Chapitre 8: Chapter 8: As Expected, You Can't Casually Raise a FLAG
At that moment, the difference between a Nephalem and an ordinary person immediately became apparent.
While Captain Rutherford needed several sword strikes to wound the undead, this Crusader woman took them down with her flail in a single round.
Alex watched as she swung her flail, sending the undead flying like leaves in the wind, effortlessly.
If this had happened earlier, Alex would have merely smirked and not given it much thought, even though it mirrored what he'd seen in the game.
But after personally experiencing how troublesome these undead were, he finally gained a tangible understanding of the Nephalem's extraordinary nature.
Alex's victories over these undead were entirely dependent on the holy power of the Crusader's Smite.
However, the Nephalem relied purely on her own strength. With a single swing, the unfortunate undead were utterly obliterated, leaving no trace.
The lucky ones were merely sent flying. Watching this, Alex couldn't help but marvel at the Nephalem's power. Finally, he grasped the true extent of their strength.
'Wait... Why am I just watching? I still have a mission!'
Seeing the Crusader sweeping away the undead once again, Alex snapped back to reality. He remembered he wasn't here to spectate—Soulrend was still hungry!
With this in mind, Alex didn't hesitate, gripped his weapon tightly, and charged forward.
Compared to the "tutorial stage" in the game, the number of undead Alex and his companions faced was significantly higher.
Besides the first wave that crawled out from the ground, several more waves of undead attacks followed. Their numbers kept increasing to the point where even Alex and the Crusader woman together struggled to fend them off.
The militia suffered heavy casualties; aside from Captain Rutherford, who was still holding his ground, the others were either dead or injured, and unlikely to survive for much longer.
Something's not right!
After cutting down another undead, Alex took a deep breath and looked around. All he saw beyond the flames at the gates of Tristram was darkness.
All he could hear were the low growls of the undead and the occasional flash of light.
"Huff... Huff... Damn it... There are just too many!"
Gripping Soulrend and staring at the undead staggering out of the darkness, Alex panted heavily. He couldn't remember how many undead he'd killed—every time he cut one down, two more emerged.
Cut down two, and four more appeared. It was endless, as if there was no end to them.
Is this the real dark world...?
Only now did Alex feel a trace of fear. While playing the game, his only feeling was the monotony of grinding.
At most, he had wondered why humans in the dark world were so miserable. But now, he finally understood—the difference between the game and reality was stark.
Humans in the dark world were nearly driven to extinction for a reason.
"Take this—!"
As an undead lunged at him, Alex gripped Soulrend and swung it forward with a roar. The holy light flashed, slicing the undead in half at the waist.
But to Alex's surprise, as the undead fell, its upper half suddenly leaped up, its hands crawling swiftly towards him!
"Damn it!!"
Startled by this unexpected turn, Alex instinctively raised Soulrend and stabbed down hard. The sharp blade pierced through the undead's body, and ghostly wisps of soul energy emerged, then were absorbed into Soulrend's blade.
Only then did the trembling remains of the undead fall still, as if their power source had been cut off.
"235..."
Glancing at the soul power count displayed by the system, Alex took a breath. Although this constant grinding wasn't what he wanted, it seemed completing Soulrend's soul-absorbing mission was now possible.
If there was one thing the dark world didn't lack, it was monsters. And Alex was certain Soulrend would eagerly consume these evil souls.
"Ughhh—!"
Suddenly, a strange sound echoed from the distant forest. It sounded like a woman's cry mixed with the sound of a drunk person retching.
Hearing this, the faces of both Captain Rutherford and the Crusader woman instantly changed.
Corpsemother!
"I get why these damned things keep coming!"
Alex realized what was happening. The Corpsemother was a monster transformed from the queen's maidservant, with the unique ability to create more undead.
Alex didn't fully understand the process, but he knew it involved vomiting, from which the undead would crawl out—a thought that made him nauseous.
"We must kill the Corpsemother!"
"I know!"
Hearing Captain Rutherford's voice, Alex responded without looking back, gripping Soulrend as he charged into the forest.
Alex's determination wasn't just about eliminating the threat. The moment Captain Rutherford spoke, Alex received a system prompt.
