Chapter 187: Caretaker of Monsters

Calvin was quick to react, just as the twin daggers revealed their cold sheens. He ducked his head and dodged the attack. Then, he kicked Old Zhong back while retreating and saying, "What the fuck, Old Zhong, it's me! Chill! Chill! Chill!"

"Who are you?!" Old Zhong was knocked against the wooden walls of his house. His eyes were bloodshot as he growled at Calvin. He didn't seem to believe that the Calvin standing in front of him was the genuine Calvin that he had accompanied earlier to the tunnels.

"I told you already, it's me! Calvin!" Calvin didn't know whether to laugh or to cry.

"You're lying! If you're Calvin, then how did you get out of that village so fast? Even the Village Chief only managed to come out of the village after a month!" Old Zhong roared.

"Sigh..." Calvin let out a sigh, "Then, how do I prove it to you that I am the real one?"

"I haven't heard of monsters that can steal the memories of the deceased. In that case, tell me everything that happened before I left you in the tunnels. If you're the real Calvin, then this shouldn't pose a problem. If you're not, then lay down your life! How dare you try to pretend that you're a human being in front of me? Monster!" Old Zhong cried out.

Calvin awkwardly scratched his head and he didn't protest any further. It was because he could see that Old Zhong was serious. Calvin couldn't afford to offend this so-called King of Burst. If he did, then he might find his head rolling on the ground the next moment.

Having made a decision, Calvin started his spiel and told Old Zhong every detail that he could remember as to what had happened earlier.

It didn't take long for Old Zhong to be convinced.

"Calvin..."

"Yeah? Now, do you believe that it's me?"

"You're alive... Wonderful, I didn't expect that you'd come back so fast!" Old Zhong gave Calvin a hug.

The latter wanted to avoid the hug at first, but Old Zhong's movements were faster than he had expected. Before he knew it, he was already wrapped around the arms of Old Zhong.

"All right, all right, I understand that you're relieved to find me alive, but can you not hug me so tight?"

"Ah, my apologies..." Old Zhong dryly laughed as he took a step backward.

Old Zhong noticed that Calvin was alone. His expression turned serious and he couldn't help but ask, "Where are the others?"

"They're dead..." Calvin let out a deep sigh.

But before Old Zhong could react, Calvin beamed into a smile and added, "Nah, they're still alive. I just came back because I need someone to accompany me back to the Village of Tulog."

"What?" Old Zhong was floored. He became confused, "Are they dead or what?"

"They are still alive. I was just kidding with you."

"Oh..." Old Zhong didn't know what to say. But he was relieved that Ricardo and Heisenberg were still alive, "What did you say again? You came back because you need to drag someone with you back to the Village of Tulog?"

"Yup." Calvin smiled, "You see, my friends are alive, but they are being held hostage by a vengeful ghost who demands the presence of her lover so that she could move on."

"What?!" Old Zhong was startled, "Are you saying that you're going to sacrifice one of us to that vengeful ghost, so you can ensure the safety of your friends?! No, no, no... I cannot let you do that at all costs. Who are you to sacrifice my fellow villagers?"

Calvin hurriedly shook his head, "No, you misunderstood me, Old Zhong. I am not out here to sacrifice anyone. Remember that I'm a member of one of the three Judiciaries serving under the Church of the three Orthodox Gods..."

"Why would I sacrifice anyone? In fact, I wouldn't even come back here if I can't ensure the safety of that person under the presence of that vengeful ghost!"

"I see..." Old Zhong calmed down significantly after hearing Calvin's words. He trusted every member of the three Judiciaries as a devotee of the Goddess of Compassion and Light, "Who is that person that you're after? If he's really in this village, then I can convince him to come with you. Despite looking like this, I still hold quite the authority, you see?"

"Ah, right..." Calvin nodded his head, "I'm looking for a man whose name is Presto. Can you convince him to come with me?"

"What?" Old Zhong's pupils constricted, "Say that again?"

"I'm looking for someone named Presto."

"Presto?"

"Yeah..."

"Shit. Your friends are going to die." Old Zhong's figure shook as he was quite rattled by what he had heard.

"What are you talking about? Could it be that the young man's already dead?" Calvin asked.

"Yeah... He's dead. He killed himself the next morning after we discovered some parts of clothing that belonged to Freya."

