The flickering firelight barely climbed up the tall, thin shadow.
Eric looked up—and froze.
A chill surged from the soles of his feet straight up his spine, locking his muscles in place. His scalp prickled. A sense of primal dread gripped him before his mind could even process what he was seeing.
"RAAHH!"
Then it screamed.
A shrill, otherworldly screech tore through the silence, so sharp and close it nearly stopped his heart. A twisted, shriveled corpse lunged toward him with terrifying speed.
Eric reacted on instinct alone. He flung himself into a clumsy roll—thud!—barely dodging as the workbench behind him exploded into splinters under the ghoul's strike.
"Shit!"
Scrambling to his feet, he turned back to get a better look at the attacker.
Under the dim light, the creature's outline became clear—its form was draped in tattered robes that barely clung to its emaciated frame. Its limbs were long and unnatural, like a stretched shadow. Its eyes glowed faintly in the dark, and ancient trinkets and bangles jangled softly with every movement, casting eerie glimmers across its corpse-pale skin.
A single word sprang to Eric's mind, unbidden and horrified:
Ghoul.
His mouth fell open. "What the hell?!"
"I avoided tombs, I skipped cursed ruins, I even walked around the creepy forest! So how the hell did I still run into one of these?!"
His voice shook, both in disbelief and fear. "Don't come any closer!"
His throat worked in a dry swallow. His breath came in sharp bursts. The ghoul inched forward, savoring the tension in the air.
Then it laughed.
A low, rasping sound wheezed from its mouth—like a broken bellows forcing air through rusted pipes.
It could smell him.
Fear.
The emotion clung to Eric like a film of cold sweat, rooting him to the spot. Every instinct screamed run, but his limbs refused to obey.
The ghoul was enjoying this.
The realization struck like a slap. It wasn't attacking immediately. It was playing with him. Toying with its prey.
Something inside Eric snapped.
His hand tightened around the stone sword he'd been gripping all this time—crafted by the system, stronger than it looked. The fear still gripped him, but now it burned beneath a new emotion: rage.
No way.
He wasn't going down like some helpless NPC.
"I'm a goddamn Minecraft veteran," he muttered, heart pounding. "You think I'm just gonna lie down and die?"
"No way—I'm fighting back!"
The ghoul hissed.
With jerky, deliberate movements, it drew its own weapon—a rusted, blackened blade once used for ceremonial burials, now caked in grime and reeking of decay. The edge glimmered faintly with a sinister hue—like it had soaked in curses over centuries.
It raised the sword high—
Eric roared.
A full-bodied, primal yell that tore from his throat as he surged forward, swinging with every ounce of force he had.
CLANG!
Metal met stone. The jolt shot through his wrist, making his arm go numb.
It felt like hitting a steel wall.
For a split second, he thought the sword would shatter.
But it held.
A glowing prompt appeared in his vision.
[-3]
Eric blinked. The blow had landed. It worked.
The ghoul staggered back, caught off guard. It glanced down at the fresh gash in its armor, then up at Eric with a mix of confusion and rage.
A simple stone sword had broken through its magic protection?
What kind of stone was this?
The ghoul screeched again—shriller this time, and angry.
Eric stood his ground.
Above the creature's head, a faint glowing number now hovered in the air:
[57/60]
His mind kicked into high gear.
Sixty hit points? That's three times mine!
And it's got armor, too!
He knew his own stats—roughly 20 HP. From what he'd seen in this world so far, that was slightly above average. Hobbits had around 15–18. Anything beyond that was rare.
No wonder the old Arnorian kingdom had been overrun.
Another glow.
[+1]
[58/60]
His eyes widened.
It's healing?!
No time to think. The ghoul's blade came down again. Eric barely deflected the strike, teeth gritted as the shock rattled through his bones.
The ghoul wasn't just strong—it was relentless.
Eric twisted and forced the creature's weapon aside with a grunt. "Don't underestimate me, you walking corpse."
He retaliated—another clean hit.
[-4]
[54/60]
So he could hurt it. It wasn't invincible. It just had a massive HP pool.
