The battle ended quickly—perhaps because the enemy was too careless, or maybe because Steven was just too strong.
After all, while his guns weren't particularly powerful, his absurdly fast reflexes and movement speed more than made up for it, didn't they?
In any case, the previously terrifying monster was completely neutralized after the explosion. Its body could no longer regenerate like before, and its health bar was fully emptied.
"So, this is the so-called 'Collapsal'? That's pretty disappointing," Steven muttered as he stepped out from behind the tree he had used as cover to avoid the slimy fragments caused by the explosion.
He looked down at the monster's corpse, now completely unrecognizable, and criticized it without holding back.
The creature that Talulah had been so wary of… well, this performance was underwhelming, to say the least.
Steven could only label it as a complete letdown.
This wasn't just bad—it was so weak it didn't even deserve to be called trash.
Was it because the creature wasn't well-known enough to unlock its full abilities? Or was there some other reason behind it?
Originally, Steven had assumed that this thing would at least measure up to half the strength of that earlier "Fallingstar Beast."
Now, feeling deeply disappointed, he glanced at his status bar and quickly realized something wasn't right.
This was definitely strange.
Although the monster had been killed, Steven hadn't gained even a single point of experience from it.
That could only mean one of two things: either the monster dropped absolutely nothing, or it had somehow escaped.
Looking down at the corpse and noticing a strange, discreet hole about two fingers wide beneath it, Steven's suspicions were confirmed.
He now guessed that the creature wasn't some massive, singular entity as he had initially thought.
Instead, it was likely some kind of parasitic creature, altering its host's body to make it appear grotesque and enormous.
This also explained how it had managed to disguise itself as the old man who had been attacked earlier.
Most likely, the man had been infected and parasitized after failing to stop the monster in his dying moments, which led to him turning into the hideous creature Steven had just fought.
And now, it seemed, the true entity had fled.
Steven hadn't even begun to show his full capabilities, and yet the monster had already backed off? How cowardly could it get? Or maybe its earlier encounter with those hunters had weakened it significantly?
Steven couldn't figure out the exact reason, but one thing was clear: this wasn't over yet.
Fortunately, the red marker on Steven's minimap, which represented the monster, was still moving rapidly but hadn't left his map's range.
He wasn't too worried about the creature escaping entirely.
After taking a quick look around at the utterly devastated surroundings—strewn with bodies and pieces of flesh—Steven hesitated for a moment.
In the end, he decided to burn all the corpses and remains before dealing with the fleeing monster.
After all, he figured it was only a matter of time before these bodies became just as disgusting as the creature he had just fought. Cleaning them up later would only be more troublesome.
Decisively, Steven grabbed his flint and set the corpses and chunks of flesh ablaze, burning them all to ash.
Once the area was thoroughly cleansed, he stretched his shoulders and started pursuing the red dot still darting around on his minimap.
It was baffling how this thing, even in its cowardly state, still had the audacity to lay traps for him.
Maybe that was just the nature of this type of monster?
Fortunately, once Steven locked onto the target, tracking it was no longer a difficult task. It didn't matter if the creature was burrowing underground; even if it sprouted wings and flew, Steven was confident he could catch up to it.
Following the red dot on his minimap, Steven pursued it with ease.
As expected, it didn't take long for him to come across a spot where the creature had broken through the surface, creating an exit from the ground.
It seemed the monster had decided it was safe enough to come out and change its form.
After all, not everyone was like Steven, capable of moving through underground tunnels with a mere pickaxe as if it were no big deal.
If not for the need to stay hidden, most creatures—or people—probably wouldn't choose to stay underground for extended periods.
Casually trailing the creature, Steven didn't feel the least bit worried about it slipping through his fingers.
However, to his surprise, after moving rapidly for a while, the red dot suddenly slowed down and eventually stopped on the minimap.
What kind of trick is this now?
Perplexed, Steven didn't slow his pace and quickly caught up to the target's position.
It didn't take long for Steven to arrive at an open area, where he found himself standing before a village. This village was noticeably larger than the one Alina had been in. Judging by the rising plumes of smoke from within, it was clearly not abandoned. There seemed to be a decent number of people living here.
