Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended
CHAPTER 190: Death Among the Dead

Captain Hayes descended the spiral staircase of Crownspire Tower, his polished sabatons clicking against the marble steps. His jaw was tight, his patience thinner than a razor’s edge.

He had scoured the entire third floor for Princess Lumielle, yet she was nowhere to be found. Her servants had absolutely no idea where she might have gone, and Lyndoria had also gone out to run an errand.

As he stepped onto the first floor, his frustration only deepened at the sight of Stynx leaning casually against a wall, arms crossed over his chest. His half-lidded eyes gleamed with amusement, as if he had been waiting for this very moment.

“Ah, Captain,” he drawled, tilting his head. “Judging by that scowl, I take it your search was fruitless?”

Hayes exhaled sharply through his nose. “What do you want, Stynx?”

“Me? Nothing at all,” the boy said, pushing off the wall with an infuriatingly slow grace. “I’m merely passing the time, watching our valiant captain fumble about the tower like a lost hound.” He smirked. “Tell me, is it standard protocol for the princess’s protector to not know where she is?”

Hayes folded his arms, unimpressed. “Forgive me if I don’t take criticism from someone whose idea of existence is lurking in the shadows and hoping no one notices. But isn’t that a bit counterproductive?”

Stynx raised an eyebrow quizzically.

“Instead of skulking in the shadows like a pest, shouldn’t you be kissing up the aristocrats and currying favor? That is, if you think it’s even remotely possible for you to lay claim to the throne.”

“Harsh words,” Stynx mused, placing a hand over his chest theatrically. “But I suppose I should expect a certain level of defensiveness when failure is involved.”

“Failure?” Hayes scoffed. “At least I’m doing my job instead of loitering around.” He narrowed his eyes. “Or are you just here for the spectacle? I imagine it’s quite amusing watching others actually take responsibility while you contribute nothing.”

Stynx chuckled, unfazed. “You wound me, Captain. But tell me—if you don’t know where she is, then perhaps the real question is… who’s the one not doing their job?”

Hayes clenched his jaw. He would have liked nothing more than to wipe that smug expression off the bastard’s face, but getting into a scuffle with the king’s illegitimate son in the middle of Crownspire Tower wasn’t exactly on his to-do list.

Instead, he sighed in annoyance and stepped past the sly fiend. “I don’t have time for this.”

“Clearly,” Stynx said, watching him go. “You’ve already wasted enough of it looking in the wrong place.”

Hayes stopped briefly, considering a retort, but thought better of it. He had more important things to do than trade barbs with a man who had nothing better to do than stir trouble.

As he disappeared through the corridor, Stynx leaned back against the wall once more, tapping his fingers idly against his arm. Lumielle… just what exactly are you up to?

***

SLASHH!

With a swift upward arc of his blade, a bandit collapsed in two halves. Leopold’s full plate armor gleamed, each metallic clang of his movements ringing out like a battle cry.

Twisting his claymore, the former commander caught the sunlight on its polished steel, blinding a lunging bandit. In the next instant, his blade surged forward, severing the man’s head from his body in one fell swoop.

“What do we have here?” one of the bandits mused as he gripped the side of the wagon and hoisted himself up. With a grin, he pushed aside the canvas and eagerly poked his head inside to inspect the cargo within.

“Guhah—”

His greedy gaze barely had a moment to register the contents before a sword drove through his back, silencing both him and his curiosity forever.

His eyes flickered down to the steel protruding from his chest before rolling back lifelessly. Without an ounce of mercy or hesitation, Blazin yanked the corpse from the wagon and let it crumple to the ground. Then with a glance inside, he ensured everything was still in order.

“It won’t be much longer,” he whispered, his gaze fixed on the crystalline capsules that held the remains of his late lord, his wife, and their child.

“DIE!” the bandit leader charged at Leopold with a two-bladed battle axe. But the moment the hulk hoisted the weapon overhead—

TISSS~

He froze, his breath hitching as his gaze dropped to his torso, disbelief and horror twisting his features. Leopold followed the man’s stare, his own eyes widening in shock as a gaping hole burned through his chest, his flesh and bone disintegrating like melting plastic.

Through the gruesome cavity, Leopold caught sight of a monstrous fiend lurking in the distance.

SKREEYAAK!

Its ear-splitting screech sent the remaining bandits into a desperate frenzy, their instincts screaming at them to flee. But the arachnid had no intention of letting even a single morsel slip away.

The beast barreled forward, looming over the fleeing bandits, its armored legs clicking against the ground like an executioner’s drum. Its body was encased in a jagged, crab-like shell, a deep obsidian hue streaked with crimson lines that pulsed like molten veins. Bladed limbs lashed out, severing limbs with horrifying precision. Screams filled the air as the fleeing bandits fell one by one, their bodies writhing in agony before being ensnared in silken cocoons, doomed to a fate worse than death.

As soon as all the scurrying prey were secured, the spider’s many eyes gleamed with anticipation as they fixated on the wagon. Wasting no time, it launched a strand of sticky silk from its spigots that latched onto the vehicle. With drool seeping from its maw, the creature began to reel it in, eager for the feast that awaited within.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Leopold growled.

At the thought of the creature’s unsavory intentions, the man became livid—rage churned within him like pressurized steam. Fearlessly, he lunged, his claymore gleaming in the sunlight. But the fiend met his strike with an armored leg, the clash ringing like metal on stone.

“Kugh!” Leopold grunted, the force of the impact reverberating through his arms. It’s so hard, he thought grimly, his frown deepening.

Blazin followed up, launching skyward before bringing his sword down in a deadly arc. The beast reared back, spewing a jet of sizzling acid toward the nuisance. Just as it was about to consume him, golden chains wrapped around the man’s arm, yanking him clear of danger while propelling the caster into the air.

With all his might, Daisuke drove his broadsword down on the creature’s skull—only for the blade to shatter like glass. A cold wave of dread washed over him as that harsh realization hit. He could almost vividly hear Wallet-chan’s agonized gasp as a weight embossed with the characters “–580 Gold” fell on her head.

You’ve got to be shittin’ me! Daisuke snapped.

[Steel Broadsword]

[Rank: Normal

Type: Sword

Melee Attack Power: 228~255 | Durability: 0/89 | Attack Speed: +0%

A well-crafted longsword forged from tempered steel. Though simple in design, its balanced weight and sharp edge make it a reliable weapon for any warrior.

Conditions of Use: Lvl 45+ | Strength 112+ | Stamina 95+]

Does this stupidass spider know how expensive it was to lease this lousyass sword from the guild?! Dammit! The Attack Power is stronger than both my daggers combined, but I should’ve known better than to get a factory-based weapon without any option effects.

“Kid, I don’t know who you are,” Blazin began, his voice tense as Daisuke landed beside him. “But you saved my hide back there. For that, you have my gratitude.”

Daisuke didn’t acknowledge the thanks right away. “I think the spider’s being attracted by the bodies inside the wagon,” he said coolly.

Surprised, Leopold glanced away from the looming threat and looked at the stranger with suspicion. How could this kid possibly know what’s inside the wagon?

Daisuke’s eyes narrowed as the fiend severed its tether to the wagon, its grotesque form beginning to advance toward the nuisances standing between it and a nutritious meal. “Somehow, the bodies are releasing large amounts of mana,” he observed, his tone low and focused.

Blazin also glanced away from the approaching threat, his expression troubled. “Commander… maybe while the bodies were stored inside the mausoleum, they were somehow absorbing the mana released by the obelisk in the chamber.”

Which is strange, Daisuke thought with a frown. The mana circulatory system should cease functioning when the heart stops beating, much like blood flow. So, how exactly is mana being stored inside a corpse?

Before either one of them could come up with a plausible explanation, the spider let out another vile shriek, as if in a dark promise. In the same instant, it slashed at the side of the silken sack beneath its abdomen with its hind leg. Dozens of small eggs tumbled from the opening, each one glowing with a menacing reddish hue—like deadly bombs ready to detonate at any moment.

“…I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Blazin muttered under his breath.