I'm the Only Totem in Another World - Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Fleeing South (2)

The nerve-wracking descent ended up being less eventful than anticipated.

Aside from the Zombie Raccoon Demon encountered earlier, no other living creatures were seen.

━ Don’t let your guard down, everyone. This is just the beginning.

I said it to everyone, but it was also a reminder to myself.

Because the thought suddenly occurred to me that we might be able to travel comfortably while the demons and the zombie army are at war.

The Sky Tree Tribe, cautiously moving while observing all directions, discovered the first village.

The fence was a complete mess, clearly indicating that a battle had taken place there.

“This is Distin Village. It’s the closest village to the mountain.”

Nix said, wiping away her cold sweat.

“I’ll go ahead and check it out.”

━ Alright.

Nix, the most agile among them, approached the village alone.

She observed the village for a while and then rejoined us with cautious steps.

“There’s no one there. Not even bodies are left.”

This meant that the demons and worshippers of Distin Village had all become zombies and moved elsewhere.

━ We have to go through the village. It’s the shortcut.

“Understood.”

We entered Distin Village.

All we could see was blood splattered everywhere and debris rolling around.

I don’t know if it was the work of the lower-ranked demon that ruled this village or Karon’s zombies, but some buildings were completely destroyed as if they had been hit by a cannon.

━ Increase your speed.

If there’s no one here, we need to move quickly. We quickly walked through the village.

I returned to Totem No. 1 and checked the map again.

If the map is correct, we have to walk for hours from now on. We don’t have to pass through villages like this time, so it’s safe.

There is a city nearby where it is presumed that mid-ranked demons live, but even though it’s nearby, it’s just based on the map, it’s quite far away, so we can just hide and go.

If we walk a little further along the road where the city is visible (it’s not close), we’ll reach Latria.

If we cross the mountain in Latria, we’ll finally reach Bolvano.

Bolvano is like the African savanna, so it is said that there are few demons.

Once we cross the mountain in Latria, we’ll have passed all the dangerous places.

After walking along the desolate road for about 20 minutes, we found a worshipper dead, dragging blood on the ground.

Worshippers usually die in confusion after their master demon dies, but this worshipper strangely ran quite far.

Was this a worshipper whose survival instincts were particularly developed when they were human?

The condition of the body is quite good. It has eyes, a nose, and a mouth.

Good. Let’s use Zombie Control on this corpse.

We needed to have at least one meat shield in case a fight breaks out.

I controlled the worshipper’s corpse and raised it again.

It’s fortunate that there was a corpse that hadn’t become a zombie because it wasn’t noticed by Karon.

━ From now on, I’ll be in the front.

There’s also a slight expectation that even if other zombies see me, they’ll just pass by because I’m also a corpse.

That guy Karon wouldn’t be controlling dozens, maybe hundreds of zombies simultaneously and seeing through multiple viewpoints, would he?

At best, he would just give simple commands like ‘Kill’, ‘Look around’, ‘Report if you see anything suspicious’, and directly control only a few strong zombies.

He might be a little better than I thought since he’s the greatest priestess of all time, but even so, it doesn’t make sense to delicately control a large number of zombies one by one.

To be able to do that, he would have to be a super artificial intelligence like Skynet.

[Not a Netkama: What are you doing?]

I got a personal message, but I ignored it and looked around. I need to concentrate now.

[Not a Netkama: I want to eat ramen]

[Not a Netkama: With spicy kimchi]

Me too. If we add a beer to that…

Ah, stop looking, you part-timer bastard!

I completely removed the personal message window from my view and walked, carefully checking the road.

It felt like I had watched a whole movie.

“We’ll be arriving at the shortcut soon.”

Nix looks back and forth between the zombie and Totem No. 2. Her eyes look a little uneasy.

━ It’s okay.

I reassured Nix and the Sky Tree Tribe and continued to move.

Even though the city is visible, this is the shortcut. If we go any other way, we won’t arrive even in two days.

Two days is just the right amount of time to die from exhaustion or hunger. Since there are young children, we must take the shortcut.

There’s no Demon’s Eye either, so this is the perfect opportunity.

━ Hmm.

I can see a castle in the distance. That must be the city. Since this region is called Dubenheim, it must be Dubenheim Castle.

We need to pass by quickly… Ah, damn it.

