Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

These two sections together are almost 8,000 words long, I really should split them into four sections and post them...

Well, whatever. Consider it a memorial, a memorial to the piece I wrote last year before writing this book, called "Fallen Leaves." Tsk, I wrote 20,000 words, and only nineteen people read it, two-thirds of whom were acquaintances. Might as well just let it go.

Well, so be it. Although it's a different world, Aichidra has finally returned to her homeland.

Section Three: Madness

It was an incredibly massive, monstrous creature, resembling a small, walking mountain. Its body was bound by chains, and thick, rusted iron stakes were driven into the thick, bluish-gray muscles of its arms. It was blind, and several gleaming, menacing horns adorned its head, shoulders, and elbows. As the monster emerged from the large house, it unleashed a deafening roar from its gaping maw towards Zheng Zha's direction.

This is a vengeful spirit, a demon from Japanese legend born from the resentment and hatred of the dead. The chains binding its body end in large iron balls studded with spikes. It wields them like a soldier brandishing a killing blade.

[Judging from its appearance alone, it seems like a power-type monster. Strange... Although its aura is terrifying, it itself... doesn't seem particularly strong. Was my judgment wrong?]

Zheng Zha frowned, but his body acted before he could even think. Although his stamina had recovered somewhat, his innate true energy and demonic blood energy were almost gone. Even if he managed to unlock his genetic lock, he could only sustain himself for a few seconds before exhaustion when using [Explosion] or [Fusion] in battle. Fortunately, his instincts remained. When the huge iron ball crashed down, he instinctively dodged to the side, avoiding the powerful impact.

The ground was smashed into a large crater, and splashes of wet soil and mud scattered in all directions.

[The impact took about a third of a second... a trajectory that can be captured even without activating the genetic lock.]

The ground is very damp, and the recent downpour has actually softened the soil. If it were a solid iron ball, its estimated weight would be around 300 to 350 kilograms. Taking all factors into account… then the effort required would be…

[...is not very strong.]

His gaze swept across the ditch, his reactivated brain more active than ever before. The balance of power between the two sides quickly took shape in his mind, yet the oppressive feeling in his heart remained.

wrong.

Something's wrong.

It was as if a familiar female voice rang in Zheng Zha's ear, presenting him with a clear concept in a serious and unquestionable tone.

—'Think, you need to think. Captain Zheng Zha'

The opponent isn't very strong; their strength might be slightly greater, but their speed and reaction time are inferior to ours. If we activate fusion, it will only take a maximum of two seconds to kill them. An explosion will only take half a second. Even without using either method, and without activating the gene lock, we can defeat them in about half a minute simply by overwhelming their physical attributes.

He took a deep breath and pushed off with his feet to dodge the vengeful ghost's second attack. He channeled some of his innate true energy into his feet and arms, instantly increasing his speed by about thirty percent!

This is a light-foot technique, a skill exchange provided by the main god within the internal energy system. Zheng Zha used most of the reward points and side quests obtained from gods and demons to strengthen the basic skills related to the vampire clan and internal energy. And when he activated this skill, his combat power increased dramatically.

—Observe, think, then decide.

The voice lingered in his mind, like a soft thorn constantly pricking his nerves. While it displeased him, it did, to some extent, influence his decision-making. After dodging three consecutive slashes from the vengeful giant, he seized an opening in the monster's attack, sliding behind it and delivering a half-force horizontal slash towards its spine!

'Roar—!'

Blood and flesh splattered... black blood, bluish-gray flesh. That horizontal slash almost severed the monster's spine, causing it to let out an angry and ferocious howl. And almost the instant the blade left the flesh, the wound began to heal, and the monster's chain hammer returned, smashing towards the spot where Zheng Zha had previously swung his sword.

The hundreds of undead on the cross screamed in unison.

In that instant, Zheng Zha's gaze accurately captured the faint black mist spreading from the living corpse... no, being drawn out, quietly gathering towards the wound on the back of the vengeful ghost. It transformed into some strange power and poured into the ghost's body, causing its ruptured wound to rapidly heal.

So that's how it is; they're connected?

No, that's not all.

Zheng Zha thought to himself, this time he did not directly avoid the vengeful ghost's hammer blows, but instead blocked them head-on. The ghost-headed broadsword infused with blood energy and the giant hammer covered with ferocious iron spikes collided suddenly!

'Roar—!'

The point where the blade and hammer clashed sent shockwaves through the air, the immense force causing Zheng Zha to stagger back about half a meter. Meanwhile, the blood energy surging from the demon-headed greatsword eroded the hammer's outer shell like sulfuric acid, creating a large, uneven patch of pits on its surface upon impact!

[Their strength has increased.]

Zheng Zha let out a soft breath, using the momentum of his retreat to leap back several meters, his focused mind continuing to observe every detail of the enormous monster before him. At the moment of impact with the giant hammer, he clearly felt the vengeful spirit's hammer strike increase by nearly one-tenth at the instant of contact. And along with this came the piercing screams of the living corpses whose black energy had been drained!

