Undead Bastards

"By the way, what about those two over there? They look like Humans, but..."

"We met them on the way down the shaft... I guess they're our companions?"

"I'm Keisuke. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Columbus! Nice to meet you!"

Pop tilted her head as she asked, and the two introduced themselves. She floated around them once before asking with a puzzled look.

"Why did you two come all the way here? Unlike us, who are weak to light, you can play on the island above."

"Of course, because I wanted to explore! I started this game in the first place to see sights no one had ever seen!"

Columbus answered Pop's question proudly. They say a name reflects its bearer, and apparently there had been a solid reason for choosing the name of a great explorer. If he had started the game to seek out adventure, I could understand wanting to descend after seeing a mysterious vertical shaft.

Speaking of vertical shafts, the one where Hell Beasts emerge is currently causing problems on the continent of Timbrica. We would also need to prepare for the infernal monsters placing the Centaurs' lives under such strain.

"I see. There are entrances here to the same Dungeon as the one above, along with several caves extending sideways. Feel free to explore! Not that this place belongs to me."

"Thanks! Let's go check them out right away!"

Pop said that, winked, and left. It seemed she knew how to make herself look attractive. The way she did so was just like an idol. In fact, players of both sexes immediately gathered around her after she left. To the people here, she might truly be an idol.

After hearing about the side caves, Columbus immediately started walking toward one. Keisuke followed her with a wry smile. It seemed this was where our time together would end.

"We haven't entered the side caves either. Yesterday, we returned to our base from here and logged out."

"We heard about the side caves from members of a clan we'd befriended... I wonder if they're here today too?"

"We are, Moss-san."

"Huh...!?"

The one who called out from behind us was a Zombie as large as Eiji. At first, I thought this person, like Eiji, was wearing metal armor. But when I looked closer, that wasn't the case. Metal plates had been riveted directly onto their flesh.

Similar metal plates had been riveted onto all four limbs as armor, while blades were embedded in their hands and feet, making even a punch or kick look painful. The left hand in particular had inexplicably been turned into a drill. Whether it was meant for excavation or combat, I found it incredibly cool.

"You're Izamu, right? I'm Mac 17. I lead a little clan called 'Undead Bastards.' Mac is fine."

"Eiji has probably told you, but I am Izamu. I lead a clan called 'Nightwalkers.' A pleasure to meet you, Mac."

Behind him were not only Zombies, but also Skeletons and Ghosts. They must have been members of 'Undead Bastards.' Every one of them was Undead, so the clan's name was entirely accurate.

Their numbers seemed fairly large. Considering that some of them were absent, there had to be at least twice our number. Mac's ability to manage so many people must have been considerable.

"Are you heading to the side caves now?"

"Yep. We were just about to go make some money, but Pop was making such a fuss, so I watched from the sidelines."

"...I was wondering yesterday too, but do you have trouble dealing with Pop-san?"

Eiji had a point. It was strange that Mac had watched from a distance instead of joining the conversation. In response to the question, Mac awkwardly scratched his cheek.

While we struggled to figure out what his ambiguous reaction meant, a Skeleton stepped forward. They wore a gray hooded cloak embroidered with gold thread in an arabesque pattern and carried a scythe with a bright-red blade, giving them the appearance of a Grim Reaper.

"Since everyone knows anyway, I'll be frank: Big brother and Pop know each other in real life. They had a little fight, so it's awkward for them to face each other. Oh, and I'm Mac 17's little sister, Sara 28. Please call me Sara."

"I see. So that's the situation."

With a cute voice one would never expect from a Skeleton, Sara exposed the circumstances between them. She scoldingly pounded Mac's head with the shaft of her scythe. The metal plate attached to his head rang loudly, and the volume seemed to match the size of Sara's frustration.

"Sara, don't go saying unnecessary things!"

"What do you mean, unnecessary!? Pop-chan is a clan member too! You won't go to the side caves together just because you won't make up with her!?"

"Yeah, that's right!"

"You tell him, Sara-chan!"

"Take your lovers' quarrel offline!"

"Y-you guys...!?"

Apparently, the other players had also been harboring complaints about Mac. The members of 'Undead Bastards' shouted jeers one after another. Mac had apparently never realized their dissatisfaction had built up to such an extent, and he was thrown into a panic upon learning it for the first time.