There’s a hole in the castle wall. I couldn’t see it before, but the closer we get, the clearer the traces of destruction become.

Karon, you crazy bastard, have you already touched all the nearby villages and are now attacking the city?

That’s why there weren’t any worshippers or zombies on the way.

Because today was the last day of the Demon vs. Zombie war in Dubenheim!

Kwaaaugh━!

Just then, I heard something roar. It was loud enough for the entire tribe to hear.

“M, Malak-nim.”

Even Nix, who was trying to stay calm, turned pale and looked at the city.

“Aah…”

“Huh…”

Despair descended upon everyone in the Sky Tree Tribe.

━ Don’t panic.

We still have time.

I don’t know if the one who roared was a demon or a zombie, but the fact that it made a sound is proof that they’re still fighting.

It’s actually better if they’re in the middle of a war. They won’t have the energy to pay attention to us.

━ Nothing has changed. We just need to keep moving.

I encouraged them in the calmest voice possible.

━ We’re almost there. They’re far away, and we just need to go a little further. Pull yourselves together. I’m with you.

Encouraged by my words, the people of the Sky Tree Tribe started moving again.

“We’re almost there…!”

Nix pointed her finger at a crumbling signpost. It says ‘Latria’.

We’re almost at Latria.

━ …

Along with the sense of relief that we’ve made it this far, curiosity sprouts.

They said in the community that cities or military facilities (like the Knights’ Headquarters) are managed by mid-ranked demons.

Karon must be at war with the mid-ranked demon that rules the city.

Mid-ranked demons summon Dark Clouds when they’re in danger.

…Maybe Karon and the Dark Cloud Demon will fight.

The Dark Cloud Demon I saw in Tibera was definitely a transcendental being, but Karon is no pushover either.

Like me, Karon is a being that only existed in the game’s settings. He’s practically a hidden boss.

Since he’s gotten this close to conquering Dubenheim so quickly, he must have a hidden card.

I need to see that.

I’m immortal. I can afford to be a little bolder.

━ Continue forward with the totem. I’ll check the situation.

Since we’ve come this far, we might as well get something more out of it.

I’ve already explained to Nix which way to go, so it’s okay if I’m gone for a while.

I headed towards the city in the body of the worshipper zombie.

Once I start controlling, I can keep the zombie moving even if the totem is far away. I’ve checked this before.

Thump! Thump!

As I got closer to the city, I heard a loud noise. They’re still fighting.

I carefully entered through the hole in the city wall.

Ugh…

Ooh…

I made eye contact with zombies crawling on the ground with their legs or lower bodies cut off, but they didn’t pay attention to me.

They must see me as a comrade since I’m also a zombie.

I picked up a dagger lying on the ground and moved forward, stepping on the corpses scattered on the ground.

I’m so glad I can’t feel anything.

Uwaaaaaaaaah━!

I heard a roar similar to the one I heard earlier.

I turned my head in the direction of the sound, and only then did I see the battlefield.

The surging zombie army and the demons, cornered and resisting with only a few remaining.

It seems like he killed and brought all the worshippers and demons in Dubenheim because there are zombies everywhere.

Thanks to that, it was easy to join the ranks of the zombie army.

━ Ugh…

I roughly made zombie-like noises and squeezed in, and no one paid attention.

Wow, even I think I have amazing guts.

Since my life isn’t at stake, I can do this much.

I slowly moved among the worshipper zombies and observed the situation.

The one leading the few demons was a bipedal Bull-headed Demon, and judging by its size, which was larger than a detached house, it seemed to be a mid-ranked one.

The Bull-headed Demon was struggling, wielding its long, flame-made tail like a whip, but the difference in numbers was too great.

Crack!

Kuak!

The demons fell one by one and became zombies, and eventually, only the Bull-headed Demon remained.

More than nine zombie demons surround it and slowly approach.

Snap!

The Bull-headed Demon, creating distance, snaps its fingers. A translucent membrane covers its body.

As expected, mid-ranked demons can all use magic.

While the zombie demons are blocked by the membrane and cannot advance, the Bull-headed Demon, having secured its safety, twitches its mouth.

It must be sending its coordinates to the Dark Cloud Demon.

That’s when it happened.

“Stop with the petty tricks.”

Crack!

Along with a sinister voice from somewhere, the membrane surrounding the Bull-headed Demon shattered.