The difference between a Nephalem and an ordinary person became immediately apparent. Captain Rumford needed several strikes to injure a zombie, but under the Crusader girl's flail, they didn't survive a single round.

Alex watched as she swung her flail, scattering the zombies like leaves in the wind. It was almost too easy!

Before, seeing this scene play out like in the game, Alex would have shrugged it off. But after personally experiencing how troublesome these zombies were, he finally grasped the true power of a Nephalem.

Even though Alex could defeat these zombies, he relied entirely on the holy power of Crusader Strike. But this Nephalem Crusader used her sheer strength.

One swing of her flail could obliterate the zombies, leaving nothing behind. Those who were lucky were simply sent flying. Watching this, Alex finally had a direct understanding of the Nephalem's power.

'Wait... What am I doing just watching? I have a mission to complete!'

After seeing the Crusader sweep away another wave of zombies, Alex suddenly realized that he wasn't here to watch the show. Frostmourne was still hungry! Without hesitation, Alex gripped his weapon and charged forward.

Compared to the game's "tutorial levels," the number of zombies Alex and the others encountered was significantly higher. Besides the first wave that crawled out of the ground, several more waves of zombies attacked them.

Their numbers kept increasing, and even with Alex and the Crusader working together, they struggled to hold them off. The militia suffered heavy casualties, with only Captain Rumford still fighting. The others were either dead or injured and wouldn't last much longer.

This isn't right!

After cutting down another zombie, Alex took a deep breath and looked around. Apart from the firelight at Tristram's gate, everything was shrouded in darkness. He could only hear the zombies' low growls and see occasional flashes of light.

"Ha... Ha... This is... too much."

Holding Frostmourne, Alex panted as he stared at the zombies staggering out of the darkness. He had lost count of how many zombies he had killed.

For every one he cut down, two more appeared. For every two, four more emerged. It seemed endless, no matter how many he killed.

Is this the true dark world?

At that moment, Alex felt a tinge of fear. Playing the game, he only felt the tedious grind. He might have wondered why humanity in the dark world was so miserable. Now, he understood. The difference between a game and reality was stark.

Humans in the dark world were nearly driven to extinction for a reason.

"Haah—!"

Seeing a zombie lurching towards him, Alex gripped Frostmourne and slashed forward. With a flash of holy light, the zombie was cleaved in two at the waist. But to Alex's shock, the zombie's upper half suddenly jumped, and its hands crawled rapidly towards him!

"Damn it!"

Startled by this sudden attack, Alex instinctively raised Frostmourne and stabbed downward. The sharp blade pierced through the zombie's body.

Wisps of soul mist rose from the zombie and were absorbed into Frostmourne. The twitching zombie finally went still, as if its power source had been cut off.

"235..."

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Alex glanced at the soul power value on the system prompt and took a breath. This endless grind wasn't what he wanted, but it seemed possible to complete Frostmourne's soul-absorbing task.

The dark world might lack many things, but it didn't lack monsters. Alex believed Frostmourne would be pleased with these evil souls.

"Uuughh—!"

At that moment, a strange sound came from the distant forest. It sounded like a woman's wail or a drunk person vomiting. Hearing this, both Captain Rumford and the Crusader girl’s faces changed.

A Grotesque!

"So that's why these damn things keep coming!"

Alex finally understood. The Grotesques were monsters transformed from the queen's handmaidens.

Their most notorious ability was creating more zombies. Alex wasn't sure how they did it, but he knew the process involved vomiting, from which more zombies would emerge... Ugh, the thought alone was nauseating.

Chapter 7: Never Set Flags Lightly

"We must kill the Grotesque!"

"I know!"

Hearing Captain Rumford, Alex responded without looking back. He gripped Frostmourne tightly and charged into the forest.

Alex wasn't just acting to eliminate the threat. When Captain Rumford spoke, Alex received a system prompt.

【Scenario Task Triggered: Guardian Part Two】

【You have detected the source of evil and tracked it down. Now, you must use your blade to end this (Eliminate the Grotesque, Dimension Points +1)】

Alex moved quickly, but the Crusader was no slower. As soon as Alex stepped into the forest, he saw the Crusader beside him flash with golden light. To his amazement, she shot forward like a cannonball into the depths of the forest.

"Boom—!"

The golden-glowing Crusader tore through the darkness like a meteor, smashing everything in her path. Alex saw her collide with a figure, raising her shield and slamming it into the creature's face.

"Thunk!"

The unfortunate Grotesque spun away, but the Crusader couldn't follow up. Several zombies had appeared, blocking her path.

A perfect opportunity!

Seeing the Crusader held up, Alex breathed a sigh of relief. If she had smashed the Grotesque's head in one blow, his scenario task would have failed. Now, with the Crusader delayed, Alex had just enough time.

Great job!

Silently giving the Grotesque a thumbs-up in his mind, Alex ran down the path the Crusader had cleared. He soon found the Grotesque struggling on the ground, unable to stand.

Perfect!

Alex's eyes lit up. The Crusader was busy with zombies, giving him a clear shot at the Grotesque. He charged forward, holding Frostmourne high, ready to strike.

Crusader Strike!

Just as Alex swung his sword, the Grotesque suddenly lifted its head, opened its mouth, and let out a retching sound. Alex watched in horror as a stream of foul-smelling bile flew towards him.

Damn it!

Shocked, Alex canceled his skill and rolled to the side. The bile splattered on the ground nearby, where it sizzled and bubbled, eating into the earth. If that had hit him, it wouldn't have ended well.

Trying to ambush me?

Alex was furious. A Grotesque nearly dead from the Crusader's attack dared to try and get him? Did it think he was an easy target?

He lifted Frostmourne and glared at the Grotesque. The creature glared back, opening its mouth as if to scream.

"—!"

But before it could make a sound, Alex thrust his sword into its mouth.

Crusader Strike!

Holy light erupted from the sword, and Alex watched as the Grotesque's head split apart. Cracks appeared on its skin, and bright, sacred light shone from them. With a loud "bang," the Grotesque exploded, turning to ash in a burst of white flames.

As the Grotesque disintegrated, Alex heard the system notification and saw a series of messages appear before him.

【Scenario Task "Guardian" Progress Two Complete】

【User gains Dimension Points +1】

【Soul Power +70】

【Crusader Strike proficiency increased to Level C】

【Crusader Strike upgraded to area-of-effect skill】

"Seriously..."

Seeing the messages, Alex rolled his eyes and opened his skill menu. As he expected, one-fifth of the progress bar under Crusader Strike was now orange.

Alex was speechless. He had designed the system to improve skills with proficiency, making them more appealing and prompting players to spend money.

Dimension points were either saved up or bought. Skill proficiency increased power, but for most people, dimension points were scarce. For those willing to spend, it was all about buying more.

This was the shamelessness of mobile games, and now Alex was a victim of his own design. It seemed inevitable that he would face such issues.

At least this task was relatively simple. Killing the Grotesque earned him a dimension point. If future tasks were this straightforward...

"Ding."

Before Alex could finish his thought, another system notification appeared.

【Scenario Task Triggered: Guardian Part Three】

【Looking at the corpse, you realize the darkness is not as easily vanquished as you thought. You sense the inexorable wheel of fate turning. Your mission is to use your utmost strength to change this (Alter the predetermined fate, Random reward, Dimension Points +3, Failure will lock the task world, Countdown 48:00)】

".................."

Seeing the task prompt, Alex was speechless. One thought filled his mind.

Never set flags lightly!

(End of Chapter)