Chapter 4: The Two-Year-Old Female Half-Blood Ghoul in the Forest

On the first day in the forest, I wasn’t very hungry, probably because I had already eaten my fill during the previous frenzy. But I suppose it’s only natural during the growth stage; after taking a nap in a random tree pit at night, I woke up the next morning with my stomach growling.

First things first, I needed to find something to eat, while also checking my current physical abilities. Even though I was still just a two-year-old, being a ghoul meant I had certain advantages. Just like two-year-old wolves should be able to hunt on their own, I figured if I put in a bit more effort, I could manage to catch something as a two-year-old ghoul. With that thought in mind, I fixed my eyes on a family of wild rabbits in a nearby hole. Although they were wild rabbits, they were about the same size as my two-year-old self, with blood-red eyes, snowy white fur, and splinter-like horns on their heads, resembling my own current appearance.

When I had previously used a puddle to observe myself, I discovered that my hair was also silvery-white, my eyes a bright crimson, and I had a short, blunt horn on my forehead. Once my bangs grew long enough to cover my forehead, I should look no different from an ordinary human. As long as I stayed quiet about it, no one would realize I was the same species as those ugly, clumsy ghouls. After all, being a hybrid, I looked more like those white wild rabbits over there; even my horn was similar to that of their young.

Indeed, I was eyeing the young rabbits of that family. The horns on the older rabbits looked terrifying, sharp like blades, and were about my size. If it came down to a fight, I was sure I’d be knocked out by one of their iron heads. But it seemed like there were two baby rabbits in the wild rabbit’s nest, and they were my hunting targets. Once the mother rabbit left, I could sneak into their burrow and take down the little ones. I silently planned this out. Even if I could only eat them raw, it was still better than eating other ghouls. Don’t blame me; I was just trying to survive after all; it had already been a day since I last ate.

So, I quietly kept an eye on the wild rabbit family from my tree pit, lost in thought. Finally, just as the sun was about to reach its peak, the wild rabbit mother left in search of food for her babies. No need to rush; I should wait until the adult rabbit is far enough away before making my move. I watched the mother rabbit leave, and after another half hour, I began to stealthily approach the rabbit’s den.

I got to the entrance of the rabbit’s burrow, and discovered two baby rabbits basking in the sun at the doorway. They curled up with their pure white bodies, perfectly occupying a small patch of sunlight that filtered through the leaves, saving me the effort of squeezing into their den. How unguarded! It was a miracle that such rabbits hadn’t gone extinct in the forest. I gripped a bone that resembled a club, dug out from the corpse of another ghoul, and after silently chanting a prayer, I swung it down hard at one of the rabbit’s heads.

One hit, and it was done. The body of this ghoul was unexpectedly capable; the force I used felt comparable to that of an adult man. Alright, on to the next one. But the other rabbit had already been scared off, diving back into the burrow. Then something astonishing happened. Another adult white rabbit burst out from the burrow. Its red eyes glinted with rage, staring angrily at me.

I was stunned and at a loss. This rabbit had horns that looked even sharper than the mother rabbit’s; it must be the father rabbit. Well, it made sense; if there was a mother, there would definitely be a father. I probably hadn’t noticed the father rabbit until now because it had been lazing around in the burrow. What was I thinking, charging in without understanding the situation? I had to escape quickly!

The adult rabbit charged at me like a bull, its horns pointed straight at me. I quickly turned to run back towards the tree hole, thinking I had to climb up the tree at all costs. Using the agility of a ghoul, I climbed up the tree in a hurry. I should be safe now, right? But when I looked back, the rabbit was defying the laws of physics, sprinting right after me on the almost vertical tree bark.

It seemed escaping was out of the question, so it was time for a showdown. Gritting my teeth, I swung the ghoul’s bone club and leaped, roaring as I struck the charging rabbit with all my might. First, avoid its horns, then aim for its head. I adjusted the angle of my swing, twisting my body to dodge its horn while using gravity to unleash a powerful blow to the rabbit’s head.

With a “bang,” my club cracked, but I managed to push the rabbit back, causing it to lose its forward momentum and tumble to the ground. But the battle was far from over; the rabbit quickly distanced itself, preparing for a second attack with a running start. How naive! I wouldn’t give it the chance to escape! I lunged forward with my club, but unexpectedly, the rabbit didn’t choose to retreat; it charged back at me fiercely. Though I dodged with all my might, its sharp horn still pierced my shoulder.

Ouch! But it wasn’t over yet! I mimicked my brother’s biting action from when we were in the womb, baring my sharp fangs to bite into the rabbit’s neck as it lunged at me. My fangs easily pierced through its fur, warm blood flooding into my mouth. But the rabbit thrashed, trying to inflict more damage with its sharp horns.

Then let’s test our willpower! I swallowed the blood in my mouth and opened my mouth again, aiming for the blood vessels in the rabbit’s neck. More fresh blood gushed in, and I instinctively drank it all down, hugging the rabbit tight for a final showdown. After about a quarter of an hour, the rabbit finally slumped in my arms, I yanked its horn free, and though the wound on my shoulder was deeper than I had imagined, victory was still mine.

Thinking of this, I felt my whole body go limp as I collapsed onto the snowy ground of the forest.

It was probably early spring now, with the snow just beginning to melt. Luckily, being a ghoul kept me from freezing to death. Moreover, this kind of injury shouldn’t be too serious for a ghoul. Anyway, I ensured my food supply, glancing at the deceased rabbit beside me (which was actually about the size of a three-year-old child) and thinking it wouldn’t be a problem to sneak back into the rabbit’s burrow for a surprise attack on the mother rabbit. Well, it seemed I could survive the initial days in the Silya Forest.

I had been in the forest for twenty days, with no signs of human habitation. Although the baby’s body was inconvenient in many ways, it was surprisingly adaptable. The wound on my shoulder had healed in just under three days. With the ghoul’s bones and an unexpected strength for an infant’s body, I managed to survive in this frigid forest by hunting down rabbits and the like, but— I was being targeted by a giant bear.

Was it the smell of the fresh blood from the rabbits that gave me away? No matter how I ran or hid, I was always found, and that massive gray-white bear was a towering three meters tall, capable of breathing fire! Was this some sort of fantasy world?

I could run slightly faster than the bear, but a baby’s stamina was nothing compared to such a behemoth. It always managed to find me when I was hiding and gasping for air.

If this continued, I’d really be eaten! I curled up in a corner of a slope, hearing the bear’s roars getting closer. It seemed like I only had one chance for a desperate fight; dragging this out would only lead to a worse fate.

The gray bear was still below the slope, unaware of my exact location. I sprang from the little hill and lunged, swinging the bone at the bear’s head. It seemed like the dumb bear realized I was attacking from behind, but it was too late. The heavy ghoul’s bones struck hard against the bear’s skull.

However, it was useless. The gray bear just paused for a moment, then turned around and swatted me down with its massive paw.

I crashed hard to the ground, deep gashes cutting across my chest.

The pain penetrated to the bone.

The gray bear opened its massive mouth, a breath of flame rushing toward me.

Ah, fire. So warm, so hot; it was going to burn me alive.

If there were fire, I could roast meat.

I was going to be burned to death.

How I wanted cooked food! Raw rabbit chunks tasted horrible!

It hurt so much, my whole body was on fire.

If I could just make fire, I could eat roasted meat.

Was this really the end? Well, freezing for so many days and dying in the warmth of this blazing fire didn’t seem too bad.

The inferno surged up, tossing me around, drowning me.

My skin, seared by the intense heat, felt like it was burning alongside my blood.

Then, something akin to being devoured by a ghoul happened again, as I sank into a frenzied state once more. But this time, I clearly understood what was happening; amidst the excruciating pain that seemed to strike at my very core, I managed to remain conscious. I had made progress! Even while still aware of myself, my body was out of control—such a strange feeling!

At that moment, my body was instinctively tearing and gnawing at the bear’s flesh like a malevolent spirit, reversing the roles of predator and prey in an instant.

Standing amongst the scattered remains of the giant bear, I slowly reclaimed control of my body.

Goodness, the bear’s skin was all torn up. It looked rather warm, and I was hoping to see if I could save it as clothing. Was there no way to regain control of my body from that instinctual state? If I could, I might even be able to study how it can breathe fire!

I longed for cooked food. Watching myself uncontrollably shred the bear into pieces, I let out a silent sigh.