The Ghoul's Deception

Upon arriving in the village, Marcus decided that his first priority was to find an inn where he could stay. It was a small village, so there was only one available. Once inside, he made his way to a corner of the inn, sat down, and ordered a drink. As he sipped, he carefully listened to the conversations around him, hoping to gather any useful information about the ghoul he was hunting.

The innkeeper caught his attention when he casually mentioned, "There have been several accidents in the area during the nights." Marcus's ears perked up. That must be the ghoul, he thought. The pieces of the puzzle were falling into place. He couldn't afford to ignore this lead.

As the hours passed, Marcus continued to observe the surroundings, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. He noticed a drunk man stumbling through the streets, clearly intoxicated and completely unaware of his surroundings. This could be the perfect bait, Marcus thought. I'm no saint, and this guy is too far gone to help himself anyway.

Deciding to follow him, Marcus trailed the drunk until he turned into an alley. Probably to relieve himself, Marcus thought. But when he followed the man into the alley, everything changed. As soon as he entered, the drunk attacked him.

To Marcus's shock, the man's features twisted and contorted. The once drunken figure morphed into the ghoul he had been tracking. The ghoul's ability to create low-level illusions was the reason Marcus hadn't suspected it earlier. The creature had used the man's intoxication as a mask, luring unsuspecting victims into its trap.

Struggling to keep the ghoul off him, Marcus found himself pinned to the ground with the creature's face dangerously close to his own. In a moment of quick thinking, he pressed the barrel of his revolver against the ghoul's neck, preventing it from reaching his face. Despite the surprise of the situation, Marcus was a Level 1 Hunter, and his physical stats were three times greater than those of an average human. The ghoul might have been strong, but it wasn't going to be an easy win for it.

With a push, Marcus managed to shove the ghoul back. He quickly fired a normal bullet at the creature, wounding it, but not killing it. The ghoul howled in pain but remained alive. Marcus cursed under his breath. If it were that easy to kill them, Hunters wouldn't be needed, he thought. He knew it would take more than a single shot to finish off a creature like this.

As the ghoul staggered backward, Marcus suddenly realized the mistake he'd made. What an idiot I am! Why didn't I switch to the salt bullet?

The situation was far from over, and Marcus now had to think quickly if he wanted to survive this encounter.