Absolute Craft-Chapter 64: An Abandoned Village (4)

Chapter 64: An Abandoned Village (4)

From Blake’s perspective, this new challenge required him to show Kyria a more impressive side of himself—something beyond a simple display of katana skills. Repeating their battle from the Eternal Winter Graveyard wouldn’t do.

Sol had grown bolder in a short time. Once again, Blake felt compelled to take a significant step forward. He couldn’t rely on anyone else for guidance; he had to forge his own path. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

A fleeting idea came to him—letting Kyria support him with his class skills—but it felt arrogant, even though Kyria might learn much from aiding someone like Blake. More importantly, it reminded Blake too much of his old self.

He reconsidered from the beginning.

’Why is he even here?’ Blake wondered. ’I beat him, so maybe he believes he can learn from me—or he hopes to recruit me into his guild.’

There had to be a reason Kyria had joined this expedition. After all, the Abandoned Village wasn’t particularly remarkable—just overrun with zombies and their stronger variants. Many mini-bosses lurked in the ruined houses, and a boss mansion stood at the far end. Defeating that boss granted high-level loot and opened the exit.

Suddenly, an idea dawned on Blake.

He grinned. "I’ll hunt players in the Eternal Winter Graveyard soon."

Kyria’s eyes widened at that statement. Blake might even target Anonymous House. Kyria had no doubt this man would rampage across the graveyard, reversing his previous role and taking the best loot for himself.

Blake went on. "You were honest with Sol and me, so I’ll return the favor. But Sol has improved a lot thanks to you, so just telling you my plan isn’t enough. Let’s settle this with a competition. If you win, I’ll fight for your guild for a week—taking out whoever you choose. If I win, you’ll serve me for a week."

The proposal stirred old habits. Blake found himself defaulting to a fight—the thing he did best. He had led Cerberus Guild through sheer force, listening only to those who made him stronger.

But Blake had worked hard on those impulses and knew he had to avoid relapsing into his old ways.

"It’ll be a two-on-two," he explained. "Joel and me versus you and Wolfang. We’ll defeat and dissect zombies, and whoever collects the most parts in an hour wins."

Kyria mused, "Zombies can still move without heads or organs as long as their health stays above zero. We can dissect them to keep them from dissolving or lashing out. What about Beatrix and Sol?"

"I won’t let them participate," Blake replied.

"I don’t see how that’s cheating. They’re your familiars—part of your strength. It’d be like telling me not to use my Purple Stormweaver Class," Kyria countered.

"Do I need to explain myself?" Blake asked, though his tone sounded arrogant despite having no such intention.

Once again, he spoke differently than he wanted to.

Kyria chuckled and walked away to brief Wolfang. Meanwhile, Blake approached Joel, who lay flat on his back once more. Beatrix had shown him no mercy, pushing him to his limits with a variety of spear techniques.

As Blake and Sol neared, Beatrix saluted before sliding half-way into his shadow. Blake thanked her and handed her the small, sleeping elemental. Moving from Blake’s warmth to Beatrix’s cooler hold made Sol wriggle and whimper in his sleep, then settle.

"You two rest for now," Blake told them. Then he turned to Joel. "Drink your potions. We’re about to compete against Kyria and Wolfang."

"Are we fighting them?!" Joel asked, jolting upright.

Without waiting, he guzzled several potions, even mixing two elixirs and ruining their beneficial properties in his haste. He grimaced at the bitter taste as he tried to collect himself.

Eru eyed him like he was trash. Joel noticed her glare and felt tempted to remind her how she, too, had been floored by Beatrix.

Blake ignored their silent spat. "In a direct fight, they’d wipe the floor with you. We’re collecting zombie parts, not killing them outright."

Joel nodded. "So we slice off limbs and heads, keep them alive, and pile up the parts?"

Eru chimed in, "Say Superbia’s stronger than both of them, but The Chosen Clown is definitely weaker. Your team isn’t balanced. Meanwhile, those two know each other and have built up teamwork, right?"

Kyria was a guild leader, Wolfang his skilled right hand. Joel couldn’t deny their prowess—he’d seen Wolfang’s swordsmanship on social media. His stomach churned with anxiety, eroding his confidence. The usually positive Joel was nowhere in sight.

Then Blake turned to Eru. "He has me."

Joel lifted his gaze, seeing in that black armor a reliable older brother. Was Blake always this impressive? Could he become even cooler? Why couldn’t he see him this way in the real world? Why would Blake hide such a side of himself and keep his social circle so small?

Blake met his eyes. "I know what you can do. I’ll focus on that and awaken the beast inside you."

During his beta days, Blake had pushed himself and his guildmates until they abandoned him. Now, with real companions, he understood the value of mutual support. He’d never team up with Silver Dash and his friends again, even if he did learn a few lessons from them—but Joel was different.

"Beatrix might be my shadow," Blake said, "but there’s plenty of room behind me for those who stand with me."

Eru whistled. "So cool."

Joel stared in awe, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. A burst of adrenaline and excitement propelled him to his feet. "Big Bro! I’ll follow you ’til the end!"

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say not even Joel’s parents had shown him as much faith as Blake was showing now. With so much confidence placed in him, he felt like he could defeat the famous beta testers and give them a taste of their own medicine...

Whatever it all meant, Joel felt so confident that he turned into a hound, eager for the hunt.