who believe in it. Kuja isn¡¯t the only boss monster to come up with an idea like this, and I¡¯m not the only otherworlder who found it possible. No Champions believe it, to my knowledge, which might be why the dungeons haven¡¯t been conquered.¡± Levi nodded. ¡°Well, it¡¯s worth considering. And I, as a man who must take on the whole pantheon¡¯s challengers, might as well take on the dungeons. I need to level up and get stronger. So perhaps I will delve them to the depths. Perhaps I might.¡± ¡°Are you on a fancy-speaking kick?¡± Colin asked. Levi swatted him. ¡°I¡¯m the kind of person who subconsciously copies the accent of the people around me. I can¡¯t help it.¡± Abruptly, Isa paused. She stared at Levi. ¡°Do you have to wear it like that?¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Levi glanced around, then looked down. The Armalgam hugged his back, as usual, but its new fifth arm was too large to easily fit around his body. Instead, it dangled behind him, hanging palm-up just behind his legs. From the front, the effect was of having a hand reaching between his legs, palm facing upward, ready to grab¡­ something. He looked back up. ¡°It¡¯s got to go somewhere. I can¡¯t put it left or right, or it¡¯ll throw my back out. I can¡¯t put it up, or I¡¯ll have a hand hanging in front of my face all the time. Plus, that goes against gravity. So we go with gravity, and voila. It¡¯s out of the way, and yet, ready at any moment. A unique trait of this placement, so to speak.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t say,¡± Isa muttered, raising a brow. ¡°What?¡± Levi turned to Colin. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad, right?¡± ¡°It is.¡± Levi glanced down again, then sighed. He flicked his fingers. The arm shifted, curling around his waist, layered on top of the Spinal Cord. ¡°Now I look like a fatass, and both the Spinal Cord and Handy are tough to get to. Are you happy now?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Isa said. He turned to Colin. Colin nodded and gave him a thumbs up. Levi sighed. ¡°Fineeee. Ugh. You guys don¡¯t appreciate convenience and a battle-ready state.¡± ¡°Battle ready, eh?¡± Isa commented. ¡°You¡¯re the one thinking filthy things about my battle arm,¡± Levi said. He paused. ¡°But I mean, if you want to experience filthy things with my battle arm¡ª¡± ¡°We¡¯re nearly at the end of the tunnel. Prepare yourself,¡± Isa interrupted him. 50. Floor Three The tunnel arced up. Light shone at its end, bouncing off the walls to faintly reach them. Although many of the previous areas had been dimly lit, the light that shone down ahead of them appeared bright, full of warmth and vigor. Maybe a little too much warmth and vigor, in fact. As they approached the top of the tunnel, heat bore down on them. Levi wiped his brow. He squinted toward the light. After so long in dim and dark settings, even that much light was too much for him. ¡°Is there a desert ahead of us, or something?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± The heat grew more and more intense. In a refreshing change from the swamp, it was a dry heat. Less refreshing was how omnipresent and vicious the heat was. Even in the dark, there was no reprieve. Not a single hint of coolness, nowhere to be found. All the liquid had been sucked out of the air, and it began to leave their bodies as well. Colin shut his mouth firmly and refused to open it again. Isa walked quietly, eyes slightly squinted against the heat like a cat in the sun. ¡°Reminds me of Vegas in summer. That place is an oven. A hundred and twenty on the mercury, and once that starts reflecting off the asphalt¡­ whoo-ee. And it¡¯s so damn dry. You step out into that heat, and you feel yourself baking. All the liquid leaves your body¡­¡± Levi paused. ¡°Feels pretty much like this, yeah.¡± ¡°What were you doing in Vegas?¡± Colin asked. ¡°Gambling? Drinking? Wasting money? What else does one do in Vegas?¡± Levi asked. Colin squinted at him. ¡°No way you¡¯re old enough to drink.¡± Levi opened his mouth, then paused. He waggled his brows rather than reply. ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Colin muttered. The heat grew even more intense. The earthen walls were dry and cracked here. Burned dust littered the floor, along with something that looked a little like ash. Levi kicked a grey brick of the stuff, and it fell apart, just like ash. He frowned, then looked at Isa. ¡°No way.¡± She smiled mysteriously. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s clever as hell. Props to whoever did it. But there ain¡¯t no way.¡± ¡°Ain¡¯t no way¡­ what?¡± Colin asked. Levi ran off without answering. He vanished around the next bend. ¡°It¡¯s too hot for that,¡± Colin muttered. Isa looked at him. ¡°Can you feel heat?¡± ¡°Not really? It¡¯s dull, like pain or cold or¡­ pretty much anything. But I can feel my flesh drying out. It¡¯s making me stiff,¡± Colin complained. She nodded. Her eyes returned to their slit state. Around the bend, Levi stopped dead. Colin almost collided with him as he turned the corner and yelped in surprise. ¡°What¡ªLevi, why?¡± Levi pointed ahead of them. A fire raged in the path ahead. Two large metal grates were wedged into the wall, spanning the room over the fire, and a heavy door that hinged at the floor blocked the way out. ¡°It¡¯s an oven! We¡¯re literally stuck in an oven!¡± Isa laughed. ¡°If you weren¡¯t high enough level, you¡¯d have already baked before you made it here.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°And I¡¯m not gonna bake now.¡± Levi charged the door. He leaped the flames, landing on their far side. Startled, Colin raised his staff high. Gold light chased after Levi. He planted his feet, digging his heels into the white-hot ashes. The leather of his boots crisped, the thicker soles singing while the uppers and laces lit up directly. He drew back his fist. On his back, the Armalgam perked up. The smaller four arms grabbed Levi¡¯s shoulders, bracing themselves and twisting their body to put Handy on his right side. As Levi punched, so too did Handy. Levi¡¯s hand stopped short of the door, but Handy connected. The huge fist impacted the door with a resounding THROOM. The metal caved in, and the door slit open at the time. Levi pointed. The Spinal Cord shot up, wrapping on something outside of the oven. It pulled, retracting him upward. At the top of the door, he swung on the Spinal Cord. As he swung toward the door, he unleashed another punch. The door fell open, hinges creaking and squealing the whole way. ¡°Go, go, go!¡± Levi shouted. He swung himself back and forward on the Spinal Cord like a little kid on a swing. As he reached the apex of his swing, he released the Spinal Cord, leaping forward. It retracted around him as he flew through the air, over the open door. Reaching up, Levi pulled at the Armalgam. Its spine straps wiggled down his body, and it squatted under his feet. Levi crouched atop it. The two of them slammed down. The Armalgam rushed forward the second it touched the ground, scurrying forward like a deranged skateboard. It ran over the open oven door and out into the cool world beyond. Levi turned back. Isa flew behind him, carrying Colin in her grasp. Gold light still coiled around his feet. With the initial adrenaline rush over, the pain of the burns started to kick in. Levi hissed aloud, wrinkling his nose. He lowered to a crouch to put some of his weight on his hands instead of his feet. ¡°Fucking hell. I forgot how much burns hurt.¡± A vicious shout broke the quiet. Levi looked up, drawn back to reality. The oven opened up to a village square. It should have looked idyllic, with Victorian-style beam-and-plaster houses, except for the people who populated it. Painted in the eerie, flickering light of the flames, they appeared grotesque, as monsters. Levi blinked, and their forms settled. Not monsters at all, but human. Human, but barely. Their eyes gleamed with a horrific savagery. Muscles bulged far beyond what any human could achieve on some, while others had distortedly long limbs or too many joints. Hair hung lanky and damp around their faces, and horns of all description poked through it. Some twisted upright, like a unicorn¡¯s horn. Others curled on either side of their bearer¡¯s head like ram¡¯s horns. Some of them even had three or four horns, bursting forth with overgrown twists and turns at random. They wore clothes, but the clothes were old, bleached, and patched, repaired here and there with more modern, rugged clothes¡ªclearly the gear of adventurers who had met with a tragic fate. All of them stared at Levi and the others with big, wide eyes. A strange emotion glimmered in their eyes, something like desire, but not quite. A deep need, one that flickered with the flames reflected on their pupils. One wiped his spit, sucking it back into his mouth with a loud slurp. They surrounded them, and as they stood there, more walked up from the homes and back alleys, completely blocking off the path ahead in a loose semicircle. ¡°The locals look friendly. What do you guys think?¡± Levi quipped. ¡°Don¡¯t be deceived. They only want you for your body,¡± Isa returned. Levi raised his brows. He grinned and pointed at her. ¡°Didn¡¯t know you had it in you!¡± ¡°I think we should run,¡± Colin said, catching himself as Isa set him down. She landed beside him, and the two of them quickly crossed to Levi¡¯s side. Sitting on the Armalgam, Levi reached out and slapped Colin¡¯s ankle, pushing mana into his body to heal away how much he¡¯d baked. ¡°I¡¯d say we should fight, but¡­ I don¡¯t know about you guys, but I¡¯m a bit toasty after that stint in the oven.¡± ¡°Same,¡± Colin agreed. ¡°So¡­ run to fight another day?¡± Isa nodded shortly. Colin nodded a little faster. The gold light from his staff pulsed, surging into Levi¡¯s feet. The pain faded. Levi tentatively set his feet on the ground, trying them out. Only faint pain came forth, so he jumped upright and hopped off the Armalgam. It clambered up onto his back. ¡°On three?¡± The townsfolk leaped up. They rushed at the three of them. Steel shone as they drew weapons from under their clothes. ¡°Onetwothreego!¡± Levi shouted, sprinting off. Colin and Isa chased after him. The three of them raced at the closing wall of human flesh as the townsfolk rushed toward them. 51. The Wall The wall of cannibals rushed toward them. The three of them rushed toward that wall. In the lead, Levi threw his hand forward. The Armalgam perked up on his back. It grabbed onto him, swung back, then threw itself forward, spinning sidelong like a loosed Ferris wheel with blades and killing intent. It crashed into the crowd. Blood spurted, and heads flew. Handy snaked out, grabbing onto a passing man by his head. It used him as a pole to swing the rest of the Armalgam around. The man¡¯s neck snapped under the force of the motion, and its blades sliced into all the nearby townspeople. Screaming, a woman with enormous muscles rushed forward and slammed an axe into the Armalgam¡¯s heart. It dug into bone and stuck there, upright in the construct¡¯s flesh. The Armalgam didn¡¯t even flinch. It backhandedly flicked its blade, and her head went flying. Levi chased after it. Chaos followed after the Armalgam, and he filled that chaos with blades. As the townsfolk turned to chase the Armalgam, he stabbed them in their backs. If they tried to face him instead, they found themselves caught between their fellow townsfolk, who still chased after the Armalgam, and the sharp end of Levi¡¯s blade. He cut them down one after another. The Armalgam cavorted, drawing all eyes to it, and in its wake, Levi carved a bloody path through the wall of cannibals. Colin followed close after him. Flinching, averting his eyes from the worst of the violence, he kept his staff trained on Levi¡¯s back. Close behind him, Isa watched over both of them with her slit-cat eyes. Her hands flashed out, almost too fast to see, smacking away weapons and hands that reached for Colin. Some got away with only a slap. Others, whose attempts were more serious, received gashes or heavy, bone-breaking blows. One man went for the root of the problem. Pulling his too-long arms back, he swung his pickaxe at Isa¡¯s skull. Isa vanished, only to reappear behind him, a hand already wrapped around his jaw. His eyes widened, but only for an instant. Without any apparent effort, she put her other hand to his head and snapped his neck with a quick yank. Seeing Colin open, one of the women darted forward and slammed her knife toward his back. Before she reached him, a blade reached her heart. She gagged, coughing on her own blood, and sagged, the knife slipping out of her grasp. Levi lowered his sword, letting her fall. ¡°Keep an eye on the healer, won¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I had it,¡± Isa murmured. Her body blurred again, and razor sharp nails pressed at Levi¡¯s jugular. ¡°Never doubt me.¡± ¡°Look. When our precious healer is in danger, I panic a little, okay? Kill me,¡± he said sarcastically, shoving her hand away. Without another word, he dashed after the Armalgam again, leaving Colin and Isa to pick their way after him. Isa raised her brows. She lifted her tails to her lips and licked them. Her eyes narrowed further, almost to slits. ¡°It isn¡¯t adorable to be so unaware of your own mortality.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll get me killed one day, that¡¯s for sure,¡± Levi replied at a half-shout. A man swung an axe at him. He sidestepped, barely parrying the heavy weapon toward the ground. It struck earth, and he immediately slammed his foot down on the handle, pinning it to the ground. The man yanked. Levi stepped in, leaving the axe to him. The man jerked the blade free, but too late. Levi was already swinging for his neck. Silver flashed, and blood poured out on the ground. The man collapsed. Levi turned back. He looked over the carnage he¡¯d caused, then grinned. He snapped his fingers. All the dead cannibals twitched, then staggered to their feet. Levi spun his hand around his head, then threw his hand forward. The cannibals formed into a wedge, then charged their fellow living cannibals. The dead cannibals pushed the living ones back, forming an undead wall. A path opened up to the open land beyond the mass of cannibals. ¡°Go!¡± Levi shouted, setting off at a sprint himself. ¡°Before they eat the zombies!¡± Isa grabbed Colin and sprinted past him. Levi chased after them. The Armalgam continued to spin and stab wildly, darting all around the cannibals. He lifted his head and whistled. It froze, then spun toward Levi. Grabbing onto the top of the nearest cannibal¡¯s head, it pushed off, leaping over the wall of zombies. It thumped onto Levi¡¯s back.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Levi stumbled. ¡°Oof. You¡¯re getting heavy.¡± Handy patted him apologetically. ¡°No, no. Don¡¯t apologize. It¡¯s all part of getting stronger. If you¡¯re too heavy, then I need to get stronger to carry you,¡± Levi replied, flexing his muscles. His arms were only a little more than normally muscular, belying his true Strength score. The Armalgam patted him again, but this time in pity. ¡°Stats don¡¯t make your body huge. They aren¡¯t steroids, they¡¯re just¡­ like, I don¡¯t know. Magic strength enhancements. It¡¯s okay, though. I like it like that. Makes the big guys underestimate me.¡± Ahead, one of the cannibals hacked the blocking zombie down. A surge of cannibals lunged through the gap in the wall. One of them tripped, momentarily kneeling. Levi jumped, using the tripped cannibal as a springboard to leap-frog over the rest of the cannibals, and ran on. The other zombies stood strong. The cannibals beat at them, rapidly wearing them down, but they held for long enough for Levi to run through. Glancing over his shoulder, he shook his head. ¡°What is this, zombies vs zombies? I can¡¯t even tell which side supposed to be the undead one.¡± Out the other side. The second Levi escaped from the press of cannibals, they turned and gave chase. The zombies reached out, grabbing whoever they could, but they only managed to slow the cannibals. Eyes glowing, hair thrashing around their horns, the cannibals hefted their weapons and chased after the party. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing none of us are slow,¡± Levi commented. Isa glanced over her shoulder, frowning. ¡°None of us? Where¡¯s the slombie?¡± Levi pointed. ¡°It¡¯s right back¡­¡± He turned. Frowned. ¡°Uh¡­ huh. Where is the slombie?¡± Isa raised her brows. ¡°Did you leave it in the swamp?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ maybe.¡± Levi looked over his shoulder again, then shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s still alive.¡± ¡°You can tell if they¡¯re alive, but not where they are?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Strange limitation.¡± ¡°What? The living dead don¡¯t come with an onboard GPS. It¡¯d be weirder if they did.¡± ¡°GPS?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a¡ª¡± Whoosh. Levi instinctively dodged. Isa leaned to the side. An axe hurtled through the air, splitting the difference between their heads. It slammed into a tree and stuck there, quivering. ¡°¡ªrun now, talk later?¡± ¡°Quite.¡± -- The slombie stumbled one step ahead, then hesitated. A great gap opened in the floor ahead of them, the gash where Kuja had punched the mud not yet fully sealed. It lowered its foot into the deep pit slowly, one inch at a time. The slime retreated before the water, letting bare bone alone enter the depths. Water reached its ankle, its knee, its thigh. There, it flinched back, retreating to dry land. ¡°Hey, you.¡± The slombie snapped its head up. It looked around, searching the mists. A shadow approached, slowly, looming out of the darkness. A man in his low twenties or late teens stepped forward. He rested his hand on his hilt. Black leather clad his form, armored just enough to still look stylish. He lowered his head, gazing at the slombie with dark eyes. ¡°Where is he?¡± The slombie tilted its head, confused. Kai sighed. He rubbed his forehead. ¡°Why am I talking to an undead¡ª¡± A finger appeared in his view, pointing. He blinked, then looked up, following the slombie¡¯s bony finger. Just visible in the fog, a metal door loomed. To the left, the decaying form of a huge body slumped ever lower beneath the surface of the water. ¡°The exit? Wait¡ªthat way? He already passed through?¡± The slombie nodded. ¡°And left you behind? Why?¡± Kai¡¯s brows furrowed, the thoughts not computing in his head. The slombie pointed at the floor, at the gaping puddle between it and the exit. Kai laughed aloud. ¡°Right, of course. What was I thinking?¡± He reached over his shoulder and untied a rough, long plank from his pack. Tossing it down, he crossed the puddle, then paused. The slombie looked at him, its gaping eye sockets somehow emanating hope. ¡°¡­Come on,¡± Kai said at last. The slombie jolted forward. At its modest top speed, it picked its way across the plank and hurried ahead, toward the doors. There, it turned back again, waiting for Kai to open them. Kai snorted. He crossed to the slombie and opened the door, letting it through first. ¡°Lead me straight to him, won¡¯t you?¡± Oblivious, the slombie staggered on. The door creaked shut. The mists closed over the swamp once more. For a long time, there was only peace and quiet, nothing but the dark and the damp. In the silence, the water stirred. A single frogman approached her king, nervously. She reached out, gripping his body, and began to pull it into the depths. ¡°You.¡± The frogman startled. She retreated into the water. A man in a black cloak stood on the water¡¯s edge. He hadn¡¯t been there moments ago, nor had any living thing see him approach, but he was undoubtedly present now. He gazed into the water, watching the frogman retreat, then turned to face the doors. In the end, he didn¡¯t need anyone to point his way. If they were Champions, there was only one direction they would go. He turned his feet toward the iron doors. Deeper. 52. Hiding Out Past the cannibal village stood a vast forest. The three of them sped into it, the cannibals on their heels. Isa took the lead, sprinting along with the familiarity of a local. Left, right, left again, and then a hairpin turn at a rock outcropping that led them down a narrow pass between two rock faces. Levi held out his arm, and the Armalgam skittered off, along the top of the pass. He followed Isa into the valley lighter, without his favorite undead. The fastest cannibals followed them into the sharp ridge. One let out a gleeful laugh. She hauled back, preparing to throw her hatchet. Rock ground on rock. The cannibals looked up just in time to watch a boulder plunge toward them. Hatchet-girl shrieked and raised her hatchet defensively, but it wasn¡¯t enough. The boulder slammed down, smashing them to nothing but a lump of gore. The Armalgam hopped down from above, sliding down the rock face to wait for them to catch up. Isa and Colin sprinted past first. As Levi passed, it hopped out and caught onto his shoulders, wrapping itself into place. ¡°This way,¡± Isa called tersely. She set her foot in a crack in the rock face, twisted her body sideways, and vanished. ¡°If you say so,¡± Levi muttered. He reached the place she¡¯d vanished, and only then saw it. A sharp cleft cut into the rock. On this side of it, it had a long overhang that shadowed the entrance. He had to almost double back to slide in. Two steps in, he wedged, stuck. Levi looked down at himself, then snapped his fingers. The Armalgam wiggled off him and crawled off ahead of him, turning itself wheel-ways. The Spinal Cord unwound from his midriff. He held it by one end, dragging it after him as he slowly stepped along the narrow passage. Behind them, the cannibals reached the boulder. There was shouting, screaming. Torches lit the ridge in flickering red light. Levi watched it one second longer, then pushed on. They weren¡¯t out of the woods yet. Literally or metaphorically speaking. The narrow crag continued along for longer than Levi would have liked. The air grew cold and damp, with a tinge of stagnancy to it. Slowly, the crag widened, until it opened up all at once. Levi looked around, but there was nothing. Not a single scrap of light reached his eyes. A familiar clicking sound echoed from in front of him. Levi looked up sharply, shocked. ¡°No way.