WVKWnovel Chapter 191: Just Like Before
Chapter 191: Just Like Before
The undead.
I had encountered these creatures countless times in the excavation site, and their characteristic was that they repeat the actions they took in life, based on the memories left in their corpses.
So, it wasn’t hard to assume that this lake was once part of the sea, and the pirates who were buried beneath it had somehow been resurrected.
The key issue was determining the scale of the pirates on that ship.
“Just to be sure, are they under the Corpse Lord’s command?”
“No, they are naturally occurring undead.”
If they weren’t part of the Corpse Lord’s forces, it meant we weren’t dealing with a Four Knights-level threat.
But before I could feel relieved, I noticed that the ship blocking our path was several times larger than our ark.
“The problem is that not all large undead armies are created by the Corpse Lord.”
“That seems to be the case.”
Countless undead were descending the ropes attached to the harpoons.
In the short time we spent assessing the situation, the number of undead that had boarded the ark had already exceeded a hundred.
“This is the territory of the Black Anchor Pirates...!”
“Invaders... Punish them... Pillage... Pillage everything!”
The undead approached, shrieking as they brandished their old, worn-out weapons.
Their equipment and appearance might be shabby, but with their overwhelming numbers, letting our guard down could lead to being surrounded.
Moreover, most of the people in this refuge were refugees and workers.
With so many people to protect, we couldn’t afford to let even a single one of these undead infiltrate.
“How did you usually handle them?”
“Uncle would set up barricades to protect everyone, and then the guards, including myself, would take out the ones that got on board. Once their numbers dwindled, the ship would retreat on its own.”
“So you’ve been repeating that process all this time?”
They attack based on their memories from life, retreat if they think there’s no hope... and then repeat the process.
That’s the typical behavior pattern of undead driven by lingering regrets.
Occasionally, some undead awaken their consciousness through strong regrets, but the ones in front of us didn’t seem like they’d be up for a conversation.
“Is wiping them out all at once impossible?”
“Look at the size of that ship. It’s full of undead, and all I can manage by myself is clearing the ones that get on board. And as you know, even if we take out the undead, as long as the caster is alive, they can quickly replenish their forces.”
Right, a Lich-class undead could mass produce more undead, even with just pieces of a corpse.
While powerful beings with a sense of self, like the Four Knights, were out of the question, lower-tier soldiers like these could be summoned endlessly as long as the caster had the power.
“Then, if we eliminate the caster, there won’t be any more threats in this lake.”
If we removed the source, there wouldn’t be any more problems.
Ga-ram, sounding tense, cautiously asked,
“...Do you think it’s possible?”
“As long as you cover me well, it’s doable. Remember the operation we did before?”
I’d draw their attention, and Ga-ram would launch a massive bombardment to wipe them out.
At my suggestion, Ga-ram smiled, and soon, large rocks began to float around her.
“...Alright. Let’s do it like we used to.”
“Are you ready?”
“It goes without saying.”
The power to manipulate objects, which was her unique ability.
The stones she lifted in the air collided with each other, chipping away at their surfaces.
The result was projectiles, sharpened at the ends, and made even more destructive.
-Kaboom! Bang!
The relentless bombardment crashed into the undead, followed by fragments that hindered the movements of those outside the blast radius.
The attack felt far more destructive than the last time I saw it.
Yet despite such an attack, the undead showed no fear or pain, swinging their weapons without hesitation.
“Woo Hyooooo! The time... for looting...!”
“Everyone, take care of Woo Hyooooo!”
And of course, these damn undead keep shouting my name.
Their relentless charge didn’t falter, even though their actions should have been hindered by their focus.
It seemed unlikely that my ability could stop them since there must be a caster controlling them from inside the ship.
“Woo Hyooo! Woo Hyooooo!”
But with their focus on me, Ga-ram was relatively less noticed.
Seeing this as an opportunity, I deployed my weapon, driving it into the undead nearby and signaling for detonation.