But then—
WHAM!
The ghoul's free hand slammed into his ribs. A flash of black. Eric flew across the floor like a ragdoll and crashed hard into a pile of crates.
For a moment, everything went dark.
Then came the pain.
[-7]
His chest screamed. Something cracked—maybe a rib.
[13/20]
[14/20]
Eric gasped, coughing, but the pain was already fading.
[16/20]
[17.5/20]
The hunger meter was ticking down—his passive regeneration kicking in.
The rings on the ghoul's fingers… they weren't just for show. Together, they'd turned that slap into something closer to a brass-knuckled punch. His side still throbbed, but the health bar didn't lie.
By the time the ghoul lunged again, Eric was upright. He blocked the next strike, barely, and exhaled sharply.
[20/20]
Fully healed.
But the cost?
Half his hunger bar—gone.
He stood straighter. Eyes narrowed.
So technically… I've got 60 HP too.
More, if I count all the food I'm carrying.
Then what's there to be afraid of?
The ghoul lunged. Eric met it head-on. Neither of them were master swordsmen—Eric lacked formal training, and the ghoul's limbs moved in awkward, jerky motions. What followed was a brutal, clumsy exchange of blows, more like a bar brawl than a duel.
Clang!
Slash!
Grunt!
Each of Eric's swings landed, slowly chipping away:
[-3]
[-4]
[-5]
[41/60]… [36/60]… [30/60]
But the ghoul adapted. Its attacks came faster, wilder.
SWISH!
Eric failed to dodge a swing—pain exploded across his torso.
[-6]
No problem. He could heal.
Except this time, something was wrong.
Another pulse of pain—sharper. Deeper.
[-1]
His status bar flickered.
A red heart icon cracked.
The color dimmed.
Wither?
No… it was worse.
[Cursed: 2s]
His breath caught.
Of course.
Ghouls… Wights… minions of darkness. Their very presence corrupts.
The curse gnawed at him from the inside. It wasn't just physical damage—it was eating at his soul.
For the first time since the fight began, doubt crept in.
How do you fight something that's stronger, tougher, and applies DOT debuffs with every hit?
He grit his teeth.
Think, Eric.
Think like a player.
What beats stats?
His mind snapped back to every RPG he'd ever played.
Movement.
Terrain.
Mechanics.
There it was.
He rolled hard, dirt flying as another strike narrowly missed.
"Eat dirt, you ancient fossil!"
He wasn't dodging gracefully—his rolls were more desperation than skill—but they bought him time.
And time was all he needed.
Another dodge. Then he stood. His HP was ticking back up.
Hunger bar: dangerously low.
But he had one shot left.
"HEY! Ugly!"
The ghoul snarled.
Taunt successful.
It lunged—and as its sword descended—
Clack.
A stone block materialized out of thin air, slamming into place between them.
The ghoul crashed into it, dazed.
Eric didn't hesitate.
SWING—
[-3]
[-3]
[27/60]
The ghoul shrieked, enraged. But Eric had already dropped another stone block, cutting off its advance.
The creature howled in frustration. It tried to phase through—but couldn't.
These weren't normal stones.
They were system-crafted.
Suddenly—THUD!
A shadow dropped from above.
An axe cleaved straight into the ghoul's skull.
[-10]
Critical hit.
Perfect jump attack.
Eric didn't miss a beat. He switched back to his sword.
[-4]
[-4]
The ghoul reeled—then stabbed.
Straight into Eric's chest.
But Eric didn't fall.
He grabbed the blade—gritted his teeth—and kept swinging.
"AAAHHHHH!!"
The final blow connected.
The ghoul shrieked—then burst into black mist, dissipating into the air.
Its eyes went dark. The body crumpled to the ground.
Motionless.
[Achievement Unlocked: "Monster Hunter"]
Condition Met: Defeat a hostile creature.
[Special Achievement Unlocked: "Ghoul Slayer"]
Condition Met: Defeat a Ghoul.
[Title System Unlocked]
[Title Unlocked: Ghoul Slayer]