The other guard came up beside them and whacked his companion on the back of his head. As his fellow guard nearly doubled over, Adam studied this one, who was far older and much more composed. His dark brown hair was flecked with silver. He had a thick beard, and his features were far more masculine than the youngster beside him. Both guards wore gleaming steel armor and carried swords at their hips.

  “I apologize for my companion’s… enthusiasm,” the older guard said. According to the status screen above him, this man’s name was Alfred, and the other man was Aleck.

  “It’s fine,” Adam mumbled as Aris dismounted from her horse.

  “Big Sister. Big Sister. Can you help me get down?” Kureha requested, holding out her hands.

  “Of course. And… hup!” Aris smiled as he lifted Kureha off the horse and set her on the ground. The young fox yokai smoothed out her kimono, then wandered over to Adam, her fox ears twitching and her tail swaying.

  “Holy crap! Is this little girl a beastman?! I thought they only existed on the Moon Continent!”

  “Can it,” Alfred said before addressing Adam again. “I don’t mean to question your identity, but do you have proof that you are who you say you are?”

  “Of course. I take it this should suffice?”

  Adam removed the quest scroll from his inventory and handed it to the man, who read it over and nodded to himself.

  “This does indeed suffice.” Alfred handed the scroll back to Adam, who stored it in his inventory once more. “Since you’ve come here at the request of the mayor, please allow me to take you to him.”

  “Ah? Are you sure we can’t meet with him tomorrow?” asked Aris.

  “If this were a normal quest, meeting him tomorrow would be fine, but I’m afraid we don’t have time for that,” said Alfred. “The situation we’re in right now is bad. Real bad. The mayor can explain it to you in greater detail, so for now, let’s—”

  Before the man was even able to finish talking, several loud bells began ringing from inside the city. Alfred’s face paled as he whirled around. Even the overly enthusiastic Aleck looked more serious.

  “Is that the emergency bell?” asked Adam.

  “It is.” Alfred’s face grew graver and more severe by the second. “There is only one reason that bell would ring now. We are currently under attack.” He turned to Adam and Aris. “I apologize for the inconvenience, but could I request your assistance in repelling these invaders?”

  It was already quite late. They should have been eating dinner. Adam wanted to reject helping these people, but doing so might jeopardize his standing and the quest. People in this world couldn’t be revived, after all, and that meant those who survived would hold a grudge against him for not helping when he could.

  “Of course we’ll help! Right, Adam?”

  There was also the fact that Aris looked raring and ready to go. She seemed more than ready to fight off a horde of invading pirates.

  “You heard the lady. We’ll help out,” Adam said with a wry smile.

  “We cannot thank you enough. The pirates are probably attacking the harbor, so please head over there,” Alfred said before he placed two fingers in his mouth and whistled. With that, the guards stationed at the top began working a lever, and the massive gates slowly opened with the creaking of gears.

  Undead Pirate Attack

  “They be attacking the ships! Don’t let them scallywags get away with this, arrrrrg!”

  “Arrrg! Attack our ships, will ye?! I’ll send yeh straight to the bottom of the sea!”

  “What are these things?! There’s no way they can be human!”

  Davy Jones growled as the sounds of combat and shouts of fear rang out all around him. Ever since the young lass who trounced him in combat left, he and his crew had turned over a new leaf and become respectable members of society. They’d done their time, paid their fines, and now belonged to a small trading company that was willing to take a group of former pirates in. He thought they had been doing well for themselves.

  But all that was in threat of sinking to the bottom of the sea.

  The harbor was under attack.

  Davy Jones backpedaled as he was assaulted by two pirates. They could not be called regular pirates. Indeed. Normal was not a word he would use to describe these two, or the others that were attacking the harbor. Their skin was sallow, pale, and smelled rancid—clearly dead flesh. It hung off their emaciated frames, which were covered in tattered trousers and shirts. Neither of his foes had eyes. Sitting within their sockets were burning red flames.

  [Zombie Pirate]. That was the name of the creatures they were facing.

  “Take this, ye scurvy cur!”

  With surprisingly nimble feet, Davy Jones stepped forward, dodged a swinging sword, and swung his own blade. He activated his special skill. [Bisection] was an ability unique to him. It was a skill that cut all the way through someone, dividing them into two separate parts. With his skill activated, he sliced through the [zombie pirate] like it was made of paper mache. The two chunks fell to the ground with meaty thuds.

  He expected that to be the end of his foe and turned to face the other one.

  The second [zombie pirate] was already mid-swing, so Davy Jones raised his sword to block, sparks flying from their clanging weapons. He activated [riposte], parrying the attack before stabbing his sword into his opponent’s throat. This would have been enough to kill a normal enemy. His current enemy was not alive, however, and so the attack did nothing but gain him some time.

  Following through with his first attack, Davy Jones took two steps forward and used [slash] followed by [thrust]. The [zombie pirate] fell back as wounds became visible on its body. Yet no matter how much damage Davy Jones did, his foe refused to fall.

