Chapter 45
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Ashen Cemetery
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The first zombie that lunged at me, targeting me above all else, was naturally intercepted by a Valkyrie and collapsed.
“Grraaaahhh...”
Starting with that initial zombie that burst out, a large number of them began crawling out from everywhere.
I had no idea if they were drawn by the scent of humans or the noise, but the sight of those zombies shambling toward us was something I never wanted to see.
Zombies weren't slow. They charged at us like humans, utterly menacing.
Zombies in games were treated as mere low-tier monsters, but seeing one right in front of my eyes made my insides tremble.
I didn't know if they'd been human in life or what, but these things in human form came at us with flesh rotting and sloughing off in places, limbs hacked away here and there.
Just seeing corpses would make my legs go weak, yet here they were, rushing to attack me.
But thanks to the Valkyries, not a single one made it to my side.
Sua, Jaira, and Heiji stood firm at the front lines.
Lije protected those three with her barrier, allowing even low-rank Sua to hold her ground.
It was just as Diana had said—they could hold out more than well enough.
But the zombies kept appearing in greater numbers. The whole area felt completely overrun.
That's when Elastra's fireball plummeted into their midst.
Kaboom!!
A massive explosion roared out, zombie bodies bursting apart.
But their durability was on another level compared to Reed Sparrows—only a handful actually died.
If anything, the blast seemed to draw even more of them rushing in.
“This... is getting dangerous?”
No Valkyrie had been bitten or struck yet, thanks to Lije, but things were starting to feel chaotic, like we were getting overwhelmed.
No matter how much we slashed and stabbed, these undead had no concept of fear—they just barreled in wildly.
“I'll handle this.”
It was Heiji who spoke up.
Sua and Jaira were busy fending off the ones closing in on me. Heiji launched herself into the thick of the zombies instead.
Crimson flames erupted from her sword as she danced her blade dance.
She seemed to shine brighter acting on her own than when just guarding me.
Heiji's sword whirled like it was alive, carving up zombie flesh.
The flames sweeping around made it hard for them to approach recklessly.
But as the fire began to die down, she looked like she was getting heavy-limbed.
“I'll provide support too!”
Even Jaira leaped in to back her up.
She soared high into the sky with her massive spear before slamming down, thrusting it into the ground.
A tremendous shockwave erupted, engulfing the zombies.
Then she switched from thrusting to sweeping swings, and in open space, the power of her wide spear arcs was immense.
Both Jaira and Heiji seemed to perform better in wide-open areas than cramped ones.
But that left Holla and Elastra exposed.
Sua alone couldn't hold the line, so Lije redirected her shield from Jaira and Heiji to Holla and Elastra.
Jaira and Heiji took a few minor wounds because of it, but with Holla healing from the back, their sustainability actually improved.
Elastra's fireballs detonated now and then, and gradually, the zombie numbers thinned.
Even Heiji and Jaira, still low-level, began steadily gaining levels.
“Huff... huff...”
After about an hour of fighting, we'd taken down all the zombies nearby, but the Valkyries looked drained of stamina.
They were clearly struggling more than against the Reed Sparrows. Holla hadn't been this taxed in the Golden Reed Forest, but now with actual wounds, she was burning through her mana just keeping up heals.
“This is way too intense?”
Levels had shot up a full one in just an hour—fast growth—but we had no sustain left for more.
Only Lije and Jaira could still move properly.
Heiji and Sua were nursing significant injuries, while Holla and Elastra were nearly out of mana.
“First, I need to desummon Sua and Heiji.”
Even in the middle of this battlefield, with the zombies cleared, desummoning was possible right away.
It seemed we could do it whenever we weren't actively in combat.
Then I summoned Garujan and Lussera.
“Smells like a friendly place?”
Lussera said, flicking out her red tongue.
“Holla and Elastra, sit out the fighting and focus on mana recovery. We'll cover healing with Lussera's abilities for now.”
“Understood.”
