Hard to say anything for sure without seeing it firsthand. The villagers probably stayed put because even they couldn’t tell if it was dangerous or not. In small towns like this, most people are locals who’ve lived here for generations. They don’t leave their homes unless they have a damn good reason.
Where did the monster come from? Why now, of all times? There must be a reason this kind of creature showed up right when the prophecy warned of a great calamity. Could it be a pawn of the Demon God?
“You think it’s related to the prophecy?”
Before Cain could respond to Satin’s question, Rita turned around from up ahead. Even though it was night, the nearby house lights made her expression visible. Her mouth was shaped into a perfect “O.”
“Oh, that actually makes sense!”
Rita scampered over to stand beside Satin. Cain frowned in disapproval, but didn’t push her away.
“It could be a sign. Before the Demon God appears, his minions might start attacking humans first.”
“Miss Rita, please don’t say such ominous things so carelessly. That creature hasn’t harmed anyone yet, has it?”
“Yet. It hasn’t—yet. We don’t know what might happen.”
“Are you hoping it does? That it hurts someone?”
“No, that’s not what I’m saying. I just mean we have to consider the possibility. If someone dies and then we take it down, what’s the point? That’s not something to be happy about, is it?”
Rita might be reckless at times, but she didn’t treat human life lightly. Edward must have sensed that, because he didn’t press her any further.
When Edward fell silent, Rita grew more confident and pushed on with her argument.
“You know how they say insects flee before a big earthquake? Only those who pay attention to those signs get out alive.”
Satin had heard similar stories before—deep-sea fish rising to the surface before a massive quake, swarms of bugs migrating, strange cloud shapes or unusually large moons.
There may not be scientific proof, but people took those things seriously. Everyone wants to recognize the signs before disaster strikes.
“That’s why we have to keep an eye on anything suspicious. So next time something like this happens…”
Rita trailed off mid-sentence. No one asked her why.
An inn came into view nearby. A couple of houses sat beyond it. And just past them, on a low hill sparsely dotted with trees, something was standing.
At a glance, it looked like a person. There weren’t many beasts that could stand on two legs with their arms hanging at their sides.
But it felt wrong to assume it was human. Too many details didn’t add up—those pointed animal ears sticking up from its head, the oversized feet, the strange silhouette on its shoulders that could’ve been either fur or sharp spines.
What unsettled Satin most were its eyes.
‘I’ve never heard of human eyes glowing in the dark…’
If this had been before he came to this world, he might have naively assumed it was a cat or something. But not anymore. Satin swallowed hard, remembering what the restaurant worker had told him.
The black sword he’d bought at full price before leaving Cloverland was no longer on him. Cain had taken it from him, telling him not to risk hurting himself. He didn’t have a proper weapon now.
But before Satin could ask for his sword back, Cain spoke up first.
“Get behind me.”
He didn’t just say it—he acted before Satin could move. He grabbed his arm and pulled him behind.
Satin had always thought of himself as having a sturdy, grown-up build, but in Cain’s grip, he felt like a paper doll.
He was technically the oldest one here, and now he was stuck in the back. It made him feel a bit self-conscious, so he tried to keep talking to save face.
“They said it hasn’t attacked anyone yet, so maybe we don’t have to be so on edge—”
Satin never finished his sentence.
The creature suddenly threw its head back and let out a long howl. Awooooo! The sound was almost identical to a wolf’s.
Whatever it meant, it sure didn’t sound friendly. Maybe it was calling others like it.
“Something’s off,” Edward muttered grimly, drawing his sword.
The restaurant worker never said anything about the creature making noise. Unless they just forgot, this meant it was behaving differently than usual.
“Ugh, did I jinx us by saying that out loud?”
Rita drew her sword and conjured a flaming arrow.
The monster didn’t charge. It just stood there, staring.
But none of them let their guard down.
A few tense seconds passed before Cain whispered,
“There are people.”
“Huh?”
“There are people watching us.”
Satin instinctively glanced around. It was dark, but not the dead of night. In one of the nearby houses, a light flickered behind a window, and a human silhouette wavered in its glow. Just as Cain had said, it looked like someone was keeping an eye on what was happening outside.
“They must’ve heard the howl. Should we tell them not to come out? It might be dangerous.”
When Satin voiced his concern, Cain let out a scoffing laugh.
“Like hell they’ll come out. You think people are really that eager to risk their necks for total strangers?”