When he unleashed that strike, he not only infused the blade with demonic blood energy, but also channeled innate true energy into his arms to amplify the power. According to previous estimates, this attack should have overwhelmed the vengeful spirit's power and inflicted corresponding injuries. However, the spirit's power abnormally increased as it fell into a disadvantageous position.

Moreover, this growth momentum did not immediately subside.

The increase in strength wasn't instantaneous, but rather a long-term effect that could be maintained. And it wasn't just strength; speed and reaction time also increased accordingly. The continuous swings of the chain hammer churned up vortexes in the air, and the violent airflow nearly hindered Zheng Zha's agility used for evasion!

The hammer blows that could originally create a half-meter-wide crater in the ground can now create craters with a radius nearly an inch wider. The seven-meter distance that a full-force leap could cover has now been extended by several tens of centimeters.

It's getting stronger, stronger than before. From a minor character that could be killed in just thirty seconds, it's become a troublesome monster that takes at least two minutes to deal with.

Zheng Zha narrowed his eyes slightly.

【I see.】

These bound undead will strengthen the giant monster when it falls into a disadvantageous position; if its strength is insufficient, it will increase its power; if its regenerative ability is low, it will increase its physical activity. I don't know to what extent they can strengthen this giant monster, but if its physique increases by more than 30% again, then even activating an explosion won't guarantee victory.

Should we directly destroy those zombies and crosses?

Zheng Zha thought to himself, he could still feel the strange oppressive aura emanating from the vengeful spirit. It was like a cold, wet tentacle slicing across his neck, making him wary, nauseous, and leaving him with a lump in his throat.

He exhaled a breath of stale air.

Section Four: The Curse

No, we can't do that.

Zheng Zha stopped just before swinging his sword, then abruptly retreated to the other side. The innate true energy flowing through his feet surged slightly, instantly increasing his speed and allowing him to narrowly dodge a sudden barrage of hammer blows!

The ghostly spirit's empty eye sockets burned with eerie phosphorescent light.

Indeed, the black mist emanating from those living corpses strengthens the monster. But that doesn't mean destroying them will solve the problem.

Zheng Zha pondered, using the village houses as cover to avoid the attacks of the vengeful spirits while summarizing the various clues he had gathered. He tried his best to piece together a conclusion that could explain the current situation.

First, I cannot confirm the true purpose of those zombies. They could be the source of the black mist, or they could be containers that confine it. If it's the latter, destroying the container might actually strengthen this monster to a level beyond my current capabilities. Therefore, I cannot act rashly.

I need to gather more information before I can make a decision.

He suddenly rushed into a small wooden cabin. His gaze swept across the dilapidated room, where there were signs of struggle and fighting.

The table had been overturned, and then some force had pierced through the wall. There were dried bloodstains on the floor, but the amount was small, definitely not enough to be fatal. More importantly, there were no traces of a corpse, no dead body, and no broken bones.

'Boom—' The door and wall behind him suddenly shattered, and the huge monster roared as it destroyed the wall and the ground below it. It swung its giant hammer, venting its anger by destroying everything in its path. In the instant it was wreaking havoc, Zheng Zha climbed out of the back window of the Japanese-style house, stretched out his foot, and stepped onto the edge of a well.

There was a dead dog's body on the edge of the well. Perhaps because a long time had passed, the dog's body had completely decomposed, leaving only bones covered with rotten fur.

The people were all taken alive, but the livestock were spared. The absence of scavengers to devour the corpses meant they had been warned… I remember the howls of the undead only began when the moonlight fell, but now…

He glanced quickly overhead and saw that the cold moon in the center of the sky was obscured by dark clouds. A light drizzle began to fall, and the howling zombies seemed to quiet down a little.

Moonlight is a stimulus, meaning these zombies might be inactive during the day. Even so, the corpses in this village are still preserved, indicating that the village has protective measures that function even during the day… I think this world still has daylight.

He swiftly shifted his position, dodging the next wave of vengeful spirits bursting from the abandoned houses. His steps, however, were purposeful, circling the edge of the village. His gaze swept across the landscape, capturing the remains of numerous livestock. He memorized them, then quickly summarized and analyzed them.

Besides dogs, cats also died. Oxen, chickens, and ducks were also quietly killed in their pens. Their bodies bore visible wounds, as if their torsos had been pierced by some sharp or blunt instrument. Clearly, the perpetrator… or some inhuman, had killed every living thing in the village, leaving no one alive, and crucified everyone.

[The livestock were killed but not used... Although I don't understand magic, according to Margot Royd, magic is a discipline of order. If these livestock had been used for magical purposes, their carcasses wouldn't have been left so carelessly at the place where they died.]

[And the fact that every animal skeleton bore visible wounds indicates the killings were not aimless. The perpetrator must have been determined to exterminate every living creature in the village… So that’s it, hatred?]

Suddenly, Zheng Zha remembered the cross on the hillside outside the village, stained with the blood of the same person. A vague idea suddenly surfaced in his mind.

[If we assume that all the blood on that cross came from a single person... the fact that they survived such a massive amount of blood loss can only mean that person possesses extraordinary immortality. The fact that it was nailed to the cross and unable to resist suggests that its power was weak, or rather... that its power was being suppressed by something.]

