Chapter 83: Gathering Information
"For a mere goblin, you're thinking far ahead," Selene said as the arrow almost reached her forehead.
But instead of fear, a smirk appeared on her lips.
She instantly cast [Wrath Form]. Her body shimmered and turned translucent.
The aura-coated arrow passed right through her, vanishing into a bush behind.
Before the goblin could process what had happened, Selene raised her hand calmly.
"Shadow Bind."
The creature's shadow twisted like a serpent, coiling around its legs and torso until it could no longer move.
"What a strange, intelligent guy… Are you all right, My Lord?" she asked as she stepped closer and thrust her dagger into its chest.
A gush of bluish blood sprayed out, and the goblin struggled fiercely.
"This seems like a real body." Nodding, Selene twisted her wrist and slit its throat in one clean motion.
Raven stood silently behind her. He plucked out the arrows embedded in his shoulder, thigh, and arm one by one. Within moments, his wounds began to close on their own—skin knitting, blood vanishing, leaving not a scar behind.
Selene froze. "W-What? Did you drink some healing potion?"
Her eyes widened as she realized the boy before her wasn't anywhere close to being in danger.
'He hasn't even used a spell yet,' she thought, uneasy. Then she dismissed [Wrath Form] and turned toward the corpse.
"This goblin is far more intelligent than a normal one, My Lord. Will there be more strange creatures in the outskirts?" she asked.
Raven's gaze didn't waver. "Can you store the goblin's body in your Dream Harvest spell?"
Although puzzled, Selene didn't argue. She quietly stored the corpse, along with its silver bow and arrows.
"Wait here. I'll retrieve my spear."
Raven disappeared into the forest, and within minutes, he returned with the weapon in hand.
"Let's choose a different direction," he said.
The woodland path they'd followed earlier led toward the nearby town—once a safe route thanks to the railway. Now the tracks were silent, rusting, overrun by weeds.
'No trains. No explorers. No Walkers. Only danger,' Raven thought.
Selene nodded, and the two circled the city to find a safer route.
They walked for nearly half an hour across farmlands and deserted homesteads. The fields were empty, the air stale with neglect.
Finally, a small villa appeared ahead, surrounded by tall wooden fences.
"This is the first village we've found… any survivors?" Raven murmured.
As they approached the entrance, they saw the gate ajar. The place was silent—eerily so.
They entered cautiously, weapons in hand.
But every house was empty. The doors hung open, laundry fluttered in the wind, windows unlatched.
'They left in a hurry… no food, no money, not even locked chests,' Raven noted, scanning the interiors.
"Search the left side. Gather anything useful. I'll take the right," he ordered.
"Yes, My Lord." Selene moved quickly.
For the next few hours, the two combed through the entire village. By dusk, Raven had a pile of old papers and books before him.
"Newspapers dated from August 4th, 1452, to January 11th, 1454. Most from the first weeks of January… So the infection spread around that time." He arranged them chronologically and handed a bundle to Selene.
Then, something caught his eye—a diary among a stack of ledgers.
"An apprentice wizard's travel diary," he said. "Can you store them all?"
"I can only take a few more kilograms, My Lord. The goblin already fills most of the space," Selene replied.
Raven nodded and picked a handful of the most promising diaries. He tied them together with a rope and slung it over his shoulder.
"Why the rope?" Selene asked.
"Unlike you, I can't teleport. I'll need this to climb back." He glanced at the darkening sky. "Let's head back. I don't want to find out what happens here after nightfall."
They returned swiftly, reaching the city's outskirts within an hour. At the wall, Selene blinked up and secured the rope. Raven climbed after her.
But as soon as they looked down—both froze.
Below the wall, thousands of undead crowded together, clawing at the stone and roaring up at them.
Every face was twisted, eyes locked on them.
"They can sense us," Raven said grimly. "But they're not thinking. If they were, they'd use the staircase."
"How do we reach Glory Wine Inn?" Selene asked, her voice tight. "There are thousands of them."
Raven's eyes narrowed. 'No Walkers among them… only commoners. The infection hasn't spread to higher ranks yet.'
"Follow me," he said, running along the wall's edge. "Two hundred meters ahead—Blink to that terrace."
Selene nodded and followed.
At his signal, she vanished in a shimmer and reappeared atop a nearby house. Raven leapt after her, landing beside her with a dull thud.
