Lord of Rot

Casualties in the mercenary squad were soaring. The monsters outside would feel fear, but it was quickly overwhelmed by the madness in their minds, and they would charge forward like lunatics.

A cacophony of strange cackles rose and fell.

Not only that, but two mercenaries had already been snatched by harpies that took advantage of an opening. Although they managed to kill the harpies in return, they fell into the monster horde and were brutally torn to pieces.

Screams of agony were incessant. The number of monsters gathering at the entrance was growing, and it was already too late to escape.

Right now, the only way was to blast open a path with fierce flames and for everyone to rush out. Whether that path led to a dead end or a sliver of hope, they could only leave it to fate.

"Betty, it’s all up to you!"

The young mercenary, Betty, nodded after hearing her companion’s plan.

’If I take the gamble, I might live. If I don’t, we’re trapped here to die!’

She reached for the small cloth pouch at her waist. It was flat.

’Empty!’

Leech saw the change in her expression, saw her flinch as her head lowered slightly.

"Betty!"

The iron-armored mercenary blocked the door with his body, roaring impatiently, "Hurry up!"

Spears hammered against his iron armor. While they couldn’t pierce the metal, the impacts vibrated through his body, rattling his organs. Another spear found a cunning opening, sinking into his unprotected armpit. With a sickening SQUELCH, blood gushed freely.

"Hurry up!"

Hearing his urgent cry, Betty hurriedly explained, "It’s gone! The powder is all gone!"

"Gone?!" The iron-armored mercenary, who was desperately holding the door, shrieked, his voice rising in pitch.

His extreme reaction not only tensed up his companions but also made the monsters outside even more brazen. Perhaps to the monsters’ ears, the high-pitched sound was a provocation.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The sounds of pounding and ramming grew heavier.

"I just..."

Betty started to explain, but she was suddenly grabbed.

The next thing she knew, her body was airborne.

She froze.

’I... I’ve been thrown!’ 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Betty’s small body carved an arc through the air. Seeing this, the blue-skinned gremlins by the door gave chase, and the harpies were drawn in as well. In that moment, she was the bait.

Meanwhile, the iron-armored mercenary roared, "You bastards! You..."

But unexpectedly, a companion decisively stabbed him from behind, then kicked the iron-armored mercenary out the door.

He became another piece of bait to attract a portion of the monsters.

The others seized the opportunity to rush out.

Although some of the cavern monsters were distracted by Betty being thrown through the air, others noticed the mercenaries trying to escape. The battle shifted from a defense to a chase.

But none of this mattered to Betty anymore. She was caught in a harpy’s claws, its talons digging into her flesh like hooks. She bit down hard, refusing to cry out in pain. She knew that if she screamed, she would only help those damned bastards by drawing the monsters’ attention, making it easier for them to escape!

After seeing the iron-armored mercenary die, the killing intent in her eyes became irrepressible.

WHOOSH—!

A spear grazed Betty’s cheek and plunged into the harpy’s chest. The cunningly thrown spear carried a sharp gust of wind with it, slicing off several strands of Betty’s hair.

The harpy’s pale flesh jiggled as it flapped its wings. A bobbing red dot on its chest was like a bullseye, and the spear struck it dead-on, causing an explosion of blood.

Crippled, the harpy shrieked as it plummeted to the ground.

A feeling of weightlessness!

Betty calmly awaited her body’s fall into the tide of monsters, awaited death.

But a pair of hands caught her. CRACK! It sounded like bones were being torn apart, followed by a familiar, peculiar smell.

"Howling Wolf!"

Betty looked at the person holding her. It was Howling Wolf, the man who had single-handedly braved the dangers to lead them to this maze. But his entire demeanor had changed. He no longer spoke, as if he were a complete stranger.

The mercenary, Howling Wolf, shook his head gently. He set her on the ground, then led her in a rapid escape deeper into the caverns.

Although Betty was seriously injured, she didn’t make a sound from beginning to end. She could endure it.