Steven stopped in his tracks. If the monster had hidden itself in a place like this, things could get a bit tricky.
Narrowing his eyes, Steven immediately noticed some differences between this village and the one where Alina had lived.
Although the villagers here also had pale, sickly faces—likely due to poor harvests and the barren land—they didn't seem as feeble as those in Alina's village. There were young and able-bodied men among them, which was not the case in Alina's village, which was primarily populated by the elderly, women, and children.
However, what caught Steven's attention was the trail of tracks at the village entrance. The tracks, resembling those left by carts or wagons, all led into the village, with no signs of any leaving.
Even stranger, at the very front of the village, there was evidence of something having been burned—ashes and charred remnants scattered about. Among the faint traces left behind, Steven could even detect a weak aura of Originium.
That was more than enough to arouse suspicion.
Additionally, Steven noticed that the village had guards stationed at the entrance. For a regular village, this was clearly unusual.
Or perhaps this village was hiding some sort of secret?
Narrowing his eyes further, Steven quietly stowed his weapons back into his backpack. Rather than speculating endlessly, it would be easier to investigate and ask questions directly. If there was something entertaining to uncover, Steven certainly wouldn't mind getting involved.
Before long, Steven's presence was noticed by the village guards, as he hadn't bothered to conceal himself.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
The two guards shouted at Steven, blocking his path with their crude weapons.
From their hostile tone and attitude, Steven could already tell that this village was not particularly welcoming to outsiders. However, that alone didn't reveal much, so he put on his most amicable smile.
"Hello there! I'm from a distant village. I was forced to flee because the mines over there were capturing people. I had no choice but to escape, and now I'm starving. I only ask for a place to rest and maybe search for a missing companion," Steven explained, weaving a lie on the spot.
As he spoke, he raised both hands and turned in a circle, demonstrating that he posed no threat whatsoever.
"Besides, I have money! I won't take your food for free!"
As if to make his case more convincing, Steven pulled out a few Ursus banknotes he had traded for with Talulah. Although it wasn't much, it was enough to buy quite a few things.
Sure enough, when Steven showed them the money, the expressions on the two guards softened significantly.
"You said you're looking for a companion. Is it a frail old man who looks like he could fall over with just a push?"
After roughly snatching the Ursus currency from Steven's hands, the two guards exchanged a glance and asked him this question.
"Yes, yes! He's an elder of mine, and we got separated," Steven replied, momentarily stunned before realizing they were referring to the elderly man the Collapsal had disguised itself as earlier.
These villagers were bold enough to take in someone like that?
Steven's gaze toward the two villagers grew more curious. Their expressions toward him weren't friendly or welcoming; rather, they regarded him more as a tool than as a fellow human being.
This situation was becoming even more interesting.
"Well, come with us. That man happens to be staying with us as well. Seems like today's your lucky day," one of the guards said after another quick exchange of glances, flashing a fake smile.
Steven said nothing further and allowed them to escort him through the village, their manner almost like they were marching a prisoner.
As they walked, the weary-eyed villagers they passed all looked at Steven with cold, indifferent gazes. There was no curiosity in their expressions—only apathy, and in some cases, even hostility.
Steven wasn't sure why the people of this village harbored such feelings toward outsiders, but one thing was clear: these villagers had no intention of engaging with him sincerely.
As for reuniting him with the so-called elder or offering him a place to rest, those promises were even less likely to be genuine.
The two guards led him through the village and eventually stopped in front of a slightly rundown granary.
The building had been reinforced with metal plating along its exterior, making Steven even more curious about what these people intended to do with him.
Before he could ask anything, one of the guards abruptly opened a vertical iron door at the front of the granary. Without giving him a chance to resist, they roughly shoved Steven through it.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Steven called out in confusion after landing naturally inside.
But the only response he received was the cold, indifferent expressions of the two guards—like they were looking at a dead man—and the sound of the heavy iron door shutting above him.
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind spending $5 monthly to see till the latest chapter, please go to my Patreon[1]
Latest Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 161: Just a Traveler[2]
Link to the latest chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/arknightcraft-124696787[3]
https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/arknightcraft-124696787
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/arknightcraft-124696787
[4] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl