NOVEL WEB Chapter 226.1
Chapter 226.1. The Sieve
The ground is a wetland, boots sinking in, a squelching sensation returning. The party, splashing mud everywhere, semi-surrounded the boss, the Giant Zombie.
“Don’t hold back on mana, hit it with your highest power!”
“Got it!”
“Understood!”
As Hei gave orders, Kou, a large figure, readied his knife and charged at the Giant Zombie, while Otsu readied his bow.
“I-I got it!”
Matsu, probably a mage, raised a club as a staff and concentrated his mana.
[Flame Arrow]
A flame arrow flickered into existence in front of the club.
[Snipe]
Otsu also used a technique and released an arrow. Scattering sparks, the flame arrow aimed at the Giant Zombie’s head. Ignoring the attack, the Giant Zombie, like a balloon, advanced powerfully, splashing mud as it went.
But that disregard for damage was also the zombie’s weakness. The flame arrow struck its head, and when it pierced the sunken white eye, the Giant Zombie, now blinded, stumbled.
“Blindness won’t last long. It has [Regeneration].”
“That’s enough!”
Ume, dodging the flailing arms of the now blind Giant Zombie, slammed the club into its torso. The rotten torso emitted a foul stench, spraying sticky slime, deeply gouged. Despite its durability, its defense was low as it was originally a corpse.
“Take this!”
“Yaaah!”
Roaring, Hei and Kou also struck the Giant Zombie’s torso with their knives, gouging out the flesh. The wounded flesh barely bled before quickly closing up, thanks to the [Regeneration] skill.
Without enough firepower, the Giant Zombie would keep regenerating, making it impossible to defeat. For this reason, undead dungeons were unpopular. The damage would heal, fatigue would gradually accumulate, and eventually, adventurers would be killed.
[Hard Slash]
[Bone Crush]
However, these five adventurers were skilled. Each played their role, cornering the Giant Zombie. The rear guard relentlessly attacked the head with magic and arrows, blinding it. The front guard seized the opportunity to crush the head, hammering with clubs and slashing at the neck with knives.
As the battle progressed, after some time, the Giant Zombie’s head was more than half crushed, its neck repeatedly targeted and sliced, until it finally collapsed onto the muddy ground, as if its strings had been cut.
“We did it! Silver rank is within reach now!”
Hei, the leader, laughed, rubbing his nose, while Kou and Otsu celebrated with fist pumps. Seeing this, Matsu and Ume smiled in relief.
“So, this was really just a dungeon-clearing invitation, huh?”
“Thank goodness. I was actually worried you’d shoot us in the back.”
“Heh. I figured you’d think that. But we’re both skilled, right? If it came down to a 3-on-2 fight, neither side would come out unscathed. A sneak attack wouldn’t work either, since we’re both on guard. It’s too high risk.”
Hei shrugged in response. Hearing this, Matsu nodded, realizing that the chances of being attacked were low despite the high risk of serious injury.
Relieved, Ume exchanged glances with Matsu, happy that accepting this party’s invitation had been the right choice. Surely, they could achieve Silver rank with these three.
“Oh, is this the Dungeon Core?”
The boss room began to change colors, revealing a giant crystal. The Dungeon Core, both eerie and mysterious, appeared, leaving the group silently awestruck. As they admired the sight, the space began to dissolve, and they were transported outside.
“Oh, we better touch the Dungeon Core quickly, or it might disappear.”
“I’ll do it.”
Ume snorted, touching the Dungeon Core, which dissolved into particles, leaving a small glass bottle in her hand. She held it up to the sky, scrutinizing it with a smile.
“This is a Skill-Up Potion. We’re lucky.”
From the mark on the bottle, it was clear it was a Skill-Up Potion, one that increased experience by 10% to level up to Level 3. It was a rare and valuable item.
“Oh, we did it. We’re really lucky.”
“Yeah, we are.”
“This’ll warm up our wallets even more.”
Kou, Otsu, and Hei rejoiced, and even Matsu, surprised by the outcome, was delighted. He hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly.
“We were really fortunate.”
Matsu raised one hand, speaking cheerfully, then brought it down.
“This will get us to Silver rank.”
At the same time, a sharp cracking sound echoed, and Hei’s head snapped back as he collapsed.
“What?”
“This is…”
A series of cracking sounds followed—the sound of gunshots. Panicking, Kou and Otsu tried to hide in the shadows of a building
[Spider’s Web]
But were caught by the item [Spider’s Web] thrown by Ume. As they tried to cut the web with their knives, they made a fatal mistake. More gunshots rang out, and the incoming bullets ended their lives.
Watching the three die, Matsu showed a dirty, sneering grin.
“You were all quite skilled. I actually learned about you from the Adventurer’s Guild’s receptionist. They told me you were close to reaching Silver rank. But that’s a problem. Did you know? There’s a limit to the number of Silver ranks. I have to take out the competition before the special exam period ends. Oh, and don’t worry about recommendations—I’ve already bribed someone at the Adventurer’s Guild.”
Matsu spoke with a twisted smile, and Ume approached, bowing her head.
“Matsunaga-sama, well done.”
“Ah, how low I’ve fallen, taking out petty rivals in this abandoned town.”
Matsunaga, once known as Matsu, grimaced with disdain at finding himself in such a filthy place.
Matsunaga Hisahide, once the heir to the Matsunaga family, had been brought down by a coup orchestrated by the Miyoshi clan he had allied with. His assets were seized, and he had fallen to the abandoned town. Proud of his lineage, Hisahide found this situation unbearable.