Chapter 94

October passed peacefully, and November arrived.

The cold of the mornings and evenings was becoming more severe, but compared to Rasmoor Village, it was not so harsh.

I attended Professor Lasped's classes every other day, and on the other days, I either entered the forest or studied in the library.

When I first started entering the forest, I hunted relatively weak monsters, mostly level eight or lower, within a distance of two to three kilometers from the town. However, with Beatrice joining me, we gradually ventured deeper into the forest.

Recently, we have been fighting level seven equivalent ogres in a wasteland about five kilometers in.

Ghouls are undead creatures with a hairy body, sharp fangs, and long claws. As their name suggests, they eat humans. Despite being undead, they move quickly and have paralyzing toxins in their claws and fangs. Additionally, being undead, they are highly resistant to pain, and even if an arm is cut off, they will still attack with their fangs. Their appearance resembles the "Living Dead" from famous shooting games and movies.

To defeat them, you need to burn them or decapitate them, which is a troublesome process. However, the only valuable items they drop are magic crystals and bounties. For ordinary adventurers, they are not a popular target.

However, for me and Sharon, they were ideal for leveling up.

Although they move quickly, they are not as agile as large wolves or gray apes, and their attack range is short due to their claws and fangs. It takes time to defeat them, but they are perfect for practicing my sword skills. For Sharon, they provide a good platform for practicing fire magic, which cannot be used in the forest.

Furthermore, they usually appear in groups of five or fewer and do not form large packs like wolves. Despite this, they spawn frequently, so there is no need to search for them, and there is little competition with other adventurers, making the process efficient.

The only complaints are their foul smell and grotesque appearance, but you get used to them. Sharon was initially reluctant, but after a few battles, she no longer minded.

Since we started fighting ghouls, I have focused on improving my sword skills and evasion skills.

Initially, my Swordsmanship level was 20, my Sword Skill level was 25, and my Evasion Skill level was 29. After about ten days of consistent practice, all my levels have increased by one.

I have also advanced to level seven, and if I defeat a few more, I will reach level six. We are currently defeating about fifty ghouls per day, so I should reach level six in two days.

Considering the presence of Beatrice and Ridi, this is a relatively fast advancement. Of course, experienced mercenaries who register as adventurers for the first time can quickly reach level five, but for a rookie under fifteen to reach level six in a month is considered remarkable.

Well, being an adventurer at ten years old is remarkable in itself.

On November 4th, I was steadily leveling up when I sustained an injury due to my own carelessness.

That day, as usual, I was hunting ghouls that spawned in the wasteland around ten o'clock.

I was in the front line with Beatrice, while Sharon and Ridi provided support from the rear with magic and archery, respectively.

Beatrice only intervenes if I am surrounded, and Ridi, in addition to supporting me and Sharon, is also on guard, so she rarely intervenes.

I saw two ghouls approaching from the front and decided to take down the one on the left first, signaling this to Sharon with hand gestures.

Ghouls have little intelligence, so hand gestures are not necessary, but I try to use them whenever possible to ensure clear communication. I have also taught Beatrice, so we can communicate without words.

I gauged the distance between the two ghouls approaching from the sides and the three ghouls coming from behind. I aimed for the one on the left and, while stepping to the left, cut off both arms that were reaching for me.

The ghoul, having lost its balance, fell to the ground. However, the other ghoul on the right lunged at me.

This is a common move, so I responded calmly.

I shifted my body half a step to the right and slashed the ghoul's abdomen as we passed each other.

The ghoul, losing its balance from the slash, fell backward, hitting the ground with its back. Despite the wound, it let out a pained cry but continued to move, quickly getting back up.

I timed my strike to coincide with the moment it rose, cutting off its head as it leaned forward. This finally neutralized one of them.

Of the three ghouls, two had already been decapitated by Sharon's fire arrows, leaving only one.

The first ghoul, whose arms I had cut off, was still capable of fighting, but I judged the unharmed ghoul to be the immediate threat and decided to take it down myself.

At that moment, I was not being careless.

I was as cautious as usual, checking my surroundings and the ground before moving to take down the target.

I was not using magic at the time.

I did not need it against ghouls, and I had imposed a restriction on myself to improve my sword skills and evasion skills. In hindsight, using magic might have prevented the injury.

I faced the approaching ghoul, sword in a ready position, waiting for it to get closer. The remaining enemy was a limbless ghoul crawling on the ground, so there was no need to rush.

As the ghoul lunged at me with its arms raised, I tried to move to its left side to cut its neck.

At the moment I tried to move, the ghoul's right foot caught on a rock.

The ghoul lost its balance and leaned toward me, collapsing on top of me.

I instinctively thrust my sword into the ghoul's chest. However, this was a bad move.

Ghouls are highly resistant to pain, and a chest wound is not fatal. For a ghoul, having an enemy's sword embedded in its chest is the same as neutralizing the enemy's attack.

At that moment, I still had some leeway.

I thought I could avoid the attack by letting go of the sword and twisting my body.

However, it did not work out.

Unfortunately, as I twisted my body to the right, the ghoul's foot caught on something again—this time, its own foot.

