Lieutenant Mitchel had Jormungandr on his shoulder, and he and the other soldiers guided the massive group of civilians. Their eyes filled with shock and awe as they saw the hundreds of demon corpses filling the streets. Those were the monsters that massacred most of the town's population, forcing them to cower in their homes.
Yet, someone had managed to butcher his way through, drawing the monsters away so the soldiers could help them evacuate. Most shocking, he seemed to have butchered all these things and was not inviting them to a feast.
The people who managed to survive were weak, and many had grown ill due to the lack of food. Those who Leveled up and chose a path had higher vitality and could endure better, but these were very few, and even fewer had stockpiled food in their houses like Mirena and Cazan. That was why, despite the fear and terror of returning to the city, the civilians did not hesitate.
Lieutenant Mitchel already knew of Vlad's power but was still surprised to see that all the demons were dead. He had been worried when he heard the previous commotion, but he had to protect the civilians so he could only remain behind. Luckily, everything turned out alright.
Just as the group turned on one of the streets, their eyes widened, and everybody froze when they saw what could only be described as a flayed monster the size of a dinosaur.
"You made it just in time."
A voice drew the group's attention, and they saw a young man walking toward them. He had a sword in his hand and wore white armor, but the most impressive part about him was his dark, empty eyes, which made it seem as if they were looking into the abyss.
The soldiers had already gotten used to the black eyes of Vlad, but it was certainly shocking for the civilians, especially as they saw the massive corpse behind the young man.
"You killed that?"
One of the civilians couldn't help but shout, and those words echoed in the minds of everyone watching the young man. The Hippopotamus Monster was so massive that even tanks would have a hard time taking it down, so the idea that a human could kill it was ridiculous, yet it seemed that was what happened.
Vlad's smile widened as he heard that question. Improving his stance in the people's hearts and minds would make it easier for them to choose and follow him, but he also needed to be careful.
"I cannot take all the credit. I gave it the final blow, but teamwork took this Hippopotamus Monster down."
Vlad moved to the side, showing the figures of Mirena and Cazan cutting the monster's meat and filling buckets. The man was using his Force to enhance the cutting power of his sword, and the woman manipulated a set of daggers so they were moving extremely fast.
The civilians immediately noticed the duo; even if they were covered in blood, many recognized the brother and sister. Some saw the duo moving back to the town, and many thought they would just be dying, yet they seemed to be able to show immense power.
Just as Vlad was going to speak again, he saw a small figure walking toward him. He was surprised to see a little white dog reach his side and begin to sniff him.
"Woof!"
Vlad had always liked animals of all kinds, so he just smiled, but the next second, his face froze as the small white dog raised its leg and peed on him. His eyes twitched, and he was at a loss for words and actions.
He was a mighty Reincarnator, a Depravita, possibly the strongest human alive, and yet a tiny dog he had never seen before went ahead and straight peed on him!
"Ahhh, sorry, sorry. Oro, what are you doing!?"
Before Vlad could get over the shock, he heard Cazan's voice and saw the man running toward him, grabbing the small dog and pulling it away.
"Sorry, Sir. Oro has the tendency to pee on people he likes. I am so sorry!"
"Woof!"
Cazan bowed in apology, but the small dog kept smiling at him and barking.
"Hahaha, whatever, it doesn't matter."
In the end, Vlad just laughed. He tried to generate an imposing figure, but the small dog ruined his plans. Still, words matter very little, and the corpse of the Hippopotamus Monster was all the proof he needed to show his might.
"Anyway, I can see you are all hungry, so why don't we eat."
The civilians' eyes glowed as they heard those words, and many were ready to jump into the meat as they were truly starving, but Lieutenant Mitchel signaled for people to stay put before walking toward Vlad and then quietly speaking.
"Sir, these people have gone several days without eating and with low water consumption. If they consume too much too fast, it could be dangerous."
Vlad smiled as he heard Lieutenant Mitchel's words and saw how the man whispered to him to avoid the humiliation of making such a rookie mistake.
When a person does not eat for an extended period, the body undergoes several changes, primarily to conserve energy and protect vital organs. That response is part of the body's survival mechanism. If this fasting state is followed by suddenly consuming a large amount of food, it can lead to a potentially serious condition known as refeeding syndrome.
Although Vlad was just an average college student in this life, in his First Past Life, he was a seasoned soldier, and there was no way he would not know about refeeding syndrome.
"Lieutenant, there is no need to worry. You would be right if this were normal food, but this is Monster meat. It is not just full of protein and nutrients but vitality and energy that would help their bodies. Consuming this meat and blood will have no backlash or side effects and help them heal quickly."