Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Plague Cemetery

Although it was daytime, the road to the Plagued Cemetery was shrouded in gloom. Along the way, I frequently saw townspeople who had succumbed to the plague, collapsed beside the road. Their eyes were vacant, and they uttered weak, powerless moans. In the grass by the roadside, piles of blackened bones lay scattered—the plague had wrought unspeakable harm upon the people.

I marveled at the realism of the game while cautiously eyeing the steadily vanishing main road. Before me, no broad thoroughfare remained, only a forest tainted by the plague. The dark earth was covered in grass so green it was almost black. In the distance, several level-18 forest spiders were crouched in the undergrowth, watching this uninvited guest.

I glanced at my character, who was nearly level 17, and decided these spiders would make fitting sacrifices for my final push.

With a hiss—

System prompt: You have been infected by the Forest Spider’s plague virus. For the next ten minutes, your health regeneration is reduced by 50%, and you cannot use any beneficial potions.

I couldn’t help but click my tongue—this plague virus was truly something else. Without a priest, anyone here would be as good as dead, and even potions were forbidden. Then again, very few could afford the potions sold in shops these days; Murong Shanshan, that lavish spender, was probably the only exception.

I quickly dispatched the third spider. By then, my health was less than half, but fortunately, I leveled up to 17. To my delight, the plague virus was also dispelled by the glow of advancement. I promptly pulled out a bottle of tomato sauce and drank it; I wouldn’t be so vulnerable against the next wave of spiders.

Picking up a small blue potion dropped by a spider, I noted that while there was no official price, these little blue bottles now sold for five RMB each on the black market—expensive, yet plenty of people bought them.

Moving onward, I encountered no more spiders—indeed, not a single living creature. The atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive; now and then, the wind carried an eerie, blood-curdling wail.

I was not particularly brave; shuddering, I immediately connected to Xinyu’s communicator. “What are you up to, beautiful?”

Xinyu’s voice was as teasing as ever: “What, missing me already?”

“No, I’m just a bit bored. Why don’t you sing something to lighten the mood?”

“Forget it! Just remember to call me when it’s time for lunch.”

“No need, little Xuehan will remind you. Tasks like that hardly fall to me.”

“…”

I closed the communicator. Although I didn’t hear her sing, my mood was much improved. Sometimes, Xinyu could be unexpectedly endearing.

I walked westward through the desolate forest for nearly half an hour before the ominous Plagued Cemetery finally came into view. The trees gradually thinned, replaced by rows of stone monuments. In the distance, I saw skeletal undead warriors with bone-white bodies patrolling the cemetery.

Atop the highest hill stood a dilapidated old house. Around it, several graves had been dug open, exposing the remains of the dead. A faint stench of decay wafted by, and I fought back a wave of nausea as I observed the skeletons’ patrol routes from afar—these level-22 creatures were not something I could easily face alone.

Slowly, I crept closer. As I drew my sword, a skeletal warrior noticed me!

Its movements were astonishingly fast—before I could react, it was upon me. As I raised my sword, its blade struck me heavily.

“55!”

I was stunned. The attack was absurdly strong—no level-21 boss had ever hit me for so much. I counterattacked with a slash of my own.

“184!”

I wasn’t mistaken; even without a critical hit, my attack took a huge chunk out of the skeleton’s health. Another swing—

“196!”

The level-22 skeleton was slain with just two blows!

I immediately understood: though these undead had high attack power, their physical defense and health were pitifully low. The experience I gained was three times that of a level-18 monster—perfect for a high-attack, high-defense swordsman like me. Ordinary mages couldn’t withstand such assaults, and warriors with low attack wouldn’t have the damage output to finish the fight quickly; they’d only end up being battered to death.

With the tomato sauce’s regeneration bonus and my quick reflexes, I could land a blow before each skeleton attacked. This way, each one could only strike me once, so I could just barely keep going. In no time, I cleared out an entire section of the cemetery monsters. My experience bar for level 17 rose by 30% in just an hour. At this rate, I’d reach level 18 before lunch!

The Plagued Cemetery was divided into nine sectors, with the ancient house at the center, forming a massive circular array—a veritable paradise for leveling up. The prospect nearly made me drool.

Opening the level rankings, I saw that I had surpassed Berserker and climbed to the top spot in the city. Elated, I skipped over to the next section. The monsters I’d just cleared dropped four medium health potions, each restoring 500 health—currently selling for one gold coin apiece. Money! I’d save them to sell later.

As I was figuring out how best to attract more monsters, I suddenly spotted another small, decrepit house on a nearby hill, with a faint figure inside.

I slowly pushed open the door and found an old man lying on the bed, barely clinging to life. His chest was rotten and festering from the plague, with only the faintest breath proving he was still alive.

This must be a quest!

I hurried over to speak with him. He glanced at me and recounted the tale of this place: “I am the guardian of this cemetery. Three years ago, a group of necromancers arrived, bringing death and a dreadful plague. Since then, no living soul has dared set foot here. The dead in the cemetery have all been summoned as mindless skeletons. Half a year ago, I too was infected by the plague. Although a wandering traveler told me that a certain Quiet Blossom growing in the cemetery can cure the plague, I no longer have the strength to rise from bed. Young man, could you help me find the Quiet Blossom?”