Chapter 7

Chapter 7
## Chapter 7

Undead (2)

Another seven days slipped away within the confines of the storage room.

Thud! Thud-thud-thud—!

‘Arrgh! I can’t take this for another second—!’

My concept and execution hadn’t been flawed.

Following numerous attempts, I succeeded in dominating the undead through raw willpower.

Squelch-squelch—

Leaning back, I watched a solitary zombie jerk its limbs in a clumsy, awkward routine right before me.

Yes, that was the reality of it.

My dominion extended to this single zombie and nothing more.

The reserve of dark mana residing within my form was pitifully inadequate for managing a horde of the undead.

Setting aside the bare minimum required to keep my own framework intact, I had scraped together every leftover ounce, yet even this most pathetic zombie pushed my capabilities to the absolute brink.

Then again, even an elite specimen would scarcely amount to more than a basic skeleton at this stage.

I was never suited to be a commander, nor did I possess the knack for casting spells.

Perhaps due to my magic affinity, the volume of mana I gathered from my surroundings grew as time progressed, but the pace of that growth remained woefully inadequate.

‘If I had ended up as a skeleton wizard, these problems wouldn’t even cross my mind.’

Grumbling uselessly to myself, I began weighing alternative paths forward.

Squeak—

A mouse, a creature I had grown accustomed to seeing, darted toward the row of skeletons and began gnawing at their bony feet.

‘That little creature is remarkably persistent… Hold on, what is this?’

Watching its movements, I rose silently, the light in my ocular cavities flaring as I drifted toward the rodent, focusing entirely on its relentless chewing.

—

The solitary zombie was the grand total of what I could command.

Unfortunately, the large zombies stationed here offered no practical help for my current dilemma.

Therefore, what sort of zombie would actually serve a purpose?

Squeak-squeak—Squeak-squeak—!

I looked down in silence at the tiny mouse squirming between the bones of my fingers.

It possessed incredible speed for a beast that ought to have enjoyed a peaceful life in a thriving terrain.

I had assumed it would be a simple capture while its guard was dropped, but securing it turned into a desperate scramble the moment it bolted at my slightest motion.

Sealing off its escape tunnel and activating life detection,

I threw myself into the pursuit alongside the clumsy zombies.

‘When I believed I had trapped it by dropping my entire frame over it, only to watch it slip effortlessly through my ribs, my non-existent stomach twisted in frustration.’

Ultimately, I barely secured the creature by orchestrating an ambush with the zombies, cutting off the path it was sprinting toward.

On the bright side of this chaotic training, the rapid shifting of my mental grip between different targets caused my undead control proficiency to sharpen considerably.

‘My apologies. Your contribution will not be forgotten, Alfred.’

I drove a finger bone charged with dark mana straight into the lower jaw of the mouse I had casually dubbed Alfred.

The tip of my digit, honed to a sharp point by the process of becoming undead, pierced deep inside.

Though Alfred’s frantic writhing gradually ceased, I maintained the flow of dark mana into his miniature frame, refusing to withdraw my bone.

And then… the lifeless form began to twitch once more.

Carefully lowering Alfred to the floor, I concentrated on the tiny beast as it started to scurry around.

‘Because I turned it firsthand and it possesses a diminutive physical frame, directing it feels incredibly natural, and our mental link is far tighter.’

At last, I possessed a perfect partner for reconnaissance.

I resolved to deploy it the very next time the entrance swung open.

—

The perfect window presented itself without much delay.

Clink, creak—

“Ah— what a pain. Total drag. Why is this always dumped on me?”

The supervisor entering the storage area on this shift was a notorious whiner named Jephy.

The moment he stepped inside, I directed Alfred, whom I had stationed near the corner, to slip out into the corridor before the heavy barrier shut.

The man was so completely checked out that he failed to sense the tiny form darting beneath his boots, keeping up his steady stream of complaints.

“Just wait and see. I’ll settle scores with that old man eventually.”

Leaving the disgruntled guard behind, the liberated Alfred glided silently through the dark patches of the hallway.

The system for directing Alfred differed fundamentally from how Jephy held authority over me.

