God-Tier Extraction Talent: Reincarnated in a Game-like World!

Chapter 441: Hero Ranked Corpse

After the war that had lasted all night, one would have expected the members of Broken Dawn to take a rest. Even though they were Awakened, for people who had fought that long, it was the only logical thing to do.

However, this was far from the case, because Gabriel had ordered everyone to work and make sure the camp was properly set up before resting. His reason for doing this was because he did not want any panic to spread among the refugees of the eastern camp.

He needed to bring order to the camp as soon as possible, plus the battlefield needed to be cleaned up as well. Out here in the wilderness, the scent of blood and the dead attracted monsters.

The monsters in this world were mutated and extremely sensitive. They could smell blood and flesh from over a long distance. The Broken Dawn fighters were already tired. If a monster wave were to attack them in this state, the casualties on their side would not be small.

Knowing this, despite their tiredness, no one complained, and under the strict supervision of Sophie, everyone worked diligently to clear up the battlefront.

Currently, at this moment, Sophie stood at a short distance, the morning sun shining upon her. Her transparent veil, which had remained pristine despite the intense battle, still covered her face securely.

Beside her was Cassie. The support mage was chugging down a bottle of potion that provided rejuvenation, her face, which had been extremely pale because of mana exhaustion, gradually regaining its beautiful radiance.

Sophie kept her eyes on the work instead of the noise. Broken Dawn members were pulling bodies away from the road, stacking weapons, and dragging blood soaked crates back into the supply hall. She pointed, gave orders, and made sure the refugees stayed in lines under guard.

Cassie finished her potion and exhaled.

"You’re pushing them hard," she said, watching exhausted fighters force themselves to move. "Some of them can barely stand."

"They can stand," Sophie replied. "If they rest now, monsters will come."

She looked toward the gate and the fields beyond it. "Rotate the mages and keep the healers working. Anyone who collapses goes to treatment, not to sleep."

While she was speaking, a figure in a dark robe approached carefully, stepping around broken spears. Samantha stopped in front of Sophie and bowed, her voice respectful.

"Lady Sophie, I finished the count. I also logged the loot."

Sophie did not waste time. "What is the total death count."

"A few thousand," Samantha reported. "That includes our own men, the thieves Sir Broken killed in the square, and the fighters who tried to resist after their lords fell."

She lifted a spatial ring. "The treasure scavenged from the dead is all in this ring. We also found three sealed boxes in Henry’s men’s bags."

Sophie took the ring, then looked up at Samantha and asked the most pressing question. "Where are the bodies of Henry and the other hero ranks. You omitted those during your count."

Samantha paused, confusion in her eyes before replying. "Anna moved them already. She said it was an order from the leader. She took all the hero rank corpses away, including Henry."

Sophie’s eyes narrowed slightly. "All of them."

"Yes," Samantha said. "She didn’t explain more than that. She only repeated that it was Master’s order and kept moving."

Sophie frowned and glanced toward the camp center where Gabriel had been speaking earlier. He was no longer there, and that made the air feel tense in a different way.

"What does he want to do with dead bodies," she said quietly.

Cassie answered first. "Proof, maybe. So nobody can claim Henry survived."

Sophie shook her head. "He doesn’t need proof. The Eastern fighters dropped their weapons the moment they realized Henry and Dominic were gone."

She took a slow breath, then added, "He does this a lot. Even during the Inter Guild Display Event, every time a big enemy fell, the body vanished before anyone could touch it."

Cassie clicked her tongue. "I remember. People complained, but he didn’t care."

"He wasn’t collecting for fun," Sophie said. "He was collecting for a reason."

She did not like guessing, but she could not ignore a pattern. "Whatever he does with them, it helps him."

Samantha walked with them for a few steps, hands held together in front of her. She looked like she wanted to speak but was not sure if she should.

"Lady Sophie," she said at last, "may I ask something."

Sophie glanced at her and nodded.

Samantha lowered her voice. "Can I add some of the dead to my undead army. Not the hero ranks. Just normal fighters. It would help a lot in battles and even help in guarding the camp."

Cassie looked at Sophie like she expected a hard no. The refugees were already scared, and undead could push them into panic again.

Sophie considered it, then nodded. "A small number. Keep them covered and keep them away from civilians, preferably around the outer area of the camp. If there’s a problem, you stop. Understood."

Samantha’s shoulders loosened as she bowed. "Understood. Thank you." Then she turned and hurried back toward the body piles to start choosing.

When she was gone, Cassie leaned closer to Sophie. "So what could Gabriel want to do with the dead."

Sophie watched workers haul weapons and bodies and answered with narrowed eyes.

"I don’t know the full method. But as long as it keeps us alive and makes him stronger, it’s none of our business."

...

The First Class Residential Area...

Anna walked a step behind Gabriel, posture straight. They moved through the first class area where the larger houses stood, the place Henry’s people had kept for themselves.

Henry’s mansion was the biggest, with a wide gate and real stone steps. Two guards opened the doors quickly when they saw Gabriel, and Anna led him inside.

The halls were quiet. Gabriel ignored the furniture and the signs that Henry had lived here like a king. He did not slow down.

"Where are the bodies," Gabriel asked without stopping.

"They’re in the basement. Please follow me."

Anna led him to a back door. Two players stationed there by Anna pulled it open, and stairs went down into a storage space where lights were already lit. The air was cold and heavy, and the floor had been cleared to make room.

When Gabriel stepped inside, he saw that the corpses were lined in rows. Some had broken armour, some were missing limbs, and some still had dried blood on their faces. The hero rank bodies were placed in the middle, separated from the rest.

Henry was there too. He still wore his full body armour, and his helmet was still on. Beside him were the other hero ranks that had once been his subordinates.

Gabriel stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked over them with calm eyes. Anna stood behind him and waited, her eyes filled with excitement as she already knew what was about to unfold.

After a short pause and without saying a word, Gabriel started walking forward, turning toward the first hero rank corpse at the edge of the row.

"Hero ranks. Let’s see how much stronger I can get," he said, smirking.