Yvonne leaned in closer to Rudolph, curiously peering at the crystal in the pocket watch. The image inside constantly shifted—sometimes it offered a high-altitude view of the forest, while at other times, it looked down from the treetops. But most importantly, it provided a clear view of the battlefield not far away.
The Level 2 werewolf was gravely injured and on the verge of death. The Level 1 werewolves were relentlessly attacking it. Since the knight had failed to behead the Level 2 werewolf, it was only a matter of time before it recovered, so the Level 1 werewolves were striking with all their might. One by one, they were being torn apart by the stronger werewolf.
During the battle, the knight’s three children had attempted to avenge their father, but since the Guardian Chain had drained their strength along with the cavalry’s, they were too weak to even break through the surrounding wolf thralls. The weakened cavalry could no longer put up a fight—one after another, they fell. Had the knight still been alive, he could have used the Guardian Chain to redistribute power among his troops. In battle, it was common practice to channel power into the senior knight when a breakthrough was needed and to spread it back to the cavalry when a brawl ensued. But now, Sir Jacques was dead, taking all their strength with him.
One after another, Jennifer’s two younger brothers were bitten to death by the werewolves. It all happened quickly—until Cooper arrived.
With a mere gesture, the corpses of the fallen Level 1 werewolves and Jennifer’s two brothers rose from the ground. Along with the three Level 1 werewolves Cooper had brought with him, he became the decisive force on the battlefield. As long as there were enough corpses, a necromancer’s power was terrifying.
Rudolph grew anxious. “Go now, Yvonne! If you wait any longer, you won’t even get a taste of the spoils!”
Through his spirit crystal’s vision, Rudolph could see the Level 2 werewolf was about to perish, especially under Cooper’s relentless assault.
Instead of abandoning Rudolph, Yvonne carried him to the edge of the battlefield.
“Yvonne, shift into your werewolf form right away! Don’t let them see who you really are. Hurry! The Level 2 werewolf is dying!”
Yvonne also saw the dying werewolf, but she still took the time to remove her coat, pants, and shoes before shifting.
Rudolph was exasperated—women were such a hassle.
Once undressed, Yvonne transformed. A white wolf darted out of the forest, racing toward the heart of the battle.
The Level 2 werewolf had already lost its ears, which had been bitten off by Cooper’s undead werewolves. Its shoulders and limbs were covered in wounds. But just as the white wolf lunged, it seized the werewolf’s throat before Cooper’s minions could get there.
Strangely, Cooper made no move against the white wolf.
A barn owl perched on the undead beast tamer’s shoulder—Cooper recognized this owl. It had guided him here, helping him scavenge many fresh corpses. Though he didn’t recognize the white wolf, the owl’s presence told him that the meddlesome policeman was once again involved.
Cooper might have called Rudolph annoying, but he knew the man had never harbored ill intentions toward them. In fact, Cooper owed his life to him.
Blood gushed from the fatal wound, and the white wolf completely drained the Level 2 werewolf of its life.
In that moment, the white wolf ascended to a Level 2 werewolf.
Its form grew more imposing—broader shoulders, thicker forelimbs, and short, powerful claw blades. Fortunately, Yvonne still returned to her normal, sixteen-year-old self after transforming back; Rudolph had no desire for her to become some kind of muscular werewolf girl.
Scattered across the battlefield, a few lucky survivors—whether werewolves or knights—lay groaning in pain. For the werewolves, Cooper simply ordered his undead werewolves to finish them off, adding them to his collection.
Jennifer lifted her head with difficulty, staring at the scene before her—a hellish nightmare of cold brutality.
Her father was dead.
Her brothers were dead.
The knights—every last one of them—were dead.
Even her brothers, now lifeless knights-in-training, staggered to their feet under Cooper’s control, joining his collection of undead minions.
After Cooper finished clearing the battlefield, he and the white wolf disappeared into the forest, vanishing from Jennifer’s sight.
The chilling wind carried the stench of blood—her father’s blood, her family’s blood, the blood of Castle Jacques.
Jennifer wanted to cry, but no tears would come.
She was going to die—slowly, from blood loss.
—
Deep within the forest, a division of spoils was underway.
Rudolph sat at the base of a tree, unable to move due to his broken leg.
The white wolf wanted to retrieve her clothes, but Rudolph was too fascinated, running his fingers through her fur and showering her with compliments.
“Yvonne, you’re the chosen wolf-girl! In such a short time, you’ve already become a Level 2 werewolf!”
Yvonne’s eyes held a lingering sadness. Unconsciously, she leaned closer to Rudolph.
Realizing he had touched on a painful subject, Rudolph felt a bit guilty. She needed time to heal, to forget the pain. Gently, he patted her head. “Go change your clothes.”
