“What do you think?” Qalda asked.

  All five of the Unbowed had departed for the swamp at Edir’s demand. The Drukyr had refused to share any information until he had confirmed his suspicions with his own eyes. Now, they stood just short of the edge of the marsh, staring at the eerily calm surface of the water.

  “Horseshit!” Edir spat into the bog. “We call ’em Nagvi back in Durik. Trash-eaters. ’Cause they bloody gnaw on everything. The folk hunt them just to keep the numbers from swarmin'.”

  The Unbowed exchanged puzzled looks.

  “I’ve never heard of such a creature,” Qalda said, shrugging.

  “Course you haven’t. Ploughin’ beasts can’t leave the mountains; we make sure none are taken alive! How these bastards got here…” Edir scratched his bushy beard aggressively.

  “Are they difficult to kill?” Lucas asked. The Drukyr’s initial reaction had made the Nagvi seem like formidable monsters.

  “Aye. Tough as cold slag. Hammers bounce off, and magic don't scratch 'em. But a sharp blade and axe splits 'em open fine enough.” Edir nodded, a mischievous grin cutting through his grim mood. “I’m sure they won’t be a threat for a mighty dog slayer like yerself, eh?”

  “Edir, is that all? You made it sound like we were in serious trouble,” Qalda said, ignoring the man’s jab at Lucas.

  “’Cause we are. But not ’cause we can’t gut the ploughin’ beasts.” Edir pointed a calloused finger at the pristine water in front of them. “I tell ya all this ’cause we are brothers, and I trust ye take this to yer graves.”

  The Unbowed’s eyes widened, curiosity piqued by the shift in the Drukyr's tone.

  “This,” Edir gestured at the crystal-clear water. “This is their piss. And it’s the reason this village has such a fat harvest. The beasts... they feed the soil. They make the grain grow.”

  “So this is how Durik manages to survive the Central Empire’s blockade,” Qalda muttered, her voice dropping as she understood the weight of his words. “Thank you for trusting us, Edir. We will not reveal it to anyone.”

  The other Unbowed nodded in agreement. All except Lucas.

  He stood silent, trying to piece the world together. He understood the immediate logic - the Nagvi were boosting crop growth with their waste. Since Edir seemed to be the only one who knew about these creatures, it was natural that his homeland utilized this secret method.

  But a blockade? Lucas had no idea what was happening in the political landscape of this world. He knew there were five nations on the continent, with the Empire sitting in the center, but the tensions between them were a mystery to him.

  “You are worried that if we kill these beasts, the village will lose their income,” Qalda summarized quickly. “They will become just like any other village in the region. No… they will be even worse off, because they aren't adapted to struggle.”

  “Aye,” Edir nodded solemnly.

  “But if we leave them alone, they will continue killing the villagers…”

  “Hush,” Gio interrupted her. “Listen.”

  Lucas stilled, straining his ears to catch what the Sanguine had heard. And for once, he actually managed it.

  Faint echoes of screaming and yelling drifted from the direction of the village. The sounds were distant but too shrill, too desperate to be anything but the cries of people in mortal distress.

  “Toward the village!” Qalda ordered.

  She burst from her spot, launching herself forward like a tiger leaping for its prey.

  <<<>>>

  The village was a cauldron of chaos. Fire had already claimed several buildings, the result of a desperate, failed attempt to ward off the pack with torches. The air was thick and suffocating, heavy with smoke and iron.

  “Stand behind me!” a woman screamed, shoving a young boy behind her skirts with one hand while her other scrambled for the pitchfork lying in the dirt, just a few paces from a man’s mangled corpse.

  A creature stood atop the body. Its skin was pale and slick, glistening like the belly of a fish. Its claws were buried deep in the dead man’s abdomen, and its wide, jagged mouth tore at the flesh. Yet, its eyes, large and unblinking, were fixed on the woman and the child, as if terrified its next meal might escape while it finished the first.

  The beast made no vocal sound. There was no growl, no hiss - only the sickening, wet crunch of bone snapping each time it clamped its bony jaw shut.

  “Daddy…” the child wailed, his voice cracking. His eyes were swollen and bloodshot, fixed in horror on the man who had given his life to buy them seconds.

  Now, it was the mother’s turn.

  The woman’s fingers finally closed around the pitchfork’s wooden handle. She hauled it up, bracing the rusted tip against the Nagvi. The beast abandoned the corpse, stepping slowly toward the pair.

  “Don't come close, you wretched thing! You spawn of evil!” she hissed, choking back tears and snot. She didn’t have the luxury to grieve her husband yet; her son was the only thing that mattered.

