Chapter 4: Confrontation with Yulia Just as I had triumphantly defeated Lena, my mind filled with thoughts of the grand meal ahead, I was suddenly blown away by a strange wind magic and crashed hard against a wooden post behind me. There stood a little girl, slightly taller than me, brandishing a sword and pointing it at me with an air of arrogance. Ah, that hurt a lot! While it wasn’t on the level of being clubbed by a giant bear, is it really okay for you, you golden-haired brat, to casually use such dangerous magic on others? If an ordinary little girl took that hit, she might be bedridden for a week! But when someone challenges you, you can’t just ignore it. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth—it’s one of my creed principles. Let me teach you, you strange little brat, what it means to respect your elders and cherish the young! I picked up my wooden sword and charged at the arrogant golden-haired girl, launching a relentless series of eight strikes designed specifically for beating rabbits’ mothers. Due to her extravagant, somewhat over-the-top dress, my opponent was hindered, failing to dodge my attack, and clumsily tried to block my strikes with her wooden sword. Finally, during my seventh blow, her defense weakened, and I seized the opportunity to smack her twice with my wooden sword. Then, leaning to the side, I aimed a decisive kick at her stomach, channeling the momentum as if I could kick her into the sky. But this golden-haired brat seemed to be a bit more adept than a mere rabbit. While airborne, she chanted something, presumably using that same strange magic from before, adjusting her balance with the power of the wind and landed gracefully on the ground. “Tsk, not bad, that strange spell you used.” This was the first time I had seen a human use magic; it really requires chant incantations—the very essence of being so middle school-like. But even though it was my first time, I felt I could slightly grasp the principle of her magic. It was different from how I used stones to start a fire; it felt like she was manipulating her magic more delicately. How can I put it? Using the knowledge I had learned before, it’s like the difference between programming languages. “Quite impressive, Red Eye Rabbit, your fighting skills are…

Chapter 3: The Duel between Hunter Apprentices (2) “They always say that those who complain about their lack of talent simply don’t put in enough effort to reach the heights where competition demands it; the gap in talent is just the difference between those who refuse to try and those who easily give up, a result of laziness and surrender.” Lena once believed this too, but was it truly the case? Before her stood a silver-haired girl with red eyes—this little girl, who looked at least six years younger, was cruelly mocking all the effort Lena had put into becoming a Ghoul Hunter with her unmatched talent and innocent gaze of a child. It was as if the vast gulf of talent between them was being demonstrated; Lena’s sword never once touched Alice’s body. The girl named Alice danced around her like she was a monkey, effortlessly evading every slash, without even needing to block with her sword. At this moment, the silver-haired, red-eyed girl was perched atop a training stump, looking down at Lena, contemplating how to gracefully end the duel. The only reason Lena still stood there, unknocked down, was probably because the girl’s brother had asked her to show mercy on his apprentice. So, Alice looked at Lena with that arrogant expression, seeking a way to finish the fight that wouldn’t leave her injured. “Damn it!” Lena shouted, her voice choked with tears as she jumped onto the stump, swinging her sword with all her might. As Alice stood on the stump, unable to sidestep Lena’s attack, Lena thought she could at least force her to block with her wooden sword. However, even so, Lena’s wish did not come true. Unbeknownst to her, even her current attack was made under Alice’s guidance. While Alice fought wild rabbits and giant bears in the Silya Forest, Lena was merely practicing her slashes on a stationary target under the guidance of a second-rate hunter. At this very moment, she could only be thoroughly trapped in Alice’s scheme. As Lena unleashed her full-force strike, the silver-haired Devil looked at her with a disdainful gaze, as if to say, “Ah, so this is the best you can do.” Then, in a strange burst of movement, Alice closed the distance to Lena. With the hilt of her wooden sword, she lightly tapped Lena’s shoulder just before Lena’s full-force strike came down, causing Lena…

Chapter 2: The Competition Among Hunter Apprentices (1) What should I do? Have I been too cute these days? It seems like Reim has become infatuated with me. What to do? If only I hadn’t acted so adorably when he was cutting my hair! And I shouldn’t have been so clingy when he was teaching me the local dialect! Ah, what to do? Gender aside, just looking at my appearance, I still seem like a five or six-year-old little girl! Reim had been chatting with a man named Master DeVein about me in the Common People Tribe Language, a language I still hadn’t fully grasped. Since I didn’t really understand it, I could only catch snippets, but it appeared they thought I was a half-breed abandoned by the Demon Tribe and warned me not to show the sad little horns on my forehead in front of others. But just then, Reim suddenly pulled me into a tight hug, and I blushed bright red, nearly unable to speak! A little while later, he released me, but by that time, I was dizzy—probably from studying the new language so hard over the past few days. I couldn’t focus on whatever those two were bickering about. Before long, they seemed to come to a conclusion. They decided to take me to Master DeVein’s shop in town. Although they argued over who would carry me to town, I insisted I could walk by myself, cutting the topic short. As we walked, Reim spoke slowly in the Common People Tribe Language, explaining his relationship with Master DeVein. It turned out, Master DeVein was Reim’s biological father. To sum it up, Reim’s family situation was messier than the states of pre-Qin China. Reim’s father, Master DeVein, had a first wife who was a half-demon. She died over twenty years ago during an uproar in the town when ghouls were resurrected by the Undead Tribe. At that time, Master DeVein, a ghoul hunter, was severely injured. Seizing that moment, he retired from hunting and partnered with a female weapon smith, whose shop had been destroyed and whose husband had died, to open a new shop. After six years of cooperating, they developed feelings for each other and finally got married in the spring of the seventh year. They had a daughter a few years later, Reim’s half-sister, Lena. Meanwhile, Reim also had another sister, Ilya, with no…

Chapter 1: Hunter Son Reim and Merchant Father DeVein The Kingdom of Os is one of the largest Common People nations on the Gaobo Continent. To the north, it is protected by the Arcs Mountain Range, which blocks most of the paths between the Silya Forest and the kingdom. The Arcs Mountain Range is home to the powerful and scarce Great Demon Tribe and ancient elves, serving as a natural wall guarding the Kingdom of Os, with only a small connection to the Ghoul Forest in the northeastern corner where it borders the neighboring Gauss Empire. Thus, while the Kingdom of Os is occasionally troubled by incursions from the plateau tribes descending from the southern slopes of the Arcs, it remains considerably more peaceful compared to the Gauss Empire, which is fully connected to the Silya Forest in the north. In this northeastern corner lies Poseidon Fortress, the largest stronghold in the kingdom, around which a sizable town has developed. Poseidon Fortress is situated at the northernmost point of the town, housing about two thousand permanent soldiers. Although not a large number, these elite troops have been assigned from the Kingdom of Os army and are tasked with preventing ghouls from the Silya Forest from advancing southward and attacking the kingdom’s territory. With a resident population of over ten thousand, the town can be described as having developed under the fortress’s protection, with most of its major buildings situated to the south, relying on Poseidon Fortress and the walls extending from it. Outside the town’s northern gate, which lies beyond the fortress and its walls, is a village of ghoul hunters. While this area bears the brunt of attacks whenever the fortress is targeted, it has still grown into a sizable settlement over the past several decades. The people who choose to live here are either so impoverished that they can’t afford to rent a room in town or are confident hunters who believe they can fend off ghouls at any moment. Additionally, due to a serious incident over twenty years ago, where ghoul corpses were resurrected within the town and caused massive destruction, bringing extensive losses, the town now prohibits the entry of complete ghoul bodies. Thus, the settlement north of the fortress also serves as a processing site for various monster materials. Craftsmen at the forefront will break down monster corpses and facilitate trading, then transport them back…

