As the zombies gradually moved farther away, Kael wiped his forehead, as if attempting to rid himself of the non - existent cold sweat.


    He had to concede that he had underestimated these undead creatures.


    This particular horde wasn''t even all that large, numbering only a few hundred.


    Presumably, none of them had attained the strength equivalent to that of a Black Iron - rank professional.


    Yet, even these ordinary zombies had generated such a terrifying ruckus.


    It was daunting to envision just how fearsome hordes of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of zombies would be.


    This night was fated to be anything but tranquil.


    Whether it was the lingering trace of the mouse''s blood in the air or the commotion from the zombies'' recent frenzied dash, it was bound to draw in more of the undead.


    Immediately after the zombies departed, Kael slipped into a state of shallow meditation as a substitute for sleep.


    Periodically, he could hear the approaching sounds of additional zombies.


    Each time this occurred, he would halt his meditation, waiting for the horde to pass before resuming.


    The zombie hordes that night varied significantly in size.


    The largest ones boasted two or three thousand zombies, the smaller ones had several hundred, and the tiniest horde consisted of merely a dozen or so.


    It seemed that this dozen - strong horde had either just formed or had been left behind by a larger group.


    Some hordes simply passed by without incident, while in others, a few zombies clumsily made their way up the building where the mouse had met its demise.


    Witnessing this scene, Kael yearned to relocate as soon as daybreak arrived.


    Who could endure being so terrified and on edge throughout the night?


    He hadn''t anticipated that the scent of a single mouse''s blood could entice zombies to keep coming upstairs to investigate.


    Then, just how many zombies would the corpses of the six goblins he''d slain during the day attract? The very thought of the scene was too terrifying to contemplate.


    For the zombies, it would likely be a veritable feast.


    Once all the zombies had left, Kael shook his head and once again entered the state of shallow meditation.


    ...


    As the sky began to lighten and the sun was on the verge of rising, Kael''s countenance grew grave.


    Dozens of zombies still loitered downstairs.


    This was the last wave of zombies.


    After a long journey, they had chanced upon this location, and a few more had caught the whiff of blood and were currently searching upstairs.


    Sure enough, the worst - case scenario had materialized.


    This batch of zombies had already sensed the change in light, and it was highly likely that they wouldn''t continue moving forward.


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    This was disastrous.


    If these zombies didn''t press on, once the sun fully rose, they would inevitably enter the buildings on either side to escape the sunlight.


    At the moment, Kael dared not stir and could only pray that these zombies wouldn''t enter the building he occupied.


    But fortune did not favor him.


    After the sun ascended, the faint sunlight began to spill onto the ground.


    The sunlight fell upon the zombies, causing them to lift their heads and emit soft hisses.


    Although the sunlight couldn''t harm them, they detested the sensation it brought.


    One by one, they shuffled into the buildings on both sides.


    Even in Kael''s building, several zombies had entered.


    This terrified Kael to the point where he scarcely dared to breathe, for fear that the slightest noise would draw the zombies'' attention.


    Fortunately, he had chosen a relatively high floor, and currently, the zombies were all confined to the first and second floors.


    Kael didn''t stint on using his spiritual power to check the number of zombies in his building.


    There were a total of five, with three on the second floor and two on the first floor.


    What should he do? Should he remain in place and await the zombies'' departure on their own after nightfall? The moment this thought crossed his mind, Kael dismissed it.


    There were far too many uncertainties with such a plan.


    No one could predict what the zombies would do next or whether they would venture up to the fourth floor.


    And waiting until night was even more perilous, as it would mean entrusting his fate to the whims of the undead.


    Kael considered using a rope to lower himself slowly from the fourth floor.


    It seemed like a viable idea, and he did have a rope in his backpack that his deskmate had given him.


    However, when Kael surveyed the room, he found that there was nothing sturdy enough to secure the rope and support his weight.


    The furnishings in the room were all in a dilapidated state, and the window frame was especially flimsy, barely more than a skeletal structure.


    It was hard to believe that it could bear the weight of his descent.


    With a soft exhalation, it seemed that the only option left was to fight his way out.


    Kael slowly sat down, closed his eyes, and periodically used his spiritual power to observe the movements of the few zombies downstairs.


    As the sun steadily climbed and its rays shone more brightly, these few zombies gradually retreated to the dark corners of the rooms where the sunlight couldn''t reach.


    Observing this, Kael thought that if he were extremely cautious and made no noise while traversing the corridor, these zombies likely wouldn''t emerge.


    But, unfortunately, there was a zombie positioned right in the middle between the first and second floors, taking refuge from the sunlight.


    This was the inevitable route for Kael to descend.


    After waiting for an hour, there was still no indication that this zombie would leave.


    Kael knew that he couldn''t afford to wait any longer.


    The longer he waited, the more variables there would be.


    He carefully slung his backpack over his shoulders, picked up the spear fashioned from a dagger and the fire axe, and crept out of the room on tiptoes.


    After all, Kael wasn''t completely defenseless now.


    He still had his spells. It was a pity that the attack of the Bone Tooth spell traveled in a straight line and couldn''t bend around corners.


    Otherwise, Kael could have easily dispatched the zombie from upstairs with a well - aimed shot to the head.


    Through his spiritual power detection, he discovered that during the day, the zombies were all in a state of keeping their eyes closed, minimizing the expenditure of their bodily functions.


    Only when the sun''s rays directly hit them would they be compelled to move and seek out another shaded corner.


    Kael quietly made his way downstairs.


    When he reached the third floor, through the gap in the stairwell, he could already make out the zombie lurking in the corridor.


    The structure of this building featured windows on the walls both in front of and behind the stairwell, which were originally designed to illuminate the corridor.


    Now, this very light was confining the zombie''s movement.


    Sunlight streamed in from both above and below, effectively trapping the zombie in a corner.


    Otherwise, this zombie would likely have already entered a room.


    Since he had spotted the zombie, Kael had no intention of getting any closer.


    He mentally sketched the runes, and in the blink of an eye, three seconds elapsed, and a small Bone Tooth materialized and hovered beside Kael.


    "Whoosh!"


    The Bone Tooth sliced through the air, producing a faint sound.


    The zombie, with its eyes closed, seemed to have heard the noise, and its ears twitched slightly.


    But before it could react, the Bone Tooth''s attack had already landed, hitting it squarely in the head.


    "Bang!"


    The zombie that was struck had its head blown apart.


    Thick blood and brains splattered everywhere, and the stench of blood began to permeate the air. On the other side, Kael didn''t dare to move an inch.


    He maximized his spiritual power scan to monitor the movements of the remaining zombies in the building.


    The few zombies had clearly heard the commotion and smelled the blood, but they neither opened their eyes nor stirred.


    This discovery elated Kael.


    It seemed that during the day, in the presence of sunlight, this group of zombies posed a significantly lower threat.