Old Zhong rubbed his glabella, "Speaking of Freya.... what a pitiful young lass. To think that she would become a vengeful ghost. Unfortunately, her lover is already dead... what should we do now? Can we still rescue your friends with the bones of Presto?"

"The bones of Presto?" Calvin's expression changed, "You have his bones?"

"Of course, not!" Old Zhong snorted, "Joselian traditions say that one must be buried under the shade of one's favorite tree. Unfortunately, Presto's favorite tree unexpectedly withered the moment he died so we have no choice but to bury him under the favorite tree of his lover so that we are comforted that both of them can be lovers once more in their next lives."

"I see..." Calvin nodded his head, "Can you bring me to the bones of Presto? It's in the middle of the night, so we should be able to retrieve his bones without letting anyone notice what we are doing."

"That could be difficult." Old Zhong shook his head.

"Why?"

"The family of the young lass, Freya reared hunting dogs whose senses are sharper than my daggers. It would be difficult for us to avoid their detection, much more unearth the bones of Presto."

"Hunting dogs? Yeah, they are indeed difficult to hide from. But difficult doesn't mean impossible. I have my own way. Just point me in the right direction and I'll retrieve the bones for us." Calvin gave a mysterious smirk.

"Hahaha..." Old Zhong boisterously laughed, "The adage that the young would always surpass the old is really not unfounded. To think that being so young—you already have so many tricks under your sleeves!"

"All right, I shall accompany you to the gated fence of the young lass's family." Old Zhong took the lead and both of them hurried towards the southern part of Kingse village. It didn't take long for them to arrive at the gated fence.

Since it was also in the middle of the night, there was not a soul in sight.

Calvin was confident that he could retrieve the bones without any problems, but as soon as he stepped inside. He heard the ghastly growls of a sinister creature that he had never expected to hear inside Kingse Village.

"Ghouls growl and wail at night."

"Eating everything alive in sight."

"If you see one, try to run and escape."

"But good night—for they leave; no one alive!"

Calvin was instantly reminded of this particular children's rhyme that parents often used to scare their children at night.

The rhyme was terrifying indeed, but what was more horrifying was the fact that the rhyme wasn't inaccurate at all.

It was the most accurate description of what Ghouls were.

But visually, they were difficult to describe.

A part of them resembled humans, but if one looked closely at them.

They would see that Ghouls never resembled humans at all. Though they had arms and legs like men, they walk on all fours like dogs and foxes. Though their faces eerily resembled humans, one would find it hard to find any vestiges of humanity on their distorted faces, for they were driven with nothing, but one thing only—an insatiable craving for anything alive.

Calvin turned to look at the Ghoul that stood in front of him and without saying anything.

He summoned his Aspect sent the Corpse Eater Oil covered tip of the quill flying towards the Ghoul. Ghouls were also Corpse Eaters, though they were far common than other variations of Corpse Eaters—they weren't less powerful than their less common counterparts such as the Creepers and Graved Deads.

The quill drew a golden arc in the air as it whistled through the skies flying towards the Ghoul's forehead.

But before it could even penetrate the Ghoul's brainstem...

"Stop!"

...A voice halted the golden quill in its tracks.

It was also at this moment that Calvin discovered the peculiar existence of a collar wrapped around the Ghoul's neck. No—he had already noticed the collar before he sent an attack. He just decided to ignore it for he thought that it held no significance. But now that he was acknowledging the presence of the collar, Calvin suddenly realized where he was.

He was in the middle of Kingse village!

How could there be a Ghoul here?

If there was, then shouldn't Old Zhong already dispatched of it?

With his experience in battles, a Ghoul or two shouldn't be a problem.

Yet, this Ghoul was still alive and judging from its size, it must be several years old already...

What was going on?

Calvin sucked a mouthful of cold air as he reeled his shock in and turned to look at the old lady who stopped him in his tracks.

The golden quill reappeared in Calvin's hand, it was ready to redeploy at any moment.

"Young man, I am grateful that you have such control over your strength."

The old lady's voice sounded off, but this was probably because she had no teeth.

Calvin scanned the hunchbacked old lady from head to toe and after noticing that the old lady didn't seem to pose any danger nor have any intent to harm him, he dispersed his golden quill but maintained a degree of cautiousness against the Ghoul in front of him.

"Who are you?"

Calvin asked the old lady.