A Small Village

Several consecutive roars of Vicious Beasts echoed through the dense forest as Finn calmly soared through the skies atop his Silver Flying Sword. His flight wasn't particularly fast, but it wasn't sluggish either. He frequently glanced down, scanning the forested landscape for signs of the small village Sierra had mentioned—the one where Xuan was supposedly hiding.

At the same time, Finn sharpened his senses, reaching out to detect any presence in the area. As he swept the region with his perception, he noticed that the beasts inhabiting this forest were weak—only Third Grade Vicious Beasts, creatures whose strength barely matched that of a Gold Rank Adventurer. The strongest among them wasn't even close to posing a threat to someone like him.

From this, Finn deduced that the place he had wandered into was a secluded and abandoned region—likely neglected by the Sacred Dragon Kingdom due to the low level of danger the monsters presented.

Letting out a quiet sigh, he couldn't help but reflect: for weak Adventurers, this place was far too dangerous to live in without Royal Clan's protection.

Xuan was a Scarlet Gold Rank, and living in a place like this would be nothing for someone of his caliber. The Third Grade beasts posed no danger to him, and he could easily protect himself. Perhaps that was precisely why he chose this isolated forest as a hiding place.

Even as Finn paid close attention to his surroundings, he didn't loosen his grip on the flying sword's control. A single misstep would send him falling from the sky. That was one of the reasons he never considered using a flying sword in battle against demons or beasts—it was simply too risky when he hadn't mastered it.

Now he truly understood just how difficult it was to control such a weapon.

The sun was already dipping below the horizon, and three full hours had passed since Finn had finally gotten the hang of riding the Silver Flying Sword. And yet, despite all his aerial searching, he still hadn't found any sign of the small village.

He had already searched the southern and northern regions of the vast forest but found nothing even after flying ten kilometers in each direction. Now, he was heading west in one final attempt.

Once he found Xuan, he had no plans to stay. He needed to return to his clan as soon as possible. Not knowing the current state of the Azure Wood Family left him uneasy. Only by seeing them with his own eyes could he find peace of mind.

Still extending his senses, Finn suddenly stopped mid-flight. His gaze shifted sharply to the southwest portion of the forest. And then, after a few seconds—his face lit up with anticipation and relief.

He had found it.

Though he had yet to see it with his own eyes, he could feel it—dozens of Bronze Rank presences, and one Silver Rank. It had to be the village Sierra had spoken of. After three hours of searching, he had finally found it.

But something puzzled him.

There was no sign of a Scarlet Gold Rank—no sign of Xuan.

'Could it be that Xuan had already left?'

Finn paused for a moment to consider, but ultimately decided to continue. There was no harm in stopping by to confirm. If Xuan had indeed left, perhaps the villagers could provide a clue to his whereabouts.

After a few more minutes of travel, Finn finally saw it.

A small village nestled within the dense woods.

Just like any rural settlement, it was made up of modest homes built from ordinary timber. Though they lacked the strength and durability of the houses in cities or towns, their construction was neat and efficient.

Surrounding the village were tall wooden stakes driven into the ground—sharpened at the tips, no doubt to ward off the occasional beast attack.

Now close enough to observe more clearly, Finn once again reached out with his senses. As before, he detected only Bronze Rank and one 1st Level Silver Rank—still no sign of Xuan.

He lowered his altitude and approached the outskirts of the village, ready to descend—but something strange caught his attention.

Though the sun was nearly set, the villagers had all gathered in one place.

Each person wore simple, worn clothing reminiscent of farmers from remote towns. At the front of the crowd stood a small elderly man gripping a wooden staff, facing dozens of men, women, elders, and children.

A mixture of emotions could be seen on their faces—fear, sadness, desperation.

Curious, Finn decided to stay hidden in the air and observe.

--

"We've run out of food for this year, Village Chief," a man said worriedly. "All our grain and crops have been taken. In just a few more days, we'll have nothing left. When that happens… the children, the sick, the elderly—they'll start dying from hunger."

Cries of anger and despair rippled through the crowd. Some clenched their fists; others bit their lips or stared at the ground, tears welling in their eyes.

None of them were powerful Adventurers. They still needed food to nourish their bodies. Especially the children—those who hadn't even started training yet—needed nutrition to stay strong and healthy, to survive in this beast-infested forest.

