Chapter 136: The Ghost Witch in the Swamp

"If this really is a trap set by some... thing, it’s far too bold!" Sera covered her ears in irritation. "Ron, let’s just find whatever it is and kill it! I don’t care what it is—this is a blatant provocation!"

"But what if this being is far more powerful than us..." Ron hesitated. It was hard not to be suspicious of such a blatant act of provocation.

"If there were truly some powerful being here, my teacher would’ve sensed and crushed it long ago," Aiksuuri said, flying up to get a better look at their location. "The only reason he’d leave it alive is if it doesn’t pose a threat."

"It sounds like an old woman calling for help," Victoria said, taking out her weapon and shield. "Let’s go have a look."

The party followed the voice through several thickets. By the time the dense canopy of leaves completely blotted out the sun, they had found the source of the strange, wailing cries for help—an old woman in plain, simple clothes.

She appeared to be in trouble. A bottomless swamp was pulling her deeper and deeper underfoot. Above, hordes of ravens perched on nearby branches or circled overhead, seemingly waiting for the feast her death would provide.

"Help me, kind travelers!" The old woman’s small eyes lit up the moment she saw Ron and his companions. "Heavens, I had no idea there’d be Adventurers passing through here!"

"Quick, pull me out and shoo away these pesky birds! I’ll be sure to repay your kindness!"

"She’s sinking too fast for someone of her size," the Treasure Chest Monster on the cart grumbled.

"It’s a Transformed Creature, like us, or an illusion," the Personification Monster chimed in.

As some of the most veteran and infamous monsters around, they were experts at setting traps themselves; there was no way they would fall for such a crude one.

As for Ron and his group, they had already guessed this seemingly harmless "woman" was trouble and had no intention of blindly trusting her words.

THWACK. Aiksuuri grabbed a stick and threw it at the old woman’s head, where it landed with a dull thud. Then he threw another branch.

"Hey! You ugly, filthy, evil, disgusting lizard whelp!"

The old woman’s expression changed instantly. "Is kicking someone when they’re down all you vermin know how to do?!"

"Not an illusion," the Young Dragon said, tilting his head toward Ron. "It’s really going all out, isn’t it? To star in a performance like this itself."

"What?! This is no show, you dim-witted whelp!" the old woman snarled, struggling and cursing in the swamp. "I’m really trapped here! Pull me out!"

"You think we’re going to believe you?" Aiksuuri laughed mockingly. He flapped his wings and flew over to circle with the ravens above the old woman’s head. "Save your breath. What kind of old humanoid shows up in a place like this? Even strong young men only dare to linger on the outskirts of the Delusional Land!"

The old woman didn’t answer. She reached out a pair of bony, shriveled hands with long fingernails, trying to grab the Young Dragon, but the frantic movement only caused her to sink deeper.

"No—you can’t do this!" the old woman shrieked in terror. Seeing that pleading with the Young Dragon was useless, she turned her attention to Ron, who looked to be the group’s leader. "Kind man, you wouldn’t be as heartless as a wicked Black Dragon, would you? Please, save an old woman like me! I had no choice but to come here!"

"I think you’d need to show your true form for us to consider this a ’sincere’ cry for help," Ron said, reaching out to stroke the Treasure Chest Monster’s exterior. "You heard what it said earlier, didn’t you?"

"Wha-what?!" The old woman was stunned. "Are you serious? You’d rather believe a beast that can barely speak the Common Language than an old woman whose life is hanging by a thread? Are you insane? Or some kind of... I don’t know, a freak?"

"Then it looks like we’ll just have to leave you here," Ron shrugged, making to turn and leave. "I don’t know if you realize this, but your disguise and your performance are both so clumsy that we knew you weren’t an ordinary person from the start."

"If you intend to continue this act, we won’t be staying for the show."

"Fine, fine," the old woman glared at Ron. After a long moment, she relented. "Then you’d better not be frightened, little ones. My beauty can make the entire Delusional Land pale in comparison!"

A dark green light enveloped the old woman. When it faded, her once frail, small frame had swelled to nearly twice its size. Matted, stringy hair framed a shriveled face. Her pockmarked skin sprouted frightful black moles and warts, and her long, thin fingers ended in sharp claws capable of easily tearing through flesh. Her skin had also taken on a horrifying, ashen-gray hue.

However, her current state was wretched. Her body was covered in scars from being lashed and bitten. Many of the wounds, having never healed properly or been repeatedly torn open, were now festering and even crawling with maggots.

On her head, it seemed she once wore a headdress made of bones and withered petals. Now, however, only fragments of it remained, mixed with creature droppings, making her look utterly filthy and foul.

But to this creature, this was perhaps the very picture of beauty—for this was a Ghost Witch, a detestable, selfish monster that considers ugliness beautiful.

"I’d rather go back to Carolina than look at something like this." Silvia covered her mouth and nose in disgust. For a Vampire Descendant, born to pursue and embody elegance and beauty, even a single glance at the creature felt like an insult to her eyes.

"I knew it. Now do you understand why I used an illusion?" the Ghost Witch cackled sinisterly. "You mere mortals simply lack the eyes to appreciate true beauty!"

"There, I’ve done as you asked, young man. Now, hurry up and pull me out!"

"A Ghost Witch?" Ron stared at her, incredulous. "How did you end up in a state like this?"

’The truth was undeniable. This monster wasn’t acting at all; she really had been forced into this swamp!’

’But what kind of being could reduce a Ghost Witch to this state? Where was her terrifying power? Her grotesque Magic?’

"There’s no time to explain!" the Ghost Witch shrieked. "Pull me up! I’m really sinking!"