“Spread? Babbit, did you survive by eating hyena dung? Your breath is foul!”

Carlo watched the man arguing with the bearded mercenary. He was stout with a thick neck and short stature, clearly embodying the rough mercenary type.

The two continued their bickering for a while before returning to their seats, ordering mugs of ale and drinking heartily.

“Babbit, have you found any news about Princess Sophia?” someone asked the bearded mercenary loudly.

Babbit slammed his mug onto the bar, wiped the froth from his beard, and replied with irritation, “Damn it, our delicate princess might have already been devoured by wild beasts.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Princess Sophia has been blessed by the Holy Light. No beast would dare to show its teeth at her.”

“Tsk, blessed by the Holy Light. If Princess Sophia dies in the Lost Forest, our one million gold coins will be wasted.”

Voices rose in the bar as Babbit, furious, slapped the table and cursed, “Damn it, don’t mention that million again. Because of that million, I’ve just lost three of my brothers.”

“The Lost Forest is the dwarves’ territory, and those guys are not to be trifled with. Move on, my friend,” one of Babbit’s companions said, trying to comfort him.

From his corner, Carlo overheard an intriguing tidbit. It seemed the kingdom’s princess had gone missing in the Lost Forest, just outside the small town. The king, deeply concerned for his daughter, had offered a reward of one million gold coins to any brave soul who could find her. Unfortunately, there had been no progress.

Having gathered enough information, Carlo waited until the mercenaries’ conversation turned to lewd jokes before striding up to the bar and ordering a mug of ale.

The sound of a gold coin landing on the table drew everyone's attention.

The mercenaries stared greedily at the coin on the worn oak table, like famished hyenas spotting carrion in the wild.

When they saw the coin’s owner was a young, frail-looking boy, their greed intensified.

Some were already itching to make a move.

“This plump sheep is mine first.”

“Hmph, the coin doesn’t have anyone’s name on it.”

Mercenaries, used to the edge of banditry, were not averse to a bit of extra work.

The boy, seen as a juicy target by everyone, seemed oblivious to their intentions and impatiently urged the bartender to hurry.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

The bartender, with a wry smile, placed a full mug of ale in front of the boy. The boy took a sip and immediately began to cough violently.

“Damn it, what is this? Horse piss?”

The boy spat out angrily.

“Haha,” the mercenaries laughed heartily.

Taking advantage of his position, Babbit was the first to approach the boy, raising an eyebrow and saying, “Kid, you stole my purse at the city gate and still dare to show up here? You really don’t fear death.”

“Pah,” the others muttered, cursing Babbit for his shamelessness. It wasn’t just his purse; it was everyone’s purse.

“Damn bearded fool, who stole your purse?!” The accused boy looked indignant and pulled out a large black sack from his clothes, tossing it onto the bar.

As the sack spilled open, a sea of gold dazzled the mercenaries’ eyes.

“Have you ever seen so much money? Would I steal from you?”

Babbit’s eyes glinted with greed as he reached for the sack.

“You little brat, if I say you stole it, you stole it.”

The boy showed no sign of stopping Babbit and instead watched with a sly smile.

“Are you sure this sack of gold is yours?”

“Duh.” Babbit grabbed the sack and grinned maliciously, “Not only is the gold mine, but so are you. Kid, I’m going to sell you to the earl’s house as a pet! Haha!”

Babbit laughed wildly, but suddenly his laughter turned into a panicked scream, “Damn it, what is this?”

Babbit threw the sack away, and the once golden coins vanished, replaced by countless black snakes writhing out and slithering across the bar’s floor.

“Snakes, where did these snakes come from?”

The mercenaries were horrified, grabbing their weapons and trying to escape, turning the bar into chaos.

Amidst the commotion, a clear voice rang out.

“Talia, please close the door.”

...

The screams from the mercenary bar continued for half an hour, with everyone keeping their distance. The situation seemed different today. No one emerged from the bar during that time, only a strong smell of blood that could be detected from two streets away.

Finally, after the bar fell silent, someone bravely approached to investigate.

“Clang,” the bar’s door was pushed open from the inside.

A bloodied, imposing figure appeared before the visitor.

“Babbit... you... you should see a priest,” the visitor stammered.

Babbit’s appearance was horrifying. He was missing a chunk of his head, with brain matter trickling down his left cheek to his neck. His body was almost entirely covered in wounds from beastly claws and bites.

Despite his severe injuries, he stood upright, a miracle in itself.

The visitor, frightened, tried to back away, but Babbit grabbed him with a powerful hand.

“Uh...” Babbit, with a vacant stare, slowly opened his mouth and moved towards the visitor’s neck.

“Babbit... Babbit... what are you doing... ah!!”

The screams erupted, a ghastly symphony of blood and flesh.

Countless hands reached out from the bar, tearing and devouring the hapless visitor.

Pedestrians screamed and fled in all directions, panic spreading through the small town.

Carlo and Talia stood on the bar’s rooftop, observing the emerging ghouls.

“Let the darkness grant you more power, my minions.”

Carlo chanted softly, the shadows behind him seeming to expand, blocking out the sunlight.

As the shadows enveloped the ghouls below, they appeared invigorated, their strength and speed increasing, making them far more efficient in their attacks on the townspeople.

Carlo watched the rising experience and evil points with satisfaction but sighed regretfully, “The basic ghoul spell is still too weak. The ghouls’ strength is only about half of what it was in life. A well-trained group of human soldiers could wipe them all out.”

However, with his “Dark Assault” enhancing their power, the ghouls in the tavern should be able to cause enough chaos before the town’s guards could respond. With his assistance, conquering the small town should be straightforward.

Still, Carlo found the experience gain to be too slow.

“Would be great if I could encounter a Child of Divine Grace.”

Carlo smacked his lips, seemingly reminiscing about something.