Starting with the goblin extermination

Chapter 96 Reuniting with an Old Friend (Part Two)

Sucking monster.

A level 1 monster that typically appears only in the depths of the Ash Forest, in abandoned towers, or in deep caves.

The term "sucking" refers to its gentle feeding method. On that pale, terrifying face, there is a thick, fleshy tube filled with fleshy rings and tiny barbs, and the opening of the tube constantly secretes a special mucus with a numbing effect.

The sucker monster loves to insert its tip into the esophagus of its prey, slowly draining and flattening its flesh and blood.

The entire feeding process takes only a few minutes, easy and pleasant for the prey, and equally so for the animal. During this time, the prey's consciousness gradually fades, and its life eventually dissipates, but its soul remains trapped within its shriveled skin.

The sucker monster seems to have a particular fondness for these skins. Unlike other monsters that discard scraps, it hangs them upside down around its lair as trophies for its own enjoyment.

Perhaps it also enjoys hearing the music the skin makes in the wind. The soul struggles painfully within the skin, and although it will eventually dissipate and turn to ashes, the lamentations of the dead ultimately intoxicate the sucker.

Its twisted desires, its ability to shrink and compress its bones for easy concealment, and the tragic fate it suffers after being captured, make it a nightmare in the shadows.

However, its direct strength is actually not that great.

Aside from its long, spiked arms and massive mouthparts, the Sucker's body is actually quite fragile. However, for the average adventurer, simply finding it before it launches an attack requires considerable effort.

Pipes, barrels, even the gaps in cabinets—it can appear in all sorts of places during a hunt.

During the search, they might find several more withered bodies with bound souls, but fortunately, Logan and his team have Sylvie.

As soon as Logan and his companions stepped off the carriage, Sylvie caught a faint, unusual odor in the village that was difficult for most people to detect.

【Wild Tracking】, one of the Ranger's prerequisite combat skills. As one of the few non-combat combat skills, it can enhance the Ranger's various senses to an inhuman level, allowing them to accurately lock onto the residual scent of prey in the wild.

With the help of the [Beast Hunting Potion] provided by Logan, before the timid village chief could even come out with a torch to greet them, Sylvie had already followed the peculiar smell of the grayish-white slime and was running wildly with the three of them straight to the abandoned windmill on the edge of the village.

They bumped right into Alita, who was running wildly outwards.

Let's go back to the present.

Inside the dilapidated windmill, the monster has been defeated.

The boy named Cimius is not dead yet, but the girl named Elena has finally rested in peace.

She let out a sigh of relief.

Then, under the silent gaze of everyone, it turned into pure white ashes that danced in the air. Caressed by the night breeze, it passed over the windmill and flew into the free night sky, leaving only the silver hair clip that Alita clutched tightly in her hand.

In a daze, Cimius seemed to see Elena from the past smiling and saying goodbye to him.

He struggled to raise his blood-soaked hand, but couldn't reach the phantom. As Elena's ashes completely melted into the starry sky, Chimius's consciousness began to plummet.

In his last moments of consciousness, he felt a cool liquid being poured into his mouth, and heard Alita's heart-wrenching cries in his ears. Then, his consciousness sank into endless darkness.

When Cimius opened his eyes again, he found himself practicing swordsmanship in a sawmill.

.

The dim candlelight flickered uneasily beside him as Alita struggled to read "A Journey to Babylon," a book she had stolen from the village chief's house, by its light.

Elena sat motionless on a piece of wood, her hands supporting her chin, watching with great interest as Chimius panted and brandished his intact short sword.

Chimius, using his underdeveloped muscles, thrust the short sword straight forward, then shook his head in frustration. He turned around, picked up a tattered book that had been read countless times, and brought it close to Alita's candle, reviewing once again the combat techniques and power generation methods recorded within.

Alita raised an eyebrow in disgust, grabbed the candle and threatened Chimius that she would drip scalding hot wax on it, but Chimius glared at her fiercely, so she could only stick out her tongue and turn her head away.

Elena covered her mouth and giggled, her smooth red hair swaying gently in the firelight.

Chimius brandished his sword again, his eyes glancing at Elena and Alita.

He wanted to become an adventurer, a man a hundred times stronger than his father, who died in the jaws of a monster. Then he wanted to earn tons of gold coins to buy his mother a bigger house and countless books for Alita. As for Elena...

His gaze met Elena's, and looking at her thin yet still radiant smiling face, a strange feeling quietly sprouted in his young heart.

He wanted to marry her so she would no longer go hungry or suffer the villagers' scorn and bullying. He wanted to take her away from Graystone Village and give her a better life.

In this warm moment.

In his astonished gaze, the short sword in his hand gradually broke, and the surrounding scenery was instantly ripped away, turning into a deathly, pale silence.

A warm embrace enveloped him. Elena held him tightly in her arms, stood on tiptoe, and gently stroked the top of his head with her cool little hands.

Under his puzzled gaze, she smiled and said goodbye, then turned into ashes and scattered.

Cimicus stretched out his hands—he had woken up.

In the familiar little house, his mother and sister were sitting by his bedside, their faces streaked with tears. He felt as if his whole body was falling apart, with a tearing, stabbing pain; his head ached, his legs ached, and even breathing caused a dull ache in his internal organs.

The mother and daughter rushed over excitedly and gently embraced him. Amidst the pungent smell of herbs, Cimius finally understood his predicament.

He's still alive, the monster is dead, but...

His nose suddenly stung with tears.

The young man shed tears after a long time, his tears soaking his mother's shoulder.

He is no longer a child.

Just as they had arrived, Logan and Elsa sat in the carriage, facing Ellis and Sylvie. The two weren't fast asleep as they had been on the way there; they were simply somewhat silent.

Elsa leaned quietly on Logan's shoulder, holding his hand tightly. She thought of Lily, far away in the temple, and of the girl who had turned to ashes—almost the same age as Lily, yet with such drastically different fates...

Logan noticed the half-elf girl's low spirits, so he simply pulled her closer and gently nuzzled the top of her head with his chin.

He sympathized with the girl's plight, but perhaps even more tragic stories unfolded every day on this continent. He administered a basic healing potion to the boy named Chimius, saving his life.

He wasn't someone who would stand by and watch someone die; he admired the boy's courage—the courage to protect his family.

Perhaps after a few more weeks of rest, the boy will be able to wield his weapon again and begin to learn how to protect what he cherishes in this cannibalistic world.

Logan turned his head and glanced at Elsa, who was pressed tightly against him, her breath sweet and fragrant. His heart, which was constantly pursuing power, became even more determined.

The cold dawn slowly tore through the darkness outside the carriage. The rushing river roared deafeningly in their ears as they carried the corpses of the suckers at full speed toward Riverwood.