Bound To The Dead: The Deceptive Class-E Farmer
Chapter 86: The Path That Remembers

Chapter 86: The Path That Remembers

Isaac stood at the edge of Dudael Forest. The sun was still rising behind him. In front of him, the trees swayed gently in the wind.

He had been here before. He knew what lived beyond the outer trees. But this time, he was going alone.

He wasn’t being chased. He wasn’t looking for a fight. He was chasing something else now.

He adjusted the straps on his pack. It wasn’t heavy. Just supplies, some dried meat, water, and rope. On his back was his trusted axe. At both sides, his Twin Reaper Sickles hanging at his hips.

Hopper rested quietly on his right shoulder, twitching his antennae.

The voice had grown stronger.

Not constant. Not clear. But stronger.

It whispered when his body broke, during near-death moments or when Abyssal Overdrive was active.

And when it spoke, the corruption in his veins stirred.

Why don’t you just ask who the voice is?

He had asked himself that question before.

But it never answered. Not directly.

Even now, as he stood in front of Dudael, the voice was silent.

But King Rody had trusted Dudael to hold the answers.

So here he was.

—-----

He glanced behind him last time, toward the path leading to the Bulcan Palace. Aiah would be awake soon.

He hadn’t said goodbye

Not because he didn’t want to.

But because he wasn’t sure if he would return the same.

Isaac took a deep breath.

"Let’s go," he said, mostly to himself.

Hopper chirped in reply, rubbing its body against his neck.

The forest awaited.

And Isaac stepped forward... back to where it all began.

The first core had already been cleared during the battle against Howlers. Isaac still remembered the burned trees and crushed bodies left behind. They had fought hard here.

Now, the ground was still scarred, though new moss had begun to grow over the old damage.

Isaac walked slowly.

He didn’t rush.

Even though the first layer was mostly empty now, he stayed alert. In Dudael, even silence could be a trap.

After an hour, he reached the second core.

The second core had already been fully cleared when they built their base here, together with the refugees.

But now, it wasn’t the same anymore.

He saw signs of old nests, claw marks on trees, and scattered bones. He counted three different monster types just by their tracks alone.

But none of them came close.

After resting near a fallen tree, Isaac pulled out a dried fruit and chewed slowly. He offered a small piece to Hopper. Hopper sniffed it, then ate.

"You think we’re ready for this?" Isaac asked softly.

Hopper twitched. ’The swarm is stronger. But we don’t know what’s in the third core now. It could’ve changed.’

"It probably has," Isaac said. He looked up through the branches. The sky was fading into gray. Still afternoon, but the deeper they went, the darker it got.

He stood again.

"We’ll rest properly after the next core."

By the time they reached the third core, Hopper buzzed uneasily.

"There’s something near us. Not moving. But it’s... aware," Hopper said.

Isaac didn’t respond right away. He stared at the path ahead.

They moved quietly.

The third core was where things usually became unpredictable. The monsters here were not just stronger, they were smarter.

Suddenly the system message flashed.

[Alert: Unlinked swarm presence detected. Source unknown.]

Isaac narrowed his eyes.

He didn’t summon the swarm. Whatever that was, it was hunting, not wandering.

Hopper hissed from his shoulder, wings folding tighter.

’That’s not us. It feels... corrupted.’

Isaac stopped walking. They had only been in the third core for fifteen minutes.

But now, something was coming.

Fast.

From below.

The ground cracked.

A long, thin limb broke through the dirt, wriggling like a root that had come alive. Then another. Then a third.

Isaac took one step back. His hand went to his sickles.

"Swarm authority," he whispered.

The swarm exploded from his back like a wave. Dozens, then hundreds of locusts filled the air. Hopper jumped down and scuttled ahead.

The soil split apart with a sharp pop, then a creature surged out.

Its body was long and coiled, like a giant centipede made of rough wood and hardened bone. Sharp legs scraped against the ground as it moved, each step echoing in the silence. It had no eyes, just a wide, gaping mouth lined with jagged black teeth. Where its nose should have been, there was another hole, pulsing in and out like it was breathing sound.

Isaac used his appraisal skill.

[Name: Resonant Crawler

Type: Memory-Eater | Subterranean Variant

Rank: B+

Status: Aggressive - Defensive Form

Abilities:

– Memory Siphon (AOE): Emits soundwaves that extract mental images and thoughts

– Sonic Shriek: Disorients swarm-based coordination

Weakness: Sound feedback; exposed breathing node on nasal cavity.]

Isaac’s jaw tightened.

"A memory-feeding bastard, huh..."

The Resonant Crawler shrieked.

The sound was high. Too high. The trees trembled. Isaac’s swarm twisted in the air, struggling to keep formation.

"Swarm Guard," Isaac muttered.

At his command, a dozen locusts shot forward, surrounding him in a tight circle. Their wings vibrated rapidly, blocking the frequency with their own.

’It’s working.’

Ever since the beginning, Isaac had used the swarm to attack, devour, or heal, but never like this. Never with structure. This was his first attempt at true battle formations, coordinated defense and offense.

He moved quickly.

His body bent low as he dashed forward. His sickles gleamed under the faint light. The Resonant Crawler lunged, claws slicing the air.

Isaac ducked the first strike and slid to the side.

"Swarm Bind!"

Dozens of locusts flew in from above. They landed on the creature’s side, their sharp legs digging in. Thin silk threads shot out from their bodies and wrapped around a nearby tree, trapping the creature in place.

The creature screamed again, but this time, the noise wavered.

Hopper clicked. ’The pitch is shifting. It’s adapting!’

Isaac moved in.

He spun once, his right sickle cutting across the creature’s midsection. Green fluid sprayed, sizzling where it landed. His left sickle stabbed deep into one leg, severing it clean.

The creature buckled.

Hopper dove from above, wings glowing. He struck the crawler’s flute-like nose with a spark of heat. The wood-like skin cracked.

Then the Resonant Crawler retaliated.

A wave of sound erupted from its mouth. The air hummed. Isaac’s ears rang. His swarm scattered midair.

[Swarm Link disrupted.]

[Warning: Hopper Link unstable.]

Isaac staggered. For a moment, everything blurred. He felt cold fingers scraping through his mind, pulling old memories forward.

A girl. A field. Her smile.

Then...

Gone.

He tasted warmth and sadness, then rage burned it away.His heart stung.

"I said—don’t—touch that," he growled.

THOOM!

He slammed the butt of his axe into the ground.

The broken threads of the swarm snapped back. Hopper shrieked, his body glowing faint red.

Isaac’s aura surged. The corruption in his veins pulsed once, then calmed.

"Now!"

He raised his arm.

The locusts moved as one. A perfect spiral. They swarmed the creature from all sides, latching onto every surface. Its sound collapsed into static.

Isaac dashed forward.

One sickle plunged into the creature’s throat. The other was buried into its chest. He pulled both outward, clean, deep slices.

The Resonant Crawler fell back, limbs twitching. Then still.

Silence returned.

Then he whispered, "Swarm devour."

Isaac stood still for a moment, breathing slowly.

The air felt heavier.

He checked Hopper. The little commander limped slightly but clicked in triumph. Hopper landed on his shoulder and rubbed her face against his cheek.

[Swarm Devour Effect... 100% Absorption.]

[Swarm Authority +2%]

[Swarm Authority Level: 91%]

Isaac lowered his weapons.

"It’s starting," he said softly, as he looked deeper into the forest.