Chapter 3: Escape

His whole body shook, and his face was now filled with an incredible frenzy and joy that he could hardly resist pouncing on the corpse to kiss it.

My God, what an excellent corpse this is!

At this moment, from the depths of his heart, the young man felt an infinite gratitude towards those Thunderhorse Knights. Had they not happened to chase and kill this person here, would this ultimate corpse not have rotted away or even fallen into someone else's hands?

Walking several circles around the pit, the young man carefully examined every part of the corpse.

The long legs were slightly thin, but even through the trousers, the young man could see that despite being lean, the thighs were very elastic, clearly belonging to someone good at running, and the narrow waist tightly connected the upper and lower body together.

A pair of hands that had started to yellow looked very dexterous, probably a necessary trait for a professional thief.

The young man did not like thieves, but he knew that on the Continent, being a thief entailed more than just strong evasion abilities and high-thieving skills to survive; robust martial arts were an essential rule for self-preservation. Everyone could face pursuit and assassination, especially excellent thieves. In such cases, martial arts were the only true reliance.

This fellow's wrists were strong and even, fingers soft and finely detailed, the fingertips smooth, while there were significant calluses at the base of the thumbs, indicating he must have been a master with the sword.

Yes, this must be as the Thunderhorse Knights had said, this guy died from the Poison of Sappan Wood.

It is said that those poisoned by the Poison of Sappan Wood turn yellow and carry the poison of the Sappan wood with them; it's fatal upon contact with the blood, and even beings with unusual physiques like Orc Warriors or Barbarian Warriors cannot withstand it.

In that case, if I train him into my own Undead Warrior, wouldn't that greatly enhance his power, perhaps a hundred times stronger than those I've lost?

Thinking to the future, the young man couldn't help but laugh with delight, even pulling at his own wounds, causing blood to slowly seep out from the corners of his mouth again.

He took out a pair of slightly yellowed thin silk gloves from his chest and carefully put them on. Bending down, the young man meticulously examined every bone and joint of the corpse, as well as its flexibility.

Indeed, it was an extraordinary corpse, truly befitting an excellent thief who could live up to such high praise from the usually critical Thunderhorse Knights; thus, he must not have been a minor character.

The bulging muscles and smooth tendons on the upper and lower leg tendons proved this guy must have put in a great deal of effort into his running and jumping capabilities. The Poison of Sappan Wood, besides causing his instant death, did not harm his other abilities. If I can refine him into a Golden Corpse, it would significantly boost my power.

In the future, even if I encounter Magical Beasts or creatures like Ghosts, escaping will likely have an extra layer of security.

Since he was a thief, might this fellow have some coveted and desirable items on him?

The young man caught his breath after examining the entire body and suddenly remembered this question, his heart immediately thumping with excitement. The Thunderhorse Knights had spared no effort in shooting this man with Sappan arrows—could it be that this guy stole sacred artifacts or treasures from the Church of Light?

Although I was buried in the mud underground, I heard pretty much the entire conversation between the Thunderhorse Knights and that so-called Protector of the Faith thanks to the special ability of my 'Earthwave Listening Technique.'

It seemed they didn't mention this guy's identity and deeds, nor did they seem to intend to search his body. Why, then, would such calibers as the Thunderhorse Knights go to such lengths to hunt down a thief, what was their purpose?

Scratching his head in confusion, the young man was somewhat perplexed.

It seemed this guy had no grudges against the others, and even if there had been any feuds, the Thunderhorse Knights, who prided themselves on being righteous Paladins, would not lightly take a life.

Although the young man wasn't very fond of this fact, he couldn't deny it either. So why did the Thunderhorse Knights mercilessly strike down their prey, even resorting to using the Sappan arrows?

He truly couldn't understand the reason behind it and perhaps it was better not to understand. If he really came to understand these things, it was very doubtful whether he could live peacefully in this world. The young man was clear about this.

Setting aside these idle matters, the young man focused his attention and interest back on the strange corpse in front of him. His hands began to search all over the body agilely.

The young man's face soon lit up with a smug expression as he pulled out a crystal stone the size of a small round mirror from his right side. This jadeite crystal stone had been meticulously polished, and a series of faint, ring-shaped halos glowed under the sunlight, appearing eerily captivating.

The young man could clearly feel the magical power emanating from this strange crystal stone. It was no ordinary magic crystal, but rather one containing unique magical elements. However, the specifics were beyond his understanding of magic, but he knew it was a valuable treasure.

