Building An Empire Starting From The Labor Camp In Exile-Chapter 44: Bhut

Atrox’s hand finally went to the sword at his waist, and he was ready to send his essence attacks flying at any time. His body tingled with keeping it back.

"Are we in the ruin already?" Slya whispered. She moved closer to Atrox, her hands on the twin swords at her waist, her eyes scanning the shifting darkness beyond the light’s reach for anything that might jump out.

Timber grunted, eyes alert. "Yes. Don’t you feel it? It’s like we’re under some kind of territory. That’s one way to know a ruin—you’ll feel like you’re under the rule of something else."

Atrox listened to them while searching the darkness for anything that might jump out. But it was futile; the darkness couldn’t be pierced. ’How are the Captains going to lead us?’

He could barely make out their outlines in the darkness ahead. Those at the back shouted periodically to let the team leaders know they were still with them.

Suddenly, the Captains stopped walking. Arvas turned back and gestured to Emily, who nodded grimly. All the teams halted as well.

"Gather around, everyone!" Arvas shouted, moving toward the group and leaving Kren at the front. "Emily, isn’t it...?"

The woman nodded. "Yes."

Atrox watched this exchange in confusion. ’What is going on now? Are they stopping for a rest again? But that doesn’t make sense in a place where we don’t know what might come at us from the dark...’

As if the Captains knew what they were doing, they moved into their respective groups. Emily went all the way to the back, then looked at the thin Squire. Atrox saw her eyes moving in a counting manner. "Are you all right?" she asked.

The man nodded, his face drawn tight.

Emily shook her head and spoke softly. "Are you all right? I want to hear you say it. Speak."

The man stiffened even more, his face twitching. He opened his mouth, and it stretched unnaturally into a wide smile. "I am all right," he said.

Atrox shuddered, unnerved by the sinister voice that came from the man. The workers flinched, recoiling and staring at him with wide eyes.

But Emily seemed to be expecting it. Her sword flashed upward toward the man’s chest, but he floated backward to avoid it. His neck stretched out like a snake, twisting with a crunch. He spoke again, "Hehehe. Why are you here? You want to take the inheritance? Hehehe! You’ll get devoured by that dark!"

The man’s flesh shuddered and ripped. His chest cracked open, forming a wing, while his intestines spilled onto the ground. He howled and flew at Emily, his fleshy chest flapping forward.

The workers recoiled in fear, gasping. Slya trembled and pressed herself close to Atrox, who stood rooted in shock.

But Emily remained calm. She raised her sword, a thick weapon hollowed with a small, narrow hole at the tip. She brought the sword down slowly, and green powder puffed out from the tip.

The powder condensed into a small nail, blasting forward to meet the monster. It struck him solidly in the head, driving through his forehead without drawing blood.

’What was that?’ Atrox thought.

The attack didn’t stop the monster, which reached Emily with clawed hands and flapping chest-wings. Emily met it with her sword, dodging the claws and hacking at it.

Suddenly, the monster’s head exploded, liquefying into green, smoking liquid. The body hit the ground with a thud and didn’t even twitch.

’So that’s how an Alchemist fights. It didn’t even take a minute! That powder is a trap since it didn’t draw any blood. I should be wary of poison and such if I ever fight one in the future. Come to think of it, we drank a potion earlier...’ Atrox dismissed the thought. ’I’m glad I’m not their enemy’

Emily crouched down, inspecting the body with a frown. Atrox moved closer and saw the split-open chest lined with dark, rotted flesh. Suddenly, the body swelled and burst, spewing black smoke that bellowed upward.

Emily didn’t flinch, but Atrox stepped back, a blue shield shimmering into place in front of him. The smoke quickly dissipated into the air.

"Bhut," a voice said.

Atrox turned to see Arvas standing nearby, glaring down at the body. "I knew they’d come here. That’s why I kept saying they should give timely updates. You can hear the dark aura in their voice."

Atrox shifted uneasily. "Bhut? You can hear it in their voice?"

Arvas didn’t look at him but raised his voice so everyone in the group could hear. "They’re shadow monsters that possess humans. They’re very powerful and feed on their host’s strength.

"Be careful. Don’t walk close to the dark, and check the shadows of others. Those who are possessed won’t have shadows of their own."

"What about the inheritance the monster mentioned?" Atrox asked in a low voice.

Arvas’s eyes flickered toward him, but he ignored the question, returning to his place beside Kren. Emily studied the body one more time, then joined the others. Together, they continued their journey through the dark space.

Another person was possessed by a Bhut and managed to kill two workers before being taken down by a Squire from another team. Hours passed, and the workers began feeling the pangs of weariness.

The constant tension of checking the shadows all the time began to wear on then slowly, until eventually, the Captains had to call for a stop.

"We are going to stop for a while for you to rest, we won’t stay long so try to get some sleep. The potion won’t interfere with that. We’ll pass around food. Yes, you don’t need it because of the potion but you took the potions only for emergencies—it won’t affect you, so eat!"

The group quickly set up camp in the darkness, the hanging lights keeping it at bay. Watches were established, and Atrox took the first shift. The act of eating seemed to put everyone at ease.