Chapter 982: Debt Collector Ghoul
Chapter 982 – Debt Collector Ghoul
They moved again.
This time, the place did not feel like it was trying to lose them.
The stairway beneath the spring curved downward at first, then rose gradually through a tunnel of living root and old stone. Silver-green light pulsed beneath their feet with each step Ely took. Lux remained just behind her, still letting her lead but close enough that Sira noticed he could pull her back before anything touched her.
Greed’s protective radius was obnoxious.
The deeper path into Hollow Mountain was different from the earlier trail.
Less pretty.
More honest.
Some sections had revived after the spring core returned. Fresh moss spread across stone. Small silver flowers bloomed along cracks. Clean water trickled in thin streams beside the roots.
But other parts remained dead.
Blackened.
Burned.
Whole walls still bore the scars of ancient fire. Tree trunks grew out of stone only to stop halfway, hollow and gray inside. The air carried a strange mixture of life and corpse-wood, like the mountain was waking from a nightmare but had not fully decided whether it wanted to survive.
Gula looked around uneasily. "I don’t want to eat anything here anymore."
Sira blinked. "That might be the most alarming thing you’ve said today."
"It tastes sad."
"You didn’t eat it."
"I can tell."
Lullaby nodded sleepily. "Sad roots."
Yue’s gaze moved along the walls. "This place was abandoned for centuries."
Lux looked ahead. "Perfect place for monsters."
As if the mountain had been waiting for that cue, something moved in the dark.
Then many things.
Stone clicked.
Roots snapped.
A wet dragging sound came from deeper ahead.
Ely froze.
Lux moved in front of her instantly.
This time, he did not scold himself for stepping ahead.
The path had opened.
The monsters were not sacred guidance.
From the tunnel walls, creatures peeled themselves free.
Not as powerful as the Devourer.
But ugly enough.
Ash-root crawlers, long and low, bodies made from burnt wood and slick stone, with too many jointed legs. Their mouths were circular knots lined with splinters. A pair of moss-covered things dropped from above, all arms and no eyes. Farther back, two wolf-like beasts made of charcoal bark and bone-white vines snarled without lungs.
[Hostile Entities Detected]
[Name: Ashroot Carrion Crawler]
[Level: 58]
[Name: Hollow Vine Maw]
[Level: 66]
[Name: Charcoal Thorn Wolf]
[Level: 70]
[Threat Level: Low To Moderate]
Sira flexed her claws. "Finally. Something normal disgusting."
Gula lifted her fork-spear. "Can I rob them?"
Lux gave her a side glance. "That’s my brand."
"Can I taste the robbery?"
"No."
The monsters lunged.
Lux sighed.
Not worried.
Annoyed.
He raised his hand lazily. "Summon..."
A greed magic formation appeared beneath his feet.
Green lines crawled across the stone, forming a circular sigil filled with coins, chains, and tiny contract marks. The air smelled briefly of old leather, rusted keys, and unpaid debt.
[Summon Complete]
The circle cracked open.
A creature rose from it like something dragged out of a bankrupt grave.
It was thin. Too thin. Long-limbed and hunched, wearing a torn black coat that looked like it had once belonged to a corrupt tax officer. Its skin was gray-green, stretched tight over sharp bones. Gold coins were sewn into its eyelids, though it somehow still saw perfectly. Chains hung from its shoulders, each ending in tiny hooks shaped like quills. In one hand, it carried a rusted ledger. In the other, a hooked cane.
It grinned with far too many teeth.
[Name: Grivven Tollclaw]
[Class: Debt Collector Ghoul]
[Level: 79]
[Alignment: Greed]
Grivven Tollclaw looked around the tunnel.
Then spotted Lux.
The ghoul immediately bowed so low his spine cracked like snapping twigs. "Ohhh, you summoned me, boss?"
His voice sounded like coins rolling inside a coffin.
Lux pointed ahead without ceremony. "Those monsters."
The crawlers screamed and rushed closer.
"Eliminate them for me."
Grivven’s grin widened.
Lux added, "You can rob them if you want."
The ghoul shuddered with joy. "Oh, boss. You know how to speak romance."
Sira stared. "Did he just call robbery romance?"
Lux lowered his hand. "Greed culture."
Gula looked fascinated. "I want to study that."
The first Ashroot Carrion Crawler leaped.
Grivven moved.
Fast.
Ugly fast.
He skittered across the floor on all fours despite clearly having two legs and no permission to be that flexible. His hooked cane snapped outward and caught the crawler under its jaw. With one yank, he dragged it midair toward him.
"Invoice due!"
His ledger opened by itself.
Black writing appeared across the page.
Then Grivven bit the creature.
Not metaphorically.
He sank his teeth into its bark neck and tore out a chunk of glowing rot. The crawler shrieked as dark-gold marks spread across its body.
Sira looked at Lux.
Lux shrugged. "Efficient."
Yue watched with a faintly disturbed expression. "That is your summon?"
"One of them."
"You summon debt collectors."
"Sometimes."
The Hollow Vine Maw dropped from above toward Ely.
Lux didn’t even move.
Grivven’s chain snapped upward, hooked the thing by one arm, and yanked it sideways into the wall with a wet crack.
"Hidden core detected!" the ghoul sang.
He plunged his claw into the creature’s chest and pulled out a dull green lump of mana residue.
Then looked at Lux. "Boss, keep?"
Lux glanced at it. "Low value. Consume."
Grivven stuffed it into his mouth and chewed happily.
Gula whispered, "He’s like me but horrible."
Sira replied, "You are horrible but cute."
Gula blinked. "Thank you?"
Lux continued walking.
The audacity of it made everyone pause.
The monsters were still attacking, the ghoul was cackling, chains were flying, and Lux simply walked forward like this was a hallway inconvenience.
Ely hurried behind him. "Lux, shouldn’t we help?"
"No need."
A Charcoal Thorn Wolf snarled and lunged toward them.
Lux glanced at it.
His blade flashed once in his hand, not even fully summoned, just enough for the blade’s aura to kiss the air.
The wolf stopped.
Instinct.
Even stupid monsters understood bigger predators.
Then Grivven landed on its back with a shriek. "Repossession!"
His hooks dug into the wolf’s shoulders, and he rode it straight into the wall.
Lullaby watched sleepily. "He’s energetic."
"Minor Greed entities are always worse when allowed to invoice violence," Lux said.