A gentle evening breeze drifted through Werenty Village.
Yet there was no sound of children laughing.
No sound of villagers working.
No signs of life at all.
The village felt dead.
At the entrance of the village, a group of elite knights had just arrived. They were led by Zak. His face remained calm, but his eyes constantly scanned every corner of the village.
Standing beside him were Revi, Tori, Bill, and several other elite knights.
Meanwhile, at the very back of the formation, a blond-haired man walked casually with both hands in his pockets.
Yorn.
The only Player belonging to the Kingdom of Monotiz.
"The house is right ahead, Sir Zak," Revi reported.
Zak nodded.
"Form up."
His voice was firm.
"Do not let your guard down for even a second."
The knights immediately moved.
They raised their shields and formed a defensive formation.
For some reason, a feeling of unease continued to bother Zak.
This village was too quiet.
As if all its residents had simply vanished.
Behind them, Yorn complained.
"Why do I have to stay at the very back?"
Zak let out a long sigh.
"So that if something unexpected happens, you can observe the situation first."
Yorn grinned.
"So you're planning to become sacrifices?"
No one answered.
The knights maintained serious expressions.
They were already prepared for the worst-case scenario.
Seeing that, Yorn simply chuckled.
"Huh. Knights really do think differently."
A few minutes later, they arrived in front of an old house.
The house that was their destination.
Zak stepped forward.
Then shouted loudly.
"Open the door!"
His voice echoed throughout the village.
"You are under arrest for the murder of kingdom knights and causing major chaos!"
All the knights immediately prepared themselves.
Shields raised.
Hands ready to draw their swords.
They expected a surprise attack at any moment.
One minute passed.
Two minutes.
Five minutes.
No answer.
No sound.
No movement.
Zak slowly frowned.
Inwardly, he muttered.
I don't sense anyone's presence.
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Even the surrounding houses are empty.
"Revi. Tori."
"Yes, Sir."
"Are you certain this is the house?"
"Without a doubt, Sir."
"Absolutely."
Zak nodded.
Then kicked the door.
BANG!
The old wooden door immediately collapsed.
"You all stay outside."
"Understood!"
Yorn yawned lazily.
"Ughh..."
Zak entered the house.
And what he saw made him fall silent.
A leaking roof.
Rotten walls.
Broken furniture.
Dust piled everywhere.
The house looked as if it had been abandoned for a long time.
However, something caught Zak's attention.
A small bottle.
He picked it up.
Then smelled it.
Zak's eyes widened instantly.
"This... poison?"
He examined the remaining liquid inside.
"There's only a tiny amount left."
His expression became serious.
"Even a small amount of this poison could easily kill a small monster."
"If a human drank it..."
"There is no way they could survive."
Suddenly—
BOOOOOOM!!
A loud explosion erupted from outside.
"MONSTER!!"
Zak immediately rushed out of the house.
"What's happening?!"
The sight before him changed his expression.
Five knights lay on the ground.
Severely injured.
Meanwhile, Yorn had disappeared.
"Hah?"
"Quick! Get potions!"
The knights immediately sprang into action.
Zak pointed at Bill.
"You. Explain what happened!"
Bill was still trembling.
"Mo... monster..."
"A monster over fifteen meters tall..."
Zak froze.
"Fifteen meters?"
"What kind of monster is that?!"
Tori immediately answered.
"It's a Magic Monster, Sir."
"A Desert Hyena."
"It emerged from underground and attacked us suddenly."
"Sir Yorn is currently chasing it."
Zak fell silent for a moment.
"A Desert Hyena...?"
"Isn't its habitat supposed to be the desert?"
"Why is one here?"
He immediately made a decision.
"Take care of the injured."
"You and you, come with me!"
"Yorn can't fight a Magic Monster alone!"
They ran as fast as they could.
Meanwhile.
Far ahead.
Yorn was chasing the giant monster.
"You damned monster!"
"You attack us and then run away?!"
"Fight me!"
A faint glow appeared around his body.
"Maximal Speed!"
BOOM!
Yorn shot forward.
His speed was extraordinary.
In an instant, he was already in front of the monster.
Siiing!
Siiing!
Siiing!