As she fled, she glanced back in the direction of the iron-armored mercenary. All she could see was a sea of blue.

She fought back tears, forcing herself not to look.

Because Betty had been caught by the harpy, the blue-skinned gremlins on the ground, who had been waiting for their prey, swarmed after the fleeing mercenaries instead. In doing so, they had unwittingly created an escape opportunity for Betty.

Why was the mercenary corpse controlled by Leech unharmed? All he had to do was lie on the ground, and none of the little monsters would bother him. It was just a corpse, after all. Why bother stabbing it?

The cavern system was far larger than they had imagined. The area the mercenaries had explored so far was probably less than a tenth of its total size.

One corpse and one living person, they stealthily made their way to a place that resembled a chapel. A toppled statue, seemingly of a woman, lay in pieces. Its severed stone head was right at the entrance, covered in moss that emitted a faint glow.

The deeper they went inside, the more glowing moss they found.

While the visibility couldn’t compare to a clear, starlit night, it wasn’t completely pitch-black either.

"There’s something alive inside," Betty whispered to her greatly changed companion. She had heard a noise, but the edge of her vision was nothing but pitch-black darkness.

Then she witnessed a shocking scene. Her companion, Howling Wolf, picked up a spear. He weighed it for a moment as if finding its balance, then violently drew back his arm and threw it!

WHOOSH—!

Betty only saw the spear fly into the darkness, followed by a THUD and the sound of a body slumping to the ground.

’Such accuracy!’

They walked into the dilapidated chapel and saw, in a corner, the corpse of a blue-skinned gremlin with a spear pierced cleanly through its head.

Betty couldn’t help but look at her companion again. She had already sensed that something was wrong.

But she didn’t say anything, because it didn’t matter.

As long as they were on the same side for now, nothing else was important.

She had an emergency healing potion on her. After applying some to her wounds, she had no choice but to ask the person behind her for help with the parts of her back she couldn’t reach.

Betty completely removed her top, exposing her bloody back to Leech. "Can you help me apply the medicine?"

There was no verbal response, but he took the medicine and began to apply it.

’Pain!’

Betty’s eyes flew wide open. Luckily, she managed to bite down on her discarded clothes in time. But she quickly sensed something else was wrong. They were very close, yet she couldn’t hear his breathing. In this silent space, she was the only one breathing!

She listened intently but still couldn’t hear any breathing. This meant the one behind her was a corpse.

Someone was controlling this corpse.

Once the medicine was applied, Betty, completely unconcerned that her small frame had been seen, turned to face Howling Wolf directly.

’Whoa,’ thought the remotely-controlling Leech. ’A legal loli, huh? And she’s got that baby face, but she’s totally stacked.’

’And bouncy, too.’

But Betty’s next words made Leech sit up and take notice.

"I know you’re not Howling Wolf. I want... to live."

’Leech marveled at how quickly she accepted the situation. He also realized how easily his "corpse" trump card could be exposed when around skilled people. It was something he could never use openly in a fight, not unless he one day decided to unleash an Undead apocalypse to sweep across the Lu Leiyi Continent.’

’But that was impossible. He just wanted to farm and build up his infrastructure in peace. He had no interest in war.’

After a moment’s hesitation, he dipped his finger in the blue gremlin’s blood and began to write on the ground.

’Since the cards are on the table, let’s get down to business.’

’He was going to hide a beauty in his cavern—no, what he wanted was the secret to that Magic Gunpowder, Betty’s knowledge, and information on what was in this place. The more information, the better.’

’As for whether Betty would lie to him... whether she lied or not, could she possibly escape from here?’

’He was determined to keep this "beauty" for himself!’

Betty also understood her situation. Moreover, she was injured. Without the protection of the corpse in these caverns, she would be completely helpless.

Whether to tell the truth, and how much truth to mix with lies, was up to Betty to decide.

And how much to listen to, and how much to believe, was something Leech would have to figure out for himself.