It was the same memory-soaked sensation as before, like stabbing into decomposing sludge. Ye Shu's chest churned with nausea.
"Hoh-hoh..."
The Cave Ghoul let out a guttural snarl. With her eyes covered, Ye Shu felt the peachwood sword tremble violently in her grip.
[Beep~ Peachwood Sword durability has fallen to 70%. Please repair promptly!]
[Durability has decreased to 40%.]
So this thing really was stronger than any Oddling—her wooden sword felt all but useless.
"Master, it's on your left, just a bit lower..."
Da Piaoliang directed her.
She swung where directed, blade always following the voice.
The Cave Ghoul, stabbed several times, oozed black pus from its deathly pallid body. Its flesh began to rot away, yet it was swelling rapidly before their eyes.
"Hoh-hoh..."
Ye Shu strained her ears, listening for the thing's next move, then hacked at it a few more times.
"ROAR—"
Fury overtook the Cave Ghoul, and its howl momentarily stupefied Ye Shu.
In an instant, she felt herself engulfed, mired in quicksand, unable to extricate herself, as primal terror washed over her, tiny beads of sweat prickling along her brow.
"Master... Watch out."
Da Piaoliang's eyes gleamed emerald, widening with alarm.
This ghoul's voice could conjure illusions—harmless to Oddlings, but devastating to a human with keen senses. Da Piaoliang could tell from her master’s dazed look she’d been ensnared.
Left with no recourse, Da Piaoliang bit hard into Ye Shu's wrist.
A rush of blood ran down her throat, tinged with a subtle sweetness—reviving the Oddling’s spirit and composure.
So this was her master’s scent?
Better than any human she’d ever tasted.
If her master ever died... the body shouldn’t go to waste. Da Piaoliang would make sure to clean up.
As Da Piaoliang’s morbid thoughts drifted, Ye Shu's mind snapped back to clarity.
"Tss—"
A bite without restraint.
She flicked the wounded hand, crimson beading and dripping to the floor with a peculiar, sickly-sweet tang.
Blindfolded, Ye Shu failed to notice the Cave Ghoul’s face twisting with deeper madness—nor did she see that the mouth of the cave, once empty, was now crowded with Cave Ghouls. Barring their varying size, all looked the same—each emanating an aura of ill-omen.
Ye Shu may have missed it, but Da Piaoliang saw it all.
Her tiger-like maw fell open in disbelief as she stared out at the line of ghouls beyond the cave.
Who’d have thought—an Oddling who once ruled a world of her own, now on the verge of being devoured by Ghouls, as if wrapped up like a dumpling?
"Mas—Master. This is bad!!"
"There are even more Cave Ghouls at the entrance... quite a few of them."
Ye Shu froze mid-swing, then pressed on, stabbing at the ghoul before her.
"No matter. However many there are, I’ll kill them all."
"Haven’t you heard the saying? Catch the ringleader first. The one I’m facing looks like the strongest—if it dies, the rest won’t dare come near."
She declared her intent, but her confidence was thin.
She hastened her swordplay, desperate to fell the creature before her.
Between hasty repairs and relentless fighting, Ye Shu's strength waned after only a handful of minutes.
[Peachwood Sword durability now at 50%.]
[Peachwood Sword optimized—durability restored to 100%.]
Once more, she optimized her blade. Even so, her hand trembled—a slight motion, but it was enough for the Cave Ghouls to sense weakness.
The Cave Ghoul's black, hollow eyes were fixed on Ye Shu, and a hideous grin spread across its face. Even Da Piaoliang, a creature of the bizarre, shivered at the sight. This ghoul was far from normal.
Besides, to start the game with a monster this strong—how was that fair? Had the system sent the toughest right to her master?
Ye Shu understood—the only reason the ghoul hadn’t lunged was because it feared her wooden sword. It was biding its time, hoping to wear her down.
She couldn’t let it succeed, or she’d die—again.
She’d already burned through two retries—one more, and it really would be the end.
"Da Piaoliang, keep your eyes on that ghoul. Every monster has a weakness!"
Ye Shu stabbed it yet again, dodging at the last second.
This really was a tough one.
Any other world’s boss would have fallen to a single strike from her peachwood sword. She’d never seen such resilience—its health bar just went on and on.
Da Piaoliang sank her claws into Ye Shu's rounded shoulder, emerald eyes scrutinizing the ghoul for any sign of weakness. Nothing.
Ye Shu drove her blade deep into the monster again.
This time, she wasn’t quick enough—her arm was punctured, blood streaming from the wound.
"Ungh—"
She steadied herself, clinging to the wall like a gecko, blood dripping down, landing right at the Cave Ghoul’s brow. Wherever the blood touched, smoke hissed up, white and acrid.
"Master—the weakness is the forehead. Where your blood landed!"
Da Piaoliang shouted. She didn’t know why the blood had an effect, but this was their chance.
"Got it!"
The target was small, and even with good direction, it was hard to strike—but she had to risk it.
Ye Shu tore off a strip of cloth, aimed her peachwood sword, and drove it straight into the ghoul’s corroded brow.
"Splurt—"
That same sodden, decaying sensation.
But the ghoul didn’t die. The system gave no notification of a kill.
So, she’d risked it all for nothing—the Cave Ghoul still lived. Ye Shu’s face paled, and she staggered back, inadvertently catching the empty, hollow gazes of the ghouls crowded outside the cave. Her heart plummeted.
She’d known there were more outside.
But she’d never imagined 'quite a few' meant this many.
Let this be the end. Let it all restart.
She still had one more chance—
In her despair, Ye Shu realized the wound on the ghoul’s brow wasn’t healing—in fact, it was growing.
Perhaps the weapon wasn’t doing the work—perhaps it was something else...
A glimmer of hope sparked in Ye Shu’s eyes. She slit her palm, painting the sword with her own blood, then thrust it, once again, at the ghoul’s forehead.
In that fleeting instant, she couldn’t help but lock eyes with the beast—
[Sanity -10. Current: 40.]
[Sanity -5. Now at 35. Warning: under 30, you will lose all reason!]
"Splurt—"
This time, the blade passed through putrefied flesh—the Cave Ghoul howled, both arms severed in the attack.
[Ding! Congratulations, player Ye Shu, you have slain a high-level Cave Ghoul. 50 points awarded.]
Was it finally over?
No—not yet.
"Hoh-hoh..."
A fetid wind blew from the mouth of the cave.
No—that can’t be. The inner world lies a hundred thousand miles below the earth. Where could more wind come from? Unless... the other cave ghouls still lingered.