Chapter 39: Chapter 39 The Crusaders
Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Fortunately, the danger was foreseen in advance.
Han Dong only walked halfway before he stopped… leaving Cass to investigate further by himself.
Otherwise, once he reached the end, with his physical condition, escaping by himself would have been impossible.
Despite Judging from the sound, there were still about 100 meters between Cass and Han Dong, but the situation was still critical.
Chen Li quickly reappeared, supporting Han Dong and hastening their escape from the underground passageway….
“From the overlapping sounds of claws, the number of ghouls chasing us is at least three… as long as we can escape back to the previous basement, there is still a way to survive.”
With Chen Li’s help, Han Dong ran back to the basement at the speed of an ordinary person.
“Miss Chen Li, you better hide… When necessary, I’ll ask you to help.”
“Okay.”
Han Dong alone guarded the entrance to the passageway, waiting for Cass’s arrival.
After a while.
Cass, bearing a torch, appeared in his sight.
It was clearly visible that Cass, wearing goggles, had shallow dark lines around his eye sockets…. This is an outward embodiment of ‘visual contamination’.
Behind Cass, there were at least five ghouls, each of a different sort.
With the light from the torch, Han Dong saw the true face of a “Corpse Eater” [ghoul] for the first time.
This was a creature resembling a human form with dark green skin that was as elastic as rubber.
Its kneecap was protruding, and its sharp teeth that could easily crush bone were exposed.
It had a curved spine, with parts protruding out of its body, and its body was covered with dense and strong muscles.
Whether it was its skin, teeth, or terrifying sharp claws, all were covered with dense black fungi on the surface.
Once human skin was torn, it would instantly cause infectious damage.
If the wound was not treated in time, it would immediately fester, and even turn gangrenous in a short time, requiring amputation even if one survived.
If one observes carefully, one can notice a dangerous and not easily discernible
‘detail’.
There are several unnoticeable natural wounds on the surface of these ghouls.
Small tentacles, peculiar beyond belief, emerge intermittently on the surface of these wounds.
The moving speed of the ghouls was equivalent to that of Cass, who had invested three fate points.
Especially one mature ghoul, whose size was half a size bigger than the others and whose spine was completely protruding from its body, was even faster.
Its claws could easily leave scratches on the stone wall.
It moved faster than the others, and even gradually pulled away from the other ghouls during the chase… it was about to catch up with the young Cass. The moment its claws just touched the surface of Cass’s back armor.
Dashed out of the passage.
For a moment, Cass lost his balance and stumbled to the ground as soon as he left the passage.
Timed perfectly, Han Dong reached out for the switch, and the secret door closed.
Clack!
Just in time.
The closing of the door allowed the ghoul at the front to escape, while the rest were locked in the passageway.
The stone door with a thickness of around two meters, the common ghouls couldn’t break…
This ghoul, which was extremely large with a body length of two meters and a little flax cloth hanging on its body, seemed to be the instigator of this incident.
The prime culprit who killed the lady of the house.
Without worrying about whether its companions were following, its black spherical eyes were tightly locked on the young Knight Cass… it must kill him and keep its den a secret.
Claws and sharp teeth. Aimed for Cass’s head.
Clang!
The loud sound of metal collision echoed in the basement.
Although Cass fell to the ground, he was always ready for battle… He swung his shield with his opposite hand.
A perfect block positioned just right. It not only completely blocked the attack, but also pushed the ghoul away some distance, giving Knight Cass time to adjust.
“Ahh-!” Just when the ghoul roared weirdly, preparing for the next attack.
A dangerous green energy orb was aimed directly at the back of the ghoul’s head.
A highly corrosive plague immediately started to spread at the back of the head.
A hissing sound came, which was similar to the sound of acid corroding a liquid.
In a short amount of time, the plague energy corroded a small hole in the skull, invading the brain tissue inside… the effect was stronger than anticipated.
This plague ray was naturally released by Han Dong.
When activating the ‘Plague Doctor’s Short Blade’, Han Dong clearly felt a part of the energy in his brain being drawn… From the remaining energy, this kind of attack can probably be used about five more times.
Had it been a newborn ghoul, it would have probably fallen and couldn’t get up.
However… the current situation isn’t so simple.
Just as the plague was about to act on the brain, something odd happened.
A string of short, slender shadow tentacles appeared at the ghoul’s fractured skull.
The tentacles writhed and intertwined with each other, nullifying the plague and oddly enough, repairing the skull at the same time.
“Tentacles!? Self-healing!”
With this, the ghoul changed its ‘target’.
It turned its ugly head towards the frail Han Dong… Thick saliva laced with bacteria continuously flowed out from between its teeth.
Zzz-zzz-zzz! (sound of electromagnetic interference)
When the ghoul’s black eyeball met Han Dong’s gaze, a noise similar to electromagnetic interference began resonating in his mind… Something seemed to flash in the ghoul’s eyes.
However…
At such a close range, Han Dong was completely fine.
Unlike Cass, who had slightly higher fate points than him.
Han Dong had not suffered from any so-called ‘visual pollution’, had no discomfort in his senses, no headache or hallucinations, nor were there any dark stripes appearing around his eyes.
It wasn’t the work of the goggles.
Han Dong somehow felt that even without the goggles, he wouldn’t be in any danger.
Of course, visual pollution was secondary… The main issue was figuring out how to deal with this ghoul.
Just then.
Clang!
A spherical holy water bomb hit the ghoul (a spherical container filled with holy water).
Zzz-zzz-zzz! A large amount of white vapor was rising.
The ghoul writhed in pain on the ground, but due to its frantic swinging claws, it was hard to move in for a finishing strike.
“Andwa, my friend, stand behind me… We can handle a mature ghoul.”
Seizing the opportunity provided by the holy water bomb,
Han Dong promptly stood behind Cass, avoiding getting isolated.
“Just find the right opportunity to attack from a distance, just like before!
“Corpse Eater” this kind of low-tier monster, still retains the bodily features of humans. You are a mystery scholar, so you ought to know better than me… Aim for their head and heart.
“Uh huh.”
With that said!
Cass took his battle stance.
Shield held in his left hand, standing in front.
Sword held in his right hand, resting behind the shield. This posture seemed to have some special significance…
“Power of the Crusaders”
Suddenly, a faint silver light radiated from golden-haired, silver-armored Cass.
A shallow cross mark even appeared on his forehead.
It seemed like a kind of temporary boosting ability.
The ghoul, corroded by the holy water, quickly recovered again… And it was now in a state of frenzy, black smoke leaking from its black pupils
It sprung forward.
Clearly determined to tear Cass to pieces.
“Huff…
Deep breathing.
Lowered center of gravity.
The moment the ghoul sprang forward, Cass’s forehead veins bulged, his rear leg abruptly pushed off the ground, directing the full force of his body into his shield-bearing left arm.
“Shield Bash”
Clang! (The sound of a blunt metallic collision.)
The two-meter tall ghoul actually got knocked flying by Cass’s shield.
“So heavy… A bit hard to handle.”
Cass forcefully suppressed the trembling sensation in his arm.
He retracted his shield and made a swift forward charge. The moment the ghoul landed, he swung his silver sword.
“Cross Slash”
Wherever the silver light reached, the ghoul’s body was completely cut open.
The black heart hidden beneath the ribs was clearly visible!