Chapter 13: Reunion in the Forest Dante held his nose as he navigated the stench-ridden ghoul colony, skillfully avoiding the gaze of all the sluggish behemoths around. “Hey, Blake, aren’t you supposed to be teaching in the magic city? What brings you to this remote spot?” A man with red hair and red eyes, pale-faced and draped in a black robe, stopped fiddling with the remains of a discarded Ghoul Matron and lifted his head. “Isn’t this my fellow kin, Dante? I heard you were sent to Posein; I didn’t think it was true! Are you really turning over a new leaf and saying goodbye to Happy Street?” The red-haired man grinned brightly, revealing sharp, tiger-like fangs. “Who’s related to you, you perverted vampire? Put those fangs away, or I’ll believe it and pull them all out!” Dante replied, visibly displeased. “You’re really making it hard for me.” “So, what are you messing around with here?” “Can’t you tell? It’s research on ghoul ecology. Ghouls, our only kin who have lost their rationality, the mad descendants of man-eaters, the victims at the end of decadence; they remain one of the most exciting mysteries in magic. Is there even a possibility of restoring their sanity? What’s the relationship between the Ghoul Matron and the extinct Mother of Demons? Aren’t these fascinating topics?” “Drop your professor act; I’m getting sleepy just thinking about Lawrence’s hypnosis. If you mess up the breeding cycle for me, I swear I’ll chop you down. And stop pretending to be Blake, you evil dragon.” “Ah, but I thought I was pulling it off perfectly! Where did I slip up?” As the red-haired man spoke, he was enveloped by a heavy mist of blood summoned from the puddle beneath the Ghoul Matron, and the next moment, a silver-haired woman resembling Dante stepped out, wielding a longsword. “Should I call you the Blood Witch, Lilith, or the Blood-sucking Dragon, Unas? Or perhaps refer to you as the librarian of the Time Pavilion, Astalo?” Dante confronted the silver-haired woman revealing her true form. “Oh dear, don’t be so formal, little brother—just call me sister,” the woman replied, sounding disappointed. “Stop with the family antics; my mother is Elena Lawrence, and I have only one sister, Baroness Elizabeth Lawrence. We’re just coincidentally sharing the same bloodline from some man.” “Geez, always so shy about a sister. Is Blake’s look actually better?”…

Chapter 1: Somewhere in the Forest The Silya Forest was eerily silent. Inside the forest, the cold trees rose high, blocking out the sun. A white-robed man, scholarly in appearance, walked alongside a companion clad in black armor—his bodyguard, it seemed—through the perpetually snowy ground of the forest. The deeper one ventured into Silya Forest, the thicker the snow became. In the southern areas, one could still barely distinguish the four seasons, but as they moved northward, the snow grew increasingly difficult to melt. Moreover, the ancient giant trees shielded the sunlight, making the snow along the forest path all the more stubborn to thaw. The two marched in silence along the snow-covered path, clearly accustomed to navigating the forest’s depths. Though occasionally roars from Large Ghouls could be heard echoing around them, these dangerous ghoul types, usually found in the northern parts of Silya Forest, showed no inclination to attack. If anything, the ghouls seemed to revere the two men, keeping their distance and merely trailing behind them. “Hey, buddy, hold up. I’ve found something interesting! I want to drop by the library and give the Silver-haired Woman a heads-up,” the white-robed man suddenly called out to his armored companion, eyes alight with excitement. “Understood,” the Armored Man responded, halting and scanning the surroundings for threats. And then, it happened—the white-robed man seemed to meld into his own shadow as if casting some sort of magic. Now, the dangerous forest was left with just the lone Armored Man standing guard. A moment later, a silver-haired woman, dressed casually, elegantly materialized out of thin air from the empty shadows. “Long time no see, Blood Witch.” “Ah, I remember you. Your name is…” “You don’t even remember my name? How cold-hearted.” “There’s no need to remember the name of a mere shepherd dog. Guests are coming from the south; you should go welcome them. It seems to be a hunter’s party.” “According to your message, I only have collaborative ties with the Fourth and Fifth Incarnations. I shouldn’t have to follow your orders.” “My brother is in that party. If you don’t want your activities in the forest to get exposed, you should hurry up and do as I say, mutt,” the Silver-haired Woman said impatiently. “Alright, alright, Lady Witch,” the Armored Man replied, raising his hands in feigned surrender. “Hmph, a dog should act like one.” “What should I do…