  He sensed movement behind him. After parrying an attack, Davy Jones whirled around to find the [zombie pirate] he thought he had killed already standing. The two halves were whole again. It swung the sword in its grasp. Davy Jones had no choice but to evade since [parry] was cooling down. Yet the moment he moved out of the way, something powerful slashed into his back, causing him to stagger forward. It was the other [zombie pirate].

  “Ye foul beasts! Gangin’ up on a pirate like this’ll be the last thing ye do!”

  Despite his bravado, Davy Jones was very quickly pushed back. There was nothing he could do against an undead monster that could regenerate—never mind two. Attack after attack rained down upon him. His health dropped like a treasure chest sinking to the bottom of the sea, his sword was soon knocked from his hands, and he was forced to his knees. The two [zombie pirates], now looming over him, raised their swords high to deliver the finishing blow.

  Was this it?

  Was this the end?

  Davy Jones might have been a fearless pirate, but he didn’t want to die here, and yet he couldn’t think of anything to do that would get him out of this situation. All he could do was accept his demise.

  It really is a pity. Just when I thought I could turn over a new leaf…

  Davy Jones did not close his eyes in the face of approaching death, for the pirate understood that death was just an old companion he walked beside for all his life. It was unfortunate. However, it seemed his old friend was coming to collect his dues.

  Yet just when Davy Jones thought death would come for him, both [zombie pirates] lost their arms, heads, and even their legs. It happened so fast that Davy Jones thought he missed something. One second he was about to die. The next his two foes were lying in pieces. He was so shocked he nearly missed the young woman standing before him.

  “You okay?” she asked.

  He gawked.

  The young woman before him was a beautiful lass dressed in something that resembled the belly dancers of the Earth Continent. She wore a skirt that trailed down to her ankles, but there were slits going up either side to reveal a glimpse of her fine legs. Her top was nothing more than a fitted bra. It didn’t cover her white stomach or creamy cleavage at all. She wore a veil that covered the lower half of her face, and there were a pair of swords being gripped in her hands.

  Davy Jones felt tears sting his eyes.

  He knew this young lass.

  “L-Lady Aris! Ye’ve returned!”

  “Huh?” Aris blinked like she couldn’t understand what he was saying, but then she squinted her eyes at him for several seconds before making a surprised exclamation. “Oh! You’re Davy Jones, aren’t you?”

  “Aye! I’m glad ye remembered me.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Protectin’ the harbor, arrg. These damn [zombie pirates] be attacking us night and day.”

  “That’s not what I—you know what? Never mind. Anyway, if you’re protecting the harbor, you should do a better job. Letting these wimps get the better of you is pathetic.”

  “Yer words are harsh as always.”

  Davy Jones laughed as he climbed to his feet, picked up his sword, and prepared to fight again. Seeing the young lass had renewed his resolve. He wasn’t the only one. Several of the pirates who had been with him saw Aris appear and let loose a loud cheer. They began attacking the [zombie pirates] with fiercer zeal, as if they had a goddess of war at their backs.

  Among the crew and soldiers defending the harbor, one person was mowing down [zombie pirates] like nobody’s business. He cut them down within seconds, leaving behind a line of corpses in his wake.

  That person was none other than Adam.

  -179,550; -179,550; -179,550; -179,550; -179,550; -179,550; -179,550; -179,550; -179,550; -179,550; -179,550; -179,550; -179,550; -179,550; -179,550; -179,550; -179,550; -179,550; -179,550; -179,550; -179,550; -179,550!

  The moment he arrived to find the chaos taking place in the harbor, Adam initiated his attack with [Blood Sacrifice] and [Energy Sweep]. A powerful blue wave of energy erupted from his spear and swept over the [zombie pirates]. The attack, enhanced by both him and Titania’s [Song of Vigor], dealt enough damage to drop the [zombie pirates’] health to zero. Nearly two dozen enemies were felled in a split second.

  Adam was like a whirlwind as he attacked with several of his most powerful skills, which were far stronger now than they ever had been. Upgrading them all so much had been the right decision. Like this, he could easily mow down multiple foes in quick succession, even if they were several levels higher than his own.

  Name: Zombie Pirate

  Description: A pirate who died at sea and was brought to life through necromancy. This undead pirate will attack relentlessly until its enemy is dead. Be warned, this type of zombie will reanimate over and over until you kill the one who turned them.

  Class: 1-Star

  Lvl: 45

  Health: 100,000/100,000

  MP: 45,000/60,000

  Strength: +1,000

  Constitution: +1,500

  Dexterity: +450

  Intelligence: +10

  Speed: +50

  Resistances:

  Fire: -50%

  Light: -100%

  Water: 50%

  Healing: -12,000%

  Skills:

  Skill Name: Slash

  Description: A basic skill where the [zombie pirate] swings its sword.

  100% damage

  MP Cost: 1,000

  Cooldown Time: 0-seconds

  Skill Name: Thrust

  Description: A basic thrusting attack.

  160% damage

  MP Cost: 2,000

  Cooldown Time: 5-seconds

  The [zombie pirate] didn’t have many attacks, but it had a lot of health, some very impressive stats, and it also couldn’t be killed, which presented a huge problem. Adam looked behind him and grimaced when he saw the other [zombie pirates] he had killed getting back to their feet. Another glance around revealed Aris some distance away, dancing around a series of attacks and returning them with her own.

