That's right, that's what adventure is like!

Demons and ghosts.

This is an advanced monster of ghouls, far surpassing them in all physical indicators, possessing a certain degree of intelligence, and even able to control the actions of ghouls.

If there really are demons and ghosts, that could explain why those ghouls weren't deceived by Austin's artificial flesh and blood.

However, Roland keenly sensed that something was amiss.

Many righteous churches are stationed in Broken Rock Town. Those believers are extremely sensitive to evil forces. If there are demons or ghosts at such close range, they will definitely take the initiative to clean them up.

Besides, Austin is quite experienced in adventures, so why would he suddenly leave the group alone? If there really are demons or ghosts, leaving alone would be even more dangerous.

There's definitely more to this story than meets the eye!

"Hey, if you're not planning to run away, you'd better come and give me a hand!"

The shouts interrupted Roland's thoughts, causing him to grip his longsword and charge toward Seth, who was still desperately dodging the ghouls' attacks.

Due to the sheer number of monsters, the short dwarf began to pant heavily, a sign of exhaustion.

Even with doubts, Roland had to take action.

"There are twelve in total, let's each eat half!"

The sound, carried by the cold wind, reached Seth's ears, causing the dwarf to nod vigorously before beginning his actions.

His short body rolled in the mud, Seth nimbly turned and leaped high into the air, pulling a small crossbow from behind him mid-air.

call out!

The arrow was shot out, but veered off course in the gale and struck the soft, brown soil.

The ghouls did not stop for a moment, still following Seth's footsteps, brandishing their claws as they stepped onto the land where the arrows had been fired.

However, as a dwarf, Seth did not inherit his ancestors' talent for humor, but he did learn something else: engineering.

A bright red light flashed on the fletching of the arrow that had been embedded in the soil, and a faint, pungent smell of sulfur filled the air. Then, a dazzling light began to bloom.

boom--

An explosion rang out, and the scorching heat burned red marks onto the skin of the surrounding ghouls. Blue flames formed a wall of fire on the ground, forcing them to stop in their tracks.

Although it did not directly cause any casualties among the ghouls, the goal of dividing the battlefield had been achieved.

The dozen or so monsters were separated by the rising flames and gathered in twos and threes, giving the two adventurers the opportunity to defeat them one by one.

The heat of the explosion still lingered when Roland rushed over from several feet away, his arm muscles bulging, his longsword slicing through the air with a cold, sharp edge.

Slash!

As the ghoul's head fell before his eyes, Roland didn't pause for a moment; he had already rehearsed everything he was supposed to do before rushing over.

After the longsword severed the head, its remaining force did not diminish in the slightest, and it followed the arc of the slash directly onto the claws of another ghoul.

boom!

With a kick that carried the force of a longsword slash, the ghoul was sent flying into the still-burning flames. Its lifeless flesh was scorched, emitting a foul odor.

As a strong gust of wind swept in, Roland neither dodged nor avoided it. He simply turned slightly to the side, steadily placing his longsword on his shoulder and intercepting the sharp claw that was attacking his throat.

Upward thrust, twist, impact.

The three actions were executed in one smooth motion, causing Roland to stumble into the ghoul's arms. The stench of decay filled his nostrils, but it did not stop his killing spree in the slightest.

He slammed his elbow into the hard chest, pushing the ghoul's unbalanced body away, and then swung his longsword diagonally upwards.

Parry and counterattack!

Another head fell. Roland took a slight breath, stepped over the flames that were beginning to shrink due to the gale, and casually chopped off the head of the ghoul that had been kicked away.

It's not over yet!

The remaining three ghouls pounced on Roland, their sharp claws reflecting the cold, indifferent expressions of the humans in the firelight, tinged with a hint of blood.

"The quantity is decent, but unfortunately you have too few tricks up your sleeve."

The thought flashed through Roland's mind, and he stepped forward, using the distance advantage of his longsword to stab the chest of the first ghoul.

The feedback was difficult; his longsword struggled to break through the defenses, and if he advanced any further, he would face the threat of claws.

But this does not mean that Roland had no way to deal with it.

He pulled the sword back, turned his body, and used the momentum to slap the back of the sword against the ghoul's outstretched arm, opening the door wide.

The dagger, already gripped in his left hand, shot out with the momentum of his body, aiming straight for the ghoul's heart.

At extremely close range, even though Roland had not specifically practiced the technique of throwing daggers, the sharp tip still hit the vital spot accurately, even penetrating so deeply that only the hilt remained.

This isn't enough to kill the opponent, but it can slow the ghoul down for a second, and that's enough.

Because Roland was turning around to launch the attack, he was now facing the monster sideways. Almost instinctively, the other two ghouls extended their claws towards him.

At the critical moment, Roland held his longsword horizontally to his side, firmly blocking the two sharp claws!

when--

Sparks flew across the blade, dazzling in the cold night, yet fleeting.

Parry and counterattack!

In the blink of an eye, Roland had already gathered his strength and lifted himself up, placing the end of the sword against his left wrist, and then forcefully flicking it.

boom!

Caught off guard, one ghoul was thrown to the ground by the force, kicking up a cloud of dirt, while the other took two steps back.

Turning around, Roland raised his longsword and slashed horizontally!

This attack, infused with the enhanced effects of a combat technique, was launched while the enemy was weakened—a truly deadly moment!

tear-

As the longsword sliced ​​across his head, Roland's mind sank. He clearly felt a fierce attack coming from his arm, accompanied by the sound of his arm armor tearing.

It was the ghoul with the dagger stuck in its throat. It moved faster than Roland had anticipated, and its claws had already torn through the leather armor and were now reaching into the flesh.

This monster's claws are poisonous!

Roland naturally dared not let it continue attacking. He kicked it away and, without having time to check his own injuries, turned around and swept the throat of another ghoul with the edge of his sword.

"Gurgle..."

A muffled roar came from the throat of the last ghoul, which bared its teeth and lunged at Roland, its claws still carrying bits of torn cotton.

too fast!

Roland had no time to react. Even though he knew he needed to turn around and swing his longsword immediately, he felt a soreness in his arm and could barely lift the weapon.

The intense slashing, coupled with the use of two combat techniques in succession, caused his arm muscles to temporarily lose control.

At the critical moment, a sharp whistling sound grazed past Roland's ear, heading straight for the ghoul's throat and piercing it firmly.

When he looked at it, the arrow's fletching was still trembling slightly.

"Get out of the way!"

A roar came from behind him, and Roland instinctively ducked to avoid it. Then a wave of scorching heat rushed from behind him, knocking him to the ground.

Amidst the billowing white mist, Roland was stunned by the impact and was still somewhat dazed when he opened his eyes, until a short figure rushed over and helped him up.

Seth, the dwarf's last exploding arrow saved his life.