Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Fortress City (3) - Residential District
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1.
"Pardon? What did you say?"
"I told you we can't provide any troop support."
I had no choice but to frown at the administrator's response.
"No, why on earth not? How can you refuse to send troops when we're trying to reclaim the city?"
"We'd love to help if we could, but the situation just doesn't allow it. Our soldiers have been on constant patrol and guard duty without even getting any sleep."
"What about knights, then? Can't you spare any?"
"...Are you serious?"
I let out a deep sigh at the man's question. Of course I wasn't serious. I'd just blurted it out in frustration.
'They can't even spare regular soldiers, so how the hell would they give me knights.'
Those elite fighters were surely guarding key areas like the lord's manor or the well. No way they'd hand them over, no matter what.
"What about Anne-nim? She's only just arrived in the city and doesn't have any specific duties yet."
"Her mission is to escort Lady Amelia, so that's probably impossible."
"......I see. Looks like I'll really have to do this alone."
"Unfortunately, yes. But once you've fully reclaimed one district, we should be able to send soldiers to help then."
"Alright, I understand."
"I'm truly sorry we couldn't be of more assistance."
The administrator bowed his head deeply. In the end, I left the building without securing a single soldier.
'Strike while the iron is hot, as they say.'
It had only been a day since I'd signed the contract. Count Bardi had told me to take it slow, but he seemed eager for me to get started.
I pulled a vial from my pocket. A blue liquid sloshed inside the glass bottle as I shook it.
Blue Elixir An essence extracted by steeping and boiling mana-infused elixir ingredients. Consuming it increases your mana capacity. Excluding items from the shop, nothing had ever displayed info like this before. For some reason, this one did.
'So this is a low-grade elixir.'
I uncorked it and gulped it down. The intense bitterness made my face scrunch up involuntarily.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Consumed elixir. Mana stat increased by 3. Consuming the same elixir again will have no effect. "Oh."
I opened my status window right away, and sure enough, my mana was now at 15. It definitely worked.
'Nice.'
It sucked that I couldn't take the same one again, but I could just use a different kind, so no big deal.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ ⚡ Strength: 31 → 33 💨 Agility: 31 → 32 I dumped all my unspent remaining points and closed the window. Now I'd done everything I could to prepare.
'Time to go.'
I headed down the main road. Near the gates, I grabbed one of the guarding soldiers and asked,
"Which way to the residential district?"
"Keep right from here and you'll find the entrance. But even if you go there, most of it's sealed off, so you won't be able to get in."
"Got it. Thanks."
I bowed slightly to the soldier and headed in the direction he'd pointed. There, I saw a crudely built wall with soldiers camped out.
"What brings you here?"
The soldiers eyed me sharply, on high alert. When I showed them the pass from the administrator, their expressions softened.
"You're the one the chief clerk mentioned. Nice to meet you. Planning to head in right now?"
"Yes, that's right."
"We figured you'd come for our sector later, but you're starting with the worst one first. That's unexpected."
"I thought it'd be easier to sweep from the bottom up."
"Haha, fair enough. Thanks to you, things should be a lot easier for us for a while. Good luck, then. Open the gate!"
At his shout, the massive wooden gate began creaking open purely by manpower. And right away, zombies came into view.
Kraaaah—!
The noise from opening the gate must have drawn them, because zombies from the surroundings started swarming.
"Fall back!"
I hurriedly retreated at the soldier's yell. Shield-bearers lined up in front of the gate, then raised their spears.
Puke—!
A nearby zombie's head was pierced by a spear. As more charged from behind, the second row of soldiers pressed forward and thrust their weapons.
They repeated the process a few times, and all the approaching zombies collapsed. It was pure military precision.
"Lucky the monster numbers are low today."
"This is low?"
"Yeah. A few days ago, it was way more packed than this. The knights swept through once, which is why it's down to this level."
The city's situation must really be dire.
"But you fight so well. Why haven't you reclaimed the city yet?"
"Not sure about other sectors, but in the residential district, the roads are narrow and full of alleys. It's hard for us to bring our strength to bear."
"Ah."
Makes sense. They'd be fine in open spaces, but narrow terrain would make fighting tough.
"We've tried, of course. But the casualties were too high, so we had to stop. Losing more soldiers here means we might have to abandon the sectors we've already secured."
"Can't be helped, then."
"Exactly."
"Got it. I'll do my best, then."
It had started as just a contract for rewards, but seeing them like this fired me up.
"Thank you so much."
I stepped over the corpses and passed through the gate.
"If you need the gate opened again, come close and shout 'cuckoo.' The soldiers will open it for you."
"Understood."
"Good luck out there."
The wooden gate shut behind me amid their send-off. It was only a few steps away, but the atmosphere changed completely.
'I thought the city itself was depressing enough.'
This place was far more bleak.
Corpses littered the streets, swarming with flies and maggots. The ground and walls were splattered dark red.
I grimaced at the nose-piercing stench and unfolded the map. The city's layout came into view.
'Start from the left and push straight through.'
If possible, all the way to the religious district. No idea how many days it'd take.
"Let's get to it."
I tucked the map away, drew my sword, and moved forward. Surprisingly, no zombies in sight on the main street. The knights' sweep must have been real.
Kraaaah!
Of course, that didn't last. The moment I entered an alley, I spotted a pack of them.
Slash!
I cleaved the head off the nearest one. It felt like slicing tofu—exaggerated, maybe, but even without mana, it was that smooth.
'Stats make a real difference.'
I grinned and swung at the zombie horde. The blade arced in a semicircle, and dark red blood sprayed where it passed.
Thud!
Zombies crumpled, their upper and lower bodies severed. I cleared the ones at the alley mouth in seconds and pressed deeper.
'Clear all the zombies in the alleys first. Then search the houses and clean up inside.'
I wiped the blood off my sword with a cloth, and more zombies charged.
Kraaaah!
I thrust at the lead one. Its head impaled mid-charge. I twisted the hilt to pull the blade free, then slashed diagonally upward.
Splaaash!
Blood and brains soaked my blade, and I smirked. The zombies charged fearlessly, ignoring their comrade's brutal end.
"Come at me all at once, you bastards!"
My shout turned their heads—even the ones that hadn't aggroed. Zombie heads peeked around the street corner.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 💨 Agility: 32 → 33 I felt my body speed up just a bit after allocating the point. I sliced through the nearby ones, crouched low, then kicked off the ground and swept my sword wide.
Splaaash!
A line of mana slashed straight across, and the zombies' heads fell in unison.
'It works.'
I glanced at the falling bodies, then turned forward again.
Still swarming with zombies. In the old days, I'd have run scared, but now it looked like an experience farm.
Puke!
They came like they were pulling numbers at a deli, and I cut them down one by one. It felt like a rhythm game now.
Shick—shick—
I was mowing them down when suddenly, black silhouettes approached rapidly from afar.
Normally, I'd have been too busy with zombies to notice. But I spotted them early because...
'They're climbing the walls?'
The things were kicking off the alley walls, closing in with noisy leaps.
'Not many zombies can wall-climb.'
As I pondered, they drew closer, revealing their identities.
Blood-red, desiccated skin. Razor-sharp claws and teeth no human could have. Slightly hunched posture and lightning-fast movements.
'Ghouls!'
The nightmare of survivors once upon a time surged toward me.