CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED NINETY-SEVEN

Hungry Ghoul, Part 2

The system is adjusting to the unique properties inherent in [Ghoul’s Taint]. It will take a while longer.

The horror sucked on Sam’s arm with renewed force, dragging his left shoulder into its petals, causing him even more pain and bringing his face close enough to the ghoul’s head that he was trying not to barf from the stench of rotting spirit flesh.

“R-Raven!” Sam called. “A little help!”

Although he doubted that she understood why he allowed himself to be put in such a dangerous position, Raven Knight intuitively understood what Sam needed. So, in a matter of seconds, the rest of his body was properly anchored to the ground by the numerous threads of shadow wrapped around him.

ALERT! [Regeneration (Δ)] is still attempting to counteract the poison. However, the taint’s proximity to your heart has increased the risk! It is recommended that you detach yourself from the horror to avoid incurring further injury.

At this point, Sam’s vision was already beginning to blur similar to those times when he’d exerted far too much life force in trying to heal others. His breath was heavy, and he could also sense his fatigue rising rapidly.

“I’m — not — dying — to — a freaking ghoul!” Sam snapped.

He drove Gram’s blade deep into the ghoul’s chest. However, despite this critical blow, the horror refused to unlatch its petals from Sam’s arm.

The ghoul’s remaining arm began to wrap around Sam’s waist — possibly in an attempt to lift him off his feet and weaken his resistance — but Raven Knight arrived a step earlier. In one quick motion, she drew her rapier in an arc and cut off the ghoul’s hand. This accumulated damage forced the ghoul’s petals to open abruptly, allowing Sam to pull his arm free.

Both the ghoul and Sam staggered backward, but, while the horror was forced to fall on its butt, Raven Knight was there to catch Sam before he fell.

“How is this supposed to help you become stronger?” she asked skeptically.

“Not entirely sure… about this either,” he admitted through gritted teeth.

She could see that the bite on his arms was hurting Sam’s insides too. And, from the way he saw Raven Knight bite her lips, he knew that she was holding herself back from calling him a fool. Yes, the reprimand would have to wait. Whether internally or externally, the fight wasn’t over yet.

WARNING! [Ghoul’s Taint] has spread closer to your heart. You are in danger of horrification!

Or maybe it was…

“No,” Sam whispered. “I will—”

With Raven Knight supporting his back, Sam reset his sword stance. It took a lot of effort to raise his sword hand, but he managed it all the same.

“—go beyond”—his arm shook while a teal aura exploded out of Gram’s blade—“even the extraordinary—”

With what little strength he could muster, Sam swung his blade downward.

“—and become super—Ripple!” he yelled.

There came a roar like that of a great beast, and then the ground was cut. An extremely sharp sword aura tore through the chamber, cutting everything within its reach, including the ghoul that had failed to escape the path of destruction. The horror was cut neatly in half — from its top petal to its groin — although there was an almost breathless delay of seconds before the ghoul’s two halves parted and a torrent of dark ichor gushed out of the gap.

At the same time, several notification windows appeared in the air that renewed Sam’s faith in Triple-A’s absurd suggestion.

ALERT! [Regeneration (Δ)] has successfully purified your body. You are no longer at risk of horrification.

Sam could feel his health bouncing back from dangerous levels, and he was able to stand straight again without Raven Knight needing to support him.

ALERT! [Regeneration (Δ)] has achieved a breakthrough! CONGRATULATIONS! [Regeneration (Δ)] has leveled up to [Regeneration (Γ)]!

“I had my doubts.” Raven Knight was giving Sam the once over with a scrutinizing gaze that reminded Sam too much of Crow-Man. “But it’s true… you really can grow stronger.”

Sam was worried that Raven Knight had become aware of his unique ability to level up, but he didn’t try to fool her with a lie either. She had already earned his trust.

“I’d appreciate it if this doesn’t get out,” he said.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” she said, smiling. “I didn’t see anything worth mentioning.”

They bumped fists.

ALERT! Regeneration’s growth has inspired further evolution within you!

Healing Hand may be the first application of Sam’s gift of life force, but it was also true that Regeneration was the passive ability that directly helped to maintain Sam’s life force. So, it was no surprise that this ability’s growth could also evolve other abilities within the gift of life force’s purview.

CONGRATULATIONS! The passive abilities [Athleticism (Δ)] and [Stout Body (Δ)] have both leveled up to [Athleticism (Γ)] and [Stout Body (Γ)]!

About damn time, Sam thought.

He belatedly realized that the muscles on his arms were more noticeable underneath his suit. The rest of him seemed to have undergone a similar sculpting process. Nothing major, and not enough for the fabric of his suit to stretch, but Sam certainly felt sturdier than before.

