Several hours had passed since Hanmar Village fought off the undead.
Kalin slowly opened his eyes and stared at the wooden ceiling above him. Sleep still weighed heavily on his body, but he knew he could not remain in bed. Another wave of undead could arrive at any moment.
He forced himself to sit up, wincing slightly as a dull ache spread through his body. His muscles were sore. It was the first time this body had fought for such a long period.
"It's bearable. I can still wield my sword."
After getting up, he stepped outside his room. In the small living area, he saw Herin asleep on a chair. She must have stayed up the entire night helping the villagers with their preparations.
Kalin smiled faintly. He chose not to wake her and quietly left the house.
Outside, the village was already bustling with activity. The villagers had finished most of the preparations and even repaired the wooden gate. It would not stop the undead forever, but it could at least hold them back for some time.
"How was your rest, Young Master Kalin?"
Fan approached him and bowed his head slightly.
"I rested well," Kalin replied. His eyes swept across the village and saw that the others had already taken their positions.
"And enough with the formalities. You can simply call me Kalin."
Fan nodded in agreement.
"I understand, Sir Kalin. Also, the villagers wish to express their gratitude. With your help, we avoided any casualties. This has never happened before."
Kalin noticed the change immediately. The villagers no longer looked at him with doubt or indifference. Even in their difficult situation, they greeted him with genuine smiles.
"It's nothing special," Kalin said calmly. "The reason I'm here is to help this village."
He shifted his gaze toward the gate where several villagers stood guard.
"But this isn't over yet. The undead will return tonight. And we have no idea what tricks they might bring with them."
Fan understood the situation well.
"But even so, we are grateful to you, Sir Kalin. Please continue to support us."
Kalin tapped Fan lightly on the shoulder. "Don't worry. I will do my best."
After that, Kalin took his position once more to defend Hanmar Village. As he waited, he spent some time talking with the villagers. He listened to their stories. Some had lost their homes, others their dreams, and many had lost loved ones.
A question suddenly crossed his mind.
How were they still able to keep going?
Looking at the bigger picture, there seemed to be nothing left for them to hold on to. It would have been easy for them to give up and accept death.
Kalin could not help but admire them.
When Cain lost his parents, he had no reason to keep living. Deep down, he had only been waiting for the day his life would finally end. It was a miserable existence, facing everything alone with no one there to support you.
Of course, he had tried to find new reasons to live. He thought about building a family, finding a wife, and living a peaceful life. He also gave his best at work, hoping to earn a promotion and create a better future for himself.
But no matter how much effort he put in, it always felt as if the world was working against him.
He had many dreams, yet none of them came true.
He once believed that if he devoted his heart and gave everything he had, those dreams would eventually become reality. But that belief slowly faded as time passed.
In the end, he came to a painful conclusion.
Perhaps he had simply been born without a purpose.
Kalin's expression darkened as those memories resurfaced. He raised his eyes toward the sky, watching as the sun slowly sank below the horizon.
"It was a difficult life," he murmured softly. "I still don't know why I was brought here or why I was given a second chance. But this time, I will live my life to the fullest."
Night soon arrived.
The villagers who could not fight had already retreated inside their homes, while the others remained outside, patrolling the village.
"Can someone tell me what's going on?"
"This is the first time this has happened in months."
"Are they done attacking the village?"
The villagers whispered among themselves. No monsters or undead had appeared. It was an unexpected silence, one that slowly filled them with hope.
If things continued like this, perhaps the village could finally begin to recover.
Kalin, however, refused to lower his guard.
He knew this story far too well.
If they wanted the undead attacks to stop, the witch had to be eliminated.
And if they wanted to survive the monsters lurking in the forest, Hanmar Village would need to grow stronger. The village needed better defenses and warriors capable of protecting it.
Otherwise, this fragile peace would not last.
Only one possibility came to Kalin's mind.
The witch was gathering her forces.
If that was the case, Hanmar Village would soon face an even more dangerous situation. On top of that, Kalin had already interfered with the original story. Because of that, the events might change, and the outcome could become unpredictable.
Based on the original story, Hanmar Village would only survive once Zev arrived.
Zev was the main protagonist of the story. Known as a genius, he had surpassed everyone's expectations at a very young age. He possessed extraordinary abilities and an affinity with all elements, which gave him an overwhelming advantage.
Kalin shook his head.
Changing the story could no longer be avoided. What mattered now was how he could use the current situation to their advantage.
The first thing he decided to do was divide the villagers guarding the village.
After the long battle, none of them had rested properly. If he split them into two groups, one group could guard the village while the other rested. This way, they could gradually recover their strength.
Two villagers guarded the entrance while four others patrolled different corners of the village in case monsters suddenly appeared. Fortunately, Hanmar Village was small, so if anyone called for help, everyone would hear it immediately.
Kalin sat inside a small house near the village entrance.
At least he had managed to reduce the villagers' exhaustion. However, another problem soon appeared in his mind.
Supplies.
"If my assumption is correct, we only have enough food for three days," Kalin muttered.
Even as he said it, he realized it was far from enough.
"If I want the villagers to fully recover, they need more food."
Rest alone would not be enough. They needed proper nutrition and energy if they were going to survive another battle.
At that moment, an idea appeared in his mind.
Hunting.
Of course, it was dangerous. There was no way to know whether the witch had already predicted such a move.
"I must go alone."
Kalin knew the villagers could easily help him hunt since they were familiar with the forest. However, bringing them would be dangerous.
Hunting animals was not his only goal.
To be precise, he wanted to obtain a Soul Ring. At the same time, he hoped to gather information about the witch's location.
Remaining inside the village and waiting for another undead attack without any information would be no different from suicide.
Of course, Kalin understood that he was not skilled enough in combat yet. Compared to the villagers, his fighting ability was still lacking.
"I'll hunt small animals and gather information," he muttered. "If I can't win, I'll run."
Dawn arrived.
The villagers switched shifts for guarding the village while Kalin stood in front of the gate.
"You shouldn't go there, Sir Kalin! It's too dangerous!" Simon shouted after hearing Kalin's plan to hunt in the forest.
The other villagers also opposed the idea. Someone as important as Kalin should not put himself in danger. After all, because of him, the village had regained hope. They could not allow the person who saved them to risk his life.
Some villagers even offered to accompany him.
But Kalin refused immediately.
"Don't worry about me. I'm not as stupid as you think."
He did not explain his true reason for leaving the village.
Simon stepped forward and blocked his path.
"You can punish me later, Sir Kalin," Simon said firmly. "But I won't allow you to enter that forest alone. Either stay here or bring me with you."
Simon was confident that hunting animals would be easy for him.
Kalin sighed.
"It seems you still don't understand, Simon."
Simon frowned.
"You are the strongest person in this village. If you get injured in the forest, the village will suffer. The same goes for everyone else. We have a limited number of people who can fight. We cannot afford to lose even one."
"But—"
"That's enough, Simon. I've already made my decision."
Kalin stepped closer until his face was only inches away from Simon's. Then he made an exaggerated and mischievous expression.
"Did you forget who I am?"
He laughed loudly.
"I'm Kalin—the Viscount's bastard son!"
Simon froze.
"P-please come back safely," he said quietly.
Huff... Huff... Huff...
"The hell...?"
Kalin gasped for breath as he ran through the forest.
"Why am I fighting this monster now? Damn it!"