A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

The Joker believes that the fate of this world flows on its own, without the need for external forces.

Even if Jonathan didn't exist in this world, all events would still happen as usual, and wouldn't be changed by human will.

Besides, he's a guy obsessed with chaos, how could he possibly have such a planned behavior?

Jonathan simply wanted to be involved; he found it much more enjoyable to be a part of the show than a mere bystander.

Even if you can't be an actor, being a narrator is more enjoyable than being an audience member. In the wilderness of Claw Fortress, the monstrous creature that had fled in a sorry state reverted to its human form and trembled behind a tree.

Scared.

It had never shown such emotions when it was active in Claw Fortress before.

This is fear, a fear that penetrates to the very soul, and the source of that intense fear is that one-eyed human being.

Even without direct contact with Bray, it could still feel the oppressive aura emanating from him.

"Death"—this vague concept arose in the mind of the mimicry beast that did not understand words.

He was convinced that even if he were to meet Bray's gaze, he would be killed.

The sense of oppression that Bray exerted on it was greater than the presence that made it smarter.

"Fear." It muttered to itself, speaking much more fluently than it had a day or two ago, even more fluently than before it escaped the safe zone.

The powerful stimulation seemed to further enhance its intelligence.

It's unclear what methods Miriel used to cultivate intelligence in this mimicry beast, but it clearly exceeded the normal rate of evolution.

Although it may not seem exaggerated, its intelligence is indeed progressing little by little.

One day, it will become similar to the lower species we have today, just as Miriel said.

Perhaps, with external intervention, they will even replace these inferior species from the old era.

However, not now; his intelligence is clearly not sufficient at this moment.

"I'm so hungry." The mimicry beast touched its belly, but as soon as it touched it, it stabbed inside.

This is because its abdomen turned into fluid, but this was not its intention.

It was so hungry that it had some difficulty controlling its behavior.

Each split consumes a lot of its energy, and the hasty escape makes it consume even more energy.

So far, it hasn't eaten properly, and the little food it ate in Claw Castle is clearly not enough.

Mimicry beasts possess many bizarre habits; these monsters seem to have been born to prey on intelligent races.

They can not only mimic intelligent races, but they can only mimic intelligent races. They are carnivorous monsters, but they frequently hunt intelligent races.

Just as anteaters feed on ants, mimics feed on intelligent species.

However, since they are no match for the Bronze-type Mimicry Beasts, they prey more on the Iron-type.

It saw a monster climbing a tree, which looked like a squirrel, but with sharper teeth and a longer tail.

This mimicry beast doesn't actually like to eat these kinds of monsters, but right now it can't find the prey it wants.

He climbed up silently and then seized the squirrel-like monster with lightning speed.

"Sizzle—" The sound of flesh being corroded rang out as the mimicry beast devoured its prey in its own unique way.

Unfortunately, such a small monster could not satisfy its appetite.

It really wanted to go back to Claw Fortress to find prey, but it was afraid of the one-eyed human guarding it.

Just thinking about it makes its hair stand on end.

Hunger, fear, hunger, fear—these thoughts kept looping in my mind.

"Hey, over there, are you having trouble?" At that moment, a beam of light shone directly into the eyes of the mimicry beast.

The person carrying the simple oil lamp appears to be someone who has come from Claw Fortress to search for supplies.

People from Claw Fortress are more likely to venture out than those from other safe zones, so encountering Claw Fortress residents in the wild is not unusual.

"Hungry, I'm so hungry," the mimic beast said, its speech speed no different from a normal person's, with no awkwardness between each word.

"Hungry?" the man holding the oil lamp muttered.

"What's your name? You look unfamiliar." He had to admit that the little person in front of him was quite cute, but Claw Fortress was only so big, and he had never seen him before.

"Name?" The mimicry beast fell into a brief moment of thought.

What is your name? What is your name?

"Hungry... oh hungry..." the mimic beast uttered the few words it knew.

“Al?” The man frowned and uttered the name.

"Al, Al, my name is Al." The mimic began to repeat its name, like a child learning to speak.

"Ah...oh, your name is Al." The man looked at the mimicry strangely; he felt there was something odd about the person in front of him.

He once thought that the other party's stiff speech might mean that he was a mimicry beast.

However, since the other party has already given their name, it's probably not them.

Because I've never heard of any mimicry beast having a name.

Why would a monster give itself a name, right?

"Alright, I have some dry food here, take this to fill your stomach." The man rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a flatbread, intending to hand it to the man in front of him, whose gender was unknown.

It must be said that the people of Clawburg are quite simple and honest.

And it's genuine simplicity, not the sarcastic kind.

But the kind-hearted man did not receive divine favor, nor did he receive the other party's kindness.

The mimic beast—no, it should be called Al now.