Chapter 12: The Silent Forest Yulia was as charming as ever, quickly befriending the girl named Alice, and they walked ahead together, studying the fire magic that Alice used for caution. Dante, relieved to momentarily escape Yulia, slipped to the back of the group to rummage through the hunter supplies for something to eat. The hunter team gradually delved deeper into the Silya Forest, and Dante was quite content trailing behind, savoring the rare moment of peace without Yulia’s incessant pestering, enjoying a beer he bought back at the camp. “This beer is really good! I should’ve bought a couple more barrels earlier.” “Do you like it? We brewed it with ghoul blood. It’s our settlement’s specialty!” “How about I just go back and grab a few more?” “Then our cart won’t have enough space, Lord Dante.” “Speaking of which, you’re pretty carefree. Getting drunk in such a dangerous forest could be fatal,” Kaiding remarked, eyeing Dante as he downed another mug. “You guys are the lucky ones! With a compliant Alice, I usually don’t even have time to grab a drink because of that wicked Yulia. Now I’ve got the soldiers at the fortress calling me ‘Nanny’ openly! No thought for my feelings at all. Should we switch Alice and Yulia around just to see how you feel?” Dante lamented with a voice full of melodramatic flair. “I heard that, you know, Uncle Dante,” Yulia shouted from the front, a fireball spiraling out of control towards him amidst their magical protection. “Damn it! Lawrence’s notes clearly state you can’t use magic to attack others…” “Oh, for others, that’s true. Maybe it’s just because you’re special, Uncle Dante?” Another couple of fireballs zoomed in his direction as she spoke. “I take it back, Lady Yulia!” “小悠莉娅, it’s hard to control the flames when you do that,” Alice grumbled to Yulia, her displeasure evident. “Ah, I’m sorry! What were we talking about again?” “Using fire magic in the forest,” Alice replied as she adjusted the trajectory of her fireballs, resuming their earlier conversation. Alice’s magic reserves allowed her to wield fire magic for up to twelve hours a day. Though currently, she utilized it to intimidate the lurking monsters, keeping them at bay, she would switch duties with Reim every six hours to use his spatial detection magic to scout ahead and avoid the forest beasts. Gradually, the group plunged deeper…

Chapter 11: The Nanny’s Little Schemes Every time on a cold, harsh morning like today, when Yulia storms into my bedroom and yanks the covers away, I am swept awake by the frigid winds that rush in, shaking with cold and wishing for death, I can’t help but long for the leisurely days that feel as distant as heaven, those first six months after I arrived at Posein Fortress, a year and a half ago. “Mr. Dante, wake up, wake up! It’s nine o’clock already! You promised to take me to see the ghouls being hunted this morning!” “Please spare me, Lady Yulia! Give me back my covers and let me sleep for another half hour; I’ll go with you tonight instead…” “Chilly winds, from my command, glamourous adornments.” Yulia, with an unhappy expression, began reciting a spell. The room temperature noticeably dropped as the last flames in the fireplace instantly turned to frost. “Damn it! Didn’t Lawrence’s documents say that unicorns can’t use attack magic on others? Why is it so effective against me?” Lawrence shivered as he crawled to put on the clothes scattered around. “I’ll take you after I clean up; let’s just warm the room first, please!” Thus, the half-hearted Dante and the eagerly excited Yulia arrived at the Hunter Settlement north of Posein Fortress before noon. The Hunter Settlement was a village built in an area north of Posein, unprotected by town walls. Since the primary role of Posein Fortress is to suppress the rampant outbreaks caused by the overpopulation of ghouls occurring every few years, most beasts invading the perimeter are dealt with by the military. To avoid clashes with soldiers, the settlement is located at the boundary of the defensive area, established by skilled ghoul hunters themselves. Yulia, as if she had memorized the paths in the camp, dashed through the disorganized wooden houses with glee. As a protected child of a unicorn, although she can’t use direct attack magic on people, Yulia has a remarkable talent for supportive magic, allowing her to use various buff spells at such a young age. Now, having cast a white magic buff called “Light Blessing” on herself, Yulia moved through the Hunter camp like a swift crane, while Dante staggered behind, panting heavily. “Wait! Could you at least use ‘Light Blessing’ on me? At this rate, I can’t keep up!” “Hurry up! She’s about to set…

