The sky was covered in a murky green hue, with remnants of blood and scattered corpses across the village's expanse.
The air was thick with a foul stench, and the water pool was a swamp of rotting flesh mixed with stagnant water.
The walls of the houses were shattered, painted with the dried black blood of their inhabitants.
All the windows were broken, and glass shards were scattered everywhere.
The fertile fields surrounding the village had turned into a barren wasteland devoid of life.
The animal corpses appeared dried, their bodies twisted in unnatural positions, their wide eyes indicating the intense terror they had experienced.
Silence dominated the village; only the sound of the wind whistling through the windows could be heard.
In the midst of this horrific scene, Commander Elena, accompanied by five alert adventurers from the Golden Saint faction, approached the village cautiously.
One of them, named Jett, sighed as he pinched his nose with his hand. "Damn, the smell here is awful."
Another, named Sulvan, replied, "Yes, it's truly foul."
Marcus, who carried a massive hammer on his shoulder, looked at the scattered corpses.
"For the saints sake, what do we have here?"
Sulvan had his hand on the hilt of his sword, stared at the rotting and mutilated flesh, muttering,
"The creature that did this seems disturbingly patient."
He continued, pointing at the scattered remains, as Elena, Marcus, Jett, Samara, and Pedro observed the dreadful scene.
"It seems this damned creature takes pleasure in tearing apart corpses and torturing them, which is unusual for chaos beings."
"Such creatures usually focus only on satisfying their hunger, devouring their prey completely before moving on to seek more."
Samara, trying to understand, interjected, "Are you saying the perpetrator isn't a chaos being?"
Before Sulvan could reply, Pedro answered for him,
"No, it's definitely one of those loathsome creatures, but it appears to possess a level of intelligence compared to the others."
Samara responded, "Ah, I see."
"Are you stupid or what?" Marcus laughed sarcastically.
"No, I'm not, you fatso," Samara stuck out her tongue at him, annoyed.
Commander Elena sighed deeply, her expression serious. "That creature might be a corrupt leader."
Jett looked at her and said, "Damn, why would there be a corrupt leader in the Northern Plains?"
Elena replied as she looked around the area, "I don't know, but we must inform the military council about this quickly."
Pedro nodded and said, "We need to prepare ourselves, as that creature seems difficult to deal with."
Sulvan added, "Yes, you're right. This thing seems really bothersome."
Elena looked north and said, "We must move before dusk so we don't become an easy prey for it."
When Jin woke up, a stream of curses escaped his lips.
"Damn it, I never imagined I'd miss that old pile of trash I used to sleep on in the cabin. This miserable mat is worse than that."
He grumbled, his tone full of disdain as he rubbed his back. "Oh, damn my back, damn that old man."
He stood up, grabbed his sandals, and headed towards the nearby pond.
He stripped off his clothes and threw himself into the pond.
"Ugh, even the water is cold. If it weren't for that old man, I'd be bathing in a warm public bath right now."
He wiped his shoulders and back as he looked at his body. "Well, at least it's not bad. I've started to grow some muscles."
He boasted a little, flexing his arm muscles. "Hehehe."
Jin finished his bath and returned to his place after about half an hour.
His grandfather was already there, cooking some meat over the fire.
Jin looked at his grandfather and smiled. "Alright, alright, old man, what's the pleasant surprise we have here?"
Adrian replied with a smile, "Oh, consider it a gift for your efforts in the past days."
Jin responded with a hint of annoyance, "I'll accept it, but I'll really appreciate it if you bring me a better mattress than this worn-out one."
Adrian laughed and said, "Alright, alright, I'll look into it."
"You look both better and worse at the same time, kid," he said, pointing to Jin's messy hair and slightly improved body.
Jin spat and sat next to his grandfather. "Of course it's bad. I've been swinging that rusty sword and junk every day and chopping wood with it to no avail!"
His grandfather continued laughing. "Well, well, your condition will improve soon."
The conversation changed as Adrian finished cooking the meat.
"Come on, let's enjoy this delicious food," he said, smiling at Jin.
Jin sighed and took a piece of meat. "Alright, I'll praise it since it smells good."
His grandfather chuckled lightly. "Hahaha, didn't I tell you I'm a skilled cook?"
Jin looked at him while chewing the meat. "Stop bragging, you old man."
Adrian replied, "But you look a bit better than you did. I think your training is going well."