ALERT! A new power has evolved within you! CONGRATULATIONS! You have received [500 Poison Immunity (Γ)]. You no longer need to rely on just the poison resistance of [Regeneration (Γ)]. You are now immune to five hundred types of low, mid, and high-tier poisons! ALERT! You should review the list of poisons affected by [500 Poison Immunity (Γ)]. The poison immunity list will expand to include even more poisons once the ability levels up. ALERT! Thanks to the evolution of [Regeneration (Γ)], an opportunity to level up [Rejuvenation (ζ)] has appeared. More details will be provided once certain conditions arise.

There were so many notifications popping up around him that it almost seemed dizzying to just browse through their contents. A brief skimming was all Sam could do though as he couldn’t afford to waste time reading while the ghoul, which was surprisingly still alive despite being cut in half, was attempting to reconnect its two bloated halves together again.

“Nope. Not even all the king’s men”—With his fatigue lessening quickly, Sam strode forward and drove Gram’s blade into the ghoul’s heart—“could put Humpty Dumpy back together again.”

Raven Knight must have had the same idea as Sam. She also rushed forward and then stabbed the ghoul’s right half just as he attacked its left side.

They both heard a freakishly childish scream and then a whimper of, “I just… wanted to… taste…” before the ghoul’s two halves began to dissolve into a cloud of ash that was carried off into the wind.

In place of a horror’s corpse which would have provided them with a bounty of materials, only two items remained of the ghoul that had once been the fat eunuch’s spirit. The first item was a glowing piece of stone that was not unlike a horror’s core but didn’t share the same reddish glow. A ghostly blue light emanated from this palm-sized trinket that Sam knew from recent experiences was a soul stone.

“It’s a mid-grade stone,” Raven Knight deduced after she picked up the soul stone and inspected it. “This is very valuable.”

Not unlike the ghoul’s second drop; a round-shaped red jewel whose glow waxed and waned like a heartbeat.

As Sam picked up the horror’s core—for what else could it be—a new notification appeared before him.

ALERT! Absorbing the [Mid-tier Horror’s Core (Ghoul)] will help in evolving [Rejuvenation (ζ)].

“Raven, do you mind if I—”

“Take it.” Raven Knight was already pocketing the mid-grade soul stone. “It’s an even split of spoils.”

“Thanks.”

Sam wasn’t keen on holding it off. Once he received Raven Knight’s approval, he immediately squeezed the horror’s core between the fingers of his right hand and absorbed its essence — its life force, its experiences, its memories — into himself.

Surprisingly, the alien memories that flashed in his mind during this process weren’t what Sam expected. He imagined seeing all sorts of visions of cruelty and abuse, but all he saw was pain. All he felt was regret. The pain of a man who’d been unjustly forced to starve for simply desiring a beauty that had belonged to his master. The regret of a man who’d foolishly confessed his love and the ridicule and backlash that followed his naivety.

These brief flashes of memories flowed into Sam, inducing him to feel sympathy for the fat eunuch whose life had become so harsh that he’d easily been corrupted in death. Sam couldn’t help feeling this way as it was the nature of a healer to want to heal others rather than…

Sam sighed. “Why do all horrors have such tragic origin stories…?”

CONGRATULATIONS! You have successfully consumed the [Mid-grade Horror’s Core]. Your health, stamina, and fatigue have recovered to normal values. The number of cores you must consume to level up Rejuvenation (ζ) is [1/4].

Interestingly enough, no sooner did Sam finish reading this notification when a new opportunity to claim a second horror’s core appeared before them.

It was the long-haired eunuch that Sam had angered. He was standing by the entryway and blocking the only exit out of the chamber.

“I knew it was a mistake not to flog you!” The eunuch grinned a manic grin that rivaled the dead fat eunuch’s smile. “You will pay for killing a servant of his—”

A black blade similar to the one Sam had crossed swords with outside the city gates exploded out of the long-haired eunuch’s chest, causing the spirit to stagger forward in surprise.

“Wh-what have you—”

A javelin made entirely of ice pierced the eunuch in its mouth. A second icy javelin struck it in its gut.

Then two figures in familiar scarlet cloaks appeared at the chamber’s entrance. They both cut impressive figures standing there with their broad backs blocking the entrance like dark silhouettes set against the ghostly light filtering in from outside.

“Hey, guys,” Ice Brand called. “Cavalry’s here.”

Then, just as the long-haired eunuch’s form began to change—its face dividing slowly into those disgusting petals—the Phylarch stepped forward, a dark blade flashing in his hand. Then the eunuch lost his head.