[Scene Mission Triggered: Guardian II]
[You've detected the source of the evil and found its trail. Now, use your blade to end this (Eliminate the Corpsemother, Dimension Points +1)]
Although Alex moved quickly, the Crusader was not far behind. As Alex entered the forest, he saw a flash of golden light nearby, and to his astonishment, the Crusader rocketed into the forest like a cannonball.
"Boom—!!"
The Crusader, glowing with golden light, cut through the darkness like a meteor, obliterating everything in her path.
Alex watched as she reached the Corpsemother, raising her shield and smashing it into the monster's face.
"Thud!!"
The unfortunate Corpsemother spun through the air, but the Crusader couldn't press her advantage as several undead staggered in her way, blocking her path.
'This is my chance!'
Seeing the Crusader blocked, Alex sighed in relief. If the Crusader had smashed the Corpsemother's head, his mission would have failed. Now, with the Crusader momentarily held up, Alex had just enough time to seize the opportunity.
'Well done!'
Secretly applauding the Corpsemother, Alex sprinted down the path the Crusader had cleared. He soon spotted the Corpsemother, crawling on the ground, seemingly unable to stand.
Seeing this, Alex's eyes lit up. Glancing to the side, he saw the Crusader entangled with the undead, unable to intervene. If he could reach the Corpsemother in time, the kill would be his.
Without hesitation, Alex charged forward. He didn't have the Crusader's powerful charge skill, but the Corpsemother had landed in a clearing, so Alex quickly burst through the underbrush. Raising Soulrend high, he swung down at the Corpsemother.
Smite!
Just as Alex swung his sword, the Corpsemother suddenly lifted her head, opened her mouth, and with a sickening "ugh," a torrent of foul-smelling bile sprayed toward Alex.
'Damn it!'
Shocked, Alex immediately aborted his skill and rolled to the side. With a soft "splat," the vile substance hit the ground where he'd been standing.
In the dim light, Alex saw the bile was dark green, bubbling, and emitting white smoke as it corroded the ground. He could only imagine the damage it would have done to him if he'd been hit.
'Still trying to ambush me?'
Alex was furious. A Corpsemother that had been beaten half to death by the Crusader still wanted to ambush him? Did she think he was easy prey?
He gripped Soulrend tightly and stared at the Corpsemother again. The Corpsemother glared back at him viciously. As Alex looked at her, she opened her mouth, about to scream.
"—————!"
But this time, before she could make a sound, Alex stabbed her mouth with his sword.
Crusader's Strike!
Holy light burst forth instantly. In Alex's eyes, he saw the Corpsemother's entire head starting to crack. Fissures appeared on her skin, and dazzling holy light shone through them, growing brighter and brighter.
With a loud "bang," the Corpsemother's body exploded and turned to ash in the white holy fire.
At the same time, Alex's ears were filled with the sound of system notifications, and lines of information appeared before his eyes.
[Scene Mission "Guardian" Progress II Completed]
[User Gains Dimension Points +1]
[Gain 70 Soul Energy]
[Crusader's Strike Skill Proficiency Upgraded to C Rank]
[Crusader's Strike Upgraded to Area Skill]
"As expected..."
Seeing this information, Alex rolled his eyes. He opened his skill panel again and saw that a fifth of the progress bar for [Crusader's Strike] had turned orange.
Alex was speechless. He had known that in the system, skills would gradually improve with proficiency.
This was designed to attract both new players and veterans to spend money. After all, you could either grind for Dimension Points or pay for them.
Although skill proficiency increased power, for most people, Dimension Points were always lacking, whereas for those who spent money... it was just a matter of buying more.
Fortunately, this task was relatively simple. Killing a Corpsemother earned him a Dimension Point. If future tasks were this easy, then...
"Ding."
Before Alex could finish his thought, the system notification sounded again, and another line of information appeared before him.
[Scene Mission Triggered: Guardian III]
[Looking at the corpse before you, you realize that the darkness ahead is not as easy to overcome as you thought. You sense the inexorable wheel of fate rolling forward, and all you can do is use your utmost strength to change it (Alter the predetermined fate, complete the task for random rewards, Dimension Points +3. Failure will result in forced lock-in of the mission world, countdown 48:00:00)]
"...…"
Seeing this mission prompt, Alex was utterly speechless. He had only one thought in his mind.
'I really shouldn't have raised a FLAG so casually!'
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État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone