Blood-Eating Ghoul

A full ninety gold coins.

That was the income Dylan had made after selling all the Parasitic Tree seeds he had brought out. Even that was the result of bundling them together at a low price because he needed money urgently.

He still remembered the flickering look in that goateed merchant's eyes as he deliberately drove down the price.

If he had been able to spare more time, doubling the price would not have been surprising.

But time was precisely what he lacked.

This was the largest sum of money he had ever held in his life, and he spent it without the slightest hesitation.

After buying the Rebirth Potion at a premium of fifty-five gold coins, Dylan immediately rushed toward Finlad—a border village whose residents had all been relocated and which had been converted into a place for treating the wounded.

After Bella was afflicted with Blood Poison, she had been sent to the church in Finlad. Together with the other victims, she was subjected to the Priest's Holy Light every day to suppress the progress of her transformation.

But even so, she could last no more than three months. By the time Dylan received the news, a month had already passed.

With the deadline drawing near, Dylan did not dare waste a single moment.

Perhaps because of the Parasitism, Dylan had recently needed less and less sleep.

That should have been a good thing. It gave him more time to travel.

And thanks to the extra gold coins, he could keep changing horses along the way and travel day and night.

Though he encountered some danger as well, he still reached the border earlier than expected.

Dylan dismounted in advance on a narrow trail. The village was still some distance away, and he had no intention of riding in openly.

That half of his face covered in Mycelium would never withstand inspection. Only by sneaking in could he see his daughter.

He untied the reins and slapped the horse on the rump. Watching it gradually disappear into the distance, Dylan had never imagined that he would one day be so extravagant.

The sun had already set. He could slip in under the cover of night.

He held the bundle containing the potion tightly. The closer he got to the village, the more nervous Dylan became.

The three-month limit was nearly up. Had Bella really held on until now?

What if the Rebirth Potion in his hand did not work?

Or what if something had...

"Bella, you have to be all right..."

Suddenly, Dylan frowned and sniffed hard.

At some point, a scorched stench mixed with blood had drifted through the air.

He froze for a moment, then charged to the top of the hill—the entire village of Finlad was burning in a sea of flames.

Figures moved within the flickering firelight. Faint cries, shouts, and sounds of slaughter drifted over amid the clash of metal.

What was going on? Had Vampires come to attack?

No, it was an ambush. If an army had arrived, this little outpost would have had no chance of holding out.

Where was Bella?

Dylan spotted the church at once. Thankfully, it was not on fire, but it was still in danger at any moment.

He had to get to Bella's side quickly!

The instant he stepped into the village, Dylan felt as though he had entered hell.

Thick smoke rolled through the night sky with sparks in tow. Sticky blood soaked the soles of his boots, while thatched roofs on both sides burned and collapsed.

Three routed soldiers suddenly rushed out of a house. Their smoke-blackened faces were filled with terror, and after brushing past Dylan, they fled toward the outskirts of the village.

But before long, terrified wails came from behind him.

When he looked back, one of them was lying on the ground with his chest torn open. He twitched, clearly beyond saving, while the other two soldiers had vanished without a trace.

Beside him, a humanoid yet inhuman figure was ravenously devouring flesh that was still fresh and alive like a beast.

"Blood-Eating Ghoul..."

This Blood-Eating Ghoul seemed temporarily engrossed in the food before it and had not noticed Dylan.

Dylan did not want to get tangled up here either. He turned to leave, only to find another one standing ahead of him.

The Blood-Eating Ghoul, who looked like a young girl, stared fixedly at Dylan with scarlet eyes filled with hungry desire.

Looking closer, countless protruding patches of keratin had grown across her skin, making her look even less human than Dylan.

It seemed this Blood-Eating Ghoul would not let him pass easily, so Dylan could only draw the longsword at his waist.

It was a weapon forged from refined steel, far superior to the one he had lost in the Dungeon. But whether it could deal with the Blood-Eating Ghoul before him was something he could not be sure of.

The Blood-Eating Ghoul bent her knees slightly, then suddenly charged at Dylan.

So fast!

[Parry LV4]

Dylan barely raised his sword across his chest before the attack arrived. The instant claws collided with the blade in a shower of sparks, the tremendous force blasted him and his weapon several meters away.

Dylan slammed heavily into a wall, vomiting a mouthful of blood mixed with Mycelium as his organs churned.

Strong. From that single strike alone, he clearly realized that his opponent's attributes far surpassed his own even at his peak.

The strength of a Blood-Eating Ghoul was directly related to the strength of the person who had been transformed.

Dylan was already cursing internally. What the hell had happened to these people on the border, for so many strong people to be afflicted with Blood Poison?

The Blood-Eating Ghoul had no intention of giving Dylan a chance to catch his breath. She stabbed toward his neck a second time.

In the crisis, Dylan pulled out a scroll and used it on the Blood-Eating Ghoul.

[Blindness]

"Graaahhh!"

Knowing he was headed for a dangerous border, how could Dylan have come unprepared?

The five-gold-coin scroll temporarily sealed her vision.

But Dylan had not expected that the Blood-Eating Ghoul would not stop attacking. Instead, she became even more Berserk and stabbed at him by instinct.

"Argh!"

The claws originally aimed at Dylan's neck pierced through his left arm instead, and the immense force pinned him to the wall behind him.

At that moment, the Blood-Eating Ghoul revealed a bloodthirsty smile.

Her other claw blindly swept toward where Dylan's body should have been.

The claws carved a mark into the wall, but they did not touch the prey's body!?

"Die!"

Dylan's roar came from behind her as he struck with all his strength.

[Berserk LV3]

[Spin Slash LV5]

The Refined Steel Longsword struck the Blood-Eating Ghoul's keratinized neck, cutting two-thirds of the way through before she barely managed to stop it with her claws.

The Blood-Eating Ghoul could not understand how this man had appeared behind her. She had clearly nailed him to the wall moments ago.

She tried to push the longsword away, but with most of her neck cut open, blood sprayed uncontrollably, and the strength was steadily draining from her body...

"Just die already!"

After a brief stalemate, Dylan roared, and the Blood-Eating Ghoul's head and hand were both cut off.

"Ha... ha..."

Covered in blood and gasping heavily, Dylan kicked the headless corpse on the ground as though venting his anger.

He stepped forward and picked up the arm he had torn off himself.

He simply tied the severed arm back in place with bandages, feeling the Mycelium at the wound slowly wriggle as it repaired him.

Dylan felt that he was becoming increasingly accustomed to this mutated body.

He just did not know how much more flesh would fuse with the Mycelium this time. There was not much of him left that was completely human.

The other Blood-Eating Ghoul behind him was indifferent to her companion's death and merely continued feasting on what remained of the soldier.

Dylan sincerely thanked that soldier for his sacrifice. He could not handle fighting another Blood-Eating Ghoul right now.

He chugged down an entire bottle of Mana Potion. It would help the Mycelium in his body repair his internal injuries.

Dylan dragged his heavy body toward the church.

Perhaps it was just an illusion, but the surrounding clamor gradually grew quieter.

Was the battle nearing its end?

He hoped the Blood-Eating Ghouls had not won. He also hoped he would not see his daughter already turned into one.

If Bella had truly transformed.

Dylan tightened his grip on the longsword in his hand.

Then he would personally grant his daughter release...