From an outside perspective, it might have looked like a comedy routine, but to me, it was a nightmare. I was caught off guard by the sudden change in direction and then knocked down by the ghoul's follow-up.

I let go of the sword and tried to twist my body to escape, but I could not use any martial arts or cast any spells, leaving me with no options.

Beatrice shouted "Zack!" in panic, but I had no time to respond and was knocked down by the ghoul.

The ghoul, about 180 cm tall and significantly heavier than me, fell on me with the momentum of its charge.

I could not break my fall and hit the ground hard, helmet and all.

For a moment, my vision went white, and I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head, but I had no time to dwell on it. I had to deal with the enemy.

The ghoul, unaffected by the fall, bit into my neck.

I was about to lose consciousness but managed to extend my arms and push the ghoul's head away. However, the ghoul, stronger than me, forced its head closer.

At that moment, I made eye contact with the ghoul, and it seemed to me that it was smirking.

The ghoul opened its mouth wide, revealing jagged teeth, and lunged for my neck.

I twisted my body to avoid the fatal bite. However, the ghoul bit into my left shoulder, tearing a large chunk of flesh.

The pain was intense, and I must have let out a scream, but I did not realize it. I was terrified as the ghoul tried to bite my neck again, and I grabbed a throwing knife with my right hand.

I tried to stab the ghoul's head with the knife, but it was too late.

The ghoul's dirty, sharp teeth were closing in on my face.

At that moment, I resigned myself to death.

I have a special ability called "Death Force," but it only activates when my health is critically low, which was not the case.

If my carotid artery is severed, I could die. Even if Ridi, who is skilled in healing magic, is present, it might be too late.

Even if the bleeding is stopped by healing magic, the lack of blood flow to the brain could cause significant damage.

Is this where I die? I still have so much I want to do. I want to explore this world and travel with Ridi, Mel, and Sharon.

I was thinking these thoughts in what felt like an extended moment.

Just as I was about to give up, my vision suddenly cleared. The ghoul's head, which was about to bite me, shifted to the left and flew away.

In front of me was the handle of Beatrice's beloved spear.

Beatrice had narrowly thrust the spear into the ghoul's head, sending it flying.

I tried to sit up and thank her, but the pain in my left shoulder was intense, and I let out a groan.

I was not wearing armor, only a leather jacket. The left shoulder of the leather jacket was torn, and a part of my left shoulder was missing.

I heard Beatrice shouting "Zack!" and the sound of Ridi and Sharon running over.

Beatrice was urging Ridi to use healing magic, but I was dazed from the pain. In my dazed state, I was trying to say, "It's okay, I won't die."

At that moment, the ghoul's paralyzing toxin started to affect me. I have a special skill for resistance to toxins, but it is not 100% effective. The toxin must have affected me at a low probability.

As I lost consciousness,

(Today is a bad day. The ghoul tripped twice, and I was affected by the toxin... Maybe all the bad luck from my recent good fortune has caught up with me... Can Ridi cure paralysis?)

My consciousness faded.

When I regained consciousness, I was lying on my bed.

I touched the wound to check my condition, but there was almost no pain, only a slight cramp in my left shoulder. I was relieved that the wound, which had been torn out, had healed so well.

Looking around, I saw Ridi sleeping in a chair.

She had not changed out of her leather armor, so it had not been long since she returned.

I hesitated to wake her, but I thought she would be worried, so I called out to her.

"Ridi, wake up. Ridi."

Ridi groaned and opened her eyes. She seemed relieved to hear my voice, and tears streamed down her face.

Without saying a word, she hugged me and repeatedly said, "I was worried."

I said, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for worrying you," and stroked her hair with my right hand.

After a while, Ridi went downstairs to call Sharon and Beatrice.

Beatrice, relatively calm, knelt beside my bed and told me what happened after I was injured.

I was injured in the morning, and Ridi used healing magic to heal the wound on the spot. However, when I did not regain consciousness, she concluded that the paralyzing toxin had affected me and used purification magic. I should have woken up immediately after the purification magic, but I did not. Considering the danger of the wasteland where ghouls spawn, Beatrice carried me back home.

We arrived home around three in the afternoon, but I still did not regain consciousness.

Worried, Beatrice called a skilled healer, but even the healer's healing magic did not work. The healer said that the head injury might be the cause and advised waiting until the next day.

Ridi, not wanting to leave my side, stayed close to me, watching over me. It was now past six o'clock, and she had been with me for three hours.

"I really worried you. I'll use healing magic on my head. It should be fine after this."

I cast healing magic. It was probably a concussion, but brain damage is serious. There might be internal bleeding, so I used wood magic to repair the blood vessels in my brain and water magic to clean the blood vessels and prevent clots. Finally, I used light magic to purify the area around my brain and activate the brain cells to prevent any damage.

(I'm not a doctor, so this is the best I can do. I should be fine if I rest for the rest of the day. If I feel dizzy or nauseous, I'll use healing magic again...)

Seeing my unique healing magic, Beatrice was surprised, but Ridi and