Chapter Ten: The Joyful Life of Alice and Four Hunters “Kaidin, bring over the long knife for cutting.” “This ghoul’s skin is really thick this time.” “It’s so cold, Little Alice, could you start a fire?” “Eh, it’s not even dark yet. We might have to stay up all night.” “If we start the fire now, my magic should last until morning, Mr. Reim.” “Awesome, Little Alice, your magic power has increased!” “If this goes on, we’ll be able to live cozy and warm in the forest 24/7.” “Reim, if you don’t step up your game, Alice might take your spot as the team’s magician.” After Reim bought me a red pendant magic item, I rapidly improved my black magic fire techniques. Plus, each time Eleanor took Yulia to Master DeVein’s shop to teach me reading, she also helped me with magic. So now, I can not only control the shape of flames skillfully, but I can also generate fire with very low magic consumption. Besides that, I can create up to seven fireballs at once, acting as a guard and protecting the hunting team from unnecessary attacks. Now, just by using Self-Identification, I could see that new changes had appeared in my information: ———————————————————————— Race: Ghoul Half-Blood Status: Frenzy – Curse of the Black Goat Calf, Logic – Infection of the White Spider Larva Skills: Great Demon Tribe Language, Self-Identification, Frenzy – Demon Transformation, Hunting, Black Magic – Fire, Low-Level Word Spirit Magic Power: 13/15 Other: Ghoul Eater, Rabbit Slayer, Manipulator of Flames ———————————————————————— The title “Manipulator of Flames” must be Master Self-Identification praising my abilities. Over the past three months, I had also asked Miss Eleanor quite a bit about the basics of word spirit magic, and finally, a few days ago, my skill received a long-awaited upgrade. “Don’t slack off, Kus, hurry up and cut off the horn.” “But this thing is so hard; let’s have dinner first.” “Alice is hungry too!” “Well, since even Little Alice said so, let’s cook first.” “Does that mean my opinions don’t matter?” “Kus, stop acting dumb and quickly get the pot out.” It had been over a year since I first met Maern and the others. I quickly grasped the basics of conversation and lived a hunting life with them. Three of the four, including Maern, were locals from nearby villages, while Kaidin was from the North, even though they…

Chapter Nine: Magic Items and Dinner Although the deeper a mage understands the arcane arts, the more infinite the mysteries of magic seem, most ordinary people still think that using magic is simply about injecting power into a magic item. In this world, there exists a category of items known as magic materials, which mostly consist of crystals or crystals found within magical creatures. These magic materials typically enhance magical abilities and serve as an outlet for one’s mana, making it easier to cast spells. When these magic materials are processed, engravings of established magical pathways are inscribed onto them using special techniques. This allows people to use magic without needing to understand the underlying principles, or helps mages manipulate complex mana operations to cast spells more precisely. The pendant-style magic item made from Fire Bear Crystals that Master DeVein showed me is a perfect example of the latter. The deep red pendant not only enables the wielder to directly conjure flames but also assists with the delicate control of the flame’s shape and properties, making it ideal for beginners in magic. “And look,” Master DeVein touted, “you seem to have a good affinity with fire magic; this should help you grasp the principles of fire magic even further.” “So, with this, I can control the shape of the flames?” “Yes, but because the magical pathways in this pendant are delicate, you shouldn’t force too much mana into it, or you’ll break it,” Master DeVein continued. Meanwhile, Reim chimed in, “Once you master fire magic, you’ll find you won’t rely on magic items; you can just cast spells through incantations. Of course, the highest level would be casting spells silently.” “Now, will you buy it or not? If you part with your last Fire Bear Crystal, I can give you a 50% discount, so it’ll only be ten gold coins!” A 50% discount and still ten gold coins? Are you trying to bleed me dry? But, it does sound useful… What a dilemma. “Want to give it a try? Yulia is over there testing out magic items as well; you should join her. After all, trying it out is free,” Master DeVein whispered like a devil in my ear. Ah, there’s no helping it; I’ll go try it out. Thus, I took the deep red pendant and headed to the room behind the Weapon Shop. Inside, Yulia and Eleanor seemed…

