Chapter 178

From what he had observed so far—

The strongest was that Sword Saint.

His true strength remained unknown.

The second strongest appeared to be a warrior. Judging from his performance, Rei was confident he could defeat him.

As for the third...

Shumi also seemed quite formidable.

As she gradually revealed more of her strength, it became clear she wasn’t as weak as she had initially appeared.

Still—

Up to this point, none of them had shown their full power.

Newcomers were still continuously entering from outside.

The place was growing more and more lively.

More people were heading in Rei’s direction as well.

In the end, he put on his mage robe.

His body turned into a faint streak of light—

And he accelerated deeper into the battlefield.

The corpses further inside were of higher value.

At first, Rei had been selectively looting bodies one by one.

But then he paused.

...I’m a Death Priest. Why am I being picky?

Besides—

His storage bag, obtained from the Church of Frost, was absurdly विशाल.

Its capacity was large enough to hold an entire city.

Thinking it through—

There was no need to be selective.

So—

With a single wave of his hand!

A massive surge of corpses was swept directly into his storage space.

Rei flew forward like a harvesting machine—

Carving out a clean path through what had once been a corpse-filled battlefield.

Behind him—

Adventurers walking along suddenly stopped.

"...Wait."

"Why is the path ahead... empty?"

"...Where are the corpses?"

Tons.

Two tons. Five hundred tons. One thousand tons. Thirty thousand tons.

Rei swept through it all, leaving nothing behind.

This efficiency—

Was far superior.

And the harvest—

Abundant.

Ancient combat techniques.

Ancient spells.

He even picked up a fragment of a War God secret technique: [Cleave Secret Art].

More material for research.

Slash. Kick. Pierce. Cleave.

By now—

He had already learned four War God secret techniques.

Rei was contemplating this when—

Suddenly!

A rapidly approaching presence surged toward him.

...Tch.

Whoosh!

A figure chased to the end of the cleared path.

He looked around.

"...Strange."

"Why does it stop here?"

This was the only stretch without corpses.

Drawn by the anomaly, he had followed it—

Only to find that beyond this point, corpses reappeared as usual.

And no one could be sensed nearby.

"...Weird."

By then, Rei had already pulled down his hood, wearing the [Gaze of the Evil Eye Cloak], and moved far away.

Too conspicuous—

Wasn’t good.

That was likely why others didn’t sweep entire areas at once either.

When everyone’s strength was similar—or unknown—

Standing out too much was a dangerous move.

Rei chose to continue observing.

Especially—

Those so-called three strongest beings that would appear after some time.

According to what he’d learned, those three would prioritize hunting whoever had killed the most—or head toward the most intense battle zones.

Rei had no intention of becoming the first target the moment the "bosses" appeared.

"...Further ahead—"

Level 6 adventurer corpses?

Rei accelerated instantly.

In just two seconds, he crossed over a thousand kilometers and landed beside a body.

Next to it stood a faceless, muscular creature—

One of the Tier 6 King-class undead he had first subdued.

Rei took the storage bag.

Then glanced at the nameplate tied to the corpse’s waist.

"...Romosi."

The inscription itself was blurred beyond recognition.

But Rei still knew.

"I’ve collected so many bodies without ever checking their names."

"And just by chance, I see yours... I guess that counts as fate."

He removed the nameplate.

"I won’t promise anything. If fate brings us together again... we’ll see."

Even a Level 6 adventurer—

Had died here.

This corpse was completely different from the others.

It was said that Level 6 beings transcended mortal limits—

Their bodies wouldn’t decay after death.

And now—

It was proven true.

While all surrounding corpses were rotten and ruined—

This one remained smooth and flawless, like jade.

Only—

A fatal wound in the chest.

A hollow cavity.

Its heart... gone.

Even Level 6 adventurers had fallen in this battlefield.

Rei recalled—

That man had said the three strongest who died here would revive.

Could this Level 6 be one of them?

At that thought—

Rei immediately stored the entire corpse in his storage space.

A Level 6 body itself was a treasure.

From now on, better to collect entire corpses.

Also—

Just in case they reanimated.

The relics here were truly plentiful.

Even just scavenging for a few hours—

Would result in immense profit.

For Rei, it wasn’t as efficient as farming Tier 6 dungeons—

But for other adventurers?

This was insane.

Free loot everywhere.

Tier 4 and Tier 5 equipment scattered across the ground.

Even if quality wasn’t top-tier—

The level alone guaranteed value.

Several gold coins. Even dozens.

Completely normal.

Dong—

Dong—

Dong—

Rei felt it.

A premonition.

And then—

The sound of a bell echoed, just as he anticipated.

Rei stopped in place.

Beside him, a Tier 6 Subterranean-class monster wielding sword and shield braced itself.

Rei’s layered shields surrounded him.

Whoosh—

A violent wind surged!

The dense fog across the entire battlefield—

Began to thin.

Not blown away—

It simply dissipated on its own.

Whoosh!

Another surge of powerful airflow erupted!

Countless corpses—

Rose into the sky all at once!

Along with the thick fog!

The fog that had blanketed the ground—

Was completely lifted into the air.

Boom!

In an instant—

The fog exploded and vanished!

At last—

Clear vision.

It felt like years of blindness had suddenly been cured.

Clatter—

As the fog dispersed, the corpses that had risen fell back down.

Now—

Everyone could see.

The entire area—

A massive circle—

Surrounded by walls.

The terrain had a subtle slope—

Rising toward the center.

Though so slight, it was barely noticeable—

Only after traveling thousands of kilometers would one realize they had ascended dozens of meters.

And at the very center—

Three coffins stood upright.

Boom—

The coffins opened.

Three pale corpses fell out.

After a brief second—

Their eyes snapped open.

So—

These were the three strongest.

Rei’s terminal perception gave no warning.

He was safe—for now.

He stepped back slightly, positioning himself behind his Subterranean-class monster.

Though not large—

This was a rare defensive-oriented Tier 6 unit.

Whoosh!

No probing.

No dialogue.

One of the corpses—a bald figure—

Vanished—

And reappeared above a masked assassin!

The assassin was mid-descent, dual daggers ready—

Planning to kill his target.

Why bother searching corpses?

Killing living people was faster.

Let others loot—

Then kill them and take everything.

Kill one person—

It’s like they’ve looted for you.

Continuous killing—

Was the fastest way to gain.

And in fog?

Perfect for assassins.

But—

He hadn’t expected—

From above!

A massive fist slammed down!

Boom!

His skull shattered instantly.

His head exploded.

Below, a mage saw the blood burst from above—

Shock flashed across his face.

He raised his staff—

But—

Whoosh!

The bald corpse appeared right in front of him!

Boom—

A punch pierced through!

A bloody hole opened in the mage’s chest!

Whoosh!

Then—

The bald figure surged forward, trailing golden light—

Boom! Boom boom boom!

Every punch—

Killed instantly.

In ten seconds—

Dozens were dead.

Boom!

A warrior charged forward—

Greatsword raised!

Clang!

He was forced back over a hundred meters just to block one strike!

But the moment he stabilized—

The bald corpse was already behind him!

Boom!

Another warrior arrived—

Blocking with a shield!

Ah—

That notable warrior from earlier—

And another new one.

So many warriors.

Rei glanced at the other two corpses—

One held a sword.

The other—

A white staff.

The Sword Saint...

Rei looked toward him.

Still not moving?

Then Shumi—

Arms crossed, watching with interest.

Meanwhile—

Other adventurers had already begun fleeing toward the walls.

"That just now—was Zethran, ranked 25th among Moon Sea Level 5s!"

"He got one-shot?!"

"We can’t win!"

"I didn’t even see how he died—nope, I’m out!"

Panic spread.

People fled in droves.

"Everyone! Aren’t you going to act?!"

Clang!

The two resisting warriors were already sweating.

They weren’t holding—

They were being overwhelmed.

"This thing is too strong! If we don’t unite, we’ll be picked off one by one!"

The greatsword warrior shouted—

But no one came.

From nearly a thousand people—

Now only dozens remained.

The rest had scattered like birds.

Boom! Boom boom!

Golden fists hammered against the shield—

Cracks spread rapidly.

It wouldn’t last.

This wasn’t a pure tank—

Just a sword-and-shield warrior.

Pure defense couldn’t hold long.

"It’s coming!"

Boom!

Lightning erupted across the ground!

A cage formed—

Trapping the bald corpse and the two warriors inside!

Tier 5 Lightning Magic—

[Heavenly Thunder Prison]

Boom! Boom boom boom!

Lightning rained endlessly—

Striking everything within!

