Chapter 9: The Eerie Village
Kael was pleasantly surprised after reviewing the Earthen Beetle's stats. The shiny black beetle was gone, replaced by an inconspicuous brown insect, though it still had the same pair of sickle-like horns on its head. Its size hadn't changed—it was still no bigger than his thumb—but its abilities had undergone a world-shaking transformation.
It could manipulate the surrounding soil to form an earth wall. Wasn't that basically another version of the Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall jutsu?
The defensive strength of a shinobi's Earth Flow Wall depended on the amount of chakra they poured into it and their understanding of earth-nature transformation. The Earthen Beetle's ability was more like a natural talent, a product of its life form's evolution through the Synthesis System.
The Earthen Beetle rested quietly in Kael's palm, its flat, round head facing him, as if it were observing its creator.
A smirk played on Kael's lips. He glanced back in the direction of Inoshita and the other students, his brow furrowing slightly. He moved a little further away. He was eager to test the little guy's abilities but was worried about making too much noise.
After walking another few dozen steps, he noticed the Earth Dragon was still standing frozen in its original spot. The Ironclad Hedgehog was clinging tightly to its head with all four of its short legs, staring at him with a pitiful expression, as if waiting for him to change his mind.
"Little Dragon, what are you doing standing there like a statue? Little Spike, come on over!" Kael called, waving them over. The Earth Dragon immediately lowered its raised body and slithered quickly toward him.
Kael crouched down, gently touching the back of his hand to the ground. "Little Shell," he said softly, "let's see what you can do."
The Earthen Beetle seemed to understand. It obediently crawled from his palm onto the ground. Its slender legs bounced curiously a couple of times on the soil before it looked back at Kael, its body trembling slightly, as if with excitement. A wave of pure joy radiated from the beetle, which surprised Kael.
He gave the little creature an encouraging nod. The Earthen Beetle tentatively began to crawl around. Kael didn't rush it; the creature was like a newborn, with a natural affinity for the earth and a boundless curiosity about the world.
It's actually kind of cute, Kael thought. At least it's better looking than the Earth Dragon and the Ironclad Hedgehog.
He watched as the beetle rolled around in the dirt a few times and then fell still. In the blink of an eye, he lost sight of it. Its body was the same brown color as the soil, allowing it to blend in perfectly.
"This camouflage ability is not bad at all. Little Shell, use Earth Wall." Kael nodded in satisfaction and issued a new command.
The next moment, the ground beneath the Earthen Beetle began to tremble violently. The soil rapidly gathered and solidified, and in an instant, a brown earth wall, a full meter high and smelling of fresh earth, shot up from the ground in front of him.
"Not bad, not bad at all! The activation speed and scale are both very nice!" Kael hadn't expected a common-quality summon he'd synthesized on a whim to be such a pleasant surprise.
He walked up and gave the wall a kick, but the rebound force sent him stumbling back two steps.
A grin spread across Kael's face. He turned to the curious Ironclad Hedgehog. "Little Spike, test the power of your quills on this wall. Just a few will do, don't shoot them all at once."
Although the Ironclad Hedgehog's quills could regenerate at an astonishing rate that defied all logic, it still took some time for them to fully grow back. With a potential encounter with Jashinists looming, Kael needed to ensure that he and his summons were always in peak condition. As his only attack-type summon, the Ironclad Hedgehog's combat readiness was paramount.
When Kael quietly returned to the group, Inoshita Rino spotted him immediately, but he assumed the boy had just slipped away to relieve himself and didn't say anything. Once the squad was all accounted for, Inoshita spoke.
"We've covered over twenty kilometers this morning. I need you all to push a little harder. Once we find a village tonight, we can get some proper rest."
"Okay, Rino-sensei."
The sun began to dip below the horizon, leaving only a faint, fading yellow glow on the edge of the sky. Just then, Inoshita spotted a thin trail of cooking smoke rising from a forest in the distance. He glanced back at his exhausted students and gave a weary smile.
"Come on, everyone, pick up the pace! There's a village just ahead. We can ask the villagers for a place to stay."
The boys who had been so excited earlier had long since lost their energy. They just managed a weak, tired response.
"Oh..."
"Do we have to keep walking, Rino-sensei? I really can't go on..."
Kael shook his head slightly. These kids still had a long way to go before they could become real shinobi. It wasn't just about strength; their mental fortitude was severely lacking. But then he reminded himself that they were only ten years old. In his past life, they would still be in elementary school. He shouldn't be judging them by adult standards.
Still, for some reason, a bad feeling washed over him. He turned to Rei and whispered, "Rei, stay close to me. If something happens, we can watch each other's backs."
"Mhm." Rei's pretty face showed a moment of surprise, then she nodded obediently.
After all this time in the Shinobi World, Kael considered Rei to be his only friend, or at least half a friend. He felt sorry for her circumstances and treated her like a little sister. After all, mentally, he was an adult, far more mature than this ten-year-old girl. It didn't feel right to call her a "friend" in the truest sense.
As Inoshita led the eager students to the entrance of the village, his expression suddenly turned ugly. His eyes grew sharp and scanned the surroundings.
"Enemies ahead!" he barked, his voice low and urgent. "Everyone, get sharp! Form a circle and stay alert!"
Kael's eyes widened in alarm. He discreetly pulled the Earthen Beetle from his tool pouch and placed it on top of his head. He then silently called for the Earth Dragon.
"Maintain formation and stay with me," Inoshita's voice came from the front, quiet but heavy with tension.
The group instinctively held their breath and followed closely behind him, cautiously making their way into the village.