Chapter 736: Guess it’s finally my turn to cash in…

Ethan, still disguised as Umbradrake, stood silently in place. He hadn’t exposed her—obviously, he had other plans.

Bloodveil, however, remained wary. “Vulturea, you’re hurt. You should rest for now. Don’t come with us on this next run.”

“Uh… no need. This is nothing for me. I’ll heal up in no time—I’m still good to fight,” Vulturea quickly replied.

As a Zombie King with skeletal mutations, her regeneration was off the charts.

Bloodveil gave a small nod. “Alright, just don’t push yourself. No need to scout ahead—just hang back and follow at your own pace.”

“Uh… then I’ll stick with Boss Umbradrake,” Vulturea suddenly added, changing her tone.

“????”

Bloodveil blinked, confused, and turned to look. Sure enough, Snout and his crew were also tagging along behind Umbradrake.

What the hell was going on with these Eastreach Zombie Kings?

Ethan, still in Umbradrake’s form, kept his expression calm. He wasn’t surprised. The Overmind Queen of the parasitic monsters had clearly picked up on Bloodveil’s suspicion. By pretending not to recognize her earlier, Ethan had made himself seem weaker—an easier target.

“Sure,” he said casually. “If you wanna stick with me, go ahead.”

“Great.” Vulturea’s eyes lit up as she walked over to his side.

Just as Ethan had predicted—Bloodveil was on high alert, and with so many Zombie Kings around her, it was better to keep his distance for now…

But before they could move further, a sudden upheaval shook the mountains. A deafening roar thundered from behind one of the peaks.

The sound cracked through the air like a lightning strike, shaking the ground and echoing through the valley.

The surrounding cliffs trembled, and a landslide broke loose—massive boulders crashing down in a thunderous cascade.

Judging by the sheer force of the roar, it had to be an SSS-class powerhouse in combat.

“That’s Ragnar!”

“Wait… did he run into the Overmind Queen of the parasitic monsters?” Bloodveil frowned, trying to piece it together.

Ragnar had rushed ahead, eager to hunt crystal cores, so he’d ended up farther from the group. It was likely he’d been ambushed.

“Move! Let’s go!” Bloodveil barked.

She was dying to know what exactly had caused that roar.

The Zombie Kings didn’t hesitate. They rallied their undead underlings and charged toward the source of the battle.

The zombie horde surged through the valley like a tidal wave, a stampede of death.

Ethan didn’t rush. He trailed behind them at a steady pace.

After all, the real prize—the “big fish”—was right beside him.

In the distance, the earth trembled, rocks tumbled, and the terrifying clash of SSS-class combat echoed louder. As they got closer, they could even hear the shrieks of monsters.

“Those are Carrion Reavers!”

The Zombie Kings froze, alarmed.

They were already starting to suspect the worst—maybe a Lord of the Carrion Reavers had launched an attack. Those things were natural enemies of zombies.

It was hard to even imagine how terrifying an SSS-class Carrion Reaver Lord would be.

Bloodveil picked up the pace. If Ragnar got taken out, this whole battle could go sideways. They might actually have to give up Razorback Ridge to the Xenobeasts.

“Faster!”

The undead surged forward, desperate to reach the battlefield.

It didn’t take long before they arrived—only to find a scene eerily similar to their last encounter with the parasitic monsters. Just as they got there, the Xenobeasts were already retreating, vanishing into the darkness beyond.

All that remained were the scars of battle—and a field littered with mangled corpses.

“They ran again?!”

“What’s with these Xenobeasts?”

“This is weird. They’re not even trying to fight us head-on.”

“Could this be… part of some bigger plan?”

“…”

The Zombies exchanged uneasy glances, all of them deeply unsettled.

Bloodveil scanned the battlefield, her eyes narrowing as she took in the carnage. Most of the corpses were Carrion Reavers—heads blown apart, bodies shattered—each one taken down with a single, brutal strike.

Not far off, Ragnar stood tall, his massive frame radiating raw aggression. His fists were clenched, muscles bulging, and his whole body seemed to pulse with barely contained rage. His eyes burned as he searched the darkness, clearly itching for more blood.

“Ragnar!” Bloodveil called out, striding toward him.

He turned, his voice rough and booming. “You’re late. I just ran into the Lord of the Carrion Reavers!”

“What?!”

The other Zombie Kings froze, stunned. So that thing really existed?

Bloodveil stepped closer, concern flickering in her eyes. “Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”

“Heh! What could possibly happen to me?” Ragnar scoffed, full of swagger. “Told you—I can handle myself. If that damn Carrion Reaver Lord hadn’t run off so fast, I’d have taken its head!”

“Seriously?” Some of the zombies looked skeptical.

Ragnar’s eyes swept the group—then landed on Umbradrake, who was just now strolling up from the rear, still wearing that same cold, detached expression.

The sight of him made Ragnar’s blood boil.

He slapped a small pouch hanging from his belt. It bulged with weight, clearly stuffed full of crystal cores.

“See this? Took me no time at all to bag these. Got a bunch of S-ranks in here too,” he said, flaunting it with a smug grin.

Ethan, still in Umbradrake’s form, glanced around casually. “Huh? Where’s your crew? Weren’t they with you earlier?”

“Uh…” Ragnar’s smirk faltered. He froze for a beat, caught off guard.

That hit a nerve.

The truth was, the Lord of the Carrion Reavers had ambushed them from the shadows. The moment it appeared, it wiped out Ragnar’s entire squad in a blink.

That’s what had him so pissed off.

And to make it worse, the damn thing didn’t stick around to fight. It vanished almost immediately, leaving behind a trail of that weird secretion that messed with zombie senses—making it impossible to track.

Ragnar clenched his jaw. “They’re all dead. But… whatever. I’ll avenge them. Sooner or later.”

“Ragnar, you’re on your own now,” Bloodveil said, her tone softening. “Don’t go off solo again. If you’re too far from us, we might not make it in time to back you up.”

Ragnar frowned, glancing at Umbradrake again. It was obvious he didn’t want to be anywhere near him. But then he patted the pouch of crystal cores at his waist, and his eyes lit up again with renewed drive. “Nah. I’m good. I can handle it.”

“You…” Bloodveil opened her mouth to argue, but stopped herself.

That’s when Ethan—silent until now—suddenly spoke up in Umbradrake’s voice. “You sure you can handle it alone? You should at least have someone watching your back. How about… I send you a solid partner?”

“Oh?” Ragnar raised an eyebrow, caught off guard. Of all people, he hadn’t expected him to say that.

What the hell? Did Umbradrake suddenly grow a conscience? Trying to suck up now?

Still, Ragnar wasn’t the type to accept charity—especially not from someone he didn’t respect.

“I don’t need your help. Save the fake kindness.”

But Ethan acted like he didn’t hear him. He turned to Vulturea and said, “Ragnar’s lost his whole team. He needs backup. You’re pretty much healed up now—why don’t you go with him?”

“Ah… sure, no problem,” said the Overmind Queen, still disguised as Vulturea. Her eyes flicked toward Ragnar, calculating. Now that he was completely alone, he was the perfect target—way easier than Umbradrake, who was always hanging back with the main group, cautious and slow, like he was deliberately avoiding action.

Ragnar crossed his arms, glancing sideways at her. At first, he was ready to refuse again—but when he realized it was Vulturea being offered, he hesitated.

With her tracking skills, she could sniff out high-grade crystal cores like a bloodhound.

“With her around, it’ll be a total loot fest. Guess it’s finally my turn to cash in…”

…