  The beast lurched low, its wet, mucus-coated belly scraping against the earth. It left behind a trail of moisture - the same pale, pristine liquid that filled the swamp. Behind it, a long, finned tail twitched nervously.

  Then, its legs coiled and snapped tight.

  The Nagvi launched itself. It slipped past the clumsy thrust of the pitchfork and its jagged teeth sank deep into the woman’s forearm. She staggered, the weapon slipping from her grasp as she collapsed backward.

  The Nagvi landed on top of her, its weight pinning her to the ground. It shivered with ecstasy as fresh, hot blood flooded its mouth. But it didn’t pause.

  It opened its jaws once more, this time aiming for the soft flesh of her exposed chest.

  The mother ignored the agony in her arm. Her desperate, tear-filled gaze locked onto her son.

  “Run, Pepin… Run…” she screamed, choking on the words as she braced for the end.

  But the bite never came.

  A crimson streak slashed through the air above the woman and the Nagv. In an instant, Gio materialized, suspended in the air for a split second. His gaze was filled with malice, his scarlet feral eyes locked onto the beast and the woman with the arrogance of an apex predator.

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  The edges of his twin blades glimmered, catching the orange light of the burning house. They scythed down, carving through the Nagvi's neck and severing the head in one swift, seamless motion.

  The woman froze, her mouth gaping in shock, as the head that had been threatening to tear her apart simply detached and fell on her chest.

  She screamed, emptying her lungs until she was gasping for air.

  She did not see a savior in Gio. In the firelight, with his glowing eyes and blood-slicked blades, he looked like a nightmare - a far greater threat to her and her son than the beast he had just slain.

  “Leave us, you fiend!” she yelled, clawing at the dirt as she tried to scramble backwards to her son. But the dead weight of the Nagvi pinned her legs, anchoring her to the blood-soaked earth.

  For a moment, the feral light in Gio’s scarlet eyes wavered. He lowered his gaze, a shadow of sorrow softening the sharp lines of his face. But the vulnerability was gone as quickly as it had appeared. The crimson brilliance flared back to life, and he dissolved into a streak of red mist, moving on to the next kill.

  <<<>>>

  By the time Lucas reached the village perimeter, the slaughter was largely over. Qalda and Gio had mostly wiped the beasts, while Evelyn and Edir had barely covered half the distance.

  Lucas sprinted into the main street, chest heaving, his bow already gripped tight in his sweating palm.

  He clenched his jaw, forcing down the bile rising in his throat as he took in the scene. Dozens of villagers lay scattered across the dirt, their bodies torn and bloodied. Near a broken cart, he spotted a Nagvi with its head severed clean from its shoulders. A few steps away lay another, a massive hole in its chest.

  “Heeeeelp…”

  A desperate scream reached him. It came from the direction of the Village Elder’s house. Lucas didn’t hesitate. He bolted toward the sound, pushing his legs to move as fast as they allowed.

  The Elder’s wife was cowering in the doorway, shaking violently. Standing between her and death was the Elder, wielding a pitchfork with trembling hands as he jabbed at two smaller Nagvi closing in on him.

  Beside the old man stood the priest, sweat dripping down his face as he channelled mana into a blazing lantern. Three small orbs of fire orbited the relic; the air around them blurred from the intense heat.

  Lucas halted. He didn’t charge in blindly. He had already realized that almost everything in this world was stronger than him.

  Coward’s Eye.

  [

  Name: Nagvi (Mutated)

  Description: Artificially created species. Due to a mage’s mistake, the beasts are unable to suppress their craving for flesh. Note: these specimens have evolved and gained the ability to control their hunger.

  Rank: Bronze

  Resistances: Fire, Blunt damage, Mana

  Weaknesses: Ice, Piercing damage, Slashing damage, Eyes

  ]

  [

  Name: Arcelis

  Class: Priest of Bahenna

  Race: Human

  Level: ????

  ]

  The priest cast his spell. One of the hovering orbs swelled in size and flew toward the Nagvi. It collided with the creature's slick body, exploding in a flash of orange light.

  A sharp hissing sound filled the air as the beast's slimy coating boiled, sending up a burst of steam. But as the vapor cleared, the creature’s skin remained unmarred. The spell was too weak to penetrate its natural resistance.

  “Hellspawns!” the priest hissed, seeing his magic fail. He channeled more mana into the lantern and the third orb began to reform.

  Witnessing the priest’s failure, the Elder clicked his tongue, despair washing over his face. His gaze darted frantically around the chaos, seeking help, until his eyes locked onto Lucas, who stood a dozen paces away. A spark of hope lit his expression.

  But Lucas didn’t move any closer.

  Instead, he reached for an arrow and nocked it. If the system said piercing damage was a weakness, then an arrow had to work.

