CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED NINETY-SIX

Hungry Ghoul, Part 1

CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve found evidence of corruption in the court of King Minos. You have completed the special mission [SECURE PROOF OF CORRUPTION]. You are now convinced of the validity of the [Resistance] and can now choose to accept the special linked mission [JOIN THE RESISTANCE].

The blatant displays of abuse weren’t enough to trigger a clear? Sam thought exasperatedly. You had to wait for this thing to show up first?!

REWARD ONE: 1x Herculean ‘New York’s Newest Alpha’ action figure (12in) OTC exclusive item.

Holy Styx… I’ve got an action figure…

REWARD TWO: Ancient Silver Drachma x10. These silver pieces imbued with the nature of Hades are used for trading with the OTC Underworld Branch or to purchase tickets for the Charon Ferry Services.

I have a freaking action figure now!

REWARD THREE: Permanent increase to Intelligence [+2], and Wisdom [+2].

I wonder if the figure’s wearing my old suit or the Armor of—

“Focus!” Raven Knight warned.

Sam rolled to avoid a spray of black venom striking the space he’d just vacated. In the same motion, he tapped a node on his belt, and then a golden longsword flashed into life in his hand just as he got back up to his feet. It was exactly the right moment for Sam to swing Gram’s blade sideways and deter the ghoul’s long-fingered hand from grasping his neck.

“Gods, you stink!” Sam taunted while he brandished Gram’s tip at the retreating horror.

“And you smell delicious,” the eunuch-horror replied in its distorted evil voice.

Truthfully, it was a new experience for Sam, the fact that a horror could speak. He didn’t think that was possible. Although it was even more bizarre that a spirit, not a living person, had undergone horrification right in front of him and Raven Knight. He’d never heard of such a thing happening on the surface.

Then a ping reached Sam’s ears, and a new notification appeared in the air.

Even without Chiron, Triple-A could still give Sam missions, and [SECURE PROOF OF CORRUPTION] was the first one he received since coming to Hades. Interestingly enough, no sooner had Sam completed his first underworld-related mission when another one quickly arrived to replace it.

One of Sam’s eyebrows twitched upward. “You’re working me overtime here.”

[URGENT MISSION: [SLAY THE VILE GHOUL!]] CONDITION: A eunuch serving one of the three kings of the dead has been corrupted by the taint of [Gluttony], becoming a horror of insatiable hunger. Unlike most horrors, a [Ghoul] is a creature whose taint affects both the living and the dead. It is classified as a [Parasyte-type] that can spread its taint to others upon contact. Mission clears once the ghoul has been slain, helping to cleanse the [City of the Dead] from its impurities. REWARDS ONE: Increased reputation with the Resistance and [?], 200 Olympian fame points, and 700 Drachma. REWARDS TWO: Cleansing of the City of the Dead] will increase by [5%]. The current rate of cleansing is [0%]. REWARDS THREE: Since you’ve already hunted several types of undead — [Vampire], [Draugr], [Phantom], [Wraith] — slaying a ghoul, which is classified as an undead when the material of corruption is a spirit, will earn you a new title that will give you benefits when facing undead creatures of the same type. WARNING: If untreated, a ghoul’s bite can lead to a strong infection that will result in horrification. Try not to get bitten.

Won’t Regeneration counteract a ghoul’s taint anyway?

There is a high possibility of repelling a ghoul’s taint.

It’s not a certainty?

[Regeneration (Δ)] is two levels below your current [Beta (β)] ranking… However, there is an opportunity for growth in this situation.

Opportunity? What kind of opportunity?

Get bitten.

Seriously?

Yes.

Why would I—

Despite its bloated weight, the ghoul could move incredibly fast when propelling itself across short distances. This time, it rushed at Sam and nearly caught his shoulder in one of its teeth petals. Luckily, one of Raven Knight’s shadow threads wrapped around Sam’s arm just in time to drag him out of its reach.

“No fair!” the eunuch-horror sounded almost childlike in its distortion. “Why won’t you let me have a taste?!”

It would be better to give the horror what it wants and get bitten to create an opportunity for Regeneration’s growth.

Yeah, I’m not convinced… Sam tightened his grip on Gram’s handle. “Appreciate the assist, Raven!”

It wasn’t the first time he’d noticed how good Raven Knight was at controlling a battlefield. She had been excellent in providing support for the crew and minimizing the team’s mistakes in both Badwater Basin and Bloodfyre incidents. Now, she was supporting Sam’s movements while also managing to draw bloody ichor from the ghoul’s body with her superb fencing skills.