Without any hesitation, he slid the crystal stone into his bosom and his hands continued to roam over the corpse. The corners of his mouth curled up again into a satisfied smile as he drew a slender and exquisitely crafted small crossbow from the slightly bulging waist of the body.

It was a delicate standard boxed crossbow, with the crossbow case shaped as a slender rectangle, its edges round and smooth, clearly polished with great care.

On each side of the case, spells engraved in Silver Stone Dingwen script exuded a dignified and ancient charm. At the back, there was a hidden compartment; with a gentle press of his finger, it sprang open to reveal nine arrows, cast from Fire Gold, lying neatly within, plus the three arrows already in the crossbow, making a total of twelve, each one a reaper of souls.

Drawing a sharp breath, the young man, who considered himself quite worldly having traveled across the Continent without much achievement, was genuinely shocked by the exquisite crossbow before him.

This crossbow was not simply a weapon; its exquisite craftsmanship alone convinced him that it could only be the work of the distant Dwarf Forging Masters from the western fringes or a master-level Elf Artisan from the far-off forests. It was an artistic and functional weapon beyond the design capabilities of humans.

The dark magic spring, radiating intermittent black light, was clearly cast from some wondrous magic metal. With a mere touch, he could feel the frantic surge of magical elements, though he could not determine the exact type of the rare magic-infused metal.

The crossbow case, crafted from Sand-sink Wood known for preserving magic elements, carried a simple design. The arrow shafts shone with a beautiful golden glow, as if flames sprites were dancing upon them.

This was Sunwood, an organic fusion of Fire Magic elements and wood elements, and one of the best materials for making arrow shafts. Astonishingly, the arrows were made of the immensely valuable Fire Gold.

While this certainly enhanced the effectiveness of Fire Magic, the exorbitant cost of the Fire Gold alone could bankrupt an average family.

By now, trepidation had set in for the young man. That someone who owned such weapons would be left as a corpse in the wilderness was perplexing, and that the slayers were the famed Thunderhorse Knights of the Thunderhorse Knight Group made it even more perplexing. What was going on?

He couldn't help but stand and scan his surroundings, fearing someone might witness this scene, especially if the Thunderhorse Knights learned he had seen and heard what had transpired. They would certainly not tolerate his continued existence.

A chill ran through him as he realized it was neither wise nor safe to remain at this place at this time. Should the Thunderhorse Knights return for inspection, he too might end up as lifeless as the corpse in the wilderness.

With this in mind, the young man couldn't waste time; he stuffed the crossbow into his bosom and, unwilling to leave without a thorough search, pulled a lackluster greyish ring and a tattered parchment scroll from the corpse's waist.

Without time to inspect them, he hastily tucked the ring and parchment scroll into his bosom, stood up, muttered a spell, and soon the corpse on the ground transformed into a wisp of smoke and slipped into a pouch he had prepared earlier.

Everything in order, the young man carefully restored the surface of the pit to its original state. After making sure there were no signs of disturbance, he quietly slipped into the forest, blending into the shadows and disappearing into its depths.

Not long after the young man left, countless figures flickered on the distant horizon, and thunderous hoofbeats roared closer. The Thunderhorse Knights were returning, with the middle-aged knight leading the charge directly towards the pit. However, upon arrival, they noticed the changes at the site.

With a dark expression, the middle-aged knight and the sturdy knight dismounted and meticulously examined the changes around the pit. The young man's concealment had been so effective that it left little evidence, which only worsened the knights' mood.

After searching the entire pit, the sturdy knight rose and shook his head in resignation, "Corps Commander, whoever took the body is a professional. They left no trace, not even a scent; it's been covered by the aroma of volatile leaves."

Although the middle-aged knight's expression was grave, he did not lose his composure, nodding, "Hmm, I didn't expect our oversight to lead to such turmoil. I suspect this is related to the undead creatures that the Protector of the Faith targeted with his Holy Sound Breaking Magic earlier. This person has taken the corpse, which indicates they are either of the Undead or the Dark Class. That narrows down our suspects."

"Hmm, Corps Commander, this person can't have gone far. We should be able to find him!" The sturdy knight grew serious and looked towards the forest, "What lies beyond this forest?"

A knight responded promptly, "Sir, beyond lies the Murray River. Up ahead, there's a bustling dock town frequented by many ships stopping for supplies."

"Let's go, we set off immediately!" The middle-aged knight did not hesitate, mounting his horse to lead the way.