Chapter 76: 76:Zone Of Guilt
Reigns immediately threw both hands into the air in frustration.
"Of course not, you maniac!"
The handsome man looked slightly embarrassed and awkwardly coughed while avoiding eye contact.
Meanwhile, standing behind Reigns, one of the Dryads proudly puffed out its chest as though it had just accomplished something extremely important and worthy of praise.
Then, for some reason, it even gave him a thumbs up.
Reigns stared at it for several seconds without saying a word, clearly at a loss for words.
’Where the hell did it learn that?’
Ignoring the fellow, Reigns continued forward with the Dryads following behind him.
The handsome man stood up while rubbing his butt and gritting his teeth.
THUD!
A four-armed monster abruptly leaped from a side passage with a horrifying screech and charged directly toward the group at terrifying speed.
"Kyaa!"
The handsome man screamed.
"DRYADDDDD!"
The first Dryad immediately screamed loudly and rushed forward, grabbing the creature in a wrestling lock while trying to stop it from reaching Reigns.
But the monster’s other two free arms instantly slammed into Dryad’s chest, forcing the giant creature backward through sheer brute force.
Another pair of arms wrapped around the Dryad from behind as the monster prepared to sink its jaws into its wooden neck.
But at that exact moment...
FWOOOSH!
A scythe suddenly whizzed through the air at terrifying speed.
CRACK!
The sharp blade smashed straight through the monster’s skull and lodged deep inside its head as dark blood exploded outward.
Reigns immediately rushed forward without hesitation.
Using the Dryad’s massive body as a foothold, he jumped upward and climbed onto its shoulder before grabbing the scythe’s handle tightly with both hands.
With a loud crackling sound, he violently ripped the weapon free.
Then, without hesitation...
BANG!
He slammed the scythe directly into the monster’s skull again, completely shattering its head.
The monster’s body collapsed lifelessly onto the ground, blood slowly spreading across the cracked floor beneath it.
[You have killed Lv12 Sunderclaw.]
[You have gained 1,250 days of tradable lifespan.]
"You are really awesome!"
The handsome man spoke in disbelief.
’Shouldn’t a summoner be weak and hide behind his summon? What is this?’
Earlier, he had targeted Reigns specifically because a summoner was usually the weakest point of both a monster and a human summoner.
Reigns slowly pulled back his scythe.
"What’s your name?"
"Duster."
"Reigns!"
After a brief introduction, Reigns carefully observed the surroundings again, checking whether any more monsters were approaching.
Suddenly, his body froze.
A sound of broken sobbing and wailing slowly echoed throughout the funeral home.
The distorted cries drifted across the empty hallways from every direction.
The crying sounded painful and unnatural.
Almost as if countless people were weeping together in deep despair.
Reigns slowly turned his head around while tightening his grip on the scythe.
"Are you hearing it?" Reigns muttered, expecting them to shake their heads dismissively.
Instead, the Dryads slowly nodded.
Reigns’ expression instantly stiffened.
"You can hear it too?"
The four of them nodded again.
"You’re talking about the sound of crying, right?" Duster asked with a frown.
His question immediately made Reigns swallow nervously.
At that moment, he honestly didn’t know what was more frightening.
Hearing random, disembodied voices in this cursed place...
Or the fact that now everyone could hear them.
The deeper Reigns, Duster, and the Dryads ventured into the funeral hall, the louder the broken cries and sobbing became. The distorted voices continuously echoed through the dark hallways from every direction, making it feel as though countless grieving souls were trapped within the walls, endlessly repeating their sorrow.
The atmosphere grew colder and colder with every step.
The chill didn’t merely seem to affect the air around them—it felt as though it was seeping directly into their bodies.
Duster, who had been following behind Reigns ever since their earlier misunderstanding, had also become unusually quiet as the oppressive atmosphere gradually affected him too.
The handsome young man occasionally glanced toward the dark corners of the hallway while gripping his sword tightly, while his eyes constantly scanned the shadows as though expecting something to suddenly leap out at them.