[So, what if that person... or non-human, was nailed to this spot by the people of this village?]

The screams of the undead echoed in his ears again. Those repeated 'sorry's' might not have been sincere, but they were probably what the creators wanted to hear. And since the creators had the confidence to make the undead say that, it proved that they at least believed they were on the side of reason.

All of these actions are, in effect, a divine act of vengeance—a divine act of vengeance in the eyes of the creators.

[Yes, that explains it. Someone with immortality… a witch or sorcerer or something—came to this village. Regardless of what happened in between, the end result was that this immortal was nailed to a cross. He suffered greatly, bleeding day after day until the cross was stained black. And after a long period of time, one day, this immortal finally escaped his restraints.]

[And what followed was, of course, revenge. Driven by hatred, the undead slaughtered every living thing in the village, leaving no one alive. But this hatred remained unabated, so it decided to go further, making those who tormented it suffer the same torment. Therefore, these villagers were all nailed to crosses, enduring torture even as undead.]

Therefore, the situation is quite obvious.

Unbeknownst to him, Zheng Zha had already moved the village gate. A thought flashed through his mind, and with a flick of his wrist, he leaped over the top of the wooden fence and out of the village. And just as he had predicted, when the vengeful spirit rushed to the village gate, attempting to attack him outside, the iron nails embedded in the ghost emitted a torrent of heat, like red-hot iron, consuming it! It screamed and retreated back into the village square.

"As expected." Zheng Zha let out a soft breath.

The village has become a cage, and all the villagers are its prisoners. The enormous monsters are both its guardians and its tormentors. These tormentors cannot leave the prison, yet they possess extraordinary powers within its walls.

The creator's purpose is to inflict suffering on those who tormented it. In other words, anyone who tries to relieve these undead of their torment will be its enemy. Attacking the jailers might go unpunished, but attempting to rescue...or free these prisoners will inevitably result in an attack from the traps set by the creator.

Therefore, that feeling of unease is an instinctive warning against the trap set by the creator.

He couldn't help but feel a lingering fear. Just moments ago, he had nearly destroyed several crosses bound with living corpses. If he had let his hand slip, he would probably be in a very troublesome situation now.

Alice's magic left a deep impression on him, and although the creator here was not Alice, he absolutely did not want to force himself to take a spell with unknown effects without knowing its origins.

“My power has not fully recovered, and I cannot exert my full strength now. Therefore… I cannot take any risks.” Zheng Zha looked at the abandoned village in front of him and muttered to himself, “Although I do not know what you have done, judging from the fact that your clothes are rotting, you must have been punished enough. So, please wait a while, and I will come back to give you a release once my power has fully recovered.”

The vengeful ghost stood at the edge of the passage, neither advancing nor retreating, just standing there quietly—he slowly turned around, remaining vigilant as he prepared to leave.

Just then, an old voice suddenly came from not far behind.

Young man, please wait a moment before you leave. [Japanese]

Author's Note:

........................

I'm so sleepy, I'm dying _(:з」∠)_

Section 5 Foolishness

The demon regained its sanity… or rather, it appeared to have regained its sanity. When Zheng Zha cautiously turned around to look behind him, he saw the giant-like demon standing at the edge of the square, looking at him towards the village entrance.

It uttered an aged human voice.

"Please don't leave like this, stranger. Please stop and show some mercy to us poor souls." It lowered the two chain hammers in its hands, attempting to express its friendliness. The phosphorescent flames burning in its eye sockets flickered slightly, and for some reason, its狰狞 (zhengning, meaning ferocious/hideous) face evoked a sense of sorrow in Zheng Zha.

Is it just my imagination? Maybe.

Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but that doesn't matter.

“Just now, you were thinking of killing me,” Zheng Zha replied. He noticed that the instant translation service provided free of charge to every reincarnator by the main god was still available. So he didn't bother showing off his mediocre Japanese and instead spoke to the other party directly in Chinese… anyway, this ghost should be able to understand him.

“I don’t need to waste my time on you.” Zheng Zha glanced at the abandoned village, his gaze sweeping over the square studded with crosses. Although he was prepared to give these poor souls a quick death once he recovered, he knew he should be cautious in his conversation until then.

“After all, you can’t leave this place, so leaving it alone won’t cause any problems.” He said, while carefully examining the ghost in front of him. Although it was difficult to discern specific emotions from that hideous muscular face, careful observation might reveal some clues.

To his surprise, he saw a sorrowful tone in the ghost's voice, and the gleaming horns dimmed slightly.

"That's all the witch's curse... Strange guest, I am the village chief here. Fighting you is not our intention... We are cursed by the witch. As long as someone accidentally enters this place, I will be controlled by the curse and fight against outsiders. Fortunately, that wicked woman's magic power is limited. When you leave the village, the curse will temporarily subside, and I will be able to regain my sanity for a short time."

The ghost explained, making some helpless gestures with his hands. Perhaps this would make him look more human. At least it would make the conversation a little smoother.