Special Zombie Assassination Operation (1)

"Master, are you alright?"

Unit 1 asked, her voice laced with deep concern. My sudden collapse must have really shaken her. The moment I muttered something about the location of the necromancer zombie I'd found, she marched right up to me, looking ready to grab me by the shoulders and shake me. She probably thought I was having some kind of mental breakdown.

"Uh, yeah... I'm fine. But more importantly—"

"Please do not overexert yourself! If you perish, Master, we will also cease to exist!"

"No, I'm telling you, I'm fine. For now."

Damn it. My life motto is safety first, to live a long and quiet life. How did I end up being coddled and worried over by my own creations? Then again, looking at my current state, anyone would be worried... Letting out a bitter chuckle, I began to explain what I had discovered.

"...So that's the situation."

I laid out the coordinates of the zombies and the very real possibility that they were plotting something.

"Information obtained at the risk of your own life, Master...! We will put it to good use and wipe out the enemy without fail!"

The golems cried out, looking as if they were about to shed tears. Not that they actually had tear ducts in those Magic Stone eyes of theirs.

Seriously, I didn't risk my life. I've collapsed twice now, so I know. This kind of strain won't kill me. If a certified, grade-A coward like me—someone who trembles at the mere thought of getting a shot at the hospital—says it won't kill me, then you can take it to the bank.

Still, it was surprising to see Unit 1 acting like this, considering she usually put on the most cynical front in the world.

"I'm really fine, so calm down."

But the moment I patted their heads to reassure them, they instantly regained their composure and stared out the window with cold, expressionless faces.

"So, what is our course of action? Shall we storm the university campus immediately and crush them?"

"No, hold on a second."

First, I needed to quickly ask about my Mana Detection issue.

"Hey, stop pinging missing and actually help me!"

In the end, I didn't get a proper solution this time either. All I got was nonsense like "use it gently."

"If I could do that, I would've done it from the start!"

Well... a wide range was a good thing, I suppose. At least the tip about it being easier to scan previously detected areas caught my interest.

But what's this?

Just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠then, a new option caught my eye beneath the Magic Modification list.

A modification that allowed me to detect not just the presence of mana, but its elemental attributes as well.

If I have this, won't I be able to track the golems when they're fighting outside with elemental magic?

Honestly, it was tempting. But my brain was already throbbing from the excessive detection range. If I added elemental data on top of that, I might actually pass out for a few hours.

Still, they said scanning a familiar area would be less of a burden.

Let's try it one more time. If the strain really is lighter like they said, I'll go ahead with the modification.

"Guys, don't freak out if I pass out again."

With that thought, I cast Mana Detection once more.

Whoa, I really didn't collapse!

The strain had definitely decreased by more than half. I felt a bit dizzy, but it wasn't enough to make me faint. Unless the entire neighborhood underwent a drastic change overnight, I shouldn't have any major issues scanning it from now on.

The moment I confirmed this, I immediately tapped the Magic Modification button.

Then, I cast Mana Detection once more.

Man, they are absolutely crawling out there.

Granted, the surrounding area was packed with zombies, so I could only sense dark mana outside.

But Unit 1 was water, and Unit 2 was steel. I could clearly see the elemental attributes of the two golems standing right next to me.

In a place saturated with dark mana, those two would stand out like sore thumbs. This would make it easy to monitor them and ensure nothing went wrong when I sent them out to farm later.

I've been casting spells, so my EXP must have gone up, right?

It wasn't a lot, but my EXP had indeed gone up. If I could pinpoint the golems' locations with Mana Detection, there was one more thing I could do.

A very simple and straightforward spell, the most basic of the transmission branch.

They said the "friendly target" condition was surprisingly tricky, so it wasn't a spell used very often without modifications or advanced applications. However, in my position—managing golems with their own egos—it was too useful to pass up.

At Level 1, its range was extremely narrow. It barely reached the immediate vicinity. But that would improve as I leveled it up.

"Testing, one, two."

