novelraw Chapter 93: Oasis of Memory
Chapter 93: Oasis of Memory
From the shadows around the oasis, there were movements. At first, I thought it was the shifting reflections on the water’s surface. But then the shapes lurched forward, pale and shambling. My stomach tightened as I counted them; there were at least two dozen.
Their forms were disturbingly familiar. Twisted bodies with rotting flesh clinging to cracked bones, their eyes clouded white with death. They resembled the zombies I had fought back in the first and second scenarios, yet these were different. Strange, large worm-like creatures sprouted grotesquely from their torsos, writhing like parasitic tentacles. Some burst out from mouths and eyeballs, others threaded through arms and backs, glistening under the moss light. The sight was enough to make my skin crawl.
Worm-Infected Zombie – Lv.63
Once ordinary intelligent beings, their corpses were overtaken by parasitic desert worms that burrow into the flesh and fuse with the nervous system. These worms control the bodies like puppets, enhancing their strength and speed far beyond that of normal undead. Highly resilient and extremely infectious—their touch risks contamination. Destroying the host alone will not guarantee victory; the worms must also be eradicated, or they will seek another body.
Boris’s grin vanished, his expression darkening. “Tch, what in blazes are those things?”
Michelle grimaced, raising her bow. “Undead… but something’s wrong with them.”
I squinted my eyes at these shambling figures. The aura they exuded wasn’t the usual stagnant stench of undeath. It was… tainted. Foul and corrupted. As if some other force had wormed its way into their very existence and twisted them further. Their movements weren’t mindless either. Their heads tilted toward us in eerie unison, the worms twitching as if sensing prey.
“Contaminated intelligent lifeforms…” I muttered under my breath, a chill creeping down my spine. That had to be it. These weren’t just ordinary undead that rose from corpses. These were once intelligent beings, corrupted and consumed by whatever those worm-like parasites were. What stood before us was an abomination—something caught between man, corpse, and parasite.
One of them let out a wet, gurgling cry, the sound vibrating unnaturally as worms writhed from its throat. The others answered in unison, becoming a sickening chorus that echoed off the cavern walls.
“They’re coming,” Michelle said sharply, already pulling back her bowstring with one of her exploding arrows.
Boris cracked his fists together, steel rippling over his arms. “Good. Then we crush ’em before they get too close.”
“Be careful! They’re highly infectious! Stick to ranged attacks,” I warned.
I might have to use Fabled Vessel if things turn dire… These zombies were all Gimmel-rank monsters, after all.
But still, I couldn’t shake off the unease. This was different from fighting monsters of the desert or even the sandworm. These monsters felt wrong on a fundamental level, like a corruption that didn’t belong in this world. I had never seen this kind of zombie—even in my past life as the creator of Divine Will. If divine warriors stumbled across them unprepared, they’d be annihilated.
Perhaps… these zombies are nothing more than lowly pawns of some greater eldritch being, I thought in horror.
The horde charged toward us in uneven strides, but their speed increased unnaturally, limbs jerking in unnatural angles as worms spurred their hosts into motion. Some crawled along the walls, while others dropped low and scuttled across the ground like beasts on all fours.
The first of the abominations let out a screech and lunged, its worm-covered body glistening in the lantern light.
I gripped Howling Edge tight, feeling the tempestuous runes flare. “Windstorm!”
The blade shrieked as I swung, releasing a cyclone of compressed air. The gale tore forward, catching the creature mid-leap. Its body was shredded instantly—flesh, worms, and bone alike splintering apart meters away from me. Ugh, gross…
You have hunted [Worm-Infected Zombie Lv.63].
You have gained 1,230 EXP.
You have leveled up.
The windstorm plowed into the ranks behind, scattering several others across the cavern floor. Worms burst free from ruptured corpses, wriggling madly in the gale before being torn apart as well. But the rest were undeterred. They let out that same sickening groan, their twitching synchronized in unnatural rhythm as the horde pressed forward.
Michelle loosed an arrow. It streaked like a comet and struck one zombie square in the chest, detonating in a burst of fire. The parasite-infested host was engulfed in flames, thrashing wildly before collapsing into ash. Yet even as it burned, worms writhed free, some still alive despite the inferno.
“Don’t let the worms scatter!” I shouted.
Unfortunately, I lacked reliable long-range attacks that could incinerate both host and parasite at once. Other than Windstorm, which I couldn’t spam freely because of its huge mana usage, my arsenal was painfully limited. Worse, my mana hadn’t recovered from the reckless expenditure I’d poured into resisting the sandstorm earlier.
Boris roared, his body gleaming like steel. But instead of charging recklessly like he usually would, he seized a massive boulder jutting from the cavern floor. Muscles rippling under his Adamant Flesh, he wrenched it free with brute force and heaved it straight into the advancing zombies.
The rock crashed into them like a falling meteor, flattening three of the abominations instantly. Their bones splintered like twigs, ichor splattering across the cavern. Worms swiftly erupted from the wreckage, squirming violently—only for Boris to stomp forward, steel cleavers forming along his arms. He hacked down mercilessly, cleaving most of the parasites into pulp before they could slither away.
“Gahaha! Squash the worms, squash the hosts—doesn’t matter which!” he bellowed.
