It was already well into the dark hours of the evening when both of them arrived. Fortunately, Merlina had already prepared something for them to eat to replenish their bodies. She invited them inside the hut to eat.
Ragnar spent two hours discussing with the twin. Most of their discussion was casual, but the matter of the monsterborn came up several times.
"We should go check out the barn tonight. We might be able to catch some hints on how to kill it," Noah suggested as Ragnar prepared to leave.
Ragnar quickly rejected the suggestion: "We should stay away from the storage house as much as we can during this period."
"And why?" Noah frowned. "Have you lost the courage to challenge that evil bastard?"
"Not really," Ragnar shook his head and explained, "The monsterborn is smart according to Old Man James. Since it killed one of us, it knows we'll be out searching for the killer, so it will be more vigilant in its heists from now on."
Noah thought about it for a second and nodded.
Scratching his head, he apologized for being wrong.
"No need—you were only concerned, and we can't actually tell who is wrong among us," Ragnar smiled as he strolled closer to the door.
He turned back to the twin and bade them farewell.
"Be careful, Ragnar," Merlina warned before he left. Ragnar simply nodded and left.
On his way back, he couldn't help but notice the solemn silence lingering across the huts he passed—everyone refused to strike up even the lightest conversation, scared that the killer might be around the corner.
'I need to grow stronger and kill that bastard as soon as possible,' Ragnar clenched his fist and swore.
At that moment, a thought arose in his mind—one he hadn't considered yet.
"That guy steals enough harvest daily to feed a family of four for about a week. But he keeps coming every other night," he murmured.
Ragnar considered the countless possibilities surrounding it.
"It could either be that he is a massive eater due to his transformation or that he is feeding a group of people," Ragnar concluded.
If it was the first—there would be no setback after killing him. But if it were the latter, there might be some disadvantages—the people or fellow monsterborn he fed might come for revenge.
"Doesn't matter," Ragnar shrugged. "I have to kill him no matter what. At the same time, I have to be strong enough to stand against the disadvantages that come with killing him."
Moments after the idea popped into his mind, he arrived at his place. He scanned his surroundings, especially the sky, before strolling inside his hut and shutting the door quietly.
Unbeknownst to him, the same monsterborn he swore to kill was observing him from afar.
"Kekeke," the monsterborn let out a low, beast-like laugh.
It was standing quietly on the roof of a hut not too far away from Ragnar's. Thanks to the unique ability he awakened after becoming a Monsterborn, Ragnar was unable to notice him.
He stalled on the roof for a few seconds, ensuring Ragnar would not walk out of his hut. After he was certain, it flapped its wings and flew toward the storage house.
At the same time, Ragnar sat on the bed inside his hut with a tired expression on his face.
He called for Onyx to reveal his character status.
___
HOST: Ragnar Yellowwood
LEVEL: 1 ( XP: 145/150 )
HP: 100/100
MP: 50/50
RANK: FF
INNATE SKILL: Sacrifice Lvl 1
ACQUIRED SKILLS: Efficient harvest Lvl 1, Blade mastery Lvl 1
ATTRIBUTES:
• PHYSIQUE: 1.8
• AGILITY : 1.9
• SPIRIT : 1.5
TERRITORIES:
⤷ 10th Hamlet (FF) ▶ Details
COMBINED TERRITORY RATING: FF
[🎒 Inventory] [📜 Quest]
___
To his surprise, there were only a few XPs left for his second level up. There was also a slight increase in his physique attribute.
"Not bad," Ragnar commented as he was about to fall asleep before recalling something important.
"Onyx, I do not need your help waking me up in the morning, is that clear?"
|| Positive. ||
"Nice, good night."
|| Good night to you, host. ||
Ragnar hummed and went to bed immediately.
As usual, nighttime went by in the blink of an eye.
Ragnar woke up pretty late in the morning, feeling sore all over his body, especially in his arms.
"Yesterday's training was really exhausting," Ragnar commented as he arose lazily.
He went for a quick wash-up and strolled outside, ready to conquer whatever the world had for him today — he could not wait for the training session with Old Man James and Noah.
Nevertheless, when he arrived outside, he was shocked to see a few people gathered at the entrance of the hut opposite him: the rebellious kid and his mother, who had just lost their father.
At first, Ragnar thought they were consoling the pair, but he changed his mind after observing their expressions.
Concerned, he strolled closer and was shocked to see the rebellious kid wearing a traumatized expression as he narrated what he saw last night to the worried onlookers.
"You have to believe me — it was a very big bird! But it wasn't a bird at the same time, I swear I saw it!"
His eyes were wide open as he narrated, as though the scary image was still in front of him.
"How can that be?"
"Kid, you might be seeing things."
"It feels like the description of a monster."
"That is definitely not a monster, it could be a wild beast."
"Finally, you guys are realizing this place is cursed. It is definitely a demon!"
The people questioned amongst themselves — only a few believed the little kid was telling the truth, while others thought he might simply be stressed from his father's death.
Only one person knew he was telling the truth.
"Fuck!"