The air grew colder and colder, and a thin layer of frost had already formed clearly on the ground.

Even deep underground—so deep it was hard to know how far down they were—this temperature was still obviously abnormally low.

“Is it the fog?”

Ariel spread her perception outward quickly. The low temperature did seem to be coming from the increasingly dense fog, but aside from that, for the time being she hadn’t discovered any other abnormalities related to it.

Yet the chill that seeped into her bones wasn’t only from the cold. There was also a certain kind of shiver that rose up in her, simply because the monster in front of her looked far too... creepy.

This damn thing was terrifying to look at. The “ghoul” illustrations Ariel had once seen in story picture books—compared to this—were like the difference between a pink doll and a chainsaw murderer.

But the main point was this: from the moment it appeared, this “ghoul” had not shown any other emotion.

It... no, it had been smiling the whole time.

A pair of bloodshot eyeballs with no eyelids, so they could only stare round and wide, locked straight onto Ariel. The corners of its mouth were split so far they nearly reached its ears, exposing two rows of teeth that were far too neat and far too white for a monster.

It kept smiling.

A strange, eerie grin.

“Hee.”

“Hee my ass!” Ariel snapped.

Of course she wasn’t going to sit here and wait to die.

She had only been observing. Unfortunately, up to now, she still couldn’t tell what it actually was.

A mutated low-tier demonman?

A native of some underground cave?

Or... some kind of humanlike magical beast?

No idea. Just watching clearly wasn’t going to answer anything.

So after confirming that neither communication nor observation served the slightest purpose, Ariel did not hesitate to take the initiative and attack.

Ghoul or not—some freak like you thinks you can stop me and Miss Muse from carrying on our sweet little time together? You’re still a long way off!

“Heavenly Fire—draw!!”

Blazing firelight split the fog. Ariel lunged like a leopard that had been coiled up for ages, and though she was still badly injured and far from recovered, the speed she burst out with was still shockingly fast.

In the blink of an eye, she was in front of the “ghoul.”

The greatsword came down from above while flames swept in from both sides, sealing off its retreat in an instant.

The “ghoul” did not back away.

Its overly thick, long forearms snapped up, claws crossing—and it met Ariel’s Heavenly-Fire Greatsword head-on.

Zheng—

The collision of sword and claws erupted into a harsh, piercing screech.

“So hard.”

Ariel’s teeth clenched on instinct. That explosive slash of hers had not immediately broken through the “ghoul’s” defense.

This thing’s speed wasn’t the only thing beyond her expectations—its strength was, too.

“But—so what?”

A cold smile hooked at the corner of Ariel’s mouth. Her body flipped sharply, the broad greatsword prying apart the “ghoul’s” crossed claws. Red-gold runes flowed across the Heavenly-Fire Greatsword, and an even more terrifying power brewed along the blade at a rapid pace.

The “ghoul” clearly sensed the danger by instinct and tried to flee, but the flames around Ariel only burned fiercer, forming a scorching wall that completely sealed off its escape route.

Fast? Then she would forcibly lock it down with the power of Divine Favor.

Strong? Then she would break through head-on with even greater strength.

The instant she confirmed what the enemy excelled at, Ariel had already formulated the perfect strategy to break it.

“I really am a genius.”

Ariel’s smile rose even higher. The greatsword in her hands erupted with an unimaginable heat and brilliance!

“Heavenly Fire—Judgment!”

Boom!

Under flame and swordlight, all lurking evil ceased to exist. And when light and fire scattered at the same time, only drifting black embers remained before Ariel’s eyes.

It was over.

Ariel steadied herself again.

Her body swayed, then quickly stabilized under her powerful control.

Relying on her severely injured body to unleash that much power in such a short time really was pushing it, but at least she had successfully dealt with the target.

“With this level you thought you could stop me? That’s a bit too wishful, don’t you think, Miss Muse?”

Ariel gently rubbed her cheek against Miss Muse’s side face where it rested near her shoulder. Feeling that warmth, her heart grew even more buoyant. It was only a small act of intimacy, but it was already enough to make countless strength surge up inside her again.

“Let’s keep moving. In the direction Miss Muse indicated, this place doesn’t look like somewhere we can stay long.”

Ariel didn’t hesitate further. After tightening the rope binding her together with Miss Muse a little more, she dragged her gradually weakening body and moved forward quickly.

The fog still hadn’t dispersed.

The Divine-Favor fire she had just ignited had only driven this icy mist back a little. Its coverage was far too wide; completely clearing it was unrealistic.

The darkness remained deep.

“Going by the usual routine, a monster like that shouldn’t be the only one.”

Ariel watched her surroundings warily.

And at the very instant that thought rose in her mind, she keenly sensed another shadow flicker quickly through the fog not far away.

At the same time...

“Wuu...”

A low, muffled, eerie crying began to echo through the mist.

That crying sounded like a little girl who couldn’t find her mother, or like a middle-aged person coming home from late-night overtime to see an unfamiliar pair of men’s shoes in the entryway, or like an old man staring at the sea, utterly alone with nothing to his name.