"To become truly strong, your thin body needs to become more solid," he advised wisely.
Jin looked at him while chewing the meat. "Ah yes, sure, of course."
Adrian smiled again. "You really look like your father."
Jin, with his mouth full, responded "My father?"
Adrian laughed. "Hahaha, chew your food first, then talk."
Adrian looked up at the sky and added, "Despite your father's foolish death, he was really strong."
"Strong enough to make even an old man like me feel envious."
Jin, encouraged, continued eating. "A strong man doesn't die foolishly, right?"
Adrian clasped his hands and looked at Jin. "Do you want to hear a little about the Chaos Creatures?"
Jin sighed. "I guess you won't stop talking until you tell me what you have, right? Make it quick because I want to finish my meal."
Adrian's expression became a bit serious as he looked at the blazing fire in front of them. "Let me tell you a little about Marta, then..."
Elena and the rest of the team were moving north through a forest dense with trees to avoid the village.
Jett sighed heavily, breaking the silence between them.
"There's no doubt that this news will worry Morgan and the other leaders in Anvil, right?"
Pedro responded, placing a finger on his nose, "Do you really think the leaders care about such things? They're already busy with the increasing reports about that continent where a level seven gate has appeared."
Sulvan replied, cleaning his sword with a cloth, "The level seven gate, yes, that's a real disaster."
Samara, lost in thought and eating a piece of meat, asked, "Can you imagine the power possessed by the level seven gate creatures?"
Marcus looked at her, sighing, "Are you eating after what we saw in the village? It seems you have quite an appetite."
Samara looked at him indifferently, "Oh, come on, Marcus. In times like these, food is really delicious."
"And you have no right to talk about my appetite," she said, looking at him with disdain because he was overweight.
Marcus gritted his teeth, "Damn you, you glutton!"
Everyone was joking and laughing at their banter.
Elena suddenly stopped and raised her sword, "Something's approaching. Get ready."
"Whoa, finally something exciting," Sulvan smiled.
Immediately, Marcus lifted his hammer while Sulvan drew his short sword.
Samara had already stepped back, holding her bow, while Jett prepared his flames.
Pedro's role in the team was healing; his abilities were based on healing and defense, so he stood by, watching the rest of the team's movements in case something happened to them.
Everyone was prepared and synchronized.
Hideous creatures with twisted features and ghastly appearances appeared before them.
Their hands had long claws, and their teeth were sharp like daggers. These ugly creatures were called Chupacabras.
"Oh, they're just Chupacabras," Elena smiled.
Elena raised her sword and swung it as she moved among them.
"Swish!... Swish!... Swish!..." Elena effortlessly cut through dozens of them.
Marcus laughed and whistled, "Haha, you're really scarier than they are, Elena."
Marcus raised his hammer high and then brought it down on the head of one of the Chupacabras that had jumped and attacked him.
He then swung his hammer left and right, smashing seven of the Chupacabras' heads with powerful swings.
Jett and Sulvan moved in opposite directions.
"Sulvan, I'll move from the left, and you go from the right," Jett said as he moved towards the left.
Jett fired flames left and right, burning dozens of Chupacabras, while Sulvan danced among them, cutting down many of them.
Samara laughed, chewing on a bone, "Hehe, I think it's my turn."
She nocked an arrow and aimed it precisely at the Chupacabras.
Then she released the arrow, which flew quickly, exploding and destroying several Chupacabras in its path.
"Ah, I will pray for the forgiveness of your sins," Pedro prepared his magic.
He then used his magic to enhance everyone's strength.
Within a quarter of an hour of fighting, the Chupacabra corpses filled the area.
Everyone stopped, panting from exhaustion and looking at each other.
"Damn, there were really so many of them," Marcus said, placing his hands on his knees as he breathed heavily.
"I'm starting to feel hungry," Samara said, laying on the ground with her hand on her stomach.
Sulvan struggled to convey something, his face etched with fear. "Guys... this many together, it's not normal."
He was breathing heavily as he looked at Elena.
Elena wiped her sweat and looked at everyone. "We need to retreat immediately."
Jett looked at her and drank water. "I want that too, but why so quickly? I need a rest first; I can barely move."
At that moment, a shiver ran through everyone.
Their expressions changed, and they all stood up, looking around in fear.
Elena bit her lip tightly, her tone tense. "We have an unwelcome visitor... it's the Chaos Leader."