Chapter 3: Nanny Dante and Young Lady Yulia “I say, Miss Yulia, can we skip going out today? It’s snowing outside, and I might just turn into an ice cube!” Dante entered the officer’s room looking utterly defeated as he spoke to the floating Yulia already in mid-air. “Snow? I’ve only seen it a few times in the capital! By the way, I didn’t even notice when I came this morning. Did it just start? Come on, let’s go play in the snow, Mr. Dante!” Yulia exclaimed excitedly, her eyes sparkling as she gazed up at him. “The snow here is nothing like in the capital; it’s really cold, please spare me, Miss.” “No, I want to go, I want to go!” “Then you go by yourself!” Dante ignored the pouting Yulia and lazily sank into the couch. “I drank too much last night; I’ve got a headache and feel terrible.” “No, I want to go, I want to go!” Yulia shouted, making everything around her start to float. “Alright, alright, I get it! Just put everything down, and after lunch, we can go, okay?” And thus, another day began for Dante, the nanny. Dante Greywhite, the kingdom’s strongest and once a formidable soldier known for striking terror on the battlefield, the infamous sword master with silver hair and a disinterested smirk, had single-handedly annihilated a ghoul gang on his first day at Poseidon Fortress, and now he was being toyed with by a little girl. Sigh, this girl keeps gaining more magical power. If this continues, she’ll just keep bouncing around like a horse on my back! I need to find a way to wear her out, or I won’t make it through the day. “Hey, Mr. Dante, are you listening? Mr. Dante, Mr. Dante.” “Ah, what? Sorry, I zoned out for a moment there.” “Yesterday, I used my crystal ball and saw a large gray bear in the forest defeat a ghoul! Isn’t it said that ghouls are the kings of Cilia?” “Oh, you mean the Grayfire Giant Bear? That guy specializes in eating ghouls! They’re the only animals in the corpse-cold barrier that can use fire, so when they catch ghouls that are afraid of fire, they munch away.” “Then why were there still so many ghouls coming down last month?” “Because, oh right! Once ghouls form a group, they tend to hunt nearby bears. It’s quite…

Chapter 2: Guests at Poseidon Fortress Poseidon Fortress is the largest fortress in the Kingdom of Os, located at the northernmost point of the kingdom. Although it has gradually gained some popularity due to the rise of ghoul industry and the trade of ghoul corpses, the cold and harsh environment makes it the last place most soldiers want to be stationed—except for one person, the current commander of the fortress, General Graywhite-Dante. “What a great job! Back in Gulna Capital, it’s nothing but trouble with challengers, balls, and noble proposals. Just thinking about it gives me a headache. Here, I only need to go out occasionally to wipe out some ghouls and can laze around in the office napping. But it’s really cold!” Dante mused, counting down the last few minutes before five o’clock ticked by. “If you really think that way, you can relinquish your title as the kingdom’s number one, and then you can return to the capital for a comfy life,” a voice chimed in. “That’s not happening! Just sitting on the throne of the kingdom’s number one for sixteen years qualifies me for nobility! My goal is to live off taxes in my own territory for life. I must hold out for these last six years.” Dante continued to daydream, “By the way, Lawrence, why did you travel all the way from the capital? Are you here to challenge my supremacy?” “A former number one challenging the current number one? Isn’t that a bit embarrassing? I’m here on business. And what’s with that rude tone?” “Forgive my disrespect, General.” Dante instantly stood up and saluted, “May I ask your purpose in coming all this way?” “Bodyguard! Bodyguard! And I’m also here to check on how you’re doing, since you are my most outstanding disciple. By the way, I’ve been promoted—now I’m Chancellor Lawrence, so please address me correctly from now on.” The middle-aged man named Lawrence pulled out a five or six-year-old girl from behind him. She had beautiful golden hair and doll-like features. “The astrologers say that chaos will soon visit the Northern Fortress, hence I’ve brought her to bolster our strength.” Lawrence pointed at the little girl dressed in lavish clothing, “She’s a troublesome heir of the protective bloodline of the Gulna family, and as usual, she’s a unicorn’s familiar, incapable of self-defense. Now a bunch of assassins are after her, so I had…

