WebNovels

Chapter 3 - Chapter 3 – Raid

"Mo... monster!"

The man who'd been checking on Elina suddenly felt something shove past him. He turned to move aside—then froze. His face went pale.

He stumbled back, snatching up a pitchfork from a nearby villager and pointing it shakily at the thing.

It wasn't human. It looked like someone had built it out of blocks, then painted crude human features onto it. The lines were harsh and square, making it even more unnerving.

And it moved—fast. Its body bent and snapped back into shape with jerky precision, like a magic crystal about to explode. The flickering motion made everyone's skin crawl.

The villagers scattered instantly. Someone yanked Elina away before she even realized what was happening, dragging her to safety.

Her vision blurred. She'd lost too much blood, and the run back to the village had drained her completely.

But she forced herself to look—and when she recognized who it was, her heart lurched.

"No! Don't attack it! Stop!"

That thing had killed a Wind Wolf like it was nothing. Their village was full of the old, the sick, and the weak—how could they possibly fight it?

If they made it angry, the entire village would be wiped out.

"It saved me! It's not hostile!"

Elina struggled to her feet, voice shaking, desperately trying to calm them without startling the creature.

Whether it was her words or the monster's sudden stillness, the panic started to fade. The villagers exchanged wary glances, slowly edging back toward Elina while keeping their distance from the intruder.

"Elina, what's going on?" the man with the pitchfork muttered, keeping his eyes on Steve.

Elina explained everything—how it had fought, how strong it was, and how strange. She emphasized every detail that might convince them not to provoke it.

"Hey, it's moving! We can't let it into the village!" someone shouted as the monster suddenly hopped and bounded through the gate.

Elina turned to say something, but an elderly man—Edmund Gray, the village chief—raised a hand to stop her.

"Your wound first. Tom!"

The old doctor looked up.

"Get your gear—now! Jack, you're the fastest. Run to town and bring back some Adventurers. Everyone else..."

He paused, frowning at Elina's terrified expression, then glanced at the pelt still clutched in her hands. His jaw tightened.

"Get everyone out of the village. Whatever that thing does, let it.

"If something breaks, it breaks. What matters is that everyone stays alive!"

Steve had already barged into several houses by then.

After crouching repeatedly near the villagers for a while, he realized... this wasn't fun at all.

He never understood why the Player enjoyed doing this. They always laughed while spamming crouch, but from his perspective, it was just... dull. The camera angle changed, and that was it.

So, he went back to his original plan: explore.

This village was completely different from what he remembered—especially the interiors.

Chests appeared as cupboards now, all kinds of shapes and colors, stuffed with random junk. Torn shirts, old shoes, worn ledgers... nothing useful.

He barely found anything he needed.

There was food, though. Every house had a kitchen area, and he managed to scavenge enough black bread to fill nearly a full stack. He took all of it.

No Iron Ingots, no Diamonds. Not even one.

He did find a pair of half-durability leather pants, though. He slipped them on.

Eventually, he made his way back to the village entrance. The open area there seemed perfect for setting up a temporary base.

Villagers were gathering nearby, huddled around a makeshift bed fashioned from old clothes.

The one lying on it—he recognized her immediately. Elina.

He liked this setup. Villagers were easy to tell apart here—no need for name tags or signs. Much more efficient.

He opened her Trading Interface, checked that her prices were still discounted, then closed it again and stepped aside.

Elina suddenly jolted upright as the system restrained her for the trade. Before she could even react, she was dropped back onto the bed with a thud.

Tom nearly dropped his bandages in shock. The nearby villagers yelped and backed away.

Steve ignored them. He placed down a crafting table, a bed, two chests, and a furnace.

He didn't have much wood left, so he casually pried a few planks from the nearby wall, burned them into charcoal, crafted four torches, and started digging diagonally into the ground.

It was mining time.

"Hey... isn't that Elina's bed?"

A woman pointed out the faded doll tied to the bedframe—it was Elina's childhood toy, one she'd never thrown away.

Elina had passed out completely by now, and Edmund's brow furrowed deeper.

"What is it doing?"

"It's tearing down the wall!"

"What is that thing? It's all blocky—and huge!"

The chatter rose around him, but maybe because nothing bad had happened yet, their fear began to fade.

A few kids even took advantage of the distraction, darting over to peek into the hole Steve had dug.

"Whoa! It's so deep!" one gasped.

The chief rushed over and grabbed both children by the scruff, pulling them back. He glanced into the pit—pitch black. The only thing visible was a faint flicker of light far, far below.

Just how deep did it go...?

He returned to the others with a heavy sigh. "Elina was right. That thing's too dangerous."

It hadn't been digging for more than a few minutes, yet the hole went down so far you couldn't even see the bottom. He didn't even want to imagine what would happen if someone stood in its way.

"Let's hope Jack brings back strong Adventurers—strong enough to kill it fast."

"Maybe he should file a Commission. We can all pitch in for the reward."

They were simple villagers, people who'd lived their whole lives within the safety of this tiny community. Most of them had never seen true power, never even understood it.

They only knew that Adventurers were ranked from Bronze, Silver, Gold, Mithril, up to Legendary—but what those ranks actually meant? None of them had a clue.

Edmund rested a hand on the kids' heads, then suddenly stiffened. He turned toward the forest—the same one Elina had stumbled out of.

"What is it, Chief?"

He squinted, then his eyes widened. His gaze dropped to Elina's bandaged leg.

"Dammit. The Wind Wolves."

As if summoned by his words, howls echoed from the forest, dozens of them.

The villagers froze.

"They smelled the blood!"

"Get everyone inside!"

"The wall—oh no, that monster broke the wall! Someone fix it!"

"Shit!"

Chaos erupted. Villagers scrambled in every direction, shouting over one another as the wind began to howl through the trees, whipping their clothes and carrying the scent of fear.

"We're doomed!"

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