Chapter 164
Chapter 164
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 164
Chapter Title: Ghosts of the Past, Ties of the Present (3)
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Resurrection was rampant.
Not the sacred miracle from the Bible, but the grotesque kind straight out of a cheap horror flick.
The first to raise their heads were the corpses buried most recently.
The bodies hastily dumped in shallow graves or left to rot over the past few days began writhing with bloated muscles and crawling out into the streets.
The citizens who spotted these undead split into two reactions: screaming and fleeing, or grabbing weapons and fleeing.
Unfortunately, in this city, there was nowhere to run from the corpses.
The city's accumulated history meant there were far too many bodies buried beneath it.
—Groooar...
A missing neighbor rose in the backyard.
Those buried under street trees clawed their way up through the roots, and bones rattled from beneath the stone walls by wells.
Around the crematoriums, countless undead crawled out—corpses buried to steal the scarce cremation slots.
Zombies burst from alchemy workshops, hospitals, even the pillar foundations of old buildings. In some places, corpses punched straight through walls.
And at the epicenter was the sewer system.
Where countless fools chasing get-rich-quick schemes had ended up as corpses.
"...If we just count heads, that's gotta be tens of thousands," Park Neti shuddered from the rooftop of the armed inn.
Her gaze fixed on the nearby sewer grate, where undead were endlessly pouring out.
What the hell is this, some gateway to hell?
Moments later, Yeomyeong, firing the machine gun beside her, chimed in.
"That's not the end. Anyone who dies here will just turn into one of them."
"...Fighting the Ratkin is gonna be a shitshow."
As if on cue, an explosion boomed from across the city, a massive pillar of fire shooting up.
Proof that the Ratkin legions and undead had fully engaged.
Why do the bad premonitions always hit the mark?
While Park Neti shook her head, Yeomyeong sank into thought.
*How do we get down to the underground armory?*
The entrance under the West Palace Lord's building was probably sealed by now, and finding a new one through the sewers where zombies and Ratkin were battling was next to impossible.
That left only the mysterious entrance the South Palace Lord and Kahal Magdu had used... but did he even know where that was?
As his 고민 deepened, an orc and a brute hauling a machine gun ammo crate climbed onto the roof.
Yeomyeong paused his firing and asked the orc.
"Ballagu, how's the defense prep? How far along are we?"
"We just need to barricade the main gate. And... we've evacuated everyone from the tent city inside the inn."
Yeomyeong nodded at Ballagu's report.
The moment the corpses rose, he'd ordered the women and children from the tent city inside.
Leaving them out there would've turned them into undead for sure.
Seeing Yeomyeong hand the machine gun to the Brute, Ballagu added.
"Women and kids together make about forty. Four of them know how to shoot, so we've pulled them for defense duty. The rest are building barricades with furniture and sandbags."
Barricade setup was clearly Joseph Teacher's orders. Probably planning to use the tent city folk as meat shields.
It was regrettable, but neither Yeomyeong nor Ballagu voiced it. This wasn't the time for charity.
Anyway, after handing off the machine gun to the Brute, Yeomyeong headed downstairs.
As he passed the third floor to the second, Ballagu added in a slightly worried tone.
"Uh, that... the tent city folks think you're the South Palace Lord, so they're all praising his name."
"..."
"Please don't be too upset, even if it bothers you."
Was that something to be upset about? Yeomyeong tried to brush it off, but suddenly thought of Ballagu.
Castrated, lived as a mage's slave before escaping—an orc.
Knew oddly much, friends with the South Palace Lord's knights, well-connected enough to guide through the city.
And he'd played along perfectly when Yeomyeong transformed into the South Palace Lord...
Yeomyeong stopped midway down the first-floor stairs and turned to Ballagu.
"Ballagu, were you... the South Palace Lord's slave?"
A blunt question. Ballagu fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"...Yes. My former master was the South Palace Lord, Adrian Bar Terial."
He looked at Yeomyeong with the caution of a pup caught in mischief. Yeomyeong, though, was thinking something else.
"Uh... I wasn't trying to hide it on purpose..."
As Ballagu started to explain, Yeomyeong cut him off.
"Ah, that's fine. You don't have to say. More importantly, Ballagu—do you remember the South Palace Lord's palace layout?"
"...Pardon? Ah, yes. Of course I do."
"Has it changed much while you were living as a nomad?"
"Well...? It's an old building, so probably not much different from when I escaped."