Chapter 8: Ghoul Hunter The captured ghoul towered over the hunters, standing more than twice their height, clutching a withered tree branch, clearly much stronger than them. Two hunters armed with spears drew the ghoul’s attention, perilously dodging the swings of its wooden club. The heavy club struck the ground, kicking up dirt that nearly blew the two hunters away. Meanwhile, the ambush hunters seized the opportunity, drawing their bows to launch sharp arrows that struck the ghoul’s eyeball, forcing it to drop the club and howl in pain while clutching its eyes. The other two hunters immediately charged in, fiercely stabbing at the ghoul’s ankles. Thus, the four hunters deftly avoided the ghoul’s attacks, coordinating seamlessly to gradually inflict damage on the cumbersome creature, completely oblivious to a silver-haired child in a bear cloak sitting nearby on a tree, watching their intricate teamwork in rapt attention. –Illustration 1 Time seemed to stretch as the ghoul, gradually spent from all its efforts, succumbed to their final blow. The child couldn’t help but jump down from the tree and clap, exclaiming, “Sugoi, sugoi!” The four hunters turned, wide-eyed, at the small child behind them, muttering incomprehensible words. The silver-haired, red-eyed girl seemed to realize that there was a language barrier between them. But being only three or four years old, she thought learning to speak should be easy. Yet by the time the girl gathered her wits, she had already been surrounded by the four burly men. “How cute! Let’s take her home and raise her!” “Four smelly men?” “When she grows up, she’ll make a nice wife!” “I’ve still got my childhood sweetheart back home waiting for me.” “This girl is going to be a beauty when she grows up, huh?” “By the way, what’s a kid doing way out here in the forest?” “This outfit looks so warm.” As the hunters exchanged these nonsensical dialogues, one of them picked the girl up. She was hoisted high by what seemed to be the leader of the hunters, who began examining her with a curious look. “Are you speaking the dialect of the ghoul tribe from Mt. Arus?” the leader asked the girl in another language. “Yes! I’m a homeless little hunter now, can you uncles take me in?” Upon realizing this man could understand her, the girl immediately made her plea. For now, she just needed to win their favor…

Chapter 7: Growth and the First Encounter with Humans It’s been half a year. In this time, I’ve slain thirteen fire-breathing gray bears and countless rabbits. The crystal I obtained from the seventh gray bear finally freed me from the barbaric life of feasting on raw flesh. By channeling magic into that stone, I could create flames! However, my magic power was still too low, so I couldn’t even use it to stay warm. At first, even cooking a single meal would deplete all my magic energy. But after acquiring the ability to start a fire, Mr. Self-Identification suddenly shined brightly, revealing a ton of information! Most importantly, I learned I could now see my own magic power through self-identification. Sure enough, igniting flames with crystals is a form of magic—just as expected in this otherworldly land. In the beginning, my magic power in normal form was only 2 points, while in ghoul form it shot up to 53 points. To maintain a flame suitable for roasting meat for five minutes, I’d need to consume 1 point of magic power. But controlling the flame was a challenge in ghoul form, and if I went overboard, I’d zap all my magic energy! Plus, if my magic power hit zero in that form, I would lose consciousness and faint. So, starting a fire in ghoul form was immediately ruled out. When in my normal state, I had already become proficient with fire! Plus, if I ran out of magic while in that form, I only felt slightly fatigued—not fainting unconscious. Moreover, if I first shifted into a frenzy state and then switched back to normal human form after a bit, there was roughly a one-in-three chance that my magic power would be replenished (this probability was something I figured out after ten days of research while trying to control the flames to cook). I happily practiced transforming while recovering my magic power, and after a month, I became quite skilled in roasting meat. Indeed, the need to improve one’s quality of life is the source of human progress. After countless times of depleting my magic in normal state, I felt my magic essence subtly increasing each time I recovered. Eventually, I could light a fire to keep warm at night. Over a year later, I learned from Dante and Yulia at Poseidon Fortress that the increase in magic power was due to…

