Outside the window, raindrops were hitting the glass. The strong wind whistled past. A flash of lightning, like a sharp blade, instantly sliced across the gloomy sky. Immediately after, deafening thunder boomed across the vast plain.
Kevin quietly watched the rain curtain outside the window. Looking out, he could see the villagers coming and going on the streets in the pouring rain. Under normal circumstances, on a rainy day like this, the streets should have been empty. Moreover, this time was really too early for the villagers. Due to the constraints of the curse, unable to leave the village freely, the villagers usually slept until they naturally woke up on weekdays. But today was a special case; today was the 'Hunting Day'.
After Kevin got dressed, he came downstairs. Menchi and the others were also already prepared.
"It just had to rain today, how annoying." Buhara looked at the pouring rain outside the door, his tone carrying a hint of frustration. Fighting in the rain truly made him feel uncomfortable all over.
At this moment, Bian Locke had already put on his raincoat. Gawain asked with a curious expression, "In the village, are you considered a combatant as well?" They had already stayed in the village for two weeks, but it was still difficult to distinguish which villagers were combatants. After all, in this village, everyone except those who were still young was a Nen user. Those who exuded a fighting aura might also just be ordinary butchers.
"Sort of, but I'm mainly responsible for reconnaissance." Bian Locke replied with a smile, and as he spoke, he also wiggled his finger. As his finger wiggled, Nen transformed into bubble-like objects, slowly floating in the air. "My Nen ability can detect the surrounding situation through the explosion of bubbles, even at a long distance." Bian Locke briefly explained his ability.
Kevin glanced at the bubbles floating in the air, thinking that according to the principle of Nen ability being related to will, Bian Locke was likely full of longing for the outside world, just as he had previously guessed.
Just then, the clear sound of a bell came from outside.
"It's time to gather."
"Let's go then. I can't wait to see how you hunt." Saying this, everyone put on their raincoats and walked into the rain.
Kevin wrapped Nen around his body, preventing any raindrops from getting close to him.
"How extravagant." Menchi couldn't help complaining as she watched this scene. Kevin glanced at her, the corner of his mouth slightly raised. "As long as your Nen is controlled well, the consumption is actually negligible."
"Tch, you think everyone is like you?" Menchi mumbled, no longer seeking a snub.
Everyone walked all the way toward the west side of the village. The entire village was divided by direction: north was the main gate, which was where Kevin and the others first entered the village. South was the location where the funeral was held previously. To the east was a winding river, a long section of which was located at the edge of the town, serving as the village's important water source. And to the west was an open field, with two watchtowers built at the edge of the field.
When Kevin and the others arrived here, many villagers had already gathered. The village chief and the Saintess were also among the crowd. A burly man stood on the watchtower, overlooking the villagers below. It seemed this hunt would be commanded by him. Kevin had seen this person several times in the village, but there had been no interaction between them.
"This hunt is different from before. The festival is in a few months, and it's also the end of the year, so we need to store more food this time." His words were concise and clear. "Everyone, lift your spirits. I don't want anyone to lose their life in this operation. Alright, everyone, get ready quickly."
As soon as he finished speaking, the villagers immediately took action, busily moving about in the open field, and quickly got into their positions. As outsiders, Kevin and the others were temporarily unable to coordinate with the villagers, so they stood at the edge of the field, quietly observing, trying not to disturb them.
"That Saintess seems to have been looking at you." Menchi said softly from the side. Hearing this, Kevin instinctively looked in Melusine's direction. After Melusine noticed Kevin's gaze, she smiled and nodded at him.
"She's smiling at you." Menchi lightly nudged Kevin with her elbow, a gossipy expression on her face.
"We met once before in the library. This is just a polite response. Don't be so nosy." Kevin explained. As outsiders, they would naturally receive extra attention from those in the village who longed for freedom. There was nothing to be surprised about. Even Melusine, as the Saintess, was similarly unable to leave the village and was essentially no different from others.
"How disappointing." Menchi rolled her eyes at him, looking like she was frustrated with his lack of ambition.
"It's starting." Buhara reminded them. Only then did the two shift their attention to the edge of the field.
A villager stood at the edge of the field, his hands slightly raised. It seemed he was activating his Nen ability.
A faint ball of light slowly rose from his hands, floating toward the sky. Under his control, the ball of light went straight across the village boundary. The moment the ball of light left the boundary, tendrils of resentment began to appear on it, which Kevin saw clearly.
Could it be that creations of Nen ability would generate resentment like this once they left the boundary? This curse seemed to have already integrated with these villagers. Perhaps because they had been cursed for too long, the nature of the Nen within these villagers had almost been changed. As long as they crossed the boundary, resentment would appear. This situation was almost comparable to Kevin's state when he first transmigrated.
As the ball of light flew out, the resentment gradually spread, and there was immediately movement outside. The first to appear on the battlefield was indeed a flying bird again. This time it was a large gray-black bird. Kevin observed it carefully but couldn't identify what kind of bird it was. In the heavy rain, this large bird swooped straight down toward the floating ball of light outside.
Seeing this scene, Kevin and the others instantly understood. Previously, they had thought the hunting method was for a villager to walk to the edge of the village to attract the creatures to approach. But after seeing that Nen ability creations could also produce the same attracting effect, they understood this gentler hunting method.
As the large bird rapidly approached, two villagers standing on the watchtowers quickly raised their hands. One villager had an empty hand, while a crossbow appeared in the hand of the other.
"Whoosh!" Two crossbow bolts made of Nen shot out like lightning. The Nen properties of these two crossbow bolts were completely different: one was pure Emission, and the other was Materialization. That large bird was clearly not strong. The two crossbow bolts directly pierced its wings. Accompanied by a painful cry, the large bird fell from the sky.
Another villager at the edge of the field saw this and swung his arm forcefully, sending a hook with a rope flying out. The hook skillfully circled in the air, accurately snagging the large bird's wing, and then dragged it back within the village boundaries as the bird struggled. The surrounding villagers immediately gathered around and quickly dealt with the large bird.
"In this village, there are so many Emission and Materialization Nen users," Gawain couldn't help exclaiming as he watched this scene.