After following the two-headed direhog for the better part of the day, Rio expected to be led to a valley of caves or a village with several huts but they had not even arrived at their destination when arrows began falling from the trees around them.
Say what you want about these backward people, their archery skills were topnotch and after having to jump and roll around like a frog, Rio took to the trees.
With a powerful stomp on the groin, he kicked off the ground to his first tree branch and though he had no tree-climbing skill, his power made up for it.
With a burst of strength Rio, jumped from branch to branch, swinging his axe and slicing branches that were in his way and then when he was high enough, he went after his assailants.
There were just 4 of them and they all began running away wide-eyed after he used the branches to blast from tree to tree and killed one of them with a blow to the head, his skull actually caving in.
While running away from him, one of them began playing a flute their actions making Rio look down below his eyes sweeping left and right to see where their reinforcements would come from.
By the time Rio caught up with the rest of the archers and decapitated them, there was no reinforcement in sight, and he was once again left following the two-headed direhog till they reached a waterfall where he found the reinforcements waiting for me.
Standing just some meters from the waterfall, Rio's reception numbered fifteen and in it they were three women, all of them dressed like the two men the direhog had killed the previous day, though in addition to the sashes, the women had fur also covering their breasts and legs.
The army of 15 stayed silent and with tense bodies watched as Rio stepped out of the forest.
Rio noticed that they had their eyes more on the two-headed direhog and were looking at it with surprise, disgust and anger.
A man with muscles that made Rio's ripped physic look like a beginner walked forward and looking up from the beast by his side, he looked at him and barked out a couple of incomprehensible words.
"I don't understand you"
Rio spoke just these four words and from it, the man understood that language communication was not an option and so decided to use signs.
He raised his sword and pointed it at Rio, then at the ground with an authoritative shout and while Rio got that the man was trying to get him to surrender, his mind was occupied with the fact that what the man was actually wielding was a shiny steel blade.
"Did they send out their best"
Stuck in an alien world all alone, everyone else was a potential enemy.
Who these people were and what they thought about him and the two-headed direhog Rio didn't know. They could very much be cannibals.
These people were barbarians with an odd unpredictable way of thinking, Rio was in no way going to place himself at their mercy.
Not losing momentum Rio raised his axe up to the man who had stepped forward and then he pointed his axe to the ground, the two-headed direhog growling in a surprisingly powerful tone to back him up.
Understanding Rio's actions since it was a repeat of what he had done, the man's face contorted in anger and Rio getting the message, shot forward.
The man's eyes narrowed as Rio approached, both his hand grabbing his sword, but he could only have on a surprised expression as his head fell off his neck.
Standing behind the man with his axe dripping blood, it wasn't only the man who had been killed that was surprised, Rio was also surprised.
Sure his intention had been to run forward and end his enemy in a powerful display, but given the little pressure he had felt coming from them he had expected to clash with the man even if for some seconds, he hadn't expected to be overwhelmingly strong.
Growl! Growl!
The two-headed direhog's powerful barks, had Rio looking at it with surprise, his mind once more analyzing how much it had grown in just one day and he couldn't help but believe that the same went for him.
Somehow he and the beast had made strides in their strength and the only abnormality Rio could think was the reason for this was the stones they had eaten.
Before the internet had been finally taken down, people spoke about how the system acted as a sort of guide and with how lost Rio found himself at the moment, he couldn't help but wish he had it.
He desperately needed it.
Just as Rio had wanted the other barbarians became intimidated by his actions, doubts and wariness appearing on their faces but then one look at the two-headed direhog their face became hardened.
Rio glanced at the beast beside him understanding that it was the main reason for the hate and he couldn't help but sigh as his plan to intimidate them and try to communicate went up in smoke.
"Kill"
Like it understood his words the two-headed direhog rushed forward and Rio not hesitating moved forward.
With his new strength, Rio easily weaved in and out of attacks smashing his fist and axe into people's heads and chests, culling the multiple numbers of his opponents within seconds.
When one of the women moved to sneak up behind him as he put a fist through the chest of her colleague, Rio lifted the man whom he had his fist in turned him around and used him as a shield, having the woman stab her sword into his heart.
The woman froze as she saw that she had just stabbed her teammate and for a second Rio also paused as it passed through his mind for the first time that the creatures he was killing right now were sentient beings, people no different from the humans on earth.
Watching the woman, Rio searched for the feeling of guilt and regret he could see in her eyes within himself, he looked for hesitation and mercy.
Rio looked deep within but found none of these, the only thing he could find in his being was excitement from the memory of being able to put his fist through someone and then annoyance at the people he was currently killing.
Rather than wisely bow to him and see how they could be of service, they instead wanted to make demands and set rules for him.
The last two days had seen Rio engaging in no bloody battle and with the event of two nights ago where he had been completely suppressed by the aura of the gigantic caterpillar-like beast, Rio's bloodthirsty aura had been completely subdued, but now it poured out of him in full force.
"How dare these lowly creatures make me question my judgement and sense of self"
Rio was annoyed, his annoyance bubbling up to anger and focusing on his gaze on the girl whose worries had left from her stabbing her already dead teammate to the beast Rio had transformed to, Rio gave her a command.
"Die"
The woman's eyes widened for a second and then she fell to the ground.
With just a single word, Rio had gotten the woman's heart to stop beating, but this feat came at a price as following after her, he dropped to his knees, a strong emptiness filling his head and the bloodthirsty aura he had had just unleashed disappearing like it was never there.