It was so hungry, so hungry it couldn't stand it, so it looked at the person in front of it and felt extremely hungry.

Al opened her liquefied belly and, in an instant, fed the bread to her man, who then devoured it.

Before the other person could even react, they were already gone.

"Glug—" Bubbles rose, and the dry rations fell to the ground.

Before long, Al had digested the kind-hearted man.

It was indeed very hungry, but this kind of bread couldn't satisfy it; it needed to eat large chunks of "meat".

Wild animals hunting lone prey is a law of nature, regardless of good or evil.

However, Al's appearance makes it difficult to associate him with a wild beast.

A soft-hearted person will always be unable to help but associate them with "humanity".

A slender figure, a delicate face, and eyes like jewels.

It's attractive everywhere.

If Al had looked a little uglier or more ferocious, people probably wouldn't have made that association.

It can only be said that the habits of mimicry beasts are too targeted at intelligent races, or rather, at certain emotions and impulses within them.

"Al, I'm very hungry." Al looked at the clothes in front of him and then picked them up.

It awkwardly draped the coat over itself and then wobbled toward Claw Castle.

I was still too hungry; even after eating a meal, it wasn't enough.

It wanted to go to Claw Castle, because only there could it satisfy its appetite.

Despite the terrifying demon within the safe zone, Al was driven by his appetite to venture there.

Perhaps, maybe, it will be lucky enough to avoid that one-eyed human.

In this way, they can eat their fill and then split off into more of their kind.

"Al wants to eat his fill, Al wants more of his kind," it murmured in a melodious voice, its gaze fixed on the towering walls of Claw Fortress. As Al slowly made his way to the safe zone, all the mimicry beasts in Claw Fortress were dealt with.

Within a day, "all" of the mimicry beasts were eliminated, preventing any further spread of damage.

Unfortunately, those who have been eaten or killed by the mimicry beasts can never be resurrected.

No matter how quickly they dealt with the mimicry beasts, Bray and his men ultimately couldn't be in two places at once and couldn't possibly deal with every mimicry beast in every corner of Claw Keep at the same time.

If you can't manage everything, then sacrifices are inevitable.

Since Claw Castle doesn't have any real rulers, rumors are simply impossible to control.

So, within a day, the news of the disappearance of the mimic beasts in Claw Fortress spread.

Although they have all been eliminated, people still suspect that there may be mimicking beasts around them.

For a time, the safe zone of Claw Fortress was filled with panic and could not be calmed down.

This led to varying degrees of disorder in the security zone.

Seeing this, the wolf girl, Talika, couldn't help but droop her ears, looking very disappointed and helpless.

"What a mess." Bray, completely disregarding Talika's feelings, impulsively muttered a complaint.

He and Talika were now standing on a relatively high place, where they could see how chaotic the streets and the various connecting areas were.

Many people also use the excuse of "Are you a mimicry beast?" to cause trouble for no reason.

Seriously... human imagination is truly boundless, especially when it comes to finding fault.

"I don't know how long it will take before things return to normal," Talika sighed.

As things stand, the market will also be affected.

The market will be affected, and the lives of residents in Fort Claws will be greatly disrupted.

And who knows how many people will go hungry for no reason as a result.

“Isn’t there anyone who can do something about this?” Bray tried to ask.

“Nobody’s here,” Talika answered directly.

"Hehe..." Bray chuckled a few times.

How should I put it... this Claw Castle is just too real.

Ultimately, people like Carrasco are a minority, and there won't be a second or third Yunhai.

The situation in Claw Fortress is normal, just like the first safe zone Bray encountered when he first arrived on the Eastern Continent; it wasn't very well managed either.

However, while others at least have the "Great Enemy of God" to control the narrative, here in Claw Castle, all sorts of voices are heard.

There were so many voices that it was impossible to unify them.

"Forget it, there's nothing I can do about it even if I'm anxious." After a long while, Talika gave up thinking about it.

Even if Claw Castle is in such a state, what can she do? She is neither a hero nor an important figure.

Her words had no power.

If she could calm people's hearts with just a word, she would be laughing in her sleep.

"Let's go, it's time to keep my promise. I'll take you to find that scholar."

“But promise me you’ll be polite, very polite,” Talika emphasized again and again.

Bray had no choice but to nod like a chicken pecking at rice.

"Don't worry, our family's fine tradition is to be polite and courteous," Bray said solemnly.

I can't guarantee anything else, but you can absolutely trust his manners.

---

"Grandma!" Talika called out as she entered a house.

Then Bray stood behind Talika with a very subtle expression.

Hmm? This must be where he's staying temporarily.

Right, that should be right, his memory shouldn't be so bad that he has to compete with the fish.

If that's the case, why did Talika bring herself back here, and why did she call her "Grandma"?

"Hey, it's my older sister!"