The Dark King

by Steffen Schmidt

  He thought more on the topic but eventually gave up on the impulse to immediately absorb the cold crystal. After all, there is only one life so he had to be cautious not to lose it.

  He put back the income into the back and grabbed his bow and arrows to continue to hunt the undeads. He planned to continue with the experiments and slowly study the secret of cold crystal in order to be able to maximize its effects.

  Time was running fast.

  In the blink of an eye two days went by. Dudian had hunted down close to 600 undeads in the area no 7. It was equivalent to 600 gold coins. Occasionally he met some large monster which he had seen before. He couldn't identify their level so bypassed and avoided them.

  "I will turn half of these cold crystals while I'll keep the rest. Maybe in the future I'm going to build a secret base outside the giant wall?" Dudian made plans while checking around the surroundings.

  suddenly~~

  A familiar smell drifted into his nose.

  A woman's figure emerged in his mind.: "It's her!", Dudian whispered.

  He would never forget this smell which belonged to 'bloody swordsman' Linda.

  "Thirty miles or so... Is she hunting in the area no 7?" Dudian's eyes flashed. He thought that the area no 7 recently was the focus of consortium. They wanted to thoroughly clean this area. So it was not surprising that Linda ended up in here.

  First time both of the had met in the scavenger headquarters and he had stayed alive narrowly escaping the death. The idea of killing her flashed in his mind but at the same time a voice secretly spoke: "It was only a verbal conflict which would not rise to the point of killing each other. A long time had gone by, perhaps she has forgotten you as meets lots of people daily."

  However, another idea emerged: "We are outside the giant wall. Even if you kill her, no one will know. The law of the wall does not protect anyone in here. Even if people would know, there would be no way to convict you. Kill her! Kill her so you want have unnecessary trouble in the future. Although she is a silver level hunter, but how can she protect herself if she can't the enemy!"

  "Murder ... it's too harsh."

  "Kill! Kill! No one will see."

  Two different voices echoed out in his mind as Dudian pondered over the matter. At first he was not aware but later he had learned the identity of the hunter he had killed. He was called Brian and was woman's younger brother. He put away the hesitation in his heart as he spoke in determined tone: "She won't let go! I'm in training period so there is no way for her to deal with me. But after the training period, she will try every means within her capabilities to kill me!"

  "She has to die!"

  "It is necessary for me to deal cleanly and thoroughly with people who I have offended!"

  Softness in his heart faded away as he looked at the scratches on his right hand.

  He hesitated for a moment but later on he took out the bag of cold crystal from his backpack. He pierced his hand and clinged the cold crystal.

  Coldness entered his body through his palm and moved along his arm.

  "Even if I ambushed her, it would be very difficult to kill with my current strength. I hope my speculation regarding cold crystal is right. Nevertheless I can't absorb too much..." Dudian's lips moved as he whispered. The feeling he got from the cold crystal gradually disappeared but he nervousness in his heart increased.

  After a moment, he took out second cold crystal and continued to absorb it. He stopped as he felt discomfort in his body.

  "It is a heaven sent opportunity and my only chance to fight back!" Dudian thought: "After the training will be over, I'll have to implement the mission but she will be the one hunting while I will be the prey. If I can seize this opportunity..." He prayed in his heart. He prayed for success. It was going to be risky move. But if he didn't grasp onto it, then the situation will be much more difficult after he finishes the training.

  It was best to firmly grasp to the opportunity. Otherwise he would have to passively fight back against Linda's attacks in the future.

  Chapter 113: Ambush

  Area no 7. A ruined street.

  More than twenty corpses of undead were lying on the ground. Their heads were cut and bodies exuded stench. Smell originating from the corpses had attracted bloodthirsty flies. They were fluttering and hovering around the corpses taking bites once in a while.

  Few streets away from them, five figures were sitting next to a stone pile. They had dry food in their hands as they were enjoying day's lunch. No smell radiating from the surrounding stench could interfere with their meal.

  "If we can hunt down the clawed dino lizard, then we will be able to complete the task..." Linda was scanning the map while eating the dry food. She was thinking about the favorite habitat of the monster.

  Gale who was next to her laughed: "If we count our loots from area no 3 then with the completion of this task... Captain you will accumulate enough points to buy a drop of 'Angel's blood' so that your magic mark can go through the metamorphosis again. You are going to be the third senior hunter in our consortium."

  "It all depends on luck. " Linda looked indifferent and unexcited.

  "I believe that you will absolutely be successful." Dark skinned girl complemented Linda.

  The others also quickly said encouraging words as they had confidence in Linda.

  "For the time being, Gale get ready as when we find the monster we will act according to the previous plan. You will pretend to be injured while I will summon people from the 'black pavilion' and say that we have encountered a rare beast. They will have to send someone with extraordinary tracing ability... " Her face was cold as Linda closed the map.

  Gale smiled: "No need to pretend... We will make a real injury instead. "

  "Will the consortium approve to send the kid out?" Dark skinned girl asked.

