It felt as if all the blood had been drained from his body; Young Man no longer had a shred of strength left. He collapsed to the ground, his eyes staring blankly at the blazing sun in the sky. His body suddenly felt so cold, as if he couldn’t feel even a trace of the sun’s warmth. He lay motionless. What should he do? He had painstakingly learned a few moves, finally achieved some victories, and yet, in such an unguarded moment, he was shattered to pieces by a despicable fellow he hadn’t even seen face to face. Was his ability and strength really so fragile? Young Man felt as if his very life was gradually withering away. If he wanted to find a few more suitable specimens like this, who knew how much money and effort it would take?

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Young Man sprang up from the ground. Like a fly drawn to rotting meat, he darted nimbly toward the nearby pit. Wasn’t this a ready-made test subject? Although those Raymond Knight said this guy seemed to be a thief, a thief who could make all the Raymond Knight chase after him probably wasn’t a pushover, right? At this thought, Young Man was instantly reinvigorated. Ignoring his own serious injuries, he immediately grabbed a branch nearby and began frantically digging.

Perhaps the Knight had been too lazy, or perhaps he was simply filled with boundless enthusiasm. In just the time it took to smoke a pipe, the dirt and grass hastily covering the body were cleared away by Young Man. The corpse lying on its back in the pit looked so peaceful. The once fair face had turned a peculiar golden yellow, and even the dirt scattered across it couldn’t conceal this strange color.

Chapter Three: Escape

A shudder ran through him. Young Man’s face was now filled with an incredulous frenzy and delight, and he almost wanted to rush over and kiss the corpse. My God, what an excellent body this was! At this moment, Young Man felt a surge of gratitude toward those Raymond Knight. If they hadn’t happened to hunt this man down here, wouldn’t this superb corpse have rotted away or fallen into someone else’s hands for nothing?

Circling the pit a few times, Young Man carefully examined every part of the corpse. The long legs were a bit thin, but even through the trousers, Young Man could see that the thighs, though slender, were full of elasticity—clearly a pair of legs built for running. The narrow waist compactly connected the upper and lower body. The hands, already starting to yellow, looked very nimble—probably a necessary trait for a professional thief. Young Man didn’t like thieves, but he knew that on this continent, being a thief required more than just strong escape and stealing skills. Powerful martial arts were the only way to survive. Anyone could face pursuit and assassination, especially outstanding thieves. In such situations, martial prowess was the only thing one could truly rely on.

This guy’s wrists were even and strong, his fingers supple and delicate, the fingertips smooth, and the base of the thumb was covered in thick calluses—clearly the hands of a skilled swordsman. Yes, just as those Raymond Knight said, this guy must have died from the poison of the sago palm. It was said that those poisoned by sago palm turned yellow and carried the poison throughout their bodies. The poison was deadly upon contact with blood—even those with the robust constitutions of orc warriors or barbarian fighters couldn’t withstand it. In that case, if he could train this man into his own undead warrior, wouldn’t his power be greatly increased? That would be hundreds of times better than losing those other specimens! Thinking of the future, Young Man couldn’t help but laugh out loud, even pulling at his own wounds so that blood began to trickle from the corner of his mouth again.

He took out a pair of slightly yellowed thin silk gloves from his chest and carefully put them on. Bending down, Young Man meticulously checked the corpse’s bones, joints, and flexibility. It was indeed an outstanding body, worthy of the praise from the usually haughty Raymond Knight. Especially the muscles and smooth tendons bulging on the thighs and calves proved that this man had worked hard on his running and jumping abilities in life. Other than causing instant death, the sago palm poison hadn’t damaged any of his other abilities. If he could refine him into a tempered golden corpse, it would add considerable strength to his side. In the future, even if he encountered magical beasts or ghostly creatures, his chances of escape would be much higher.

Since he was a thief, could there be something desirable on him? After checking the whole body, Young Man took a couple of breaths and suddenly thought of this question, his heart pounding. The Raymond Knight had gone so far as to use sago palm arrows to kill this man—could it be that he had stolen some holy relic or treasure from the Church of Light? But although he had been hiding underground at the time, thanks to his special ground-listening technique, he had overheard most of the conversation between the Raymond Knight and the so-called Guardian. It seemed they hadn’t mentioned this man’s identity or deeds, nor did they seem interested in searching his body. So why would the Raymond Knight, who were rarely seen, mobilize en masse to hunt down a thief like this? What was their real purpose?