Chapter 96 - 94 — Mutated Beasts
The village head burst out of the house the next instant, his teeth clenched in anger.
"Jenna! Jenna! Didn’t you hear me calling you!? Are you going to ignore your father!?"
’Father.’
Zephyrion stood a considerable distance away from them, yet the air element and the heightened senses from his recent rank up allowed him to hear the conversation as though he were standing right in front of them.
The girl, Jenna, halted at her father’s words. Her fists tightened at her sides before she turned to face him.
"What’s the point of talking, father? You’re not going to listen anyway."
"That’s not the issue! You went back into the forest after I warned you not to! How many times do I have to say it? A woman has no place being a hunter! Do I have to chain you inside before you start listening!?"
"...Mama was a hunter."
The village head’s expression darkened, his gaze sharpening.
"I told you never to bring that up again."
"Why? She was one of the best, everyone knows that! Is it wrong for me to want that too? If you’d just listen to me for once—"
"I’ve heard enough! What you think you saw is impossible, and I’m done talking about it. From now on, you’re not leaving this village. Do you hear me?"
Jenna’s eyes widened, her lips parting.
"Fath—"
"Look! It’s Lord Guren!"
"He’s finally back!"
"And he brought something with him!"
"Thank the Iron Father... maybe there’s good news!"
"Guren?"
The village head’s eyes snapped toward the entrance of the village, where a tall youth clad in brownish armor approached with calm, steady steps, a procession of armored men trailing behind him.
The village head’s eyes softened the moment they landed on his son.
"Guren... you’re back."
Guren stood just over six feet tall, short black hair mirroring his father’s, his gaze sharp and composed. As he met his father’s gentle smile, he returned one of his own.
"Yes, father. I’m sorry I’m late."
The village head pulled him into a tight embrace.
"...you made it back safe. That’s all that matters."
A moment later, he pulled back and stared at his son with a gaze filled with pride and joy.
The earlier argument with his daughter had already slipped from his mind. This was his son. The pride of the entire village. Their hope.
"...I’ve come bearing gifts, father."
Guren lifted a hand and gestured behind him. At his signal, the members of his team hauled a massive corpse before setting it down heavily at the village head’s feet.
Gasp!
"It’s a Kharvok!"
"They actually killed a mutated beast!?"
"That’s insane!"
A wave of gasps spread through the villagers as they stared at the corpse, eyes wide with disbelief.
"...this..." The village head was no exception, his voice trailing as he took in the sight.
The cataclysmic battle between the elemental gods had once flooded the land with chaotic elemental energies.
Though much of it had faded over the centuries, its remnants had warped the world’s beast population. It forced them into forming a connection with the WorldPulse, mutating them far beyond their natural forms.
Mutated beasts did not follow the same power system as humans. They existed in countless shapes and variations.
In fact, once a beast mutated, its base strength and speed already surpassed that of a Vessel rank, depending on its nature. How far they advanced beyond that depended on other factors.
Regardless, they were dangerous foes. Defeating even a single one was a monumental task, even for a full squad of Vessel ranks.
As Guren raised a necklace fashioned from one of the beast’s teeth, proof that he had been the one to kill the beast, Omar’s eyes lit up instantly and he burst into laughter.
"Haha! That’s my son! Guren, you’ve made me proud."
Omar patted his son firmly, his gaze brimming with pride.
Guren met his father’s eyes with a grin.
"Thank you, father."
"Tch."
Jenna’s expression twisted at the scene. She clicked her tongue in irritation before turning and walking away.
From a distance, Zephyrion observed everything with an unfazed expression.
He had heard and seen the exchange between the village head and his daughter, already piecing together their relationship. However, ever since Guren arrived, his attention had not left him once.
Guren spoke with his father, receiving praise from the villagers, yet... it felt as though he wasn’t truly present.
Zephyrion had caught the subtle glances he threw toward the village entrance. His posture remained tense, almost restrained, and his hand never strayed far from the hilt of his blade, even during the embrace.
’He’s waiting for something.’
No. He was anticipating something.
"Finally! The village head!" Kaiden said with a relieved tone. "Perfect... we can talk to him now."
"...wait, I don’t think that’s a—"
clang... clang... clang...
A piercing, clangorous toll of bells suddenly rang out.
The village fell into a deafening silence, eyes slowly widening. Then, a scream tore from the village head’s mouth.
"Prepare for battle!"
The square dissolved into chaos. Some villagers dropped to their knees, praying to the Iron Father with renewed fervor, their foreheads striking the ground repeatedly, while others scattered across the village in panic.
Yet through it all, Zephyrion’s eyes never left Guren.
The moment the bell rang, he saw it. A flicker of coldness passed through his eyes, and the corners of his lips curled upward.
’He’s happy.’
He had expected this.
"This is our chance! We have to move, now!"
"Oh no—wait, wait! Don’t just run in!" Tar tried to block him, stepping into his path, but Kaiden brushed past without hesitation, already rushing toward the gate.
Zephyrion didn’t linger either. Soon, standing atop the thick outer walls of the village, a scene of pure chaos unfolded before Zephyrion’s eyes.
The warriors of the Blackiron knights were already locked in battle, split into groups as they engaged three massive mutated beasts.
’A Kharvok. Selnari. Drogath.’
The Kharvok was boar-like, its massive tusks resembling jagged ironwood fused with rusted metal.
Dull silver veins pulsed beneath its thick metallic hide. With every swing of its claws, deep gashes tore across the land, sending warriors flying.
The Selnari was moth-like, its thin metallic wings blurring endlessly in the air. Its body was slender, almost needle-like. With each beat of its wings, razor-thin metal threads lashed outward, slicing through armor and nearly severing bodies.
The last was the Drogath, a massive ape-like beast, its body covered in thick metal bark plates embedded with chunks of iron. Of all of them, only it remained at the back, standing still... watching.