His expression remained calm on the surface, but every now and then his eyes would twitch slightly whenever another strange cry echoed through the building and reached his ears.
At one point, he suddenly stopped and stared at a dark doorway before frowning deeply.
"Did that wall just move?"
Reigns immediately turned toward it and carefully observed the doorway.
The wall remained completely still.
Several seconds passed.
But nothing happened.
Duster continued staring at it for another moment before awkwardly scratching his cheek.
"Maybe not."
Reigns simply shook his head and continued walking deeper into the funeral hall.
’This guy is definitely a little cracked.’
It was one thing if this guy was afraid, but now he was even making him scared.
The group continued onward while the strange cries continued echoing around them without pause.
Reigns slowly tightened his grip around the scythe while carefully leading the way, paying close attention to every sound and movement around him.
Then, after crossing another broken corridor that was littered with debris and damaged furniture...
His footsteps suddenly came to a halt.
A massive hall had appeared before them.
The moment Reigns looked inside, his eyes slowly widened as he took in the sight before him.
The hall was enormous.
Long, broken chandeliers hung from the ceiling while dim crimson lights flickered throughout the ruined chambers, casting long shadows that stretched across the floor and walls.
And inside the hall...
Hundreds of figures could be seen rolling on the floor.
People.
Or rather...
Things that looked like people.
They stood there, holding black caskets tightly against their chests as though they never intended to let go.
Some cried softly while others muttered distorted, despairing voices nonstop, their grief filling every corner of the massive hall.
Their faces looked pale and hollow, while tears of black liquid continuously streamed from their eyes and dripped onto the floor beneath them.
The entire hall echoed with painful sobbing.
"I am sorry..."
"It was my fault..."
"I should have saved them..."
Broken voices continuously spread throughout the chamber, blending together into a haunting chorus of regret and guilt.
The sight alone sent chills down Reigns’ spine.
Beside him, Duster slowly lowered his sword while staring at the horrifying scene before them.
The usual irritation and impatience on his face had disappeared completely.
For the first time since Reigns met him, the handsome young man looked genuinely disturbed.
"What the hell is this place...’ he muttered quietly, staring at the countless grieving figures.
But that wasn’t the only horrifying thing there.
Surrounding the crying figures stood rows upon rows of armored skeleton troops, silently guarding the hall.
Rusty swords rested in their bony hands while broken armor hung from their frames.
Their empty eye sockets glowed faintly with eerie blue flames that flickered within the darkness.
None of them moved.
Yet the pressure they emitted felt heavy and suffocating, making it difficult to look away.
Duster immediately sucked in a breath after seeing the enormous number of undead soldiers gathered inside the hall.
"That is a lot of skeletons."
Reigns slowly nodded while continuing to stare at them.
"That is definitely a lot of skeletons."
The two stared at the army in silence, trying to estimate how badly things would go if every single one of them suddenly became active.
Then Duster slowly pointed toward the skeleton army.
"If they all wake up, I’m running."
"Damn... What a nuisance."
Duster immediately pointed at Reigns without even a moment of hesitation.
"Him. Whatever this is, it’s probably his fault."
"What?!"
"I met you ten minutes ago, and now I’m inside a haunted funeral home."
"How is that my fault?!"
Reigns awkwardly coughed and immediately looked away as though he had never said anything.
And at the very center of the hall...
A massive undead monster stood silently, towering above everything else present.
Its enormous body looked half-rotten while chains wrapped tightly around its torso and arms, digging deeply into its flesh.
Several broken hands protruded from its back while dark mist continuously leaked from its body, spreading across the floor around it.
Its hollow face slowly turned around the hall as though observing every grieving figure present and silently watching over them.
The moment Reigns stepped inside the hall completely and crossed the invisible boundary of the room...
A cold voice suddenly echoed inside his head.
[Welcome to the Zone of Guilt.]
Reigns’ body instantly stiffened as the voice appeared without warning.
Beside him, Duster’s expression changed as well.
It was clear he had heard it too.
The voice continued.
[Get over the guilt and finish the monster.]
