abcnovels
Chapter 193 193: Just Do It [Pt1]
Chapter 193 193: Just Do It [Pt1]
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Sara and her partner led the other three back into the town. As they had said, the zombies were back in their original place.
They did not come to greet Keith and his party out this time. But it was also not the cold indifference of before. It almost felt as if these zombies had a consciousness now.
"Did these always star at us with such vigilant eyes? I am getting goosebumps just thinking about it."
Stranger #2 shivered as he walked behind Keith. He was the one who had not wanted to come back the most. But when he had tried to walk away, his body had turned around. And before he knew it, he was walking back to the town.
Or that was what he said about his presence in this group. But frankly speaking, Keith did not believe his words even a little bit.
"Here, we are at our base. We three were the only ones here until now so the place is a little small. But it had protection weaved all around it."
Nigel quickly opened the door to the 'tent' he called his base. It was a small space, barely capable of housing four grown adults. It was not a place where they all would be able to make themselves comfortable.
But if the price was safety, then it was all worth it in the end.
"I understand that you all don't need a lot of space to live, but this place is still a dump. Could you all not have found a house to live in?"
Stranger #1 asked as he looked around. This small place looked even smaller now that they were all looking at it carefully.
"Man, just sit down for now. It's not like we will be able to stay here for long. We need to head out and gather supplies but we don't have much money. Do you have any on you? Sara told me that you were loaded."
Nigel turned toward Keith and he raised his eyebrows in surprise.
Well, it was true that Keith was loaded but that did not mean he wanted to spend it all on unnecessary things.
"I don't have a habit of carrying around a lot of cash. This is all I have on hand. By the way, why don't you steal the cash from the banks? It would be easier. Or at least the shops."
Keith asked the question. He felt like he knew the answer, but he still wanted to confirm his suspicions.
"Do you think we did not think of that possibility? It is too tough to do with all these zombies roaming around. We manage with what we can but that money is not enough."
Nigel pointed out and that was what Keith had thought as well.
"Hey, could you kids not have left this town for a better place? You managed to halt the curse on your body, right? And you also frequently leave this place…."
The doll in Lune's hand fell. There was a dark look on her face that dared Stranger #1 not to finish his words.
"We cannot leave our people alone here. Despite what happened, our loved ones are here. And we should help them out."
Keith was shocked to hear Sara, that selfish Sara, out of everyone say this. He had not expected her to have a loyal bone in her body.
But her eyes shined with a need to help her friends and loved ones out. It also explained her desperation to win the mother's pearl.
"I cannot stay here for the rest of my life. I have an important assignment coming up in a week. I need to get out of this town by then."
Stranger #1 panicked. His eyes were wide and his body was shaking.
He was expressing what Keith wanted to say. This town was not for either of them with its gloomy atmosphere and lack of facilities.
"Well, in that case, you can go and try to break this curse. The center of this curse is in the town hall and you need to break the central crystal to make this town normal."
Nigel said it all slowly and the solution to this curse sounded too easy. It made Keith feel weird and he knew something was wrong.
He was not the only one who felt this weird. Strangers #1 and #2 had suspicious looks on their faces as well.
"Hmm, so what's the catch? I doubt you all would have been in this situation if the solution was only to break a crystal."
Stranger #2 asked with a suspicious look on his face. His sharp eyes and gigantic frame made everyone else look comparatively small.
"First, it's heavily guarded so it is impossible to get to. Also, it has a lot of curses put on it. The one who will break that crystal will suffer a fate worse than death. Third, it will summon a god if that crystal is broken. This all contributes to no one trying to break it."
Now that sounded like a problem. Not the first and the last part, but the middle one.
What could a fate 'worse than death' mean?
"You said that it causes one to suffer a fate worse than death? Is it what I think it is?"
Stranger #1 asked and Nigel nodded.
"Yeah, the interpretation is from the ancient texts. It sucks one's magic out of it. In this world, every creature is born with magic and the lack of magic is perpetual agony. It does not cause death, just endless suffering. So, no one even tried to break the crystal."
Sara explained quickly and Keith was surprised at what he heard.
As someone who did not do magic, to begin with, he would not be affected by any of the magic loss. Wasn't he the real solution for this situation?
"Well, this sucks. We can get to the crystal just fine but not destroy it. No one will be foolish enough to sacrifice themselves."
Stranger #1 pointed out and Keith took in a deep breath.
He was the idiot who was thinking of sacrificing himself. Mainly because he was confident that he would not be harmed by these conditions.
"Well, if you can get me to the crystal, then I can break it for you. But only if you are interested."
Keith offered and he felt five pairs of eyes turn toward him as one.
"Hey, are you serious? Do you even have an idea what you are saying? You will likely die if you try to break that crystal."
Stranger #1 asked and even Lune looked annoyed with his carefree nature.
"No way. You are not thinking of sacrificing yourself for our sake. I will not allow you to do something this foolish when you…"
"When did I say that I was sacrificing myself? Look, I do not do things that I cannot control. And this situation is also one I can navigate without much problem."
"What I mean to say is that I have a special ability so you do not need to worry about what will happen to me next."
Keith assured everyone and they sighed at his confidence.
"Look, if he wants to do it this badly then let him. Anyway, there is no need for you all to butt in his decision. We all want this curse to go away, right?"
In the end, it was stranger #2 who took Keith's side. There was still sympathy in his eyes, but the desire to get out of his predicament was much more obvious in his eyes.
"Fine, we can all go out and destroy the crystal today. Get ready because it's going to be a bumpy ride from here on."
Keith suddenly felt nervous. He was scared to see what would come next. But he was also excited to know that he was doing something worthwhile.
His heart beat faster as he thought about facing these creatures.
"Let's head out now. The zombies will not come after us when it is bright outside. We have about three to four hours of daylight left."
Nigel took the lead and he picked up his gun. It was time to go out and experience what the world held in place.
The central main hall was empty outside. There was not a soul to be seen anywhere outside. But the real problem was inside.
"A-Are you sure we should go inside? Aren't there too many zombies inside there?"
Stranger #1 asked with a nervous voice. He could finally feel the intensity of the zombies inside. And they felt different than any other he had faced before.
"Well, it will help me out if you all stayed out here and let me go in alone. My shield will be much more effective this way."
Keith offered but his offer was rejected by Nigel. This kid was the responsible type. So, the only thing Keith could do for him was throw him toward Sara and ask her to restrain him.
"Well, I will come back soonish."