Not one to be outdone these days, Sam fixed his fighting stance — with the pointy end of his sword aimed directly at the incoming ghoul — and then summoned his sword aura to wrap around Gram’s golden blade.

“Here I go”—Sam took a heavy step forward and then thrust his sword forward—“Thorn!”

It was a simple thrust; one Sam had done at least five thousand times. Perhaps that’s why this attack was so devastating despite not having a ‘Herculean’ boost in strength. The wind howled around Sam as ‘Thorn’ strode forward like a stampeding bull with its single horn piercing the bloated horror that had made the mistake of charging directly at its perceived prey.

Prey — it was a mistaken assumption. These days, Sam was no longer prey. He had evolved into a hunter who was becoming worthy of the Nemean Lion’s Fur he’d inherited from Apex. As for the ghoul, well, its eagerness to sample a ‘taste’ cost it an arm after ‘Thorn’ ripped a hole in its left shoulder.

“Huh…” One of Sam’s eyebrows twitched upward as a lopsided smirk played on his lips. “That was surprisingly easy.”

“It hurts~~s!” the ghoul screamed indignantly.

The horror backed away while screeching in obvious pain. Meanwhile, Raven Knight strode forward to stand on Sam’s left.

“Based on its speed and attack power, I estimate the ghoul’s abilities to be at beta level. You’re simply overpowering it with your alpha-level strength,” Raven Knight explained.

Technically, Raven Knight wasn’t right. She wasn’t exactly wrong either. Because of his compounded growth and variety of abilities, Sam could no longer be classified within the boundaries of the current ranking system. Still, he wasn’t about to admit to not actually being an alpha yet. It also wasn’t technically a lie because Mother Mel had measured Sam’s potential. Not his current abilities.

Raven Knight’s point is valid. The success rate of two beta-level heroes with high combat ability clearing this beta-level field boss is very high. It’s a shame you don’t want to take advantage of this rare opportunity to level up an ability you heavily rely on just because you’re afraid of a little pain…

Sam couldn’t help rolling his eyes at the system’s message. Triple-A was sounding more and more like Chiron and Sam was beginning not to miss the centaur’s voice in his brain.

Fine, he inwardly sighed. I’ll let the bastard bite me already…

Excellent choice.

Meanwhile, the horror had retreated to the far corner of the chamber. It stuck to the ceiling with its remaining arm stretched out and clinging to the wall. It glared at Sam while grumbling repeatedly about how it just wanted to taste them before sending them to his great majesty.

“I just want a taste… I just want to taste,” it repeated over and over, leaving the two heroes with an impression of a spoiled child, which helped to completely vanquish their fear of it.

“Raven…” Sam shut his eyes to mentally prepare himself for what he was about to attempt. “I’m going to do something that may look stupid, but it’ll help me become stronger… I just need you to trust me and continue watching my back.”

“All right,” she answered. “Try not to die.”

Agreed.

Shut it, you… Sam opened his eyes which were now filled with his usual brand of risky determination. “I’ve got this…”

Then, after removing his left arm bracer and giving it to Raven Knight for safekeeping, Sam charged at the giant-sized leech-like creature hanging from the corner of the ceiling.

“You want a taste?!” Sam yelled. “Come and get me!”

Despite the obvious trap, the hungry ghoul was quick to accept the dinner invitation. It jumped off its perch and fell on Sam who’d obediently raised his left arm to block the bite aimed at his head. Five petals clamped down on Sam’s forearm, their jagged shark-like teeth digging into his skin and drawing blood.

Sam gritted his teeth instead of crying out, but the pain was immense. Even more annoying, the horror was sucking at his arm in an attempt to draw his shoulder and the rest of him into the gaping hole that was its mouth.

Several notification windows popped up around Sam then.

ALERT! You have been poisoned with [Ghoul’s Taint]. Your health will drop by [10] with each second. WARNING! [Ghoul’s Taint] contains parasitic elements. The poison in your bloodstream will increase the chances of horrification into a horror of great gluttony!

Sam felt himself being dragged forward into the horror’s mouth, but he planted his boots on the ground and resisted.

ALERT! [Regeneration (Δ)] is attempting to counteract the poison.

“H-hurry…” Sam grunted. “I'm not planning to die today…”