Shun nodded firmly, his voice steady and resolute
-"We'll protect this village."
He squeezed Mye's hand gently, giving her reassurance through his quiet confidence. Arthur stared at Shun in silence for a few moments, as if measuring the weight of his words, before slowly nodding in approval. Without another word, the elder turned and led them through the empty streets of Wirrt to a small wooden hut—old but sturdy enough to serve as their shelter during the upcoming week of protection.
After arranging their belongings inside, Shun and Mye followed Arthur to the outskirts of the village, where an expansive rice field stretched endlessly towards the distant walls of Old Light Fortress. The late afternoon sun bathed the fields in a golden hue, the scent of harvested grain and soil lingering in the breeze. The elder's steps slowed as they approached a small hill overlooking the fields.
Arthur's gaze drifted toward the far horizon as he began speaking, his voice weighed down by memory and sorrow.
-"Seven hundred and ninety-four years ago, this place was nothing more than a simple farming village… isolated… forgotten… But then, something changed. People discovered the richness of these lands, the strength of our blacksmiths, and the quality of our crafts. Little by little, travelers came… then they settled… They built homes, had children, and the population grew."
He paused, taking a deep breath before turning to face Shun and Mye directly. His old, scarred fingers pointed toward the looming shadow of the mighty Old Light Fortress on the horizon.
-"And then… our people were forced to build that wall… generation after generation. Eight hundred and sixty thousand… that's how many died building it… my father among them… and my brother too…"
Arthur's aged face was worn and weathered, every wrinkle carved by years of grief. His eyes reflected none of the golden light from the fields—only a hollow emptiness that seemed to stretch beyond time.
Shun stood quietly, Mye clutching his arm, her own expression somber. Around them, the wind blew softly, causing the tall rice stalks to sway and the distant windmills to turn lazily under the setting sun. The world seemed calm… but beneath it all, Shun could feel the pulse of a heavy, ancient sorrow lingering in the land.
Shun patted Arthur on the shoulder, his eyes calm but filled with determination.
-"I swear… I'll make this place meaningful again," he said with quiet conviction.
Arthur gave a faint smile and nodded slightly, though his eyes remained distant, weathered by decades of loss and despair.
Later that evening, the group was invited to Arthur's house for dinner. Shun politely declined, thanking Arthur for his hospitality, but instead decided to take Mye and explore the area a bit more.
As they walked through the empty streets and approached the outskirts of the village, Shun noticed how the village sat right next to a dense, overgrown forest.
"Strange," Shun muttered to himself
-"why didn't anyone clear out the forest to expand the village or build more shops?"-
The thought lingered in his mind. On one hand, expanding outward meant taking unnecessary risks—especially with wild beasts lurking around. But another question scratched at his thoughts:
-"Why didn't they thoroughly inspect the forest before building the village and the fortress walls?"-
Shun sighed, realizing there were too many things wrong with this place, but now wasn't the time to question the past. He focused his attention on tonight—on surviving.
He turned to Mye, her small hand clutching his sleeve.
-"For now, we're too weak to face those tigers head-on… we need to set up a proper trap… something to lock them down."
His mind spun rapidly, calculating every detail. The only option was strategy—force the enemy into a confined battlefield and cripple their strength before even drawing his sword.
Under the crimson glow of sunset, Shun's group began their preparations for the long, brutal night ahead. Shun tightened his grip on the map of the area, carefully analyzing every meter of the vast rice fields that stretched between the village of Wirrt and the ominous forest beyond. He couldn't allow another soul to fall prey to the claws of these intelligent tigers.
-"Let's get started," Shun murmured.
In the rice fields,Shun and Mye began digging deep pits. Using his basic material manipulation ability, Shun effortlessly loosened the soil, quickly carving holes deep enough to swallow an adult man. Mye, nimble and quick, tied sharp wooden stakes from the forest with vines and positioned them tightly at the bottom of each pit. They covered the traps with dry grass and cut rice stalks, camouflaging them so well that no ordinary eye could detect them.
Around the windmill,Next, Shun worked around the windmill, tying long ropes from the spinning blades to various hidden mechanisms. With every gust of wind, the mill would stretch the ropes and trigger traps—hidden blades would spring from the grass, and sharpened harpoons would launch from the ground. Mye meticulously checked each mechanism, ensuring no trap would malfunction in the heat of battle.
-"The wind's strong enough here," Shun commented, wiping sweat from his brow. "It'll keep the traps running."
Border near the village,Closer to the village, Shun dug shallow trenches and filled them with water mixed with soft clay, turning the ground into a treacherous bog. Broken spears with jagged tips were planted within, creating a slow zone meant to weaken and halt the enemy should they break through the earlier traps.
The lure zone,Meanwhile, Mye carefully scattered chunks of raw meat that Shun had brought, dripping fresh blood in a strategic trail leading from the forest straight into their trap zone—away from the villagers and straight into the killing fields.
Nightfall swallowed the land, with only the faintest traces of twilight remaining. Before full darkness set in, Mye finished placing small glowing symbols near the traps to confuse the tigers' sense of direction. Dim oil lanterns were hung at key spots to give just enough light without drawing the beasts toward the village.
Sitting in front of a crackling campfire in the middle of the rice fields, Shun clenched his fists, staring toward the pitch-black forest.
-"Tonight," he whispered, "we will not lose."
Mye sat beside him, her expression more determined than ever, no longer trembling in fear.
-"I'm ready."
In the distance, a low, chilling growl echoed from the depths of the forest, signaling the nightmare was about to begin…..