Even though everyone was complaining, the atmosphere didn't seem tense. Their jeers weren't serious; they were just teasing him. The clan itself had a good atmosphere, and its members seemed to get along well. They could say whatever they wanted precisely because they were close. It was a good clan.

"Leaving Pop aside... Eiji and Moss-san told me about you. You're Undead too, right?"

"That's right. Including me, our clan has two Undead members. Why do you ask?"

"Actually, our clan found a quest requiring us to gather a certain number of Undead friends. Would you mind registering as friends with us?"

"As a thank-you, we'll give you information about the side caves!"

"Friend registration, huh... Hmm..."

I couldn't answer immediately. I possessed a Skill that brought people connected to me—including my friend 【Abyss Guide】—closer to the Abyss. ...In fact, when we formed our alliance, I had completely forgotten about it.

For Usuba and the others, who were already my friends and PKers, being drawn closer to the Abyss didn't matter. If anything, it was only natural. But it might pose a problem for Konrad and the others, so when I realized it, I warned them, 'You might become able to use a strange Skill.'

They were Human, so while their Skills might be affected, I didn't expect their Race to change much. But in the case of the 'Undead Bastards' players, who were Undead like me, there was a high chance they would be affected. If I failed to warn them, they might end up saying, 'This isn't what I signed up for.'

"I'd be happy to add you, but... I have a Skill that affects people connected to me. As a result, some of you may end up with a Race different from the one you wanted. Are you still okay with that?"

The members of 'Undead Bastards' murmured at my statement. There were many Skills that affected others, but most of them were temporary, like buffs during combat. One that affected even a person's Race was quite rare. Their reaction was understandable.

They were shaken, but Mac settled them down. He rested a hand on his chin and asked me, choosing his words carefully,

"Can we ask what kind of effect you mean?"

"It may produce both good and bad effects... maybe. It doesn't necessarily affect you, and there have been no reports of anyone being affected yet, so I don't know. It may all end as needless worry, but..."

"So you figured you should at least warn us? You're more of a softie than I expected."

"We've already chosen an eccentric Race like Undead, so we're oddballs anyway. A little more weirdness won't bother us, right, everyone?"

The members of 'Undead Bastards' all nodded in unison at Sara's question. Since they themselves said it was fine, it was fine. In that case, I might as well register them as friends.

So I registered as friends with everyone in 'Undead Bastards'... no, with everyone except Pop. Someone among them might end up with a Race like Abyss Skeleton. That would be interesting in its own way.

"All right, now that registration's done... I'll tell you about the side caves."

According to what Mac told us, there were four side caves. Different monsters appeared in each one, and their difficulty and atmosphere differed as well.

The ones relevant to us would be the first- and second-hardest side caves. The most difficult one was called 'Fungal Forest of Burning Moss,' a place lined with blazing moss and giant mushrooms.

The monsters there were level 60 to 70 and fairly strong, but we should be able to defeat them without too much trouble. Many of the materials were rare as well, so if all we cared about was making money, this was the obvious choice.

The second-hardest side cave was called 'Subterranean Icefield.' Its walls were covered in ice, and it was a lair of monsters that controlled ice. The monsters were a little weaker, ranging from level 40 to 60. In addition, it seemed that monsters who had died in this vertical shaft and turned into Skeletons also wandered around there. If we wanted materials associated with water or ice, or bone materials, this would be the place to go.

"Which one would you two prefer? I don't mind either."

"Yes! I'm in the mood for a good, tough fight today, so let's take the harder one!"

"Then 'Fungal Forest of Burning Moss' it is."

When I asked which one we should visit, Eiji raised his hand and stated his preference. Moss-san and I didn't mind either way, so we decided to go with his choice.

"...I'm jealous. We're going to 'Subterranean Icefield,' so I guess this is goodbye."

"Yes, thank you for the valuable information."

"Bye-bye!"

Since our destinations differed from those of the 'Undead Bastards' members, we decided to part ways there. Mac was probably jealous because, as an Undead, he had 【Fire Attribute Vulnerability】. Entering a field filled with countless enemies that exploited his weakness would be reckless, but I could understand wanting to try it. That was probably what he meant by 'jealous.'

Though I felt bad for him, our destination had already been decided: 'Fungal Forest of Burning Moss.' With our hearts full of anticipation for the unknown, we set off toward 'Fungal Forest of Burning Moss.'