As a test, I focused on the coordinates of the golems right next to me and spoke in a low voice infused with mana.

"Ah!"

The golems flinched in surprise.

"Looks like it works perfectly."

I brushed back the messy hair covering my eyes and stood up.

"What was that just now?"

"It's Sound Transmission. Once you guys head out in a bit, I'll use this to send you orders."

Judging by how much the range increased per level, I'd probably need to upgrade Sound Transmission to at least Level 5 to reach the university campus. But I didn't have enough EXP for that right now. To grind some EXP, I began explaining the raid plan using Sound Transmission.

"...We'll slip in through the back gate and strike the main body directly."

And so, a rather ridiculous scene unfolded: we were sitting at the exact same table, yet communicating via Sound Transmission over a distance of less than a meter, like two people texting each other while sitting side-by-side.

I was even browsing the forum while doing this. If I did this at a family dinner table, I'd get slapped with a rice paddle. But since my conversation partners weren't human, it was fine.

What I was planning wasn't fundamentally different from the "strike the main body" strategy recommended on the Free Registry.

The problem was that the bastard had hundreds of zombies lined up around his hideout. Some users suggested luring the minion zombies away first, but my golems were strongest when fighting together to trigger their combo magic.

Splitting them up wasn't ideal, and I didn't have a good way to lure the lackeys away anyway. Slipping in undetected, killing the main body, and getting out seemed like the best bet.

Looking closely, there were quite a few zombie packs patrolling the area around where the necromancer zombie was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hiding. But I could easily detect them with Mana Detection and guide my golems around them.

Above all, I knew the layout of those university buildings inside out. After all, I used to go to school there.

I knew about the hidden path on the mountain behind the school that barely anyone used, and the emergency evacuation exit in the basement of the library.

I had the general layout of the buildings and the exact location of the target.

"So, we can assassinate the target without ever running into the lined-up zombies."

"Understood."

I even drained my precious phone battery to open a map app and direct the operation.

However, even after finishing the explanation, my EXP was still slightly short of reaching Level 5 in Sound Transmission. I decided to fill the rest of the bar slowly while they were on the move.

"Seeing them lined up like that, they're definitely planning something. And besides, there's no way they'd expect us to launch a counterattack so soon, right?"

To prevent them from preparing for a counterattack or causing trouble with their gathered forces, we had to move as fast as possible.

"Let's go."

"Yes, Master!"

The moment I gave the word, the golems assumed their combat stances and dashed outside.

"Ugh..."

I groaned as I stood up and shuffled over to my food stash. I pulled out one of my few remaining instant coffee mix packets, stirred it into some water, and heated it up. I wanted to wake myself up and get a quick sugar rush while the golems made their way to the destination.

As I sipped my coffee, I periodically checked the golems' locations using Mana Detection.

Wait, why did they stop there?

The two elemental mana signatures had halted somewhere along the way, as if they were idling. There didn't seem to be a particularly high concentration of zombies or anything threatening nearby.

Based on the location, it was a commercial building where my favorite internet cafe used to be.

Is there something over there?

It was a pity that I could transmit my voice but couldn't receive theirs in return. Fortunately, before long, the golems began moving again.

What was that about?

There was no way to know right now. Regardless, the golems steadily made their way toward the university campus, sometimes avoiding zombies and other times clearing them out.

"Good. Turn left there. There are zombies along the main road, so take the mountain path even if it's a bit of a detour."

I constantly guided them and warned them of danger using Sound Transmission.

By continuously using Mana Detection and Sound Transmission, I accumulated enough EXP to upgrade Sound Transmission to Level 5, completely resolving the range issue.

"The target is still staying put. It doesn't seem to have noticed us at all."

Stealthily dodging the zombies, their advance from that point on was smooth sailing. Before long, the golems successfully infiltrated the university campus via the back mountain.

Now, it was time for them to continuously restore their mana using the Mana Cores they had brought along and prepare for the strike. Our goal was to eliminate the main body in a single blow and make a swift retreat.