A deep and heavy silence settled in the surroundings.
The scene that Osian had shown was so impressive that it transcended common sense.
“W-What is this...?”
Especially, Adella, who had not believed in Osian, even thought she might be dreaming.
Was raising his name as a fixer not just some hobby for a rich young master?
When faced with a reality opposite to what she had thought, one feels the destruction of common sense.
In such moments, the weak-minded people grit their teeth and deny reality, but fortunately, Adella was not one of them.
She shattered the puzzle pieces of her previous understanding and reconstructed her thoughts to fit the reality before her.
Perhaps it was because of this.
Ironically, Adella, who had least believed in Osian, was also the one who regained her composure the fastest in this stillness.“What about the casualties?”
At Adella's words, the guards snapped out of their daze and assessed the situation.
“There are three dead.”
At first, when the zombies appeared, it seemed like they could handle it, but then the hidden ghoul emerged, causing the casualties.
The one fortunate thing for Adella was that all the dead were mercenaries hired as subcontractors.
‘It’s tragic that people died, but objectively speaking, this is still a fortunate outcome. The Flesh Golem appeared, and this is the extent of the damage.’
If they had messed up, everyone present could have been wiped out.
The Flesh Golem was that much of a threat.
‘Of course, the only reason this was possible was because of one person.’
Adella's gaze turned to Osian.
It was a single strike.
As he swung his sword, a white line was etched across the space, and anything caught by it was instantly severed.
The Flesh Golem's tough body, the grotesque roars of the zombies and all the dangers blocking their path were cut down.
Standing still, scanning for other enemies, Adella finally saw what she had failed to recognize until now.
‘I thought it was just some young master playing until now, but it wasn't.’
Adella felt the lack of her own judgment and bit her lip.
How could she not even properly assess what kind of person he was? Could she rise to a higher position like this?
‘No, it’s fine. I can do better from now on.’
Adella tightened her resolve and rejected her thoughts of weakness.
At that moment, Osian turned his head and looked at her. Their gazes met in the air.
Adella didn’t know why Osian looked at her.
He just glanced at her with a somewhat surprised look before returning his attention to the darkness beyond the sewer.
‘What was that about?’
Just as Adella was puzzled, one of the guards carefully asked from the side.
“Are you alright? There have been casualties, and the opponent doesn't seem to be an ordinary dark mage.”
Only then did Adella come to her senses and nodded with a grim face.
Hammond, who had been quietly listening, also added his opinion.
“A Flesh Golem, huh? If there’s someone around here capable of making such a monster, we should be worrying more about our survival than checking the sewers.”
Moreover, the scariest thing was that there might not be just one Flesh Golem.
If they had made one, was there any guarantee they couldn't make two or three?
“Are there more of such monsters?”
“If there’s a dark mage around here with that kind of power, doesn’t that put us at a disadvantage?”
“Damn it. Of all the things, we drew the short straw.”
Others added a word or two.
They had managed to survive by luck, but how long could that luck hold out?
“Maybe we should fall back for now…”
One of the guards cautiously suggested to Adella.
For now, falling back and then regrouping with more forces seemed like a reasonable choice.
“We need to make a decision quickly. We don’t know when they’ll strike again. This time, more undead might swarm us than the first attack.”
Just as Adella was about to agree with the persuasion,
“Personally, I think that’s the right call, but falling back seems difficult.”
To everyone’s surprise, it was Hammond who voiced the opposition.
Despite understanding the threat of the Flesh Golem, he rejected the idea of retreating, causing people to throw doubtful glances at him.
“Come on. Think about it logically. Do you really think the dark mage, who’s targeting us, is trying to drive us out by keeping us from his territory?”
If that were the case, he would have shown some sign of warning to prevent them from entering.
But instead, the mage had sent out ghouls and a Flesh Golem right away.
The objective was crystal clear.
“He never intended to let us live. If any of us survived and went back, it would reveal that he’s here.”
Hammond glanced back at the path they had come from.
“Probably, he blocked our way back somehow. Or perhaps his forces did. Either way, since we’ve come this far, our way of retreat has been cut off.”
“Isn’t that something we can check?”
One of the guards asked, considering the possibility.
Although it was a possibility, it was more like a faint hope for survival.
“Well, we can check, but what if we fall into a trap he set for us?” “That’s true.”
It was Osian who agreed with Hammond’s words.
Until now, Osian had been quiet, but now that he spoke, everyone focused on his words.
After all, he was the one who had effortlessly dealt with the Flesh Golem. He was the person with the most authority in this situation.
“The dark mage sent zombies, ghouls, and a Flesh Golem to kill us. Although he failed this time, he’ll be ready to strike again. His priority will be to cut off our escape routes. Once reinforcements arrive, it’ll be bad for him.”
If more guards or even mages joined, the battle would turn quickly in favor of the dark mage.
Before such a worst-case scenario came to pass, the dark mage was planning to kill everyone here.
As Osian’s opinion was supported, Hammond’s expression brightened.
“Haha, I knew you knew something. You’re right. If we retreat now, we’ll be stuck with nothing.”
However, the others still had uncertain expressions.
The thought of fighting a dark mage who had a constant supply of bodies to create undead made them uneasy.
“Look, what are you worrying about? We have someone here who took down a Flesh Golem with a single blow.”
At Hammond’s words, the people’s eyes finally shone with hope.
That’s right. Osian had dealt with the Flesh Golem, something they couldn’t even touch.
Adella also nodded in agreement.
“In that case, we should head toward the inner path. Otherwise, joining up with people from another area wouldn’t be a bad idea either.”
If they played it right, they might meet up with those searching other areas.
If they teamed up with them, their chances of survival would increase.
