My Cell Prison - Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Chapter 37 – The Case of the Ghoul

Translator: Exodus Tales

Editor: Exodus Tales

Han Dong was immediately curious about this ‘Ghoul’ case. 

“Is it not completely safe within the walls of the Holy City? Ghouls are monsters from western literature, so why would one appear in the civilian residential area? Hearing what the other Trainee Knight said, it seemed as if there would be a corresponding reward that would be issued by the relevant organization upon task completion. He must have decided to call for a partner at the last minute after determining that the ghoul might be stronger than himself from the degree of mutilation visited upon the corpse. If I were to step forward and lend a hand, I would be able to use this chance to gain a deeper understanding of these sorts of incidents from this occurrence, and possibly learn the reasons for such monsters to appear within residential districts. At the same time, I could also find out about how the reward system functions while also gaining a certain amount of reward from helping, especially since I lacked money at the moment. But the risk is still there… I could easily expose myself, and adding to the fact that I have yet to officially join the Academy, there would definitely be a degree of danger taking on a Ghoul.”

For the time being, Han Dong decided against making a move when faced with the scene of the young blonde Trainee Knight’s last minute call for assistance. He had yet to join the Knights’ Academy in any official capacity and without any relevant training in Mysticism, he did not have any Mysticism skill aside from the Tentacle attack he could activate that his Faceless One’s Head provided.

“Wait a minute… If it’s about having offensive capabilities, I do have something!”

———————————-

After waiting for about 5 minutes, the young Knight shrugged helplessly, “Most Trainee Knights would be inside the Academy studying. Even if they are out, they would not waste time being down here in the Commoner’s District. The bounty writ had only mentioned a corpse stealing incident that happened in the cemetery between Ghana Commoner’s District and Samuel Commoner’s District… Because it hasn’t been too long, the writ merely mentioned for Knights to come over and capture a newly formed ghoul that has transformed from a degenerated mind. But from the fungal residue and the depth of the scratches inflicted here, it has apparently already developed into an adult ghoul. Once this information gets back to the Academy, the reward would naturally be adjusted accordingly… But if I were to head back and form up a team now, this ghoul might very well slip away. I’m really reluctant to give up the sizable copper coin reward plus the extracurricular credit, but I’m not about to joke around with my life on the line.”

The young Knight sheathed his saber as if he no longer had any intention of entering the villa to continue his investigation… There would still be opportunities abound if he was still alive, especially if he had already successfully gotten himself a spot in the Academy for further studies; there was no need for him to take such a risk.

That was when an emancipated teen with brown hair slowly squeezed out from the crowd.

He was wearing a linen shirt that was a size too big for him, and the outline of his bones was somewhat visible underneath his yellowish skin. 

“This is a Danger Zone, entry is restric-”

Just as a Security Officer was prepared to use force and shove Han Dong back into the crowd, he held out a golden card.

“A Trainee Knight!”

The Security Officer stared in shock at Han Dong for a time, before proactively stepping aside to make way for him.

“Perhaps I could be of help?”

After pondering over the situation, Han Dong had decided that the benefit of lending a hand instead of not helping outweighed the disadvantages.

“How many points do you have in your main specialization?”

The young Knight walked over and examined Han Dong… In truth, even the bunch of bookworms that specialized in ‘Library’ were in much better physical condition than Han Dong.

“Two points toward ‘Mysticism’. The name’s Alan Anders.”

“Two points… You narrowly qualify, but it’s just that your specialization is ‘Mysticism’, so you might have a little trouble dealing with a ghoul in an environment with limited space like this. Let me introduce myself. I’m Kaz Martini, with three points devoted to the ‘Templar’ specialization class… My strength and speed would allow me to take the average Ghoul head on, but that’s where the problem lies right now. You’ll understand once you come on over and look.”

At Kaz’s direction, the two walked over to the corpse of the woman that was hung at the doorstep.