Three slashes landed directly on the Desert Hyena's body.
The monster roared in pain.
"GWHAAAAAAH!!"
But suddenly—
Yorn froze.
"Hah?"
His body wouldn't move.
"Stun?!"
"This monster can use stun?!"
Ten seconds.
He couldn't move at all.
And for a fighter...
Ten seconds was fatal.
The monster's massive claw descended.
Yorn gritted his teeth.
"Damn it!"
CLAAAAANG!!
A loud metallic impact echoed through the area.
Zak appeared just in time.
Using a Scroll of Move, he swapped places with Yorn.
His shield blocked the monster's attack.
"..."
Then Yorn laughed.
"Haha... perfect timing, old man."
Zak clicked his tongue.
"At least learn to be grateful."
"I just saved your life."
"Yeah, yeah."
The monster went berserk once more.
Zak continuously drew its attention.
Meanwhile, Tori ran toward Yorn.
"Sir Yorn."
"Here."
Several scrolls were handed over.
Yorn's eyes immediately sparkled.
"Wow."
"Perfect timing."
He opened them one by one.
Scroll of Speed.
Scroll of Sharpness.
Scroll of Critical.
Scroll of Zero Weight.
His smile widened.
"When combined with my skill..."
Wind aura began swirling around his body.
"Maximal Speed!"
BOOOOOM!!
The ground beneath his feet shattered.
His body disappeared.
Only flashes of light remained visible.
Siiing!
Siiing!
Siiing!
Siiing!
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Of slashes appeared from every direction.
The Desert Hyena's body was torn apart.
Several minutes later.
The giant monster finally collapsed.
DUUUMM!!
The earth trembled.
Zak stared at the monster's corpse.
Or more accurately...
What remained of it.
Because its body had been sliced apart so many times that it was nearly unrecognizable.
Zak sighed.
"You overdid it."
Yorn sheathed his sword.
"I was irritated."
Zak could only shake his head.
This kid is seriously abnormal.
But in the very next second—
"WAAAH!"
Yorn jumped excitedly.
"I leveled up!"
"All my stats increased by five points!"
"This is awesome!"
Zak rubbed his temples.
Sometimes he felt dealing with Yorn was harder than dealing with monsters.
Thirty minutes later.
The entire village had been searched.
But the results were disappointing.
"Sir Zak."
Revi approached.
"We've searched the entire village."
"There isn't a single resident left."
Bill nodded as well.
"We checked every house."
"There are no signs of a struggle."
Zak stared at the empty village.
His feeling grew worse.
"This is very strange."
Yorn crossed his arms.
"It's as if the entire population vanished."
Zak nodded.
"And a Desert Hyena that should live in the desert appeared here."
"It makes no sense."
They found no trace of Izumi.
No clues whatsoever.
Eventually, Zak made a decision.
"We're returning to the city."
Meanwhile.
Far from Werenty Village.
In the royal city of Monotiz.
Inside an inn room.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
Izumi rolled around on her bed.
"I'm boooored!"
Berin, sitting beside her, could only smile awkwardly.
And I'm bored from accompanying you all day.
Today was Izumi's second day of menstruation.
The pain had already lessened.
But her mood was still a complete mess.
"My stomach doesn't hurt that much anymore," Izumi complained.
Berin nodded.
"That's good."
Then she hesitantly asked.
"Rumi..."
"Yeah?"
"Is it true that you don't wear underwear?"
Izumi answered casually.
"Yeah."
Berin froze.
"Since forever?"
"Yeah."
"Comfortable?"
"Sometimes."
"Sometimes not."
Izumi pointed at her chest.
"Especially around here."
"It hurts sometimes."
Inside her head, Berin screamed.
Of course it hurts!
That's why people wear bras!
But she held herself back.
Instead, she tried giving advice.
"How about we go out today?"
"I know a shop that sells comfortable underwear."
Izumi immediately became alert.
No.
If I enter a shop like that...
I'll see lots of women.
"I don't want to."
Berin smiled.
"We can buy ice cream too."
"Hm."
Izumi immediately sat upright.
"Okay."
The two of them left the room.
And thus, their new adventure in the royal city began.