The further she walked the more battered the roads were and the thicker the midnight breeze became. She walked until the roads merged into a plain of dirt and scattered grass. Wrecks of carts and emptied crates scattered to the side, marking what was once the path towards a safe haven for humanity. Now, Shield City was left to fend for itself on the frontlines.

When Rana jumped out of the window, she followed the patrol captain’s instruction and made it out of the back alley as kingdom soldiers surrounded the inn. Somewhere in her mind, she feared that Kai would betray her and everything was only a ruse, but the captain was true to his word and Rana found herself clear of pursuers.

The captain must’ve chosen that particular inn on purpose. The back alley was the perfect setup to entrap those who had no idea how to navigate its maze-like layout. Even with information, trying to find the correct crossroad had been a difficult task for Rana. However, the inn was also close to one of the smaller gates of Shield City. When she found herself onto the streets it was easy to locate the exit. She thought it would be difficult to leave the city but no soldier questioned her at the gates. It seemed like the city was abandoned, left to its own devices.

Rana was initially hesitant in leaving the city. She wanted information, to know what was different than before. She knew it would be folly to presume that the world remained unchanged during her slumber. She also knew that one of her goals was close. She could almost feel the power of the Altar. If only she could find a priest and activate the Altar she knew the power and secrets hidden in her mark would unlock.

However, the moment she took the leap out of the window she knew she made her decision. Rana feared how humanity viewed her. She believed she was still human but she didn’t trust others to feel the same.

Rana made the decision of dealing with her Decaying as a priority. She did not want to risk contact with the Church. The best-case scenario was them being accepting of her but she knew the most likely scenario would be a blade splitting her in half without hesitation.

Rana knew that the Church would never abandon those in need and under their leadership humanity was united and stronger than ever. Yet the contradictory evidence was laid bare before her eyes. The mighty Shield City that bustled with prosperity was now a shamble without a trace of its former self. Humanity was losing the war and monsters roamed far into the kingdom. It was disheartening. She knew the Church was doing its best to protect humanity and they were the reason the kingdom still stood but Rana found the truth difficult to accept.

Regardless of what she thought of the Church she wanted to stay and help Shield City. It was the last bastion and could be said to be the door towards the center of the kingdom. She wondered why the kingdom did not send reinforcements to the city or why was the city left in its current state of ruin. If the city fell then pushing back the monster forces would be nearly impossible.

Yet Rana could do nothing for Shield City. She was weak and an abomination. What could she do for the people there? What could she provide that the Church could not? What could a lone zombie do?

The only thing Rana could do was abandon the city. Still, she would move forward.

Rana was north of Shield City.

The Decaying status effect made it so that whenever a zombie stayed too long out of combat, they began to degenerate health and eventually perish. The combat-state was a metaphysical phenomenon in which the idea of ‘combat’ manifested into an unseen force. The force empowers the body and lets it become attuned to mana. It was the basis for passive mana regeneration and makes sure mana is stored within the body. Without it at best mana leaks out and dissipates and at worse the mana does irreversible damage to the body.

To enter a state-of-combat a marked one must either have or be subjected to hostile intentions or self-preservation instincts. However, it was impossible to prolong the state without launching or receiving hostile actions. The exact definition of those conditions no one really knew as the System kept the information hidden within the Codex. Still, the general idea was more or less codified after years of study by the Church.

If Rana could find a way to constantly be in a state-of-combat then the ‘Decaying’ status effect would never begin its countdown.

Rana could drown herself in combat. This idea was temping at first. Not only would she be able to stop Decaying from taking effect but she could also gain experience in the process. However, there were many issues and uncertainties with the approach. She had no means of guaranteeing the consistent encountering of monsters suited for a level one marked one. Even if she were able to fight constantly, she had no means of mending her injuries. She deduced that eating animals could help given that they too have life essence, but she doubted the efficiency and the supply of them in monster territory. She also had no access to an Altar so all the experience she gained could not even be of use. There were just too many risks.