The white wolf stood up, grabbed her garments, and went behind a tree to shift back and dress.
Meanwhile, Rudolph turned to Cooper. Two wolf thralls were carrying the corpse of the Level 2 werewolf—the claw blades were particularly striking.
Rudolph asked, puzzled, “Why aren’t you using the Level 2 werewolf?”
Cooper, his face still painted with glowing clown makeup, replied flatly, “I can’t. I’m only a Level 1 necromancer.”
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Rudolph pointed to his broken leg. “I saw you collecting werewolf saliva earlier. Given our relationship, don’t you think you could spare me some? Broken legs hurt, you know.”
One of the werewolves handed him a vial of werewolf saliva. Without hesitation, Rudolph began crafting a werewolf toxin potion right in front of Cooper.
He had long been keeping aconite in his collection. Crushing the plant, he mixed it with the werewolf saliva before refining it with his stellar energy.
Cooper asked, “Are you a druid?”
“No.”
“Then how can you control an owl and make werewolf toxin potions?”
“Secret.”
Cooper didn’t press further. Instead, after a moment of thought, he said, “Let’s make a deal.”
Intrigued, Rudolph looked up. “What kind of deal?”
“You be my middleman. You sell the spoils I gather in the wild once we reach the city.”
Rudolph looked at him, incredulous. “Are you high on that glowing paint of yours? Do you realize what you’re asking? I’m a police officer! A fully authorized patrolman of Lyman Town! How could I possibly act as a fence for a necromancer?”
“Seventy-thirty split.”
Rudolph paused for a moment, then smirked. “That’s not fair to you. How about sixty-forty? You take forty.”
Cooper stared at him in shock, unable to believe what he had just heard.
Yvonne finished dressing and emerged from behind the tree trunk. She had overheard Rudolf and Cooper’s conversation but didn’t care about such matters. Squatting down, she watched as the color of the wolf toxin potion gradually changed. Once it completely transitioned from the yellow of the wolf saliva to a light green, it would be ready for consumption.
“Hateful patrolman, there’s no way I’m giving you 40%,” Cooper grumbled.
“Clown Cooper, you’re a living corpse. You can’t even enter the city. What do you need money for?” Rudolf asked.
“I need to buy corpse preservation potions. Those are expensive,” Cooper said, pointing at the corpse of the second-tier werewolf. The body was riddled with wounds, but he seemed helpless about it. He was merely a first-tier living corpse—acquiring a second-tier Apostle’s body had been pure luck and courage, but the awkward truth was that he couldn’t use it.
“Corpse preservation potions? You mean preservatives? You can’t even buy them yourself; you need me to do it for you. Buying potions for a living corpse in the city is dangerous business.”
Cooper couldn’t always control so many Apostle corpses—it would drain his power as a living corpse. Inevitably, some bodies would be left idle, rotting like ordinary corpses. Rudolf glanced at Cooper’s growing collection—many of them were already showing signs of decay. He instantly understood Cooper’s dilemma.
“Buying you contraband is indeed risky. How about this? I’ll take a step back. I won’t take 70%, I won’t even take 60%—I’ll settle for 50%. We split it evenly! That’s fair, right?”
After a moment of thought, Cooper nodded in agreement. “Fine. Even split.”
A wolf thrall’s corpse stepped forward, presenting Cooper’s collection to Rudolf—a large jar of wolf saliva, with over thirty portions inside, a testament to Cooper’s recent hunts. Rudolf happily accepted the jar. He then pointed at the second-tier werewolf’s body.
“What about its relic? That could fetch a great price.”
Cooper shook his head. “A relic is the essence of an Apostle’s corpse. Without it, I can’t use the corpse’s former abilities. I can’t give you the second-tier werewolf’s relic.”
Rudolf could only drool over it, but he had no intention of robbing Cooper—one must have integrity. Besides, as a first-tier sorcerer, he couldn’t yet handle a second-tier relic.
His gaze then fell upon the dead knight. Though the knight was lifeless, his expression remained as arrogant as ever.
“A bit of advice for you,” Rudolf said. “Carrying werewolf corpses around isn’t a huge issue, but be careful—don’t let anyone see you using the knight’s body. Fabro City belongs to the nobility and alchemists. You don’t want to offend either of them directly.”
Cooper considered Rudolf’s words and agreed. He hesitated for a moment before ultimately releasing his control over the knight’s two sons—both knight squires. Their bodies collapsed, devoid of any remaining usefulness. Unfortunately, knight squires didn’t generate relics; they weren’t true Apostles.
After much internal struggle, Cooper decided to abandon the knight’s body as well. Just as Rudolf had said, walking around with werewolf corpses would only provoke the werewolves. But if he controlled Jacques the Knight’s corpse, the knight’s lord—be it a baron or even a viscount—would soon take notice.