Yeomyeong clenched his fist at the answer. An unexpected breakthrough right in front of him.
"Then, can you draw a map right now?"
Yeomyeong extended his fist toward Ballagu, thinking how lucky he'd been to bring him from the desert.
***
The inn's first floor was a cacophony.
Far from the lively bustle of a proper inn.
Gunfire aimed at approaching undead mixed with terrified women hauling ammo, evoking a battlefield.
How long had the noise gone on?
Seated at a table on the first floor, Yeomyeong pointed to a spot on the map Ballagu had drawn.
Where the South Palace Lord's palace basement warehouse met the sewers.
"The entrance to the underground armory has to be... right here."
The group's reactions to following his finger varied.
"...If this map's accurate."
The one-armed elf, Pinel.
"Ugh, we'd have to punch through the sewers where zombies and Ratkin are fighting."
Park Neti's take, clutching her weapons bag.
"If they know where we're headed, that skullhead will definitely interfere. We need max stealth."
And finally, Seti massaging her temples to ward off fatigue.
After listening, Yeomyeong pondered briefly, rolled up the map, and said.
"Pinel stays here. Seti, Neti, and me—three of us go."
"...What? You want *me* to stay?"
Pinel scowled in disbelief, glancing between Neti and Yeomyeong.
*I'm stronger than this guy—why leave me behind?*
"To handle emergencies, we need at least one superhuman here at the inn."
"...Then why not leave someone else?"
Yeomyeong dismissed his glare with one line.
"Your wounds healed?"
From the East Palace Lord and Ratkin legions.
Unless you had Yeomyeong's freakish regeneration, no way they'd heal in two days.
Pinel shut his mouth, unable to retort. Moments later, he sighed.
"Who'd have thought I'd ally with a gelded orc to protect humans."
"..."
"But my body's not at full strength, so... fine, I'll stay. Just leave a retreat plan. I won't die with you."
Knew he'd say that. Yeomyeong nodded, beckoned Ballagu hauling weapons.
As Ballagu approached, Yeomyeong overlaid an illusion of bloody tears on his face.
Mana shimmered over the orc's features, revealing a familiar human noble elder.
"...South Palace Lord?"
"If things go south, use that face. Call the guards, head to the palace... Ballagu and Joseph will handle the rest."
Pinel nodded in understanding.
With personnel and destination set, speed was key.
Yeomyeong grabbed his weapons bag, stood, and extended a hand to Seti.
"Come with me?"
"...Gladly."
Seti took his hand and rose. Neti followed.
With Ballagu's final bow, the three vaulted the inn's fence.
***
The city outside was chaos incarnate.
Fires raged everywhere, zombies endlessly assaulting people.
—Squeak, squeak! Block it, block them!
—Fire! Fire! Burn 'em—they die too!
—H-Help! Aaaagh!
Even safeholds saw Ratkin and zombies locked in ceaseless brawls.
"Skirt everything."
Yeomyeong and the sisters stayed a step removed from the mayhem, suppressing their presence and slipping quietly into the sewers.
The inn to South Palace Lord's palace wasn't far, so they soon reached the basement warehouse.
Only...
"...It's too quiet, right?"
As Neti said, no zombies or Ratkin in the sewer leading to the basement warehouse.
Just deep darkness and sticky silence. Unlike the city above, eerily still. As if someone had cleared this area alone.
Yeomyeong thought *trap*.
Had Ballagu betrayed him? Unlikely.
Then a trap laid by someone anticipating his return to the armory...
"You actually came?"
Sure enough, someone was there. Someone skilled enough to detect presence-suppressed Yeomyeong.
Yeomyeong drew his sword with a *shing*; Neti donned her cloak of invisibility.
Soon, a woman strode from the basement warehouse door.
A decadent beauty wielding a spear taller than herself.
"...Ekaterina?"
"Oh, you know my name? Well, I've been flashy in this city."
"..."
"Whatever. You're Cheon Yeomyeong or whatever, right? The Earthling Kahal Magdu wants."
She approached closer, but Yeomyeong stayed silent. Confirmed Kahal Magdu ally—no need for talk.
Only violence here.
*Bang!*
Quick-on-the-draw Neti fired her pistol as Yeomyeong charged—near-simultaneous.
"Tch, thought we'd talk."
Ekaterina tilted her spear to deflect the bullet, then swung at Yeomyeong using centrifugal force.