"Silence!" shouted the old man with the staff—the Village Chief.

Everyone immediately fell silent. Though small and aged, he was their leader and the strongest among them, a Silver Rank Adventurer.

"We are all enduring this trial together," he said solemnly. "Now more than ever, we must stand united—"

But before he could finish, another voice interrupted.

"It's that greedy old bastard's fault!" roared a young man, his fists trembling. "If he hadn't stolen all our food, we wouldn't be in this situation! He's stronger than any of us—he didn't even need our supplies! But he took everything out of pure greed!"

The villagers' hands curled into fists. Some hung their heads in silence, biting back their tears.

Just a few days ago, a stranger—an old man—had wandered into their isolated village. The people had welcomed him warmly, offering food and hospitality as they would to any guest.

Even when his attitude turned sour, they treated him with respect.

But yesterday, everything changed.

Without warning, the old man demanded all their remaining food. He threatened to kill them if they refused. Out of fear, they had no choice but to obey.

"There's nothing we can do," said the Village Chief. "He's too strong. Even if we fought him together, we'd all die. I can't sense his power level… but I can tell—it's far beyond ours."

There was sorrow and resignation in the old man's expression. He had led this village for over twenty years, and this was the second time outsiders had brought them to the brink of ruin.

They had never stopped showing kindness, even after being burned once before.

"I hate them!" shouted a young boy, struggling to hold back his tears. "I'll get stronger, and one day—I'll find them all and get revenge!"

"Little Poll…" the old man whispered the boy's name softly.

He took a deep breath, then turned to the villagers with a resolute expression.

"Listen to me," he declared. "Tomorrow morning, I'll leave the village to hunt for food."

A murmur of protest spread among the villagers.

"Village Chief, it's too dangerous! The forest is full of beasts—we can't let you go alone!" cried a woman.

Many others looked on with worried eyes. Some even sobbed silently, overwhelmed by helplessness.

"If I don't take a risk, we'll all die anyway. Don't you understand?!" the old man snapped. "I am your chief. It's my duty to protect you—even if it costs me my life. I'm old. I've lived my time. But you—the young ones—you are our future. You must live… and find a better life beyond this cursed place."

Tears welled in the villagers' eyes. Even the strongest men began to weep.

One by one, several of them stepped forward and bowed deeply.

"I'll go with you, Chief," said a burly man.

"Me too."

"I'm ready to help!"

More and more followed.

Seeing their bravery and determination made the old chief smile.

But when the boy Poll stepped forward, his smile faded.

"Little Poll… you're too young to face danger. Stay here and look after the others. Let us handle this," he said gently, not even giving the boy a chance to object.

Then he turned to one of the men. "Matias… you don't have to come. You're the most qualified to become the next Village Chief. If I don't return, they'll need someone strong to lead them. Someone like you."

Matias and Poll both looked devastated, but the old man smiled at them kindly.

"Please," he said, "just follow my instructions. Do it for the good of everyone."

Silence fell over the crowd.

If not for that selfish outsider… none of this would be happening.

The Village Chief sighed and spoke again.

"Now then, return to your homes. Get some rest."

The villagers began to bow and step back—only for a sudden, powerful presence to descend upon them.

A young man, calm and composed, descended from the sky atop a gleaming silver sword.

Golden eyes locked onto the old Village Chief, who froze in place—eyes wide, heart trembling.

Fear spread through the villagers.

It was their first time witnessing an Adventurer flying through the air—and panic gripped them.

The men rushed to grab makeshift weapons and stood guard in front of the women, children, and elderly. Their expressions were a mix of fear, anger, and desperation.

"Who are you?! What are you doing here?! Are you with that greedy old bastard?! We have nothing left to give! Please, leave us alone!" Matias roared.

Finn glanced at him calmly. He had heard enough to understand what had happened here.

He could see it in their eyes—pure desperation.

But even as they rejected him, Finn felt no anger.

He understood. And he pitied them.

To these people, every outsider brought only pain and ruin. It was no wonder they lashed out at him.

He was about to speak—but before he could, a crying boy charged toward him with a wooden stick.

It was Poll.

With all his strength, the boy swung at Finn's arm.

The stick shattered on impact and a piece flew far away.

Finn didn't move. He simply stared at the boy—golden eyes calm and unreadable.

"Get out of our home! We don't welcome your kind here!" the boy screamed.