Bang, bang! The undead shattered into pieces as the explosions chained together.
As I moved through the undead in a spinning motion, the force of their weapons was pushed back, increasing the momentum of my magic.
Amidst the ongoing bombardment, at the center of the scene.
As I tightened my grip on my spear and closed the distance, the captain’s body began to surge with powerful magic.
“A mere lackey of that foolish king of Britannia...! I will never surrender this ship!!”
Right after, a fierce explosion erupted from beneath his peg leg with a bang!
Using the explosion as propulsion, the captain closed the distance and aimed a kick at my head, but I deflected it upward with the tip of my spear.
As the captain was knocked into the air, he was met by boulders flying in from all directions.
“Kraaah!!!”
The moment the boulders collided in midair, they encased the captain’s entire body.
The captain, completely trapped by the attack, began to scream in frustration.
“Curse you, Britannia!! Why do you not seek to become the strongest with such power?! If you used that strength, defeating the Empire would be no dream!!”
Britannia, Britannia... Now that I think about it, he’s been repeating that word over and over.
The name felt familiar because I once visited that place myself.
Not as Woo Hyo-sung, but as Tashia... Yes, it was the Royal family of that country who commissioned me to slay a dragon.
So, could it be that this pirate became undead out of resentment after being executed for plundering that country in the past?
“You’re so damn annoying until the very end.”
But that was something that happened more than half a century ago.
Even though I possessed the personality of Tashia, it felt like a waste of time to focus on a country that was destroyed so long ago.
“If you’re dead, stay dead and stop causing trouble. Go back to the afterlife quietly.”
-Kaboom!!!!
His decayed body was shattered into pieces, still bound by the spear.
At that point, the undead trying to rise again froze in place, then disintegrated into dust and vanished.
The battle against the pirates occupying the lake had finally come to an end.
After the battle, peace returned to the refuge.
As Ga-ram and I finished securing the area and returned to the control room, the crew members began expressing their gratitude one by one.
“Thanks to you, we survived. Now we can finally move to the other side of the lake.”
“Those pirates had been blocking us, preventing us from reaching the other side, but now our range of movement has greatly increased.”
The range of movement has increased...
Yes, we were definitely at the far edge of the Empire.
Considering that the purpose of this refuge was to protect as many people as possible, the increased range of movement was undoubtedly a good thing.
“Hero, what are your plans going forward?”
“For now, if nothing special comes up, we should circle the lake and help those in need.”
Ga-ram gave instructions to the crew on behalf of the group.
The ring she occasionally showed during the process was proof that she was the deputy of the lord who owned this refuge.
Come to think of it, Ga-ram was only about high school age, yet she was already in charge of managing an entire facility like this.
“...We’ve barely passed one hurdle.”
Finally, the crew left, and the two of us were alone.
Seeing Ga-ram sigh deeply and complain, I approached her to offer some encouragement.
“Aren’t you happy? We finally wiped out those troublesome pirates.”
“This isn’t the end. Whether we stay here or move elsewhere, more serious challenges are bound to come.”
“You’re thinking too negatively. Don’t worry too much. With Ja-seong and me joining, your burden will lighten.”
“Oppa.”
She called out just as I was about to continue my encouragement.
Ga-ram, who had been staring at me quietly, then turned away and started walking somewhere.
“There’s a place I’d like you to follow me to, if that’s okay.”
“Sure, no problem.”
If there was more to do, it was only right that I follow.
The place she led me to was filled with countless urns all around.
“It’s a columbarium. A place where we laid to rest those who died during the creation of this refuge...”
“...”
“...You remember this name, don’t you?”
The place where she stopped was marked with a familiar name among the urns.
My fist clenched involuntarily as I gazed down at it, because someone I could never forget was there.
“...Yes, I remember.”
Hero Im Tae-yang.
One of the three heroes who were kind to me during my time as a porter.