A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

It's fortunate that she gave birth to Nia, otherwise Naruko would have run away long ago.

"Don't take Nia out to cause trouble outside the safe zone on your own," Bray said, pursing his lips.

Within the safe zone, Bray wasn't worried about any problems with Naruto; his only fear was that the pink-haired idiot might do something crazy in a moment of despair.

"Don't worry, I'm not stupid." She gave Bray a disdainful look; he was making himself sound like a little fool.

"Oh right, didn't you say you finished all the cigarette candy?" Naruko seemed to remember something, ran to a tin can, and took out some things.

Because of Naruko, Bray feels uneasy when he's feeling down without some cigarettes or candy; it's become a habit.

So when the last of the cigarette candies ran out, he was a little helpless.

He eats cigarette candy not because of a "smoking addiction" or a sugar craving, but simply because it's a habit.

Habits are truly terrifying things; they are extremely difficult to break.

Of course, eating cigarette candy isn't considered a bad habit... and Bray has no intention of quitting.

At most, eating too much sugar might cause tooth decay, but it won't do much harm to your health, since it's something children eat.

"..." The thought that cigarette candy was a candy that kids used to show off made Bray speechless.

What kind of hobbies do I have?

"Ta-da!" Naruko said as she dubbed the scene, tossing two simple cardboard boxes to Bray.

Bray grabbed the two boxes in mid-air with one hand and glanced at them.

"What is this?"

“Smoked candy, huh? Someone seems to be making candy, so I asked if they could make it into pillar-shaped candies,” Naruko said smugly.

"..." Bray looked at the candy, which resembled half a chopstick, with a puzzled expression. Was this supposed to be cigarette candy?

At least make it look more like it, okay?

"Someone found the raw materials, and with the help of magic, it was very easy to make."

"The candy in the safe zone before was all expired, but this is fresh."

"It's very expensive!" Naruko added, seemingly pleased with herself.

"..." Bray almost crushed the cardboard box with too much force, and his forehead veins bulged when he heard the words "It's very expensive."

"Bray, Bray, could you give some to Nia and me?" Levy asked lazily, sprawled on the tattered sofa beside her. =V=

Nia then huddled up next to Levy, mimicking her lazy posture.

The two little ones lay there like two cats.

“Hmm.” Bray placed the box next to Levy.

"Nia, ah." After opening the box, Levy put a candy into Nia's mouth.

"Mmm~" Nia obediently opened her mouth and took in the long-awaited candy.

She hadn't eaten much candy since she was born, so she always had a particularly happy expression on her face.

Seeing Nia's soft little expression, Levy also ate one =W=.

Nia is so cute.

“Praise me quickly.” Naruko stood by the mine with her hands on her hips.

“…” Bray stared at this breathtaking maneuver, lost in deep thought.

"Are you a child?" There are two children next door, how could she do this?

"No, she's a beautiful girl."

Bray hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

“Okay, you’re a beautiful girl.” Bray chose to give up arguing with Naruko about this strange topic.

"Your praise is too perfunctory! When you praise your wife, please be more emotional." Naruko frowned.

"..." He had a terrible headache.

---

"Good morning." Luo Shiqi arrived at the Adventurers' Guild earlier than scheduled and greeted Bray the moment he saw him.

It seemed that because of a remark made by Bray, whether intentionally or unintentionally, Luo Shiqi tried to be a little more polite to people.

This is a good thing, as it reduces the risk of Luo Shiqi being beaten up for no reason.

Look at Bray, he has always upheld the fine traditions of the Claas family and has never been beaten up by anyone for no reason.

"Good morning," Bray replied listlessly.

You look very listless.

“Don’t worry about it.” Bray yawned widely, which was definitely not the case that he didn’t care.

He stayed up very late last night because Nia and Levy kept bothering him.

Levy is a leopard, and it's understandable that she can be energetic at night sometimes, but what's wrong with Nia?

Is she going to grow up to be a complete second Levy...? But Nia is much more lively than Levy.

“It’s dangerous outside the safe zone... You could die if you’re not careful,” Luo Shiqi said to Bray after hesitating for a few seconds.

“You’re right.” Bray didn’t deny what Luo Shiqi said; the safe zone was dangerous, for everyone.

“But it’s okay, I’m fine at this level.” Bray shook his head. He wasn’t in good spirits, but it wouldn’t affect him too much.

Those destined to win will win, and those destined to lose will lose. "Snap—"

"Shoot-"

An eerie sound echoed from a bathroom that had been destroyed and hadn't been used for over two years.

The grime on the bathroom tiles had accumulated over many years, but the bloodstains on the tiles were definitely new.

