Chapter 14: The Ghoul Ambush in the Forest

After watching Dante’s figure disappear deep into the forest, Yulia began to set up defensive barriers around us.

The glimmering light of her exquisite spell was breathtaking. Yulia smoothly recited the incredibly convoluted incantations, skillfully casting extremely complex magic, leaving Maern and me dumbfounded as we watched her.

“Impressive.” Once Yulia finished, the hunters and I praised her in unison.

“Thank you for the compliment,” Yulia gracefully lifted her skirt and bowed to us, “but I think creating flames in the forest like Alice here is even more impressive.”

The blonde-haired, blue-eyed noble young lady, a mage, was truly incredible. This fantasy world was amazing, and I couldn’t help but hug this adorable little being.

“Group hug.”

“Group hug! Alice is really affectionate!” Yulia gently petted my head.

Being a child was absolutely wonderful. Though I had initially resisted this body, as Yulia became more attached to me, I now relished every moment of her warm embraces. It was simply marvelous.

So, we casually enjoyed our closeness while waiting for Dante to return.

But before long, something unusual stirred in the forest. Three large ghouls we had never seen before came barreling toward us.

“Damn, three of them!”

“Aren’t they supposed to fear fire?”

“Not afraid when I have my barrier.”

“Just in case, Maern, hurry and grab the weapons.”

The three strange ghouls were clearly closing in on us. The leading one easily pierced Yulia’s first layer of barrier with its black horn, roaring as it signaled the start of its attack.

“Three? This is a bit tricky.” Even Kus looked serious.

“Alice, protect Yulia!” Maern shouted to me before joining the others to confront the ghouls.

The four of them executed their usual tactics, stalling the ghouls’ advance while waiting for an opening. But then, an unbelievable scene unfolded. Two hornless red ghouls unleashed fire breath simultaneously.

Ghouls shouldn’t fear flames; they should inhibit their generation instead. Yet these two were definitely using flame attacks.

Caught off guard by the fire breath from the ghouls, Maern and the others were thrown into disarray. The black-horned ghoul accelerated past the defense line, smashing through all barriers and looming over Yulia and me, letting out a deafening roar.

“Oh no.” Maern shouted, ready to retreat, but was blocked by a fourth ghoul, the most dangerous Tear-marked Ghoul.

Though the Tear-marked Ghoul stood only slightly taller than a human, it was exceptionally agile. It seemed to have concealed its presence, closing in on us from the trees, and then pounced down, using its sharp claws to attack Maern from above.

Maern swung his spear, barely managing to parry the Tear-marked Ghoul’s attack. But this ghoul was clearly on a different level from the others, exuding a chilling aura of killing intent as it lunged at Maern, who was now clearly in trouble.

Meanwhile, the black-horned ghoul charged forward, taking advantage of the chaos and aimed its massive horn at Yulia, rushing over.

Yulia, terrified by the ghoul’s horrifying roar, stood frozen in fear, unmoving despite my cries. The black ghoul’s horn was about to pierce her body.

In a panic, I jumped in front of Yulia to take the hit with my own body. The black horn impaled me, blood blossoming like a flower and staining Yulia’s beautiful dress.

As the color drained from my face, deep red tear marks emerged. Due to the impact from the ghoul, I entered a frenzied state—Ghoul form.

With a swipe of my claw, I sliced through the ghoul’s incoming punch, pulling Yulia away to safety.

Finally, Yulia regained her composure, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at my face.

“Scary, huh?”

“No, you look really cool.” She leaned closer, rubbing her face against mine.

“Wait, I’m busy right now,” I protested, pulling out the pale blue bone blade from my back. This blade was typically used for cutting horns and bones; it was incredibly sturdy and wouldn’t easily break, even in my ghoul form.

“Yulia, you help too.”

Yulia summoned a snow-white unicorn cub and activated all her magic items, which floated in the air like dandelions.

“You’re so reliable! Please go over and help set up a defensive barrier for Maern and the others. It seems like they’re having a tough time.”

“Okay.” Yulia nodded and flew off.

The black ghoul tried to attack Yulia, but I intercepted it with my bone blade, delivering a strike against its horn.

Huh, I couldn’t even cut its horn? Dodging its wild claw swipes, I took aim and slashed at its shoulder. Then, I dropped my weapon and leaped high into the air.

With my blade still lodged in the ghoul’s shoulder, it let out a pained howl. I soared above it, pressing its head into the ground and gouging out its eyes with one swift hand.