¡± The slender flame of a plastic lighter flickered in front of Isa¡¯s face. ¡°I had to kill a man for this. Otherworld technology is highly valued over here, since otherworlders only bring over what we have in our possession when we¡­ exit our origin worlds.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be the first time someone¡¯d kill for a lighter. So, where are we?¡± Levi looked around him. As expected, he stood in a medium-sized cave, maybe the size of a living room. Stalactites and stalagmites joined together near the walls, parting at the cave¡¯s apex like teeth in a jaw. In a corner, scraps of fabric were laid out in an approximation of a bed. Bats chittered overhead, displeased by their incursion. The floor was dark and slippery with their excrement. Isa turned, gazing at the blankets in the corner. Levi followed her gaze. A few small items clustered around it, dusty with age. A small book. An oil lamp with a broken glass bulb. A rusty dagger. ¡°My home. Or¡­ what was my home.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Neat. Is it safe?¡± She shook her head. ¡°The cannibals know about this place. They ran me out of it enough times, back in the day. They may have forgotten about it over the years, but I wouldn¡¯t bet on it.¡± Levi drew a slow breath, then regretted it as the thick scent of guano smashed into his nose and mouth. ¡°So we just backed ourselves into a dead end for fun?¡± ¡°No. There¡¯s a rear exit. It lets out far enough from the entrance that we should be able to lose them for long enough to get a night¡¯s rest. They shouldn¡¯t know about that.¡± She grinned, slowly. ¡°I ate all the ones who found it. It won¡¯t stop them forever, but finding it should slow them.¡± Levi nodded. ¡°Then, what¡¯s the hold up?¡± ¡°I paused for a reason. Can¡¯t you feel it?¡± ¡°Feel what, the bat guano slowly driving me mad?¡± ¡°Not that. You¡¯re already crazy, so that can¡¯t hurt. The dead.¡± Brows furrowed, Levi turned, slowly. He closed his eyes, reaching out to his magic. The dead¡­ dead¡­ The faint sense of cold, dead energy welled up from a corner. He turned, reaching out toward it. Bones clattered, glowing with the dimmest green light he¡¯d ever seen. They coalesced into a fragile-looking skeleton. Its knees nocked, and its hands shook. It stumbled over to the rusty dagger in the corner and picked it up. Its old bones struggled to hold the weight of the weapon. ¡°Impressive,¡± Isa deadpanned. ¡°The way I like to see it, we¡¯ve all just learned a valuable lesson about rezzing undead. The fresher the better!¡± Levi said cheerily. He gestured at the floor. A few newly-dead bats fluttered up to clutch the ceiling, some even with bits of flesh still stuck to their bones. ¡°What are those going to do?¡± Isa asked. ¡°Give the villagers something to think about. Like rabid bats.¡± She tipped her head. ¡°It might make them hesitate.¡± In the not-so-distance, the hubbub of a mob sounded. Levi turned to Isa. ¡°The rear exit?¡± ¡°Right this way.¡± She turned, leading the way deeper into the cave. At its rear, the ceiling descended as the walls closed in, creating a funnel of stone. Without hesitating, Isa lowered to her hip and slid in feet-first. Levi shrugged and went to follow her, then paused. ¡°Colin?¡± ¡°Uh, is it a bad time to mention that I don¡¯t like tight spaces?¡± Colin asked, eyeing the hole nervously. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s only tight for fifteen minutes or so,¡± Isa replied. ¡°Fifteen minutes?¡± Colin tensed. He gripped his staff nervously. Levi clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°If it¡¯s any consolation, you¡¯re already dead. This can¡¯t kill you.¡± ¡°I can get stuck in there forever? Yay!¡± Colin replied, even more nervous. ¡°Or you can stay here and enjoy the sensations of being eaten alive¡­unalive, down to your bones,¡± Levi suggested. Colin pressed his lips together. He hesitated one more second, then shook his head. ¡°Fuck. I don¡¯t have a choice, do I?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± He lowered to his side and scooted forward. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay.¡± With a final short breath, he pushed himself into the breech. Levi glanced back. He gave a jaunty wave to the undead in the cave, then slipped after the others. The cave laid as it was, dark and quiet. The bats settled back in. One of the younger ones edged nervously toward the new bats. Its little nose twitched with curiosity. The new bats didn¡¯t respond. It edged closer, yet more curious, and reached out a claw toward the strange new bats. Smoke. Loud shouting. The young bat startled and flinched back, toward the others. The first of the cannibals stumbled into the room. As he entered, the skeleton, hidden around the corner from the entrance, lunged. The rusty dagger stuck in the cannibal¡¯s side. He grunted, then turned and socked the skeleton in the face. The skeleton¡¯s skull went rolling, and it collapsed into a pile of dusty bones. The other cannibals called forward. The first cannibal grunted back. He turned to the dagger in his gut. As he reached for it, the undead bats swooped from the ceiling. Chittering viciously, they swooped at the cannibal¡¯s eyes. He thrashed, trying to strike them out of the air. Another cannibal tried to emerge from the entrance, only for the lead cannibal to stumble into her. She shouted in annoyance and shoved him away. He shoved her back. The two began shouting, and the whole while, the bats swooped around them. Ahead, in the narrow exit passage, Levi chuckled. ¡°What?¡± Colin asked, nervous. ¡°Nothing, nothing. Keep on keeping on. We¡¯re almost to the end.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already said that fifty times.¡± ¡°And I haven¡¯t been wrong yet.¡± ¡°I¡ªyou¡­ what?¡± ¡°Almost there.¡± They wiggled on, groping their way through the darkness. 53. Out the Other Side They squeezed through the darkness for what felt like a small eternity to Colin, and about fifteen minutes to Isa and Levi. At last, they stepped out into a distant part of the forest. Isa led them on through the forest for another hour, before she finally led them over a hill and into a small gorge beneath it. There was a large tree in the gorge with a hollow at its base where it had long ago rotted away. The three of them cleared the leaves and wet rot out of the tree, then curled up in the hollow together to rest and, in Levi¡¯s case, sleep. The cannibals roamed the forest. Occasionally, the glow of a torch appeared in the distance, only to fade away again. Colin rested the tip of his staff on Levi¡¯s shoulder and quietly healed him, washing away all the remaining damage from their battles and their stint in the oven. When he was done, he sighed and took his burned gloves off, replacing them with a new pair. ¡°What do you think about all this?¡± Isa asked. ¡°Huh?¡± Colin asked, startled. In all their sleepless nights, she had never spoken with him. It was a kind of unspoken pact. They didn¡¯t need to sleep, but they both benefited from some time in silence to rest and sort their thoughts. Sometimes Isa would doze off, sleeping for pleasure, perhaps, or for the benefits, even if she didn¡¯t technically need sleep. Colin, completely unable to sleep, would just rest his body and allow its low-level undead regeneration to take over. ¡°All this. This world. Being undead. Your friend over there being the Champion of the Death Goddess. What do you think?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Colin paused. He leaned back, curling up against the back of the hollow. Spreading his hands, he looked at the gloves that protected him from his own magic, and the worn wooden staff he¡¯d taken all this way. Mud caked its bottom. Here and there, a few dark, suspicious stains marred the wood. Bright marks showed where he¡¯d blocked blows with it. Every chip and scratch was a strike that could have maimed him, if it weren¡¯t for Levi and Isa, and everyone else who¡¯d helped him out along the way. His mind went back to his old life. The grind of a software developer. Working ten hour days, drinking energy drinks, slowly ruining his body in the hopes of an early retirement. He¡¯d had no time for friends, and no energy to make them, anyways. Besides, friends came slowly, and human interaction was scary. Better to keep his mouth shut rather than open it and risk everyone hating him. He¡¯d come home to an empty, undecorated apartment. Decorations didn¡¯t matter. All he needed was a place to microwave food and play video games, on the rare hours he had enough time to. His life wasn¡¯t under threat by anything but his poor lifestyle choices, and, well, he¡¯d been alive. And yet, how was it that he felt so alive now? Now that he was dead, and spent his days hiking across the world, over hill and dale, chased by the authorities and monsters alike, why did he feel as if he was finally experiencing the world, for the very first time? He laughed quietly. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m happier here than on the front lines of Ician¡¯s war, that¡¯s for sure.¡± Isa chuckled. ¡°I¡¯d be surprised if you felt otherwise.¡± Colin sighed. He rocked back, hugging his knees. ¡°It feels more real here. I don¡¯t know how to explain it, but¡­ it just feels more real.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°More real? All this magic and these fantasy creatures, and it¡¯s more real?¡± Isa asked. He shook his head. ¡°You came over centuries ago. Things have changed. My life¡­ I felt more like a robot than a person. Living the same sad, empty life every day, hoping to survive long enough to enjoy a long retirement. I went to a big office building, sat next to people I didn¡¯t know, and did nothing but work in silence until it was time to go home. But here¡­¡± He looked up at the sky, then waved a hand. ¡°Well, there¡¯s no stars, here, but you can see the stars. The nights are cool, and the morning dew is fresh and delicate. You can drink water from the springs and eat fruit from the vine without worrying about dangerous chemicals polluting all of it. It¡¯s so clean and beautiful. It¡¯s not that things are exclusively better here¡ªI got killed, here, and where I came from, I had a very low chance of getting stabbed to death¡ªbut it¡¯s different, and different in a way I think I like.¡± He sighed. ¡°I never thought I would say this, but I haven¡¯t even thought about my games.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very different from the world I came from,¡± Isa murmured. ¡°Yeah, it would be, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± She glanced at him. ¡°Is the world truly poisoned to that extent, in your world? Where you can¡¯t see the stars or drink the water from the springs?¡± He nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± Isa leaned back, putting her shoulders against the wood. ¡°I suppose this world would feel more real, in a world like that.¡± ¡°How about you? Compared to your world¡­¡± Colin looked at her, curious. She gazed off into space for a moment. Her eyes grew vacant. At last, she shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve been here for over twice as long as I lived in my world. No¡­ dozens more times. Compared to my fifteen years in my homeland, I¡¯ve spent over two hundred years here. My memories of home are dim. I can barely recall the faces of my family.¡± ¡°You were fifteen when you came over?¡± Colin asked, shocked. He looked her up and down. Isa raised her brows. Colin quickly looked away, blushing. ¡°It¡¯s, er, you look, in your twenties. In a good way!¡± ¡°I am. Or¡­ I was. It took years for me to grow strong enough to be considered a true Champion candidate. They didn¡¯t deign me worthy of the kind of special attention that getting vampirized required until I was in my early twenties.¡± She laughed. ¡°I was such a child back then. So foolish. Desperately searching for a place to belong.¡± Colin looked at her. ¡°Did you find one?¡± She shook her finger at him. ¡°The trick is that you can¡¯t find a place to belong. If you want to belong somewhere, you have to make that place yourself. No one¡¯s going to do that hard work, but you.¡± Colin¡¯s eyes widened. He nodded, slowly. The image of himself, sitting at his desk with his head down, appeared in his mind¡¯s eye. He didn¡¯t belong there. He hadn¡¯t had any friends, hadn¡¯t known anyone but his immediate, inescapable coworkers. But had he tried to make a place to belong? Or had he simply failed to fit in, and given up without ever trying to put in the effort? ¡°Well, there¡¯s always people like Levi,¡± she muttered. ¡°How do you mean?¡± She gestured at the sleeping man. ¡°People who come along and whisk you up, who don¡¯t care who you are or what you want. You don¡¯t need to carve out a place to belong, because he knows you don¡¯t belong, and he knows he doesn¡¯t belong, and he doesn¡¯t care. You¡¯re with him. As long as you¡¯re with him, you¡¯re his people, and that¡¯s all that matters.¡± Colin chuckled. ¡°I think I know what you mean.¡± Isa sighed and settled back. Her eyes shut, and her breathing evened. Left alone, Colin watched the horizon, waiting for a sun that he knew could not rise. I¡¯m Levi¡¯s people. The thought scared him, and yet, somehow, it was deeply comforting. No matter what he did, no matter who he was, as long as he was on Levi¡¯s side, he was Levi¡¯s people. And that was all that mattered. The night dragged on, but this time, Colin didn¡¯t mind the solitude. He smiled, just a little, and waited for the others to wake. 54. A Day with the Cannibals Levi woke up to the warm light of the morning sun. He yawned and stretched, rolling over, only for his face to land in something soft and plump. Levi stiffened. Eyes still shut, he grabbed the thing. ¡°Could it be? The legendary lucky awakening?¡± ¡°Er¡­ Levi?¡± He opened his eyes. Colin blinked down at him, his leg caught in Levi¡¯s grasp. Isa sat on the other side of him, yawning widely. She gave him a smug look and laughed. ¡°If that was my leg, you wouldn¡¯t be calling it lucky. You¡¯d be calling yourself dead.¡± ¡°So it was lucky, after all. Good morning, Colin.¡± Levi released his leg with a laugh. He yawned and pushed his hair back, sleepily sitting up. After a second, he squinted. ¡°Sunlight?¡± ¡°Yeah. I thought there wouldn¡¯t be a sun¡­ and there isn¡¯t, I don¡¯t think, but it does get bright like there¡¯s a morning.¡± ¡°Neat.¡± He looked around, peeking out around the hollow of the tree. Forest, in all directions. A few thin deer trails wandered through the trees and undergrowth. In the near distance, a deer flicked its tail. It turned. Huge fangs curled from its muzzle. It chewed a mouthful of meat, blood dripping down its chin. ¡°Nasty. Hey, Isa. Are you friends with this floor¡¯s boss, too?¡± Isa snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t think the people on this floor ever really had much going on upstairs. They certainly never had much to say to me. And neither did I, to them. We both viewed each other as food, so there was a lot of mutual hunting going on.¡± ¡°You know, I was wondering how a young, healthy vampire like you managed to spend a few years down here, but I guess there was plenty of cannibal blood for you, huh? What happens when no one comes through the dungeon? Do they eat one another?¡± Isa nodded. ¡°They respawn, and they know it. They often turn on one another for food. Neighbors today will hunt each other tomorrow. It¡¯s a vicious cycle with no end. Kuja and his people were offered a home down here, but I think these towns were deliberately trapped for the good of the world.¡± ¡°Well, I certainly don¡¯t think anyone was angry that they ended up in this hellhole. How many villages are there?¡± ¡°Three. Each one gets progressively stronger, but there¡¯s fewer villagers each time.¡± Levi pinched his chin, thinking. He called up his stat sheet. Levi | 18 | Lv 35 Class: Necromancer [SPECIAL] Str: 46 Mag: 83 Dex: 47 Spd: 49 Def: 17 Res: 85 [Swordsmanship] [Shadow Manipulation] [Shadow Step] [Optimized Raise Dead] [Drain] [Shape Dead] [Heal Undead] [Call Ghosts] [Death Resist] Five levels to go until he reached his permanent stat boost for undead level. He¡¯d gotten about five levels on floor two. If he kept on, and fought his way through floor three until he reached the boss, he¡¯d almost certainly reach level 40. Levi jumped to his feet, dusting off his hands. He called his undead to him. The Armalgam wrapped around his shoulders, and the Spinal Cord coiled around his waist. ¡°Come on! Time¡¯s a-wasting. Rise and grind, boys and girls. Let¡¯s go kill some cannibals.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I¡¯m still a little cooked,¡± Colin said, grunting as he climbed to his feet. ¡® Levi put a hand on his shoulder and pushed his mana into him. To his surprise, he suddenly plunged into Colin¡¯s body. He felt the parts of Colin that had cooked, and the places he was hiding wounds¡ªthe burns on his palms, the ache on his upper arm where someone had cut him the day before. Rather than simply pushing mana into Colin, he pushed his mana toward the places where Colin was hurt. The wounds closed, and he retracted his mana. He looked at his hand, flexing it. ¡°Wow. That was way cheaper.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± Colin asked. He patted his body down, startled, then looked back up. ¡°I dunno. We reached a state of nirvana, or something, and became one. I could see all the places you were injured, and directly heal them.¡± ¡°What? No way,¡± Colin said, startled. ¡°You had a cut on your left bicep,¡± Levi said. Colin blinked. ¡°I¡­ how did you know?¡± ¡°I just told you. State of perfect togetherness and oneness. We became one, in the biblical sense. We came together, and¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s called synchronicity,¡± Isa interrupted him, before he could go any further with his nonsense. ¡°When two mages become able to sense one another¡¯s mana, and can adjust to one another¡¯s flows. Usually, healers are the first to develop it, since they¡¯re always in touch with others¡¯ mana flows. If you master the skill, you¡¯ll be able to cast joint spells with the power of both your mana pools and MAG stats combined, and of course the benefit of being able to heal and assist one another better than any other mage.¡± ¡°Oh. Well, if you think about it, a necromancer is just a healer who showed up a little late,¡± Levi pointed out. She nodded, allowing it. ¡°Ah! Is that what lets me see where Levi¡¯s hurt? I¡¯ve been able to do that for a while,¡± Colin confessed. He looked at his staff. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can do it with anyone else. I¡¯ve only healed Levi.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s all you need to do, pocket healer. Stay in my pocket. That¡¯s where you belong,¡± Levi said firmly, patting his shoulders. ¡°Of course, in your case, I don¡¯t know if synchronicity does much for you. After all, the Life and Death Goddesses notoriously don¡¯t get along well. Your two magics would likely cancel one another out, rather than augment one another,¡± Isa said. ¡°We¡¯ll cross that bridge when we come to it.¡± Levi started to walk away, then turned back. ¡°That¡¯s right. Isa, what other gods are there in the pantheon? I¡¯m tracking nine, but I¡¯ve heard there¡¯s anywhere from ten to twelve gods total.¡± ¡°Other? Ah, you mean gods without Champions. Nine¡­?¡± ¡°Right. I talked to someone else before you. The nine I¡¯m aware of, in no particular order, are: Blade, Harvest, Wild, Magic, Heart, Sea, Unknown, Life, and Death.¡± ¡°Unknown¡­?¡± ¡°Okay, so maybe I don¡¯t know that one.¡± ¡°The gods you¡¯ve left out are: Revelry, or madness, which is likely your Unknown, War, Earth, and Stars. Though the last two are¡­ shall we say, a bit hard to translate? Earth might be better understood as ¡®day,¡¯ and Stars as ¡®night.¡¯¡± Levi thought for a moment. ¡°Kai¡¯s probably War, right?¡± ¡°He could be Day or Night,¡± Colin suggested. ¡°I¡¯d believe Night. No way in hell is an edgelord like him getting picked as Day. And Life is right out. That guy¡¯s more bloodthirsty than me, which is impressive. But honestly?¡± Colin hesitated, then nodded. ¡°I could definitely see him getting picked as war.¡± ¡°I¡¯m gonna tease him for deserting next time, see if he reacts,¡± Levi muttered to himself. He clapped. ¡°Alright, good. We¡¯ve settled that. Apocalypse is still a ways out. We¡¯ve got three Champions to go. Day, Night, and Life.¡± Isa nodded. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t count on Life taking long to settle, though. The Church is very fond of its Life Saints. The most recent Life Champion died shortly before I was pinned in my coffin, so we¡¯re overdue for a new Life Champion.¡± ¡°It¡¯s that common?¡± Levi asked. She nodded again. ¡°For years to pass without a Life Champion being appointed is actually rarer. More often, the position is directly inherited from one Saint or Saintess to the next. It caused a great deal of consternation within the Church when it wasn¡¯t, after their previous Saintess died. There was talk of the ¡°Dark Saintess¡± and the ¡°Stained Saint,¡± that the two top contestants must have done something to displease the Life Goddess. They were demoted and replaced, but even then, the Life Goddess still withheld her hand. After a time, the Church began to see it as a blessing¡ªas the Life Goddess wishing for this world to continue on, and they began preaching about her benevolence.¡± Levi snorted. ¡°Sounds like a coverup job to me.¡± ¡°Be as it may, it certainly quieted the people,¡± Isa commented. ¡°And isn¡¯t that what politicians and churches want the most,¡± Levi said, nodding. She gave him a look, but inclined her head. ¡°Some things never change.¡± As they¡¯d talked, they¡¯d also continued walking, and now, they reached the cleft where they¡¯d squeezed through the night before. Levi and Isa fell silent without having to share a word between themselves. There weren¡¯t masses of cannibals swarming over the cleft the way there¡¯d been last night, but a few remained, standing guard over the entrance to the cave. As they watched, one of them yawned, lifting a hand to cover his mouth. The other one wavered where he stood, his eyes flickering on the verge of sleep. Isa fell back. Levi walked forward softly. On his back, the Armalgam unwrapped itself, preparing to jump free. They padded over the top of the cleft, looming over the top of the guards. The yawning guard frowned. He looked at his hands, registering the shadow that fell over them, then looked up. A monster made of arms dropped down onto him, smashing him to the floor. His fellow guard startled awake. Before he could rush to his compatriot¡¯s aid, a blade pierced through his neck. Two boots slammed into his back, and he was borne to the ground. ¡°Good to meet you gentlemen, and goodbye,¡± Levi greeted them. He yanked his blade free. Spinning it around, he gazed up at the sky. Blood splattered over the stone walls and the fallen bodies. Beside him, the other guard still struggled with the Armalgam, only for a sharp crack to ring out. The man dropped, limp as a ragdoll. Levi grinned. Sheathing his sword, he spread his hands to his quickly-fading audience. ¡°It¡¯s a wonderful day to massacre a village, don¡¯t you think?¡± 55. Wonderful Day for a Massacre Levi took the lead. The Armalgam fidgeted on his back, eager to be used. Colin hurried after him, while Isa trailed, as usual. Still, she pressed her fingers to her lips, and every now and again, licked them thoughtfully. ¡°Cannibal village, time to die. Cannibal village, heads will fly. Cannibal village, won¡¯t you be mine¡­¡± Levi sang along to a mysterious tune, sometimes humming rather than continuing the verses. Colin bobbed along to the tune. He knew he didn¡¯t know it, but there was something familiar about the song anyways. Something ear-wormy and vital to the nature of the song, even if he didn¡¯t recognize the song itself. It sounded like an advertisement jingle, or a recruitment shanty. A song that was catchy for the purpose of being catchy. The two cannibals they¡¯d killed earlier shambled at the back. Levi hadn¡¯t said what his plans for them were, and frankly, Colin was afraid to ask. He was sure Levi had a plan in mind, and that was all that mattered. Levi froze. He put his hand out, then gestured for them to take to the forest. Colin hurried behind the nearest tree. The zombies staggered into the undergrowth. Isa melted into shadow, as if she¡¯d never been there at all. Levi executed a combat roll into the nearest bush, coming back to his feet and waiting, a hand on his sword. If he had normal human strength and speed, or low stats, the maneuver would have been noisy, but at Level 35, he had enough stats to move freely. Even ridiculous combat rolls came out smooth and silent. For a few seconds, there was nothing. Twittering birdsong. The wind in the trees. And then, in the distance: footsteps. Holding his breath, Levi watched through the leaves of his bush. Three cannibals walked into view. Two held pitchforks, while the third held a rusty but serviceable sword. Warily, they proceeded down the path. The rearmost cannibal carried a bundle on his back and a spare lantern in his free hand. Coming to check out the cave? Or maybe relieving the guards? Heh. A bit late for that. I¡¯ve already relieved them. Permanently. Levi adjusted his grip on the sword and waited. Drawing on his old skills, he drew the shadows close around him and faded into the shifting darkness of the undergrowth. The cannibals approached the bush. The first two passed it by without noticing him. Before the third could pass by, Levi leaped out of the bush. The man threw his hands up, instinctively defending himself. Levi grabbed the cannibal¡¯s swordhand with his free hand, locking it over the man¡¯s head, and thrust the sword into his solar plexus. The man grunted, then wheezed his last. He collapsed without another sound. The first two cannibals turned. Before they could, Levi spun and stabbed the nearer one in the back. The remaining cannibal whipped around and lowered her pitchfork at Levi. Levi grabbed ahold of the one he¡¯d backstabbed. She shouted and thrust her pitchfork, and he threw her compatriot¡¯s body onto the tines. Weighed down, the end of the pitchfork dropped toward the floor. Levi dashed in. He sliced, taking her head. A roar from behind him. Without him needing to command it, the Armalgam released from his back. It hit the floor and leaped into the air, intercepting a fourth unseen cannibal¡¯s sword strike with one of its meaty arms. Two more arms grabbed the man¡¯s shoulders. The final two reared back, then slammed swords deep into the man¡¯s ribcage. Skewered through, the man gasped, gagged, spat blood, then finally hit the floor, dead. The Armalgam hopped back, gazing at its deed, then looked up at Levi for approval.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Levi patted it, but at the same time, he frowned sternly. He pushed mana into it, healing the sword strike to its arm. ¡°You can¡¯t risk your flesh like that in battle. You¡¯re my tool, and I won¡¯t allow you to break yourself! That¡¯s on my command only, alright? In the future, don¡¯t harm yourself for victory. Find a route to victory where you don¡¯t take damage. Only if there is no victory without damage, do you allow yourself to be injured, understood?¡± The Armalgam crumpled like a toddler told off for snitching a cookie. It nodded its upper arms. ¡°Good. Now that you¡¯ve learned your lesson, let¡¯s loot some bodies!¡± Levi cheered, instantly upbeat again. The Armalgam nodded. It capered off to pick through the pockets of the downed cannibals. Levi crouched by the man with the bag. He peeked inside. Hard cheese and a hunk of dark bread awaited him, along with an apple and a waterskin. ¡°Hell yeah. Free lunch.¡± Without hesitation, Levi reached inside and started munching. ¡°Is it safe to come out?¡± Colin asked nervously. ¡°Yeah,¡± Levi muttered through a mouthful of cheese. ¡°There was one more.¡± A thump. A limp, pale body dropped from Isa¡¯s hand as she sauntered from the shadows. She wiped her chin and licked the blood off her fingertips. ¡°I took care of him.¡± ¡°Nah, I left him deliberately. A snack for you. Never say I don¡¯t watch out for my friends,¡± Levi said. She gave him a look. ¡°You knew at a glance that he was a virgin?¡± ¡°I figured you could cope, as hungry as you looked. But hey, lucky you,¡± Levi replied. Isa chuckled under her breath. ¡°I do not¡­ cope.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what they all say, and the next thing you know, they¡¯re over there huffing copium,¡± Levi said, shaking his head at her. ¡°Copium?¡± Colin cleared his throat. ¡°It¡¯s, um¡­ not worth learning.¡± Isa¡¯s eyes widened. She nodded. ¡°Crude children¡¯s slang. I understand.¡± The Armalgam bounced back over. It held one hand skyward like a happy puppy with a toy. A ruby bracelet glittered on its wrist. ¡°Very nice,¡± Levi said. He patted its hand. The Armalgam twisted happily, then hopped onto his back. He turned to the cannibals and clapped. ¡°Let¡¯s see how many of you I can rez, huh? Up and at ¡®em, boys and girls! Rise and grind!¡± Four of the cannibals twitched. Green light glowed in their eye sockets, and their jaws gaped. They arced their backs, screaming silently as an unseen power coursed through them, then dropped back to the ground. Slowly, they climbed back to their feet. ¡°Huh. I still have mana, but I couldn¡¯t rez the one you killed,¡± Levi commented, nodding at Isa. She thought for a moment, then frowned. ¡°It¡¯s probably because he¡¯s already a ghoul.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If I drink someone to death, there¡¯s a small chance they become a ghoul. Ghouls are mindless, weak beings who will follow my every order, but they don¡¯t last long. Only until the night ends, usually. There¡¯s ways you can acquire permanent ghouls, or prolong their unlives, but it never interested me.¡± ¡°Sooo¡­ free undead, is what I¡¯m hearing?¡± Levi asked. She frowned at him. ¡°Certainly, but what do you want them for?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± Levi grinned. He took a big bite of the bread. ¡°No more details?¡± she asked. He muttered incomprehensibly through the mouthful of bread, gesturing vigorously. Crumbs flew. ¡°Forget I asked,¡± Isa replied, disgusted. Levi washed down the hunk of bread with a splash of water and winked. ¡°Trust me. It¡¯s gonna be fun.¡± 56. To the Village The three of them continued on. Whenever they came across a cannibal patrol, Levi and Isa swiftly dispatched them. Levi added the lucky ones to the small army shambling behind them. By the time the cannibal village appeared through the forest, there were at least fifteen zombie cannibals following along after them. Levi paused. He turned back. ¡°Okay, here¡¯s how it¡¯s going to go. Zombies! Scatter.¡± The zombies groaned. They wandered off, shuffling through the forest. Levi gestured to the other two as he backed into a cluster of bushes. Isa and Colin joined him in the leafy hiding spot. ¡°We¡¯re going to chill here until the zombies encircle the village, mostly focusing on the far side¡ªthat is, the furthest edge of the village,¡± Levi clarified. ¡°Thank you. I didn¡¯t understand the first time,¡± Isa deadpanned. Levi nodded. He gave her a friendly wink. ¡°Glad I could help. Once the zombies finish encircling it, they charge, driving the cannibals out of their fortified village and toward us. We jump out, take heads, suck ¡®em dry, whatever makes you happy. Our goal isn¡¯t to kill them all. We¡¯re decimating, literally. One in ten. If we can do better, that¡¯s bonus points. I¡¯d be happy with killing one in nine, eight, whatever, but one in ten is good enough. ¡°Once the panic wears off, we hoof it. No point sticking around to fight on even footing. We take what kills we can get, then vanish. We¡¯ve got days. Weeks, even. Wash, rinse, repeat, until there¡¯s no more cannibals left.¡± He looked at Isa and Colin. ¡°Yeah?¡± Colin raised his hand. ¡°Didn¡¯t Isa say they respawn?¡± ¡°Good point. Isa?¡± Levi turned to her. ¡°They won¡¯t respawn that quickly. It¡¯s a weeks- or months-scale process.¡± ¡°Excellent. Any more questions?¡± Colin shrugged. Isa raised her hand. He pointed. ¡°Yes, Isa!¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you tell me this plan of yours earlier? Why that disgusting display with the bread?¡± Beaming, Levi nodded. ¡°Great question, Isa. Easy. That¡¯s because I hadn¡¯t thought of it yet.¡± Isa blinked, then shook her head. ¡°You¡­ what?¡± ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t have all my zombies yet. I didn¡¯t know what tools I¡¯d have. I couldn¡¯t know what plan I¡¯d have before I had all my tools,¡± he explained. ¡°So you were just gathering zombies because¡­?¡± ¡°Killing people gives me EXP and mana, and also, raising zombies gives me EXP, and also, it seemed like a good idea. And I was right! Look at this great plan I came up with. But I didn¡¯t want you losing faith in the process before the process completed, so I had to improvise a little to buy time to figure out my plan. Also, I can rez more zombies now! I found that out just now, too. Looks like fifteen-or-so, so maybe level over two? I¡¯m not maxed out yet, but I¡¯m close.¡± He clapped, then spread his hands and looked back and forth. ¡°Soooo¡­ any more questions?¡± Isa shook her head. ¡°None that I want answered.¡± Colin just gave him a thumbs-up. Levi nodded. ¡°Excellent. Give them a few more minutes to get into place, and we¡¯ll roll out.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Turning, he crept closer. Leaping from one set of bushes to another, he snuck toward the town. With every leap, he got a better angle on the central square they¡¯d been attacked in the previous day. From the outside, it was obviously not a gathering place, but instead a defensible holding. Spiked walls pointed inward. Makeshift blockades closed off the alleys between houses. He¡¯d missed it all in the dark, but now that it was day, it almost looked like a tower defense game, as if these people had been preparing for waves of adventurers for years. ¡°And why wouldn¡¯t they? Cannibal¡¯s gotta eat,¡± he muttered to himself, eyeing the giant oven. It was closed once more, and smoke issued from its grates. It seemed like a huge waste to keep it running all the time, but what did he know? Maybe they used it for hot water, cooking ordinary food, and central heating, or something. Or maybe the adventurers were such a threat that, even with potentially years between waves, it was worthwhile to keep the oven running. He tipped his head, nodding at that thought. After all, he was going to kill all of them. If one adventurer was potentially an extinction-level threat, and he was the one trying to defend the town, he¡¯d keep that sucker running, too. ¡°I¡¯d slap some locks on it, while I was at it,¡± he mused, eyeing the giant iron door. It was heavy enough to not need it, but then, that just meant that it was the strongest adventurers who broke through. If he could pump that strength check up, and allow even fewer adventurers through, he¡¯d do it. Then again, who knew how aware the cannibals were? They were aware enough to organize guards and bake bread, but they didn¡¯t really seem to speak. He didn¡¯t know if they¡¯d lost the mental capacity for language, or had simply had their vocal cords ripped out, but the effect was the same. For just a moment, he pinched his chin. If they were capable of language, but silenced, and intelligent enough for farming and baking, not to mention the ingenious oven trap, did that mean he was just killing people? ¡°No, no. People that eat people still deserve to die,¡± Levi said firmly. ¡°What?¡± Colin asked, sneaking up beside him. He glanced over. ¡°I was just having a crisis of morals.¡± ¡°You?¡± Colin stared, shocked. ¡°Well¡­ crisis is a strong word. More like, I was gauging whether I should feel guilty or not, but even if the verdict came up ¡®yes,¡¯ I was going to declare it a mistrial and throw out the results. After all, it¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t killed people.¡± ¡°O-oh,¡± Colin said. ¡°But don¡¯t worry! I decided it¡¯s morally right to kill cannibals, so we¡¯re all okay.¡± Levi grinned and gave him a thumbs up. Colin nodded. He started to give Levi a thumbs-up in response, then hesitated, unsure if he was supposed to or not. Shouting sounded from the village. Villagers ran forth, grabbing up their weapons. Levi frowned. He leaned forward, then hesitated. ¡°Huh?¡± Isa appeared beside Colin and Levi, squeezing into their bush. ¡°Is that the signal?¡± ¡°No, my guys are still getting into place,¡± Levi said, frowning. He glanced at Colin. ¡°Did you¡ª¡± Colin put his hands up. ¡°What could I even do?¡± ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± He shrugged at Isa. ¡°Something unrelated to us, maybe? False alarm? Or maybe a drill?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like maybes,¡± Isa murmured. She narrowed her eyes at the townsfolk. Crouched in the bushes as she was, one hand lightly pressed on the earth, she looked even more catlike than ever before. ¡°Yeah, me either. But whatever this is, it isn¡¯t me. None of my zombies have met the enemy. Or at least, none of them have died, or shown any sign of meeting violence,¡± he amended. He pursed his lips. His eyes darted to the iron door. Isa followed his gaze. She raised her brows. ¡°Thinking of your fellow Champion?¡± ¡°Little as I want to, yeah,¡± Levi admitted. The townsfolk gathered in the square, forming a semicircle, the same as they had when Levi and his group had arrived. They clutched weapons, waiting, eyes bright with hope and hunger. One licked his lips. Like children waiting for Christmas morning, they fidgeted, watching the oven with keen anticipation. THUMP. ¡°Uh-oh,¡± Levi muttered. THUMP. ¡°Alright, change of plans. When the townsfolk jump Kai, we jump the townsfolk. They won¡¯t be expecting an attack from behind, and they¡¯ll also be preoccupied with Kai. It¡¯s not as good as a totally out-of-the-blue attack, but it¡¯s better than nothing,¡± Levi said. ¡°We could just retreat and come back another day,¡± Colin suggested. Levi scoffed. ¡°And give Kai all my EXP? I don¡¯t think so. No. Just wait for my signal. Isa, if you can fly Colin somewhere secure¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°No?¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry,¡± she said, watching the cannibals with much the same light in their eyes as they stared at the oven, all of them waiting for a treat they knew would come. Levi pursed his lips, then shrugged. ¡°Sure. Colin, you¡¯re on your own. Stay alive.¡± ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll stay right here until they find me,¡± he pledged. ¡°Good plan.¡± THUMP! The oven door flew open. Kai blasted out, a shadow at his heels. Levi stared. ¡°No way.¡± Isa laughed. ¡°There it is.¡± The cannibals shouted and charged in. Kai unsheathed a greatsword, his expression grim. 57. Reunited at Last (And it Feels So Good) The cannibals charged. Kai drew his sword, pulling the impractically large thing from over his shoulder with an overly-choreographed ease. Levi charged out of the bush, racing for the cannibals. He grabbed the nearest one by the shoulder. Before they figured out what was happening, he stabbed them in the back. They gasped and fell, but Levi didn¡¯t watch. His eyes were on the figure behind Kai. He broke out into a smile. ¡°Reunited at long last! Slombie!¡± The slombie turned. It raised its slime-covered bony arms in excitement and ran toward Levi as quickly as it could shamble. The cannibals near Levi rounded on him. They crowded the road ahead, totally blocking his way forward. The Armalgam unwound from his cloak, drawing its swords menacingly. Most of them flinched back, warily watching his approach. They didn¡¯t clear the way, but no one wanted to be the first to fight him. ¡°Slombie, come to me!¡± Levi called. At the same time, he pushed forward, making use of the intimidation to gain ground on the masses. At last, one stood strong. Levi turned to him. He growled. For one moment, he hesitated, and then he rushed Levi, screaming. Levi pointed. The Spinal Cord shot out from under his cloak and impaled the man, piercing his belly all the way through to his mouth. ¡°Jeez. I¡¯m trying to have a reunion here. Save it for a minute, huh?¡± Tossing his hand to the side, he flicked the Spinal Cord. The man¡¯s body went flying right into the nearest cannibals. The cannibals looked at their dead fellow, then at Levi. As one, they charged. ¡°Can¡¯t ever do this the easy way, huh?¡± Levi rushed to meet them. At his side, shadow flickered as Isa burst forth. She reappeared in the midst of the cannibals, teeth already bared. Colin fell back, staff at the ready. One of the cannibals caught sight of him and rushed forth, only for Levi to point again. Once more, the Spinal Cord flashed out and caught the cannibal in the gut. ¡°Yeah, no. Not Colin,¡± Levi muttered. The other cannibals turned toward Colin. Levi dashed toward them, cutting off their charge with a slash, but the cannibals he left behind took the opening to close in on Colin. Gritting his teeth, he chased after them. As he turned, a cannibal slashed his side open. Another one hammered him in the back. He absorbed the hits. He didn¡¯t have another option. If they reached Colin, it was all over. Gold light danced over him, sealing the wounds shut again, but blood still spilled down his shirt, and his bones still ached. ¡°Isa!¡± he shouted. He couldn¡¯t protect Colin and fight his way through a wave of cannibals. The vampire ignored him, too busy stalking her prey. ¡°Goddamn predators. They¡¯re always so self-obsessed. It¡¯s the same with cats, just can¡¯t be bothered about others,¡± Levi complained. He whistled, and the Armalgam hopped off his shoulders. It supported itself with two of its smaller arms, leaving Handy and the other two open to fight. The two of them fought back the cannibals, but even then, they were quickly overwhelmed. There were just too many cannibals. Cuts and bruises accumulated on Levi¡¯s body. He cut them down, but the next cannibal would simply replace the previous. There was no end to it, all of them dead set on reaching Colin. A cannibal swung for his neck. He parried the blow, only for another to seize the moment and stab him in the gut with a pitchfork. Levi saw it coming, too late to dodge the blow, but with enough time to jump back. The tines pierced him, but not all the way through. He landed and staggered back a step, then slapped the pitchfork aside. Its tines cut across his stomach, but found nothing vital. Hissing in pain, he gritted his teeth and cast his gaze across the field of combat. He searched for the brownish slime of the slombie. If it was here, he could hold the road. He wouldn¡¯t be overwhelmed, the way he was with just him and the Armalgam. ¡°Come on!¡± The slombie waded through the cannibals. Slowly but surely, it drew closer, pushing cannibals aside as if they were nothing but branches in thick forest. They slashed at it, but their blades dissolved in the slime long before they reached its bones. One pummeled it with a sledgehammer, only for the hammer to rebound off the squishy slime and send them tumbling backward. Enraged, one cannibal jumped out in front of the slime to block its path. The slime simply walked through them, hissing and spitting as its acidic slime melted the cannibal¡¯s body. At last, it reached Levi¡¯s side. ¡°Excellent!¡± Levi cheered. Battering a sword away, he pointed with his chin. ¡°You take my left flank. Armalgam, you¡¯ve got the right. We hold this road. No one gets past us. Understood?¡± The slombie staggered numbly in the direction he¡¯d pointed. The Armalgam gave him a thumbs up. ¡°Let¡¯s get to it.¡± The three of them turned their attention back to the fray. Levi raised his sword. The Armalgam hefted its swords high. The slombie raised its arm, pooling a lump of slime in its palm. The cannibals charged. Shouting, Levi charged back, his two silent companions rushing with him. The three of them hacked their way into the front lines, or in the slombie¡¯s case, burned its way forward through the sheer bulk of its acid. It lobbed chunks of slime into the cannibals, raining death down on the rear ranks. Levi and the Armalgam slashed left and right. Fighting shoulder to shoulder, they walked forward into the cannibals. Bodies piled up around them, but more cannibals charged to take the place of their fallen comrades. Across the field, Kai cleaved into the cannibals. A dozen cannibals fell all at once, cut in half. He stepped forward, drawing his sword back again. ¡°Fuck! He¡¯s stealing all our EXP! Guys, come on!¡± Levi stepped back, gaining himself a moment. He lifted his fingers to his mouth and whistled. Zombie cannibals charged the mob from the far sides of the circle. They hopped over the barriers and raced at the cannibals. The cannibals startled and turned, then stared as they found their former friends rushing at them with hunger in their eyes. The zombie cannibals reached the crowd and tore into it. They bit chunks off the non-zombie cannibals. The non-zombie cannibals shoved them away, shouting angrily at them, but didn¡¯t immediately attack or panic.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Levi frowned. ¡°That didn¡¯t have the effect I wanted. I was hoping for way more shock value. Is it because they¡¯re cannibals? Do they sometimes attack each other for food? That shows me. I should always consider the local culture when I launch attacks.¡± At last, the cannibals turned toward the zombies in anger. They hacked the zombies back, but the zombies, dead and numb to their attacks, kept coming. Two, three cannibals went down before one of the stronger cannibals finally swung his axe and beheaded the lead zombie. He turned, stomping toward the rest of the zombies. ¡°Not so fast.¡± Levi snapped his fingers. The cannibals downed by the zombies jerked, and their eyes glowed green. One of them reached out and grabbed onto the strong cannibal¡¯s ankle. The strong cannibal glanced down just in time to watch the zombie sink their teeth into his flesh. Levi winced even as he rushed back into the fray, chopping open a cannibal¡¯s chest, then kicking them backwards. ¡°Those teeth are sharp. That¡¯s gotta¡ªow!¡± He looked down. A cannibal he¡¯d thought was dead grabbed onto his leg and chewed on his calf, digging their jaws deeper with every passing moment. ¡°What the fuck? Are you the zombie, or are they?¡± Levi stabbed downward, severing the cannibal¡¯s spinal cord. He kicked them loose in disgust, then tested out his leg. It hurt when he stood on it, but it held his weight. He twisted his nose, annoyed. Seeing him distracted, another cannibal rushed him. Levi caught the motion in his peripherals and snapped his fingers. Once more, the Spinal Cord leaped forth. The cannibal was ready. He hopped to the side and grinned at Levi, shaking his finger at him. ¡°Haha, you got me. Get stabbed, motherfucker,¡± Levi deadpanned, flicking his finger. A blur of pale, dead flesh cartwheeled toward him on almost half-a-dozen arms, and the Armalgam stabbed him in the side. Levi hauled back and beheaded him for good measure. The cannibal¡¯s head soared over the masses and struck another cannibal in the ear. On the other side of the battle, Kai carved his way through the cannibals one giant sweep after another. Bodies laid strewn on the streets behind him, outnumbering the bodies piling up near Levi. As he advanced, the cannibals fled before him, putting pressure on the cannibals facing Levi. They pressed up into a tight, compressed knot of people, and Kai advanced, his eyes glittering with brutal glee. ¡°Hey! Hey! Don¡¯t group up. Space out! You¡¯re helping Kai like this! You want to spread out, so I can kill you one by one and get your EXP¡ªah, dammit. Zombies, go nuts! Armalgam, slombie, full offense! I¡¯ll heal you afterward!¡± Levi charged the cannibals himself. Ignoring his own physical state, he simply cut into them, striking down as many as he could all at once. Two cannibals stumbled toward him, pushed into each other by the press of the crowd, and he took both their heads at once. As he did, another cannibal ran him through the side. Levi twisted with the blade, turning away from it to minimize the damage, but pain poured into him all the same. The Armalgam spun around and slashed out with both its swords, scissoring the cannibal¡¯s head off with the dual-blade sweep. The cannibal¡¯s sword slipped out of Levi¡¯s side as the cannibal fell, dead. Levi grunted, biting his cheeks against the pain. Gold light immediately poured into the wound, but it wasn¡¯t enough. He was accumulating wounds faster than Colin could heal them. At the same time, he could all but feel his level go up. He killed cannibals wholesale, one after another, stepping over their bodies as he advanced. It was like fish in a barrel. They were so tightly wound there was no escape and no room to dodge, no room to maneuver. The cannibals in the front line struck at Levi, but they never landed a killing blow, too off-balance from the force of the crowd to be able to empower their strikes. He stepped into the haphazard blows and let them bounce off his back and shoulders. Colin stepped forward as well, his face screwed up in concentration. He poured all his magic into Levi, healing him with every scrap of his being. Kai strode forward evenly. His expression was blank, his eyes unmoved. He slashed once, twice, three times, slowly advancing. There was no rush in his body. Not an ounce of hurry in his demeanor. He was inevitable death, and he knew it. He didn¡¯t need technique. He didn¡¯t need to protect himself. The cannibals were so far below his level that they might as well have been sheep, walking to the slaughter. One cannibal stood her ground. She drew back a bow and aimed her arrow at Kai¡¯s eye. He readied his sword. Before he struck, she loosed her arrow. ¡°Go! Get him!¡± Levi cheered. Kai¡¯s offhand flickered. It moved so fast Levi couldn¡¯t follow it. One second, he held his sword. In the next, he held the cannibal¡¯s arrow, plucked out of midair. Maintaining eye contact with the girl, he tossed the arrow around in his hand and threw it back at the girl. It whirled through the air and pierced through the girl¡¯s head and out the back of her skull. She stumbled back and fell to the ground, dead. ¡°Holy shit,¡± Levi muttered under his breath, even as he cut through another few cannibals. He shook his head. ¡°Thank you for your sacrifice. You will be forgotten.¡± He would forget her, but not the lesson she¡¯d taught him. Kai was strong. He was fast. Levi held the advantage in no way in open combat. Drawing the man¡¯s aggro in face-to-face battle could already be considered a loss condition. He didn¡¯t like the man. Wanted him dead, in fact. But right now, he couldn¡¯t afford to risk a fight. Relief flooded through him. I didn¡¯t know how much I was arguing for, when I negotiated for my life back there in the early dungeon with that whole speech about how he shouldn¡¯t kill me until after the apocalypse. If I¡¯d known how powerful he was, I would¡¯ve been brown-nosing so hard. I wouldn¡¯t even have thought about sassing him¡ª Okay, no. I would have sassed him either way. But I would¡¯ve thought about it first. ¡°Hey, friend! Kai! Good to see you!¡± Levi said, beaming. ¡°I¡¯m not your friend,¡± Kai grumbled. ¡°Aww, it¡¯s okay. I know you¡¯re shy, standing out here, surrounded by new friends¡ª¡± Levi paused to jump back, away from a wild slash, then thrust out with the Spinal Cord, piercing the man through his ribcage. ¡°¡ªbut I know you¡¯re happy to see me, somewhere deep under that cold, edgy exterior.¡± Kai grimaced. ¡°Shut up, and I won¡¯t try to kill you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a deal.¡± Levi closed his mouth and focused on taking down as many cannibals as he could before Kai¡¯s slashes cut them down. Between Levi and his undead forces and Kai¡¯s slow, sweeping advance, the cannibals quickly diminished. Before long, only a few remained, pinned between a chaotic mess of limbs on Levi¡¯s side and Kai¡¯s greatsword on the other. Levi fought more vigorously than before, desperate for EXP. Kai advanced the same as ever, inevitably killing all those who drew too close. ¡°Stop.¡± A voice boomed across the square, echoing out of the oven. Both Levi and Kai ignored it, focusing on cleaning up the last of the cannibals. ¡°I said, stop!¡± Levi darted out, slicing down two cannibals with one slash after another. In the next instant, he swayed back as Kai¡¯s sword swept inches past his gut. ¡°Hey! Watch it, big boy!¡± ¡°STOP!¡± Kai snorted. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to be cut, don¡¯t stand in front of my sword.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to repeat myself again.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want to commit manslaughter, don¡¯t slice in my direction!¡± Levi bit back. Isa materialized beside Levi. Colin hurried closer, casting a wary glance oven-ward. ¡°Er, guys¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, we know. We just don¡¯t care.¡± One of the cannibals ran by. Levi jumped forth, already striking to kill. ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± the voice snapped. Dark energy rushed out of the oven, rolling over the square. Startled, Levi flinched back, but too slow. The energy struck him. He, and everyone else on the battlefield, froze where they stood. The voice sighed. ¡°Finally. Now then. Where was I?¡± 58, Where Am I? A man strode forth from the oven. Dressed all in black, he stalked into the center of the square. Black boots, black trousers, black shirt, black coat, black cloak. His face blended into the shadows of his hood, and black gloves clad his hands. If he hadn¡¯t spoken earlier, Levi wouldn¡¯t have been able to determine his gender by looking at him. ¡°You, who are harbingers of the apocalypse. Die here, by my hand,¡± the man boomed. ¡°Gods, really?¡± Levi asked. ¡°Truly. You have no choice in the matter.¡± ¡°No, no, not that. I mean you. We already have the memelord¡ªthat¡¯s me, and the edgelord¡ªthat¡¯s Kai. All the edgy cool guy slots are already taken. You can¡¯t be the goth lord. We¡¯re all full up on lords.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Isa murmured. Levi tried to gesture at her, but couldn¡¯t escape from the black energy that gripped him. ¡°That¡¯s right, sorry. And we have a lord lord! A member of the landed nobility! That¡¯s far too many lords. At this point, we¡¯ve got more lords than we do peasants, and that just can¡¯t be. So¡­ sorry, but you¡¯ve got to go home and change. Come back when you look like a normal, stable member of society. We¡¯ve already got too much instability in this room.¡± ¡°Are those your last words?¡± the man asked, striding closer. ¡°No. I¡¯ve still got a lot to say. Speaking of, you know this isn¡¯t going to work, right? If the gods want the world gone, the world¡¯s going to go. They¡¯ll just choose someone else as their Champions. You¡¯re only prolonging the inevitable.¡± ¡°Then I will prolong it for as long as I can,¡± the man vowed. Levi rolled his eyes. ¡°Yeah, yeah. I get it. Push it off, make it someone else¡¯s problem.T The world won¡¯t end in your generation, so who gives a fuck if it ends in the next one? Damned if I don¡¯t know enough about that old lemon. But why? Why put off the apocalypse?¡± The man lifted his hood just enough for Levi to make out him squinting. ¡°What?¡± Levi tried to gesture, then gave up and went back to talking. ¡°Look, I¡¯m a good guy. A Champion and a hero, if you will. I¡¯m going to choose whatever I can to keep this world rolling. I mean, hell, why not? I like this place. It¡¯s pretty neat. ¡°So, rather than killing us all, why not just put your strength behind one of us? In fact, why not put it behind me? I¡¯ve already said I¡¯m not going to end the world! Don¡¯t put off the Apocalypse. Face it! Embrace it! Invest in it! From someone who came from an apocalypse, trust me. It¡¯s not as bad as you think.¡± Colin raised his brows. Gold magic still flowed between him and Levi, healing Levi even as they remained stuck in the black magic. ¡°You¡¯re a good guy?¡± ¡°Shh. Not in front of the guests,¡± Levi hissed. He glanced at Colin¡¯s magic and raised his brows, then looked down at the binds that held him. Turning his eyes to their maximum, he tracked the man in black. From here, one of his hands was out of the sight of the man. Levi called out to the fresh death lying on the floor all around him, gathering it around his hidden hand.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. With his other, he activated the old Shadow Caster magic from his short-lived second class. He reached out to the darkness wrapped around his hand and pushed, willing it to back away from his hands. His mana burned down. In an instant, almost an eighth of it vanished, but in return, the black binds paralyzing his fingers softened. He wiggled his fingers, then grinned. Oh-hoh-hoh. Interesting. Very interesting. He couldn¡¯t free his whole body, but a portion of it, a piece of it¡­ that was more than possible. Now he just had to wait for the right moment. The man paused in his pacing. He crossed his arms, looking at Levi with one brow cocked. ¡°So I¡¯m supposed to trust in you to handle the Apocalypse? Some guy I¡¯ve never met?¡± ¡°Why not? And I don¡¯t have to be some guy you¡¯ve never met. Look at us, right here, right now. We¡¯re meeting! Getting to know one another. Let¡¯s get out of these shackles, head down to the local tavern, share a few beers, and really get to know one another, and then you can decide to put all your power, money, and strength behind me. What do you say?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯d rather kill you here, and stop the Apocalypse altogether.¡± Levi sighed. ¡°Look, we¡¯ve already gone over it. That¡¯s not going to work.¡± The man stalked toward Levi. He reached to his belt. A dozen silvery, viciously twisted knives glittered on his belt. ¡°Only one way to find out. I was going to kill the Champion of War first, but I think I¡¯ll start with you instead.¡± Levi glanced across the room. Kai hung casually in his shackles, looking as cool as a cucumber. If anything, he seemed to be enjoying the experience, as if it were a novel concept that a force as unstoppable as him could be contained, however temporarily. ¡°You sure about that? I think you should kill Kai first. He¡¯s definitely the bigger threat,¡± Levi said. ¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind, thanks to you.¡± ¡°Oh, awesome. Wait, not awesome.¡± Green and black smoke wound around Levi¡¯s back hand, but it wasn¡¯t ready yet. He needed a few more seconds. ¡°You sure about killing me first? I mean, I¡¯m just a little guy. Look at Kai and his big scary sword. Those muscles! If you kill me, his best friend forever, you¡¯ll enrage him, and who knows? He¡¯s so strong, he might break those bonds.¡± The man cocked a brow. He looked over his shoulder at Kai, who stared back, bored and totally unconcerned for Levi. ¡°Is that so.¡± Levi clicked his tongue. ¡°I¡¯m just looking out for you. Look, if you kill him first, even if I get sooo angry I go rage mode over the death of my number one bff for life, there¡¯s no chance I can break these bonds. It¡¯s just the smart choice.¡± ¡°And if I kill him first, and you, the Champion of Death, resurrect him?¡± the man asked dryly. ¡°Why would I do that?¡± Levi asked, lost. ¡°He¡¯s your ¡®bff for life.¡¯¡± ¡°Oh, right. Yeah. I would resurrect my number one bff for life, except I can¡¯t do that at range. So I can¡¯t. So you¡¯re safe, so kill him first!¡± Levi argued. The magic whirled around his hand, as strong as it was going to get. Still, he waited. If he could get this guy to kill Kai for free, there was no reason to stop him. The man looked at Kai. He chuckled and shook his head, then turned back to Levi. ¡°No, I think I¡¯ll start with you.¡± ¡°Then die, motherfucker!¡± Levi activated his shadow magic to its strongest, flaring it around his back hand. The bonds loosened, just enough for him to twist his wrist and point his finger at the man. The smoky green-and-black beam burst from his finger and slammed into the man¡¯s shoulder. The man staggered back. He gripped his shoulder. The shadow magic loosened. Levi jumped back, tearing free of the shadows. Isa and the Armalgam did the same. Isa turned and helped Colin out of the shadow magic. Levi whistled, and the Armalgam hopped on his shoulders. The slombie hissed as it burned through the shadow binds. It hit the ground. Across the field, Kai whirled his sword and slashed the remnant magic away. ¡°Take my death beam!¡± Levi crowed, pleased with himself. Nonetheless, he backed away warily. The shadow bindings melted from the field, but that spell alone had been impressive. He couldn¡¯t accomplish anything like that, nor could Kai, to the best of his knowledge. If the man could do another spell like that, he¡¯d be a serious opponent. The man laughed. He stood, dusting off his shoulder. Where Levi had hit, his cloak gleamed, a brilliant blue velvet, but as they watched, black crept over the velvet once more. ¡°That little thing? It couldn¡¯t even break my shadow armor.¡± Levi laughed back. ¡°I knew it. You hypocrite. You¡¯re a Champion too, aren¡¯t you?¡± 59. Champions The man froze. ¡°What?¡± "The Champion of Night, I¡¯d bet. And you act as if you¡¯re going to prevent the Apocalypse by any means necessary. You¡¯re a harbinger of the Apocalypse, just like the rest of us! And just like the rest of us, you don¡¯t want to die. So you put on this self-righteous act and pretend like you¡¯re trying to save the world, when you¡¯re really just trying to preserve your own life. Don¡¯t want to start the Apocalypse? Bullshit. You just don¡¯t want to fight other Champions at your same strength, and risk death in the battles.¡± ¡°On what grounds do you accuse¡ª¡± Levi put his hands on his hips. ¡°On the grounds of it being really fucking obvious. With spells that strong, you¡¯re at least an otherworlder. When you add in the shadow theme, and the fact that no one knows who the Champion of the Night is, and how stealthy you¡¯re acting, isn¡¯t it obvious? You¡¯re the secret, hidden Champion of the Night. Am I wrong?¡± The man hesitated. At last, he lowered his head. His eyes hardened. ¡°But your knowledge will do you no good. You will die here, all the same.¡± ¡°Oh, good. I was totally bullshitting, I had no proof. Goes to show, kiddos! If you aren¡¯t sure about something, but you¡¯ve got some good vibes, randomly accuse the person giving you vibes, and you¡¯ll find out!¡± Levi said happily. He gave the man a thumbs up. The man stared at him. His face trembled. Disbelief, shock, anger, shame, and annoyance all flitted over his face. At last, they settled into rage. He opened his hand. Shadow darted to his hand and twisted into a dark sword. He closed his hand around the hilt. In his off hand, he drew one of the daggers from his belt. Isa sniffed. She fell back. ¡°Beware. His daggers are poisoned silver.¡± ¡°Is silver bad for you?¡± Levi asked. ¡°And most beastfolk. Some undead, as well,¡± Isa commented. ¡°Huh. Not zombies, surely?¡± He glanced at Colin. Colin spread his hands. ¡°I don¡¯t know. When did you or I encounter silver?¡± ¡°Fair point. I suppose we¡¯re about to learn.¡± On the other side of the field, Kai leveled his sword at the man. Levi and Kai¡¯s eyes met. Levi gave him a small nod, and Kai nodded back. The pact of the edgelords has been forged. He turned back to the Champion of the Night. ¡°Don¡¯t suppose I could have a name, before I kill you? Not that I care, but you know. It¡¯s nice to know who I¡¯m killing.¡± The man scoffed. He shook his hood off, revealing a sheaf of silky, crow¡¯s-wing-black hair. ¡°You may call me Vox. Vox Centromundi.¡± Levi shook his head. ¡°I¡¯d prefer your real name, but I¡¯ll take your screenname. All right, then, Mr. Center World Voice. Prepare to die.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. He charged. Opposite him, Kai charged as well. Isa fell back, keeping a close watch over Colin. The very few cannibals still alive fled, vanishing into the woods. Vox snapped his fingers. Shadows burst from his chest and blasted toward Levi and Kai. Sneering, Kai slashed through them. Bright energy burned around his sword, cutting away the dark magic. Levi ducked, smacking the floor with his free hand. The slombie dropped like a puppet with its strings cut, and it hit the floor. Isa grabbed Colin and dropped to a low crouch. The black blades struck the houses behind them. A crack cut through the houses¡¯ facades at chest height. About a foot into the houses, it stopped. Yet further out, the dark energy sliced into the forest, felling the first line of trees. They hit the ground with earth-shattering crashes. ¡°Hooooly fuck,¡± Levi murmured, staring at the devastation over his shoulder. He turned back forward and shook his head, then charged at Vox once more. Kai got there first. He struck at Vox with his glowing greatsword. Veins stood out on his body, all his muscles bulging, as he swung with his full strength. Vox raised one hand and blocked with his black blade. ¡°Your level is too low. Fighting me is only a dream.¡± Kai harrumphed. He drew back his sword and swung again. As he swung, Levi darted in. He stabbed low, aiming his sword under the man¡¯s ribcage. Snorting derisively, Vox tossed his knife at Levi. ¡°Smart! Best defense is a good offense.¡± The Armalgam snatched the knife out of the air. Levi didn¡¯t flinch. He drove his sword home. The tip of the blade struck Vox¡¯s pitch-black clothes and stopped dead. Ordinary cloth stopped it as surely as steel would have. It bent, but didn¡¯t cut or tear. ¡°Did you forget already?¡± Vox asked, tsking. ¡°Nah.¡± Levi punched him in the face. Vox jerked away seconds before the hit. The punch hit him hard. He reeled back, shoving Kai¡¯s sword away as he did. Blood streamed down his face. He touched his cheekbone, startled. Levi flashed the knife he¡¯d hidden between his fingers and stuck his tongue out. ¡°Too bad you¡¯re so quick, or I would¡¯ve taken your eye.¡± ¡°You guttersniping piece of shit¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, keep it coming. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve heard a new one.¡± Levi darted back. He kept a grin on his face, but watched the man warily. Vox had clearly been here longer than him or Kai. Maybe even longer than Isa. He had the level and skill advantage. Sure, Levi and Kai were stronger, now, but they weren¡¯t as strong as the long-present Champions. The sword move Blatt had shown off would still take Levi¡¯s head, and that was one skill. So far, Vox had shown off a wide-range binding skill, armor, and his black blade. None of those were on the same scale as Blatt¡¯s invisible long-range ohko, but then, Blatt was the Champion of the Blade and Vox was Champion of Night. It¡¯s like how I can¡¯t ask the System for a fuckoff laser beam and get it, but I can ask it to buff my zombies, and it agrees. If it¡¯s not part of your domain, you aren¡¯t going to be able to get a skill for it. Which meant the real question was, what qualified as Night skills? Shadow magic, clearly. What else? Surely Vox had more than just shadow magic. He glanced over his shoulder at Isa and made eye contact. She raised her brows. He shook his head a little, and she nodded back. They couldn¡¯t win this fight. He knew it, she knew it. The victory condition here was to escape mostly intact. Not his specialty, but he could kick it every now and again. If Isa and Colin made it out uninjured or at least in fighting shape, that was a bonus. His eyes flicked back to Kai, and he nodded at Kai, tossing him the most confident nod of his life. The key to surviving this was not to let Kai know he¡¯d changed his personal victory conditions. As long as Kai thought he was still in it to win it, Kai would fight alongside him. Kai nodded back. Okay. Now I just need to nail this dance between not letting either side think I¡¯m deceiving them, while also keeping the boss convinced I¡¯m here to kill until the last possible second. Levi¡¯s grin grew wider and more manic. He giggled to himself. How fun. 60. Danse Macabre Kai charged again. On the far side of Vox, Levi threw his knife. Vox swayed back. Shadow tendrils darted out from his back and supported him as he pulled a neat backflip. Kai¡¯s slash struck down behind Vox, beating a hole in the earth but failing to strike the man. ¡°He¡¯s afraid of your sword! You¡¯re strong enough to break through his shadow armor!¡± Levi shouted. He darted in himself, bending over to snatch a sledgehammer from a dead cannibal¡¯s hand. As Vox spun back to his feet, Levi hammered in in the gut. Vox spat out his air, startled. ¡°Sharp edge shielding doesn¡¯t do fuck against blunt force trauma, idiot,¡± Levi informed him. Not letting up, the Armalgam whipped its sword around. The blade carved toward Vox¡¯s neck. Vox snarled silently, his air still gone. He snapped his fingers. His shadow darkened and leaped up. Razor-sharp spikes jutted toward Levi. Levi threw himself backward. The Armalgam caught him and scuttled back, carrying Levi horizontally back from the strike. Behind Vox, Kai loomed, sword raised to the heavens. The heavy blade swept down, seeking to cleave Vox¡¯s skull apart. Vox didn¡¯t have to turn. His cloak¡¯s hood leaped up. Black shadow burst from its surface, catching the blade mid-swing. Kai struggled, pushing the blade down. Vox¡¯s shadows held strong. Veins stood out on Kai¡¯s forehead, and he pushed with all his might, but the blade didn¡¯t budge. Vox yanked a knife from his belt and hammered it toward Kai¡¯s chest. His cloak whirled, obscuring the motion. Kai¡¯s eyes flashed. He jumped back. The slash whiffed. Quietly, Levi raised his brows. Kai hadn¡¯t seen that strike, but he¡¯d reacted as if he¡¯d seen it. He had some kind of combat awareness skill. One that warned him of attacks before they landed. Levi tucked that one in his mental notes for later. He tapped the Armalgam, and it tossed him back to his feet. Levi pressed his fingertips to the ground. Death energy, the remnants that he hadn¡¯t called up earlier, darted through the earth. The cannibals near Vox¡¯s feet twitched. Green light flickered in their eyes, then faded. They laid in wait for Levi¡¯s command. Glancing back, he whistled. The slombie rushed in. Vox and Kai struggled, trading blows. Levi had no desire to get in between the two titans. He was a magic build, not a strength build. That was what his undead were for. The slombie body-slammed toward Vox. Vox swept his arm, knocking it back. Brownish slime splattered over his arm. It stuck to his jacket. Where it sat, the black magic melted away. Oh? Interesting. Levi flicked his eyes to Kai. Kai didn¡¯t notice, too busy dueling Vox. ¡°Let¡¯s make it a little more obvious,¡± Levi muttered. He nodded at the slombie. It grabbed a handful of its own slime and threw it at Vox. Again, Vox swept it away. The jacket started to hiss as some of the slime landed in the same place as before.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Well? Keep going,¡± Levi encouraged it. The slombie grabbed another handful of its slime, then another. One toss after another, it lobbed slime toward Vox. Kai noticed at last. He pressed the attack, striking harder than before. Forced to pay more attention to the fight, Vox turned his back to the slombie, letting the slime hit his cloak. It ate away the black magic and hissed into the cloth, but then had to get through yet another layer of magic and cloth beneath. ¡°Damn. Well, nothing for it. Let¡¯s just keep tossing!¡± Levi encouraged the slombie. The slombie nodded. As ordered, it continued to throw slime Vox¡¯s direction. The hole in Vox¡¯s cloak grew. Slowly, the jacket beneath his cloak started to throw its color, then show the skin beneath. Levi half-expected the magic to recoat the clothes, or coat the man¡¯s skin, but oddly, it didn¡¯t. He didn¡¯t understand why not, whether it cost too much mana or took too much time, but he didn¡¯t need to understand why it happened to take advantage of it. ¡°Kai! His back is weak!¡± Levi shouted. Vox flicked his fingers toward Levi. A blur rushed at him. The Armalgam swung in front of Levi, protecting him before he could even will it to. Three knives stuck into its dead flesh, thud-thud-thud. And then they began to hiss. ¡°Pull them out, quickly!¡± Levi snapped. The Armalgam yanked the knives free, but not before they did damage. Its arm withered around the puncture wounds. The once-muscular flesh sagged, and the arm hung limply from the construct, still able to move, but lacking its usual strength. He tilted his head. Was it the silver that injured it? Poison shouldn¡¯t hurt an undead. The Armalgam¡¯s hand hissed, and he quickly dropped the knives. Black burns dug into the Armalgam¡¯s hand, not unlike the wounds on its arm. Levi wrinkled his nose. ¡°Not good.¡± Across the field from them, Kai spun around and swept his blade toward Vox¡¯s back. Vox turned, rotating his back away from Kai and turning Kai¡¯s blade away from his back. Levi grabbed the silver knives with his own personal hands and tossed one at the weak spot on Vox¡¯s back. Shadowy tendrils leapt up from his shirt and snagged the knives out of the air, but Vox froze for a second. Kai¡¯s eyes flashed once more. He slashed at Vox again, instantly seizing the man¡¯s moment of distraction. Heh. So we both saw that. Now, to exploit it. Vox parried the blade again, but as he moved, Levi tossed the other knife at his back. Vox froze mid-swipe. The tendrils jumped up. ¡°Gotcha,¡± Levi muttered. Kai¡¯s blade slammed into Vox¡¯s side. The force of the blow lifted Vox off his feet. He flew for a few seconds, then hit the ground and rolled, cloak tangling around him. The second Vox hit the ground, Levi spun and sprinted. He spun his finger around in the air. ¡°Go go go!¡± Isa instantly snatched up Colin and flew away. Levi threw his hand out. The Armalgam launched off his back. It hit the ground and scrambled alongside Levi. Levi hopped atop it, and it sped up, racing away at top speed. Even dragging the dead arm, it still ran faster than Levi could alone, and it didn¡¯t tire and slow down. ¡°Get back here!¡± Vox howled. He started to climb back to his feet, only for Kai to hammer him to the ground again. The blade couldn¡¯t penetrate his armor, and seemed to frustrate more than seriously injure him, but he was stuck on the ground, unable to rise to his feet. ¡°Get stunlocked, loser.¡± Leaving the warrior to mash the mage into the ground, Levi booked it. He had no delusion that Kai could win that fight. If a mage like Vox wasn¡¯t seriously injured by a warrior like Kai beating him into the dirt, there was little Levi could do to hurt him. Or Kai, for that matter. Kai hadn¡¯t turned things around. He¡¯d just inconvenienced Vox for a moment. Levi glanced down at his palm. One final silver knife glittered in his palm, blade still tainted with dark poison. Vox had dodged the knives. That meant they could hurt him. Hurt. Not kill. But it¡¯s a good thing to keep in my back pocket, in case he keeps up the chase. As the Armalgam hurried off, Levi whistled, calling for the slombie to retreat. He¡¯d regroup with it later. ¡°Good luck, Kai,¡± Levi muttered. The man didn¡¯t have a chance, but he¡¯d wish him luck anyways. Anything was possible, no matter how unlikely. But he wasn¡¯t going to count on it. They raced into the woods, leaving the town behind. 61. Guerilla Warfare ¡°So. How¡¯s everyone doing?¡± Levi asked, looking around the camp. Isa shrugged, leaning against the wall. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I didn¡¯t even fight.¡± ¡°Why did we run?¡± Colin asked. They stood in the same cave they¡¯d hidden from the cannibals in earlier, except now there were no cannibals left who knew where it was. Neither Kai nor Vox knew about the dungeon, or at least, Isa thought Vox wouldn¡¯t, so they were safe. And if either of the other two Champions came for them, there was always the back exit. ¡°Vox was too strong. We couldn¡¯t beat him, not even with Kai. Not yet, anyways.¡± Levi nodded toward the exit of the cave. ¡°So we level up. Get out there and take on the next two villages. It isn¡¯t going to catch me up to Vox, but it¡¯ll get me close enough to be able to pose an actual threat to him.¡± ¡°And Kai?¡± Isa asked. Levi shrugged. ¡°I¡¯d appreciate if he wounded Vox.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you do better fighting alongside him?¡± she prompted. ¡°Nah. He¡¯s strong, but we¡¯re both used to fighting alone. Well.¡± Levi looked at the undead all around him. ¡°Alone, anyways. If I fight Vox with him, and we win, you can guarantee that the next fight will be him attacking me.¡± Isa hummed. She nodded, but distractedly. ¡°Well, plans are all well and good, but if he¡¯s there when Vox comes at me, I¡¯m using him. In any case, our ideal scenario is that we clear the dungeon and scurry out before Vox finds us. After all, we gain nothing from killing him, but we lose everything if he kills us.¡± ¡°Right. Because we¡¯ll be dead,¡± Isa deadpanned. ¡°Precisely.¡± ¡°Do we really gain nothing? Won¡¯t that prevent the apocalypse, if we kill Vox?¡± Colin asked. Levi shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I mean, think of it this way. Whoever wants the apocalypse, whether it¡¯s the gods or someone else, they¡¯re going to set off the apocalypse whenever they want. Do you get what I¡¯m saying? Armageddon doesn¡¯t stop happening because one of the angels left the horns at home. Ragnarok doesn¡¯t stop rolling in because someone left the toenail boat in the harbor.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Toenail boat?¡± Colin asked, lost. ¡°Norse mythology, keep up. Literally thousands of years old, so you can¡¯t ding me for spoilers. But anyways, you get what I¡¯m trying to get at? We¡¯re the precursors to this apocalypse. We¡¯re the warning signs. The foreseen warnings. But if there aren¡¯t twelve Champions, do you really think whoever wants this world over is going to wave the white flag? Oh no, technicality, sorry, can¡¯t destroy the world, we only have eleven mortals chosen by the gods.¡± Colin nodded, slowly. ¡°I¡­ kind of get it. But isn¡¯t that how prophesies work? Aren¡¯t they requirements, or whatever?¡± Levi waved his hand. ¡°Eh. At best, you can say that¡¯s how humanity interpreted it. All I know is that my Goddess didn¡¯t warn me about needing to stay alive so the world ends. I think this whole ¡®Champions¡¯ thing is just something the gods want. I mean, right? If the world ends, someone has to take possession of whatever¡¯s left, so why not duel it out with a proxy war between superpowered mortals? It sounds interesting to me, and I guarantee it sounds interesting to the gods, too. But if one of the gods loses their Champion, I¡¯m pretty sure the Apocalypse will keep right on happening. I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll pause, not for one moment.¡± ¡°That does make far more sense than the alternative. For one, the gods have never cared much for mortals. It always struck me as strange that twelve Champions were required to end the world. Why would the gods let mortals control their timing at this final juncture?¡± Isa mused aloud. ¡°Right, exactly. You¡¯re picking up what I¡¯m putting down. We¡¯re just proxy agents of the gods, not the keys that open up the locks to the apocalypse. So¡­ yeah. Killing Vox removes a proxy agent, but it won¡¯t stop the apocalypse. Vox is the only one dumb enough to think that. And Kai. And most of the other Champions.¡± Levi paused. He shrugged. ¡°Probably. Who knows? It¡¯s magic, so maybe the apocalypse really does stop if we don¡¯t have exactly twelve Champions. But I wouldn¡¯t put money on it.¡± He clapped. ¡°So. Wild guesses aside, Isa! Where is that next town, and can we get there without running into Kai or Vox?¡± She gave him a look. ¡°They know we¡¯ll be headed to the other villages as well. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if one or both of them were waiting for us at the next village. After all, there¡¯s only three villages.¡± Levi nodded. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s outthink them, then. Why don¡¯t we head straight for the third village?¡± ¡°It¡¯s much higher level than the first two. If you don¡¯t progress through all the villages, you¡¯ll probably struggle to wipe out the third.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s stronger, so that means more EXP, right?¡± Levi guessed. Isa nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need to sweep in and genocide the village like we did with the first one. We can do a little guerilla warfare. Lure out the villagers in ones and twos and take ¡®em down. Plus, harder for Kai and Vox to find us that way,¡± he pointed out. She shrugged. ¡°It sounds reasonable enough to me.¡± ¡°Are we going ahead with this? Hoping the Champions aren¡¯t actually the locks to the apocalypse, and ignoring Vox and Kai?¡± Colin asked, concerned. ¡°Yes, and no,¡± Levi said. ¡°Yes, for now. But once we¡¯re strong enough? Hell yeah, we¡¯re killing Vox and Kai. I don¡¯t care if they¡¯re the locks to the apocalypse or not. I don¡¯t care if I¡¯m just treading water by killing them. They¡¯ve tried to kill me, and all of you by extension. As far as I¡¯m concerned, they¡¯re dead,¡± Levi pledged. He turned toward the exit and smiled. ¡°But first, let¡¯s level up!¡± 62. Town Three Isa led the way through the woods once more. Levi and Colin followed her single-file. The woods swayed around them. Simulated sunlight poured down, but failed to penetrate the depths of the canopy. Down here, only speckles of sunlight made it through. Colin yawned, and Levi glanced back at him. ¡°That bored?¡± ¡°Huh, you¡¯re right. I don¡¯t need to yawn anymore. I guess it¡¯s just a psychological hangup,¡± Colin said, touching his face. ¡°It¡¯s good to stay in practice,¡± Isa commented. They walked on. For the most part, Isa led them through empty forest. She kicked her way through undergrowth and stomped saplings out of their path. As they walked on, suddenly paths began cutting through the forest. Well-defined, clear dirt paths, with stepping stones and everything. Levi glanced left and right, then looked at Isa. ¡°I take it we could find the second town if we followed these back?¡± ¡°Yes. But we were skipping it, no?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Isa turned forward once again and led them on. ¡°As a final warning, it is very dangerous to skip the second town. It isn¡¯t like the swamp, where it¡¯s all the same level. The difficulty spikes toward the end of this floor. You¡¯re basically skipping the ramp-up and jumping right to the top of the spike.¡± Levi waved his hand dismissively. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Like I said, guerilla warfare. I¡¯m good at that kinda stuff. Used to do it all the time back home. All you really need is a little bit of confidence, and a lot of overwhelming force.¡± ¡°As long as you¡¯re committed.¡± ¡°Like the pig.¡± Colin squinted. ¡°What?¡± Levi glanced over his shoulder. ¡°You haven¡¯t heard that one? It¡¯s breakfast.¡± Colin¡¯s squint grew deeper. ¡°You know. Bacon and eggs. The hen was involved, but the pig was committed. Since the hen just shat out some eggs, but the pig died for your bacon. It¡¯s one of those bullshit corporate motivation things.¡± His mouth made an ¡®O.¡¯ ¡°I get it.¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m saying I¡¯m in it to win it. Committed to the cause. Dying for the meme.¡± He paused. ¡°Okay, maybe not the last one. But close.¡± Colin looked at him. ¡°What was your home like? I mean, in detail. You keep giving us tiny tidbits, but it¡¯s not the full story.¡± ¡°We¡¯re super busy right now. I couldn¡¯t take everyone¡¯s time,¡± Levi demurred. Isa gave him a deadpan look over her shoulder. ¡°Got another hour to go until we hit the third town.¡± ¡°So¡­?¡± Colin prompted. Levi sighed. He spread his hands. ¡°What¡¯s to say? The apocalypse had happened. Rifts were opening all over hill and dale, spewing monsters everywhere. Some people got strong enough to fight back against the monsters, and then they got big ideas about what else they could do. Like, I don¡¯t know, bully the people who weren¡¯t strong enough to fight monsters. Oppress ¡®em and shit. I didn¡¯t like that, so I fought back.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Oh. So you were a freedom fighter?¡± Levi barked a laugh. ¡°Yeah. Sure. That¡¯s what you call ¡®em in another country, when you don¡¯t like the other country¡¯s current government. I was a fuckin¡¯ criminal. Hunted like a dog. Kill-on-sight kind of bullshit. They hated my ass. And to be fair, I did my fair share of killing. Lots of blood on my hands. Blood that not everyone would agree deserves to be there.¡± Colin glanced at him, silent. ¡°Some of it¡¯s no-nonsense. Rapists. Killers. Dealers. People who thought ordinary humans were so beneath them that they didn¡¯t even bat an eye at crushing them under their feet. And some of it¡¯s more nuanced. Did I kill the guy who was oppressing my city and wantonly killing whoever he so deemed worthy of death? Or did I kill the last pillar standing between my city and being unstoppably overrun by monsters? Your call. Or, well. My call. And I sure as fuck made the call.¡± He mimed firing a gun downward, execution style. ¡°Did he deserve it?¡± Colin asked quietly. ¡°Who¡¯re you asking? Me? Hell yeah, he did. Are you asking the average civilian? Then no. I¡¯m a terrorist who should be tortured, then executed.¡± Levi spread his hands. ¡°It¡¯s all perspective. There¡¯s no such thing as right or wrong. Did I know more about him than they did? Was he an oppressive bastard? Did he randomly kill people who disagreed with him, et cetera? Yeah. But was he legitimately protecting the city? Also yes. I¡¯m not sure history will have my back. Maybe in five hundred years or so, when the scholars need some new perspective to get their Ph.Ds, they¡¯ll come back and take my side.¡± ¡°The ones who write history are rarely the ones who live it. And they usually have an agenda,¡± Isa offered. Levi raised his brows. ¡°What, really? Even back then?¡± She squinted at him. ¡°What do you mean, ¡®even back then?¡¯ People have been skewing the truth to serve them since we were primitives living in caves. My father had dozens of callers to ensure his grand deeds were spread across the land. And his grandfather before him employed a bard, back when such things were in style, to compose shanties and poems in his favor.¡± ¡°You know what? I was a fool to think things were ever any different,¡± Levi said. ¡°There are a few things humanity can always agree on, and deceiving the peasantry is one of them,¡± Isa replied with a chuckle. ¡°Hey! We don¡¯t call them peasants any more! Now we call them ¡®voters,¡¯¡± Levi informed her. ¡°Voters? The peasantry decides things for your country?¡± Isa asked, horrified. Levi nodded. ¡°Oh yeah. They decide a lot of things. Not everything, mind you, but they do pick the leaders. Kind of.¡± She shook her head, pursing her lips. ¡°Not in my land.¡± ¡°People don¡¯t own land any more, either. Not like that, anyways. Well, I mean, they do, but in general, the landed nobility is pretty much dead,¡± Levi added. Isa shuddered. ¡°Truly an apocalyptic wasteland.¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± This whole time, Colin had walked along in silence, his head bowed. At last, he looked up. ¡°But you did the right thing?¡± Levi sighed. He shook his head. ¡°You keep coming back to this. There¡¯s no such thing as ¡®the right thing,¡¯ kid. This is the real world. Right and wrong? Who knows. I did what I thought was right. A lot of other people disagreed. That¡¯s all.¡± Colin looked at him, conflicted. ¡°I get that. I just¡­ I don¡¯t know if I trust your judgement or not.¡± Levi broke out laughing. He slapped his thigh and shook his head, unable to stop. Gasping and wheezing, he finally managed to rein in his laughter. ¡°You know what? That¡¯s the most reasonable thing anyone has ever had to say to that.¡± ¡°I think I believe you. You¡¯re annoying, but you tend to be on the right side. Even if no one else agrees with you,¡± Colin said at last. ¡°Good. Because it was going to be suuu-per awkward if you decided not to believe in me. I don¡¯t even know if you can go very far from me, being my undead and all.