We couldn't just pack up and head back now, so we decided to advance slowly.
If another huge wave hit like before, we'd retreat immediately.
Even with the two new Valkyries, our overall strength had definitely weakened from the start.
Our party was powerhouse-tier—one SSR, two SRs, three As—but our levels just weren't there yet.
I could see why Diana had warned against coming in the evening.
A spot like this was prime hunting ground; you could camp here straight through till the knight exam.
Garujan took point, leading us forward.
True to her hunter nature, she was ace at detecting presences and tracking monsters.
“Two skeletons to the left. Taking them out.”
She spotted them first and hurled her spear from range.
Splat!!
The skeleton's skull pierced clean through, crumpling dead on the spot.
The other one spotted us and charged, curved sword in hand—intimidating as hell.
Until Lussera's claws shredded it.
“Keep scouting, Garujan. Too many at once and we're overwhelmed.”
“Got it.”
Garujan was the only Valkyrie who spoke casually to me. So far, anyway. Maybe her free-spirited personality or just her laid-back vibe—I didn't mind.
I wasn't the type to nitpick anyway.
Especially since Garujan was incredibly valuable to me.
If down the line I got a bunch more SRs or SSRs as main dealers, I'd have no idea what to do with her.
In the actual Valkyrie game, I'd ignored all A-ranks except Elastra.
But seeing them move and live right in front of me sparked real interest.
These were the girls fighting alongside me in tough spots—like first loves, almost.
“Quite a few skeletons ahead. Engage?”
This time, Garujan checked with me before attacking.
“How many?”
“Around fifteen?”
“Too many for an easy clear?”
“Yeah. Could turn into a massive brawl.”
“Holla, Elastra—mana status?”
“About half full.”
“Same here.”
Holla and Elastra replied in turn.
“Hmm... no avoiding it now. Let's fight while keeping our retreat open.”
“Roger. Engaging.”
Garujan acknowledged me, crouched low to mask her presence, and crept toward the skeletons.
She took stance and flung her spear.
Once again, it skewered an unguarded skeleton's skull, dropping it lifeless.
And just like that, a horde of skeletons came charging our way.
“Elastra! Fireball!”
Unlike zombies, undead were vulnerable to fire.
Not just fire—explosions and splash damage wrecked them. Low durability.
Her fireball would pull more mobs, but combat was already on—no time to hesitate.
Elastra hurled a fireball at the oncoming skeletons per my order.
Boom!!!
A huge blast rang out, and a flood of experience poured into my status.
As the flames cleared, about half the skeletons lay dead, the rest approaching in damaged states.
Lussera dove in, shredding them effortlessly with both hands.
“Kai! Get back!”
Garujan's urgent shout cut through.
“Death Knight. We'll hold it. Holla, Elastra—get Kai out!”
This was a Lije I'd never seen. Always so relaxed and languid, but not now. Her senses rivaled Garujan's, so she'd clocked exactly what was coming.
A Death Knight was beyond what level 20 Valkyries could handle.
Not quite boss-tier, but easily level 40-50.
No clue how something like that showed up here, but at Lije's firm words, Holla and Elastra nodded.
“You have to fall back now!”
“But what about them?”
“We revive even if we die. But you don't, Kai! Hurry!”
Elastra urged me again.
“Kai. Once you leave the battlefield, you can desummon them. That's how you save them.”
Holla's logical plea finally got me turning tail and running.
We bolted back the way we'd come, but zombies were trickling in on our retreat path, drawn by the explosions.
“I'm joining to guard Kai!”
Glancing back, Lije and Lussera were barely holding the Death Knight, while Garujan—unfazed by their safety—raced to me.
She gripped two spears and plunged into the zombies.
Main dealer by trade, but Garujan could tank melee in a pinch.
As she held the zombies, Elastra—pale-faced—lobbed fireballs at our escape route.
To clear the path.
“Run!”
Holla and I dashed through the gap Elastra had briefly opened.
But like waves crashing from both sides, the split was already closing fast.