Chapter 10: Bottleneck Slaughter
[Cursed Zombie]
Level 4
HP – 60/60
Build – Fat
Double damage from Holy Light and Holy Water.
Half damage from normal attacks.
Without holy water, these thick-skinned horrors were nightmares for low-level adventurers. With it, each shambling corpse became a generous source of experience for Xander.
"Hold the right side," he directed calmly. "Block every one trying to force entry."
Elyra nodded without hesitation. Xander’s decisive performance had earned her complete trust. She positioned herself at the widening crack on the right, delivering a powerful kick that sent an ugly head snapping back outside.
"Excellent," Xander praised. He moved to the left plank and deliberately widened the breach with precise dagger strikes.
Bang! Bang!
The gap enlarged significantly.
"What are you doing?" Elyra asked, startled.
The plump zombie, as if invigorated, squeezed through the opening Xander had created. He had engineered a controlled bottleneck.
Xander remained perfectly composed. With fluid footwork, he struck the creature’s forehead.
[Basic Attack Successful!]
[Effect doubled due to Holy Water! You deal 24 damage!]
Cursed zombies lacked true vitals. Even decapitation would not stop them immediately. The fat creature snarled and lunged.
Xander sidestepped smoothly while Elyra followed with a timely kick to its midsection, staggering the undead.
"Good support," Xander called. "Don’t finish them — leave the kills to me."
He wanted every point of Battle Exp. Closing in, he slashed with his right-hand curved dagger, carving a sizzling wound enhanced by holy water. The zombie collapsed moments later, granting 32 Battle Exp.
The battle settled into a grim, efficient rhythm. Holy water made short work of the undead. Elyra controlled the flow masterfully, her Level 5 Fighter strength and Tenacity keeping the horde at bay without stealing kills. Her precise interventions created openings while maintaining the choke point. Xander moved like a shadow between strikes, his new [Two-Weapon Fighting] specialty granting seamless coordination between blades.
The mindless zombies funneled predictably through the narrow gaps, dying one after another. Twenty minutes later, a pile of rotting corpses blocked much of the entrance. Xander stepped outside to finish the stragglers under the moonlight.
Twenty-nine zombies total yielded 856 Battle Exp. Combined with prior gains, it pushed him over the threshold.
He opened his status and allocated carefully. Reaching Level 4 Ranger required 800 Exp from Level 3, but he chose restraint. The immediate gains — minor HP, skill points, and attack bonuses, were secondary. Instead, he invested 500 Battle Exp into a critical personal skill.
[Cutthroat successfully learned!]
[Cutthroat 46]
The Phantom Assassin technique manifested as a true skill. Personal skills could only improve through relentless practice, and Xander’s execution was already refined from countless past battles, starting him at a high 46 points.
Skills fundamentally outperformed manual attacks. They eliminated micro-flaws, doubled base damage, and scaled with further investment. Paired with his 50-point [Sneak Attack], Cutthroat enabled devastating four-times damage multipliers from stealth. As a Ranger, he balanced versatility, but Xander refused to settle for mediocrity. His legendary experience allowed targeted optimization.
Elyra watched the entire process with quiet awe. The gentle boy she had protected for years had become a cold, efficient killer. In one fevered night, he had grown into something formidable. She wondered about the dreams that had reshaped him so completely.
"Wear this," Xander said, removing Heiss’s black diamond ring and offering it to her.
"For me?" Elyra blinked.
"Of course. You earned it. Without your strength, we wouldn’t have survived Heiss or this horde." He took her right hand naturally and slipped the ring onto her forefinger. "It allows instantaneous casting of a chosen spell. You know some elven magic, right?"
Elyra’s cheeks flushed at the contact, her heart quickening despite herself. "Yes... it will be useful."
Xander didn’t linger on the moment. "We need to leave. More undead or city patrols could arrive soon."
---
They slipped away from the desecrated cemetery and made their way to the East District. After paying a hefty sum for late-night entry despite curfew, the portly owner of the Black Horn Eagle Inn welcomed them warmly into his best room.
Safe behind locked doors and a simple alarm mechanism on window and entrance, Xander finally relaxed on the bed. He began sorting their spoils.
Heiss’s accumulated wealth was staggering. After inn costs, they retained 378 silvers — a fortune compared to their earlier desperation. The three Uncommon items alone were worth over a thousand silvers each on the black market, but Xander had no intention of selling them.
"Young Master Xander, what’s our next move?" Elyra asked. Hope had returned to her voice, energizing the half-elf.
Xander finished checking the room’s defenses and leaned back. "Rest tonight. Tomorrow we prepare. The Bleakhollow Gang will reap exactly what they sowed."
His mind turned to Diapheis and the Pyroxene Bar. With fresh levels, dual-wielding proficiency, the new Cutthroat skill, and Elyra’s formidable support, the balance had shifted. The gang’s ambush on the riverbank, the inn surveillance, and Miller’s suspected hand — all of it would be answered.
Elyra settled nearby, sword within reach. For the first time since fleeing Redoak Vale, genuine confidence filled the room. Xander’s transformation had ignited a path forward through blood and shadows. The former top player was no longer helpless. The reclamation of his territory — and vengeance against traitors, had truly begun.
Outside, the city slept under watchful stars, unaware of the storm gathering in its underbelly. Xander closed his eyes, already planning the coming assault on the Bleakhollow stronghold. Every step, every kill, brought him closer to the power he once commanded.
