Chapter Eleven: Discovery

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[You discover that, unobstructed, the “Wailers” have a sensory range of about ten meters; ordinary disturbances will not rouse them.]
[But you also realize that, under no circumstances should they be allowed to make a sound, or every “Wailer” on the first floor of the chapel will awaken simultaneously.]
[In that situation, you would instantly face the attacks of dozens of “Wailers,” plunging you into extreme danger.]

Once Colin and the others had all entered, the doors suddenly slammed shut of their own accord.
The “prompt” in Colin’s mind faded away at that moment of distraction.
“Lord...”
The two servants were visibly anxious.
“Calm down. This is just routine. Finish the task and we’ll be able to leave.”
Colin’s scalp tingled, but his voice remained steady.
He’d seen doors automatically closing after entering a room many times in games, but experiencing it in this world, on himself, was a wholly different sensation.
Fortunately, the sound of the doors shutting did not trigger the mass awakening of the “Wailers”—otherwise, Colin felt he would have met his end right then and there.

As for the pungent stench, Colin was growing somewhat accustomed to it.
He raised his lantern ahead; inside the chapel, darkness reigned.
The lantern in his hand was the only source of light; beyond its glow, almost nothing was visible.
The chapel was simply too dark.
Yet, with the help of the “prompt,” their advance proceeded in an orderly fashion.

As Colin and his companions pressed deeper, the previously empty, lifeless interior of the chapel was punctuated by the sound of bones rubbing together.
But as a cluster of hurried footsteps echoed, followed by a heavy thud, all fell silent again.

Despite the “prompt’s” guidance, mishaps still occurred.
A severed head, knocked away, rolled several times and, instead of dying instantly, let out a strange wailing cry.
Though the kill notification appeared less than three seconds later, it was already too late.

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“Damn, I got careless!”
Colin cursed inwardly. Having slaughtered over thirty with a single strike each, he’d grown complacent.
But now was not the time for regret.
In the next moment, from the depths of the darkness, the chilling sound of bones scraping erupted everywhere. Colin could already sense pairs of sinister eyes fixed upon him—
Behind stone pillars, beneath benches, or lurking in some shadowy corner...

Sharp, piercing, and uncanny wails—like the cries of tortured souls—echoed ceaselessly, attacks that struck directly at the mind.
Even covering the ears only alleviated some of the physical discomfort.
But the spiritual and mental torment could not be diminished; each cry lashed at the brain like a thorny whip, inflicting splitting pain.

“If someone else had come, the ‘Wailers’ at the entrance would have fooled them into thinking these little creatures weren’t strong, and walking in here would be a death sentence.”
Colin clenched his teeth, his eyes bloodshot, veins bulging at his temple.
It was like finally boarding a train for some rest, only to have a child beside him unleash a heart-rending, world-shaking, soul-crushing wail—desperate and unstoppable.
And the worst part: there wasn’t just one such “child,” but one at every seat in the carriage.
Accompanied by the clattering of the train, it drove one to extreme frustration and depression, even tempted to destroy the world.

The good news was, here, Colin carried a duty he could not shirk; with each swing of the blade, he granted the “children” peace.

Colin realized the true difficulty of this task lay not in the overwhelming number of mutants, but in the chapel itself!
The wails rebounded off the walls and echoed, the sealed, spacious structure amplifying their cries in waves.
In less than thirty seconds, Colin felt as if the whole church was trembling.

Just as Colin had anticipated, for most people, triggering a chain reaction among the “Wailers” here would mean certain death.
In the cacophony of darkness, almost no one could discern their exact positions by sound, let alone counterattack effectively.

Fortunately, it was Colin undertaking this task, not some other survivor.
Before the terrifying chorus could fully rise, Colin had already cleared a significant portion of the “Wailers” inside the chapel, preventing their attacks from reaching an unbearable level immediately.

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Otherwise, even with the “prompt,” Colin would have died in this cursed place.
With its aid, Colin no longer crept forward hesitantly, but struck swiftly and accurately at the sources of the cries.
As one “Wailer” after another fell, the noise in the hall rapidly subsided.

Now, Colin’s eyes were streaked with blood, his heart seething with irritation and rage.
He fought to remain lucid and composed, gripping his axe tightly, each step heavy and deliberate as he advanced upon a twisted, deformed figure, then brought the blade down, hacking the frail mutant into pieces.

“The last one.”
Colin’s contorted expression finally relaxed somewhat.
The sweep of the first-floor hall was finished.

The effect of the “Wailer’s” cries was similar to that of Father Kadis, who’d transformed into the “Mutant—Confessor Priest”: they incited extreme emotions within, driving people mad.
This time, the “Wailers’” voices called up memories of a train ride for Colin; the emotion triggered was not fear, but overwhelming anger.

Compared to Father Kadis’ abilities, which were like a powerful, direct control, the “Wailers’” effects were much weaker, requiring considerable time to take hold.
Yet, overall, the difficulty of facing the “Wailers” far surpassed that of killing a “Confessor Priest.”

“I’d worried someone might get ahead of me, but at this stage, any survivor coming here is doomed.”
Colin sat on a bench at random, breathing heavily, unconcerned with appearances.

His rationality was slowly returning, but his mind still throbbed painfully, his ears ringing incessantly, unable to hear clearly.
Beside him, the two servants were scarcely better off, drenched in sweat, eyes bloodshot, standing guard with difficulty.

However, looking at the two servants—neither tall nor sturdy—Colin suddenly noticed something quite peculiar.