Blood seeped into the drain through the cracks in the floor.

This is probably the only liquid flowing in this bathroom.

A deformed man, whose upper body was unusually strong but whose lower body was more atrophied than that of a normal person, was gnawing on some unknown fresh meat in his hand, occasionally making a grinding sound.

Each grinding of teeth was a resounding, echoing sound that sent chills down one's spine.

"So hungry..." the deformed creature uttered in a hoarse voice, expressing its hunger.

He was the man who had been transformed by the silver seed, but he was no longer the withered man he once was; he was now much stronger.

After being thrown out by Jonathan, he began to search for food.

They can eat anything, any monster is fine, even rotting corpses are acceptable.

However, what he craves most is his own kind; this is a perverse madness etched into his soul, beyond redemption.

Otherwise, his posture, which reflects his soul, wouldn't have been so ugly.

He savored the fresh meat in his mouth, finally getting what he wanted, but it wasn't enough; this level was far from sufficient.

Inhumane, bloody, and vile.

These things don't need much explanation in words; just a little thought is enough to understand just how brutal the monster's actions were.

If there were a world dedicated to eliminating evil, then this monster would be one of them.

Although there are countless definitions of "evil," few people would disagree that this monster should be classified as "evil."

"Ah... what kind of monster is this..." While the deformed monster was indulging in its appetite, outside the dilapidated bathroom, an adventurer with a broken left leg dragged his injured body away from this terrifying place.

He had never seen such a monster before; the more it ate, the stronger it became.

He was originally skin and bones, but after eating his two companions, he underwent a complete transformation.

This change was completed in just over ten seconds, leaving no room for surprise.

He accidentally had one of his legs torn off.

The trail of blood stretched from the bathroom all the way to where he was now.

He and his companions were simply looking for supplies a little further from the safe zone, never expecting to encounter such a monster.

This adventurer himself would encounter all sorts of corrupted monsters, but he never imagined that there would be deformed things existing.

Of course, this still seems much better than encountering a demigod.

He just didn't want to die, no matter what.

I can't go very far in this state before the monster turns around and catches up with me, so instead of wasting my energy trying to escape, I might as well do something else.

Now that the distance between them is far enough, the other party's attention is no longer on them.

The adventurer chose to chant a lengthy incantation and unleash a massive spell at the hideous monster.

"Explosive Flame Technique"

Magic circles appeared simultaneously above and below the monster's head, and huge flames emerged from the magic circles, completely engulfing it.

The bathroom walls were charred and cracked, and screams and the sounds of flesh being roasted could be heard from the flames.

The piercing screams were a good thing for the adventurer, proving that the attack was effective.

Those who dare to leave the safe zone are generally adventurers who are confident in their abilities and are not helpless against most monsters.

It seems that this is indeed the case.

However, just as the adventurer breathed a sigh of relief, he saw a charred figure struggling to emerge from the firelight.

The deformed monster was burned beyond recognition, and its once strong upper body seemed to have shrunk considerably.

He was still screaming in agony, and the flames on his body had not been extinguished.

But what's with this speed? It's not at all the agile speed that someone who's been roasted to a crisp should have.

The deformed monster, wreathed in flames, lunged at the adventurer with the missing leg.

"Get out of my way!" The adventurer threw an ice spear, pinning the man's head to a nearby wall.

But the next second, the monster broke free from the wall and charged at you with its head still impaled by the ice spear.

Just like Jonathan joked back then, what is this? A ghoul talking about zombies?

But this deformed monster is quite different from the others.

He could still be considered a "person," only his demeanor was distorted.

What truly makes a person no different from a monster is their irredeemably rotten soul.

However, if anyone were to tell this adventurer that this thing is a person, he would definitely smash their head in.

There were no ferocious roars of monsters, only the agonizing screams of people being thrown into a fire and burned.

The screams were even more terrifying than I had imagined.

Adventurers repeatedly used various spells to repel the deformed monster, yet they could still see the monster growing larger and larger within their field of vision.

He fought the monster relentlessly until he completely lost consciousness.

The attacks were all effective, but they just couldn't bring the man-eating monster down completely.

This is more despairing than simply killing him.

It seemed like there was a glimmer of hope, but that hope was actually just a deception.

There is nothing more ironic than this.

---

"Snap—"

"rustle--"

On a scorched ground, a deformed monster was gnawing on something.

His skin was covered in sores, but he didn't seem to care, as if satisfying his appetite was more important than the pain.

And whether it's just my imagination or not, the monster's upper body seems even more muscular than before.

He opened his unusually large mouth, and inside his oral cavity were even more mouths, even more densely packed.

Every mouth yearns for food, tormented by hunger.