Sometimes Death Wasn't the Most Terrifying Thing

"I understand."

A deathly silence hung in the air as an empty voice came from Sally's mouth. Her frail body trembled uncontrollably, her slender arms clutching Lu Minghao tightly, blue veins bulging beneath her fair skin.

"Hmph! Let's go. Gison, it's time to return."

Gene glanced disdainfully at Sally's trembling body, assuming she had become like this out of sheer terror. After all, how could a mere monster that kept company with a slime possibly have the courage to resist them?

And so, Sally silently followed the two adventurers. Her large purple eyes, once brimming with spirit, had become utterly empty. Her young face no longer held the slightest trace of a smile. The calmness she wore was enough to make anyone feel terrified.

"Sally."

Lu Minghao looked up at Sally. Her hollow eyes were like a stagnant pool of dead water. Through their mental connection, Lu Minghao could clearly sense that not the slightest ripple remained in Sally's heart. She was like a true ghost. All that remained inside her was the purest form of evil.

Other than that, there was nothing else.

Bam!

A few minutes later, Gene, who was walking at the front, reached a wooden house and kicked the door open. He swaggered inside, then pointed at Sally, who had followed behind him, a smug smile on his face.

"Look, Captain. See what I brought back for you?"

"Sally?"

Lester had been wiping his longsword. The moment he raised his head, he saw Sally behind Gene. Even though more than a year had passed since Grandma Oran had taken Sally away, Lester recognized her at first glance. After all, in less than a year, Sally's appearance had not changed enough to make her unrecognizable.

"Isn't this our most precious Sally? Uncle Lester has really missed you!"

As he spoke, a smile appeared on Lester's gloomy face. He hurried over to Sally and carefully looked her over. After confirming that the 'goods' were intact, the smile on Lester's face grew even brighter. He could already picture himself receiving a hefty payment after handing Sally over to the employer.

"Captain, now that we have the 'goods,' can we begin?"

A black-robed, elderly-looking adventurer stepped forward from the side, her eyes burning as she looked at Lester. She was the final member of Lester's Squad, a perverted mage named North. A magical accident in the past had left her with her current aged appearance.

After that, North's mind had become twisted and depraved. She was jealous of every young and beautiful girl, and her favorite thing to do was tie them up and place a specially made mirror in front of them. Amid their terror and wails, she would make them watch as their youthful, beautiful faces were completely peeled away piece by piece, eventually becoming part of North's collection.

North had even specifically honed her skills for this purpose. She could peel off an entire face while making the girls experience excruciating pain without allowing them to pass out. Throughout the process, North's twisted mind would be filled with the utmost satisfaction.

The moment she entered the village, North had already noticed several promising targets. If not for Lester's orders, she would have been unable to resist capturing several of the village's young girls.

"Go ahead. But play all you want—just don't forget the mission. Not a single villager is to be spared."

"Linus, Gene, Kenson, North... Sally missed you. All of you."

Just as Linus was telling his teammates that they could play as they pleased but must not let the mission go wrong, Sally, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly raised her head and looked at them with empty eyes. A faint smile appeared on her young face—a smile that sent shivers down one's spine.

Sally had never expected the people she had 'missed' through countless days and nights in the garbage heap to suddenly appear before her like this. Even her body trembled uncontrollably from excitement. She had missed them so much. So much. She had missed every member of Lester's Squad so much.

She recalled their faces in her mind every moment of every day, and constantly thought about how to kill them.

"Oh? Sally, did you want to say something?"

Linus also noticed that something was wrong with Sally. With a teasing smile on his gloomy face, he walked up to her. His calloused palm reached for Sally's long black hair, wanting to make this half-human, half-ghost monster understand her place.

The only reason they had not harmed her before was because Sally was valuable 'goods.' If Sally dared to resist them, Lester did not mind letting the 'goods' suffer a little. After all, the employer's task had never said the 'goods' had to remain completely unharmed.

Whoosh!

"Ahhh! My hand! My hand!"

The next moment, Lester, who had reached for Sally, suddenly saw a black shadow flash before his eyes. Before he could make out what it was, a sharp pain shot through his arm. His hand had already fallen to the floor, while a fountain of blood sprayed from the severed end of his arm.

Sally, standing in front of him, was splattered across the face with his blood.

"Captain!"

"Damn it! What did you do, you monster?!"

Lester's miserable scream instantly drew the attention of his remaining teammates. Kenson instinctively drew his weapon and aimed it at Sally. North, being a mage, immediately retreated behind Kenson and began preparing a spell. Gene simply dragged Lester away from Sally and poured a healing potion over the wound.

"Damn it! What exactly did you do, you monster?"

Under the effects of the healing potion, the severed wound on Lester's arm stopped bleeding. After hastily bandaging it, Keith drew the longsword from his waist and glared at Sally with his gloomy face and hyena-like eyes.

At the same time, Lester hid his severed hand behind his back and secretly gestured to North, who was preparing her spell, telling her to get ready to flee. Sally's sudden attack had made Lester realize that something was wrong.

As an adventurer squad that had long carried out all kinds of filthy deeds, Linus's Squad had survived for so long without being discovered by other adventurer squads mainly because of Linus's cautious nature.

Despite his gloomy, frightening appearance and his ruthless methods, Linus was extremely cunning and wary inside. His hyena-like nature made him eliminate weakened enemies by any means necessary. But whenever an enemy proved too powerful, Linus would hide in the shadows and wait for an opportunity.

Suddenly, under the wary gazes of Linus's Squad, Sally, her face covered in blood, lowered her head and looked at the slime in her arms. Just as she opened her mouth to say something, the slime extended an arm, wiped the blood from Sally's face, and gently stroked her long hair.

"Sally, do whatever you want. And Sally, remember this: sometimes, death isn't the most terrifying thing."