There was another approach, however, and although they were rare they fit all the conditions. Rana could find herself and equip a cursed item.

Cursed items were magical items infected with the death of marked ones. The despair when death loomed before their eyes, the anger when they saw their comrades gall in battle, and the anguish when they realized they amounted to nothing, all of their final emotions latched onto the item that was once closest to their hearts.

Cursed items were living. They breathed the hatred of their fallen owns and lashed out at anyone who dared to equip them with their curses. They were born to hurt others. The power they granted was usually not enough to compensate for the harm that came with the item, and even those who used them would have to unequip them after combat as there were no means of lifting the curse. The items could be purified but so too would their capabilities be lowered.

However, Rana was different. She was a zombie with mana. She could equip magical items and she was immune to physical status effects, where they were beneficial ones or debilitating ones.

All Rana had to do was find them.

Cursed items were mostly found in the remnants of battlefields or Dungeons. Rana decided it was better to enter a dungeon. Battlefields were usually looted for spoils by the winning faction and cursed items were grounded into the material rather than being used as equipment. An item that lost its form lost its identity and its curse would be released.

Dungeons were strongholds, indestructible structures teeming with an unending spawn of monsters. They were the grave of powerful fiends defeated by the One Hero and their dying breath manifested into a physical state that was fuelled by their hatred and continued their effort of stomping out humanity. In the present, Dungeons were strategic locations that gave humans and fiends a steady source of experience, training, and loot.

There was still much to be learned about Dungeons as only one has ever been completely conquered long ago but records of its existence disappeared into a blaze of fire. They were dangerous, the monsters within were unlike those that roamed the woods. However, one thing was for certain and that was cursed items existed within.

The closest Dungeon to Shield City was in the east but it required her to traverse deep within the Forest Boundary. The Cathedral of Whispers was a Dungeon undisturbed by neither human, fiend, or outside monsters. It was home to powerful monsters and all those who entered never came back out. It was a taboo among the Church.

The Mines Without Blood was further away to the north but it was an ideal location. The mines were near the frontlines but practically never visited. Expeditions had to pass consistently contested battlegrounds to get there and in the way were enemies and roaming monsters. Whatever training or loot received from the expedition ran the risk of being lost forever. It was much safer to train marked ones in Dungeons within the kingdom then send them to the frontlines.

Rana decided her direction. She would enter the Mines Without Blood and find a suitable cursed items and along the way she would gather information and find a way to become stronger.

Rana walked and after some time found an empty house. It was not a rare sight in the past. When High Tower still held against the enemy and Shield City was still the hub of prosperity, commoners who found the bustling life too tiresome would retire to the outskirts and enjoy a quieter life. After all, it was safe.

Rana entered the abandoned home and found no one. It was expected. The news of High Tower falling would send anyone fleeing. She sat down on a chair and began to experiment. She needed to know more about her undead body.

Stats — Health: 26/100

It must’ve been the fall. Rana didn’t know whether to be frustrated at the lost two points of health or be glad the zombie body had no critical physical weakness.

Rana took out the herbs the captain gave her. She dared not channel ‘Healing Touch’, the pain was still fresh in her memory. She held out a leaf and allowed mana to flow out of her fingertips and into the plant. A warm orange glowed within the green veins and Rana placed it on a scratch the Fenris gave her.

Stats — Health: 26/100

Nothing happened. She tried to swallow it and winced at the bitterness as she chewed the leafy texture. She wondered if her sense of taste still worked or a zombie simply detested everything aside from flesh of the living.

Stats — Health: 26/100

Rana sighed a silent disappointment. Until she found a way to regain her health, she had to be careful with how she approached combat. This also meant that crafting Spells was off the table. Crafting spells required the channeling of mana outside a state-of-combat. If she made a mistake or misjudged her body’s tolerance she would risk hurting herself.

Rana was weak and she only saw darkness moving forward. However, even if she were to crash into obstacles and stumble without direction, she would keep moving even if it meant crawling with nothing but her teeth.