Chapter 6: How to Start a Fire It’s been nearly a hundred days, and throughout this time, I’ve been trying to figure out how that giant bear breathes fire. During my sixth bear chase, I didn’t manage to grasp the secret of the flames, and now here I am, decked out in a massive, warm bear fur cloak, facing off against the seventh giant bear—of course, in a frenzied, ghoul state. This gray bear should be a firepower-enhanced type; its claw swipes are easier to dodge than the first six, but its fiery breath is almost non-stop. Hmm, what great experiment material! I’m studying its breathing pattern, certain that it has some kind of fire mechanism in its body. This time, with my now sharper senses, I must uncover how the giant bear breathes fire. The fiery spray from the gray bear is exceptionally fierce. The heat must originate from somewhere inside it—not from the throat; I confirmed that during our last confrontation. So, is the flame generated by its heart? I hide in the gap between its paw and the flames, getting closer to the giant bear and preparing to deliver a solid blow. However, the flames don’t go out; they only weaken a bit. Crap, it’s so hot, I got burned! So, the heart should only provide the burning energy. Then the real ignition source must be here! I plunge my hand into its body, pulling out a chunk of stone that looks like solidified lava from above the heart. It’s so hot! The flames vanish in an instant, but my hand turns red from the “steaming” heat—so hot! I quickly fling the rock on the ground, but the searing pain in my hand becomes the last straw that breaks my sanity, and I once again lose all sense and lunge at the giant bear, ready to tear it apart. Though I’ve lost my rationality, I’ve more or less gotten used to this feeling of my body being controlled by frenzy. Watching my ghoul self fight the giant bear feels like I’m watching a movie while trying to regain control of my body. Just as my frenzied body prepared to strike the bear’s left foot, I once again seized control. Ah, this pain and urge to kill are such a hassle! After regaining control, I freeze up, and the giant bear slaps me away, sending me crashing to…

Chapter 5: Wilderness Survival Those giant bears are definitely targeting me. This marks the fifth time in two months that I’ve landed in this dreadful bear-hunting situation. Let’s just get it over with; I’m tired of running away. I threw caution to the wind, ready to confront the beast. Time to show you that even a “normal” person can make some progress before losing control! I dodged the first two swipes from the grizzly bear and, in the fleeting moment before its roar, leapt high, aiming for its eye with my bone tip. A short, pitiful whimper replaced the mighty roar, and once again I was swatted to the ground like a pesky fly. Is this the end? I assessed my injuries, thinking I’d soon be slipping into madness again. I need to keep my wits about me; I have to claim that bear hide! My skin began to take on a pale blue hue, as if all my lifeblood were pooling in my eyes. My already reddish pupils now burned crimson, the whites stained a sinister shade of red, and two deep crimson lines, like dripping tears, carved down my face. My fingernails elongated and sharpened as I rose slowly to my feet, unleashing a terrifying sneer at the grizzly, reminiscent of a silver-haired demon under the silvery moonlight. I did it! I finally stayed aware amidst this intense pain. “Hahaha…” But it hurts so much! The pain shows no sign of abating. Let’s just wrap this up quickly; who knows when I’ll lose consciousness again. Easily slipping away from the bear’s claws, I slashed a gaping hole in its belly. The bear let out a cry of agony, unleashing flames more ferocious than any I had experienced before in its roar. My attack was effective! First task: tear off a complete piece of its hide. I deftly dodged the bear’s fiery wrath, leaping onto its back, swinging the Ghoul’s Bone with all my might against its massive skull, interrupting its breath. As it staggered in pain, I swiftly turned to its flank, cutting away a large, intact section of skin, and with a sinister smirk, tossed the bloody trophy aside. Just a little longer—I still need to figure out how the fire works… I thought, my consciousness slowly blurring. Am I at my limit? My mind was once again dragged into the deep waters of pain and bloodlust,…