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Normally, the dead just wandered aimlessly.
But every so often, driven by faint instincts from their former lives, they would probe for prey—trying to drain the life force from anyone unlucky enough to stumble too close.
These mountain-dwelling spirits almost never had the chance to test their abilities on humans, since they couldn't reach the cities.
So when Rosen brought four living girls here, they stood out like a lighthouse beacon on a dark harbor—impossible to miss.
The undead swarmed toward them like sharks scenting blood.
In Rosen's eyes, these mountain phantoms were far more grotesque than the ones haunting the cities.
Most couldn't even hold a human shape anymore.
They looked like bloated corpses soaked in seawater, or like cadavers steeped in jars of foul preservative.
Their swollen, twisted faces were unrecognizable, their mouths spilling a chorus of maddening noises:
"Can you see me?"
"Come closer~~~ come closer~~~"
"This way, this way~~~"
Low growls, high shrieks—layered together until the sound itself was a suffocating static.
Even for people without the sight or hearing to perceive them, surviving this forest would be nearly impossible. Because while most undead couldn't directly harm those who couldn't see them, some had ways to manipulate the environment—tripping vines, conjuring traps from nowhere.
And here, every single girl could see them.
Even Miko Yotsuya, who had been through countless horrors already, felt her chest tighten when she saw just how many there were.
They were everywhere. A dense, endless tide.
Dozens already surrounded them, and still more gathered in the shadows beyond.
It wasn't so much a forest as it was a massive graveyard.
"Why are there so many?"
Mai hugged her arms tight. A gleaming sword of holy light formed in her hand almost on instinct.
"There's too many! It's scary... Lord Rosen, what do we do?"
Hana Yurikawa shrank back, fear bubbling up despite the power she now held.
"Stick to the plan. As long as you use your abilities properly, reaching the shrine won't be a problem."
Rosen ruffled her hair with a chuckle, then turned to Yuki, who was shaking even harder, and gently patted her head too.
"Don't worry. I'm counting on you all."
Count on us?
What kind of joke was that?
I'm... literally a newbie here! And you're throwing me straight into a high-level raid? Isn't this just a scripted death flag?!
Yuki's mind was a storm of panicked thoughts.
Even with teammates beside her, the sheer mass of clawing, snarling ghosts was suffocating.
If she were alone right now, she'd probably have lost her mind already.
Meanwhile, the undead were pressing closer.
When some finally locked eyes with the girls, their bodies twisted violently, howling like monsters out of The Thing before lunging straight at them.
That was all it took for the rest of the horde to realize—these humans could see them.
"They can see! They can see!"
"Raaahhhh!"
"Come on! Over here!"
Their voices crashed like a storm, fevered and ecstatic.
Buzz—
Miko was the first target.
A corpse fused with the ground burst out of the soil, shoving through the undergrowth. Its maw gaped wide, filled with jagged fangs perfect for tearing human flesh.
Her pulse spiked.
But then a cold light flashed in her eyes, steadying her heart. A special power surged through her body, sharpening her focus, making her movements faster and more precise.
She sidestepped the lunge and drove a spear of light straight through the creature's skull.
Mai fought in her own way.
When an undead lunged at her, she instantly erased her presence from existence.
The monster froze mid-swipe, dumbly pawing at empty air. With its pitifully low intelligence, it couldn't comprehend why its delicious prey had vanished.
Its memory span was no better than a goldfish's.
Seven seconds later, Mai flickered back into view behind it and cleaved its head clean off.
As for Hana—
She hated using weapons. So after talking things over with Miko, she'd developed her own fighting style.
She raised a hand, aimed at an undead, and blasted her own life energy straight through her palm like a cannon.
To make up for the drain, she had a drink hanging from her neck and was constantly stuffing donuts into her mouth with her free hand.
Calories in, power out.
Yuki, meanwhile, was far less polished.
It was her first real fight. She couldn't yet handle the sword or spear of light.
So she fell back on the most basic human instinct: the clumsy "flailing punch."
Waving her spear of light wildly in front of her did at least keep the undead from getting too close—but it was painfully inefficient.
At this rate, they'd reach the shrine sometime next century.
Rosen had to step in. "Yuki. Don't forget—you have skills."
"Skills? Oh, right! I do have skills!"
It took her several seconds to remember.
"Okay... in this situation, the best weapon would be... a gun!"
She focused, and a black rifle materialized in her hands.
But when she pulled the trigger—nothing.
Because her projection magic couldn't perfectly copy an object's functions.
The gun looked real, but the trigger was jammed solid. It was nothing more than a stick shaped like a modern firearm.
"Seriously?! This is worse than a sword!"
Even while flustered, Yuki still had the energy to complain. She tossed the useless weapon aside and scrambled to recall scenes from all the manga and novels she'd ever read, searching for inspiration.
"..."
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