Because we shared the bond of being undead and I had implemented a technique akin to operating avatars, our mental tether had fused tightly, allowing a partial sharing of sensory input.

While it didn’t match the absolute synchronization of a true avatar, it was more than enough to harvest secrets.

Yet, despite Alfred’s thorough exploration, the initial findings were disappointingly sparse.

The rodent discovered nothing but corridors that seemed to connect to alternative storage rooms and a solitary main portal.

Even those details remained unverified, as every single barrier was firmly locked shut.

‘Ah, this complicates things. A hidden facility like this wouldn’t just let you walk into freedom after passing a single threshold.’

Fortunately, I possessed an unwitting accomplice in Jephy, who consistently provided aid whenever I hit a wall.

“I wasn’t meant to waste away in a miserable hole like this. It’s only because brainless fools blindly rely on this installation…”

Right at that moment, Jephy finished his superficial inspection of my room and stepped back out into the main corridor.

Alfred trailed stealthily behind him, keeping to the shadows.

As he trudged along the path toward an adjacent storage room, Jephy’s mouth never stopped moving.

‘Does this fellow never run out of breath? Still, what exactly is kept in that other room? More undead?’

Clank—

When he unlocked the portal to the subterranean vault and slipped inside, Alfred darted in right behind him.

Though this particular vault was packed with undead, their collective aura felt strangely muted. The guard, who had been muttering non-stop, went entirely silent and began pacing through the area with total focus.

In truth, the moment we crossed the threshold, the reason for his sudden shift became instantly obvious.

Why the man was behaving so cautiously.

‘What sort of place is this…?’

Even though the room was crammed with rows of undead, their spiritual weight was entirely eclipsed. There was an object of staggering magnitude resting directly in the heart of the vault.

‘What in the world is placed over there?’

Alfred, being a tiny zombie mouse, lacked the capability to draw closer for an inspection.

A primal warning broadcasted that he would be utterly erased if he ventured too close to ‘that.’

Crouching near the doorway, I kept watch as Jephy surveyed the interior with an unusually grim expression.

Hemmed in by these walking corpses, I couldn’t discern their grand design or what they hoped to achieve.

Still, isn’t it standard practice to track the movements of your adversaries first?

‘Let’s monitor this setup a bit longer. The ‘Jephy asset’ hasn’t outlived its usefulness just yet.’

After finishing his rounds, the supervisor turned and quickly exited the vault.

“Phew, that place drains the life out of me every single time. How did I get stuck with…”

Trailing the man as he began working himself up again, I approached the external exit.

This particular portal lacked any standard lock I had previously encountered.

The moment Jephy pressed his palm against the surface, an intricate sigil manifested, and the barrier glided open without a sound.

‘Huh, so slipping out won’t be as simple as walking?’

I felt a brief surge of alarm, but quickly directed my scout to follow him through the opening.

“Hey, you’re finished?.”

“Yeah, that room takes everything out of me. When is this refinement process supposed to wrap up? Have you picked up any rumors?”

Stationed right outside the portal was a younger man seated behind a desk, occupied with some paperwork.

This individual, much like Jephy, was someone who made regular appearances near the vaults.

He was clearly tasked with monitoring the main entryway.

“Well, shouldn’t it be wrapping up shortly? Lately, the master has been spending every single day in there. The only reason he skipped today was for a briefing with the upper management.”

“Man, I just want to get this done and get out. I am completely sick of dealing with this ‘Fragment of the Immortal King’ or whatever it’s called.”

“You and me both. Checking that vault day in and day out is exhausting.”

Keeping Alfred concealed within the darkness beneath the desk, I drank in their words, silently cheering for Jephy’s incredible tendency to talk too much.

“Seriously, isn’t it overkill to keep watch like this? We have a magical seal over this door and around the entire perimeter of the village. Who could possibly infiltrate this place?”

“Well, it’s just standard safety protocol. Nothing we can do about it, right?”

“Safety protocol for what? As long as someone is drawing breath, they aren’t passing through these wards. If it were a lifeless corpse, maybe, but a living person?”

Snickering to himself, Jephy turned and walked away, his coat swaying.

‘That fellow might actually be a saint in disguise. Someone watching would think he’s feeding me secrets on purpose.’

