Aftermath [Seeking Follow-up Reads!]

"Careful! Monsters are coming!"

After confirming the newcomers weren't human, Gauss quickly called out to warn everyone who was engrossed in their "work."

Meva was the second to spot the monsters. With Gauss's warning, she quickly locked onto the creatures on the distant riverbank.

"Is it a Ghoul? Or a Demon Ghost, stronger than a regular Ghoul?"

Once she clearly saw the target, her normally calm heart began to race.

"What are you talking about? Didn't we kill all the Water Ghosts?" Doyle, not far away, hadn't reacted yet.

Following her guidance, he jumped up from the ground in fright the moment he saw the target, his face turning pale.

Unlike Water Ghosts, both Ghouls and Demon Ghosts were enemies that required Professionals to deal with.

Everyone immediately stopped their collection work, quickly grabbed their bags, and gathered together, feeling uneasy.

Although Ghouls, like Water Ghosts, were fond of scavenging, their strength was far beyond that of the weak Water Ghosts. In fact, for most low-level Adventurers, they were terrifying opponents capable of wiping out a whole party.

Moreover, its appearance was different from the disheveled Water Ghosts; it looked more like a well-trained, tall, and powerful Warrior.

"Don't panic, I don't think the situation is that bad," Meva said slowly after observing for a moment.

Firstly, this might be a lone Ghoul. Secondly, it didn't seem like it was preparing to attack them, otherwise, it wouldn't be walking so openly from the riverbank.

Although Ghouls were monsters that only Professionals could handle, they were still a well-equipped team of six. A Ghoul that wasn't in a group might not be willing to attack.

After all, all creatures have the instinct to avoid harm and seek advantage.

Of course, the most crucial point was that the nearly 20 rotting Water Ghost corpses on the ground were enough for it to eat.

"Yes, it probably just wants to drive us away," Gauss realized at the same time.

The initial confusion about the abnormally low number of Water Ghosts suddenly made sense.

The missing Water Ghosts had likely fallen victim to this Ghoul.

The group felt a little more at ease but still gathered together, cautiously on guard.

"Don't turn and run rashly; that might provoke it. Back away slowly; we can't outrun it," Leven said, breaking out in a cold sweat, but still reminding them. "But be ready to fight at any moment."

The Ghoul's movements looked slow, but that wasn't the case; it reached the open space in about ten steps.

"Get lost! Get away from here!"

The Ghoul raised its head, its pair of blood-red eyes fixing on the group. Its long tongue flicked out, and it uttered guttural Common Tongue.

Its gloomy, hoarse tone was like an old dog's growl.

Whether it was its terrifying appearance or the predatory aura it exuded, Gauss felt uncomfortable hearing its less-than-fluent Common Tongue, as if he had suffered mental pollution.

Cold sweat poured down everyone's foreheads.

The pressure from this creature's aura, which seemed to come from another plane of existence, was immense!

"Should... should we fight?" Doyle's hand gripping his sword trembled slightly, but he still looked to his teammates for their opinion.

"No, we retreat." Without hesitation, Gauss and the others made the same decision.

Even though he had gained an Agility boost and learned a new spell, [Mage Armor], Gauss wasn't arrogant enough to consider fighting the creature before them.

Of course, if a fight were necessary, he wouldn't be afraid, but it clearly hadn't reached a life-or-death situation yet.

Especially since the Ghoul before them didn't seem weak.

Even if they could eventually win, the party would suffer heavy losses.

Retreating was not shameful but a wise move.

Doyle also breathed a sigh of relief.

The group gave up the Water Ghost corpses and, facing the Ghoul, cautiously backed away slowly while holding their weapons.

Meva was responsible for watching their rear, preventing any ambushes or traps.

However, this worry didn't materialize until they had retreated several dozen meters and the Ghoul began to pounce on the Water Ghost corpses and eat voraciously.

After moving a safe distance away, they turned and quickly headed towards the village.

"Hoo—"

The dim candlelight spilled onto the street through the windows.

Seeing lights and pedestrians again, the group finally breathed a collective sigh of relief upon returning to the human settlement.

At this moment, their chests heaved violently, and their hearts felt like they would leap out of their chests.

"We actually survived!" Oliver wiped the sweat from his forehead, not feeling ashamed of his joy at escaping death.

They were just a group of low-level Adventurers who hadn't embarked on the path of Professionals. Escaping from a Ghoul like this was already a cause for celebration.

In fact, if they were shameless enough, this incident could become a topic of boisterous conversation in a tavern, fueled by alcohol.

"What are you talking about, you're too weak," Doyle straightened up, pretending to be calm. "I wasn't scared at all. If you guys hadn't said we should retreat, I would have been ready to fight."

"If your hands stopped trembling, that statement would have a tiny bit of credibility," Meva glanced at him expressionlessly and silently retorted.

Gauss followed her gaze and saw that his hands were indeed shaking quite a bit, unsure if it was from the fatigue of running with his sword or from sheer terror.

But no matter what, Doyle, who was caught red-handed, couldn't explain himself. He just kept shaking his hands and mumbling, repeatedly emphasizing that he was tired from running, not scared.

"Alright, let's go to the tavern first and tell the tavern owner, Harvey, about what just happened." Leven also felt a sense of relief after narrowly escaping death, but he quickly adjusted his mindset.

The impact of the ghoul's appearance was not yet over.

Although they had narrowly escaped, it was only because there was ready food available this time, making the ghoul's desire to hunt not very strong. But without the bodies of these Water Ghosts, it would have been a true desperate situation.

Moreover, they could leave at any time now that their mission was complete, but what about the residents who lived here?

They had to clearly explain the specific situation to the locals so they could decide whether to re-issue the ghoul commission at the Adventurer's Guild.

In addition, although they had killed the Water Ghosts and completed the mission, they hadn't had time to collect all the spoils of war yet.

The number of items in their backpacks that could prove the mission's completion was slightly insufficient at the moment, all of which needed to be explained clearly to Harvey.

The group's commission was not yet completely finished.

They arrived at the only tavern in the village.

As one of the few entertainment venues in the village, the Mermaid Tavern was brightly lit and more lively than during the day.

A bearded ship merchant drank heartily from a ceramic bowl with a sigh of satisfaction, sailors with flushed faces shook their dice cups, constantly shouting numbers; a middle-aged man with a hairy chest, drunk and having taken off his shirt, danced in the narrow hall.

The tavern was noisy, a chaotic scene.

"Creak--"

The moment the door was kicked open.

Before the people outside could even enter, a strong stench of fish and rot immediately flooded into the tavern.

A drunkard, half-leaning against the wooden door of the tavern, was already displeased by the noise of the door opening. Now, he was even more so as the overwhelming stench assaulted his face. His face, already red from drinking, instantly turned even redder!

"Who's this beggar! Get out!"

"Slap!"

The drunkard's swinging arm was firmly gripped by a large hand.

Everyone looked towards the entrance.

Moonlight streamed through the gap in the door, revealing a team of tall Adventurers covered in grime. Upon closer inspection, one could still find fragments of internal organs, intestines, blood clots, and scabs in the gaps of their armor. For a moment, they appeared to everyone present as if they were demons emerging from hell.

The previously boisterous tavern patrons were immediately silenced by the sight, as if their throats had been choked.