Cold Wind Pine Forest

Through the tangled forest, a fully armed group was making its way deeper into Cold Wind Pine Forest.

The five people leading the way came from villages near Cold Wind Pine Forest, while trailing at the rear was Ye Chen, a youth from elsewhere.

Considering the uneven terrain of the Pine Forest, which was unsuitable for Old Ma Heiqi to stretch its legs, Ye Chen let it roam freely along the path outside the woods while he joined the local villagers on their hunt for the man-eating Ape.

"Lloyd, are you really letting this suspicious stranger join our operation? He won't even show his face. I think there's definitely something wrong with this guy."

The second Frost White Person at the front of the group glanced back at the masked Ye Chen, then quietly muttered his concerns to Lloyd, the leader at the very front.

"Even if he's a criminal who escaped from Frost White City Prison, he wouldn't side with those man-eating monsters. We're already short on fighting strength, so having an extra pair of hands is naturally a good thing at a time like this."

After hearing Lloyd's explanation, his worried companion realized there was no better option. He could only temporarily cast aside his suspicions and focus on finding the culprit that had slaughtered and devoured so many villagers.

As they traveled, Lloyd, the leader of the Ape-hunting party, also gave Ye Chen a simple explanation of his village and the Alpha Ape's man-eating attacks. His tone was warm and welcoming, as though he was deeply grateful for this helper who had fallen from the sky.

Lloyd and his companions came from Cold Wind Village, a self-sufficient farming settlement. However, because it lay deep within the mountains and forests, it inevitably faced threats from savage beasts. To protect the village, guardians like Lloyd had emerged—defenders skilled in hunting wild animals.

The Ice Apes of Cold Wind Pine Forest were the opponents the Cold Wind Village guards had dealt with most often. Most of these beasts stood around a meter tall and normally ate fruit. Like ordinary Apes, they posed little threat.

However, each year, a unique Alpha Ape would be born among the Ice Apes. These Alpha Apes were not only two meters tall and terrifyingly powerful, but were also naturally fond of violence and oppression, often attacking Cold Wind Village's residents for amusement.

Even so, over the years, the Cold Wind Village guards had been able to protect the village through their numerical advantage, weapons, and skill. It was just that—

At this point, Lloyd's expression suddenly darkened. He seemed lost in those terrible memories, unable to pull himself free.

"Just what?"

Prompted by Ye Chen, Lloyd finally came back to himself and rubbed his tired eyes.

"For some reason, this year's Alpha Ape underwent some kind of change..."

"Not only did it swell to three meters in height, its strength increased to an absurd degree, but also..."

"Its attacks on Cold Wind Village became a hundred times more vicious. Unlike before, when it merely did it for fun, it now seemed to want nothing more than to eat everyone in the village..."

When this unprecedented Alpha Ape appeared and attacked Cold Wind Village, more than a dozen people immediately fell victim to it. Without exception, they were chewed apart by its sharp teeth before being swallowed into its belly.

Nor was that all. The Alpha Ape's stomach had swept the forest clean of creatures large and small, leaving the path Ye Chen traveled with the Guard Squad through Cold Wind Pine Forest covered in the remains and corpses of animals it had left uneaten.

This year's Alpha Ape seemed to be controlled by an endless hunger, having completely turned into a rabid beast.

Half of the dozen or so victims from Cold Wind Village had belonged to the Guard Squad—they had been Lloyd's comrades. Whenever he recalled the frightened, despairing expressions on their faces before they were torn apart, Lloyd was overcome with grief and fury. His teeth ground audibly as he clenched them. It was clear that he hated that man-eating beast to the core and desperately wished to avenge the victims.

So the Abyss's Influence was this extreme.

After hearing of Cold Wind Village's tragic situation, Ye Chen fell silent.

He had originally thought the Abyss was merely a disgusting, viscous liquid like mud. He had not expected creatures contaminated by the Abyss to undergo such enormous changes in body and appetite. It was practically another form of the Nightmare effect.

After thinking for a moment, Ye Chen returned to the matter of the hunt and asked Lloyd, "So, are we heading to that Alpha Ape's territory now?"

"No. Ever since the Alpha Ape underwent some sort of change, the Ice Apes' territory has vanished as well, because it ate every other Ape under its command. The former Ice Ape nest is now covered with Ape bones. That monster wanders through different areas of Cold Wind Pine Forest every day, constantly devouring other living creatures."

Lloyd shook his head and explained.

"However, Ponsen, the leader of our Guard Squad, has been tracking it every day. A few hours ago, we saw the signal smoke Ponsen lit from the village, so we formed a party and set out. Now, as long as we follow the traces he left behind, we should be able to find that beast very soon."

Ye Chen looked at the nearby trees and noticed fork-shaped marks carved into the roots every dozen meters or so. These were presumably the markers left by Ponsen, the Guard Squad leader.

After that, Ye Chen said nothing more. He simply prepared himself for battle at any moment and continued following the Cold Wind Village guard party deeper into Cold Wind Pine Forest.

An hour later, Lloyd led the group to a small hill within the Pine Forest. Looking at the tree-root markers that suddenly stopped, his expression immediately turned blank.

"What's going on? The markers are gone, but there's nothing around here."

"What is the boss doing? Could something have happened to him too?"

"No, the boss is strong. There's no way he could be taken out so easily!"

Having suddenly lost their direction, the Guard Squad members were infected by confusion and unease, all talking over one another.

Lloyd nervously swept his gaze around, trying to find his leader's tall figure. Meanwhile, Ye Chen crouched to examine the uneven snow-covered ground beneath his feet. He lightly brushed the surrounding soil with his hand and quickly discovered several huge, shallow depressions with blurred outlines resembling footprints.

"Lloyd, the Alpha Ape is most likely nearby. And Ponsen, the man you mentioned... may already be gone."

As Ye Chen gave the warning in a low voice, he lightly drew his straight blade across his arm. The bloodstained edge emitted a faint glow and gave off an extremely sharp, icy chill.

"What... did you say?"

Lloyd stammered, and at that very moment, one of his companions suddenly cried out.

"Look! Isn't that Ponsen's hat?"

The Guard Squad hurried over at once. In a concealed crack between the rocks on the hill lay a gray wolfskin hat, tipped onto its side, its surface stained with blurred dark-red blood.

"Ponsen wore this wolfskin hat every day for decades. He would never leave it in a place like this. It looks like he really has met with a terrible end." Lloyd stared at the bloodstained hat, and his eyes finally darkened.

Just as the Cold Wind Village group hesitated in the face of this sudden turn of events, a loud sound abruptly came from the bottom of the hill.

Tap, tap, tap.

At that moment, everyone felt a distinct vibration beneath the soles of their shoes, as though the entire hill were shaking violently. All of it was caused by the arrival of some creature.