Chapter 43: Logging Camp (1)

Almost no sound was made the entire time, only the crisp clatter of armor plates scraping against each other.

But the other soldier beside Ben, distracted for a moment, stepped on a wriggling corrupted flesh mass and let out an instinctive shout.

“Roar~”

Three corrupted corpses immediately surged out of the gray mist, lunging to attack. The soldier who made the mistake tried to shout a warning, only to have his mouth immediately covered. Ben hissed harshly, “What are you screaming for? Making a fuss over nothing!”

Without hesitation, Ben engaged the corrupted corpses. He was no longer the timid, skinny slave he once was; the daily high-intensity combat had transformed him completely.

Ben charged forward valiantly, spear thrusting. He felt the resistance as iron met flesh; the unarmored corrupted corpse was effortlessly gutted, its body almost folding in half.

The other two corrupted corpses attempted to flank him, but Ben grabbed the right hand of the one coming at him, thrusting his spear into its throat without pause. He then swung his small shield in his left hand, smashing the last corrupted corpse to the ground.

“Pfft!”

Stepping on the corpse, Ben smashed its face with the edge of his shield until it was a bloody pulp.

“Captain, I…” The soldier who had caused the commotion looked embarrassed once the corrupted corpses were all eliminated.

“Stay alert, keep clearing the path.” Ben paid him no mind.

The rest of the soldiers did the same, quickly eradicating the scattered corrupted corpses.

“The bridge ahead should be just up ahead.” Ben searched along the riverbank and found it, covered with aquatic plants. A few corrupted corpses were trapped among them, staring blankly at the sky.

“Did you hear that sound?” a soldier asked.

Everyone held their breath, and indeed, faint cries of “No! Help!” drifted from the mist on the opposite bank.

“Alive people?” The group grew excited. Finding living humans in Nightfall Domain was no small feat. “Let’s go rescue them!”

“Set aside your curiosity. The Baron’s order is to find the stone bridge. I’ll report this to him first.”

While the soldiers fought, Phield was not idle either, practicing his horsemanship.

He gave his horse a squeeze, and it bolted forward. The wind howled past his ears, giving him a rollercoaster-like thrill. Spotting a corrupted corpse ahead, Phield braced his lance and drove it toward the grotesque figure.

“Pfft~”

The lance shuddered as the corpse’s neck was severed in a single strike, a gush of foul blood erupting instantly.

“You can’t hesitate or slow down in combat, Phield. Trust your judgment,” Ashina said, steering her giant wolf alongside him. “Either strike the enemy with overwhelming force, or don’t engage at all—maneuver to find an opportunity.”

Phield nodded thoughtfully. “Slowing down would drastically reduce impact.”

“Exactly. A cavalryman stuck in infantry ranks will be pulled down and killed.”

“Report: we’ve located the bridge,” Ben ran up. “Also, we heard cries for help.”

“Cries for help? Are you sure?” Phield frowned at the mini-map. The opposite bank was densely covered with skull markers.

Ashina sniffed the air. “I sense no strange life forms.”

“Everyone heard it, but I didn’t let them investigate.” Ben scratched his head. “Sorry for the trouble.”

Phield nodded approvingly. “You did well. In the Northern Province, you can never be too careful.”

“Ashina, the upcoming fight will be on you. Clear the path to the Logging Camp,” Phield commanded. Large-scale hordes of corpses were beyond the soldiers’ ability; it required the intervention of the Divine Chosen. “Ben, you lead the soldiers to protect the slaves.”

Phield brought ten slaves on this expedition to carry supplies and, opportunistically, collect any spoils.

Even an ant is meat. Along the way, they gathered twelve copper coins and two copper trinkets.

Ashina guided her Drakewolf to the stone bridge. The wolf opened its jaws slowly, then suddenly shot a pillar of eerie blue magma, turning the gray lake into a brilliant azure.

“Sizzle~”

All aquatic plants burned and withered, revealing the bridge beneath.

“Driftwood? No… that seems like a magical plant.”

Scanning the area from the bridge, Ashina’s gaze fixed on a brown log some ten meters away, covered in writhing moss. A flower with purple fuzz grew atop it, emanating a faint spiritual aura with delicate radiance.

“That’s magic—growing on driftwood. Truly rare.”

Without hesitation, Ashina leapt to the nearby riverbank, intending to prod it with her spear. Before she could, the log suddenly rose, splitting open with a gaping maw, cold energy radiating immediately.

“Clever… hiding in the water to mask its scent.”

It was no log—it was a second-tier corrupted crocodile.

The crocodile burst from the water, a six-to-seven-meter body exuding a nauseating stench, jaws lined with jagged teeth, lunging through the air.

Drakewolf’s vertical pupils flicked over the creature. Its limbs crouched, then it shot forward, effortlessly dodging the attack.

“Boom!”

The massive head collided with the riverbank, sending up a cloud of gray dust. The corrupted crocodile, unfazed, twisted its neck into a nearly impossible angle and swung its massive tail, crashing down where Ashina had stood.

A resounding thud echoed as the riverbed caved slightly, causing the lake to churn violently and stir up countless malformed corrupted fish. The crocodile’s gray eyes scanned the area before finally pausing.

“Looking for me?”

Ashina’s skirt fluttered as she appeared behind the crocodile, then thrust her spear with unstoppable force, piercing it and spraying a cloud of blood.

Before the crocodile could retaliate, Ashina landed lightly on its head. Channeling the raw power of Winter’s Wrath, she slashed down, splitting through its stone-like scales, spilling brains and blood into the lake and onto the bank.

“Squeak!”

Corrupted fish with limbs shrieked and approached to lap up the blood.

“Hmph, sorry, you’re part of the clean-up too.”

Saying so, Drakewolf jumped into the lake, dragged the crocodile’s corpse ashore, and unleashed a torrent of fire, incinerating the weaker creatures in sight.

“Such a huge crocodile wasted… if it were a normal magical beast, we could have eaten it.” Ashina plucked the magical purple flower from its body, pouting regretfully. “But its hide might come in handy.”

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