Chapter 101: The Silent Mountain Village (Second Update)

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At dawn, as the sky lightened, a mist began to rise within the forest. Grass, trees, and leaves were all adorned with dew. The young stag had not rested throughout the night, and the morning found him no different. However, at this moment, he was no longer drawing vitality from the surrounding woods beyond the mountain he had just crossed. In accordance with his father’s directive—not to draw life force from the same tree within a month—the stag was now venturing deeper into the heart of the mountains, carefully marking his path for future sustenance.

The morning mist was initially thin but thickened steadily toward eight or nine o’clock. Within this fog, the stag’s figure vanished from the watchful eyes of Ryan. As he continued, the stag moved like a majestic beast treading upon the clouds, while a small fairy lay quietly nestled within his furry ear. Given the stag’s current size and mobility, his perception of distance was unlike that of a human. Even after traveling hundreds of kilometers, he did not feel he had gone far.

Yet this stretch was nearly approaching the border between Ryan’s domain and East Eden. Unaware of this, the stag pressed onward, diligently memorizing the terrain—this grove was denser, that one sparser. Cloaked by mist and shielded by thick woods, he advanced steadily.

The forest was profoundly silent except for occasional noises made by the stag’s immense frame brushing against trees. After about ten minutes of slow progress, the stag spotted a small human village within the hazy distance. Positioned atop a basin-like elevation, he looked down upon a cluster of homes stretching from the highlands to the valley below.

The village was tiny, comprising perhaps fifty or sixty households, mostly low wooden cottages. Standing atop the hill, the stag suddenly felt he might have ventured too far.

“Now, perhaps it’s time to turn back,” he thought. “Father said never let humans come too close. They would go mad if they saw me.”

Gazing upon the quiet village shrouded in mist, the stag resolved to retreat.

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He began to step backward and prepare to retrace his path. Yet, just then, a sudden updraft swept through the village below in the basin. Carried on the wind came an unpleasant odor that immediately reached the stag’s nostrils.

He halted and once again turned his gaze toward the village. At the same moment, the tiny fairy, who had been resting inside his ear, snapped awake. Her small eyes filled with alertness as she fluttered up to perch atop the stag’s head. Barefoot on his fur, the fairy and stag seemed to share a silent understanding.

The fairy beat her wings and hovered before him, nodding. The stag blinked his large eyes in response and then began to cautiously descend toward the village below.

His pace was slow, eyes wide with vigilance. The fairy appeared far more relaxed, her intelligence and maturity surpassing even the stag’s. Given the stag’s formidable power in this peaceful natural world, the fairy saw no creature capable of challenging him.

As for human technology—memories of being wounded by a missile during her banshee days still sent shivers down her spine. Over two weeks of companionship with the stag had given her ample understanding of mankind’s strength.

Moreover, she knew there was a certain tacit understanding between the stag and humans. So long as humans did not attack, the fairy believed no ordinary being could threaten the stag.

Approaching the village, the stag saw no humans. Even near a wooden house, no one appeared; only the courtyard displayed small fish hung out to dry. The pungent fish scent mingled with a more intense, unsettling smell of blood.

The stag fixed his gaze on the tightly shut wooden door, then without hesitation, lifted his enormous hoof and struck it. The door swung open, and the stag lowered his head, peering inside with wide eyes.

The sight within stunned him, his gaze frozen by the gruesome scene.

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The stag had witnessed violent scenes before—for example, during battles when Ji Yu used his body to fight the banshee. But in those instances, the stag was controlled by Ji Yu and had never personally engaged in combat or harmed any life.

For the gentle stag, the bloody tableau before him was deeply distressing.

Inside the room, at the center of the bedroom floor, lay two piles of human bones and torn flesh. The bones were incomplete, marked by bite scars, and the flesh was similarly mangled. Beside these remains was a pit—neither large nor small—about thirty centimeters in diameter, its interior pitch black and emitting an unpleasant odor.

The fairy was the first to enter the room. After scrutinizing the two human corpses, she wrinkled her nose and then fluttered toward the dark hole. After a brief inspection, she returned to the stag.

They exchanged a silent communication, a subtle emotional exchange lasting less than a minute. Then the stag resumed his descent toward the foot of the mountain, accompanied by the fairy.

As they proceeded, the stag forcefully kicked open every door they encountered. Unlike the gentle nudge used on the first cottage, his current actions reflected his near certainty that the villagers were all dead.

His intent in breaking down doors was to uncover clues or perhaps to provoke the creatures responsible for the massacre.

It was clear the village had been slaughtered by strange, mutated beings—more than one, likely a group, adept at tunneling.

Under the cover of night, these eerie creatures had infiltrated each home from underground, killing and devouring all inhabitants. The mere thought was horrifyingly bloody.

One by one, houses were smashed open. Inside, the stag mostly saw scenes of human remains consumed to the bone—but in many homes, some victims had not been eaten.

Toward the village’s lower reaches, the number of people found with only throat wounds but left uneaten increased.

Witnessing this, the stag felt a deep sorrow. Among the victims were many young children whose tragic, unrestful deaths stirred a profound compassion within him.