Chapter 84 : Addis Ancient Tomb

Addis Ancient Tomb

Five hours had passed since Serea and her party had set out.

Several shambling zombies were slowly moving together through the jungle, all heading in the same direction.

Such zombies were continuously being spawned throughout a twenty-kilometer radius, centered on the "source" that Little Black had detected.

What's the one thing the Corrupted Jungle never runs out of?

Corpses!

Whether they were adventurers who met their end here, caravans attacked by monsters while passing through, or even monsters' own corpses within the Corrupted Jungle, the sheer volume of bodies piled up there was immense.

After absorbing the burst of death energy, corpses would rise again—too many to count.

Fortunately, the zombies were low-level; despite their overwhelming numbers, they posed no real threat to a fully-armed elven settlement.

"Ahhhh!"

Several wandering zombies sensed the presence of the living.

They looked around, and as they turned, two sets of bone blades pierced straight through their skulls.

Bang!

With a sweep of bone tail and claws, Little Black dispatched three zombies in an instant.

Against these creatures—just barely stronger than normal civilians—no matter how many came, Little Black could kill them all.

"Nicely done!"

"Thank you for the compliment, My Queen. The 'source' is just up ahead."

As Little Black spoke, four girls emerged behind him. Trailing them was a squad of silver-armored Skeleton Warriors, led by Little White, who wore 'Blood Elf Ranger Armor'.

"Hmm... so it's here."

Following Little Black's directions, Serea looked over and saw a stone platform three meters high and about thirty square meters wide.

At the front of the platform was a stone door, which seemed to have carried some kind of magical seal in the past.

At the moment, the stone door was ajar, and the magical seal had lost all brilliance.

"Master, judging by the rate of mana decay, the magical seal on the main door was broken five days ago—the same day the zombies appeared in the village."

Dogsius's voice resounded in Serea's mind. After hearing that, Serea muttered,

"So, we can deduce that this is the 'source'. Combined with the directions pointed out by the previous zombies, it's almost certain."

"The architecture and its construction style also suggest an ancient tomb. This matches the zombies' mention of the 'Addis Ancient Tomb.'"

Dogsius analyzed, and Serea nodded in agreement.

"Then let's get ready to go down and take a look."

Gazing at the passage leading underground, Serea was ready to explore. But at that moment, Little Black spoke up.

"It would be dangerous to enter recklessly. I request permission to scout ahead on behalf of the Queen."

"Oh? You want to go?"

"I am willing to clear the way for you, My Queen."

"Alright. Take the Skeleton Warriors and enter together. Celia, the others, and I will wait here. If there's any danger, pull back immediately; don't take unnecessary risks."

"As you wish."

With that, Little Black led the way into the tomb, followed by the Skeleton Warriors and Little White, while Serea's group remained above, waiting for news.

"I need to stay in communication with Little Black, so let's find a slightly safer place."

Serea glanced around, found a large boulder, and sat down. Celia and Lola soon joined her, while Vina climbed a nearby tree to keep watch.

Incidentally, Lola had learned to freely switch between Blood Elf and Jungle Elf forms.

When not fighting, she preferred her Jungle Elf form, as it avoided unnecessary trouble.

Once settled, Serea focused on maintaining a mental link with Little Black. With Dogsius's aid, she had become skilled at spirit connection, even simulating images and sounds.

Now, Little Black no longer needed to constantly report back.

At the same moment, Little Black was leading his team down a dark corridor.

There were braziers on either side, the wood long since burnt out.

The dust on the floor was at least a centimeter thick—apparently, this place had been sealed for a long time.

In the dust, Little Black noticed some footprints.

They were likely zombie prints, but some looked peculiar, as if left by bones.

Skeletons!

Once certain, Little White drew his bowstring, and the Skeleton Warriors readied their weapons.

Little Black took the lead—darkness was meaningless to the undead.

As soon as they entered the tomb, Little Black sensed a powerful spiritual energy locking onto him.

It was formidable—an opponent he could only just barely defeat by giving his all.

At this, the flicker of soul fire in Little Black's eyes ceased—he became truly serious.

Click—click—click!

A strange sound echoed through the corridor.

Sensing intruders, the first wave of sentries was on its way.

Clang—clang!

Little Black sharpened his bone claws, sparks faintly flying, then shrugged his shoulders and burst forward as a bolt of black lightning down the corridor.

"Death!"

What is the assassin's code?

See the enemy, shout a battle cry to stack buffs, then open stealth right in front of them and rampage through their ranks.

Little Black executed this code to perfection!

Swish—swish—swish!

Three arrows flew out as Little White cautioned,

"Don't be reckless."

Thud, thud, thud—arrows sank into the bodies of several zombies ahead.

Perfect headshots!

The enemy was now close: over a dozen zombies rushed in front, and behind them, four or five skeletons wielding rusty swords and blades charged too.

"Come on!"

Arm blade thrust! Blade Rend!

Like slicing melons, Little Black instantly dispatched three zombies before him.

Soul Reap activated—triple 'Power Soul Reap' bonus!

Truly, this rampage skill was tailormade for Little Black.

With the power boost, Little Black stabbed into a zombie, extracted its bones, and shaped them into a sturdy bone shield.

Bang!

He slammed the bone shield, knocking over several zombies ahead. Then, with a claw, he pierced another zombie's body and, upon pulling his claw out, wielded a spear.

Seeing that weapon, Serea felt a sense of foreboding...

"Behold the might of the Queen's strongest assassin!"

Shield up, spear and bone tail sweeping forward, he blew apart two skeletons in an instant.

A true assassin stood 2.4 meters tall, clad in heavy bone armor, wielding spear and sturdy shield—if you face an enemy, don't ask questions, just charge straight in!

To cover Little Black, Little White drew a dagger, cut down zombies knocked over by Little Black, then swiftly knelt, drew his longbow, nocked an arrow, and loosed it with one motion.

Mighty Shot!

Swish!

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The corridor was so narrow that Little White's arrow exploded a skeleton's skull, tore through the shoulder bones of two others—one dead, two down, quickly stomped to pieces under Little Black's foot.

(To be continued...)

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=