Mages took time to cast—

But once unleashed—

Devastating.

Tier 5 magic—

Was overwhelming.

Boom!

Suddenly—

Crack!

The lightning shattered!

Three figures burst out together!

"You bastard! I was protecting you—and you tried to kill me?!"

The bald corpse reached the mage first—

Punch thrown!

Boom!

But—

Layer upon layer of magic circles activated—

Forming shields.

A defensive artifact.

Rei could tell—

Not a spell. A triggered item.

Boom!

The punch shattered every layer like paper—

Then struck the staff—

Breaking it.

The mage was sent flying.

Behind him—

The greatsword warrior charged in—

Savage and relentless!

The mage sensed him—

"Wait! It’s a misunderstanding—!"

Slash!

No hesitation.

The greatsword cleaved him in half.

Boom!

Crushed into the ground.

At that moment—

Dozens of arrows struck the bald corpse!

He turned—

But was blocked again—

By a white-shield warrior.

Now—

They were cooperating.

But—

The gap in strength...

Couldn’t be bridged.

The bald corpse accelerated further—

Golden light blazing—

Crushing defenses, shattering shields.

Even with multiple warriors and archers—

No damage.

Too strong.

He broke through the frontline—

And hunted down the tank—

Slamming him into the ground and killing him.

"Sword Saint!"

"What are you waiting for?!"

"Are you not going to act?!"

The Sword Saint sighed softly.

"...Didn’t you notice? The other two haven’t moved either."

"If the enemy doesn’t—"

Whoosh—

The shield warrior, barely alive—

Staggered toward him!

...Sigh.

The Sword Saint sighed again.

Whoosh!

The bald corpse chased—

Then suddenly shifted—

Charging toward the Sword Saint!

"I didn’t provoke you."

"So why target me?"

"...Or do you have more than just instinct?"

Boom!

Sheath met fist.

The Sword Saint stood firm—

Golden force shook his hair.

Then—

He opened his eyes.

At the same time—

The sword-wielding corpse appeared beside him—

Hand on hilt.

Ready to strike.

Above—

A twin-tailed mage corpse gathered a massive, multi-colored sphere of energy.

One exchange—

And all three had moved.

All targeting him.

"...When fighting them, you send one."

"When fighting me, it’s three-on-one?"

His tone sharpened.

"That’s cheating, isn’t it?"

In an instant—

A thousand sword strikes erupted.

The opposing sword corpse—

Matched him.

Blades clashed—

A thousand times—

In a single moment.

Boom!

The ground split apart—

A massive fissure forming!

But—

The bald corpse’s punch followed—

Golden brilliance blazing!

Straight for his face!

Whoosh!

The Sword Saint vanished—

Reappearing hundreds of meters away.

Boom!

That punch—

Launched a golden beam into the sky.

Above—

The twin-tailed mage raised her staff.

"Tier 5 Fusion Magic—"

"Seven-Element Arcane Annihilation."

Boom!

A radiant beam erupted—

Sweeping across the earth—

Then shooting skyward!

Everything in its path—

Annihilated.

The Sword Saint barely dodged.

...Seriously?

I’m just watching, and they all pick me?

These three corpses—

Were all powerful.

And that sword wielder—

Was using the exact same sword techniques.

...Was he also a Sword Saint in life?

The Sword Saint stared at them—

The mage in the sky.

The swordsman.

The bald fighter.

...This won’t be easy.

—

Meanwhile—

Rei remained hidden in an overlooked corner.

His gaze shifted—

Toward the three coffins.

There was something about them.

Now that the other two corpses had moved away—

All targeting the Sword Saint—

This was the perfect chance.

To investigate.

As for the Sword Saint—

With his strength, he probably wouldn’t die anytime soon.

And even if he did—

That had nothing to do with Rei.

From initial observation—

All three corpses were formidable.

Even without revealing their full power.

If things turned bad—

Escape wouldn’t be a problem.

They hadn’t one-shot those warriors.

No way they could instantly kill him.

That thought—

Reassured him.

Boom! Boom!

Golden fists roared.

Each sword strike carved massive fissures.

Magic rained from the sky—

Flames scorched the earth—

Turning the battlefield into a blazing inferno.

The once-composed Sword Saint—

Now under siege by three top-tier opponents—

Was forced to retreat repeatedly—

Barely holding on—

His composure visibly strained.