The Hilo village, which was filled with joy at their first victory against the creatures from beyond, had many people celebrating; children finally came out of their shelters. They tattered around and chased each other, while the responsible parents tried to stop them.
Meanwhile, the Party of Four, who had contributed the most in the battle, were seated in their abodes, their faces grim.
"Have you all also noticed?"
Asher hesitated before asking the question; his lips felt dry.
Liber looked at him before nodding in acknowledgment.
"Yes, the number of monsters is increasing day by day. This amount was totally abnormal."
"If we were not present here today, the Hilo would have been lost forever."
Anny''s brow was furrowed, her lips pressed into a thin line. ''This isn''t good,'' she muttered.
She had realized what kind of grim fate awaited if their team was not present in time.
"Ash, Did you find anything? Since you must have observed the monsters behavior from above."
Liber questioned; his voice sounded unusually heavy.
"I—I actually don''t think monsters were targeting the village."
With a brief sense of hesitation, Asher laid down his thoughts.
"What do you mean?"
"I think they were most likely running away from something or someone, maybe."
Asher''s voice trailed off, lost in the gravity of his own words. The room fell into a contemplative silence, the weight of his observation sinking in.
"Why do you think so?"
Liber''s question pierced through the silence, his brow furrowed in concern.
"As you know, dead zones in outer areas are mostly populated by many small villages or even towns. So low-rank monsters who know that going deeper into dead zones will be suicide are trying to come out of it instead."
Asher spoke in a calm but firm tone, his eyes reflecting the gravity of the situation.
"The creatures we''ve encountered are acting more panicked and less coordinated than usual. It''s as if something is pushing them out from the depths of the dead zones, forcing them to the outskirts where human settlements lie."
Liber and others who quietly listened to his observation also agreed.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
"So, according to you, the low-rank monsters are just trying to escape their habitats."
Anny, who had silently been listening all this time, asked for his conclusion.
"Yes."
Asher nodded solemnly, the gravity of his words hanging in the air.
"That can also explain why beast rank monsters started appearing in the outer zone as well as their density near this area."
Liber, who had, after hearing Ash, come to a similar conclusion.
"We should ask Tyson about this now. I think this place is the source of just events. What do you all think?"
Liber looked at the other three, the gravity of the situation etched on his face.
"Yes, let''s do so."
Tyson, the new chief of this village, was more suspicious than others; the sudden death of the old chief along with his natural selection is the new one that had made Asher and others a bit uncomfortable from the start.
*knock* *knock*
The sudden sound startled the group, pulling them out of their intense discussion. Gian, who was closest to the door. He took a deep breath, steeled himself, and swung it open.
Standing outside was Tyson, the young village chief, his eyes gleaming with an unreadable emotion. His presence was a stark contrast to the jovial celebrations happening just a few paces away. He looked around at the four of them, his gaze lingering on their grim expressions before he spoke.
"I have something to confess about all these monsters."
Tyson announced, as he stepped into the room, his tone was serious and urgent.
"And what is it that you would like to confess?"
Liber, who had stood up from his seat, walked towards Tyson, prompting him to take a seat as well.
After taking the seat, Tyson took a deep breath. He looked at everyone present in the room before finally speaking.
"Do you all remember the earthquake that happened weeks ago?"
Tyson asked this with a sincere tone.
Looking at each other for a split moment, everyone acknowledges with a small nod.
"Then it will be easier to explain. When the earthquake happened, a hilly area not far from here had a big landslide. Some villagers who were present there soon informed my father, the former chief, about it."
Listening intently like all others, Asher made sure to remember each detail that came from Tyson''s mouth.
"An underground ruin was found there. I and they found it soon after going near it. We had hoped to keep to ourselves and then bring some mercenaries to dig the treasures inside without informing the official about this."
Hearing this revelation, the eyes of Anny, Liber, and even Gian widened.
Asher frowned. Ruins? He''d heard the term before, but he wasn''t entirely sure what it meant in this context. He listened intently, hoping to glean more information.
Abruptly standing up, Liber shouted.
"Are you all idiots!! Why did you not inform the guild about this?"
"My father... he was worried. The harvests have been poor for years. The village... it''s struggling. When we found the ruins, he saw a chance, a way to save us. He thought we could sell some artifacts, use the money to rebuild. We never meant for anyone to get hurt. We didn''t know..." His voice trailed off, choked with emotion.
Shaking in fear Tyson soon tried to give excuses, but Liber anger couldn''t be calmed.
"You, because of you, do know how many lives could have been lost."
Anny and Gian only nodded in agreement, taking a deep breath. Liber finally calmed down.
"We will need to report it to the guild. If a dungeon or ruin of the past had been found here, it would explain the monsters behavior."
Gian, who had been silent till now, asked.
"So will you be going to Sefron City to report about it?"
Looking at Gian, Liber nodded.
"Yes, and he will be coming with me."
Libra, said he, as he glanced at Tyson.
"All three of you will remain here and guard the village. I and Tyson will go right away to report about it."
Liber''s voice was firm as he made the decision. The revelation of the hidden ruins had changed everything.
"Understood."
Voices of agreement soon came after; no one was opposed to this decision. Asher, who was the least knowledgeable present here, was doubtful but also agreed nonetheless, trusting the veterans.
The sounds of the villagers'' celebration still drifted over, a bittersweet melody that underscored the gravity of the situation. As Liber and Tyson mounted their horse, the animal shifted nervously, its hooves kicking up dust from the dirt road. The setting sun cast long shadows across the village, painting the scene in hues of orange and purple.
Asher, who had just seen them off, looked at Anny, who stood beside him.
"What is a ruin?"
Initially surprised by such a question, Anny answered.
"The remains of the past are called ruins; they mostly hold artifacts, maybe naturally made or artificially made by past civilizations. They tend to be stronger in general than today''s artifact."
Listening to her, I gave another questionable look to her.
"Then why is it dangerous?"
"Because it tends to gather strong beasts and monsters from beyond near it. The origin present there attracts many monsters. This was also the reason why weaker monsters ran away."
Anny explained in a calm and composed tone.
The points clicked in my mind one by one as I finally completed the picture drawn by the trouble.
"I see; that explains the abnormal movements of monsters."
"But what is the past civilization."
"When Liber comes back you can ask him. He is more knowledgeable about this."
"Alright, thank you."
Seeing Ash, Anny gave a small nod and went inside the room to rest. She had, in a way, worked most in their party to save as many lives as possible.
Seeing her go inside, Asher looked around the village and thought to himself.
"I have a bad feeling about this."