Chương 22: The Price of Killing the Dead

Ch 22 - The Price of Killing the Dead It happened so fast. Yet Zeph reacted almost instantly. In that split second, his hand moved with incredible speed, and a violent clash erupted as his sword intercepted the attack aimed directly at neck. Zeph was knocked slightly to the side when his sword successfully intercepted his opponent's strike. The impact sent a sharp vibration through his arm, and the force behind the attack was far greater than he had expected.

Dark energy burst forth and began coiling around his body.

A black mask slowly formed, spreading across his face before completely covering his head. [Epic Grade Transformation Sigil: Night Cavalry Activated!] Zeph was breathing a little heavily because that attack had come dangerously close to taking his head off. Fortunately, he had managed to raise his sword in time and divert the strike at the last possible second. It had been pure reflex, and honestly, even he was impressed that he had managed to pull it off.

There was now someone standing directly in front of him, while the others were still busy fighting the undead.

"Look at this undead. It doesn't seem nearly as mindless as the others. And this one can actually talk?" said a man who appeared to be in his twenties.

"I tried to warn you. But even when I speak to you, you still choose to ignore everything I'm saying," Zeph replied.

"I have no interest in talking to you, regardless of the reason. But killing you? That is something I know will be an incredible boost to my cultivation," the man said before tilting his head slightly.

"Though I have to admit, I like the clothes you're wearing. They look completely normal. Where did you get them? They look just like ordinary clothes from my world." Zeph gritted his teeth. Just how foolish could this man be to cling so stubbornly to his assumptions? Some people simply found it impossible to accept the truth, no matter how obvious it was. Should he keep trying to convince this guy? Or should he just kill him and be done with it?

But that would eliminate any chance of having more people help deal with this rift.

"I knew Lena," Zeph said then.

"And Madou."

"Interesting. This undead can actually extract information from others. That makes it even more valuable." Zeph couldn't see either Madou or Lena among them. Maybe they were hunting in a smaller group somewhere else. At that same moment, the undead who had arrived alongside Zeph had already been defeated. It had happened with surprising ease, largely because their numbers were small. Four people moved to surround Zeph, cutting off every possible route of escape. Each of them kept their weapons ready.

Two of them wielded swords, while another with a pair of daggers. The last one remained at a distance with a bow already drawn.

"Well, what about this one?" one of them said.

"This one looks unique. He's probably one of the rarer types. We'd better kill him now before more of them show up." Zeph tightened his grip on his sword. Should he try to convince them by showing his Awakener Device? Honestly, though, he wasn't the kind of person who would keep backing down forever. If they truly wanted a fight, then he would not hesitate to give them one. Zeph tossed the sword onto the ground, causing several of them to raise their eyebrows in confusion.

"Is he surrendering?" However, a moment later, another oversized sword appeared in Zeph's hand. He gripped it with both hands, the massive blade resting with its tip pointed toward the ground.

"Well, if you're going to force this, then I won't hold back," he said, his gaze turning sharp behind the black mask. The archer pulled an arrow from his quiver and aimed it directly at Zeph. At the same time, the others raised their weapons and prepared themselves for battle. It would be a problem if anyone found out that Zeph could actually come back from the dead. Still, he was fairly confident that he could handle these people without needing to die first.

He raised his sword and prepared himself for the fight, watching as one of them shifted forward, ready to attack.

"Stop! I know him!" Then suddenly, a voice shouted from the distance. Zeph turned toward the source of the voice, and for a moment, he felt both surprised and relieved. It was Madou. And... Lena was there as well. Two other people followed behind them, quickly approaching the group. They looked confused by the situation unfolding before them, their attention shifting between Zeph and the four team members surrounding him. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author.

Report any sightings.

"Can't you see what's standing right in front of you?" one of the original four shouted.

"What kind of nonsense are you trying to pull here, idiot?" Madou walked straight past the four and came to a stop beside Zeph.

"He's my friend. I know him." Madou then glanced at Zeph and gave him a small nod.

"Take off your mask." Zeph remained where he was without moving.

"I'll do that if they lower their weapons first." Madou nodded before turning back toward the others.

"He entered this rift with me. Lena and I both know him."

"Damn it, Madou! So not only did you sneak in, but you also brought someone else to infiltrate the expedition?"

"And this little bastard is the reason Ronan failed to enter the rift."

"This little rat slipped in behind everyone's backs and took one of the spots."

"We should just kill this useless kid. There are plenty of others who could have contributed more than him. He doesn't look useful at all." Madou stepped forward once more.

"He survived inside this rift on his own all the way until today. That alone should tell you something. I'm confident we can rely on him. Most of us wouldn't have lasted this long without support."

"He's carrying the curse. Look at his hands," another person replied. Madou turned toward Zeph again.

"Zeph, how long have your hands been rotting like that? And how are you still alive?"

