The next day, the village bustled with activity as they finished setting up their traps. Michael and Liam were back to the watch duty, Michael wearing leather armour and carrying a two-bladed axe strapped to his back. Liam wore similar armour but carried no weapons.
Michael finished his first circuit of the village perimeter, his senses on high alert. Every few minutes, he activated his [Life Detection] to ensure he had not missed anything.
Eventually, Michael and Liam crossed paths as they continued their duty. Both of them paused. "See anything?" Michael asked.
Liam shook his head. "Not much, just the usual sounds of the village and woods. But we have got to stay vigilant—the Titan Spawns could come at any moment."
Michael grunted with agreement, and they walked in opposite directions once more to resume their patrol.
"Be careful out there," Liam said.
"You too," Michael called back with a nod.
As Michael continued his circuit, he stopped every now and then to speak with the guards posted at equal intervals to update them on what he had seen so far—which was not much.
As he walked, keeping an eye on his surroundings, Michael frowned. He should have met up with Liam by now. Was something wrong?
Eventually, Michael found him, his gaze fixed on something distant. He approached his friend, looking for potential danger. "What's wrong? What do you see?"
Liam frowned. "I'm not sure. Do you see that?"
Michael squinted his eyes, shifting his gaze to where his friend was pointing. There was indeed something approaching from that direction. However, it was distant, its figure vague, making it difficult to determine what it was.
"Yes, I see it. I will check it out."
Before Michael could use his flight spell, Liam grabbed his hand, stopping him. "Wait, do not be hasty. Haste kills. Let's observe for now. I have already synergized a spell, ready to cast at a moment's notice to warn the villagers if it is anything dangerous."
Michael nodded, and they stood there to watch the figure approach.
Michael drew his axe from his back and prepared [Whispering Arrow]. He even stayed at the edge of summoning his Nexus Shard that could enhance his axe twofold.
Michael's grip on his axe tightened as the figure drew closer. It paused for a second, sensing their presence, then it only ran faster in their direction.
Michael's eyes widened. It was a man in tattered clothes being pursued by a group of Titans Spawns. Michael and Liam reacted at the same time, dashing in the man's direction.
"You take care of the man," Michael said. "I will deal with those."
As soon as Liam reached the man, he grabbed him and flew away.
Michael crashed into the group of seven Titan Spawns, swinging his axe that glowed with the power of his Nexus Shard.
The powerful swing of his enhanced axe severed the head of the first Titan Spawn, sending it flying. Two [Whispering Arrows] set off one after another, striking down two more of the creatures with pinpoint accuracy.
The remaining Titan Spawns surged toward him, their limbs snapping and mandibles snapping. His [Dangersense] combined with his [Lesser Reflex] guided his movements as he evaded a savage strike from one of the monsters. He retaliated with a sweeping blow of his axe, severing the creature's limb.
Michael slashed the air with his free hand in rapid succession, sending a barrage of [Air Lashes] at the roaches pouncing on him. Splinters of their carapace and chunks of their flesh flew as they were ripped apart. Deluge of his axe blows took care of the remaining monsters.
The battle ended as abruptly as it had begun.
Michael blinked in surprise, finding no more monsters to kill. His Nexus Shard, Last Call, that had a time limit of two minutes was still active. Michael dismissed the enhancement type Shard.
Did I just kill seven monsters in less than two minutes?
Michael from the past, who had struggled to kill a single Titans Spawn would be proud. He watched the bodies of the dead roaches for a long moment before whirling to catch up with Liam.
***
"How dare you return to our village after what you did?" Stan and Stark, the grandsons of the former mayor of the Madwin's Barrow, shouted at the same time.
The [Hunter] who had been exiled for bringing the wrath of a giant boar down on the village had returned. The man would have died by the sharp limbs of the Titan Spawns if not for the efforts of Michael and Liam. At the time, they had not known they were rescuing the exiled [Hunter].
Michael wasn't sure whether they had managed to save his life or not. The [Hunter] was paler than snow, the tails of blood mixed with his sweet marred his body.
The council that surrounded the wounded [Hunter] in the bed, watching him like a hawk spying its prey.
The [Hunter's] voice was raspy, struggling to pronounce each word. "I … came here … to … to warn you. The…"
"What have you done this time?" Stark, the older of the two brothers growled. "What disaster have you brought down on us? I won't let you bring more harm to my village because of your shenanigans."
His village? Michael thought. He is full of himself, isn't he?
"No, I—"
"We don't want to hear your lies," Stark said before the hunter could say anything. "Mayor, I think we should—"
"Mayor," Michael said, turning to the old man before this could go any further. He had read too many stories where things had gone wrong because characters could not trust the warning of a person. Michael wouldn't allow such an oversight.
"He has been out there," Michael continued. "He may have valuable information that might help better defend our village. We cannot ignore that. We must not ignore that."
Stark and Stan glared at him. Michael had to struggle not to spit.
"Surely you won't listen to this boy over me?" Stark said. "He's just a child. What does he know about running a village?"
"This child," the Mayor said, putting an emphasis on the word, child. "Speaks more sense than the bile that has left her mouth since your birth."
"You will bring ruin to this village, mark my words," Stark said, glaring at everyone in the room. He left, dragging his brother with him. Nobody stopped him.
"Speak," the mayor addressed the [Hunter]. There was no warmth in his voice.
"The village… attacked. I was out hunting… too late when I returned. There were figures… hooded, cloaked… few villagers with them, prisoners. The ones with levels in some class or another. I don't know what it means… but it must be important. I overheard… with my skill… they're leading the Titans Spawns. They'll be here… within hours. You have to… you have to—"
The bombardment of questions that followed the revelation did not surprise Michael—he had his own questions.
In the end, the [Hunter] succumbed to his wound. Not even Liam's healing saved the man.