Regardless, the initiative code-named ‘Night Secrets Are Heard by Mice’ had yielded spectacular results.

Expressing silent gratitude for Jephy’s unwitting assistance, I guided my scout out of the structure.

By a stroke of luck, darkness had fallen over the exterior world, allowing for much safer movement.

Alfred navigated the village, weaving through the deep shadows of the evening.

The vast majority of the buildings were locked up tight, but Alfred utilized his small stature to slip beneath narrow gaps and cracks.

Regrettably, no further revelations came to light beyond what Jephy had blabbed about.

It appeared the total strength here amounted to roughly forty individuals, the majority of whom were mere lackeys rather than full dark wizards.

Content with this substantial gain, I was pondering my next move when—

Whooosh!

A spike of dark energy erupted from the earth, skewering Alfred’s tiny form.

“Hmm… so you’re the one behind this little disturbance, you annoying rat.”

The voice belonged to the village leader, none other than the dark wizard Malcolm.

‘Darn it, I’ve been detected.’

“An undead? Yet I don’t detect a caster’s signature… Could it be a spontaneous creation born from stagnant dark energy? Where did this originate?”

As Malcolm stepped closer, I immediately cut the mental thread binding me to Alfred.

‘He hasn’t traced the link back to me yet. I need to sever this gently, ensuring he doesn’t detect any fluctuations… ‘

“The concentration of dark magic within this tiny frame is peculiar. This doesn’t bear the marks of an intentional spell. Where could it have absorbed such a dense amount of corruption?”

Through the fading remnants of the connection, I caught the sound of Malcolm pausing before letting out an irritated breath.

“There’s only a single area where dark energy pools to this degree. Ah, right, Jeraf was handling the vault rotation today.”

Jephy, your helpfulness truly knows no bounds! My deepest apologies!

Whooosh!

—

The mental link snapped completely.

I knew with absolute certainty that Alfred had been utterly vaporized by Malcolm.

Offering a silent salute to Alfred, who had conducted himself with immense courage and valor today, I paused for a brief moment of respect.

‘Alfred. Your demise will be avenged. Keep watch from the afterlife.’

Malcolm was now Alfred’s sworn enemy. That was the official narrative I established.

Brushing aside a tiny prickle of guilt, I began cataloging the data collected during this outing.

“Jephy’s actual identity is Jeraf.”

Well, that detail was entirely useless to me.

‘Their main objective is the ‘Fragment of the Immortal King’ currently undergoing refinement in the neighboring vault, and Malcolm keeps a vigilant eye on it. Furthermore, the undead are entirely bypassed by the perimeter wards.’

Their ultimate plans for the ‘Fragment of the Immortal King’ didn’t particularly concern me.

My focus was purely on plotting a way to circumvent their security.

‘If I can find a method to draw Malcolm away from his post, an opening might present itself… ‘

Indeed, a solution always manifests if you think hard enough.

‘Hold on… Alfred’s sworn enemy!’

—

Jeraf was in an absolutely foul mood.

Handling the storage rotation yesterday had been aggravating enough, but to make matters worse, he had received a brutal lashing from the master for his sloppy oversight.

“Seriously, who could have anticipated a random rodent slipping out of that room!”

The situation was entirely unfair.

As a penalty for his alleged carelessness, he had been sentenced to manage the vault solitary for the foreseeable future.

Hwan, who had been stationed at the desk that afternoon, received an identical punishment, forced to watch the entryway for the same duration.

“This miserable world! How is anyone supposed to climb the ranks without a benefactor! And what’s the grand crime in a single mouse getting loose! Intolerable old tyrant.”

Jeraf swallowed his fury as he always did, keeping his face neutral despite the rage boiling inside.

A sense of anxiety hung over him, knowing the master could materialize at any given moment.

Clang!

Squeak—

Bang!

Walking at a pace that was nearly a jog, Jeraf threw the vault portal open and stepped into the room without a moment’s hesitation.

After sealing the portal behind him, he began igniting the wall torches with meticulous care, a sharp contrast to his usual lazy routine.

“Hey! You lot! [Stand properly], you useless piles of bone!”

He barked aggressively at the row of skeletons standing against the wall.

