One o'clock in the afternoon.
Phield led his slave guards into the gray mist. In truth, it was hard to grasp the concept of time inside the mist—everything remained perpetually dull and overcast. Only at night did it turn pitch black, with nothing visible but darkness.
Ashina rode her giant wolf at the very front, clearing the path. The eyes of a Divine Chosen seemed somehow enhanced, allowing her to observe the world with greater clarity.
Behind her came Phield and his newly formed slave guard, advancing at a cautious pace through a forest thick with thorns and trees sprouting fleshy tentacles.
"According to the map, we should soon reach Rum Village—the settlement that once supplied abundant vegetables to the city."
"All I can see now is corruption," Ashina said, shading her eyes with one hand as she strained to peer ahead. "Hm. Be careful—seven corrupted corpses are approaching from our right front. I believe they were once the villagers of Rum."
"Perfect for giving the newcomers some practice."
Seeing how relaxed Ashina was, Phield knew these corrupted were nothing but weak trash—ideal for letting the new recruits get their first taste of blood.
The new soldiers swallowed hard in unison upon hearing this, a loud gulp echoing through the ranks. Instinct screamed at them to flee, but with the lord himself right behind them, none dared move.
Remembering the smooth, delicious eggs they'd eaten, the guards felt their very souls elevate. Many of these slaves had lived their entire lives without ever tasting an egg.
At lunch, some had wolfed them down so hastily they barely chewed, several nearly choking. Yet even then, pure joy had filled them.
For the chance to experience that joy again, the slaves were willing to face the risk of death.
"Roar~"
From the gray mist lunged a corpse-like woman, completely naked. Her withered, grotesque breasts sagged all the way to her abdomen, her entire body slick with viscous fluid.
The veteran slave guards swiftly raised their long halberds, thrusting from multiple angles to pin the corrupted firmly in place.
"Come on—stab her head until it bursts, or drive a few more blows into the chest cavity. Keep your hands steady and don't swing too wide."
Ben generously shared his experience, then grabbed a new recruit by the arm and dragged the trembling, jelly-legged man right up to the monster.
The recruit raised his halberd several times but couldn't bring himself to strike. He even wet himself from the roaring creature's terror.
"It's a… a demon," one newcomer stammered, teeth chattering.
Phield had watched plenty of zombie movies in his previous life, but these slaves had not. To them, corrupted corpses were vessels for demons—one careless move and you'd be cursed.
"Do it! Don't act like cowardly trash!" Phield barked harshly, refusing to let fear take root.
Fear was contagious; if unchecked, more would soon see the corrupted as demons rather than killable creatures. "Even if it is a demon, with me and the Divine Chosen here, what is there to fear? We'll slaughter demons right in front of you!"
Puchi~
Stung by the rebuke, the soldier finally thrust his halberd forward—eyes squeezed shut, nearly stumbling into the corpse's embrace—but he had taken the crucial first step.
Afterward, his legs gave out and he collapsed to the ground.
"See? Not difficult at all. No curse either."
Phield pointed at the body on the ground and snapped his fingers lightly. "Keep your distance, and they're easier to handle than idiots."
The remaining corrupted closed in. With the first example set, the other recruits mustered their courage and began their attacks.
After easily dispatching this group, Phield led the party onward. Soon they arrived at the outskirts of Rum Village.
"What's going on with these corrupted?"
Phield scratched his head in confusion, staring at the constantly twitching skull icons on his minimap.
Are they… dancing?
"Um… Lord, I can clear out the corrupted in Rum Village by myself. It's too dangerous up ahead—I can handle it alone." Ashina's gaze darted evasively, a blush creeping across her pale cheeks for some unknown reason.
Her strange behavior instantly piqued Phield's curiosity. What exactly had Ashina seen?
"Let's all go take a look together," Phield said, rubbing his chin.
"Uh… well, alright." Ashina mumbled hesitantly.
The moment Phield beheld the explosive scene before him, he instantly regretted his stubbornness.
Heaps of grotesquely deformed corrupted were engaged in a chaotic game of "making people" in the fields outside the village.
Even though their reproductive organs had long since rotted away, they seemed driven by instinct to keep thrusting.
Phield was speechless with shock. He covered his face and thought: Holy shit, did I reincarnate into some kind of horror porn game world?
No wonder the female corrupted from earlier wasn't wearing any clothes.
The soldiers burst into laughter, shouting and jeering. The oppressive atmosphere that had weighed on them vanished in an instant.
Boom!
Ashina could bear it no longer. She immediately commanded her giant wolf to perform a fiery purification.
Space warped for a moment as scorching blue flames engulfed most of the twisted figures. The crackling of exploding bones rang out, and in the end, everything turned to ash.
Several corrupted—retaining only vague human outlines—shrieked as they charged from the rear.
Sam reacted instantly. His towering frame leaned back slightly like a drawn bow. When a corrupted drew close, he slammed it with a shield bash that sent it sprawling, then mercilessly stomped down. The fragile chest cavity shattered beneath his boot, and the creature stopped moving altogether.
The other guards refused to fall behind—after all, each of these stumbling corrupted represented a walking silver coin.
Under the chaotic thrusting of halberds, the unarmored corrupted could only leave behind a trail of corpses.
"We'll push into the village together. Stay within the range of the mist-dispelling lamp,"
Phield ordered. He itched to join the fight himself, but he carried the vital mist-dispelling lamp. Otherwise, he would have loved to cleave a few heads for the thrill.
Puchi, puchi~
One corrupted after another collapsed into pools of blood.
The guards advanced steadily. Phield clearly heard their footsteps beginning to synchronize, merging into a rhythmic thunder—the natural drumbeat of a marching force. Once the rhythm was grasped, every man could feel the power of the collective. The new recruits, who had hesitated at first, were soon swept up by the momentum and joined the slaughter.
Soon, more than half the corrupted in Rum Village lay dead. Rotting corpses littered the ground, the stench unbearable.
Phield reached the village center, where a dilapidated well stood, now collapsed and ruined. He set the mist-dispelling lamp there and had only just announced a rest—barely five minutes passed—when a massive wave of red skull icons suddenly flooded his minimap.
"Watch out! There are still monsters here—no, far too many!" Without another word, Phield prepared to order a retreat, but the enemy's speed was terrifying—faster even than a horse's trot.
"My lord, run! I saw…" A guard on watch came sprinting back, barely getting a few words out before Phield cut him off.
Leaving Rum Village now would mean running straight into the enemy. The immediate priority was to find a defensible position.