Chapter 21: Rum Village and More Monsters

1 PM.

Field led the slave guards into the gray fog. In the fog, it was hard to keep track of time since everything was always dim and only turned pitch black at night. Asheena, riding her giant wolf, led the way at the front of the team. The Chosen's eyes seemed to have been modified to see this world more clearly.

Following behind were Field and his newly formed slave guard. They moved slowly through the forest, filled with thorns and fleshy tendrils, making their progress difficult.

"According to the map, we should soon reach Rum Village, which once supplied the city with plenty of vegetables."

"Unfortunately, now I only see corruption." Asheena shaded her eyes with her hand, trying to see ahead. "Be careful, seven zombies are approaching from our right front. I think they are the villagers of Rum Village."

"Let the rookies get some practice."

Seeing Asheena's relaxed expression, Field knew the approaching zombies were weak, making them perfect for the new soldiers to practice on.

The new recruits swallowed hard, their instincts telling them to run, but with the lord right behind them, they dared not move rashly.

Thinking of the delicious eggs they had enjoyed earlier, the soldiers felt a surge of determination. Many slaves had never even tasted eggs before. During lunch, some had swallowed their eggs so quickly they nearly choked, but they felt genuine happiness nonetheless.

To experience this happiness again, the slaves were willing to face death.

"Roar~"

A zombie woman, resembling an ancient mummy from Loulan, emerged from the gray fog. She wore no clothes, her disgusting, shriveled breasts sagging to her abdomen, and her entire body covered in mucus.

Veteran slave guards raised their spears and stabbed from all directions, pinning the zombie in place.

"Now, aim for her head or stab her chest a few times. Keep your movements steady and controlled."

Sam generously shared his experience, then dragged the trembling rookies to the front of the zombie.

The new recruits hesitated, unable to thrust their spears, even wetting their pants in fear at the zombie's growls.

"This is a demon... a devil," one recruit said, his teeth chattering.

Field had seen many zombie movies in his past life, but the slaves hadn't. They believed the zombies were inhabited by devils and feared being cursed.

"Do it! Don't be a cowardly quail," Field yelled, not allowing his soldiers to be overcome by fear. Fear was contagious, and if it spread, more people would see the zombies as devils rather than killable creatures. "Even if they are devils, we have The Chosen and me here. What are you afraid of? We'll kill the devils for you!"

"Squish~"

Spurred by Field's words, the soldier finally thrust his spear, though with his eyes closed, almost falling into the zombie's arms, but he took the first step.

After this, his legs gave out, and he collapsed.

"See, it's not difficult, and there's no curse." Field pointed to the corpse and snapped his fingers. "As long as you keep your distance, they're easier to deal with than dumb deer."

The other zombies approached. With the first example set, the rest of the new soldiers mustered their courage and attacked.

After easily dealing with this batch of monsters, Field led the group onward, soon reaching the outskirts of Rum Village.

"What's wrong with these zombies?"

Field scratched his head in confusion, looking at the constantly trembling skull icons on his map.

Were they dancing the tango?

"Lord, I can clear out the zombies in Rum Village by myself. It's too dangerous ahead. Let me handle it alone." Asheena's eyes darted around, her face flushed for some reason.

Her strange expression piqued Field's curiosity. What did Asheena see?

"Let's all go and take a look." Field rubbed his chin.

"Um, okay." Asheena stammered.

When Field saw the chaotic scene before him, he instantly regretted his insistence.

A large group of deformed zombies was engaging in what could only be described as "human puppetry" in the village fields. The scene was chaotic beyond belief.

Even without functioning "parts," they seemed to be moving instinctively.

Field was speechless, covering his face and thinking: Did I actually cross into an H-game world?

No wonder the female zombie earlier had no clothes.

The soldiers were also amused, laughing and shouting, the oppressive atmosphere dissipating.

"Boom!"

Asheena couldn't hold back any longer and commanded her giant wolf to cleanse the area with fire.

The space twisted as searing blue flames engulfed the writhing figures, the sound of cracking bones echoing until only ashes remained.

Several humanoid zombies charged from the rear, screaming.

Hammer reacted immediately, his large body leaning back like a drawn bow. When the zombies got close, he smashed one with his shield and stomped on it, crushing its chest, rendering it immobile.

The soldiers, not wanting to be outdone, attacked the remaining zombies eagerly, knowing each one was worth a silver coin.

Under the assault of spears, the unarmored zombies fell, leaving behind a trail of bodies.

"Let's charge into the village together. Stay within the range of the fog lamps," Field said, his hands itching to join in. Unfortunately, he was holding the crucial fog lamp, or he would have liked to slay a few himself.

"Squish, squish~" Zombies fell into pools of blood.

The soldiers advanced steadily. Field noticed their footsteps beginning to sync, creating a natural rhythm. New recruits, inspired by the veterans, joined the fray.

Soon, most of the zombies in Rum Village were dead, their rotting bodies filling the air with a stench.

Field reached the village center, where a collapsed well lay. He set the fog lamp down and had just given the order to rest for five minutes when he saw a large number of red skull icons appearing on his map.

"Be careful! There are more monsters—no, a lot more!" Field started to order a retreat, but the enemies were fast, even quicker than a galloping horse.

"My lord, run, I saw..." A lookout soldier ran over, but Field cut him off.

Leaving the village now would mean running straight into the monsters. The priority was to find a place to make a stand.