Building An Empire Starting From The Labor Camp In Exile-Chapter 45: Undead werewolves

They slept for some hours, and Atrox traded watch with another person before getting some rest himself. Once he had slept for a few hours, they set out again. This time, however, they didn’t walk in the dark for long before coming across some structures—broken buildings scattered about, forming a village that had its own sun.

"A sun. That’s actually a sun," Atrox muttered, looking up at the red orb in the sky. It hung above the village, shrouded by layers of clouds. The sun was as red as blood, simultaneously immense and small, so unlike their own sun that it more closely resembled an eye.

Atrox’s voice came from the front, reaching all their ears with ease. "We are in a place with minimal dangers, but this is based on the assumption of the last time we were here. The actual ruin lies at the end of the village—a palace that we couldn’t open before.

"We will continue as before. We, the Captains, will eliminate all dangers, but any that slip past us will be handled by your team leaders. Even during combat, if it seems you might get hurt, do not under any circumstances leave your group."

"Oh, and the sun—or moon—has no effect."

Atrox wasn’t so sure about the last part. It seemed as if the sun was watching them as they walked through the village. He studied the broken buildings and wished he was walking with Kren, eager to hear his theories about this strange place.

As they ventured deeper into the village, Atrox began to wonder what had happened here. It seemed as if a fire-breathing monster had been unleashed upon it. Broken and blackened stones littered the ground, with ashes scattered everywhere and floating in the air.

The red sun, emitting no heat, caused the dust to appear like droplets of blood. The feeling that the sun was watching him intensified with every step, and the persistent cold only made it worse as goosebumps prickled his skin.

Almost instinctively, Atrox glanced downward. Something deep within warned him not to look up at the bloody sun. Just then, a howl pierced the air, reverberating with malice and hatred. It sounded distant, yet it made them flinch and stiffen.

"A...wolf?" Atrox thought.

The surrounding darkness seemed to stir and flicker, as if something was darting through it.

Arvas’s voice sounded from the front, calm yet commanding. "That is likely a Moonborn—a werewolf. We encountered them during the last operation, but they kept their distance due to the large force we had. This time, they may come closer. As usual, stay in one place and leave the battle to us."

As if summoned by his words, another howl rang out—closer and filled with hunger. Atrox’s breath quickened, his eyes narrowing as every hair on his body stood on end. "The werewolves are closer than we think!"

Despite the Captains’ assurances, Atrox’s hand moved instinctively to his sword, fingers curling around the hilt. Emily stood tense beside him, her pensive gaze scanning the surroundings. When the next howl came, it was so close that the workers jumped in fright.

Atrox’s heart pounded in his chest. ’Why am I so afraid? I should be calm! It feels like my heart will leap out of my chest!’

Emily turned toward him, her voice low. "Be careful. These aren’t living werewolves. They’re undead, but they still possess the powers of their kind. Luckily, they’re runts of a pack."

’They? Just how many of them are there?’ Atrox thought. ’So the previous operation didn’t actually clear all the monsters. Some are still alive—and clearly kicking’

The darkness surged, and something shot out of it like an arrow. It was a towering creature, ten feet tall, with a barrel-like chest and a hunched body. Its ragged fur was matted with filth, and its stomach was riddled with gaping wounds. Its fangs gleamed with a dark liquid, and its claws gouged the ground as it hurled itself straight at Atrox.

Atrox froze, a single thought flashing through his mind. ’Why me?’

Emily spun, her sword trailing a red-gold powder that clung to the creature’s fur like mud. The werewolf didn’t even try to fight her; its glowing red eyes were fixed solely on Atrox. Those eyes—just like the sun above. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The red-gold powder curled around the monster’s limbs, growing exponentially heavier until it slammed into the ground with a thunderous crash. Yet the creature stood there, strangely content. It let out a short howl—more a bark—devoid of hatred.

A chill ran down Atrox’s spine as he met the monster’s gaze. Or rather, as the monster’s eyes fixed on his chest. Something stirred the air behind it, sweeping the ground—a tail, wagging.

Almost immediately, everyone around Atrox stepped back. Tiber and Slya gave him odd looks but didn’t move away entirely, though it was clear they would rather not be near him.

Taiwo’s sword glowed with a blue-white light as she stepped forward. "Do you know this monster?"

Atrox chose not to answer. First, he had no idea what to say. Second, he was struggling not to manifest his mark Order, which itched to reveal itself, making his skin ripped, he gritted his teeth and resisted.

Maybe....no, he’s sure the sun had something to do with it.

’No. Why is the monster with the same eyes as the sun looking at me like it want to be a pet? Why can’t things ever be simple? Why did it target me instead of attacking? I’d rather it fight me than stare at me like this!’

Everyone kept looking at him as if they expected something to happen but nothing happened except that the monster kept looking at him.

Atrox finally opened his mouth to speak, desperate to break the awkward silence. But he didn’t get the chance because Kren and Arvas approached. The man with the glasses clapped his hands, a dark glint lighting his eyes. For a moment, to Atrox, it felt as if another source of danger had just appeared.