“What is this slacking! You! [Stand straight]!”

He targeted a zombie that was tilting awkwardly to one side due to a severed ankle joint.

When the creature merely wobbled and failed to execute his command cleanly, Jeraf lost his temper, marching over to deliver a sharp kick.

“Are you mocking me? Huh? Get it right! [Stand straight], I ordered!”

Breathing heavily, Jeraf vented his frustration for a few minutes before falling silent and scanning the room.

Every single entity in this room followed his directives without a single thought.

It brought a sense of gratification.

This was exactly how things ought to operate.

Casting a final, disgusted look at the swaying zombie, he turned on his heel and walked deeper into the space.

“Huh? Who do we have here? Aren’t you that haughty bastard from before?”

As his eyes swept the rows, a familiar face caught his attention.

Jeraf closed the distance to the zombie, a young man who looked to be in his early twenties, and jabbed his staff hard into the corpse’s shoulder.

“Come on, repeat those words you yelled back then. Let’s hear it.”

The zombie offered zero response, merely rocking slightly under the pressure of the staff.

“Why the silence? Ah, right, I personally ripped your tongue out, didn’t I? Hehehe.”

Jeraf’s features contorted into a twisted smirk.

Just when his aggravation was reaching a boiling point, an ideal target for venting had presented itself.

“Phew—those were spectacular days. Hunting down you pathetic locals one by one.”

Bam!

Thump!

He struck the zombie while muttering like a deranged lunatic.

“You in particular had so much to say. Spouting all that righteous nonsense. What was it you declared? If I touched a single member of your bloodline, you’d ensure I paid the ultimate price.”

Crunch.

The faint sound of grinding bone echoed from somewhere nearby, but wrapped up in his own speech, Jeraf missed it entirely and kept up his mockery.

“Hehehe, I even made sure you got a front-row seat. When your kin were weeping right in front of your face, the look of utter despair you had was magnificent.”

Dwellling on the memory, Jeraf channeled all his lingering stress into the corpse, his mouth curving into an ugly sneer.

“But look at you now. Where did that precious bloodline go, leaving you to rot all by yourself…”

Crunch!

With a sickening tear, dark liquid sprayed outward.

Without warning, a skeleton that had crept up from the blind spot locked its fingers onto Jeraf’s shoulder and crown, sinking its teeth violently into his throat.

“Kkuh—! What the hell?!”

The passive defensive ward that constantly enveloped his body shattered instantly under the raw force of the strike.

However, that initial buffer bought him just enough time to wrench his head sideways, preventing his jugular from being completely severed.

“Argh!”

Jeraf unleashed a violent wave of dark magic from his core, tearing the skeleton away from his back.

He quickly clamped a hand over the spraying laceration on his neck, scrambling backward to face his assailant.

“A skeleton? Why is this creature attacking me?”

There was no window to process the confusion, however.

The skeleton, though thrown back, scrambled to its feet and lunged at him with renewed ferocity.

“Argh… [Stop!][Stop!]”

The creature completely disregarded Jeraf’s spoken command, throwing itself forward as though deaf to his authority.

Despite being blindsided and bleeding from the sudden mutiny, Jeraf remained, at his core, a trained practitioner of dark arts.

Even with his defenses breached, he possessed numerous spells to obliterate an undead thrall, particularly a lone skeleton.

Swoosh—

The exact instant he began structuring his mana for a spell, a foreign object shoved deep into his maw, triggering an agonizing pain in the back of his throat.

Another zombie had closed the distance from behind, forcing its hand straight into Jeraf’s open mouth while tearing at the opposite side of his neck with its teeth.

With his defensive barrier down, Jeraf’s concentration shattered into pieces, causing the half-formed spell to instantly collapse.

In a state of sheer panic, Jeraf’s wandering gaze locked onto the dead, unblinking eyes of the zombie he had been mocking just seconds prior.

They were the exact same eyes that had burned with hatred during his execution, promising a terrible vengeance before his final breath.

Unleashing a continuous burst of raw mana was a high-tier technique beyond his current reach, and now, the original skeleton had sprinted back, snapping its jaws inches from his face.

Absolute terror consumed Jeraf’s vision.