Chapter 174 – The Hunt of the Dark Elf

“Have any of you heard of the dark banshee?”

The flames in the tavern’s fire basin flickered under the evening breeze, casting orange light on the Old Vagrant’s deeply wrinkled face. Combined with his turbid, lifeless eyes, an eerie and terrifying atmosphere permeated the air.

The surrounding vagrants listened with rapt attention, some unable to suppress swallowing hard.

Surrounded by the crowd, the Old Vagrant slowly began his tale:

“Legend has it that on even-numbered days of every week, right here in Garbage Mountain, after 27 o’clock at midnight, a stunningly beautiful dark-skinned banshee roams the inconspicuous alleys. She seduces every man passing through there, and after a night of pleasure, she digs out the man’s heart before devouring the entire corpse, leaving nothing behind…”

The Old Man was recounting a legend that had emerged over the past five years, and such a bizarre tale undoubtedly appealed to the vagrants’ tastes. They began eagerly voicing their opinions.

“I heard that just a few days ago, that Will who always wanted to be a warrior went missing at night. Maybe he was…”

“Stop talking nonsense! Will was chopped to death by Rotten Tooth Boss with an axe. Everyone in the eastern sector knows that clearly—it has nothing to do with the dark banshee!”

“How beautiful do you think the dark banshee must be? Can she compare to those noble ladies in the city?”

“What does it matter if she can compare? She’s still just a slut…”

Seeing all the vagrants discussing the unverified dark banshee, Jack, who loved to boast, couldn’t stand it any longer. Normally, whenever he told tall tales, he’d be surrounded by people asking questions—when had he ever suffered such neglect? So he decided to do something to restore his “prestige.”

“Hey, everyone gather round! I have something important to announce!”

Jack braved the cold and stood up, speaking loudly, but the other vagrants were too engrossed in their discussion to pay him any attention.

Frustrated by this outcome, Jack’s face flushed red with anger. He quickly continued:

“Listen to me—I, the great Jack, will go find this dark banshee today and capture her to entertain everyone. I mean it this time—no boasting!”

As these words left his mouth, even Jack himself was startled. He immediately felt a pang of regret, but by then, the other vagrants had turned their attention to him. The onlookers didn’t care about Jack’s embarrassment and immediately began chattering excitedly.

“Oh, Jack, finally showing some ambition? Not dreaming of seducing noblewomen in the city anymore?”

“Capturing the dark banshee? If she sees you in this state, she’ll probably scratch you to death with one claw.”

“Foolish Jack, honestly, I don’t even need you to capture any dark banshee. If you dare to go to the alley in the eastern sector of Garbage Mountain where Old Kasha lives today and bring back one of the dead crows hanging on her door, I’ll give you a silver coin!”

One vagrant who had a grudge against Jack particularly fanned the flames. Seeing this, the others also added fuel to the fire, all clamoring that Jack couldn’t refuse—otherwise, he’d be exposed as a bragging coward.Perhaps there was a bit more ale mixed into the water at the tavern today, or perhaps the crowd’s jeering suddenly took on the effect of an orc war drum. Instead of sulking back to his seat as usual, Jack, mocked by everyone, impulsively shouted:

“Fine! I’ll go get a dead bird! If I run into some Black Banshee, I’ll catch her too and show you all! Then I hope a certain welcher won’t renege on my silver coin!”

With that, Jack jumped down from the stone platform and stumbled out of the tavern.

Seeing this, the vagrants couldn’t help but exchange uneasy glances. They had only been teasing out of boredom—who would have thought Jack would actually go looking for some Black Banshee?

“I say, isn’t this a bit too much? I’ve heard quite a few people have gone missing lately…”

“Come on, those missing folks probably starved to death somewhere. Who’d bother capturing vagrants like us?”

“Right, right! And even if there really is a Black Banshee, it might be a stroke of luck! I’ve never known a woman in my life—having a go with a monster before I die would make my life worth living.”

At this topic, all the vagrants fell silent. They stared silently as Jack walked farther and farther into the cold wind, each lost in their own thoughts.

Whatever the vagrants in the tavern were thinking, Jack’s mood was utterly miserable now. The chill wind had sobered him from his impulsiveness, and both his body and heart were trembling. He had no desire to venture into any dark alley—even if the Black Banshee was just a ghost story not to be believed, those alleys often hid terrifying criminals.

But Jack wasn’t willing to slink back home in disgrace either. He remembered the silver coin his rival had promised—a whole silver coin! How many vagrants never laid eyes on one in their entire lives?

Moreover, in the vagrant community, bets were not to be taken lightly. If Jack retrieved the dead crow from Old Kasha’s door, he would genuinely receive a shiny silver coin.

“Alright, it’s just an alley. I’ll grab a dead crow and run like hell. I’m still ‘Swift-Footed Jack’ from back in the day—even if there really is a Black Banshee, she won’t catch me.”

Unconsciously, the tavern was now far behind. Jack steeled himself inwardly, but the surrounding darkness and cold remained unrelenting. The dead silence of the night felt like a giant hand clutching all living things in its grasp. To Jack, the surrounding Garbage Mountains now seemed like monstrous beasts, ready to pounce and tear him to shreds at any moment.

Fear rapidly grew in Jack’s heart. Unconsciously, he even forgot about the Black Banshee, forgot about the bet, and forgot all his bravado. Now, Jack only felt as if he were being chased by some terrifying monster. He began to run wildly, unable to control himself.

In his frantic dash, Jack lost all capacity for thought. He seemed to lose awareness of his surroundings entirely, not even realizing he had entered an alley all vagrants avoided at all costs. Of course, he couldn’t see the eerie scene unfolding in the night.Before anyone realized, a grinning black goblin had appeared beside Jack, clinging tightly to his neck. The small, dark-skinned creature continuously spewed wisps of black mist from its cracked mouth.

The black mist writhed and twisted like living snakes, slithering into Jack’s nostrils and mouth. Yet Jack remained completely unaware of the dark fumes he was breathing. He continued stumbling deeper into the alley, not even noticing the cuts from scattered garbage scraping against him as he ran.

Finally, Jack reached the alley’s end in a dazed state, standing motionless against the wall like a statue. Two other expressionless “wooden figures” stood rigidly beside him, equally immobile.

The black goblin grinned viciously and patted the heads of its three “prey.” Clearly, this was a bountiful night for the creature. Since they were only permitted to hunt solitary targets, catching three starving individuals in one night counted as a substantial harvest.

But just as the black goblin prepared to leap down from Jack’s shoulder and transport the new “test subjects” back to the Base as usual, a sudden mutation occurred.

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(End of Chapter)