The Peyton Manor was vast but eerily empty, with no sign of human activity. Passing through the rusted gates, one could see a small marble castle. Behind the castle was a birch forest with leaves almost entirely fallen, and among the bare branches stood a few uniquely styled wooden cabins.
It was late autumn, and the dry, cold wind blew through the manor. The windows of the castle were all tightly shut, and the spacious balcony was deserted. Only a few black birds perched on the red-brick roof, cawing hoarsely, adding to the desolate atmosphere.
The four-story castle was the most prominent structure in the manor, but it was evident that it was no longer used for defense against invaders. Instead, it served as a residence for the empire's nobles. The evil creatures they were tasked to clear out were most likely hiding within.
EeDeChi led the way, followed closely by Barrett, who carried a small round shield. In the middle was Stella, holding a staff, and at the rear was Sean. The four cautiously pushed open a slightly ajar oak door and entered the castle.
Behind the door was a long corridor, with ornate iron doors on both sides leading to various rooms. At the end of the corridor was a spiral stone staircase. The place was silent, as if no one had ever lived there.
Stella chanted softly, her magic short staff emitting a blue and gold intertwined glow. A faint magical aura of "Saint's Blessing," a 2nd Tier Divine Magic, enveloped them. This blessing reduced the fear humans felt when facing undead creatures and increased their damage against them.
Following EeDeChi's orders, Stella was fully clad in chain mail, wearing a great helmet, her soft chestnut hair tied into a neat ponytail, two braids peeking out from under the rim of the helmet.
Despite this, the silver orchid hairpin in her braids showed her persistent sense of beauty.
Sean, holding a short sword in one hand and a hard wood short crossbow in the other, scanned the surroundings warily, ready for any sudden incidents. He stayed close to Stella, seemingly determined to protect her at all costs.
Barrett, with his shield in his left hand, gently pushed open a door with his short sword, using his small steel shield to cover himself as he cautiously peered inside. He had stowed his usual medium tower shield and single-handed greatsword in his spatial ring.
Every experienced adventurer chose different weapons and equipment based on the environment, and in this narrow space, short weapons were clearly more suitable.
"BANG!"
With a loud bang, the three turned to see their leader, EeDeChi, kicking open another door and walking in boldly.
Barrett sighed, feeling that his efforts to avoid alarming the enemy were in vain, and led Sean and Stella into the room to investigate.
The room was dimly lit and empty, with only a half-meter-high cabinet, its doors shut and marked with a few drops of dark red blood. Barrett sniffed the air, detecting a faint smell of blood and an inexplicable rotting odor. He considered opening the cabinet to see if any valuables were left behind by the nobles but ultimately restrained himself.
Barrett exited the room and said to the others, "It doesn't seem like there's anything wrong here..." Before he could finish, a sudden change occurred!
The cabinet door suddenly shattered with a sharp crack, wood chips flying everywhere. A withered hand stretched out, followed by a grotesque vampire lunging out with a blue face and fangs!
"A vampire!" Barrett shouted. He bent slightly, his left hand shield striking the vampire's outstretched hand. The vampire's sharp nails screeched against the steel surface of the shield, creating a shower of sparks.
His right hand slashed downward with a short sword, severing the vampire's right leg. The poorly skilled bloodsucker fell to the ground, and Barrett delivered a powerful blow with his sword, piercing its head and putting its weak soul to rest.
Behind him, zombies and skeletons wielding broken spears and iron swords emerged from the depths of the corridor and several iron doors. They were a horde of low-level undead, advancing in unison towards the four adventurers.
The low-level undead, with their withered and terrifying faces, grinned, their hollow eyes glowing red, reflecting their hunger for living flesh.
The sounds of clashing swords and chanting spells filled the air as the battle began.
...
"What's going on?"
At this moment, in the hall of the subterranean Tenth Floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Ainz Ooal Gown paced back and forth on the deep red velvet carpet, his tone tinged with anxiety. "What's going on? All the surveillance and monitoring magic items have failed!"
In front of him, several magical screens floated in the air. Most of the screens displayed images of rooms, corridors, the castle, and the birch forest—revealing the scenery of Peyton Manor. However, a few of the screens were pitch black, devoid of any light, as if the magical devices had broken.