The decision was made, and everyone checked their weapons and supplies.
Osian quietly observed them, and at that moment, Hammond approached and spoke.
“Thanks to you, we’re alive. What was that power?”
Hammond seemed quite curious about Osian’s displayed abilities.
Anyone would be, after all. It wasn’t easy to get such a result from simply swinging a sword.
“It’s just the power of a knight.”
“A knight? Ah, I see. You’re the rookie who’s been gaining fame lately, right? At this point, calling you a rookie might even be an understatement.”
Hammond shrugged with a smile, as if joking.
“Have you fought a dark mage before?”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because you were the first to notice the zombie ambush.”
He must have been referring to the moment when Osian decapitated the zombie that was pretending to be drowned and ambushing Adella.
“Well, a little.”
“So that’s it. Having someone with experience fighting dark mages on our team, I feel much more confident.”
Osian somewhat downplayed it, but in terms of actual experience fighting dark mages, no one could compare to him.
‘A Flesh Golem. I used to see them quite often in the past.’
Back then, dark mages always used Flesh Golems.
Ghouls were considered easy.
They also created chimera monsters made by combining different beasts and creatures, banshees, and even superior versions of Flesh Golems, such as corpse giants and rotting giants.
Having faced all those, a Flesh Golem was just a minor threat.
Of course, that didn’t mean they weren’t dangerous. Even Osian could get hurt if a ghoul or something similarly dangerous attacked.
‘I’m not sure now, though.’
For now, the fact that the opposing dark mage had used a Flesh Golem meant Osian had reached the "minimum" standard of what to expect.
‘Whether he’s using something beyond that remains to be seen.’
If the dark mage who ambushed Osian had heard this, he would have been left speechless in disbelief.
Who would give a passing grade to a Flesh Golem, a monster that would make most people shake in fear?
“All right. Let’s move.”
The group, who had momentarily stopped, began moving again.
As they continued through the sewer, zombies and ghouls began to appear ahead.
The subsequent battles were won without any casualties, unlike the first time.
They reorganized once again and continued their journey.
The dark mage periodically launched attacks, sending hordes of zombies and commanding ghouls.
But that alone was not enough to stop Osian and the others.
At one point, the dark mage sent another Flesh Golem, but it met the same end as before.
Osian dealt with it in one swift strike. After that, the attacks by the Flesh Golem stopped.
Instead, the zombies began to relentlessly target the group’s ankles.
“Damn it. They just keep coming.”
“There’s no end to the corpses.”
No casualties have occurred, but the fatigue from the battle was undeniable.
The zombies, constantly attacking without giving any time to relax, were slowly chipping away at their mental strength.
Normally, a necromancer would be limited by the number of corpses, but that wasn't the case now.
The unprecedented heavy rain had caused flooding, and countless bodies had been washed into the sewers.
Even if only a few of them were turned into zombies, the number was difficult to count.
This was truly the perfect environment for the necromancer.
"How about taking a short rest?"
Adella, exhausted from the constant attacks, suggested.
It wasn't just her; the condition of the others wasn't good either.
After continuously fighting in the hot and humid sewers, their stamina was rapidly depleting.
They were sweating so much that their clothes were completely soaked.
They had almost run out of water as well.
Even so, the necromancer's stronghold had not shown itself.
"Didn't you notice?"
But instead of agreeing to rest, Osian asked a different question.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"The necromancer is blatantly trying to stall us and keep us occupied."
"Well, it's probably because our strength is formidable, making it hard to determine the outcome."
"Yes. Then, what action do you think a necromancer, one who has a plentiful supply of corpses, would take to bring about a conclusion?"
"That would be..."
"At least I believe there is a reason he's stalling so blatantly."
Looking at the necromancer, who had shifted from an offensive to a defensive posture, Osian felt that the necromancer was preparing some kind of powerful move.
"Ha, but if we increase our speed now, the people will not be able to keep up. Furthermore, we also have repairmen with us..."
The soldiers and fixers they hired were originally people with great stamina, but the repairmen were not.
They were barely keeping up with the group's movements. The soldiers themselves were visibly fatigued as well.
"Right. Not everyone can keep moving."
"Yes. So..."
"Then, I will go alone."
"Huh?"
Adela let out a stunned sound.
***
'What is this? Their movements have stopped.'
The necromancer, Katalag, confirmed the signal sent by his summoned beast and smiled slightly.
The dogs of Tirna, who had been continuously moving towards his stronghold, had finally become exhausted.
"Right. It was about time. It was a mistake for you to try to fight us in a place full of corpses."
Katalag was not alone. Surrounding him were several other necromancers, and together they formed a clan, a group.
"But we can't be careless yet. They're certainly strong. Especially that monster who defeated the flesh golem..."
Through the vision sent by his summoned beast, Katalag saw how the flash golem was defeated.
A man drew his sword and struck, cutting it down in a single blow.
How shocked he had been seeing that. Even though it was Tirna, to think that such an abnormal powerhouse had come this far.
"Whatever happens, I’ve bought some time, so I need to proceed with the preparations..."
Katalag's eyes widened.
"Uh, uh?"
Noticing his unusual reaction, other members of the necromancer clan asked.
"Katalag. What happened to them?"
"What’s going on?"
"It's coming."
Katalag’s voice trembled.
"He’s... he’s coming!"
"Who's coming? Answer properly!"
"The one who cut down the flash golem in one strike! That crazy bastard is coming here at an incredible speed, alone!"
What? He’s coming alone? What about the others?
The necromancers’ minds were in disarray. But Katalag wasn't the type to lie about such things, and seeing his reaction, it was clear he was genuinely panicked.
"Quick, prepare! Hurry!"
The necromancers went into a state of emergency.