*Clang!*
The massive spear and sword collided. Weight favored Ekaterina, power Yeomyeong.
Their martial arts and mana nearly equal—or Yeomyeong superior. Ekaterina smirked bitterly.
"You little shit—"
Before she finished, Yeomyeong stepped forward, thrusting.
One Kahal Magdu mouthing off mid-fight was enough.
Ekaterina parried upward, sword glancing off. Sparks flew from metal clash.
Yeomyeong, pushed back, tensed his core and unleashed Flying Leg Art. Mana-charged sole kicked spear shaft and her chest simultaneously.
*Boom!* Like cars colliding. Yeomyeong landed lightly; Ekaterina slid back.
"Damn, shit—that wasn't in the briefing."
Her spear hummed from the blocked kick. Gripping to quell vibration, she laughed incredulously.
"Motherfucker, first since Pasun... Wait, you killed Pasun too?"
No reply—Yeomyeong's sword dove into her guard. Her spear reacted instantly.
Spear tip thrust at approaching Yeomyeong, then spun trajectory. Its absurd size shattered sewer walls and ceiling.
*Boom!*
Debris flew from shattered walls. Yeomyeong dodged incoming tip, smacked the shaft with his sword.
The huge spear bent elastically instead of breaking. Ekaterina tried whipping it back using rebound—but
Yeomyeong's sword accelerated. Simple diagonal downward slash.
World Tree mana-enhanced body embodied simple virtue. Speed was power.
In that instant, master-level Ekaterina's instincts screamed.
*Can't block—dodge.*
She ignored it. Bared teeth, pulled spear.
Next moment, sword pierced a beat ahead. Slashed long gash across her chest.
Spear lagged a beat; blood sprayed two.
"Hah!"
Bleeding Ekaterina laughed; Yeomyeong didn't stop. Sword rose, severed left shoulder, arced to slit throat.
Fatal combo for a human.
But Ekaterina swung spear with remaining right arm, shoving Yeomyeong back.
He hadn't finished her off due to inexplicable dread. Kahal Magdu's ally wouldn't end this easily—near-certainty.
So he retreated, flicking blood from blade.
"Fuck, how's a kid like you this strong? Sold your soul to the devil?"
"..."
Chest gaping, throat pouring blood, yet Ekaterina grinned nonchalantly.
"No wonder that prickly skull wants you... Ha, now I want you too."
Next instant, thick red glow from her eyes.
Bloodflow acceleration doping?
As Yeomyeong narrowed eyes to check mana—
*Bang!*
Seti fired from behind. Sudden, thus efficient ambush.
*Splat!* Ekaterina took forehead bullet without reacting.
Hole in head, she crumpled like a marionette with cut strings.
Yeomyeong turned in surprise; Seti shrugged.
"Why entertain that? We outnumber her."
"..."
"Let's hurry—into the basement before Kahal Magdu—"
Seti didn't finish.
Head-holed Ekaterina abruptly sat up.
"You bitch... shooting during a sacred one-on-one?"
Regeneration? No, wounds unchanged.
Left arm gone, throat and chest bleeding profusely.
Yet she lived. Grinning without pain.
"Like team fights so much? Fuck, wanna try one?"
Next, she smashed the basement warehouse door behind with spear.
*Rumble...!*
Sewer quaked; ceiling and walls cracked.
Fissures spread instantly to warehouse ceiling and walls, collapsing the building.
Cracks stopped short of Yeomyeong, but dust and debris pelted his face.
Moments passed; collapsed warehouse revealed.
Room centered on stairs down, packed with huge containers.
Dawn nearing? Faint light through ceiling holes illuminated "Walmart" on containers.
"..."
Stairs to underground armory, Earth containers, South Palace Lord who bought dino bones.
Moment Yeomyeong realized:
Container doors flew open; colossal hidden bones emerged.
Reptilian, huge enough to mistake for dinosaur.
"...Dino bones? Bad taste."
Yeomyeong launched dozens of ice spikes as bones floated out.
"Hey! Attacking during assembly's cheating!"
"Bullshit."
Ekaterina deflected spikes with spear; Yeomyeong kicked ground—as
Bones began merging midair.
Sleek reptilian body tail to head, vast wings from shoulders.
Elongated skull jaws, crown-like horns behind.
*Thud!*
Massive form shattered ceiling, crushed containers, towered.
The moment the Immortal Dragon, Kahal Magdu's true body, descended upon the land.
* * *