What if there's a sly fox like myself?

Chapter 22 · What if there's another sly one like me?

Splash.

Not far from a human village, by a lake nestled at the edge of a large mountain, a massive dark shadow suddenly emerged from the water. A Slime, with a mouth as ferocious as a gaping maw and eyes like blue sapphires, leaped out and landed steadily on the water's surface.

"Alright, you can go back now."

On the lake, Lu Minghao waved to the Manta Ray, which had completely transformed into a Gluttony monster, signaling it to return to the Underground Water Vein. Once the Manta Ray was gone, Lu Minghao turned to survey his surroundings.

Behind him lay a mountain covered in dense trees. Occasionally, animals or Lesser Demons could be seen drinking water by the lake. Further in the distance, a human village appeared, wisps of cooking smoke rising above it. It was clear that many residents lived in this village.

"Speaking of which, where have I been brought to?"

Lu Minghao carefully observed the surrounding environment and found it completely unfamiliar. Combined with the time spent in the Underground Water Vein, Lu Minghao guessed he must be very far from the sewer he was born in. The most important thing now was to figure out his current location.

After all, Lu Minghao worried that if he hadn't left the Eastern Empire's territory, the person who had been chasing him might find him again.

"Alright, it's decided. I'll head towards the human village."

The next second, the water beneath Lu Minghao began to churn. Under the immense thrust, Lu Minghao shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, heading rapidly in the direction of the human village. Simultaneously, Lu Minghao's body, which had been like a blue sapphire, began to change, returning to the sky-blue color it had before his advancement, looking no different from an ordinary Slime.

This was an ability Lu Minghao gained by devouring a monster resembling an octopus before leaving the Underground Water Vein: 'Disguise'. It allowed him to freely change his body's color. Although not a powerful skill, it was perfect for concealing his current body, which was completely different from an ordinary Slime.

Furthermore, after confirming the changes from his advancement to a Mid-tier Monster, Lu Minghao had considered whether to kill the Manta Ray that had swallowed him. However, he later realized it had been completely corrupted by the original sin of Gluttony and had become a monster he could control at will.

Coupled with the fact that it had provided a safe 'advancement ground' (his stomach) and plenty of food while he was asleep, Lu Minghao decided not to kill it. He simply had it send him out of the Underground Water Vein before returning there to grow freely.

Lu Minghao held some expectations for the first monster modified by his Gluttony Talent. Perhaps it would be useful in the future?

Splat!

A few minutes later, Lu Minghao's body landed steadily on the grassy ground by the lake. Like an ordinary Slime, he hopped and bounced towards the human village not far away. From a distance, Lu Minghao could see many figures moving within the village.

Outside the village, in neat rows of farmland, large amounts of crops were planted. The air carried a faint, fresh scent of plants, a stark contrast to the foul odor of garbage and decay in the sewer.

As he got closer to the village, Lu Minghao could clearly hear the sounds of children playing and human conversations from within. Judging by the faint smiles on their faces and their healthy complexions, this village was quite prosperous, at least in terms of food and clothing.

Boing! Boing! Boing!

His round, bouncy body hopped forward on the lawn. The wooden fence outside the village now appeared before Lu Minghao. In the watchtower above the village gate, the guard Villagers had spotted the Slime approaching the village.

"Uncle Oster, look! It's a Slime!"

In the watchtower, a boy who looked about seventeen or eighteen excitedly pointed at the Slime in the distance and shouted. Beside him, a middle-aged man named Oster smiled with a hint of nostalgia, as if seeing himself for the first time on guard duty.

Back then, he too had been full of drive and excitement, staring at everything outside the village, fantasizing about monsters attacking. Then, because his village had discovered the crisis early, they successfully repelled the attacking monsters. His bravery and wit had successfully attracted the most beautiful girl in the village, and from then on, they lived a blissful life.

"Youth is truly wonderful!"

Oster looked at his rough hands. He no longer had the fantasies of his youth. Their village was just an ordinary village in the Kingdom of Blumert. Because the kingdom earned a lot of profit from trade, the king had lowered the taxes for its residents.

This allowed everyone in the village to live a life free from worry about food and clothing. Furthermore, their village was located in the inner region of the Kingdom of Falmut, where powerful monsters had long been exterminated by Adventurers. The mountains outside their village only harbored some Lesser Demons.

"Uncle Oster, should we notify everyone? Maybe it's a monster attack?"

At this moment, Oster, who was reminiscing about his youth, was interrupted by the boy beside him. Seeing his excited expression, Oster smiled and casually handed him his bow and arrows.

"What are you talking about, kid? A monster attack? That hasn't happened in many years. But since you're interested, you can deal with that Slime."

With that, Oster waved his hand dismissively, signaling the boy not to bother him further. A mere Slime was hardly worth making a fuss about. He had guarded this watchtower for many years and had already killed countless Slimes that approached the village.

Every time it rained, large numbers of Slimes would emerge from the mountains, trying to steal the crops in the fields, which contained trace amounts of Magic Elements.

"Thank you, Uncle Oster."

The boy excitedly fiddled with the bow and arrows in his hands, completely unfazed by Oster's dismissive expression. His mind was filled with the image of himself gracefully taking down the Slime with a single arrow.

"Hmm? Is it planning to attack me?"

Lu Minghao, not far from the village, saw the boy on the watchtower raising his bow and aiming at him from a distance. The clumsy posture couldn't help but make him want to laugh.

"However, I can now confirm that this is just an ordinary human village."

On a large tree about a kilometer outside the village, Lu Minghao's main body was hiding. Being cautious, he naturally wouldn't swagger towards the village. Instead, he sent out a clone, maintaining its Magic Element levels at that of a Lower Demon, to test if there were any strong individuals within the village.

However, based on the current situation, this village only contained ordinary people. If there were any strong individuals, Lu Minghao's clone would not have been able to approach the village so easily. After all, even the strength of a Lower Demon could easily kill ordinary humans.

"But I still need to be careful. What if there's another sly one like this village?"