Chapter 8: Clothes and Equipment Despite the unassuming appearance of the weapon shop, it was clear from the numerous garments Lena had brought over that Master DeVein’s household was quite prosperous. From my observations of the hunters’ lives in the village over the past few days, their living conditions weren’t great. Even Kaiding, who was always preening and liked to charm the ladies, didn’t own many outfits. But the sheer amount of clothing that Lena had since childhood suggested that Master DeVein was already quite successful by the time she was born. “Most of these clothes were ones that I and Ilya outgrew and passed down to Lena. The good thing is that there’s a lot of it, and many items are made from ghoul skin, so they’re really durable,” Reim reminisced as he looked at the old clothes his sister had brought. Curiously, Yulia also leaned in, eager to help me rummage through the pile. I quickly picked out three outfits, all of them long pants and sturdy shirts. I flatly refused all the frilly dresses Reim suggested; I could see the disappointment on his face, but who cares? Thinking that since I was just a kid, I didn’t need to worry about being modest, I started to strip off the ill-fitting clothes right there in front of everyone and planned to put on the old garments Lena had brought. However, for some reason, both Eleanor and Lena seemed thoroughly displeased with my actions. As I began to change, the two rushed over, using their bodies as shields to block the view from the other men in the room. Eleanor even scolded me for it! What’s the big deal? I’m just a four or five-year-old kid; there’s nothing to be shy about! I wanted to counter that thought, but I figured, in this world, there’s likely some weird lolicon thing going on, so I eventually complied and admitted my fault. Yet, Yulia, upon seeing me in the well-fitting clothes, got super excited and clung to Eleanor, saying she wanted to wear something more convenient like mine. She even tried to imitate me and started to remove her clothes to change into Lena’s old outfits, but Eleanor firmly stopped her. In the end, Eleanor couldn’t resist Yulia’s pleading and promised that she would make her some easy-to-move-in clothes later, instead of forcing her to wear those ridiculous long dresses. Speaking…

Chapter 7: Aftermath “So, you scoundrel Reim, you went to the capital and used my tuition fees to learn magic?” Master DeVein sighed as he closed the store door and waved us inside. “Tch, I had no interest in business or forging anyway. The Magic Academy just happens to have a renowned Ghoul researcher, so I decided to study under him directly.” “I always suspected you were hiding something from me, you little brat.” “Old man, I paid back the tuition years ago! Don’t bring up old scores! Is the medical box still in the usual spot?” Reim opened a cabinet in the corner of the shop. “Yeah, yeah, just grab the bandages and everything. First, we need to tend to those two little girls’ wounds,” Master DeVein said as he began to examine the injuries on me and Yulia. Though I was used to this level of injury, it seemed Yulia was worse off than I imagined. When Master DeVein touched her shoulder wound, she grimaced in pain. Looks like I’d better apologize sincerely, I thought, bowing my head earnestly to express my regrets for having torn into her shoulder like a beast moments ago. Yulia, however, turned out to be more forgiving than I expected. Smiling, she said to me, “It’s okay, after all, I was the one who made the first move. Besides, your wound looks much worse than mine; I’m the one who’s really sorry!” “Well, I’m an old man who lets you four run wild, so it’s partly my fault. I didn’t expect you two little ones to be even tougher than I hoped. Out of curiosity about your skills, I almost let things get out of hand,” Master DeVein commented while preparing to bandage Yulia’s wounds. At that moment, Eleanor seemed to finally snap back to reality after the earlier argument and called out to Master DeVein, who was about to tend to Yulia’s injury, saying, “I really lost my composure earlier. I can use White Magic to heal wounds, so let me take care of this.” Then, Eleanor took out the ring that had served as a wager earlier and infused it with magical energy. The ring glowed softly, enveloping Yulia’s shoulder wound in its light. After about five minutes, the glow faded, and Yulia’s bite-mark was completely healed. “No kidding, she’s a noble, I can’t believe she even has White Magic inscribed…