Indeed, this so-called commission task was a trap set by Ainz to test the combat abilities of EeDeChi, an adventurer of unknown identity and strength.
During Sebas's investigation of EeDeChi, it was discovered that all surveillance, listening magic, and magical devices failed when cast on EeDeChi.
At first, Ainz didn't think much of it. He still had Shalltear set up a large number of surveillance magical devices in Peyton Manor, including some extremely high-tier, artifact-level items. This way, while EeDeChi was fighting for her life in the manor, Ainz could leisurely watch the live broadcast and evaluate EeDeChi's combat power comfortably. But now, this situation was completely unexpected.
The detection magic devices aimed at EeDeChi were of the highest tier, comparable to tenth-tier magic, which could only be suppressed by other tenth-tier magic or Super-Tier Magic. But according to Sebas's report, no magical fluctuations were detected on EeDeChi, nor were there any signs of her casting spells.
"Lord Ainz, perhaps she possesses a World Item capable of counter-detection," suggested a tall woman in white with black wings growing from her back, standing beside him.
Ainz looked at the overseer of the Great Tomb of Nazarick and pondered for a moment. "Could she be another player who traveled through this world? But I don't remember any world items whose main function is counter-detection."
World-class items were called such due to their immense capabilities in destruction, construction, resurrection, and other godlike abilities. He had never heard of a world item specifically designed for counter-detection.
He unfurled the message scroll and issued a command: "Sebas, this girl might have a world item. Be extremely cautious! First, send in the low-level monsters. Once they're worn out, send in the maid squad to fight."
...
At Peyton Manor, EeDeChi wielded her giant sword with fierce intensity, cutting down undead creatures and several vampires like they were mere straw. Piles of bones and dismembered limbs formed heaps around her, and even the sturdy marble walls bore several large holes from her strikes.
On the other side, Barrett held a tower shield as tall as half a person, fending off the onslaught of undead. Behind him, a young cleric girl chanted softly, her staff glowing as she cast "Holy Light Protection!" The holy magic forced many of the undead to retreat.
At a critical moment when the skeleton soldiers were retreating, a vampire in tattered robes lunged at Stella. However, an enchanted arrow pierced its eye socket, stopping its attack and ending its life.
Sean lowered his longbow and rubbed his shoulder. He had shot nearly forty arrows, which took a toll on his strength. But just one look at the cleric Stella beside him filled him with renewed determination. He encouraged himself, thinking that if he couldn't defeat these monsters, how could he protect the girl he loved?
They had repelled wave after wave of attacks, with the undead coming at them like relentless tides. While creating low-level undead wasn't particularly high-tier magic, using them so recklessly wasn't cheap either. Sean wondered what the master of these undead was thinking. With so many undead, they could form an army to assault a city's knightly defense force. There was no need to waste them on a small group like theirs.
Barrett took a deep breath, using the brief lull to pull out a vial of vitality potion. He bit off the oak stopper and gulped down the orange-yellow liquid.
Adventurers excelled at guerrilla tactics—completing missions if they could fight and running if they couldn't. Prolonged battles like this were usually avoided by small, weak adventurer groups. In fact, if EeDeChi hadn't been taking on most of the pressure, they would have been overwhelmed by the undead long ago.
The urgent task was to find the mastermind controlling these undead creatures and eliminate them directly, thought Sean, the archer. Stella cast a 2nd Tier blessing spell on him, restoring much of his energy and spirit.
Martial Art: Comprehensive Perception.
Under Barrett's defense, Sean activated his martial art as an archer and ranger, scanning the surroundings. Soon, he spotted an undead figure in noble attire deep within the corridor, holding a staff and issuing commands.
It was a necromancer!
Sean excitedly shouted to EeDeChi, "Captain, I found the one behind all this! That magic caster is right there!" He pointed in the direction he had seen.
EeDeChi's face darkened as she ordered, "Charge!" She swung her giant sword and charged through the hordes of undead like an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, heading straight for the necromancer.
"Hey! Wait for us!" Barrett called out helplessly, raising his tower shield and leading Sean and Stella in a chase after their swiftly departing captain.