Chapter 9 Such a terrible power

The loud crash of the wooden door being kicked open echoed far through the gray mist, instantly shattering the eerie silence of the city walls. The surrounding corrupted corpses let out grotesque wails in response. Seeing the skull icons rapidly converging on his mini-map and hearing the faint roars in the distance, Field couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.

Before the corrupted corpse inside the room could attack, Aishna, wielding a long blade, swung it at the creature's neck. A spray of blood arced across the wall, painting the room in a dark purple hue.

The other corpse lunged at her, its face torn open from ear to ear. A single bite from this thing would surely rip out a chunk of flesh.

But Aishna dodged it effortlessly, flipping her blade in the process.

With terrifying strength, half of the corpse's head was cleaved off, and foul blood gushed from the gaping wound, quickly forming a pool on the ground.

"Roar!"

Hearing the commotion, a horde of corrupted soldiers surged out from the corridor, their sickly white eyes rolling back as they crowded forward to attack.

The slaves, armed with farming tools, waved them around nervously, but none dared to step forward.

The monsters were terrifying enough, and they were clad in heavy armor.

"Damn it, how many people got infected?" Field cursed under his breath.

"Flames!"

Aishna summoned her dragon-wolf, its massive body nearly blocking the entire corridor.

Tiny sparks of magical energy gathered rapidly, like a flowing river of stars. The dragon-wolf opened its maw and spewed a torrent of ghostly blue flames, engulfing the corrupted soldiers in the corridor. All that could be seen were the writhing, twisted outlines of the creatures within the inferno.

"Such terrifying power."

The slaves, who had been torn between fleeing or fighting, were stunned. The battle had ended in the blink of an eye. A few caught glimpses of the figures being consumed by the flames, while the rest could only stare at the ashes on the ground in disbelief.

"Is this the power of a Chosen One? Too bad it burned all the loot too," Field muttered, his confidence swelling. It was time to be bold. "Everyone, make as much noise as you can! Lure the nearby corrupted corpses here so we can wipe them out."

Following Field's orders, the slaves began banging and clattering, creating a ruckus to attract the horde of corpses, which Aishna and her dragon-wolf swiftly dispatched.

In no time, Field had cleared out the monsters near the barracks, giving him a deeper understanding of the power of a Chosen One.

"Now, let's find anything valuable," Field said, his greedy smile widening. "Especially weapons and gold coins."

Just as he sent the slaves scattering to search, one of them came running back, excitedly shouting, "Sir, we've found survivors!"

"Huh?" Field's expression didn't brighten. Instead, he glanced around with a complicated look.

"Aishna, call back your wolf. Now's not the time to reveal our strength."

Without enough time to grow stronger, exposing that he had a Chosen One would be suicidal.

His stepmother would undoubtedly send assassins after him, and Aishna would be forced to serve a new master.

Revealing it to the slaves wasn't a big deal, though. They were under his watchful eye, and with a single thought, he could send them all to their graves.

Field pondered, "The survivors might know where the important supplies are."

The survivors were hiding in a hidden bunker within the city walls. The door had been doused with purifying potion, barely holding back the gray mist. Hearing the voices of living people, they finally dared to open the door.

"Thank the Valkyrie! I thought we'd be stuck here for a week, eating each other's waste to survive," a bearded officer joked crudely. After straightening his uniform, he smiled at Field. "Let me guess, you're a newly knighted noble? I'll definitely report your deeds to Baron Bull."

"Don't mention it. It was nothing," Field replied, tilting his head to peek inside the bunker, only to be blocked by two soldiers.

The bearded officer had ten soldiers under his command, all inside the bunker.

"Where are your retainers?" the officer asked, glancing at Field's slave soldiers. He clearly didn't think much of these farm-tool-wielding men.

Field shrugged. "I'm not a knight. I'm Baron Field."

"Oh? Baron Field, the one without a single guard? Your people mentioned your name when they came to donate before," the bearded man said, his expression growing increasingly strange. After a few changes in his demeanor, he signaled his men with a look and smirked. "Baron, we've heard you're a kind-hearted man. Would you mind doing us a favor?"

This tone didn't sit right.

The original Field was indeed kind-hearted, but the current Field raised an eyebrow and played dumb. "What kind of favor?"

"We got drunk and forgot to light the fog-dispelling lamps, letting the gray mist flood the barracks. We lost control of the place, and that's a big problem. Baron Bull is ruthless—we'll definitely be executed."

Wait, is this something I should be hearing for free?

"So..." Field's expression turned playful. "You want to join me?"

"Hahaha!" The soldiers burst into laughter, gripping their weapons tightly. "We're running away! But we need a noble's entire fortune. Also, killing you means no one will know we exist for a while."

"Is this how you treat your savior?"

Field was furious. His original plan had been to recruit the survivors and locate the supplies. If they didn't cooperate, he wouldn't mind slaughtering them all. But being provoked like this was infuriating.

The bearded man shrugged. "If we had fog-dispelling lamps, we'd have gotten out long ago. You're nothing!"

Field couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" the bearded man raised his military blade, confused by Field's calm demeanor.

"Actually, I was planning to loot this place anyway. Now that you've given me a reason, killing you all means no witnesses. Aishna, do it!"

The soldier next to the bearded man lunged forward, thrusting a dagger at Field.

In a flash of blue light, a shadow darted past. The soldier's arm was torn off as easily as a grasshopper's leg.

"Clang!"

The air seemed to freeze. Only when the dagger hit the ground did the soldier collapse, clutching his bleeding stump and screaming in agony.

"My arm! My arm!"

The massive blue wolf now blocked the entire corridor, its armored body as intimidating as a tank.

"Monster!" The soldiers were terrified, some even wetting themselves.

"What the hell? I thought Baron Field had no power, that he was a complete waste!" The bearded officer was dumbfounded. He wanted to find whoever spread that rumor and skin them alive.

"Aishna, cripple them all," Field said, licking his lips. The original Field might have been a good man, but that had nothing to do with him. "Slaves, here's your chance to prove your courage! Kill one, and you'll get a silver coin."