Chapter 6: The Outcome of the Duel In this world, the taste of human blood is like iron shavings. That was my only thought before I calmed down after being pinned to the ground by Reim in the final phase of my duel with Yulia. Ah, I really went overboard, didn’t I? Although my body is that of a child after coming to this place, inside, I’m still over twenty! Why do I feel like my mind has turned into that of a child, too? I found myself inexplicably angry at the blond **girl** in front of me. If this kept up, I’d probably enter a frenzy and go wild out of pain and killing intent! And what’s worse, if I lost control during the frenzy, I would definitely end up killing Yulia right there. It was a close call—such a close call. Thinking back, I’m so glad Reim jumped in and held me down. As for Yulia, right before she cast her spell, her maid, Eleanor, rushed over with a change of expression, snatching away her wooden sword and pinning her down. “I’ll be the one who wins!” Yulia exclaimed defiantly while being pressed down by Eleanor. You’re quite persistent for a little girl, aren’t you? With such a cute face, why are you so combative? “Yup, I lost. My Great Bear Gem was already cracked, and I couldn’t use magic anymore. So, you win, Yulia. Aah, I lost.” I didn’t want to argue with her and pretended to sincerely concede. “Hmph, at least you know. But you’re pretty strong too. Since you admitted defeat so graciously, let’s make up.” Yulia’s attitude softened after hearing my confession. “No, Yulia, you are the one who lost,” replied Eleanor sternly, who had Yulia pinned. “How many times do I have to say it? You’re prohibited from using black magic to interfere with the Phantom Forest. The price for summoning a phantom beast with black magic is not just magic power—it’s blood and flesh! Just now, you were going to summon an even higher-level existence without permission, weren’t you? Seriously, young lady, please cherish yourself a bit more.” Eleanor scolded Yulia angrily. “But if I could become stronger, then mom wouldn’t have died…” Yulia said, suddenly tearing up. Now that I had calmed down, Reim let me go. Seeing Yulia cry, he rushed over to pull Eleanor away, who was still pinning…

Chapter 5: The Deadly Duel of the Wild Rabbit and the House Cat “O beasts once considered divine, my name is Yulia, the blessed one under your gaze. I offer you my very essence, and what I pray for is your favor—manifest, oh youngest child of the Phantom Forest, and trample my foes!” As the wager between Reim and Eleanor commenced, my opponent Yulia was leisurely chanting her spell, and confident that I could handle her, I refrained from interrupting. Instead, I studied the magic she intended to use, waiting for her to wrap up so we could have a proper showdown. After all, taking on a little girl like her, given my experience in the forest, I figured I wouldn’t possibly lose. But I must say, my thinking at the time was far too naive. The magic Yulia summoned was a snow-white unicorn colt, a phantom beast that seemed to materialize from the light, airy magic of this petite girl, hovering beside her. But that was fine; my mission remained unchanged—I’d take her down hard. “Ready?” I confirmed with her before closing the distance and unleashing my strike. However, Yulia’s defense was far better this time. It was as if she preemptively predicted each of my attacks, effortlessly countering while that summoned unicorn occasionally sneaked in behind me for a surprise assault. Before I knew it, I had shifted from the aggressor to the defender, slowly being overwhelmed by her. Suddenly, the snow-white creature charged at me, its horn aimed right at me. I quickly raised my wooden sword to defend, but Yulia seized the opportunity to swing her wooden blade at me. I braced myself to take the hit, retreating in the direction of her strike, narrowly avoiding the unicorn’s follow-up. I had been knocked back by this relentless assault no less than ten times, and Yulia showed no signs of mercy. She rushed at me again, forcing me to dodge behind wooden debris, completely putting me on the back foot. Meanwhile, two old classmates reunited, were caught up in lively conversation. “You might want to tell your little girl to admit defeat,” Eleanor said smugly to Reim. “Is she under the protection of a phantom beast? I never expected a noble with royal blood to appear in a place like this,” Reim exclaimed. “And that summoning magic—did you teach it to her? Seriously, you should restrain yourself!…