Michelle kept firing arrows in rapid succession. Each shot carried a trace of fire, detonating on impact and burning both corpses and the writhing parasites inside.
A zombie suddenly lunged at me, its worm-riddled body moving with unnatural speed. Its arm swung toward my face like a whip, but I managed to raise my buckler just in time. The blow rattled through my arm, yet I countered instantly by slashing Howling Edge in a clean arc. The blade sliced through flesh and bone with ease, splitting the abomination in half at the waist.
You have hunted [Worm-Infected Zombie Lv.64].
You have gained 1,240 EXP.
The severed body collapsed, and the worms within immediately spilled out, slithering like severed serpents. Before they could scatter, Boris stomped down with all his weight, steel flesh crushing them into a grotesque smear. “Damn things don’t die easy!” he cursed.
Alas, there were too many of them. For each one that fell, three more replaced them. That single exchange had already drained us. Boris was still reeling from withstanding the sandstorm earlier, his stamina fraying with every move. His swings had lost some of their explosive force. Michelle, though not as tired, was clearly low on mana.
I clenched my teeth, my heart hammering in my chest. This is a no-go… At this rate, we won’t last. The swarm would wear us down piece by piece until nothing remained.
“No other choice then…” Determined, I said through my teeth. “Fabled Vessel.”
You have activated Fabled Vessel.
Please select a divine hero or demigod that you want to possess.
[The Crimson Sovereign – Tyrant of the End]
[Voldrath the Eternal – The Lich-King of a Million Souls]
[Alric the Sword Saint – Hero of the Eternal Blade]
[Veyra the Thousand-Arrows – Huntress of the Stars]
[Selene the Moonlit Blade – Phantom of the Night]
…
Without even glancing at the full list of legendary figures, I chose the one that fit my current situation the most. “Eirwen the Frozen Witch.”
You have possessed [Eirwen the Frozen Witch].
Warning: Your current stats are too low to receive her full power!
Only 1% of Eirwen’s power is transferred to you.
Your stats have temporarily increased significantly.
Your magic-related skills have temporarily improved drastically.
You have temporarily acquired a skill: [Basic Cryo Magic Lv.10].
You have temporarily acquired a skill: [Intermediate Cryo Magic Lv.10].
You have temporarily acquired a skill: [Advance Cryo Magic Lv.3].
You have temporarily acquired a skill: [Cryomancer’s Focus Lv.8].
You have temporarily acquired a skill: [Frost Heart Lv.5].
Frost surged through my veins the moment the possession completed. A cold unlike anything I had ever known coiled around my core, sharp and intoxicating. My breath crystallized instantly, the air itself glistening with frost. For a moment, I swore I could feel her—Eirwen the Frozen Witch—looming within me, vast and overwhelming, as if the cavern bent under her will.
Is this the power of 1 percent possession? After all, it was the first time that the transferred power reached this level, so it was understandable if there were some qualitative changes.
The zombies faltered mid-charge, their worm-ridden bodies twitching as if sensing the foreign power. My vision tinted blue, the stench of decay was quickly drowned out by the sharp sting of frozen air.
“Ice blooms in silence…” I muttered unconsciously, words slipping out as if whispered into my ear by Eirwen herself. My hand rose, and mana gathered into a torrent far beyond my normal capacity.
The temperature plummeted instantly. Frost spread across the stone floor like branching veins, and the underground streams froze with a sound like breaking glass.
“{Frozen Domain}!”
A brilliant blue light erupted from me, and in an instant, the cavern was consumed by killing frost. Phantom blizzards howled through the air, sweeping across the horde. The horde of zombies let out shrill, guttural cries as the cold engulfed them. Their skin blackened and cracked, worms shriveling mid-thrash before being flash-frozen in place. The ground itself glittered with ice, a frozen wasteland stretching a hundred meters in every direction—save for the space around my comrades that I intentionally avoided.
You have hunted [Worm-Infected Zombie Lv.64].
You have gained 1,240 EXP.
You have leveled up.
You have hunted [Worm-Infected Zombie Lv.62].
You have gained 1,220 EXP.
You have hunted [Worm-Infected Zombie Lv.63].
You have gained 1,230 EXP.
You have hunted [Worm-Infected Zombie Lv.65].
You have gained 1,250 EXP.
You have leveled up.
…
The cavern that moments ago had been filled with horrifying abominations was now silent, only frozen statues standing where they had once advanced. Worms that had tried to scatter were locked mid-slither, encased in crystal-clear ice like grotesque ornaments.
I gasped, my chest heaving as the sheer torrent of mana left me trembling. I could feel that every nerve was on fire with cold. Even at 1 percent, her power was overwhelming, far beyond anything I had ever felt. With haste, I severed the possession before it consumed me further.
The possession has ended.
Your power has returned to normal.
Mana Manipulation has leveled up.
You have acquired a skill: [Basic Cryo Magic Lv.1].
Your Mind has increased by 1.
Your Magic Power has increased by 3.
You have used up 166 Plausibility for the possession.
The power of ice vanished from me in an instant, leaving behind only emptiness, as though it had never existed at all. Though the possession had lasted mere moments, I had at least gained Basic Cryo Magic. Still, the price I paid for less than a minute of that overwhelming strength was far too steep.