He took the script of an exorcism legend, but became the number one anti-fraud expert.

The only sounds in the fog of the Black Swamp were the sounds of fighting; everyone had been ordered to keep quiet and do their jobs.

Benjamin came to a ghoul corpse with its skull pierced and a black hole made by a bayonet near its nose.

Although the stench of decay was strong, Benjamin's mood was not heavy after seeing everyone handle the mess with ease.

He approached a corpse and carefully examined the F-level evil spirit.

He had absolutely no concept of ghouls, since there were no pictures of them in the "Exorcism Manual".

"So ghouls are just zombies?"

"Huh? What are you talking about, buddy? What's a zombie?" Pete turned around and asked.

"No, it's nothing. I was just wondering where ghouls come from, from people who died in graves?"

Pete pulled at his collar; he seemed to dislike the stench emanating from the ghouls.

"Of course, man, but these guys aren't."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Pete pointed to the ghoul lying dead at Benjamin's feet: "This guy was a vanished resident of Windhowl named Santes, who frequented Crossroads."

Benjamin frowned. "Wait, buddy, you mean these guys were residents who disappeared not long ago?"

Peter gestured with his lips, indicating that Benjamin should look over:

"Over there, and over there, those are refugees who fled from Lywood. The ghouls that were there before aren't that stupid. At least they won't enter the Blackswamp when the fog is thickest. Although they are slow and have almost no ability to think, they know by instinct that they should wait for the land to dry out before moving, otherwise they will be targets."

"How are ghouls created? Do they become ghouls themselves after being bitten?"

"No, they are maggots. If they die and are corroded by evil maggots, they will turn into ghouls."

Benjamin's relaxed nerves tensed up again. He looked around, glancing at the soil, fearing that maggots might suddenly emerge.

"Don't worry, maggots aren't interested in living people, nor will they attack them."

"..."

Benjamin remained silent, watching the fog gradually dissipate, his mind filled with doubt:

"It seems there's no reward for finding a lost person in Windhowl Town, right?"

"That's right, that's why no one comes to Blackswamp to look for people. Everyone guesses that if someone disappears for two days, it means they are likely dead or have become a ghoul. But don't forget, this is Windhowl Town, a town of refugees and tenant farmers. No one will spend money to look for someone."

"Then why bother issuing a missing person notice?"

"Their family."

For some reason, Benjamin felt a pang of sadness upon hearing those words.

Even though he knew that being sentimental in this world wouldn't do any good, he still felt a little sad at the thought that these people's families were still praying that things might turn around.

What was he thinking of?

"Pass down the word: bring the ghoul heads from Windhowl Town."

"Hey! Are you serious, buddy?"

Pete looked at Benjamin incredulously, showing his aversion to something so thankless.

"I have my own plans, so this is my decision."

"Sigh... fine then."

When others heard this order, they couldn't help but groan in despair, yet they obeyed it without question.

There was nothing we could do; Benjamin was the one who paid for it.

Benjamin asked again, "Did these guys run away because they were afraid Windhowl Town would fall?"

"Escape? Dude, where can these people escape to? Where else can they go but Windhowl Town? These poor guys were killed by those beasts in the monastery."

Benjamin's eyes narrowed: "Damn it, even if it's done under the guise of clergy, murder and robbery are going too far."

"Listen, buddy, the mayor of Windhowl, the abbot, and our captain have all reached a consensus on population control. Many of the migrants aren't locals, and their arrival will bring burden and disaster to Windhowl. For every person who lives, someone else will die. Lieutenant, you'll have to get used to it."

Some people live, some people die.

Benjamin, who had experienced even worse hell, also agreed that this statement was correct.

"That's right, but I have other uses for bringing back their heads."

Pete didn't refute this; he simply twisted off several ghoul heads and hung them around his waist before continuing forward.

"Hey Lieutenant! There's trouble ahead!"

The speaker was a young soldier whose feet were covered in mud that ran up to his knees.

He ran over in a panic, as if he had seen something terrible.

"Hey! What did I say? Why are you falling behind!"

The soldier froze, his face stiffening. "I'm sorry, Lieutenant, we've already cleared out the ghouls over there, but due to unforeseen circumstances, I wanted to report this as soon as possible."

"Next time, whoever disobeys orders will not get paid!"

Benjamin's voice was loud enough that almost all the soldiers could hear him.

The relaxed atmosphere instantly turned serious, and rustling sounds came from all directions.

The soldiers who had been hunched over, rummaging through the ghouls' bodies, stopped. Although some of the corpses on the ground were from refugees, they might at least have some jewelry or money on them.

Looting corpses on the battlefield is against the rules, but that doesn't apply in Windhowl Town.

But when Benjamin demanded strict discipline, they could only silently withdraw their hands...

"Speak, what's going on?"

"Yes, yes, ahead. We seem to have found signs of human activity. There's a horse that was eaten by ghouls, just an empty shell. Judging from the degree of decay, it shouldn't have been long ago..."

"Damn it! Everyone, maintain formation and advance!"

Under Benjamin's command, the guardsmen maintained a four-man formation and marched forward.

Benjamin realized something was wrong when he saw the horse's carcass, which had been eaten and was now just a torso.

This must be the merchant's horse. If it weren't for the log reminding him, Benjamin would never have believed that anyone would be here in the Black Marsh.

The horse's leg was bitten off, and the hoof was stuck in the mud and had dried out.

It couldn't move at all; it seems this horse had been trapped before.

"Lieutenant, look! They're human footprints!"

Benjamin followed the messy footprints; they were very shallow, probably made when the mud wasn't completely wet.

Otherwise, these ghouls wouldn't be able to move at all.

Pete crouched down to examine the footprints closely. He pointed to a pair of footprints: "These are human footprints. They're a rare pair of fine boots, and the stride is quite long. Ghouls don't run."

Benjamin took a deep breath and looked up ahead.

Further ahead lies the Humus Forest, which, if I remember correctly, is the territory of evil spirits. The entrance to the Black Swamp Cavern is just ahead.

Since the merchant's horse was dead, it would be difficult for him to break through the ghouls' encirclement on foot.

Benjamin remembered that the humus forest was marked as having a high danger level on the map, so what should he do?

Benjamin arrived at the border between the Black Swamp and the Humus Forest. The danger ahead increased sharply. On one side was the merchant, whose fate was unknown, and on the other side were the dozen or so guards who had accompanied him.

He would choose...

[Virtue: Entering the Humus Forest is extremely dangerous. The battle in the Black Swamp has already exhausted too many soldiers' energy. Today's gains are slight, and it's not worth taking everyone on another adventure. +50%]

[Torment: Benjamin's greed takes over; he is obsessed with the benefits the businessman brings him, completely disregarding the lives and safety of those around him, +50%]

Damn it, why did the log make such a judgment?

"Hey buddy, now that we're here, how about I go in and take a look?"

Pete must have realized his own concerns, which is why he was willing to take the risk alone.

Benjamin thought about it and realized that if Pete encountered danger alone and had no one to look after him, it would be difficult for him to escape. With that in mind, Benjamin made a decision.

"No, we'll go together. If something unexpected happens, we can help each other."

Benjamin chose to stand with his companions, venturing into the Humus Forest to find the merchant, and his unwavering loyalty to Pete will bring him additional rewards.

[Torment: Nutrient accumulation progress: 157%]