  Linda indifferently smiled: "Of course! You do not understand the ways of consortium. Now we have a great opportunity at hand. Almost all the hunters with tracing ability are either out in the wilderness or injured. The kid is a newcomer, however he has a rare magic mark. But in the end he doesn't have 'light physique'. No matter how much potential he has, at the end he will die. That's why the consortium is to lazy to spend resources on him. Why do you think they didn't send him to hunter school?"

  Dark skinned girl nodded in approval: "This way the consortium will transfer the little devil into our team. We can slowly torture him and the abandon his corpse somewhere. We will have to only destroy the tracks that could lead to him. We just have to bring back a magic mark taken from a rare monster and say that he died while hunting it. Even if the consortium will doubt us, there will be nothing to say..."

  The others smiled.

  Linda's eyes squinted as she daydreamed. She has been concerned about Dudian for long time and she couldn't wait to get her hands on him.

  "Even if we don't leave any clues and no one can trace it back to us but I'm sure you know how the consortium handles such matters like infighting. We will be gradually marginalized. Moreover, they will send us to complete extremely dangerous tasks. " Gale had carm personality so he analyzed everything through the smallest details.

  "Of course," Linda lightly said.

  They ate and chat. Soon all of them were full so Linda stood up and patted the dust off her body: "We have to look around the Red Lake area.. We may find traces of the beast..."

  "Ok." All of them nodded in approval.

  Linda lead them with the help of the map to the Red Lake.

  ...

  ...

  Dudian's body still didn't feel any discomfort, instead his visual and hearing have been enhanced a lot. Especially his sense of smell. Previously he could sense Linda's approximate position. However at the moment, he was able to narrow down to exact position about a kilometer away from her.

  While quietly tracking the smell he had smeared new layer of undead powder on his body to ensure that the others won't be aware of his existence.

  Dudian had stopped
after absorbing about hundred crystals. The body's temperature seemed to rise a lot so he immediately stopped and didn't continue to absorb the cold crystals. He was scared that he will end up as an addict and will crave for cold crystal. Moreover, each of these crystal piece were the size of a table tennis ball. Even if they melted into liquid form their capacity was about several bottles which was not a small amount.

  Even drinking a lot of water will make people uncomfortable lest the cold crystals.

  Dudian felt that his body's temperature gradually returned to normal after he stopped absorbing cold crystals. He was relieved. Moreover he found a place and hid the remaining cold crystals. Then he took his bow and arrows and chased after the small of Linda.

  The distance between the two was getting closer. It seemed Linda was still hunting along the way.

  "In case I ambushed them, shot her from the close range... But still the hunters next to her will find and kill me." Dudian was brainstorming ideas while trying to catch up with them. "I can't rely solely on bows and arrows. Making traps is also a kind of equipment. Only scouts are provided with tools to make them but I can produce some rough traps. Although the scout would not fall for it but the rest... ... "

  Many thoughts flashed in his head.

  Time went by...

  In the blink of an eye, two days had passed.

  It was rainy season. The clouds had marginalized the sky making the light dimmer. Ruins of the city were desolate of life.

  A heavy rain had just washed the streets. The smell of decayed was floating in the air.

  Around Red Lake.

  Weeds grew densely along the vast edge of the lake. The vessels used for sightseeing had long been rotten. Even the ships has long been wiped out leaving only decayed empty metal frames. The waves were gently shaking them. If they hit a bit harder most probably would tear them off.

  Linda squatted near a grass edge. She was observing the nearby surrounding. They have been here for two days. It was not long for a camp but not short either.

  "The footprints were left many days ago. It should have gone too far from here..." Dark skinned girl spoke as she had lost patience.

  Linda replied: "Since it went through here, it will certainly come back."

  They could do nothing but hold their breath and wait. Suddenly, Gale sniffed and whispered. : "We are being tracked." "

  "Track?" Killing intented flashed past in Linda's eyes: "A beast? Another team?

  "No, only one person." Gale frowned.

  Chapter 114: Bloody hunter

  "A single person?" Another one was puzzled.

  Gale slightly nodded: "He should be smearing the undead powder to cover up the smell. The past two days I always smelled an undead chasing behind us. I thought that it was a wandering aimless one. But whoever it is he was walking straight behind us. Moreover when the rain started he stopped. If it was really an undead, it would not take the rain into account. It means that the person chasing us was worried the undead powder would wash away so he was forced to stop.".

  Linda thoughtfully said: "Listening to your talk, I think this person is taking a very tender approach while tracking. Its na?ve to think that powder alone can hide the trace. If he is chasing us in a straight line, then the tracking method he uses is judgement by the smell. He knows how to cover up his smell by using the powder but he doesn't know that when tracking the others he will be easily exposed. He doesn't know that we have Gale with us..."

  Dark skinned girl said: "If he doesn't have information about our team and still dares to track us then isn't he stowaway from another consortium? "

  Linda's face was cold as she spoke: "Maybe a junior, a rookie who strayed into our region. He isn't aware that he is found. But even if we kill him... there is no reason to do so... "

  "Instead of killing, it is better to catch him and give to consortium. It will be considered as a meritorious service." Gale said.