  He drew the bowstring back as much as he could and aimed with his left eye shut. He tried to target the beast's head, though from his angle, he was staring mostly at its back.

  He loosed the shaft.

  The arrow whistled and struck the Nagvi just as it coiled to leap. In its bloodlust, it hadn’t even noticed Lucas’s presence. The tip of the shaft struck the creature’s lower back, but it barely pierced the slick, rubbery skin, hanging uselessly.

  Lucas froze. So did the Elder. The hope that had ignited in the old man's eyes was extinguished as quickly as it had appeared.

  Still, the beast was no longer moving toward him.

  The Nagvi flinched, spinning around. Its large, unblinking eyes locked onto Lucas.

  Then it charged.

  Realizing he stood no chance in direct combat, Lucas abandoned any thought of killing the creature. He turned and sprinted toward the village exit, heading straight for where he knew Edir and Evelyn were approaching.

  The beast gave chase, its wet belly slapping against the dirt.

  Lucas vaulted over a broken cart that blocked the path, landing in the small garden of a burning home. The Nagvi, scrabbling to catch him, failed to clear the obstacle. Its anatomy was built for burrowing, not jumping or running.

  It slammed violently into the wreckage. A jagged splinter of the cart's axle punched through its flank, pinning the beast in place. The Nagvi screeched, a wet, guttural sound, and thrashed wildly, trying to tear itself free from the wood wedged between its ribs.

  Hearing the creature's cry, Lucas glanced back. He saw the opening.

  He stopped running, pivoting on his heel, and quickly nocked an arrow. He aimed for the head, though his hands still trembled.

  5 Skill Points in Archery.

  He didn’t hesitate. Improving his chances of success was the only path forward.

  The familiar sound of wind chimes brushed against his ears.

  [5 Skill Points allocated to Archery.]

  [Archery (Novice) proficiency increased: 8/10.]

  He felt the change immediately. The bow in his hand no longer felt like a clumsy piece of wood; it felt right. His posture shifted automatically, and a sudden, intuitive urge made him raise his aim slightly as though his instincts were correcting mistakes he hadn't even realized he was making.

  He loosed the arrow.

  This time, the shaft didn't wobble. It hissed through the air, flying true.

  A high-pitched screech came, followed by the sound of wind chimes.

  [Archery (Novice) proficiency increased: 9/10.]

  The Nagvi thrashed, an arrow stuck out from its eye socket. Though the wound was sickening, it wasn’t fatal.

  Maddened by the pain, the beast jerked violently, tearing itself away from the cart.

  It managed to break free.

  But the price was heavy - the jagged wood hooked inside its body crushed ribs and dragged a loop of intestine out with it. In its desperate thrashing, the Nagvi had gutted itself.

  Still, it crawled forward, dragging its ruined body and leaving a dark brown trail behind. Its remaining eye was fixed on Lucas until the dark glow slowly faded into a dull, milky white.

  [You’ve gained 89 Experience Points!]

  [You’ve leveled up!]

  Lucas stared at the mangled corpse of the Nagvi, cold sweat covering his forehead. He stood unmoving as the mix of fear and shock weighed on him.

  Then he recalled the Elder’s house.

  He spun around and bolted. As he sprinted back through the smoke-choked streets, his mind was already shaping grim images of the Elder and his wife, their bodies torn and bloody like the villagers he had passed earlier.

  But when he burst into the yard, the scene was not what he expected.

  He immediately spotted the priest, who was standing to the side, clutching his lantern and glaring at Qalda and the Elder. The Unbowed had one boot planted on the back of a Nagvi. The beast was pinned to the ground, screeching in a low voice. It was alive but helpless, all four of its limbs twisted at unnatural angles, broken.

  So strong, the thought came to Lucas instinctively.

  The creature he had barely managed to kill, the one that had nearly cost him his life, was nothing more than a toy to this tall woman.

  “I sent Gio after you, but I am glad to see you didn’t need his help.” Qalda offered him a small, approving nod as Lucas approached.

  “I didn’t see him. Maybe he missed me in the chaos…” Lucas replied, though as the words left his mouth, he realized how absurd it sounded. The idea that the Sanguine would simply lose track of him was laughable. “Actually… he must’ve decided to let me fight the beast alone.”

  Qalda nodded, the quick smile vanishing from her face.

  “I have bad news for you,” she said, turning her gaze toward the trembling village Elder. “We need to talk.”

  HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! I do have a small present, but more about that in tomorrow's chapter.

  And lastly, thank you so much for your support. I noticed that those who power through the first chapter stick with the story, and it makes me really happy and hopeful that this story has potential. Let's explore the world and enjoy Lucas's journey together!

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