Simon’s group had escaped to the roof, but the crisis was far from over. The zombies spotted them and swarmed the base of the building, then began to climb the walls. It wasn’t so much climbing as it was a grotesque ladder of bodies; the ones in front would press themselves against the wall while others clambered over them, forming a writhing hill of flesh.
Dick watched the scene, a hollow laugh escaping his lips. "Jeez, this is going to give me nightmares for a week."
It was a sight that evoked a primal, visceral fear. Every undead in this place was howling for their lives, and the only ones they could rely on were each other.
"Let’s move again," Simon said grimly.
After only a short rest, the four of them, still wearing their Bone Armor, leaped from the roof. The moment they landed in an alley below, the zombies on the ground surged after them as if they had been waiting.
"Is this place always this intense?" Meirin panted. "I thought we were just supposed to find some materials while dodging a few wandering zombies!"
Simon felt it too. It was strange that so many zombies were pursuing them, and only them, with such relentless focus. Could some other force be at play?
Just then, as he ran along a carriage road, his eyes caught what looked like a manhole cover. It was the only object on the road with a slightly different color.
"Guys! Wait a minute!" He ran over, grabbed the handle, and heaved. The characteristic stench of a sewer wafted up, revealing a ladder leading down.
"Simon! Are you planning to go this way?" Kamibarez asked, her voice tight with anxiety.
Simon looked back. The wave of zombies—a moving hill of bodies—was closing in. "They’re swarming from all directions. I think diving down below might be our best bet."
Dick shrugged. "Will it work? I feel like they’ll follow us right down."
"We’ll create a distraction, then sneak in here. How about that?" Simon proposed.
Meirin immediately nodded. "I’m in! I can obscure their vision with flames!"
"Oh, I heard zombies are sensitive to sound!" Kamibarez added.
"Then this is it." Dick pulled a music box shaped like an instrument from his Subspace. "It was a prototype I was preparing to sell, but I have no choice." With a practiced motion, he wound the key and let go. Loud music began to pour from the box.
"Do you have more?" Simon asked as he summoned three skeletons.
Dick produced two more music boxes to match the number of skeletons.
"We don’t have much time!" Kamibarez yelled, buying them precious seconds by firing a volley of Blood Flow Bullets into the approaching horde.
"Obscuring vision!" Meirin swung her arms, spreading a wall of black flames around them. Thick smoke billowed up, completely concealing their position.
’I’m counting on you!’
’Clack! Clack clack!’
Now was their chance.
The four of them swiftly descended into the sewer. Simon, the last one in, pulled the lid shut with a clicking sound. They were plunged into a thick, impenetrable darkness. The only sensation was the cold, rough texture of the old ladder he gripped with all his might.
"Is everyone okay?" he called down.
"Yes!" came the reply from below.
He waited a moment for his eyes to adjust before taking a lantern from his Subspace. The soft glow illuminated his surroundings. Simon was at the top, with Kamibarez, Meirin, and Dick on the rungs below him in that order.
’Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!’
The heavy footsteps of zombies echoed from directly above. The ceiling trembled, and monstrous cries filled the air. With only a thin layer of stone separating them from the horde, the four of them held their breath in tense silence.
After a short while, the noise subsided.
"...Are they gone?" Dick whispered.
It was quiet outside. The footsteps had faded completely. Only then did everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
"Now we have two choices," Dick said, his usual composure returning. "Go up or go down. Either way, there’s a risk."
"Hmmmm." Meirin was deep in thought, a grim expression on her face, when her eyes met Dick’s. "Hey!!" Her face instantly flushed red, and she snatched at the hem of her skirt. "Where do you think you’re looking?!"
"Ah. Busted."
"What do you mean, busted! Go to hell! Just die!"
"Ouch! Ow! Hey! You hit my nose! My poor nose!"
Meirin, holding her skirt with one hand, started kicking wildly at Dick’s face. He scrambled down the ladder until he was out of her reach.
"Wow! You’re seriously trying to kill me! It’s so dark I can only see your silhouette anyway!"
"Then why were you looking at the silhouette, you perverted commoner!"
While the two bickered, Kamibarez let out a small sigh and looked up at Simon. "What should we do, Simon?"
"Let’s go down," he decided. "It’s tough just hanging here, and if we go up now, the zombies will probably still be nearby."
The other two stopped arguing and agreed. They carefully climbed down and stepped onto the sewer floor.
It was an unremarkable place—just a dark, endless passage. The stench of sewage and ammonia stung their noses. Beside the narrow walkway, foul-smelling black water trickled through the channel.
"Hmph, this is better, actually." Meirin crossed her arms. "I doubt we’ll find any materials up there. Since it’s come to this, let’s just follow the sewer deep into Deathland!"
Dick ruffled his hair. "Eh, are you serious? There were that many zombies near the entrance. If we go deeper, we might find a real zombie den."
She smirked. "You scared?"
"Ahem! Sc-scared? Who’s scared! I’m just saying we should make a rational decision instead of acting on impulse!"
Dick and Meirin both turned to look at Simon, their expressions clearly saying, ‘I’m right, aren’t I?’
Simon thought for a moment. "Meirin’s right. The materials near the camp have probably been picked clean by now."
Class C had gone in before them, and according to the club seniors, every student in Professor Aaron’s Summoning class had come to Deathland for the past two years. The camp’s location was always the same.
"So that means we have to go deeper?" Kamibarez asked.
Simon nodded. "Yeah. They gave us twelve hours and made us move in groups for a reason. The materials aren’t supposed to be easy to get."
Dick clicked his tongue. "Tch, I’m convinced."
"We’ll be fine if we all work together!" Kamibarez said, her voice full of conviction.
And so, they reached an agreement. The group walked through the sewer, searching for another way to the surface. Simon studied his companions’ faces. Perhaps the shock of the earlier attack had worn off, because they were now talking calmly amongst themselves.
’Pier.’ Simon pressed the skull clone on his uniform, speaking to him in his mind. ‘What do you think?’
[Bwahaha! Who can say? Zombies are a peculiar bunch, even among the undead. I cannot jump to any conclusions based on their behavior!]
’Hmm.’
[But, I suppose we can make a guess!] Pier’s clone curled its lips into a grin. [The prince, the former commander of the Legion! It is possible that he is the one pulling the strings!]
’That’s what I was thinking. Tell me more about his abilities and personality.’
As if he’d been waiting for the question, Pier launched into an explanation. [Prince’s core ability is the ‘Crown’.]
’The Crown?’
[When he wears it, he can dominate undead of the same lineage. In other words, zombies!]
Simon nodded. It was a lesser version of a Legion Commander’s ability, limited to only one type of undead.
[The difference is that he can control zombies that have not undergone ‘Legionization’! With that power, he can reign like a king in Deathland, where over ninety percent of the undead are zombies! That is why I wanted to come here.]
’I understand. Then let me rephrase: is Prince friendly to the Legion?’
It took Pier a moment to answer. [I do not know. During Richard’s time, Prince was a loyal moderate. He seemed to hold the Legion Commander in high esteem.]
’Ahh.’
[But as you know, the Legion did not end well. We will have to meet him to know what he is thinking now.]
If this massive zombie attack was truly Prince’s doing, and if it was because he recognized Simon as the Legion Commander, then a confrontation seemed inevitable. He might have to defeat Prince by force.
"Simon!"
He flinched and looked to his side. Kamibarez was smiling brightly at him. "What are you thinking so hard about?"
"Uhh, it’s nothing. Did you ask something?"
Dick leaned in abruptly. "He was pondering Meirin’s violent nature, turning an innocent person’s face into a dried fish fillet just because they were beneath her."
"...Please just die and go to hell," Meirin muttered darkly. "Please get hit by a carriage the moment we get back to Kizen."
They walked on. Just as his legs were starting to ache and the sewer stench threatened to numb his senses entirely, Kamibarez called out.
"It’s a ladder!"
They had finally found a route to the surface. Unlike the others, this ladder was in good condition.