It was a cynical remark—but not wrong. A regular person wouldn’t easily step up to face a monster. And besides, Satin and his group were newcomers to this village. Complete strangers to the locals.
Still, Satin wanted to defend them, to say Cain didn’t have to be so cold about it.
But before he could speak, Cain suddenly shouted in a low voice.
“It’s coming.”
The creature, which had stood motionless until now, suddenly charged at a shocking speed. Even on two legs, it ran as swiftly as any four-legged beast.
Caught off guard and unable to fully brace herself, Rita shouted, “Ahh, just take this!” and hurled a fire arrow at it.
Grrr! Startled by the sudden burst of flame, the monster let out a sound like a guttural snarl—a noise that resembled the growl of a canine. Despite running on two legs, it seemed more akin to a dog or wolf at its core.
‘Looks like a lycanthrope. Pretty old-school kind of monster.’
As the creature got closer, its features became clearer, and Satin couldn’t help making a detached observation despite the situation.
“Haaahp!”
Taking advantage of the beast’s hesitation as it dodged the fire, Edward lunged in first. This wasn’t a game; there were no designated healer roles in real combat.
While the werewolf turned its body to fend off Edward, Rita dashed behind it and fired another flaming arrow.
KRAAAGH! Enraged, the creature thrashed violently—only to have Edward’s blade slice clean into its side. It swung a frantic arm in retaliation, but Edward dodged with ease.
Apparently, the werewolf wasn’t all that strong. Its movements were wild and uncoordinated.
Satin wasn’t the only one who noticed.
“Looks like they’ve got it covered.”
Somehow, Cain’s comment carried through the noise to Rita’s ears, prompting her to scream in indignation.
“Hey, you lazy bastard!”
Cain let her scolding go in one ear and out the other. But Satin couldn’t.
“Uh, Cain.”
“What?”
“Shouldn’t we… do something too?”
Watching Rita and Edward handle the monster while standing idly at the back made Satin feel awkward. He gave a sheepish smile. Cain turned to glance at him, then asked,
“And if I kill that thing, what are you gonna do for me?”
“Do for you?”
“Yeah. There’s gotta be some reward, right? Come on, just throw something out there.”
What was that smug smile on Cain’s face supposed to mean?
Honestly, even if Cain didn’t step in, it looked like the monster would be taken down soon enough by Edward and Rita. But more help meant it could end faster.
‘Still, it feels kind of wrong to go bossing Cain around…’
Cain was clearly stronger than Satin—he could fight, use magic, and was just more capable overall. But that didn’t mean Satin wanted to dump hard work on him. He knew Cain would help if asked.
‘But asking him like that would feel like I’m taking advantage of kindness that isn’t even mine to begin with.’
After a brief moment of thought, Satin shook his head.
“Just give me back my sword. If you don’t want to jump in, then don’t.”
He held out his hand, but Cain didn’t return the sword. He simply stared down at Satin in silence. His expression was different from usual—though Satin couldn’t quite pin down how.
‘Is he irritated? Or… disappointed?’
Before Satin could figure it out, Cain let out a dry chuckle.
“You know, I think you’re the shameless one here, not me.”
“Huh?”
Satin started to ask what that was supposed to mean—but the moment passed too fast. There was no time.
A pale white light gathered around Cain. It was magic. Brighter and far more intense than the light Rita had conjured for her fire arrows, it formed an enormous wall of flame.
“Wait, isn’t that a bit much—”
Satin’s startled murmur was drowned out by the roaring fire. The towering crimson blaze didn’t hesitate for even a second as it barreled toward the werewolf. Rita and Edward had to leap to either side to avoid getting caught in it.
“Are you insane?! Give us a heads-up before you go casting stuff like that!”
Rita’s panicked shout was quickly overpowered by the werewolf’s scream. KRAAAAAGH! Writhing in agony, the creature rolled through the fire, limbs flailing violently.
Unfortunately, it happened to tumble in the exact direction Rita had dodged to.
“Ah, my shoe!”
Rita shouted the completely out-of-place word as she lunged at the werewolf with her sword. Whether it was intentional or just dumb luck, the blade drove straight into the back of the lycanthrope’s neck. It was a damn fine finishing blow—but instead of being impressed, Satin had a totally different thought.
‘Kill steal?’
Thank god this wasn’t actually a game.