They jumped down and dashed through the streets. Undead howled behind them, shaking the ground. But the two were far faster—ghosts weaving through shadowed alleys.
They reached Aurora Street. The Glory Wine Inn loomed ahead. But the vibration beneath their feet grew heavier.
"They're chasing us!" Selene shouted.
"Inside!" Raven commanded.
They stormed into the inn, ran up the corridor, and reached their room at the farthest end. Inside, Raven removed his boots and passed all the gathered items to Selene.
They lay on the cold floor and closed their eyes. Their bodies slowly dissolved into mist and vanished.
Moments later, a crow flew through the broken window, landing where they had been. Its body twisted, bones reforming into a cloaked skeleton clutching a crooked staff.
"There's still a Royal Bloodline alive… I should report to Viser Shadow Corps," it rasped before transforming back into a crow and flying into the stormy sky.
Raven's eyes opened. The air around him was calm again. He breathed out slowly and glanced at Jacob, who sat on a cot, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"I don't want to visit that place again," Selene muttered as she sat up.
Even now, her voice trembled slightly. The horde of undead still haunted her thoughts.
Jacob turned his head. "You woke earlier, My Lord. Only an hour and fifteen minutes have passed."
"The Dreamworld is far more dangerous than I expected," Raven said, rising to his feet.
Selene began unpacking her Dream Harvest. One by one, she pulled out the items—spear, boots, bow, arrows, bundles of newspapers, diaries, and a thin file. Finally, she dropped the goblin's corpse to the floor.
Jacob flinched. "W-What is that? A goblin?"
Raven slipped his monocle on and examined it.
"It's a Night Goblin—a unique race." He stored the corpse inside his spatial ring, along with the rest of the items.
"I'll be in my room until morning. Do not disturb me," he said and left.
Inside his private room, he locked the door and took out the Night Goblin's body.
Zera's voice echoed faintly in his mind.
[I didn't expect you to catch it on the first try, lad.]
Raven placed his palm on the corpse's chest and whispered, "Devour."
A ripple of dark crimson energy pulsed from his hand.
[Bloodline Devouring Ability is activated.]
[Night Goblin's bloodline detected.]
[Analyzing purity… Calculating…]
[Purity: 90% — Rank-1 Night Goblin Essence found.]
[Extraction possible. Proceed? Yes/No.]
"Yes."
[Commencing devour sequence.]
[Randomizing bloodline spell.]
[Result: Night Goblin's Past Self obtained.]
[A similar skill, Past Touch, detected in host.]
[Merging possible. Proceed? Yes/No.]
"Yes."
[Merging initiated.]
A sharp pain shot through his skull as energy spiraled into his consciousness. In his mind space, glowing threads formed a crystalline model.
[1%... 20%... 53%... 89%... 100%.]
[Merging complete.]
['Past Self' successfully obtained.]
[Partial Night Goblin essence absorbed.]
[Vitality +0.7 | Strength +0.5 | Agility +0.8]
[Body mutation in progress: Estimated time—10 minutes, 35 seconds.]
[Please stand by.]
Raven sat cross-legged, feeling his blood hum with foreign power.
'This spell recreates a reflection of the past—an illusion so real it can fool spiritual senses. No wonder that goblin caught me off guard.'
He dismissed the notifications and opened his status window.
[Name: Raven Sillalus Jorvot
Age: 15
Title: 66th Prince of Zenith Empire
Level: 8
Class: Acolyte Warlock (3rd Circle)
Soul Rank: Mortal
Life Pathway: Beginner Alchemist
Health: Normal
Attributes — Strength: 8.5 | Agility: 7.87 | Vitality: 8.26 | Luck: 0 | Spirit: 19.9
Bloodline Spells: Iron Resilience, Poison Touch, Fortuitous Finder, Blood Control, Face Morph, Mind Eye, Cold Breath, Past Self
Additional Skills: Instant Memorize, Basic Spearmanship
Affinities: Life – Low | Ice – Genius]
[Hmm? Didn't you have 2.5 Luck before? Why does it show zero?]
Raven smiled faintly.
[Haa, so you used Fortuitous Finder before entering the Dreamworld, huh?]
"When I entered the first time, I realized I'd die without a little luck."
He stored the goblin's remains and closed his eyes, feeling the pulse of new power beneath his skin.