Chương 23: Walking Into the Dead

Ch 23 - Walking Into the Dead Zeph gave them a brief explanation of what he had learned about the two factions of undead, the green ones and the red ones. During the day, they would fall into a dormant state, only awakening after nightfall. Once active, they would roam across the area, attacking monsters whenever they appeared. If the two factions encountered each other, they would engage in battle as well.

"So you're telling me these red undead are over in that direction?" asked the man with long black hair.

"Yes. There should only be around a dozen of them left after they fought each other last night," Zeph explained.

"The battle was brutal, and both sides took heavy losses." The group exchanged uncertain glances. Several of them quietly discussed the information among themselves before looking toward one another again. Finally, the man who seemed to take the lead most often raised his hand.

"Let's move out and verify where these undead are coming from," he said.

"If what he's saying is true, then we need to understand exactly what's happening inside this rift." The others appeared to agree with the decision. Zeph let out a quiet breath of relief. It was not the perfect outcome, and they clearly still didn't fully trust him, but at least they were willing to investigate instead of attacking him. Soon after, everyone began preparing to move. At that moment, Lena walked over to him. She stopped directly in front of him, her expression calm and quiet.

Under normal circumstances, her bright and warm smile would have been the first thing anyone noticed about her. But this was hardly a normal situation. The rift was dangerous enough to wear down anyone's spirit, especially considering they were all still so young.

"Zeph. You really followed us here," she said softly.

"Maybe it was a little selfish, but yeah. Here I am," Zeph replied with a faint smile.

"I might get into a lot of trouble after we get out of here, but we both know our biggest problem right now is clearing this rift." Lena nodded and finally allowed herself a small smile. Then her left hand emerged from beneath her cloak as her gaze drifted toward Zeph's arms.

"You can still move them normally," she said.

"I can," Zeph answered.

"But they already feel different compared to before those undead were killed. The curse is getting worse again. We need to hurry." The expedition leader began reorganizing the group and issuing new instructions. The team quickly gathered their equipment and prepared to move once more. Zeph stepped forward to the front of the formation. Since he was the only one who knew where the undead had come from, he would be leading the way through the darkness that night.

Madou walked beside him at the front, while Lena followed one row behind them as the expedition set out once again. The conversation continued as they exchanged information about what each side had experienced over the past few days. It was during that discussion that Zeph learned one of the expedition members had already died because of the curse. A brief silence followed. Madou eventually handed a water flask to Zeph. Zeph accepted it so quickly that he nearly felt tears welling up in his eyes. Damn it.

He had needed this more than he wanted to admit.

"Take it easy," Madou said with a laugh.

"Don't choke on it. It'd be a real problem if our navigator ended up collapsing because he drank too fast."

"Well, trust me, being thirsty without any water feels worse than death," Zeph replied before taking another long drink.

"I can't even imagine what you've been through. You spent days and nights alone inside this rift. The fact that you're still alive is practically a miracle." Zeph didn't answer immediately. He simply swallowed and savored the refreshing sensation running down his throat. For the first time in days, his body felt something other than exhaustion.

"Just how did you end up landing so far away from everyone else?" Madou asked after a while.

"I don't know," Zeph replied.

"Has something like that ever happened before?"

"It has, but it's extremely rare," Madou answered.

"Usually it's caused by spatial instability during entry, or certain environmental factors affecting the transfer point. Entering at significantly different times can also cause people to arrive in separate locations. But based on your story, you slipped in almost after I entered." Madou shook his head.

"That shouldn't have been enough to separate you from the rest of us by such a huge distance. Honestly, I have no idea how that happened."

"Not bad, I guess," Zeph said with a faint smile.

"At least it let me experience things that none of you did. I got a chance to learn how this place works from a completely different perspective." You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. The journey continued for quite some time, even for hours, and only now did Zeph truly realize just how far he had already traveled alongside those undead. The other undead should not be far from here.

The moment Zeph stopped walking, he noticed movement in the darkness ahead, shifting faintly through the night.

"Those are the same undead," one of them said. Another had already begun readying his weapon. However, the leader raised his right hand, signaling everyone to stop.

"How many of them are there?" the man asked.

"That looks like far more than what you told us before." Zeph narrowed his eyes and tried to count them.

"More than thirty," he muttered quietly.

"There definitely shouldn't be that many. Maybe they joined up with another group of undead. But yeah, these should be the same undead I was talking about."

"It's going to be troublesome if we have to fight that many," another person said afterward.

"We need to run now, or we'll end up infected by the same curse," someone else responded in a tense voice. Zeph kept staring into the distance without turning around as he spoke.

"Have you seriously never tried getting close to those undead without attacking them?"

"We've encountered these undead several times," Madou replied.

"But before we could learn much about them, we usually ambushed them and killed them quickly. It was during one of those battles that one of our people ended up suffering from that curse."

"I still don't know how the curse spreads," Zeph answered a moment later.

"Neither do we. At first, we thought the curse spread through contact with the undead, but that theory didn't hold up. Not everyone who came into contact with the undead became infected, while some people who never had any direct contact ended up suffering even worse symptoms." Madou continued.

