Back in the village, silence had haunted it for months, as if hope had been given to them only to be stolen right after.
Of the fourteen members who had left, eleven returned — two dead, and one missing.
Inside the Hall of Elders, discussions intensified about the village's future and the worsening situation.
"Damn it, it's already been seven months, and the next village leader still hasn't been found," an elder said, slamming the table.
"Not only that — these plagues of malignant gods are drawing closer to our settlements every day. This year alone we lost an advanced connection outpost, and another seven smaller resource-gathering settlements."
"If this continues, we'll end up just like the Hidden Village of Mages."
"But what can we do? Do you intend to start a war now? Without planned resources?"
"We must move our trails to other regions. We cannot allow the malignant gods to approach the village any further."
"It must be the fault of those damned demonic beasts. They must be cooperating with the malignant gods — how else would they find our settlements?"
The argument in the hall grew louder and louder. In recent months, this had become more common than anyone wished.
The village had never been so strong, yet it now seemed to face the worst crisis imaginable.
"Silence."
A calm voice sounded — low, yet undeniable. A crushing aura fell upon the elders.
Four men appeared: the Grand Elder, the Village Leader, his master Tu Sheng, and Ancestral Hai, who walked with his head lowered.
It was he who had silenced them. With only a single breath, the aura vanished without a trace. He was even stronger now.
His voice came out steady, attempting to soothe the incessant debate:
"I understand how many problems the village is facing. However, this disorganization will not help. First, let us list the issues.
"The malignant gods are undoubtedly our greatest enemies at the moment, so we must proceed carefully. Retaliation can be used on a small scale, but ideally we must divert them to another area.
"Second, the beasts are not helping the malignant gods. If they were, a horde would have marched upon us and destroyed the village. Those two factions cannot gnaw at the same bone.
"As for the lost settlements, we can rebuild them. The forest is extremely rich, and there are many other points where resource outposts can be established.
"And finally, a full-scale war against the malignant gods right now is unthinkable. We must delay it as much as possible."
When he finished, the elders — still dissatisfied with such straightforward answers — obeyed anyway.
"Yes, Ancestral!"
Baaam!
The door burst open. A young messenger ran in, panting, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
"The young leader has returned…"
---
Inside the cavern, Dante advanced with Slay acting as his eyes. Unfortunately, they were forced to stop many times — Slay and Ravi couldn't properly perceive the beasts they wanted to hunt.
Dante also needed their cores desperately. Every second, both his energy and mana demands skyrocketed.
He soon realized his body was extremely thin. Months without food had taken a brutal toll, even with mana sustaining him.
He searched his dimensional pouch for nutritional pills, but all of them were gone. He'd had around ten — enough for a year.
That explains why I didn't die. But I don't remember any of this…
Fragments of memory were missing.
Damn it… he cursed. His body had never been in such a deplorable state — practically half-alive. Nutritional pills could keep one alive, providing basic nutrients, but prolonged use came with consequences. Naturally, his muscles had begun to waste away.
Still, Dante couldn't bring himself to eat rodents or similar beasts. Everyone has a limit — and rodents were far beyond his.
He was also curious about his true strength. In this weakened state, it would be difficult to draw out even a fraction of his full power.
Sssssssiiii…
Slay suddenly hissed. The tunnel seemed to reach its end.
No — there was a thin wall ahead.
Perfect, Dante thought.
He channeled a large amount of mana into his arm. His shattered armor coiled around it, though without activating the crimson mode.
He delivered a heavy punch into the thin wall — which exploded.
A harsh light flooded in, forcing him to close his eyes instantly. After so much time in darkness, they were painfully sensitive.
Raaaawwwww—!
A heavy roar split the air, forcing his eyes open.
Before him, rising from a pool of murky water, a massive crocodile stared directly at him.
Food…