¡± He paused, then squinted at Colin. ¡°And I didn¡¯t say no one agreed with me. I just said a lot of people disagreed.¡± ¡°How many people agreed with you?¡± ¡°One. No, wait. Two! Two that I knew of. But it¡¯s more than zero, and that¡¯s what matters,¡± Levi said, puffing out his chest. Isa snorted. ¡°You weren¡¯t much of a statesman, were you.¡± ¡°Nah. And I mean, how shocking, right? With my sparkling personality.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a word for it.¡± They walked on, deeper into the forest. 63. Sneak Around and Find Out Isa drew up to a cliff. Before them, the earth fell away, trees dropping far below them. Levi and Colin walked up alongside her, following her gaze. From this point, they had a clear view out into the hills below, where a quaint village nestled in the folds of the valley. ¡°It¡¯s so small,¡± Levi murmured, frowning slightly. ¡°Size isn¡¯t everything,¡± Isa replied gravely. ¡°Damn straight. Preach it, sister.¡± She shot him a look. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate the village. Each one of those villagers is as dangerous as the entire first town combined.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Colin glanced at Levi and Isa. ¡°Are we sure the other two won¡¯t also skip and come here? If we¡¯re fighting someone super tough and one of them show up, we¡¯ll be in a bad place.¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible. If it happens, we can always cut and run. But I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll run straight here. Vox and Kai both seemed like the type to duel to the death, even if I left. They¡¯re probably both injured. I¡¯d be absolutely shocked if they stayed injured for more than a day or two, with the kind of healing that¡¯s available in this world, but for one day, they¡¯re probably out of the game,¡± Levi argued. ¡°Not dead?¡± Isa asked. ¡°Nah. I don¡¯t think either of them succeeded. Vox is¡­ honestly, I¡¯d be far more scared of him if he had an army or underlings. His skills don¡¯t seem particularly suited to one-on-one duels. Right? I mean, imagine if he had a bunch of powerful soldiers who stabbed you the second he paralyzed you. That¡¯d be overpowered as hell. As-is, he kind of struggles to land the finishing blow after statusing or paralyzing you. Kai is weaker, but he¡¯s a dueler for sure. All about that single-target burst DPS. Putting those two together in a fight? I think they both fail to kill one another, and retreat to fight another day.¡± Isa glanced at Levi. ¡°What about the slombie?¡± Levi grimaced and shook his head. ¡°I had it wander around the first village. It keeps Kai or Vox from following it to me, but downside, I lose my most powerful fighter against Vox.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still alive?¡± she asked. ¡°Yeah. Well, Kai followed it once, so if he found it, he wouldn¡¯t kill it. And I did have it hide during the fight¡¯s end, so Vox might just think it left with me, since he doesn¡¯t know it moves slowly.¡± He shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s too bad I can¡¯t see out its eyes, or something, but I¡¯ve deferred my next skill to get something very important already. I can¡¯t ask for that now.¡± ¡°What did you ask for?¡± Isa asked. ¡°The ability to level up my zombies.¡± She nodded. ¡°That is more important.¡± ¡°But I did learn from this. Seeing through my zombies¡¯ eyes is next in line. Information is valuable, and I¡¯ve effectively lost the slombie until I figure out where Kai and Vox are¡ªor stop caring if they find me¡ªwhich is incredibly annoying since it¡¯s so OP against Vox.¡± Levi sighed deeply. He gazed down at the city for another beat, then turned, heading into the forest.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Colin asked. ¡°To go stake out the village. C¡¯mon.¡± Levi gestured. Colin hesitated. ¡°Should I go?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going, my sweet. I¡¯ll keep you safe,¡± Isa pledged. Levi nodded at her. ¡°You heard the vampire. Besides, if we get in a fight, it¡¯d suck if you weren¡¯t there.¡± Colin hesitated again, but nodded in the end. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Everyone good?¡± Levi scanned the group, then took off again. Colin and Isa followed him. The three of them quickly abandoned the paths, melding into the bushes instead. Vines grappled their ankles, and branches dragged at their bodies, but they pressed on, as silently as they could manage. Levi and Isa kept alert, their heads on a swivel. Colin followed at the back, trying not to walk too loudly. Abruptly, Isa held up her hand. Levi and Colin both slowed to a halt. A group of three cannibals rounded the corner. These cannibals were much more muscular than the first town¡¯s cannibals. Not a one of them stood less than seven feet tall, bulging with hundreds of pounds of muscle. Their heads bore heavy horns, so huge that even their thick, meaty necks seemed insufficient to hold them aloft. It wasn¡¯t possible to tell male from female. All of them had melded into one hefty build, identical between men and women. Isa and Levi exchanged a glance. Levi shook his head. Isa nodded. They held still and silent, waiting for the cannibals to pass them by. One of the cannibals lifted his head. His nostrils flared as he sniffed the air. He turned toward the bush Levi and the others hid in. Levi reached for his hilt. He leaned forward, pressing his fingertips into the loam. On his back, the Armalgam also readied its weapons. Another cannibal turned. He grunted derisively and slapped the first cannibal on the head. The first cannibal looked at him, massive brow ridge furrowed. The second cannibal grunted again and nodded ahead. The first cannibal huffed and shook his head. With a last look at the bush, he walked on after the group. Beside Levi, Isa relaxed her shoulders. She let out a sigh of relief as soon as they were out of hearing range. Leaning toward him, she whispered, ¡°If those three attacked us, we would have had to flee. We couldn¡¯t have beaten them.¡± ¡°Three of the first village at once? Yeah, no kidding,¡± Levi replied. He peered after the cannibals. ¡°Is this a good place to hide? If they hunt in threes, we might be better off looking somewhere else.¡± Isa waved her hand. ¡°Not much can challenge the cannibals of this village. They don¡¯t need to hunt in threes, unless they¡¯re hunting each other¡­or if a troublesome vampire starts chewing down their ranks. They usually hunt alone.¡± ¡°So we should be ready for them to start grouping up, but right now, we should be able to hunt them solo. Got it,¡± Levi whispered back. Isa nodded. ¡°More or less, yes.¡± He nudged her. ¡°Even you couldn¡¯t take on three at once?¡± She scoffed. ¡°Alone, I could. If I abandoned you and Colin to death or dismemberment, I likely could take on three cannibals as well. But if you want to stay safe, and keep your precious healer safe, then we cannot face three at once.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Levi said. ¡°Don¡¯t abandon me to dismemberment. I like my limbs,¡± Colin piped up. ¡°Well said, well said.¡± Hunkering in the bushes, they laid in wait. Ten minutes passed. Twenty. Half an hour. ¡°Are you sure this is¡ª¡± Isa slapped a hand over Levi¡¯s mouth. She pointed. For a long time, there was nothing. Silence. And then a figure emerged from the trees. A terrifyingly muscular cannibal, even beefier than the first three, walked down the path, carrying a giant axe over his shoulder. Levi glanced at Isa. He raised a brow. She nodded. He turned back to the path, eyeing the cannibal. The man was huge. Just a mountain of flesh. But if Isa thought he could handle it, he¡¯d trust her. The cannibal passed by. Levi took a deep breath, then dashed out behind him, thrusting his sword toward the man¡¯s kidneys. The man turned. His eyes locked with Levi¡¯s. Humor flashed in his eyes. He¡¯d known Levi was there the whole time, and he¡¯d been waiting for him to jump out. He lifted his axe and swept it toward Levi. A wall of metal hurtled toward him. Levi¡¯s eyes widened. He tensed. Well, fuck. 64. Axe You The giant axe swept toward Levi. Levi swung toward it. Not trying to deflect it, but to throw himself aside. His blade struck the broadside of the axe, and he twisted his body to the side. The axe cleaved through him, but not center of mass. His arm flew off, spewing blood. A cold blast of pain shocked through him. Ah, fuck. He had seconds until shock kicked in for real. Minutes until he died. And he¡¯d be losing blood and slowing down that whole time. He had one good hit left in him. He had to make it count. Levi threw his remaining arm out. The Armalgam leaped off his shoulder and jumped at the giant cannibal¡¯s face. The cannibal reached up to smack it out of the air, but the Armalgam clutched onto it with four out of five arms. The fifth one¡ªor rather, Handy¡ªreared back like a scorpion¡¯s stinger and delivered a deep stab into the cannibal¡¯s abdomen. The cannibal grunted in pain. Latching onto the Armalgam with both hands, he threw the construct aside. The blade jerked out of its gut with a spray of blood. The Armalgam soared through the air, then bounced off a tree and hit the ground. Before the cannibal lowered his arms, Levi darted in. He jumped, striking upward into the man¡¯s armpit. The cannibal roared, but choked mid-roar. He touched his chest. Levi yanked his blade out and stumbled backward, spewing his own blood the whole way. As fast as he was losing blood, the cannibal lost blood faster. It poured out of his armpit and gut, bruising his abdomen dark purple. He lifted his giant axe, but his strength flagged. He crumbled, slumping under the weight of his weapon. ¡°Levi!¡± Colin ran out from the brush, gold light already beaming from his staff. Levi grinned. He walked over to his arm and picked it up, sticking it back on his shoulder. ¡°What do you think, doc? Can you put it back on?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ probably,¡± Colin said. He leaned left and right, fretting over the limb. Carefully, he adjusted it to match up with Levi¡¯s remaining arm better. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it hurt?¡± ¡°It will in a bit. Adrenaline¡¯s still strong right now,¡± Levi said, giving him all the thumbs-up he had. Isa stepped forward, leaning her head left and right. She froze, holding her breath, then hissed in annoyance. ¡°Not good.¡± ¡°I¡¯m very aware,¡± Levi said, peering at his arm. ¡°Hey, it looks like it¡¯s going back on, though!¡± ¡°Not you. The cannibals.¡± She pointed. ¡°The first three are coming back around. I think they were lying in wait for this one. But they heard our fight. They know something happened. We have to get out of here, now.¡± ¡°Can we wait for Colin to put my arm back on?¡± Levi asked. The Armalgam scuttled over. It still dragged its one injured arm. Levi had managed to heal it somewhat on the walk, but it hadn¡¯t healed completely. The black marks still dug into its flesh, withering it to the bone. It had recovered a little, but not enough to pull its weight. It gave Levi a little pat, sympathizing with him. ¡°I know, right? It¡¯s a bad day to be an arm,¡± Levi said, patting the Armalgam back. Electricity jolted up his shoulder and down his spine. Levi twitched, grimacing. ¡°Ow.¡± ¡°Can you feel it now?¡± Colin asked. Levi wiggled his fingers. They responded weakly, but they responded. Moving them hurt, but then, moving anything hurt. His whole arm felt weak. Whether it was lifting his hand or making a fist, his body responded sluggishly. It wouldn¡¯t work for fighting. It barely worked for anything. But it was connected to his body once more. ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s back in action, but it seems to be plugged in and responding.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Colin nodded. He glanced at Levi. ¡°I¡¯ll fix it better, later. As long as it¡¯s good enough for now¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s good enough,¡± Levi replied. ¡°Good. They¡¯re almost here,¡± Isa said tersely. Climbing to his feet, Levi whistled. The Armalgam climbed up onto his back. Isa scooped up Colin. They fled, racing into the forest. Levi held his injured arm close to his chest. Every time a leaf or branch tugged his shirt, he grimaced. His nose wrinkled. Being injured sucks. They¡¯d barely vacated the path when the three cannibals from earlier ran back onto the scene. They came upon the corpse of the large cannibal and froze. One of them knelt and turned the body over, checking its injuries. He paused, then touched the blood and lifted his bloody fingers to his mouth. Seconds before he could suck the blood off his fingers, another cannibal smacked him on the back of the head. He grunted and gestured toward the forest. The other two cannibals looked amongst themselves. They breathed deeply, sniffing the air. Slowly, they began to nod. They turned toward the forest. ¡°Shit. They scented us,¡± Levi muttered, glancing over his shoulder. ¡°Dammit. I was hoping they¡¯d eat the big boy and forget about finding who killed him,¡± Isa muttered. ¡°They decided to have their dessert and eat us, too. Looks like they¡¯re gonna come kill us, then go eat the big boy,¡± Levi replied. ¡°Well, that¡¯s not great,¡± she muttered back. ¡°No kidding.¡± Levi gestured. The Armalgam released his back and dropped into the forest. It backed into thick undergrowth and vanished. Isa glanced after it, but said nothing. The cannibals pressed through the woods. One of them paused. He pointed toward a branch. Another cannibal grabbed the stick and pulled it toward them. They plucked a few filaments of cloth off the end of the branch and sniffed them, then smiled, a long, slow smile. They lifted their head, gazing onwards. And then a blur of eldritch horror slammed into their ankles and tackled them to the ground. Two discolored arms hefted a sword high, then struck home, stabbing over and over again. The other two cannibals stared. After a a second, one jumped into action. He swung his axe, tossing the Armalgam off his companion. The ball of arms flew into the forest and vanished in the shadows. The two cannibals turned, gazing warily into the forest. Their companion thrashed on the ground, crying out in pain. After a moment, one of the other two kicked the injured one and grunted, frustrated. The injured one fell into a pained silence, occasionally moaning or grunting. The Armalgam dropped out of the sky. It latched onto one of the cannibal¡¯s head with all five arms and threw its weight to the side, spinning in a full circle. A horrible dry crack rang out, and the cannibal slumped to the floor. The Armalgam released him and leaped onto a tree, scuttling upward into the shadow of the canopy. The final cannibal gripped his weapon tight. He looked up, watching after the Armalgam. Slowly, he backed away. Into the tip of a sword, which slid right between his ribs and out the other side. ¡°Chew on this,¡± Levi hissed in the man¡¯s ear as he pulled the sword free. He kicked the man forward, onto the other two cannibals. He dusted off his hands ¡°Well, well, well. Three first villages, dead on the ground. Not so tough after all, huh?¡± ¡°Oh, shut up,¡± Isa grumbled. She thumbed toward the village. ¡°More will come. They¡¯ll smell the blood. We need to go.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Levi gestured at the trees. The Armalgam dropped down, hugging onto him as he landed. He hissed in pain, wincing. Instinctively, he reached for his bad arm, but forced himself not to at the last second. ¡°You aren¡¯t fighting fit, either,¡± Isa commented, eyeing his recently-detached arm. ¡°Only need one to have a good time,¡± Levi replied. He swirled the sword around in his remaining hand, brandishing it at invisible enemies. Colin walked out of the forest. He startled at the sight of the cannibals, pulling his eyes away. In a slightly shaky voice, he reminded Levi, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say dual-wielding was for idiots? That smart people use both hands to swordfight?¡± ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m not smart,¡± Levi replied. Colin rolled his eyes. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s retreat for now, and I¡¯ll heal up that bad arm of yours.¡± Leaving the cannibals behind, Isa and Colin walked off. Levi hesitated, then stood on his tiptoes. He could just see the first cannibal¡¯s corpse from here¡ªthe really big one. He took a deep breath, gathering all the death energy he could, then pointed at the cannibal. The cannibal twitched. He shifted, then began to rise, his eyes glowing a sickly green. ¡°Watch our six,¡± he murmured, then followed the other two. 65. Approach the Village They retreated to a rise over the village, a little closer than the first place they¡¯d stopped. From here, they could see into the village¡¯s walls and watch the cannibals go about their daily lives. The trees clustered close, with undergrowth choking their roots, so the cannibals couldn¡¯t see them. It was the ideal lookout, even superior to the one Isa had taken them to originally. Levi sat near the edge, the Armalgam perched beside him. He plucked at the Armalgam¡¯s withered arm, while Colin worked on his recently-severed appendage. The dark, or shadow, magic and poison were both deeply ingrained in the arm. There was no longer any silver in the arm. Levi had made sure of it. He¡¯d washed the wounds and wiped them clean. Nonetheless, the wounds still resisted his best efforts to close them. His magic flinched away from where the silver weapons had been, as though afraid of their memory. Levi sighed. ¡°Maybe we should cut it out and start over with a new arm.¡± Colin¡¯s grip on his arm tightened. ¡°Don¡¯t give up on your body so easily!¡± Levi frowned. He turned and looked at Colin. ¡°I was talking about the Armalgam.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Colin chuckled, relieved. ¡°But I mean¡­¡± Colin glared at him. Levi laughed. ¡°No, no. Then you¡¯d have to aim your magic. And I¡¯d rather you focus all your power into stronger heals.¡± Colin nodded, a little nervous. He turned his attention back to Levi¡¯s arm. ¡°I think it¡¯ll leave a scar, no matter what I do.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. Scars are sexy.¡± Isa snorted. She shook her head. Levi leaned back, turning to look at her. ¡°What? You don¡¯t think scars are sexy?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think anything will improve your chances of bedding something, let alone scars.¡± ¡°Something? What kind of degenerate do you think I am?¡± Levi asked, shocked. Isa shrugged. ¡°A degenerate.¡± Levi opened his mouth, then shut it. He sighed. ¡°Fine, sure. But I keep my exploits strictly to upright, two-legged, human or humanoid beings to exclusively include sentient races who can consent.¡± Colin blinked. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very strict.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to say no to a sexy cat-eared girl from the beast race, you know? Or a handsome vampire in a tight suit.¡± He waggled his brows at Isa. ¡°In your dreams,¡± Isa murmured, rolling her eyes. ¡°You know it. Not that any of us have much chance to break free and take a break around here. So¡­ what about we all get together and all three of us, together¡ª¡± ¡°No,¡± Colin and Isa said, almost at once. Colin glanced at Isa, then looked at the floor, faintly blushing. Isa simply turned away.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Oh¡­?¡± Levi looked from one to another. ¡°Well, hot damn. The two undead getting it on during those long, sleepless nights, huh? Alright, alright. Don¡¯t let me get in between you two lovebirds.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not¡ª¡± Colin broke off, frustrated. ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Levi grinned. ¡°Ignore him, Colin. He¡¯s deliberately being annoying. As always,¡± Isa said. ¡°What? Deliberately be annoying? Would I do that?¡± Once again, a chorus: ¡°Yes.¡± Levi sighed. ¡°Hard audience.¡± He turned his gaze back to the cannibal village. The cannibals went about their lives. Aside from the massive, hulking frames of the villagers, their horns, and the human body turning on a split in the village¡¯s center, it could have been an ordinary village. Turning away, he checked his stat sheet. Levi | 18 | Lv 39 Class: Necromancer [SPECIAL] Str: 50 Mag: 101 Dex: 53 Spd: 57 Def: 20 Res: 99 [Swordsmanship] [Shadow Manipulation] [Shadow Step] [Optimized Raise Dead] [Drain] [Shape Dead] [Heal Undead] [Call Ghosts] [Death Resist] Levi whistled under his breath. ¡°Triple digits? Hell yeah. And¡ªugh. One level away? That¡¯s annoying. I wonder how many cannibals I have to kill to tip that over?¡± ¡°Tip what over?¡± Isa asked. Levi nodded at his status sheet, knowing she couldn¡¯t see it. ¡°My level. I¡¯ve almost got that skill that lets my undead level up. One level away.¡± ¡°That is annoying,¡± she agreed. ¡°So, once my arm clicks back together, it¡¯s time to go kill some cannibals so I can get that skill,¡± Levi said cheerfully. ¡°I¡¯m working on it,¡± Colin muttered. ¡°Take your time. I¡¯d rather have an arm that works perfectly than one you threw together to rush the job out. I¡¯m just musing about the future. There¡¯s no rush.¡± Colin nodded. He turned his attention back to Levi¡¯s arm, brows furrowed. Gold magic burst forth, penetrating deep under the skin. A painful electric tingle zapped into the back of Levi¡¯s brain. ¡°Ow!¡± ¡°What?¡± Colin asked, concerned. He jerked away, as if he¡¯d been the one burned. ¡°Just the nerves reconnecting. Keep going. Ignore me,¡± Levi insisted. ¡°Oh¡­ okay.¡± Colin nodded, slowly. He lifted his hands again. Once more, healing power poured into Levi¡¯s arm, reconnecting muscles, nerves, and bone. For a time, they sat there in silence. Isa stood at the edge of the clearing, gazing down at the town below. She leaned against the tree, watching the cannibals live their lives. There was something strange in her eyes. Nostalgia, almost. ¡°Dreaming of the old days?