"Was it okay?" Min asked Neha. "You know, to let John leave like that?"
The group had decided to rest for a while before continuing their journey. Min used the opportunity to ask her about it.
He knew Neha valued chosen individuals. That’s why it surprised him that she let John leave, as he was one of their strongest.
"Why wouldn’t it be?" Neha smirked, lifting his chin with a finger. "Don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts after last night?"
Min blushed and stepped away. Last night was... weird and satisfying. While the group was busy planning their steps, Neha was fulfilling Min’s strangest desires.
Desires involving undead women.
Desires so sadistic that no mortal woman would watch it, let alone go through with it.
Min was surprised she knew about his wants, and didn’t judge him. It was something he never said out loud, yet Neha knew it. It more or less confirmed her mind-reading ability.
Just like that, he became her loyalest follower. A knight who was learning not to ask questions, but there was a long way to go.
"N-No, I just found it strange."
"Don’t worry about him," Neha said, ruffling his hair. "John had outlived his usefulness. Just think of it as the trash taking itself out."
With that, she walked away. Min kept staring at her retreating form before letting out a sigh. The way she talked got stranger every day. It was as if she knew everything about everyplace and everyone around her.
Meanwhile, back at the zoo.
Blaze, Fester, and Crawler stood before a strange space. Fester had found it while patrolling and called for Blaze. However, he was as clueless as the undead.
The thing before them was a whirlpool, but in the air. It caused the area around it to distort. It was the classic illustration of a wormhole. At least, that’s what Blaze assumed.
This wasn’t here before.
Blaze and his horde had crossed the area multiple times, since it was between the zoo’s entrance and the lair. Yet, no one had noticed it before.
He tried asking the system about it, but to no avail. The only reply he got was that the thing had nothing to do with him.
The warning only piqued his interest more.
He wanted to explore the strange phenomenon, but didn’t want to risk his undead life. Thankfully, he had other ways to do so.
Blaze used Necrolink on two walkers and instructed one to get closer. He kept his eyes peeled, and in the blink of an eye, the walker disappeared.
He tried feeling it through the link, only to realize the link had been severed.
What the... Saturn, come here now!
With a giant leap, the undead frog king appeared there almost instantly.
A moment later, the second walker walked into the portal with Saturn’s tongue wrapped around its waist. Blaze waited for the necrolink to disappear before letting Saturn pull out.
The tongue reappeared, wrapped around a husk of a figure. The walker was dead.
Blaze squatted next to the corpse. It was charred all over. Whatever that was inside the portal had burned the walker into a husk.
The system’s words flashed in his mind. The portal had nothing to do with him.
[This function is suitable for the subject. This is your final warning. Stay away.]
Blaze clicked his tongue in frustration. He was literally being cockblocked by the system.
As if to answer him, a frog hopped to them. Saturn conversed with its kin, and then reported to Blaze.
He looked towards the gates and then to the swirling portal.
John and Jade broke through the flimsy barrier. John walked ahead, while Jade hid behind him, as they expected lots of undead inside. Yet, there wasn’t a zombie in sight.
Signs of struggle and death were littered all over. Blood covered every surface they saw, but there were neither any bodies nor any zombies around.
"John, I have a bad feeling about this..." Jade said, hugging his hand tightly.
He could feel her heartbeat through his forearm, and it made him feel at the top of the world. But then he shook his head.
Jade’s worry wasn’t unfounded. So far, every place they had been to, no matter how small, was teeming with zombies. A zoo with thousands of visitors should’ve been worse off. Yet, there was nothing.
[You have reached your destination. The portal is six feet ahead.]
"Forget it," John said. "The portal is here. Let’s grab the seed and leave. You can absorb it somewhere safe."
Jade nodded eagerly. Not because she wanted to leave the zoo, but because she couldn’t wait to awaken. The two entered the portal, unaware of the eyes watching them.
"This... what is this place?" Jade mumbled.
John had no idea either. Strange, rundown buildings surrounded them. Nature had overtaken everything in sight, other than the strange dogs before them.
[Hunt down 10 Dinglos for the reward!]
"Dinglos?" John asked.
"It seems I have to hunt those creatures to get the reward." John replied.
"...um, so what are you waiting for? Kill them already!"
John looked at Jade, his eyebrows raised. For the first time, he felt something was off about her, but before he could ask her about it, the six-legged dog charged at him.
Jade screamed and ran behind a tree. John looked at her and shook his head before punching a hole in the dog’s chest. Then another, and another.
These dogs looked ferocious, but were too weak. Even the rotting zombies posed more of a threat than them.
[Completion grade: SSS]
[Reward: SSS-grade ability seed.]
That’s how long it took John to complete the quest. The reward was much higher than the quest difficulty. It almost felt like he cheated somehow, as if there was more to the quest.
For an SSS-grade quest, it was too easy.
There were no overwhelming mobs to fight, no strange bosses to struggle against.
While strange, he wasn’t complaining about it.
I wonder what ability it contains...
John was thinking about it when a hand appeared before him. He looked up and saw Jade standing before him, her hand outstretched.
"Give it to me!" she exclaimed, jumping with excitement.
John saw her expression. Greed was dripping from everywhere, but he wasn’t any different.
At first, he wanted to give it to Jade, but after seeing the SSS-grade ability, he no longer wanted to go through with his promise.
"Not yet," he said, pocketing the seed. "We need to get to a safe place first."
"Oh, right... I forgot," she smiled, but didn’t retract her hand. "At least let me touch it."
John didn’t bother explaining it to her and walked towards the exit. Jade stomped her foot in anger before following him outside. She was determined to get the seed for herself, even if she had to... do the deed with him.
Yes, that must be it. I didn’t get physical with him, so he’s acting strange. Ugh... I can’t believe this creep!
Lost in her thoughts, she bumped into John’s back as they stepped outside.
"Ouch! What are you... doing?"
The familiar stench of rot filled her nose. Panicked, she looked up, only to see a nightmarish sight.
Zombies... dozens of them had surrounded them.
But the zombies weren’t what worried her.
It was the one standing leading them.