Chapter 139: A Village of Monsters 1

Chapter 139: Chapter 139: A Village of Monsters 1

Ronan followed the young girl deeper into the forest, occasionally glancing at the trees surrounding them as they continued along the narrow path.

The farther they went, the stranger the forest became.

He had already encountered several Sovereign Realm beasts since leaving Monster Camp, and he had even sensed the auras of a few King Realm creatures. However, the creatures in this part of the forest were on an entirely different level.

At first, Ronan thought he was sensing supreme Realm beasts hiding among the trees, but as they continued walking, he began to notice something else.

Some of the auras were far stronger.

Legend Realm!

Ronan’s expression gradually became serious.

He could sense several of them watching from within the forest, and although he couldn’t see their bodies clearly, he knew they were aware of his presence. Some of their auras were so terrifying that even he felt a slight pressure merely by sensing them from a distance.

Yet none of the beasts approached.

They simply watched.

Ronan glanced at the girl walking ahead of him.

Her necklace was glowing.

The golden light wasn’t particularly dazzling, but it remained constant, illuminating the space around her neck. As they moved deeper into the forest, the glow became increasingly noticeable.

Ronan narrowed his eyes.

Is the necklace keeping the beasts away?

He couldn’t think of another explanation.

There were Legendary Realm creatures in this forest, yet none of them had made a move against a little girl who was only at the Transcendent Realm. Even Ronan, who had reached Nine-Star Sovereign, would have to take such creatures seriously.

But the girl continued walking as if nothing were wrong.

"How much farther?" Ronan asked.

"Not very far."

She turned around and smiled at him.

"The village is just ahead."

Ronan nodded and continued following her, although he remained alert.

He didn’t know what kind of place he was heading toward, but he had already learned that the girl was far from ordinary. Her necklace had saved him from an illusion that had nearly killed him, and now it seemed to be keeping the creatures in this forest at bay.

Whatever that artifact was, it was definitely valuable.

After walking for some time, the girl finally stopped.

"We’re here."

Ronan looked ahead.

At first, he thought she was joking.

There was a small village in front of them, surrounded by trees and a simple wooden fence. A few houses stood along a dirt road, while smoke rose from a chimney in the distance. Several elderly men and women were gathered beneath a large tree, playing chess and other board games.

One old man was sleeping in his chair, while another complained about losing a game.

A short distance away, a butcher was cutting meat, and the smell of freshly cooked food drifted through the village.

Everything looked ordinary.

Ronan stared at the village before slowly activating his system.

[Scanning...]

[Target: Unknown.]

[Race: ???]

[Realm: ???]

[Traits: ???]

[Abilities: ???]

Ronan’s expression stiffened.

He tried scanning another old man.

The result was the same.

He scanned the woman sitting beside the chessboard.

Again, nothing but question marks.

Ronan’s heart skipped a beat.

Even when he had encountered powerful beings in Monster Camp, his system had been able to provide at least some information about them. But these people were different.

It was as if their entire existence was beyond what the system could understand.

Just as Ronan was about to scan another villager, one of the old men slowly raised his head.

He looked directly at Ronan and smiled.

"Ah, a young one."

The old woman sitting opposite him followed his gaze. After looking at Ronan for a moment, she chuckled.

"He’s trying to look through us."

Ronan froze.

The old man laughed.

"Don’t worry, young one. We won’t eat you."

He paused, glanced at the butcher, and added, "At least, not today."

The surrounding villagers burst into laughter.

Ronan’s mouth twitched.

What the hell?

He hadn’t even realized they could detect his scanning ability.

Yet they had noticed immediately.

The old woman waved toward him.

"Come inside, young one. We have a guest today, and it would be rude to leave him standing outside."

Ronan hesitated for a moment before following the girl into the village.

He remained cautious, but he wasn’t foolish enough to antagonize people whose strength he couldn’t even begin to measure.

Besides, he was curious.

Extremely curious.

"Where are the others?" the old man asked the girl.

"They’re preparing dinner."

"Good. Then bring your friend along. We have enough food for everyone."

The girl nodded happily before leading Ronan toward one of the houses.

As they walked, Ronan continued observing the villagers.

They looked like ordinary elderly humans. Their auras were also strangely ordinary, without the oppressive pressure he would have expected from beings capable of making his system display nothing but question marks.

Yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that any one of them could kill him effortlessly.

He glanced at the butcher.

The man was holding a knife while cutting a large piece of meat.

Ronan’s eyes narrowed.

That knife...

He could feel an incredible power coming from it.

Even without activating his system, he could tell that the weapon was terrifying. If the butcher swung it at him, he suspected that his White Bone Skin wouldn’t be enough to protect him.

Then he looked at the spoon lying beside a nearby table.

His expression became even stranger.

That spoon?

He could feel power coming from it, too.

It looked like an ordinary spoon, yet Ronan had the unsettling feeling that if someone threw it at him with enough force, he might actually die.

He looked at the fork beside it.

The same thing.

Ronan slowly turned his head toward the old men playing chess.

Even the pieces on their board gave him a strange feeling.

What kind of place is this?

He had come to a middle-level continent expecting to discover a more advanced civilization, perhaps even one that resembled modern Earth. Instead, he had stumbled into a village where even the kitchen utensils seemed capable of killing him.

And the worst part was that nobody appeared to care.