Ed gripped his steel sword tightly and responded, "There's an unusual situation in the village. Anthony has decided to return to the Association. Now, it's just me and Toronto. Toronto has something to do, so he can't come."

Upon hearing Ed's words, Ford, who had been desperately trying to escape, suddenly froze in place.

It was over. Everything was over. This time, he was really done for!

Behind him were over thirty ghouls. A mid-tier Black Iron Hunter could easily escape from so many ghouls. But the current situation was different. Ford had a leg injury and couldn't run fast. And now, the only one coming to his aid was Ed!

Ford knew that Ed's strength far exceeded his own, but even so, he knew that Ed would not stand a chance against thirty ghouls. If Ed recklessly came to save him, a Hunter who was no longer able to fight, he would definitely be putting his life in danger.

Moreover, in the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association's mission hall earlier, Ford had questioned Ed's abilities, which had strained their relationship.

If the roles were reversed, and Ed were in his place, Ford would definitely have given up on saving him and would have turned to flee.

At that thought, Ford felt immense regret. He regretted wasting so much time alone in the forest. If he had simply followed Ed's orders to investigate for any abnormalities, he wouldn't be facing this danger now.

It was his own fault for trying to slack off and for not respecting Ed's arrangements. On the surface, he had followed Ed's orders, but secretly, he had defied them.

If he could go back, he would never, ever be so foolish again!

Ford took a deep breath, pulled out his steel sword from his back, and tried to ignore the pain from his calf wound as he stood upright. He shouted loudly, "I was ambushed by an unknown creature earlier, and then I encountered these ghouls."

"I brought them here. I'll try my best to hold them off. You and Toronto should hurry and get out of here!"

Just as Ford was preparing to sacrifice his life, a figure appeared next to him. It was Ed, who had been far away a moment ago, and to Ford's surprise, he was already moving quickly toward him without hesitation.

Ford froze. He stared at Ed's figure, unsure of what to say. His emotions were incredibly complex—surprise, confusion, and deep guilt all mixed together.

Ford shouted, "Ed, are you crazy? The two of us are no match for these ghouls. Don't put yourself in danger just to save me!"

It was as if Ed hadn't heard Ford's shouting. With a swift motion, the steel sword in his hand sliced through the air in a beautiful arc, and the sound of cutting through flesh and blood instantly echoed. Then came the dull thud of something heavy hitting the ground.

One ghoul's head was cleanly severed by Ed's steel sword, as if cutting through paper. The head fell to the ground and rolled, continuing to spin.

With a flick of his wrist, Ed shook the blood off his sword, then calmly spoke in response, "Save you? Don't misunderstand me. I just really hate ghouls, and fox woman sorcerers."

Ed would never forget that the first danger he faced when entering the Hunter world was these ghouls.

Many of his classmates were brutally killed by these monsters. Although he hadn't been close to them, and they hadn't been particularly connected, they were still people from the same world.

And being sold as slaves to the fox women was Karot's idea, which directly led to the fact that only Luna and he were left alive.

Now, Ed stood before the ghouls, the same creatures that had once left him with almost no ability to fight back, and began his one-man massacre.

The finely crafted steel sword, bought at a high price, was exceptionally sharp and tough. Even the ghouls' bones could be cleaved open with ease. Blood splattered across the earth, and the wails of dying life filled the air, one after another.

In just a few short seconds, more than ten ghouls had been gruesomely killed by Ed's sword.

The inevitable blood splattered onto Ed's body and face, making him appear as if he had emerged from a blood storm, his appearance incredibly bloody and wild. Yet, his eyes remained eerily calm.

The ghouls, who had been relentlessly chasing Ford as he fled, saw their comrades fall one by one under Ed's blade. Despite their low intelligence, the fear of death caused them to halt in their tracks, trembling in place.

The moment the first ghoul turned and fled, the tide of the battle shifted. More and more ghouls abandoned the fight, dropping to the ground and quickly retreating into the forest.

Even the mindless ghouls were terrified by Ed's swift and efficient slaughter.