"We still haven't figured out what actually causes the curse to spread. But one thing is certain: the curse is real. The only thing that seems to stop it from spreading is cutting off the infected body part before it reaches farther into the body."

"Cut off the body part affected by the curse?" Zeph repeated the words. Zeph swallowed hard when he heard that. They had gone that far? Yet apparently, even that had not been enough to save the person they were talking about. As for Zeph himself, even though he could be reckless because he had the possibility of coming back to life after being killed, this was still different. Knowing what had happened to his hand was enough to make him uneasy.

Even the healing and regeneration he normally relied on had been unable to push the curse away. What if he died and revived again, only to wake up with the same curse still attached to him? Sure, having infinite revives sounded useful, but spending eternity without both hands definitely did not sound pleasant at all.

"We need to act now. They're getting closer," another person said, his voice noticeably more tense.

"I don't want to hear any more of this nonsense. This is ridiculous. Who would be stupid enough to believe the words of some foolish kid?" A few others voiced their agreement.

"Exactly."

"This whole thing sounds insane." Madou turned toward Zeph afterward.

"Zeph, are you sure about this? It'll be difficult if we have to fight that many undead at once. If things go wrong, we could end up overwhelmed." Zeph fell silent at the question. Honestly, he wasn't completely sure himself about how this would turn out. His theory could be right, but it could just as easily be completely wrong.

"I'll go and approach them myself," someone suddenly said. Everyone turned toward the speaker as a blonde girl with shoulder-length hair stepped forward.

"Lena?" The girl looked at him.

"Yes. Let me go greet them first, alone. It'll be fine."

"I'm going with you," Zeph replied.

"No," Lena said firmly.

"We need to find out whether those undead behave the same way toward other people, not just you."

"But Lena, that's extremely risky," Madou cut in.

"If they turn aggressive and attack, you won't be able to defend yourself." The others remained silent, though several of them clearly looked uneasy. Madou continued, "Then let me accompany you."

"No, let the three of us go," Zeph said afterward.

"Or at least let me stay close enough to step in if something happens." The long-haired man stepped forward, moving past the three of them.

"You're all complete fools if you're really willing to do this because of him. He broke the rules just to get into this place in the first place. Now he's cursed, and all he's doing is dragging the rest of us into his mess."

"We don't have much of a choice except to trust what Zeph is saying," Lena added.

"We've already come this far. Turning back now won't solve anything." The man stared at them for a moment before letting out a quiet scoff.

"If that's what you want, then I won't stop you," he said at last. Zeph looked at Lena with a serious expression. The girl simply gave him a faint smile and nodded.

"Let's do it." She walked past the man, and Madou followed behind her. Zeph, who was at the very back, moved past the man as well without saying anything. Still, he clearly caught the expression on the man's face. It was a look filled with doubt, frustration, and the certainty that they were making a terrible mistake. The three of them quickly advanced into the darkness while the distant sounds ahead continued to grow clearer.

In the middle of the silent night, the clatter of weapons and the steady rhythm of many footsteps echoed all the way to their position.

"They move surprisingly fast when they want to," Madou said.

"It's not too late to turn back if we decide to." Then he looked at Lena.

"Lena?" The girl glanced over her shoulder.

"You don't believe what Zeph said, Madou?"

"No," he answered.

"That's not what I mean. I'm just making sure you understand the risk. I can take your place. I'll move ahead and approach them myself. You stay behind with Zeph and be ready in case something happens." Lena shook her head.

"You came to this place because you were trying to find me. All of this started because of me. None of you would be in this situation if it weren't for that." She paused before continuing.

"So let's see this through together." Zeph did not respond to those words, and Madou remained as composed as ever. He truly seemed like a different person in this place, more serious, more decisive, and far less relaxed than usual. He looked older and more mature than his age would normally suggest. On the other hand, Lena, who was usually cheerful, warm, and easygoing, appeared just as resolute. The atmosphere of this place seemed to draw out a different side of everyone.

They continued walking, and time seemed to move more slowly as they drew closer to that distant sight. Before long, they would be standing face-to-face with the group of undead. Lena raised her right hand slightly, giving a signal for the other two to stop moving. Madou nodded in understanding, and Zeph came to a halt as well. Lena, however, continued walking forward while the group of undead kept marching in their direction.

They showed no reaction at all, even though at this distance they should have already been able to detect the presence of living humans. Madou's expression turned tense after that. Time felt painfully slow, and within only a few more steps, Lena would be walking straight into the front line of the undead. She finally stopped and stood still. Madou took a step forward at the sight of it, clearly on guard. Zeph watched the scene closely, until suddenly, something made him freeze in shock!

"Behind us!"

"There are more of them!"

"Watch out!" The loud shout rang out, and Zeph's eyes widened as he tried to focus on Lena. By now, she had already begun to disappear into the ranks of the undead. But the voice had not come from the front. Madou and Zeph turned around at the same time. The moment they did, they realized where the true terror had come from.