Late at night, on the walls of Ashton Castle, two bored thugs from Heim City huddled in a corner, hoping to gain a bit of warmth in the cold.
"Damn it, those noble lords' soldiers can hide in the arrow towers and enjoy themselves, while we poor fools have to freeze out here in this weather," one young blonde-haired man spat toward the tower before wrapping himself tighter in his thin clothes and muttering complaints.
"And that damned little lord… as soon as he arrived, he made life miserable for us. Back in the day, our River Gang was so mighty, hundreds strong, ruling the entire southern district. But the moment this brat showed up, our good times ended. Who knows how many brothers got their heads chopped off over some trivial matter?
"No more high-interest loans, no more moon candies, and the worst part—he even shut down the brothels we ran, saying we were forcing women into prostitution. What, the ones his noble ancestors ran weren't forcing anyone?"
The other man, a slightly dull-looking short-haired fellow, took out a small flask from his waist, sipped lightly, and spoke slowly:
"The gentleman's club at Viscount White's house was shut down. Several courtesan salons were closed too."
He drank again, and continued matter-of-factly:
"Well, that's fine too. No middlemen skimming profits. I spend less on a good time, and those girls make more, working harder."
He gulped another mouthful of liquor, sounding a bit frustrated:
"I just don't understand why these nobles are so crazy, insisting on leaving Heim City just because of the threat from the beastmen."
"Right, I almost forgot. Your brother seems to be working for one of the nobles," the blonde's eyes lit up as he eagerly approached the man, trying to be helpful:
"Does our big brother have any connections? Can we hide in the arrow tower too? I won't trouble him for nothing—I even have a few moon candies I've been saving."
The blonde pulled out a few candies wrapped in oiled paper and offered them to the man. He hesitated briefly but eventually accepted them.
"I can only say, try your best. After all, my brother isn't some big shot," the man replied, stretching his stiff body. Yet out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a white figure flicker outside the city.
"Who's there?"
He quickly ran to the battlements and peered over, but it was pitch black below—he couldn't see anything.
He lit a nearby torch with the flint stored at his waist and threw it down the wall. The faint falling light finally revealed what lay below: the corpses they had thrown out of the castle… now risen, each with blood-red eyes, staring fixedly at the torch.
"Damn it… undead! We're surrounded by undead!"
"Undead?"
The blonde jumped up, scrambling to the wall. Seeing the countless undead gathering below, he fell to the ground in terror.
"We're doomed… I don't want to die. It's that damned little lord's fault—he forced me out. All I did was follow the boss and chop a few people up. Does he really want me dead?"
Unlike the blonde, the other man was calmer. He stumbled toward the nearby arrow tower, shouting:
"Undead invasion! There are undead gathering outside the city!"
When he reached the tower, he found several soldiers drinking together. A squad leader, seeing the man, barked:
"Undead? You look more like the undead yourself."
The leader went to the battlements, using the torch's light to see the dense undead below. But he remained calm:
"Just a bunch of corpses. They're not attacking the city, so why be afraid?"
He took a step back, trying to act composed:
"The knights say it's normal for undead to appear outside the castle at night. As long as they're not attacking, ignore them."
Returning to the table, he scolded the man:
"You—go watch them quietly. Don't make a fuss and ruin our drinking."
He kicked the man with his size-45 boots, sending him flying outside, and slammed the tower door shut.
Unnoticed, a few red-eyed rats silently slipped in during the commotion. The man outside hesitated, wondering if he'd overreacted—but the next moment, screams erupted from inside the tower.
The door burst open, and several bloodied soldiers staggered out. Before they could take a few steps, more red-eyed rats sprang from behind, swarming them.
"Damn insane beasts!"
One soldier angrily yanked a rat biting his thigh off, slammed it to the ground, and stomped on it. Yet the rat, despite being crushed and its insides spilled, still moved quickly and lunged at him.
"Damn it… is this one undead too?"
The soldier swore, preparing to run, but felt a sharp pain in his neck. Darkness engulfed him.
When he opened his eyes again, he had become a living corpse driven only by the instinct to kill. Another red-eyed rat jumped from his neck, seeking its next target.
This scene wasn't limited to one spot. Almost every corner of the wall was overrun by the undead rats. Their venomous bite rapidly turned living people into undead, steadily growing their ranks.