23 Chapter 23, Shadowwind Castle_1
Translator: 549690339
The ancient castle seemed to have stood the test of time.
The towering grey walls were covered in dark green vines, giving it an
old, ominous feeling.
All focus was on the ancient castle, letting the whereabouts of the unicorn be completely forgotten.
The fact that none of his two-thousand skeleton soldiers were lost gave him a little bit more confidence.
“Open the doors,” commanded Fang Hao.
Screech!
Dust swirling up, alongside a piercing sound.
Under the combined effort of the skeletons, the corroded, mottled door was slowly pushed open.
No matter how dangerous this ancient castle might be, its proximity to his own territory required an investigation.
Moreover, the sudden appearance of a lone ancient castle within the dense forest
drenches one in unease.
As the door creaked opened, the scene within revealed itself to Fang Hao.
Behind the door was the courtyard of the castle.
The courtyard was covered in fallen leaves, with wild grass growing everywhere.
Weeds entwined around gravestones, coiling and intertwining with the miscellaneous vegetation.
“Damn! I knew it wasn’t a living world’s building.”
Who could predict that the courtyard of this castle would be a graveyard.
Now, it could also be seen that there were walls in front of the courtyard, connected by stone steps and a brick archway.
Suddenly, Fang Hao’s gaze was drawn to a gray-white crystal stone beside a grave.
“Shadowstone!” Fang Hao unconsciously gasped.
The crystal stone not far away looked exactly like the Shadowstone he and Dong Jiayue had traded for.
Also, Dong Jiayue did mention that this type of crystal stone was obtained in ancient tombs, what was in front of him did somewhat match with that.
Upon closer inspection, there were several others nearby.
“Go and bring those Shadowstones over here,” Fang Hao said.
A skeleton soldier immediately stepped forward, walking through the weeds along the blue brick road towards the Shadowstone.
The skeleton soldier walked towards the gravestone, just about to take the Shadowstone
suddenly, like boiling water, the ground in the courtyard began to tremble violently.
Following that, one after another, corpses infested with maggots crawled up through the cracked ground.
“I knew it!” Fang Hao muttered under his breath.
According to what Dong Jiayue said, while obtaining the Shadowstone, they encountered some undead creatures.
He conjectured that this might be a similar situation.
Turns out what you fear, you attract.
Fang Hao called back the skeleton soldier who had gone in, standing at the entrance, watching as one after another corpses crawled out.
These bodies must have been buried underground for many years.
Their messy hair mixed with leaves and dirt.
Their skin was long decayed, emitting a repulsive stench.
Their wide open mouths and chalk-white eyes seemed to echo with roars of anger.
At this moment, Fang Hao felt rather fortunate that his troops were skeletons.
At least they looked clean and didn’t give off the smell of decay.
Rotten Corpse (Tier 1).
(Description: Cannon fodder within the Eternal Night Legion, their bodies are brittle and fragile. Individually, they possess very low combat abilities, so they attack in groups, proving that they pose a significant threat).
Eternal Night…
The name does have an impressive ring to it.
As Fang Hao pondered, the number of Rotten Corpses had already increased to more than a hundred.
Watching as they raised their weapons and headed towards him,
Fang Hao tentatively said, “We’re all dead here, why don’t we all sit and chat?”
The Rotten Corpses didn’t respond, but instead sped up towards him.
“Charge, kill them,” Fang Hao ordered.
The skeleton soldiers charged forward.
Fang Hao also struck down at a Rotten Corpse that had rushed in front of him with his sword.
Thud!
The Rotten Corpse didn’t dodge or evade and let Fang Hao’s sword strike its forehead, splitting open a crack.
Even with its skull cracked, it showed no reaction.
Its machete struck downward, slashing towards Fang Hao.
Fang Hao dodged and smashed his shield into its skull, executing the [Shield Strike] skill.
Bang!!
With a dull thud, the Rotten Corpse stumbled and fell to the ground, momentarily stunned.
Fang Hao saw his opportunity and hacked at its neck several times with his iron sword, severing the head.
Dead, once and for all.
The battles involving other skeletons were also nearing an end as Fang Hao’s usual fighting style was to overwhelm the enemy with numbers.
The number of skeleton foot soldiers was naturally large.
They were equipped with iron swords, wooden shields and various other full sets of armor.
How could these newly risen rotten corpses compare?
After an onslaught, all the rotten corpses were annihilated.
“Clean up the battlefield and collect the shadowstones and equipment.” Fang Hao loudly commanded.
The skeletons immediately began to act, collecting shadowstones and stripping equipment from the bodies of the rotten corpses.
Soon, the loot was gathered.
[5 Shadowstones]
[1 Death Trace]
[122 Broken Single-Bladed Knives]
[Inner Castle Key]
Gaining 5 Shadowstones made Fang Hao elated.
They were important materials for Undead Clan buildings, their value was even more important than the equipment gained.
The exact use of Death Trace was not clear, but it was also a special material and very rare.
In successive battles, Fang Hao’s side always overwhelmed the enemy with sheer numbers.
At the same time, Fang Hao also realized his own deficiencies.
It was the low-level status of his soldiers.
A level 2 soldier can often fight against four to five level 1s without suffering a defeat.
So, the level of the soldier is particularly important in a battle.
The only way to upgrade troops is to improve their building standard.
[Broken Single-Bladed Knife]
[Category: Weapon]
[Damage: Level 1 Damage]
(Description: Corroded broken single-bladed knife, watch out for tetanus.)
Well then.
Fang Hao suddenly felt relieved, thankful that he and his skeleton soldiers were not human.
Otherwise, if he was a human lord leading human soldiers,
And they were subject to this small amount of damage with the added risk of bacterial attack, who could sustain it?
In this environment, how many people understood medical treatment?
If they got sick, were infected, I’m afraid few people could make it through.
[Key (Shadowwind Castle)]
[Category: Equipment]
(Description: The key to the second floor of Shadowwind Castle, where the eternal night’s servants have slept for a long time, await your next game.)
A game?
Everyone here is sly, it’s not certain who’s playing who.
Fang Hao was not scared in the slightest.
If they consider this a game, then why shouldn’t he consider this place as a mission?
Isn’t possessing skeleton soldiers, just like controlling characters to kill monsters in games?
He should be more qualified to use the word “game”.
“Gather up, prepare to move to the next zone,” Fang Hao shouted.
The skeleton soldiers gathered around him.
He ascended the stone steps, arriving at the gate to the second floor.
He inserted the key and turned it gently.
The rusty metal heavy doors creaked open.
The group walked in.
There wasn’t much distinction between the first and second floors.
But to proceed to the next level, the path was no longer a city wall but the gate to an old castle.
The castle was markedly western, constructed entirely from stone, with white roses climbing the walls, some even spreading into the windows, adding to the gloominess.
He stepped into the castle, leading his group.
This time, they were not greeted by the rotten corpses of the first level.
Instead, they were met by undead spear-wielders.
[Zombie Spearmen (Tier 2)]
[Ability: Fight]
[Skills: Thrust, Charge Defense.]
(Description: Zombie Spearmen are not clumsy like rotten corpses, having received the baptism of eternal night, they will fulfil their duties to the end.)
These zombies were in better condition than the rotten corpses.
They were clad in rusty, decaying armor, and clung on to a metallic spear.
They arose from their tombs, after a moment of silence, fell into formation and raised a battered flag, the design of which was obscured by its wear and tear.
Once they were ready, they locked eyes on Fang Hao and his group and began a spear-aided advance.
“Spread out, prepare to fight,”