"Two days," Zeph answered.

"I know how to deal with it. But this is only going to get worse if they don't lower their weapons. I need to take care of it before it progresses any further." Madou's expression immediately changed.

"You know how to deal with the curse?"

"Yes. And because they've killed these undead, this situation is about to become a lot more complicated."

"What do you mean? What do the undead have to do with any of this?" Madou asked.

"I'll explain everything once they lower their weapons," Zeph replied.

"If not, I don't mind escalating this situation myself." His grip tightened around the massive sword.

"But if that happens, don't blame me for what comes next." The others clearly weren't buying Zeph's explanation. They looked just as hostile as before, if not even more so. Their weapons remained raised, and the archer tightened his grip on the bowstring, ready to loose the arrow at a moment's notice.

"Just kill him."

"Yeah. Who's going to believe that nonsense?"

"If none of you are willing to do it, then let me handle it." Zeph lifted his gaze and stared back at them without backing down.

"Madou, you'd better move aside. They want a fight, and I'll give them one."

"Wait, Zeph. There's no need for this to escalate any further. We can still talk this through." Madou reached out to grab the flat of Zeph's sword, preventing him from stepping forward.

"Give him a chance to explain. I'll put my name on the line for this. If he's lying or fails to prove what he's saying, you can throw both of us out of this expedition."

"Me too." Another voice suddenly joined the conversation. Zeph turned and saw Lena stepping forward. A dark green cloak rested over her shoulders, while her shoulder-length blonde hair shimmered softly beneath the moonlight.

"If Zeph is lying, then I'm willing to leave this expedition as well," she said.

"I'll take responsibility for bringing him here just as much as Madou does." The four exchanged looks. Their expressions remained skeptical, but Lena's words clearly carried weight among them. One of them finally lowered his sword with an irritated click of his tongue.

"I don't trust him," he said bluntly.

"Not even a little." His gaze remained fixed on Zeph.

"But if both of you are willing to stake your reputations on him, then fine. He gets one chance." The archer slowly lowered his bow as well, though the arrow remained in his hand.

"Just one chance," he warned.

"The moment either of you starts acting suspicious, I won't hesitate to put an arrow through your head." Zeph actually swallowed hard. He didn't like this situation at all, even if it seemed they were finally giving him a chance to speak. He was confident that he could contribute to the team, and he had come this far because he genuinely wanted to help them clear the rift. However, that didn't mean Zeph intended to bend over backward just to earn their approval and convince them to trust him.

He barely knew most of these people, and he had no intention of lowering himself simply to satisfy their suspicions. To be fair, he didn't entirely blame them either. From their perspective, Zeph had secretly slipped into the rift without permission. It was only natural for them to be suspicious and demand an explanation. But that didn't make the situation any less frustrating. Eventually, everyone lowered their weapons. Zeph did the same, deactivating his Sigil.

The mask faded away, revealing his face once more, while the oversized sword vanished from his grasp. Madou looked at him, offering a faint smile before letting out a relieved sigh.

"You look surprisingly fine, Zeph. How did you even survive out here alone? I thought you were already dead."

"You seriously thought I would follow you here?"

"I would've been more surprised if you hadn't."

"Stop wasting time, kid. Explain yourself," said a man with slightly long hair tied behind his head.

"The clock is ticking." Zeph raised both of his hands, revealing the black rot spreading across them.

"This curse stops progressing whenever I'm near those undead." Several people frowned, though their expressions remained deeply skeptical.

"Have any of you ever tried approaching them without attacking first?" he added.

"What do you think we're doing here, kid? Looking for friends?" the man replied with a snort.

"You think those undead are friendly? You think they're here to help us clear the rift?" Zeph clicked his tongue.

"And that's exactly why I managed to survive on my own until I met all of you. Those undead won't attack unless they're attacked first. They'll even fight off any monsters that come too close. Killing them was a mistake." Several people looked unconvinced.

"Not that I can completely blame you for it," Zeph continued.

"After spending time around those undead, I've realized something. They're far more useful alive than dead. At the very least, they were helping maintain whatever balance exists inside this rift. Now that you've wiped them out, we're about to find out what happens when that balance disappears." Madou's expression turned serious when he heard that.

"About what you said. The curse," he said.

"What's going to happen to your hands?"

"We need to find those undead again and do exactly what I did," Zeph replied, clenching both of his hands into fists.

"You can agree with me or not. Either way, I'm going." He glanced down at the blackened rot spreading across both of his arms before looking back at the group.

"Because if we don't, I'm going to lose both of my hands." He let the words hang in the air. When Zeph looked at their faces, he could tell they finally understood just how severe the curse had become. The black rot had already spread far beyond what could be dismissed as a minor injury. The group fell silent. Even those who had been the most aggressive moments ago no longer looked quite as certain.