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Watching the messages scrolling through the group chat, Lucian couldn't help but feel a bit excited.
He was really curious what would happen once his talismans started showing up in their worlds.
"Getting late. I should take a shower and turn in. Got school tomorrow… and those 'immortal' students to deal with."
Stretching lazily, Lucian reached for the talismans on his desk, about to store them in his system space—
When suddenly, a sharp, piercing alarm rang out in his mind without any warning.
This time, it wasn't from the chat group.
It came from his most important cheat—the Guardian Spirit System.
[Ding! System has detected high-risk, bloodthirsty anomalous creatures within a 2 km radius of the host's residence!]
[Identity confirmed: Ghouls!]
[Triggering chained hunting mission!]
[Mission 1: Clear the Stragglers. Eliminate the ghouls wandering near your residence and attempting to hunt.]
[Reward: Guardian Spirit EXP increase + one random rare material.]
[Mission 2: Eradicate the Nest. Tracing shows this group belongs to an underground ghoul base near Sobu High. Destroy the stronghold completely.]
[Final Reward: Unlock and summon the second Plant-Girl Guardian Spirit!]
As the notifications echoed one after another, the relaxed look in Lucian's eyes vanished instantly. His gaze sharpened, a cold killing intent quietly gathering.
Ghouls?
Those human-eating monsters lurking in the shadows of the city had actually wandered near his home? They'd even set up a base near Sobu High?
If it were just some ordinary strays, he might've left it for tomorrow.
But these were ghouls.
This was where he and Sora lived. Toka and Rikka were right next door.
Anything that posed a lethal threat to the people around him had only one solution in Lucian's book—
Wipe it out. Leave nothing behind.
Besides, the final reward…
A second Plant-Girl Guardian Spirit.
Just Himan alone, the succubus-like form of a chomper plant, already had the terrifying ability to solo an Upper Rank Two demon through sheer devouring power.
If he unlocked a second one, his combat strength would skyrocket.
He wasn't letting that reward slip away.
Lucian's expression turned cold. He picked up two freshly drawn Basic Guardian Talismans from the desk.
Without making a sound, he slipped out of the study and stopped at Sora's bedroom door.
Hearing her steady breathing inside, he pressed one talisman onto the door. With a slight movement of his fingers, the paper turned into a streak of light and sank into the wood.
Then he went to the entrance and placed the other on the apartment's main door.
With these two LV.3 Daoist talismans guarding the place, even a high-level ghoul or evil spirit trying to break in would be instantly shattered by the protective aura.
Once the preparations were done, Lucian pushed open the balcony door. A cool night breeze brushed against his face, lifting his bangs.
"Time to work, Himan."
He called out silently.
A ripple of purple spread through the air.
A pair of long, pale legs stepped out of the void first.
Then Himan appeared behind him—dressed in dark purple, revealing light armor, her figure so alluring it could make anyone's blood race.
"Master~"
She wrapped her arms around his neck from behind, pressing close, her long pink tongue sliding across her lips. Her voice was soft and dangerously seductive.
"Calling me out so late… do you want me to keep you company tonight, or is there some unlucky prey for me to snack on?"
Lucian remained completely unfazed despite the softness pressed against his back. He casually patted her hand.
"Cut it out. There are a few man-eating monsters nearby. Can you smell them? Lead the way—we're wiping out their nest."
At the mention of food, Himan's fox-like eyes lit up with a strange purple gleam.
She wrinkled her nose slightly, sniffing the night air.
As a guardian spirit born from a carnivorous plant, she had an instinctive sensitivity to the stench of blood and decay.
"Found them."
She let go of Lucian, a bloodthirsty smile curling her lips. "The smell's messy—there are quite a few. Master, follow me."
With that, she leapt lightly onto the balcony railing, moving like a nimble night cat as she bounded across AC units and walls outside the building.
The two figures quickly disappeared into the darkness.
…
Fifteen minutes later.
About three kilometers from the Sobu High district lay an abandoned industrial zone.
It used to be a meat processing plant, long shut down due to financial collapse. Now it was overgrown with weeds, the streetlights broken, a forgotten dead corner of the city.
Himan stopped atop a rusted steel bridge, looking down at a massive factory building below.
"Master, those disgusting bugs are gathered down there," she said in a low voice.
Lucian landed silently beside her.
Peering through the broken ventilation shutters into the factory, his brows immediately furrowed. A trace of cold disgust flashed in his eyes.
Inside the dim, empty space, the air was thick with a suffocating stench of blood.
More than a dozen figures in hoodies and strange masks stood in small groups.
On the ground before them lay several mutilated human corpses.
Their eyes glowed crimson in the dark—ghouls' signature predatory eyes.
Behind them, dark red flesh tentacles and blade-like appendages writhed faintly as they fed or kept watch.
Clearly, they had just returned from a hunt and were now enjoying their "feast" in this hidden nest.
"Looks like the system wasn't wrong. This really is a full-fledged ghoul base."
Lucian scanned the low-level ghouls stuffing themselves, then shifted his gaze deeper into the factory.
There, in the shadows, sat a tall figure alone atop a pile of wooden crates.
He wasn't eating like the others. He just sat there, motionless, like a lifeless statue.
He wore a loose dark red robe, long purple hair tied casually behind his head.
But the most striking thing was his mask.
A grotesque design—the lower half painted with a huge, ear-splitting grin, revealing jagged, saw-like teeth.
He barely seemed to breathe, yet an overwhelming, chilling pressure radiated from him.
"That guy with the big-mouth mask…"
A flicker of surprise crossed Lucian's eyes.
As someone familiar with countless anime settings, he recognized him instantly.
A core executive of Aogiri Tree.
An SS-rank ghoul with monstrous regeneration and devouring ability—
Noro.
"Now this is interesting."
A cold smile tugged at Lucian's lips.
He'd expected a small group of wandering ghouls.
Instead, he'd stumbled onto a high-ranking member of Aogiri Tree.
Seems like the undercurrents of this world ran deeper than he thought.
"Master, that big masked one smells way stronger than the others."
Himan licked her lips, her purple eyes locked onto Noro, her tone dripping with undisguised greed.
"The meat smells kind of gross… but the energy inside him? That's top-tier midnight snack material."
"For Himan, a ghoul's prized blood-flesh and regeneration were nothing more than premium nourishment."
"If you like him that much, don't hold back."
Lucian straightened up on the steel bridge, making no attempt to hide.
He pulled out a golden-glowing Thunder Talisman from his system space, holding it between his fingers.
"Move in. Don't leave a single one alive."
The moment his words fell, the talisman ignited.
BOOM!
A violent bolt of silver lightning, thick as a barrel, tore through the factory's rusted roof like divine punishment descending from the heavens.
With a deafening roar, it struck the center of the ghoul group.
Blinding light flooded the dark factory.
Four or five low-level ghouls closest to the impact didn't even have time to scream before they were obliterated into charred fragments.
"Enemy attack!!!"
The sudden strike threw the remaining ghouls into chaos.
They looked up in terror, their crimson eyes locking onto the hole blasted through the roof.
There—
Lucian descended slowly, backlit by the cold moonlight like a god.
Beside him, accompanied by a chilling, enchanting laugh, countless thick, barbed purple tendrils surged into the factory like a swarm of monstrous serpents.
The hunt had begun.
"....."