"Hahaha‐aahhh!!" The joyful laughter of children seized on the first sight of the ancient monster.
It resembled a tree-man, with its wavy skin, almost nonexistent droopy eyes, crooked back and a branch in its hand which it blasted on the ground as it went around terrorizing kids.
Or so the the children thought.
Seeing the children fleeing him like a plague while yelling, "MY PRECIOUS BOOGERS!" The crooked tree-man... Jake reminisced, 'In just three days, that disgusting scum turned my whole village upside down... for me!' Jake looked at the far-off villagers working profusely in the fields like nothing happened.
Only if they could stop sending sneaky and strange glances at him as he passed by... he would've believed the same.
'That brat... he's very strange! It's been three days and he just keeps chilling with the villagers, does he intend to pass the rest of his life here?
'Besides, how could somebody of his position be able to get the hang of this place? Nonexistent seasonings, nothing to clean the hands or other parts after a dump, heck! people here don't even bath for almost weeks due to lack of clean water.' Jake rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
He sighed and raised his shaky hand to push the curtain aside.
"Yuck! Maid girl Reka! You need a serious therapy on a good dish, in my last three days off visit, you didn't feed me a grain of something edible! Humph!" Kobi snorted, but instead of wasting the food in his plate, he swallowed it down.
In his short stay here, Kobi caught the habit of teasing and playing with Reka. He knew this was the best the villagers could offer him, and he swallowed it like any regular villager.
"Humph! You can stop eating if you so detest it!" Reka scorned, her face morphed in loath- on the surface.
She had also started to understand Kobi and his mischievous nature by now.
He treated others a little too tersely, but he meant no harm. He trusted others very easily, she worried for his future, people like him died early.
But she had yet to see anything besides his goofy side, so surely!
Though all this didn't mean that she would take his remarks laying down.
"Hmm! Give it to me!" Rio grinned while gobbling down his food in large mouthfuls.
Kobi snickered contemptuously, "You take me for a fool? You think I wanna be malnutritioned like you? I will eat lots and grow to be a strong man!"
Kobi downed another mouthful in his mouth and chewed solemnly, his eye peeked at Rio's frail body before shifting to Reka. Nothing better.
He sighed internally and, by mistake, spilled some food in Rio's plate.
"Oops! My hand slipped, no food fell out right? Umm–" Kobi attentively glanced at his plate before nodding happily, "Yep! I saved everything!"
Rio's eyes turned starry, he snickered while chuckling internally, acting like nothing fell on his plate.
Kobi smiled before gazing at the food, "Yuck! This food!"
His eyes sneakily drifted towards Reka's plate, seeing the the portion she had given herself, Kobi sighed, 'It was fun but... it's time to leave!'
Without having to ask much, Kobi had gotten most of the things sorted by the talkative villagers.
Reka's parents were adventurers, they came on a quest given by the village chief to eradicate the over-populated wolves in a nearby dungeon- Silver Wolves.
While completing the quest... they died. They were under-level for the quest in the first place.
This was a backwater village, it's reward for the quest wasn't worth the high rank adventurers to come and eliminate the wolves.
Out of sentiment, the two took the job and left behind a 12 year old Reka and a half year old Rio in the village.
Indeed, Kobi was scared shit-less at the notion of a half year old baby, hence he quickly summoned daddy system.
"Remember I told you average people of this world have 10 physical stats? The climatic conditions are harsher and with the presence of mana, this makes people here stronger, even new-born children are equivalent to at least a normal one month baby of Earth."
Afterwards, Jake tried taking Reka in but the latter refused. She worked as a watchman in the area outside the village, there were no barricades or guards. So she served to warn the villagers of any strange sightings outside.
She got a hefty pay from it and lived happily ever after... coming back to reality, after getting know of the silent protests that she did no worthy work, as in reporting nothing unusual as everything was too good for the villagers, she asked the villagers to reduce her hefty pay.
She could barely fill her brother's belly two times a day, much less fill her's.
But she had a fit body nonetheless due to her pointless work of wandering the dangerous fields where monsters or whatnot could jump on her anytime.
Kobi's special status- a Saint's relative, led them to be receiving gifts from the villagers which Reka cooked and fed them.
But... this was on the surface, Kobi knew she had to spend her own money for everything else. She bought him his clothes, since the one she washed thrice still reeked of blood.
The mess he ended up creating everywhere by testing the village's each and every food... she had paid for it.
Afterwards, due to his scornful protests of not eating bland food, she had to buy some common village spices, which he still complained about.
Kobi knew if it was anybody else in Reka's shoes, despite him having saved her, they would've shut him up immediately.
He honestly felt like a bitch and somewhat embarrassed as Reka smiled sightly at what he just did.
Jake coughed.... yep, the louts had been ignoring him.
"Oh! Old man Jake! What's up?" Kobi waved his hand joyfully.
"Ahem! I cam_"
"Here! A little treat!" Kobi flicked a grand and divine item towards Jake.
Through a miracle, it missed Jake's mouth... and entered his nose.
Silence befall.
Jake took a deep breath, "It seems you are doing well, I'll be off!"
"Gra-grandpa!" Reka reached out her hand towards his direction, but paused and glared at Kobi. "Do you have to do that everytime you see him?"
Kobi chuckled as he gazed at Jake's receding figure in the distance through the projection on the hut.
After a moment of silence, with Reka still glaring at him.
Kobi's demeanour turned strangely solemn, "Reka!"
"Huh!?" Reka's eyes widened, hearing the strange and an unheard off tone from Kobi.
Kobi peered into her eyes, "Try to stay away from that old man! He's dangerous. His drugged eyes... they reek off madness."
Reka blinked her eyes dumbfoundedly... where the heck did this come from?
Kobi, noticing her confusion, added, "He... He has the pungent odor of somebody... somebody who stacks lives!"
Reka blinked her eyes, it was a strange thing to do, but... she nodded.
Rio glanced between Kobi and Reka... while gobbling down food.
After eating up, first thing in the morning, the trio went to do their usual things.
Rio went to play.
Reka had her duty to tend too and... Kobi chipped along today. He had been keeping Reka to himself the last two days by forcing her to show him around. Thankfully, due to his status, the villagers didn't mind.
Reka, remembering how she met Kobi, asked curiously, "Want to go check up on the silver wolf's corpse?"