HPDBC Chapter 161: The Ghoul with Solitude
Chapter 161: The Ghoul with Solitude
Chapter 161: The Ghoul with Solitude
The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices – 161
EP.161 The Ghoul with Solitude
In the eerie darkness, a flickering flame from an old candlestick cast a ghostly glow. Following the light revealed a staircase leading to the basement of a shabby building. Descending the stairs and passing through a narrow, long corridor, an ominous room filled with cobwebs came into view. The air was thick with the smell of mold and dampness. In the center of the room stood an old, rickety wooden table, eaten away and cracked in places.
Around the table sat two figures. They were members of “Eclipse,” a group of dark wizards yearning for the resurrection of the evil god. At the head of the table sat Sharia, the young leader of Eclipse. Beneath her black robes, her red eyes gleamed. Despite her young age, she possessed exceptional talent as a dark wizard, leading this shadowy organization. She gazed intently at the table with a serious and cautious look.
“The path we’ve walked has never been smooth. But the arduous trial before us now is more crucial than ever. Isn’t that right?”
Sharia’s gaze was fixed on a piece of bread on the table. The bread was hard, covered in mold, and emitted a musty odor. While it would be repulsive to an ordinary person, to Sharia, it appeared as sweet hope. She swallowed hard and looked at the red-haired man beside her.
“Hey, Lucas... Can’t we just have a little bit of that bread?”
The man she addressed was Lucas, the vice-leader of Eclipse. With his red hair, he had a cold demeanor and firmly shook his head despite Sharia’s desperate gaze.
“No, Leader. We must endure this level of hardship to resurrect the evil god. Besides, even at this moment, our members are out there desperately begging. It wouldn’t be right for us to indulge in this feast.”
“Ugh... I understand.”
Sharia nodded, swallowing her disappointment at Lucas’s cold demeanor. Indeed, once a name that struck fear across the continent, Eclipse had now fallen to a state where even moldy bread was a blessing. They dreamed of resurrecting the evil god more than anyone, but the harsh reality was that they didn’t even have food for today. Perhaps even the White Order had forgotten about Eclipse.
To soothe her melancholy, Sharia brought up a new topic. There was a specific reason why Eclipse, which had been lying low and silent, had convened a meeting after so long. It was because of a certain rumor.
“By the way, Lucas, have you heard the rumors lately? They say there’s a dungeon full of treasures... Do you think it’s true?”
Her eyes sparkled with longing. Among the adventurers of the Sael Kingdom, rumors about treasure were spreading. The rumor was that a dungeon in the Silent Mountains was filled with a vast amount of treasure. As the leader of Eclipse, struggling with financial difficulties, it was natural for her to be interested in such rumors. If the treasure was real and they could obtain it, perhaps the crumbling Eclipse could be revived. This could also hasten the resurrection of their great evil god!
However, Lucas’s response was cold.
“Leader, it’s probably just a baseless rumor. Even if it were true, the Sael Kingdom is currently under the watchful eye of the Order. They would likely be interested in this rumor as well. The risk is too great.”
“Is that so...?”
Sharia’s face darkened for a moment. As Lucas said, the White Order was currently keeping an eye on the Sael Kingdom.
‘Queen Elena...’
Queen Elena, hailed as the birth of a new saint, was also the ruler of the Sael Kingdom, making it natural for the White Order to be interested. As a result, there was a high possibility that priests or inquisitors would be dispatched within the kingdom.
‘In the end, they’ll become puppets of the Order.’
Given the situation, entering the Sael Kingdom was tantamount to walking into their own deaths. Inquisitors were known to be the worst enemies of dark wizards. Moreover, the Order was no fool. They would undoubtedly be monitoring this rumor and controlling the mountains adjacent to the Sael Kingdom.
Just as Sharia was about to give up with a look of regret, Lucas continued speaking.
“...But still, it’s worth attempting at least once. Nurturing the seed of possibility is the very reason for Eclipse’s existence.”
If they did nothing, the possibility would endlessly converge to zero. However, the moment they took action, even a small chance would arise. After all, Eclipse had gathered with the possibility of resurrecting the evil god.
“And if we avoid it out of fear of the Order, it would tarnish the reputation of our evil god.”
At Lucas’s words, a bright smile reappeared on Sharia’s face. Her mind was now filled with thoughts of finding the treasure.
‘If we find the treasure... yes!’
If they could find the treasure, they would be greeted with abundance and hope instead of moldy starvation. More importantly, they could get closer to the dream of resurrecting their great evil god!
‘Someday, I will bring the evil god to this place!’
Sharia dreamed of a hopeful future. Although they were currently in a situation where even moldy bread was precious, her heart was always filled with faith and passion. A gentle smile appeared on both Sharia’s and Lucas’s faces. The reality of their hunger, the shaky table, and the gloomy underground space didn’t matter. They had a firm and grand dream.
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“Guooor?”
A lone ghoul was left crying by itself. Where was this place? The ghoul was confused by the current situation. It thought it had been following the procession well, but when it came to its senses, it found itself alone.
“Guoooor.”
In the distance, it faintly sensed the aura of its master, the Death Knight, who exuded death. The ghoul began to walk aimlessly. If it followed that aura, perhaps it could rejoin the procession eventually.
“Guoo?”
While walking, the ghoul discovered a human lying on the ground. The person seemed to be unconscious but still alive. The ghoul immediately took action. It reached out and rummaged through the unconscious human’s belongings. This habit had been ingrained in it after following the Death Knight and Necros for days.
“Ugh, where am I...?”
As it was searching, the adventurer regained consciousness. However, the first thing the adventurer saw was the ghoul’s horrifying appearance.
“Ahhh!!”
The adventurer was so shocked that they fainted again.
“Guooor...”
The ghoul continued to rummage through the adventurer’s belongings.
The coins from the human’s belongings sparkled in the ghoul’s palm. Although there were no gold coins, only silver and copper ones, the ghoul held them tightly. After looking around, it began to shove all the coins into its mouth. The ghoul’s body was already storing a lot of money.
With a light step, the ghoul started moving again. The forest was vast. As it walked through the forest, it noticed a creature crawling on the ground. The ghoul stared at the creature, and a thought came to mind.
“Guooor.”
It remembered seeing a vampire named Aren in Area 3 holding a similar creature and saying, “Long friend!” before bringing it to his mouth.
“Guoooor...”
(Long friend...)
Of course, there was a big difference between the long creature Aren held and the one the ghoul was holding. The long friend the ghoul had was much more colorful, and its multiple fangs looked terrifying. Despite its dangerous appearance, the ghoul was unfazed. It immediately grabbed the long creature and shoved it into its mouth.
With the ferocious snake monster now inside its body, the ghoul continued to move. Soon, it discovered another creature, which also triggered a memory. Aren had once said, “Squirrel friend is a tasty friend!” while holding a similar creature.
“Guooor...”
(Squirrel friend...)
However, the squirrel the ghoul held looked very different from the one in its memory. This squirrel was entirely green and had bright red eyes.
“Kyaaa-!”
The creature bit the ghoul’s hand in resistance. Although its hand was covered in strange green liquid, the ghoul felt no pain. Being undead, it couldn’t feel anything.
“Guooor.”
The ghoul shoved the biting squirrel(?) into its mouth as well. It continued to move, swallowing coins and creatures indiscriminately. However, the ghoul was unaware that the creatures it had swallowed were fighting and devouring each other inside its body.