The sobbing drifted and curled back, carrying endless sorrow.

“Hah. Mockery doesn’t work, so you’re switching tactics and playing pitiful now?”

Ariel didn’t slow her steps, only curled her lip in disdain.

Trying to affect someone’s mind with a trick like this—wasn’t that a little too low-level?

Did it really think she was that fragile?

But...

Come to think of it, she really had been pretty unlucky lately.

She had originally planned to sneak into Gutongs Castle and pull off a perfect heroic rescue—capturing countless maidens’ hearts in one swoop and fulfilling her grand ambition of filling out her crystal palace.

And yet in the end, why had this whole trip turned into her being hunted down nonstop?

Zagu, the Enchantress Grand Duke, the Flayers... and now these monsters again, one after another. Even the main characters in those boring, standard heroic novels didn’t have it this miserable.

So tired...

So want to cry...

Maybe I should just give up...

After all, my chest is so small, there’s really no need—

“No!”

Ariel jolted awake.

She stopped abruptly, slammed the Heavenly-Fire Greatsword point-first into the ground before her, then... extended her left palm and dragged it hard across the razor edge.

The pain of flesh being torn open by the blade and the icy sting against her nerves shocked her—finally pulling her mind back from whatever had been wrong with it for who knew how long.

What was she doing?

Was now the time to be talking like this?

Miss Muse was still waiting for her to bring her out safely—and then develop an incomparably beautiful story together!

“And if I think about it carefully, something’s been off since earlier...” Ariel murmured.

Facing that “ghoul” that kept grinning strangely, she had felt overly excited.

That freak was terrifying, sure, but did she really need to kill it that fiercely?

Especially when she was already in a state where both mana and battle aura were extremely scarce—when she had plenty of more economical techniques she could have used...

“Wuu wuu...”

The eerie crying continued. Ariel whirled around, took one step forward, and thrust the Heavenly-Fire Greatsword hard toward a spot not far away.

“Right here!”

Blazing flames erupted again, driving back cold and fog alike. The blade plunged into flesh, and the crying monster finally appeared before Ariel’s eyes.

It was still a “ghoul.”

Yes—a “ghoul.”

In terms of size, traits, and appearance, it didn’t seem much different from the earlier one: wrinkled skin, overly strong forearms, and... a human face.

But this time, beneath those round, staring eyeballs, the corners of its mouth were no longer split up toward its ears. Instead, they were pulled down with extreme force into an expression of overwhelming sorrow.

Black, viscous fluid streamed continuously from beneath its eyeballs. That sobbing—like it was being played from some kind of recording magitech device—did °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° not pause even when Ariel’s blade was already buried in its chest.

“This thing can affect emotions?”

Staring at that bizarre crying face, Ariel immediately understood where her earlier abnormality had come from.

The “ghoul” smiled, so she became unusually excited.

The “ghoul” cried, so she sank into such despair she nearly wanted to end herself.

Without realizing it, she had been influenced by these “ghouls.”

“Hey, hey... isn’t this ability way beyond common sense?”

Ariel’s eye twitched.

“And you’ve got one crying and one laughing—don’t tell me there are other expressions too, you freaks!”

“Roar!!”

As if to prove her guess, a deafening howl rang out from within the mist.

Ariel turned her head and saw yet another “ghoul” stepping out of the darkness.

This one neither laughed nor cried.

Its bloodshot eyeballs stared round and wide. Its lips were pressed tight, nearly stretched into a straight line.

It was angry.

And the moment Ariel saw that “ghoul,” a terrifying rage flared up in her chest. She didn’t know where it came from, but it made her want to charge forward immediately and tear that “ghoul” to pieces.

“Damn it!”

She couldn’t rush in. If she wasted her stamina carelessly again, she would definitely die here—never mind carrying Miss Muse out!

Ariel bit the tip of her tongue again, forcing herself awake, and with a single slash she directly finished off the crying “ghoul.”

That “ghoul” also turned into black embers.

The sorrow in Ariel’s heart vanished—but the anger only grew stronger.

And just as Ariel was thinking about how to suppress this inexplicable fury, yet another emotion flooded into her.

This emotion wasn’t unfamiliar to her—because that sound wasn’t unfamiliar either.

“Hee.”

Every hair on her body stood on end.

The instant she heard that eerie giggle, an appalling chill ran straight up Ariel’s spine, slammed into her skull, and practically tap-danced on her forehead.

That laughing freak?

It was still alive?

Ariel turned her head with difficulty. Her movements were so stiff she even heard the scrape of her own spine.

Sure enough—after the icy mist surged and rolled...

That hideous “ghoul,” moving on all fours, slowly emerged from the fog.

Its size, posture, wrinkled skin, and lidless, bloodshot eyes were not much different from the other “ghouls.”

Only its mouth—split high, nearly to the ears—was grinning strangely.

“Hee.”