Strange Village

"Humm... Humm... I am the storm that is approaching~~ approaching~~~" Ren hummed a song while walking, a pair of headphones sitting snugly on his ears.

He was extremely bored during his travels, as for some reason, he hadn't been attacked at all. With nothing else to do, he decided to purchase a pair of headphones from the [Mall] and play some songs on his phone to help ease his boredom.

It worked—at least for now—but deep down, what he really wanted was to be attacked by monsters or demons. After all, this was his first time wielding such immense power, and he was itching to use it in real combat.

"Sigh... Why isn't anything attacking me? This is so disappointing..." Ren sighed helplessly, his eyes scanning the area for any threats. But unfortunately, there was nothing.

"Tch... I thought walking through this forest would mean constant attacks from hostile creatures. Guess I was wrong," he muttered regretfully. He was eager to face monsters or demons, to test the extent of his power.

"This is my own fault... If only I had used less power and struggled a bit when fighting that monster earlier, the others wouldn't be so terrified of me now," he grumbled in frustration, regretting how easily he had defeated the previous monster.

"Well, it is what it is. There will be plenty of opportunities to fight and test my abilities. Besides, I haven't even encountered any demons yet—they surely won't be afraid of my strength." Ren reassured himself, successfully calming his irritation.

He continued walking through the dense, lush forest as time passed. Before he knew it, the sky began to brighten, and the sun slowly rose over the horizon, bathing the world in its warm light.

Looking up, Ren took in the vibrant, beautiful scenery above. A happy smile appeared on his face as he closed his eyes, feeling the fresh morning air and the sunlight washing over his body.

Taking a deep breath, he exhaled, "Huff... The air is so fresh and pure! Completely free from pollution! What a clean and healthy world!" he commented in awe, feeling even more refreshed and energized.

"I can't believe I've walked for so long, all the way until morning. If it weren't for my new body, there's no way I could've done this," Ren once again felt grateful for the cheat that had made him who he was now.

"Hmm? An exit?" Ren's eyes lit up as he spotted a path in the distance. Eagerly, he rushed toward it.

Once there, his gaze fell upon a muddy road leading to a village, surrounded by sturdy wooden fences and open farmlands.

"It seems I've found a settlement where I can rest for a while!" Ren smiled and headed toward the village.

As he arrived and entered the village, Ren's presence was quickly noticed by one of the villagers, who immediately approached him.

"This young man... Are you a traveler who happened to arrive in our village by chance?" the villager asked with a smile.

Ren found the villager's smile a bit odd, but he answered nonetheless. "Yeah, I'm traveling alone and just happened to end up here."

"Hahaha, in that case, as a villager, I'll go report your arrival to the village chief. Please wait a moment," the villager said before hurrying off. Ren watched him leave, frowning slightly.

I don't know why, but I have a strange feeling about that villager...

Ren continued observing his surroundings, and the longer he observed, the stronger that strange feeling grew.

Something is definitely strange! This village feels so quiet and lifeless compared to the previous town… Is there really something wrong here? Or am I just being paranoid?

But Ren immediately rejected the idea that it was merely paranoia. With the sharp instincts and keen senses he now possessed, he trusted that any feeling he had was likely real.

Soon, Ren began seeing other villagers, and without exception, they all smiled strangely at him as well. This only deepened his suspicion.

For now, though, he decided to play along and avoid raising any alarms. He smiled back at the villagers, acting as if he hadn't noticed anything unusual.

Fuck! There's definitely something wrong with this village! I need to figure out what's going on. Hopefully, something unexpected will happen soon, or I'll die of boredom here!

Grinning inwardly with excitement, Ren patiently waited. Eventually, the earlier villager returned, this time accompanied by someone new.

"Are you the village chief?" Ren asked, turning his gaze to the man beside the villager.

"Yes, young man! I am the village chief! Is there anything I can help you with? I'll do my best to assist you if you're in any trouble!" the chief answered enthusiastically, his tone seemingly sincere and helpful.

But Ren, who was already aware that something was amiss, wouldn't be fooled by his act. Still, he kept his thoughts hidden and replied, "I'm exhausted after traveling through the forest all night, so I was hoping you could rent me a place to rest for a while."

Hearing his request, both the villager and the chief exchanged surprised glances, seemingly unable to believe what Ren had just said.

At the same time, they couldn't help but feel that Ren was quite tricky, which made them increasingly wary as they silently debated whether to accept him or drive him away immediately.

Unaware of their inner conflict, Ren spoke again after receiving no answer. "Well? Can you help me? Or perhaps there's no place left to rent?"

The two snapped out of their thoughts at his words. The villager looked at the chief, and after a brief moment of hesitation, the chief finally answered.

"Of course not! There are still plenty of empty places I can rent to you! Please, follow me and I'll take you there," the chief said quickly, before turning to lead Ren toward his temporary lodging. Meanwhile, the villager quietly slipped away, running off to who-knows-where.