At this moment, Ford's mouth hung open in shock, large enough to fit an apple.

When the blood-soaked Ed approached Ford, Ford instinctively took a step back. He had forgotten the pain in his leg, standing there dazed as he stared at Ed.

Ed furrowed his brow and directly asked, "You said you were ambushed by an unknown creature? What was its strength like?"

Ford swallowed nervously, his throat moving up and down as he answered, "I'm not sure. I didn't get a good look at the creature. It attacked me right away and injured my leg."

Ed's frown deepened. Generally speaking, the purpose of an ambush was either to capture or kill the enemy. Ford had been ambushed, but only suffered a leg injury and then was chased by ghouls in the forest?

If it had been any other Hunter here, they would have definitely called for help and tried to rescue Ford when facing so many ghouls.

Ed quickly pieced everything together. He couldn't waste time with further treatment for Ford. Gripping his steel sword, he rushed toward the village.

As expected, with his Hunter's senses alerting him, Ed could faintly hear the chaos unfolding at the village square, where the villagers had been gathered!

"Ed, Ed, what's going on? What did you find in the village? Why did that kid, Anthony, leave?" Ford still wanted answers to his questions.

But Ford was injured and couldn't keep up with Ed's speed.

He turned back to glance at the dead ghouls on the ground and the slowly flowing blood. He couldn't help but tremble slightly, clearly frightened by the bloody scene.

As a member of the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association, Ford had been training, but he had never experienced particularly dangerous battles before.

He hadn't expected to encounter such a situation on his first mission, leaving him momentarily disoriented and dazed, with a lingering sense of fear and unease.

Thinking about Ed, Ford took a deep breath, gripped his steel sword tightly, and turned to follow Ed's back toward the village.

No matter what reason Ed had for killing these ghouls, Ed had saved him from danger, and that was undeniable.

Even though he was injured, he was still a mid-tier Black Iron Hunter, and perhaps he could still offer some help.

Meanwhile, inside the village,

Toronto stood in front of Alice's iron cage, gripping his steel sword. His eyes were fixed on the creature before him. Just like Fidel earlier, this was a villager who had looked perfectly normal at first, but now a pitch-black, snake-like monster had ruptured his throat.

However, unlike Fidel, this villager had more than one creature inside. Several dark snake-like monsters emerged from various parts of his body, then coiled together, forming a nearly two-meter-tall creature. Its surface was covered in what looked like dark, rock-like armor, a monstrous figure looming before Toronto.

The scene unfolding in front of so many villagers naturally caused widespread panic. The already anxious villagers immediately scattered in all directions, leaving only Toronto standing before the monster, blocking it from approaching Alice in her cage.

Nearby, a woman was trembling all over, desperately trying to pull Alice out of the cage.

Toronto remembered what Ed had said before leaving—that if necessary, Alice could be used to buy time. However, Toronto hesitated. He found it extremely difficult to point his sword at a daughter in front of her mother.

As the monster continued to approach, Toronto, a mere low-tier Black Iron Hunter, finally gave up his struggle. He whispered to Alice's mother and Alice, "I'm sorry."

The Hunter's steel sword slowly advanced toward Alice's cage, and Toronto shouted loudly at the monster, "Stop! If you come any closer, the consequences..."

Before Toronto could finish his sentence, the monster halted. Its hoarse, low voice echoed, "Stop trying to struggle. Your damn companion has already been dragged down by the ghouls outside. There are over thirty of them. He's probably dead by now."

Toronto's hand trembled as he gripped his sword. Hearing the monster's words, he lost his composure.

Over thirty ghouls were no match for Ed—this mission was supposed to involve him, Ed, Ford, and Anthony working together to ensure complete safety while completing the task.

Now, not only were there ghouls outside, but hidden monsters in the village as well. It seemed that only a Silver-tier Hunter could handle this kind of situation.

Damn monsters, they even managed to lure Ed out. Toronto now understood—Ford's earlier cries had to have been caused by the monsters.

But the creature in front of him was still here, which meant Ford had been in the forest alone, and there was another monster out there!

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