"Let’s go." Simon took the lead and started to climb. Dick, ever the charmer, bowed and declared ‘Ladies first’, earning him a few sharp tugs on his hair from Meirin, but it was nothing serious. After Simon, Dick climbed up, followed by the girls.
Reaching the top, Simon pushed hard against the ceiling. The sky came into view, and a cool breeze washed over him. He hopped out and turned to help his companions up by the hand.
"Woooow." Kamibarez, the last one up, let out a small gasp. "It’s so beautiful!"
They had emerged into the garden of a large, luxurious mansion. There were no zombies in sight. It was as if someone had been tending to this garden in solitude; the flowers and trees were in full, vibrant bloom. After hours in the sewer, the sweet floral scent made his nose sing with joy.
"I can’t believe a place like this exists in Deathland..." Meirin murmured.
It was a beautiful place, but the evaluation came before sightseeing. "Let’s search here," Simon said.
"Okay."
The four of them began to explore the garden.
[Boy,] Pier’s voice echoed in his mind. [I feel the traces of a wide-range barrier in this place.]
’What? What kind of barrier?’
[A blocking effect. It is deactivated now, but it seems there was once a being who wanted to hide this place.]
"Aaaah!"
As he focused on Pier’s words, Kamibarez’s scream shattered the tranquility.
"What is it, Kami?" Meirin yelled.
The three of them rushed to her side.
"Th-there...!"
A body lay collapsed in the garden. While the others hesitated, Simon strode forward to check. Judging by the uniform, she had been a maid at this mansion.
"She’s already dead," he announced grimly. "A long time ago."
In this world without decay, her body was perfectly preserved, making the scene even more eerie.
"It’s better if you don’t look..."
"Don’t underestimate me, Simon." Meirin’s eyes were firm as she approached. "I’m a necromancer too."
Dick and Kamibarez also took a step forward. Meirin boldly crouched before the corpse and began to examine its condition.
"It meets the textbook conditions," she concluded. "We could avoid a failing grade if we turn it into a zombie... but this is still a bit disappointing."
"Let’s look around a little more," Simon suggested.
They split up again to search. This time, it was Dick who called them over. "Isn’t this a guaranteed A-plus?"
Behind the mansion lay the corpse of a man who looked to be a guard. He was massive, nearly six feet seven inches tall, his body packed with the hard muscle of a warrior.
"In terms of physique, he’s the perfect specimen," Meirin noted.
"Yes," Kamibarez agreed softly.
But hesitation was written on all their faces. Until now, they had only ever worked with materials that had been magically prepared for them. Now, they had to perform the ritual themselves, turning this once-living person into an undead. The reason so many students found the Deathland experience so difficult was likely not because of the zombie attacks.
"I’ll do it." As Simon rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward, Meirin’s expression hardened.
"Hey, wait a minute! I can do it too!"
"I’m better at Summoning than you," Simon stated plainly. "I also received a higher evaluation in zombie summoning."
At the mention of grades, Meirin fell silent. Simon took a deep breath and knelt before the corpse, placing his palm on its chest.
’He’s already dead. Let’s not get too emotional about this.’
A necromancer’s core value was practicality. To win, a necromancer had to use everything at their disposal, even the bodies of the dead. Simon channeled his Jet-Black, his fingers tracing a magic circle on the corpse’s chest.
’Whew.’
Skeletons and zombies were both beginner-level undead. Yet at Kizen, as at most necromancer academies, professors focused their lessons on skeletons. In this era of peace, some schools avoided dealing with zombies altogether for the sake of their students’ sensibilities, or only used zombies created from monsters.
But Aaron was different. He brought first-year, first-semester students to Deathland and made them raise zombies with their own hands. According to his teaching philosophy, this was what a necromancer was meant to do.
Grasp the fundamentals. Confront them. Awaken.
Just as a surgeon who could not dissect a body would never survive, this was an inevitable rite of passage for a necromancer.
Simon infused the magic circle with Jet-Black.
At last, the black magic circle on the corpse’s chest flared to life.

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