With that, Jacques the Knight’s corpse also fell, no longer under Cooper’s control.
Cooper picked up the knight’s broad sword, the knight’s relic, and handed it to Rudolf.
However, Rudolf hesitated. “I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to sell this… If the nobles discover a knight’s relic in the black market, they’ll go to great lengths to investigate. It’s an insult to noble honor.”
Selling wolf saliva was one thing—no one cared how much he sold. But selling a knight’s relic? That was practically asking for death.
“You don’t know how to handle this relic, do you? Let me help you,” Rudolf said.
He took the knight’s broad sword.
At that moment, Cooper had a creeping suspicion that he’d been tricked. The annoying patrolman had framed everything as if it was for his own good, yet somehow, he was the one losing out.
Cooper didn’t even see how Rudolf did it, but in an instant, the knight’s broad sword vanished from his hands.
In Rudolf’s mind, a meteor streaked across the sky, crashing into the Scorpio constellation. Among the constellation’s bright stars, the fourth one from the tail—Theta Scorpii—was struck and reignited, becoming a shining star once more.
Scorpio 4/14 achieved.
From the impact, three floating stars descended. Rudolf examined his rewards:
- The blueprint for crafting a first-tier knight’s sword.
- The blueprint for crafting first-tier knight’s armor.
- A first-tier stamina-sharing contract.
The knight’s sword was of little use—Rudolf had plenty of offensive methods, and using a knight’s sword as a sorcerer was a quick way to die. The knight’s armor was somewhat useful, but its protection was mediocre—it wouldn’t save him against a second-tier Apostle.
However, the stamina-sharing contract caught his attention. His physical constitution was currently his greatest weakness.
Without hesitation, Rudolf chose the first-tier stamina-sharing contract.
Now, who should he share stamina with?
At that moment, the wolf toxin potion was finally ready. Yvonne brought it to Rudolf’s lips.
After drinking it, a tingling sensation spread through his broken leg—his fractured bones were mending. The bite wounds on his arms also healed at a visible rate.
After resting briefly, Rudolf wobbled to his feet. His long-term injury had left him weak.
He turned toward the second-tier werewolf’s body.
Cooper stepped in front of him. “I’m still just a first-tier living corpse. When I become a second-tier living corpse, this second-tier werewolf will be very useful to me. I won’t give it to you.”
“Come on, do I look like the kind of guy who’d covet your second-tier werewolf?” Rudolf wiped the corner of his mouth awkwardly. “Since I’m your white glove, that makes you my black glove. We’re steadfast allies now. I’ve decided to give you a little gift.”
He raised a hand, and the second-tier werewolf, previously being carried by two wolf thralls, suddenly twisted its waist, shook off its carriers, and landed on the ground.
Such agility! Rudolf couldn’t help but be even more envious.
The second-tier werewolf’s corpse came back to life!
For the first time, the stiff smile on Cooper’s face faltered, replaced by startled panic. It was clear now—Rudolf was the one in control.
Cooper stared at him in shock. “What are you? A druid or a living corpse?”
If he wasn’t a druid, how could he control an owl? If he wasn’t a living corpse, how could he control a second-tier werewolf’s body?
“Don’t sweat the details. Who I am isn’t important. Want me to heal your second-tier werewolf’s injuries? If you don’t, those wounds will start rotting in a few days, and you won’t find a preservation potion anytime soon.”
Rudolf channeled his star power, and the second-tier werewolf’s wounds rapidly healed.
Cooper continued to puzzle over it, believing he was getting closer to the truth. “Are you a druid with a living corpse sorcerer’s artifact? Or a living corpse with a druid’s artifact?”
“You’re thinking too small… And why do your guesses keep getting more sinister? I am who I am—the embodiment of justice, the messenger of light, the guardian of Leman Town… Patrolman Rudolf.”
Cooper watched as the second-tier werewolf knelt before Rudolf, utterly unable to associate this scene with “justice” or “light.”
Rudolf placed a hand on the werewolf’s forehead, forging a stamina-sharing contract.
Though he could only share one-quarter of the werewolf’s stamina, it still doubled his strength. His muscles tightened, his speed increased—but wasting three-quarters of its power pained him greatly.
Still, to his surprise, the contract seemed to alleviate the stiffness caused by using the Tooth of the Living Corpse.
The second-tier werewolf returned to Cooper’s side and became a corpse once more.
“See? I never intended to take it from you. I even fixed it for you. Time for us to go, Cooper. Good luck surviving the wilderness.”
As Rudolf and Yvonne departed, Cooper stood frozen, staring at his second-tier werewolf.
His white glove… seemed stronger than him.