“When I first received this bounty writ, all it mentioned on it was there being a ‘new-born’ ghoul. But the scars on the corpse in front of you now instead tell us that the ghoul that is currently hiding in this villa has already matured into adulthood… I even suspect that the people in this family have intentionally kept this under wraps and are secretly rearing the ghoul in their basement. An adult Ghoul would slightly surpass me in every aspect, and what makes this even more troublesome is the issue of the vitality that it would possess! Aside from cutting off its head or piercing its heart, there are no other ways to stop a ghoul.”

“So I see…” Han Dong listened as he examined the claw marks on the woman’s corpse, making his own analysis in his mind: Symptoms of gangrene, severe disruption of blood circulation, and the swelling of the cell tissues can be seen in the places where this woman had been clawed… Even if the attacks were not enough to kill the victim, just being clawed would be enough to cause a quick death. Is this the work of a ghoul? No wonder this Trainee Knight did not dare to act alone on this. The danger is far greater than I had imagined; anyone might die if they were unable to receive any treatment in a timely fashion.

“Alan, tell me what you can do. It’s best if we just drop this if you are inclined toward Astrology or other such abilities that lean toward prediction and/or detection.”

Han Dong was very direct. 

He retrieved his shortsword that radiated a green air.

This caused Kaz to reveal a look of shock, “A Fate Weapon that complements your main specialization class! What does it do?”

“A non-targeted single application skill that unleashes a Plague attack on a single target.”

“Plague… Ghouls might have some resistance towards it. But since it is a Fate Weapon, it would surely have an effect on the monster. Fine, when we do battle, be sure to listen to my commands and don’t act recklessly… Furthermore, you’re not particularly physically fit, so make sure to hide behind me.”

“Understood.”

Kaz furtively tugged on Han Dong’s sleeve and asked in a low voice when he got close, “Ahem, speaking of which… How did you get hold of your Fate Weapon?”

“A Hidden Event.”

“As expected! That’s what I’ve been saying, and those guys still don’t believe me! The chance of getting a Destiny card from completing the scenario and further getting the Weapon Card is abysmally slim. We ought to search for Hidden Events as best as we can and obtain a Fate Weapon from the Hidden Reward… I’m so envious of you. My saber is forged from pure silver, which has a degree of purification effect, but it is far from comparable to a Fate Weapon. Wait for me a bit. I’ll get the Security Officers here to bring along their muskets and surround the building! Just in case the ghoul suddenly escapes during the course of our fight.”

From the way Kaz spoke as well as how he handled matters, it was evident that this was not the first time that he received this sort of bounty assignment.

After he was done arranging the officers, he stored the woman’s corpse in a body bag and sent the relevant personnel to transport it to the Church to begin purification and cremation.

When everything was ready, Han Dong followed right behind Kaz and entered the Victorian Villa together.

Stepping right through the door, they could both smell the stench of rotting flesh. Kaz was a little sick, while Han Dong was hardly affected by this.

After all, Han Dong was someone who spent his days interacting with bacteria, and the moment bacteria cultures go wrong, the smell they gave off… It would be a very effective dieting and weight loss method.

“Where’re your goggles?”

Kaz had pulled out the essential metallic protective goggles from his waist and worn them.

“I didn’t bring mine…”

“You… You’re not afraid of dying? The moment you get inflicted with Delirium, it won’t be something as simple as reducing the pressure of corruption… It’s a good thing that I brought a spare pair of goggles with me when I came out today, so take this.”

“Thank you.”

Han Dong took them and quickly wore them.

Kaz continued, “You’re a Mystic, so you should be a lot more acquainted with Ghouls than me… Even though they are humanoids, they still have a certain connection with those things beyond the walls, so make sure you wear your goggles properly! Be sure to retreat from combat the moment it’s damaged.”

“Got it.”

Han Dong did not completely get it. 

Hearing Kaz speak on this only increased his curiosity toward the function of the protective goggles and its relationship toward the higher lifeforms in this world.