¡± Levi asked, glancing up at her. ¡°Mmm. I spent a lot of time terrorizing this village. It brings back memories.¡± ¡°Good memories?¡± ¡°And bad.¡± She turned away. ¡°How much longer until you¡¯re healed?¡± Levi shrugged. ¡°I dunno.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be too much longer. And stop moving your shoulders,¡± Colin said, distracted. She hummed. ¡°Then I suppose I¡¯ll wait.¡± ¡°You can go on ahead if you like. Draw a couple away from the pack, so we can swoop in and take ¡®em out,¡± Levi suggested. She shook her head. ¡°Not until I know you¡¯re ready. I¡¯m not going to risk bringing them all the way over here just for you to run for it.¡± ¡°Reasonable enough.¡± Colin lowered his arms. ¡°You¡¯re all healed up.¡± Levi stood. He spun his arm around, feeling the rotation, the response, everything. Just to test it, he threw a few punches and jumped in place a few times. Everything felt¡­ normal. ¡°Huh. Nice.¡± He yanked up his shirt. ¡°What the¡ªwhoa!¡± ¡°How improper.¡± Levi looked up at them. ¡°You guys act like you¡¯ve never seen a shirtless guy before.¡± ¡°I just wasn¡¯t expecting it, that¡¯s all,¡± Colin said. Isa snorted. ¡°In any case, why did you undress?¡± ¡°Checking for scars. But there¡¯s none. Lame.¡± He put his shirt back down. ¡°You wanted scars?¡± Colin asked. ¡°Of course I did. Scars are badass.¡± He dusted off his pants and turned toward the village. ¡°But you know what¡¯s even more badass? Killing a shitload of cannibals and leveling up. Let¡¯s fucking gooooooooo.¡± He hopped down the edge of the cliff. Colin and Isa exchanged a glance. Isa rolled her eyes and hopped down after him. Colin climbed down, and the three of them proceeded toward the cannibal village. 66. So I Started Blastin The three of them returned to the place they¡¯d been attacked. Levi whistled, and the large axe-wielding cannibal emerged from the undergrowth. ¡°Holy fuck¡ª¡± Colin whirled, raising his staff. ¡°Hey, calm down. He¡¯s on our side now,¡± Levi said, patting Colin¡¯s shoulder. Still maintaining a death grip on his staff, Colin stared up at the giant hulk of a zombie. It stared back at him. Its eyes glowed faintly green. Its lips turned up into a sort-of smile, which only revealed huge fangs, and it gave a friendly wave. Colin turned to Levi, who was doing the exact same smile and wave as he puppeteered the zombie. ¡°Ha.¡± ¡°What? I¡¯m just being friendly,¡± Levi said. He lowered his hand, returning to business. ¡°Here¡¯s the plan. We send big boy in there. None of this other-side-of-the-village nonsense, that was a throw last time. Charge in, dead ahead, and start tossing his axe around in the center of the village. While he¡¯s drawing eyes in the heart of the village, we pick off the cannibals on the edge. Bonus points, if we need to flee, we can cut and run easily. Leave big guy behind in the village and run for it. What do you guys say?¡± ¡°Sounds as reasonable as any of your plans,¡± Isa said dryly. ¡°Oh, and I¡¯ll need you as support. I can¡¯t fight these guys alone. Colin, you¡¯ll have to watch out for yourself. Don¡¯t be afraid to run, just let us know you¡¯re hoofing it.¡± Colin nodded and tossed a sloppy salute. Isa nodded. ¡°It will cut into your EXP.¡± ¡°I only need one more level. I¡¯ll take the cut, if it means I keep all limbs intact.¡± Levi took a deep breath. He nodded at the cannibal, and the huge man stomped forward, speeding up as he gained momentum. He rushed out of the forest path and into the village. A cannibal turned, startled to see the big man rushing up on him. Without a word or a shout, the huge cannibal took the other cannibal¡¯s head. It flew like a ball, trailing blood after it. Cannibals screamed. Some fled, while others drew their weapons and chased after the large cannibal. The large cannibal kept on running. He cut down everyone he encountered, carving a bloody trail through the village. ¡°Wait¡­ wait¡­¡± One of the cannibals raced toward their path, and Levi jumped up. ¡°Now!¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Levi and Isa raced toward the town. Colin trailed at the rear, looking around for a place to hide even as he ran. The cannibal who¡¯d been fleeing the huge man saw them coming at the last second, just long enough to reach for his sword, but not long enough to draw it. A sword cut into his neck from the left, and long claws from the right. His body hit the floor a full three seconds before his head did. Some of the nearer cannibals turned toward the two of them, but most kept their eyes on the big guy. Levi and Isa split up. Each of them chased after their own cannibal. The ones who hadn¡¯t been targeted turned as well, following Levi or Isa. Three of them grouped around Isa, and two around Levi. Levi raced directly toward the cannibal he¡¯d locked onto. He didn¡¯t so much as acknowledge the other two. The man raised his sword, waiting for Levi to close in. Levi never did. The Spinal Cord shot out from his cloak and impaled the man in the gut. Wrapping the cord around the dying man, Levi spun, taking him with him. The makeshift morning star of dying cannibal and Spinal Cord knocked into the other two cannibals, flooring them. Levi retracted the Spinal Cord by way of pulling himself in, toward the cannibals. It finally shivered out of the man¡¯s body and jerked free as Levi stomped on one cannibal, spun a sword in each hand, then slammed them both down into the cannibals¡¯ solar plexuses, killing and pinning them in one stroke. A roar alerted him to a cannibal coming up from behind. Levi didn¡¯t turn. His cloak flew aside, and the Armalgam burst forth. It grappled the cannibal with three arms, and Handy dealt a brutal killing blow, splitting the man from nuts to neck. It jumped free, releasing him. The man staggered backwards, then hit the ground with a grunt. Levi freed his swords with a twist, just to be sure, and stood. The Spinal Cord retracted, blood bright crimson against its stark white. Scurrying up behind him, the Armalgam dragged its bad arm like a tail and reared high to give Handy the best angle at stabbing whoever they next encountered. He took a moment to survey the scene. Isa gripped a man¡¯s shoulders in her hands and tore, splitting him much as the Armalgam had, but from the top this time. Colin danced backward, dodging the gore. In the town¡¯s center, the cannibals battled the beefy cannibal. The huge cannibal was quickly getting overwhelmed, but he hadn¡¯t been overcome yet. ¡°Alright, ladies and gents. Up and at ¡®em.¡± The cannibals Levi had slain rose, their eyes glittering green. They stumbled for a few steps, then found their feet and charged, racing to the first zombie cannibal¡¯s rescue. The living cannibals weren¡¯t expecting an attack from the rear, and the first two or three of them went down before they even knew what was happening. The others eventually realized and turned, but then were forced to fight a two-directional battle as the giant cannibal swept his axe. Blood flew, and the cannibals fought one another. Some even directly bit their companions, losing track of who was who in the ruckus. Levi took a deep breath, puffing his chest up. ¡°Ahhhh. I love the smell of EXP in the morning.¡± Colin glanced at him. ¡°It¡¯s not morning.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know, I was¡ª¡± Levi sighed. ¡°EXP¡¯s a wasting,¡± Isa pointed out, nodding ahead. He shook his head at Colin and raced in. ¡°Then let¡¯s go get it!¡± She nodded back. The two of them raced in, leaving Colin behind. He tilted his head. ¡°Did I say something wrong¡­?¡± 67. Hot Cannibal on Cannibal Action Levi and Isa rushed toward the heart of the town, where the majority of the third village¡¯s cannibal inhabitants scrapped. They didn¡¯t directly join the fight, but turned toward the edges. The cannibals on the edge watched the fight, not quite sure where to join in. Before they could decide, Levi reared back and slashed out, striking in sync with the Armalgam. Heads flew, but in the next second, the other cannibals recovered. They closed in on Levi, swinging weapons in every direction. Levi backflipped with the Armalgam¡¯s help, and their swings went wide. They chased after him, raising their weapons once more. Isa darted in, grabbing one of the attackers by the neck. He stopped dead, or rather, jerked to a halt by his neck. He could no longer move forward. His feet kicked at the ground, but fruitlessly. Unable to turn his head, his eyes strained at their very limits to see behind him. ¡°Oh, hello,¡± Isa purred. Leaving her to it, Levi turned his attention to the remaining cannibal. He swung at Levi with a broadsword, but clumsily. Levi backstepped. The man¡¯s sword slammed down, cleaving the very earth open¡ªand stuck. His immense strength had embedded it too deep from him to free. Levi darted in, taking the man¡¯s throat with lightfooted ease. He darted out the other side, only for a flash of silver to drop toward him. He kept running. The Armalgam blocked on his back. A heavy blow sent Levi stumbling, but he pushed forward with all his might at the same time. The cannibal¡¯s sword struck the ground behind him. Immediately, they bounced the blade off the earth and swung at him again. He scrambled sideways, and the blade only clipped him, for a certain value of ¡®clipped.¡¯ His side was scraped open, down to the ribs, and they shone bright white in the strange not-sun light. Instantly, gold light surged to Levi. The pain hit, and he pushed it to the back of his mind. Drawing a knife from his hip, he slung it at the cannibal, center-of-mass. The cannibal blocked it with their forearm. The blade slammed into their flesh, but did no serious damage. The cannibal lowered their arm, smirking. Levi was already in midair, hurtling toward the cannibal. They lifted their arm again, only for Handy to chop it down at the elbow. Levi twisted through the gap it left and took their throat. He landed on the enormous man¡¯s shoulder and crouched there, for a moment, as the man slowly toppled. ¡°You know, high STR and DEX are immensely useful to a mage. And yet, they¡¯re low-growth stats. You ever consider that?¡± The cannibal began to pick up momentum as gravity took the wheel. Levi jumped clear, using their shoulder to propel himself onward to the next cannibal. He couldn¡¯t freely slice his way through without care like he could with the first village, but each cannibal wasn¡¯t as hard as the entire first village, either. Isa had exaggerated the power creep between the villages. Not that Levi minded. They would¡¯ve had a hell of an uphill battle if she¡¯d been accurate. But she wasn¡¯t wrong in that they were far stronger than the cannibals in the first village. If he¡¯d assumed they were the same, or even just a little stronger, he would¡¯ve been the one at a loss. He landed on the next cannibal¡¯s shoulder. They growled and reached for him, but before they could, he cut into their throat and jumped on. From shoulder to shoulder he hopped, leaving death and horrible injuries behind him. The Armalgam came with him, blocking blows and landing parting shots. Blood spurted, and cannibals dropped. At last, the cannibals started to clue on to what was going on. They turned away from the zombies, big man included, and turned toward Levi and Isa. The zombies attacked them from the rear, but a contingent of backliner cannibals fought them off, letting the main force round on the two attackers.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Levi hopped backward. ¡°We¡¯ve overstayed our welcome. Time to go.¡± Isa appeared at his side. She lowered a rapier he hadn¡¯t seen her draw, slashing the blood off the blade. ¡°Indeed. Shall I fetch young Colin?¡± ¡°Aye, matey.¡± Colin sighed as Isa snatched him up. ¡°Wrong era. And theming.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll find a pirate vampire yet!¡± Levi cheered. He paused, looking at Isa. ¡°Or¡­ make one?¡± ¡°Vampires aren¡¯t typically fond of water,¡± Colin pointed out. Levi chased after the two of them. ¡°I don¡¯t know. That one varies. Maybe they don¡¯t mind water in this world. I mean, we got all the way here¡­¡± ¡°Running water is distinctly uncomfortable, but I can cross it. Seas¡­¡± Isa shuddered. ¡°We¡¯ll work on it,¡± Levi said, nodding. The cannibals gave chase, surging after the three of them. One of them hurled a hand-axe at their backs. The Armalgam peeled off Levi¡¯s back. Holding onto his shoulders with two hands, it swung its upper half out. Handy snatched the axe out of the air and tossed it back at the cannibal, hitting the thrower dead in the forehead. The man fell backward, dead. ¡°Aaaad¡­¡± Levi snapped his fingers. The zombies fighting in the back dropped dead, except for the big guy, who he¡¯d taken a shine to. The cannibals he¡¯d killed in the front climbed to their feet, blocking the cannibals from chasing after them. He looked behind him. Thoughts came to him, many thoughts. They hadn¡¯t quite coalesced into a whole picture yet, but he had ideas. And ideas were dangerous. Almost as dangerous as a boatload of zombies. The Armalgam tapped his shoulder. He turned back around, only to find he¡¯d been left behind. Shaking his head, he sped up, chasing after Isa. Now wasn¡¯t the time to fall behind. He didn¡¯t want to fight the whole village alone. Isa led the way back into the forest, moving with the surefootedness of someone who¡¯d spent a great deal of time here. Levi followed her, trusting her to know the way better than him. She dashed left and right through the undergrowth. The path was clearly meant to throw the cannibals off their tracks, but it nearly threw Levi off, too. If not for Colin occasionally shooting a beam of gold light back toward him, he would¡¯ve lost them several times over. The cannibals had no such assistance, and they had to deal with the zombies, besides. Before long, even the sound of their pursuit faded behind Levi and the others. This time, Isa led them to a shallow dip in a hill, where the wind didn¡¯t reach them. It wasn¡¯t proper shelter, but it was better than being completely unprotected. A few scraps of fabric and a rotten stick laid on the ground in the hollow of the hill, along with the charred remains of a stone fire circle. ¡°Another hideout of yours?¡± Levi asked, nudging the stick with his foot. ¡°This entire level is riddled with them. I probably know these wilds better than the cannibals,¡± Isa commented. She sat down and crossed her legs, releasing Colin somewhere in the middle. Colin stepped to the side and stretched, leaning left and right. Looking at the fallen cloth and stick, Isa waved her hand. The stick revived itself, returning to its original size and shape, and the cloth transformed from a rag to a sturdy piece of canvas. The two bound themselves into a lean-to, the stick stuck in the ground and pointed away from the hollow, while the canvas stretched back to the hollow. Iron nails held it into firmly-packed earth. ¡°That¡¯s nice. What kind of skill is that?¡± Levi asked, curious. ¡°It¡¯s domain-locked to vampires. But if you are a vampire, it¡¯ll allow you to revive some areas with a wave of a hand, as long as you¡¯ve lived there long enough,¡± Isa explained. ¡°I could be a vampire,¡± Levi suggested. ¡°You¡¯ll put me out of a job,¡± Colin grumbled. Levi laughed. ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± He leaned back, relaxing under the canopy. ¡°Rest up, everyone. We¡¯ve got a big day of cannibal hunting again tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yes, weak mortal. Sleep well,¡± Isa said. Levi snorted. ¡°Right. You bunch¡¯a sleepless undead.¡± He rested his hands behind his head and laid back, staring at the sky. More cannibal hunting tomorrow. And after that, more cannibals. Levi closed his eyes, but didn¡¯t go to sleep. He focused on the zombies, calling out to them with his mana. Let¡¯s see if I can put that idea into action. 68. Up and At Em The next morning, Levi hopped to his feet. He dusted off his hands and looked around. ¡°Up and at ¡®em! We¡¯ve got a fresh set of cannibals to kill!¡± Isa yawned and stretched, catlike in her indolence. ¡°No rush. They aren¡¯t going anywhere.¡± ¡°They might be! Kai and Vox are out there. Out there, killing cannibals! If we don¡¯t get out there right now, they¡¯ll kill all the cannibals, and then where will we be?¡± ¡°Waiting for the next respawn? Taking a shot at the boss for free?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be cannibal-free and no EXP stronger! We¡ªwait, what was that about the boss?¡± Isa nodded. She gestured toward the village. ¡°When you kill all the cannibals, the boss appears. I don¡¯t know if you need to kill all the level two cannibals, but I know you need to kil all the level threes.¡± He waved his hand. ¡°Eh, we can leave the level twos to Kai and Vox. They¡¯ll probably do it. Kill all the cannibals¡­ good. I was planning to do it anyways, but now I¡¯m really planning to do it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that,¡± Isa said. ¡°And then, we kill the boss.¡± Colin applauded. ¡°Great plan.¡± ¡°And then¡­ the world.¡± Isa raised a brow. ¡°Maybe we start with fighting Vox?¡± ¡°Well, he¡¯s the center of the world, or whatever he called himself. Vox Centromundi. So, you know. He¡¯s kind of the world.¡± ¡°He¡¯s the world because he says he¡¯s the world? I¡¯m a god, then,¡± Isa declared. ¡°Goddess, slay, goddess,¡± Levi said, giving her a thumbs up. She looked at Colin for a translation. Colin shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s doing. It must not have been a thing in my world.¡± ¡°Or you¡¯re just a square and don¡¯t want to admit it. Come on, let¡¯s go. We¡¯ve got cannibals a-waitin¡¯, and daylight¡¯s burning.¡± Levi took the lead. Isa and Colin followed close behind. They made quick time back to the close overlook, where Levi paused. He surveyed the town, then lifted his head, searching further out. ¡°Are there enough cannibals for the census, or will we have lower taxes this year, milord?¡± Isa asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how any of that works, but you were a lord so you¡¯d know better than me. No, I¡¯m checking for Vox or Kai. It¡¯s been a day. One of them might¡¯ve caught up.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Why are you checking for Kai?¡± ¡°Because I abandoned him to Vox in that last battle.¡± ¡°Are you sure he¡¯ll hold that against you? You were obviously far weaker than Vox. He might not blame you for running,¡± Isa pointed out. Levi winced. ¡°Frist off, ouch. It wasn¡¯t that obvious. Second off, of course he will. He¡¯s Kai. An edgelord of truly epic proportions, and an emo one at that. He¡¯s so edgy that people want to root for him. How could he not hold it against me?¡± ¡°Like you¡¯re not an edgelord,¡± Colin said, rolling his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s the joke, Colin boy. But I¡¯m not as edgy as Kai. How do I know? Because he¡¯s way hotter than me.¡± ¡°What?¡± Colin asked, lost. ¡°Edgelords are hot. Girls love edgelords, boys love them, everyone loves them. But everyone hates me. I¡¯m just a sad sack of shit, not a cool edgelord.¡± ¡°Riiiight¡­¡± Colin glanced at Isa for help. Isa sighed. ¡°Do you want to have a mental breakdown or¡ª¡± ¡°No. I want to kill some cannibals and stop thinking about this.¡± Levi clapped. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°No, wait. Are you okay?¡± Colin asked seriously. He caught Levi¡¯s shoulder. Levi giggled. ¡°No. But I¡¯m never okay, so it¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry! I was way more stable for way longer than I was expecting! So actually, I¡¯m doing really good.¡± ¡°Do you need meds, or something?¡± Colin asked. He glanced at Isa, then pulled Levi away a little, putting some space between them. ¡°Gods only know. Probably. I didn¡¯t take ¡®em back home, either, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Colin glanced at Isa, then back to Levi. ¡°I have to worry. You¡¯re our main fighting force. If you¡¯re not okay, we should take some days off. You don¡¯t have to push yourself¡ª¡± Levi stepped back, putting distance between them. He shook his head at Colin, waggling his finger. ¡°You don¡¯t get it, do you? I need to push myself, or else I¡¯m gonna implode completely. And if that happens, this time, there¡¯s no easy way out. That isn¡¯t permanent, anyways.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± Colin asked, confused. ¡°Fuck. This is all happening because I talked about him, isn¡¯t it? Because I talked about killing him.¡± He rubbed his hands down his face and took a deep breath. ¡°No, no, no. It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°What¡¯s okay?¡± Levi dropped his hands and beamed out from behind them. ¡°I am! So let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Levi¡ª¡± Colin went to grab him, but Levi swayed away. He took the lead once more, striding down toward the cannibals with confidence. ¡°Let¡¯s goooo!¡± Isa stared after him, then snorted. ¡°He reminds me of my father.¡± ¡°Your father was¡­?¡± Colin paused, then, considering what she was saying. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t have had meds back then, would they.¡± ¡°Mmm. I convinced him to speak to a trepanner, and he didn¡¯t last long after that.¡± She eyed Levi¡¯s back, a thoughtful look in her eyes. Colin noticed. He stepped out in front of her and spread his arms. ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means, but no.¡± She chuckled. A cold hand traced his jaw. ¡°My, but you are adorable. If only you were alive, I would make such sweet love to you as I drank that sugar-sweet blood straight from the tap. Don¡¯t worry. He isn¡¯t my father. He¡¯s never hurt me. And he couldn¡¯t if he tried.¡± ¡°You can drink my¡ª¡± ¡°No, Levi.¡± ¡°Damn.¡± Colin hesitated, still blocking her way. ¡°What if he could? Hurt you, I mean.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯d better pray he doesn¡¯t.¡± Levi turned back. He pointed at both of them, his eyes narrowed. ¡°Motherfuckers, don¡¯t be ridiculous. I¡¯m many things, but abusive isn¡¯t one of ¡®em. I draw the line before hurting my friends.¡± ¡°And your family?¡± Isa asked quietly. ¡°Dunno how that¡¯s relevant, but also no. Also, they¡¯re all dead. Dead for a long, long fuckin¡¯ time. So let¡¯s keep the van rolling, and put all this depressing bullshit behind us, okay?