  “Kureha! Open a path to Aris! Use fire attacks!”

  “You got it, Big Brother!”

  Adam would never get over Kureha calling him “Big Brother,” but he said nothing as the fox yokai unleashed [Firestorm] from her first tail. The attack was… incredible. Instead of a simple wave bursting from her tail, it looked like an inferno had swept out and overtaken all the enemies in their path. The intense blaze was so hot that it scorched the ground, leaving charred stone in its wake.

  -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296; -64,296!

  That was to say nothing for the damage she did. Adam had never seen anyone deal damage to so many in a single attack before. This was a result of her abilities being upgraded. These [zombie pirates] were also weak to fire, which meant they did two times more damage than normal.

  As the flames dissipated, Adam saw that all the [zombie pirates] who had been trapped within the blaze were now on fire. Flames flickered all around them, dealing a constant stream of damage that further dropped their health.

  Not one to miss an opportunity, Adam led Kureha and Titania to Aris, who was like the wind as she used her ridiculously high Movement stat to dart around the battlefield, helping people who were in trouble. Thanks to her, many of the soldiers and former pirates who had been on the verge of losing were able to reclaim their lost morale.

  One thing Adam was surprised to see as he made his way to Aris was that it wasn’t just NPCs who were taking part in this battle. There were a number of players also defending the harbor from attack. A young woman dressed in full body armor and carrying a massive kite shield was absorbing damage and pulling aggro as her two comrades attacked the [zombie pirates] she drew to herself. The one on her left was an assassin clad in black. He twirled the dagger in his hand and attacked with all his might. The other was a mage who launched fireballs from her staff.

  Unfortunately, none of them were at a level high enough to do more than become fodder. They died rather quickly. Adam shook his head. Those people probably hadn’t been higher than level 18 or so, but how could they have known about the power of these monsters? It didn’t look like any of them could use [Scan] like Titania.

  “Aris!” Adam called out.

  “Ah! Adam! There you are. I was wondering when you would join me.”

  Adam almost rolled his eyes, but he refrained and instead told her about his discovery. “Listen, these aren’t normal zombies. They were revived through necromancy. According to their description, they will keep coming back to life until we kill the one who reanimated them.”

  Aris was unable to say anything at first. Several dozen [zombie pirates] were closing in from all sides. The three of them—Adam, Aris, and Kureha—formed a triangle with their backs to each other. In the middle of their group was Titania, who continued to sing.

  Kureha let loose with another [Firestorm], which erupted like a furnace on high and burnt several [zombie pirates] to ash, though like magic, they just reformed from the ashes and attacked again.

  “Whaaat? So that didn’t beat you guys! Fine. Take this!”

  Kureha held out her hand as flames swirled around it, forming a whip, which she grabbed a hold of and swung. The whip tore through a [zombie pirate] like its body was made of toilet paper. The two halves caught fire as they fell to the ground and burst into ash. Kureha didn’t stop attacking after defeating one of them and attacked all the others on her side.

  On the other side, Adam unleashed another [Energy Sweep], which overtook the enemy like a hurricane, the blue energy slicing into them and continuing on to deal damage to more enemies. While his attack did not contain the [zombie pirates’] elemental weakness, he did so much damage that a single technique was enough to drop every monsters’ health to zero.

  -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -8,400; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -8,400; -8,400; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -8,400; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -8,400; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -8,400; -8,400; -8,400; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100; -2,100!

  Aris could not deal nearly as much damage as Adam or Kureha, but what she lacked in strength, she made up for in the sheer number of attacks she could unleash. After activating the [Blade Dance] skill, Aris danced around her enemies and swung the swords in her hands like extensions of her body. Damage signs began floating over the [zombie pirates] as Aris cut into them so quickly that their health dropped to zero in less than a second.

  Yet for as much damage as they dealt, Adam knew it was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed. The enemies they had already slain were rising again. Just fighting like this wasn’t going to be enough to defeat them.

  “Titania, can you find the person who reanimated these [zombie pirates]?” he asked.

  Titania had no choice but to stop singing as she was addressed to answer Adam. He felt her power leave him as [Song of Vigor] ceased. The amount of damage he could do now was less than before, but that was fine for now.

  “I can do my best, but do we even know what we’re looking for?”

  “We’re looking for anyone who is acting suspiciously. Look nearby for people hiding in the shadows. If you can’t find anyone, then expand your search radius until you do. Me, Aris, and Kureha will do our best to hold these monsters off until you return.”

  “Okay. Don’t die on me,” Titania said before flying high into the air and disappearing.

  “Are you sure that was a good idea?” asked Aris.

  He shrugged. “Not much we can do right now. We need to find the culprit, and she’s the only one who can move freely right now. Anyway, get ready. The [zombie pirates] have regenerated.”

  Just like Adam had said, the [zombie pirates] they had already slain were back and ready for more. They surged forward like a school of fish. Adam soon found himself trapped within the throes of combat. He unleashed another [Energy Sweep] upon the horde, but his attack didn’t do nearly as much damage now that Titania was gone and [Blood Sacrifice] had entered its cooldown time.