Chapter 197: The Undead Slayer

The stairs were dark, and Lutz carefully descended the slippery steps covered in moss-like substance. They reached the designated location, where the sense of death seemed to grow stronger, and there was a lurking presence beyond the corridor.

“Hey, you know, maybe we should stop?”

Kasim, sounding pitiful, spoke up as they had come this far. Despite being a brave veteran adventurer, the encounter with the Flame Demon seemed to still haunt him.

“It’s gotten quite cold outside, so how about going to a tavern and having some hot wine on a day like this? I’ll treat you as a thank you for today,” 

“Sure, let’s do that after we finish this test cut,” 

Kasim’s prayers didn’t reach the heavens. Lutz tightened his grip on the sheath at his left hip, and with a bit more caution than before, he moved forward without fear.

… This guy is a blacksmith, right? What kind of ordeal did he go through to be this composed? Kasim tilted his head in confusion. Despite the adventurer’s intuition telling him that continuing with this man could lead to trouble, he didn’t want to turn back alone. More than fear, he was intrigued by the results of the test cut that the man had been talking about.

Lutz stopped abruptly and cast a fleeting glance at Kasim. His eyes seemed to say, “They’re coming,” and Kasim nodded slightly, drawing his longsword.

“Guaaah!”

A man with a sickly pallor, drooling with high viscosity, emerged from around the corner, attacking.

In his hand was a sword easy to handle, and he wore crude leather armor covering his upper body. One might consider him an adventurer, but in reality, he had lost his life in this dungeon and fallen into undead. The exact mechanism behind this transformation was unknown, but it seemed to be the fate of those who died in the dungeon.

The undead, wielding a rusty sword, rushed forward. Lutz grasped the hilt and spread his legs wide on the stone pavement.

Why isn’t he drawing his sword? Kasim, watching nervously from behind, wondered. As the undead approached to striking distance, Lutz applied force to his right foot. His body sank for a moment, and then a silver trail flashed as the undead’s body was diagonally slashed.

“Gguu…”

The undead collapsed, vomiting liquid that could neither be identified as blood nor rotten flesh. For a human, it would be a fatal wound. It was indeed commendable, but this was an undead. Regardless of being cut or having the heart crushed, they wouldn’t stop.

One should consider these undead as clay dolls or something similar. Lutz, after delivering the decisive blow, immediately took a stance.

It’s good to be cautious, but why isn’t he following up with an attack? Kasim, now slightly relieved, raised his torch to get a better view. The undead made a slow thud sound and fell backward.

There was no sign of movement from the fallen undead. It should have been a fatal blow for a human. It seemed to have regained a peaceful expression on its decayed face.

Or perhaps, it was an illusion created by the flickering light of the torch. He wanted to believe that the undead had found salvation in the end.

Lutz stared alternately at the blade and the undead, nodding in satisfaction.

“As expected of Gerhardt-san, good job.”

“What the heck was that? Uh, what? What happened?”

Kasim, with a multitude of question marks hovering over his head, asked. The undead, which had been sliced, seemed to have died just like a human. Understanding and accepting what happened in front of him was beyond Kasim’s current pace.

“Let’s call it a sword that kills miracles.”

“I see, I have no idea.”

Kasim lowered the torch a bit and glanced at Lutz’s scabbard, taking a deep breath involuntarily.

A glossy black scabbard with depictions of the moon, flowers, and a pond. The moon and flowers were reflected in the water, and staring at it made it unclear which side was reality and which was an illusion.

Next, Kasim looked at the sword Lutz was holding. The silvery blade reflected the light from the torch. It was a thick blade that seemed capable of cutting through rocks. Ancient characters engraved on it glowed faintly like pulsating veins.

Kasim was tempted to reach out but hastily withdrew his hand. Wanting it, or else wanting to be cut by it, his mental state of contemplating such thoughts was undoubtedly abnormal.

Kasim changed the subject.

“So, is it safe to say that the test cut was a great success?”

“It was only once. I need a bit more certainty,”

Lutz, still not stepping on the dead body, carefully straddled it and continued forward. Kasim, following Lutz’s example, avoided the corpses.

“Ugh…”

After turning a corner, Lutz groaned and stopped. In his line of sight, there were at least five undead. Beyond them, there seemed to be more waiting.

Kasim turned to secure their retreat, only to find two undead coming from behind.

“Ask the guys behind you.”

Lutz spoke briefly and charged into the group of undead with “Kyouka Suigetsu.”

“Seriously…?”

Kasim, feeling regret for following him, muttered, but it was too late. If he asked the undead to wait, they wouldn’t listen. Two undead approached, and if he didn’t resist now, he would join their ranks.

“You really should choose your friends more carefully!”

Throwing the torch aside, Kasim readied his longsword. Without any particular stance or skill, he deeply thrust the longsword into the throat of the approaching undead. An unpleasant sensation of piercing through rotting flesh transmitted through the hilt.

Against a human, it would naturally be a lethal wound. However, the undead’s advance didn’t stop. It pressed on, thrusting the sword lodged in its throat even deeper. Both hands, wandering in the air, tried to grab Kasim.

“Uwaaaah!”

Screaming, Kasim kicked the undead away and withdrew his longsword. Although there was a slight feeling that the sword had become distorted, it wasn’t the time to worry about it now.

Replacing the fallen undead, a second one attacked. Its movements were swift, but it only charged forward. Kasim forcefully hammered the twisted sword onto the undead’s head.

The skull cracked open, and brain fluid splattered. However, the undead didn’t mind and extended its decaying arm, grabbing Kasim’s neck.

…Am I going to be broken!?

In the moment he resigned himself to death from the force transmitted through his fingertips, a flash appeared before his eyes. The undead’s right hand still gripped Kasim’s neck, but from the elbow down, it was gone.

Between Kasim and the undead stood Lutz. With a swift motion, he sliced the undead, cutting its torso diagonally. The fallen undead, splattering dark blood, would never move again.

As the remaining undead approached, Lutz cut through them head-on. The undead, split from the crown of their heads to their chests, stood frozen and lifeless. When Lutz lightly pushed, they fell without any further movement.

“What an unpleasant necklace.”

Lutz remarked, and Kasim, with a disgusted expression, tore the undead’s arm from around his neck. While spitting on the wall, he replied.

“…This feels absolutely terrible, damn.”

“Better than becoming an undead, right?”

“Then let me rephrase. It feels like being one step away from the worst.”

As if their business was finished, Lutz started walking. Kasim, before following, peeked into the corridor where Lutz had fought and was startled.

Eight undead bodies lay, each defeated with a single stroke. Did he do this alone and then act like it was nothing?

Kasim had no clue about this man named Lutz. His past, his skills, his state of mind—everything was beyond Kasim’s understanding.

“…Are you a hero, or a great villain?”

With a trembling voice, Kasim asked, and Lutz turned around, flashing a bright smile.

“I’m a blacksmith.”

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