  Linda got up and said: "Go and check. If he is pleasing to the eye then leave alone or else kill!"

  "That clawed dino lizard ... ..."

  "Nick and Reid, you two stay in here. If the beast comes up inform us using the smoke signals."

  Linda gave the instruction to the two and left with Gale and the dark skinned girl. They followed the direction that Gale pointed to.

  ...

  ...

  A desolate street.

  After heavy rains, the broken streets were covered with mud and potholes. Moss and vines were soaked in rainwater.

  Dudian was in a high-rise looking at the sky. Heavy dark clouds were coming towards his location, indicating that soon a heavy rain would pour.

  "Rainy season... Rain is really frequent ... ..." Dudian said to himself. He took out the arrows from the quiver and began to wipe them one by one.

  Afterwards he took out dry food and began to eat slowly so that he could restore his body heat. The early rainy season was not suitable for hunting. As the temperature was still very cold, many large monsters still perched in their nests and slept. Only the bloodthirsty ones would be lurking around looking for prey.

  After eating, he picked up the bowl filled with rancid blood. He had found quite a few bowls from a house. Time and radiation had destroyed the things constructed by humans. However there were things that still as they were made of clay. All the bowls in front of him were filled with blood. Time to time small red blood maggots would flutter around bowls to leech the blood.

  Dudian stained the tips of arrows with blood and let them dry.

  Soon, all of his blood painted arrows were ready and put into the quiver.

  "They are coming ... ..." Dudian looked at the clouds in the sky. The faint thunder sound that he heard seemed to resonate with his heart beat. His eyes squinted looking at a distance on street...

  Three figures quickly approached and none of them leaked any odor. They felt like three silent stones.

  Dudian put the arrow and pulled the string while he prostrated himself onto the ground. He was tightly staring at the head of the beautiful woman's figure. He had locked onto her head, waiting for her to enter into his range.

  "Three hundred meters away ... ..." Gale whispered quickly: "Nine o'clock. In front. He should be in alert after our odors disappeared. Now he is motionless. I think there is an ambush..."

  "Quickly behead!" Linda said coldly.

  "Trap." Gale said: "He is probably a scout or an archer. We have entered his range. If he is an archer then the best chance for him to shoot us will be when we enter the high-rise, so be careful. If he is a scout, the trap is likely buried inside the high-rise."

  Dark skinned girl glanced around: "There should be no traps on the ground level. If there are then the traps are inside the high-rise." She was a scout and had learned scouting skills such as pathfinder and traps. Especially, making traps. She had absolute confidence as she spoke. Unless the other side was a mid-level scout and had learned more than she has. But that was impossible since the other side had been exposed.

  "I will go in while you two go from left and right sides of the wall. " Linda quickly made a choice. She knew that they were giving the other side more time to prepare as they dragged acting. She was going to catch the other side in surprise as he wouldn't expect their arrival!

  "Yes!" The two immediately said and went separately.

  Linda pulled her sword with one hand and deeply looked at the building. With a sudden forceful push she rushed inside at full speed. She had her sword in front of her chest as she was confident that she would be able to stop any arrows that would come from front.

  Direct confrontation!

  This was her fighting style. Although she was a woman but her temper was more fiercer than a male's.

  She knew that she was exposed to the enemy's line of sight. She was quickly calculating the distance in her heart.

  Two hundred and fifty meters, two hundred meters, one hundred and eighty meters ......

  When she was about one hundred and twenty meters from
the high-rise, she still didn't see any kind of movement on top of the building. She could help but wonder: "Is he resting on the roof? Didn't he realize that we are counter-attacking?"

  In addition to doubts there was a bit of inexplicable uneasiness in her heart. She was in 100 meters distance from the high-rise, so the arrow had to be shot by now. The distance was closed to sixty meters.

  Is the other side not an archer?

  She felt perplexed as there was faint feel of anxiety in her heart. But she had reached the bottom of the building. She briefly hesitated but still her fingers clinged to the wall and she began to climb up. The wall was corroded so couldn't carry her weight. That's why she relied on her speed to crawl up rapidly.

  As she was about to climb onto the third floor she felt a chill from backside.

  Her heard was aghast as she looked back.

  Whoosh!

  An arrow was shot when she turned. Puff! The sharp arrow pierced through her cheek into her mouth. A sudden pain hit her brain almost making her scream out loud!

  Chapter 115: It's him

  Enemies from behind!

  As she faced the pain, Linda's instincts took over. Linda quickly thought of a number of responses as she held back the meaningless screaming. She quickly used one of her hands to raised her swords to block the upcoming arrows while she released her other hand from the wall. Her body felt down.

  Because of her body strength and skills falling from a three-story building was not going to injure her.

  After landing, Linda looked at the direction where the previous arrow was shot. Over the other side of the street there was a building. But it was not as high as the building that she was climbing to. Because of the height of the high-rise they had come to initial decision that the enemy would have chosen the tallest building but would never imagined that it was part of the ambush.

  Although she was in hurry and took a glance for a moment but she noticed that the arrows originated from the roof of the building.

  The enemy was on the roof!