¡± Colin stiffened. He shot a nasty look at Isa and hurried after Levi. ¡°Sorry about that. I¡ªneither of us meant to bring up bad memories.¡± ¡°Nah. I mean, it was what, fifty-some years ago?¡± Levi waved it away. ¡°It was¡­¡± Colin squinted at him. ¡°Huh?¡± He glanced over his shoulder. ¡°Oh, did I not tell you? I used to be immortal.¡± 69. Filthy Colin stared. ¡°What?¡± Even Isa blinked rapidly, her usually unruffled expression decidedly ruffled. ¡°You¡­ immortal?¡± ¡°Yep. Wouldn¡¯t have had to waste your Miracle on me,¡± he said, nodding at Colin. ¡°Gods. I can only imagine,¡± Isa muttered to herself. Levi chuckled. ¡°That was a lot of people¡¯s reactions, yeah. Well, or, you know. They died. Because I didn¡¯t exactly project the whole immortality thing, so lots of people found out when the ¡®dead¡¯ me got back up and stabbed them in the gut.¡± Colin¡¯s jaw gaped. He stared. ¡°Ohhh. That makes so much sense now.¡± ¡°Concur. I always thought his fighting style was borderline suicidal. Now I see the truth,¡± Isa said, nodding along. ¡°An immortal has no fear of death. Why let such base limitations hold him back in battle?¡± ¡°You guys believe me?¡± Levi asked, a little surprised. Isa shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of stranger things happening in this world¡­ and in the multitude of worlds around it.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ I don¡¯t know. You¡¯re a liar, but it doesn¡¯t feel like you¡¯re lying, this time,¡± Colin said, scratching his cheek. ¡°Immortal, huh? Immortal.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t immortality like you¡¯re expecting, I don¡¯t think. It was a shitty, broken kind of immortality. But it all went away when I landed here, so don¡¯t get any ideas.¡± ¡°Were you, like, a god where you came from?¡± Colin asked, still flabbergasted. Levi shook his head, laughing. ¡°No. Not even close.¡± ¡°Must¡¯ve been a hard landing, to come down and find yourself a mere mortal once more,¡± Isa commented. ¡°It did kinda suck, but I got over it. All I really had to do was remember not to casually take lethal blows.¡± He waved his hand. ¡°It¡¯s not important. Unless¡­ well, Isa? This change anything?¡± ¡°What, about me turning you into a vampire? Absolutely not.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m experienced. I¡¯ve got decades of history as an immortal. I¡¯d be a very responsible vampire,¡± Levi said, puffing up his chest and thumping it. ¡°Hypothetically, if I were to reach out to your compatriots, would they second your ¡®responsible¡¯ claim?¡± Levi pouted. ¡°You don¡¯t always have to fact check everything I say. You can just believe me. It¡¯s a far less unreasonable claim than claiming to be immortal, when you think about it.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s a no,¡± Isa murmured under her breath. ¡°Oh, come on. I¡¯d be the best vampire,¡± Levi argued. ¡°If you really want to become a vampire, level up and get the ability to vampirize yourself,¡± she pointed out. Levi sighed. ¡°Obviously I¡¯m working toward it, but that¡¯s a long way away. You could turn me into a vampire right now.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Speaking of, did you hit your skill goal?¡± she asked, glancing at him. ¡°Did I?¡± Levi murmured to himself. He called up his skills. Levi | 18 | Lv 40 Class: Necromancer [SPECIAL] Str: 51 Mag: 103 Dex: 54 Spd: 58 Def: 20 Res: 101 [Swordsmanship] [Shadow Manipulation] [Shadow Step] [Optimized Raise Dead] [Drain] [Shape Dead] [Heal Undead] [Call Ghosts] [Death Resist] [Strengthen Undead] When you name an undead, that undead levels up alongside you. Their relative strength will be maintained in relation to yours, with the chance to gain bonus EXP based on the undead¡¯s own achievements. You can name up to five undead that are eligible for this skill. ¡°Excellent. Yes, I have it. And¡­ let¡¯s go ahead and name the Armalgam, Handy, the Spinal Cord, and the Slombie. Which conveniently leaves one open slot for the future!¡± The Spinal Cord didn¡¯t really need to level up, since it was more a weapon and a utility undead than a battle zombie. But he had five slots, so might as well fill them and let it soak EXP while it could. He¡¯d always been a smoke ¡®em while you got ¡®em kind of person, and this was no exception. No point throwing EXP away when he could put it on something, even if that something didn¡¯t really have much use for it. It was just that later, if he needed more battle zombies, he could take the Spinal Cord out of the fourth slot and put in a second extra battle zombie. Names accepted. Amalgam, Handy, Spinal Cord, and Slombie will all level up. Levi chuckled under his breath. ¡°Yes, my unstoppable undead unkillable zombie army!¡± ¡°You want to add a few more ¡®un¡¯s to that?¡± Colin asked. ¡°I could. Unguessable, unobtainable, un¡ª¡± ¡°We¡¯re almost there. On your guard,¡± Isa stated shortly. ¡°I still had more.¡± ¡°I feared as much.¡± Levi chuckled. This time, there were guards outside of the village. Two burly cannibals stood at the entrance, hands on their weapons. The bulky zombie Levi had rezzed previously was strung up in pieces on the trunk of a nearby tree, a clear warning to anyone who dared to attack the town. Just out of sight, Levi pinched his chin. ¡°Honestly? I¡¯m just surprised they didn¡¯t eat him.¡± ¡°Undead meat doesn¡¯t taste good,¡± Isa said. ¡°You¡¯d know, I guess.¡± He gestured. ¡°Come on. This one¡¯s guarded. Let¡¯s go see if the guarded all of ¡®em.¡± ¡°Not just rushing in blindly?¡± Isa snarked. ¡°No. That would be stupid. If there¡¯s a path of least resistance, we take it. If there isn¡¯t¡­¡± He shrugged. ¡°Then we do the blind rushing.¡± Isa gestured ahead of her. ¡°Lead on.¡± Levi took the lead. He wound the way around the settlement, briefly checking in on each entrance he encountered. All of them were guarded. Once or twice, they encountered cannibals out hunting in the woods, but between the three of them and Levi¡¯s undead, they made short work of any lone cannibals. All the gates they encountered were guarded by at least two of the beefy cannibals. Two or three pairs of guards wandered the perimeter of the walls, but never alone, and always close enough to the city that Levi couldn¡¯t be sure they wouldn¡¯t alert the rest of the village when they were attacked. Just like attacking the gate guards, attacking the patrol guards would kill their stealth, and they¡¯d be back to brute forcing their way through. It wasn¡¯t not an option, but it wasn¡¯t a great option, either. Levi crouched in the undergrowth, thinking. Abruptly, he snapped his fingers and stood. ¡°That¡¯ll do. Isa, grab Colin.¡± Isa obeyed. ¡°What are we doing?¡± ¡°Enacting my great master plan.¡± Levi edged forward until he could see the wall. The patrolling duo passed by, and still he waited. Ten, twenty, thirty seconds. And then he charged forward. The Spinal Cord lashed out from his hip and dug into a crack in the stone wall, pulling him upward. He flew toward the top of the wall, Armalgam¡¯s arms out to brace himself. Isa snorted. ¡°I can¡¯t say I saw this one coming.¡± She ran after Levi and leaped up, easily landing on the top of the wall. Levi scrambled up. For a moment, they both crouched on the wall, and then they hopped down, into the village. Inside the village, and not a single guard alerted. ¡°Time to be serial killers,¡± Levi said, grinning. He drew out a knife and spun it, then swooped through the undergrowth toward the nearest house¡¯s back door. 70. Serial Killing The first house they came to had no lock on the back door. Levi pushed the door, and it swung open. A female cannibal wandered inside, working in the kitchen as she stewed down a leg. At the sound of the door creaking, she turned, snatching up a soup ladle. Levi closed the gap in a flash. She didn¡¯t even get the chance to scream before a knife slipped between her ribs. He caught her as she fell and eased her to the ground. ¡°Serial killing, just for fun. Serial killing, blood and run!¡± he hummed. He stood there for a moment, listening, then looked at Isa. She shook her head. ¡°No one else in this house.¡± ¡°Excellent.¡± He dashed back out the rear door and hunkered in the bushes, looking left and right. When no cannibals were passing by, he dashed to the next bushes. This back door was locked, but when he knocked on the door, a man opened it. The cannibal¡¯s eyes had time to widen in shock before the knife found its home in his guts. Levi twisted the blade and yanked it out, stifling the man¡¯s cries with one of the Armalgam¡¯s hands. Like the first, he carried the man to the ground. ¡°You¡¯re pretty good at this,¡± Isa commented. ¡°Concerningly good.¡± ¡°I did it a few times back in my homeland. Murder, I mean. Not usually door-to-door serial killing, but murder, yes.¡± He paused. ¡°Murder for good. I only ever killed people who deserved it.¡± ¡°Like cannibals?¡± she asked dryly. ¡°Or kidnappers, or murderers, or rapists, or people who really pissed me off and were just kind of douchebags in general¡­ but never normal people. Only Players. People who had Systems.¡± Colin nodded. Still, he looked at the man¡¯s corpse uncertainly. Levi dragged the corpse into the house and shut the door. He listened, but this house was also devoid of any other cannibals. Emerging, he tossed Colin a nod. ¡°If you¡¯re not comfortable with this, you can head back to the hideout and chill with Isa. I can do it alone.¡± Colin shook his head. ¡°In case you get injured¡­ I want to be there.¡± ¡°As you wish. Oh, hold on.¡± He vanished back into the house he¡¯d just killed the owner of, then emerged with a pile of cloth. ¡°Here. Everyone change.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t we stand out without the horns?¡± Isa pointed out. Levi handed out the clothes. ¡°First, you can shapeshift if you want to, so no complaints from you. Secondly, they¡¯re rooted into the cannibal¡¯s skulls. I only managed to get a quarter-inch into those things before it blunted the knife I was using. I¡¯d be here all day if I had to carve the horns off, and then we don¡¯t have anything to attach them to afterward, so even if I got ¡®em off, it¡¯s a lost cause. Thirdly, yes we will still stand out, but less. And less is more, baby.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°So you tried to get their horns,¡± Colin muttered. ¡°Of course I tried.¡± Levi pulled the cannibal¡¯s shirt over his head. The thing was ridiculously oversized on him, to the point that the shirt looked like a dress, but that was the same for all three of them. They looked like children wearing their parents¡¯ clothes. ¡°Now we fit right in,¡± Isa snarked. ¡°Oh, shut up. We¡¯ll at least blend with the color palette. A long glance will pick us out, but at a short glance, a corner-of-the-eye glance, they might not notice.¡± She waved her hand. ¡°It¡¯s not a bad idea.¡± ¡°That¡¯s cuz it¡¯s my idea. All my ideas are good.¡± ¡°Not sure about that one,¡± Colin replied. ¡°Aaand¡­ back to serial killin¡¯.¡± Levi glanced left and right, then took off at a jog for the next house, darting from bush to bush. Isa and Colin followed after him. The cannibals inside the village weren¡¯t the big, bulky ones, right now. All the big guys were outside, guarding the village, but that just meant that all the weaklings were unguarded, now that they were inside. Levi was the proverbial fox in the henhouse. He ran from house to house, murdered the house¡¯s inhabitants, then ran on. Slowly, he worked his way around the edge of the village, then started through the inside ring. It did mean that all the cannibals inside were the weaker ones that gave less EXP, but on the other hand, they still gave EXP. Fighting them together with the beefy guys was incredibly hard, since they could mob him while the bulky ones worked up a big strike. But fighting them alone was easy. And once he killed them all, the bulky ones would have no support, and he could take them out two at a time, without an entire villages¡¯ worth of weaker cannibals dragging him down and supporting their bulky champions. As he went, he rezzed the more powerful individuals, but left them in their homes for now. He¡¯d need them later, but not for the stealth-serial-killing portion of his day. One after another, the cannibals fell. Once or twice, one managed to make enough noise on the way out to rouse the neighbors, but all that meant was that Levi had to kill three or four cannibals in one house, instead of one or two at a time. Isa joined in whenever they were about to break stealth, not wanting to let the ruse up before they were ready for the real battle. At last, they came to the house in the center of the village. This one was larger than all the rest of the houses. It was a ramshackle affair, but it nonetheless held a kind of authority that none of the rest of the houses had possessed. Levi paused at the backdoor, looking up at the huge construction. ¡°Is this the mayor¡¯s house, or something?¡± ¡°Could be,¡± Isa murmured. She looked it up and down. ¡°I remember this house. Expect a fight.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± He glanced over his shoulder. He¡¯d already wiped out the rest of the village. Except for the guards at the gates and on patrol, and whoever lived in this house, there wasn¡¯t a cannibal alive. It had been easy. Almost¡­ too easy. Either my level¡¯s higher than I think, and these cannibals are weaker than Isa remembers¡ªalways possible¡ªor something else is going on. And I don¡¯t want to admit it, but I¡¯ve had the sinking sensation that I missed something vital for a while now. Levi rubbed the back of his neck. Back home, he knew the streets like the back of his hand. He¡¯d lived in his city, and it was his city. There were few who could claim to know it better than him. But here? Here he was a wanderer. A traveler, loose from his roots. And there were advantages to that, but also distinct disadvantages. Like a lack of situational knowledge. He had no idea who was who, or what was where. He looked up at the building before him slowly, taking it in once more, then shook his head. It¡¯s just the heebie-jeebies. There¡¯s nothing wrong. Let¡¯s polish off this village, finish the guards, and go find the boss. He pushed the door open and stepped inside. 71. Manor of Death Levi stepped inside. The darkness of leaving the sun for the interior fell over him, and he rapidly blinked to adjust his eyes. Mutilated bodies draped over the kitchen. Two men sat on the counter, their arms crossed. One wore all black. The other looked edgy as hell. ¡°Oh fuck. Abort, abort¡ª¡± Kai rose. Vox snapped his fingers. Black tendrils bound the entrance shut, blocking Isa and Colin from the kitchen. Levi put his hands up. ¡°Hey, uh, guys, good to see you all. How¡¯s it going? I¡¯m glad to see the two of you have made such great friends.¡± ¡°Kai and I have come to an understanding,¡± Vox rumbled. ¡°And that¡¯s great and all, and I totally support you two, but I¡¯m just not into you two like that, so¡ª¡± ¡°If I kill one Champion, that prevents the Apocalypse the same as if I kill many. The Goddess of Death is stingy with handing out her favor. The God of War, not so much. Killing you prevents the Apocalypse for the maximum amount of time,¡± Vox explained. Levi nodded. ¡°I see where you¡¯re coming from. It makes a lot of sense.¡± ¡°So, die,¡± Vox declared. He clenched his fist, and the shadows closed in on Levi. Hopping backward, Levi dodged the knot of darkness as it snarled shut. ¡°Don¡¯t wanna.¡± He raced out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Behind him, the mutilated corpses peeled themselves off the various furniture and grabbed for Vox. ¡°You aren¡¯t getting away.¡± Vox lifted his hand. A shadowy hand reached after Levi, smashing through the wooden house as it reached for him. He scurried upward, racing up the steps faster than the shadow hand could move. ¡°Rat!¡± Vox jumped up, but the bodies lunged at him, pinning him back to the counter. He turned to Kai, who still sat there, casually watching the two of them quarrel. Snarling, he spat, ¡°Get him!¡± Kai nodded. He climbed to his feet and set off leisurely after Levi. Levi glanced down. Kai stood at the base of the stairs, gazing up at him. He grinned. ¡°Hey, ol¡¯ buddy ol¡¯ pal. Sorry about that first-village thing, but it worked out for you, didn¡¯t it? I knew you could handle it! What do you say we put the past behind us and take out that Vox guy?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no point in killing a Champion until the Apocalypse begins,¡± Kai said evenly. Levi raised his brows. Wait, hold on. But if that¡¯s the case¡­ ¡°Then¡­?¡± Kai leaped upward. He landed on the first unruined stair of the staircase with a thump. ¡°But if it takes some time before the Apocalypse begins, and I can grow stronger¡­¡± ¡°Ahhh. So you are truly ambivalent to good and evil,¡± Levi said, nodding. Kai isn¡¯t completely sold on what he told Vox, but given the chance, he won¡¯t hesitate to kill me. Truly, the most murderhobo-edgelord answer I could hope for. Playing both sides, but not fully committed to either. He turned and fled again. Light poured in one of the upstairs rooms. Levi sheered off of the main hallway and into the room. He made a beeline to the window. ¡°Isa!¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Nothing. Both Isa and Colin were nowhere to be seen. He sighed. ¡°That¡¯s a relief, but also, I¡¯m fucked.¡± If Isa could grab him and fly him out of here, he could live to fight another day. But she¡¯d left. While that meant she and Colin survived, it left Levi high and dry. ¡°That¡¯s okay. I¡¯m used to making my own way.¡± He glanced over his shoulder. Kai stood in the doorframe, his huge frame completely blocking the small entryway. Levi whipped around and kicked the window open, then threw himself outside it. He scrambled over the pitched slate tiles, skidding his way toward the end of the roof. Kai reached the window. ¡°Where are you going from there?¡± Levi waggled his brows. The Spinal Cord unwound from his body. The sharp edge cut into the wooden beam at the top of the roof, and it spooled him down, lowering him to the ground below. Kai snarled. He hopped out of the window and raced toward the Spinal Cord, greatsword raised to slash through the vertebrae. Still about ten feet from the ground, Levi gestured. The Spinal Cord yanked itself free seconds before the blade cut through it. Kai¡¯s sword slammed into the roof beam instead. Levi hit the ground, and tile fragments rained down on him, slashing his skin. He turned and ran, spooling the Spinal Cord as he retreated. As quickly as he could, he ducked behind a nearby house, putting that between him and the big house as he ran on. Vox appeared at the window. ¡°Where is he?¡± Kai shrugged. ¡°Escaped.¡± ¡°He can¡¯t have gone far,¡± Vox snapped. ¡°Find him!¡± Kai¡¯s eyes narrowed. His grip on his greatsword tightened. He lowered his head just half an inch and stomped off, back inside and down the stairs. Levi raced for the edge of the village. After his killing spree earlier, he knew the exact path back to the wall from here. He reached the nearest gate in no time and sprinted through it, surprising the two large cannibals on the other side. The Armalgam jumped left, and the Spinal Cord took the right. The two of them went down, but only for a moment before they rose again, eyes glowing green and decidedly on Levi¡¯s side. A blur of black hurtled through the air, reaching for their throats. At the last second, Isa flinched back. She landed. ¡°Levi? You escaped?¡± ¡°Yeah. They can¡¯t hold down a guy like me. Where¡¯s Colin?¡± he asked. She nodded. ¡°Not far. I was trying to kill the last of the cannibals to trigger the boss battle, hopefully in time to keep you alive. I didn¡¯t want to put him somewhere he couldn¡¯t help, if I succeeded.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good thinking. Better than what I would¡¯ve done.¡± Levi paused for a minute. He looked at the undead guards. ¡°Er, did you succeed?¡± ¡°At killing the guards? No. There were still these two left¡­¡± Both of them turned, slowly. The undead guards¡¯ eyes glowed a ghostly green. ¡°Uh huh,¡± Levi said. ¡°Oh,¡± Isa said. He clapped. ¡°So¡­ boss time?¡± Isa hopped back. ¡°I¡¯ll go grab Colin.¡± In the distance, a deep roar echoed out. The ground shook. The cannibal village collapsed in on itself as an enormous, pale hand pierced up out of the loam. Pushing houses aside, it clawed at the surface, hauling itself free of the earth. Skin as pale as a mushroom, long, bedraggled fingernails digging troughs in the ground, the massive hand latched on and pulled. A head breeched through the ground, a few sad tendrils of hair still stuck to its scalp. Blind, cataract-covered eyes blinked at the sunlight, and a mouth full of tombstone-sized teeth gnashed at the air. Slowly, a giant climbed free of the dirt. Kai and Vox fled from the village and the giant alike, retreating to a safe distance at a slightly different angle than Levi and his party had taken. The two groups watched the giant rise, both of them in a temporary, unspoken truce as it pushed its way free of the dirt. ¡°Now that¡¯s a boss,¡± Levi muttered, half to himself. ¡°And a half,¡± Isa agreed. She flexed her fingers, extending claws. ¡°Be ready. This isn¡¯t an easy fight.¡± Levi eyed the other two. ¡°Kai¡¯s playing both sides, but do you think Vox plays nice here?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t have an option. He¡¯s not high enough level to ignore the giant. He¡¯ll have to fight for his life, if he wants to live,¡± Isa replied grimly. Levi nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what I want to hear.¡± He glanced over his shoulder. ¡°Ready, Colin?¡± Colin yanked off his tattered gloves and pulled a new pair on. He gave Levi a thumbs up. ¡°As I¡¯ll ever be.¡± ¡°Good. It¡¯s boss time.¡± Levi thumped his fist into his palm and turned to face the giant. All the undead who¡¯d survived its emergence ran from the town and grouped up around him, ready to fight. Beside him, Isa raised her claws, and Colin gripped his staff tight.