It screamed hoarsely, struggling as I blocked its desperate thrusts with my own body. Pulling out the long knife stuck in its shoulder, I plunged it toward its heart.

Meanwhile, Yulia had set up her barrier and, with the unicorn phantom, played a game of cat and mouse with the two non-flying red ghouls, assisting the three hunters in encircling them. Maern was locked in a fierce battle with the Tear-marked Ghoul.

Maern was so strong!

Just then, the two ghouls on Yulia’s side unleashed a combined attack, shooting fire breath upwards.

I quickly jumped over, grabbing Yulia and landing among Maern and the others. They stared at me in horror, immediately scattering away.

Looks like my ghoul form frightened them. I felt a twinge of pain at that notion.

But there was no time for sentiment. The red-skinned ghoul threatened to break through the hastily constructed barrier.

“Stay here.” I set Yulia down and jumped back into action.

“If you wanna breathe fire, I’ll play along!”

The fearful gazes of Maern and the others annoyed me, so I recklessly pulled out the firestone I had recently hunted from a grizzly bear. I couldn’t risk damaging the magical item that Maern gave me, especially since my maximum output in this frenzy could wreck its delicate magic circuit, so I opted to use the unrefined stone for my magic this time.

“Watch closely, you four!” I declared while channeling power into the stone.

Deep red flames erupted around the ghouls, engulfing the two monsters.

I continued to pour in my magic, aiming to incinerate the two completely, releasing my frustration for having to show this form in front of Maern and the others.

“Leave the corpses in the flames!” Dante, out of breath, yelled as he ran up. Of course, I ignored his mindless jabbering.

“Alice, you little troublemaker! I thought you’d be more reliable like Yulia!” Dante exclaimed, rushing toward the burning corpses of the ghouls and shouted, “Leave that one for me.” He reached out to touch the flames, and they vanished in an instant.

“And that black one? Alice, you didn’t finish it properly. Honestly.”

Dante complained as he pulled out a small dagger, sending it towards the ghoul that had gotten back up, which was charging at Yulia. The tiny dagger struck the ghoul and produced a surprisingly heavy sound, causing the black ghoul to collapse.

The other red ghoul had already turned to ashes in my flames.

“Alice, just sit back and watch with Yulia. Let the grown-ups handle this messy work,” Dante said, scooping me up as I struggled.

Damn it, in my ghoul form, I still felt like a weak child, unable to break free from Dante’s grasp. Just how strong was he? He placed me next to Yulia, causing Maern and the others to shiver and back away, but Yulia immediately cozied up to me; in the end, her attitude towards me remained unchanged.

“Don’t be sad; just explain everything clearly to the hunters later,” Yulia comforted me, now feeling dejected.

Though the black ghoul Dante had hit with his dagger had begun to rise again, he quickly dispatched it, performing a circus act by extracting its second heart.

Meanwhile, Maern was still entangled in a fierce battle with the Tear-marked Ghoul.

“Need help, or are you proud to be praised by Vice Commander Feng as a devil-killer while being a mercenary?” Dante teased Maern.

Maern was using exaggerated marksmanship against the Tear-marked Ghoul, holding his ground without faltering.

“Yeah, if you can help, that’d be great! The Swordmaster, Dante!” Maern quickly called out.

Dante came over to my side, pulling five daggers made from the horns of angle rabbits from my belt, gently patting my head. “Let me borrow these. I’ll return them right away.”

He tossed three of the daggers with lightning speed toward the duel between a person and a ghoul.

Maern promptly leaped aside to avoid the incoming daggers. The Tear-marked Ghoul also dodged, and the three daggers struck three giant trees, creating thunderous sounds.

Meanwhile, Dante had already vanished from my side. In the moment he threw the daggers, he crouched down, concealing his presence as if to dive underground, moving silently along the ground at high speed.

When the thrown daggers struck with loud thuds, he appeared behind the Tear-marked Ghoul, deftly plunging the other two daggers into its heart. The entire sequence was seamless, as natural as breathing, making it hard to perceive.

“Hmph, so it really has two hearts,” Dante murmured, having downed the Tear-marked Ghoul, before casually reverting to his usual lazy demeanor. “Alright, that takes care of all the enemies.”

Just like that, the last and most dangerous ghoul was easily dispatched by Dante, leaving only me as the remaining liability.

Thus, I found myself surrounded by Dante and the hunters.