Zhalu Village lay seven or eight kilometers northwest of Zack Town, at the foot of Andes Mountain.
At that moment, a bonfire blazed at the entrance to the village, crackling loudly.
A group of short, dark-skinned little people spread out around the bonfire.
They wore only animal hides around their waists, covering their private parts, yet beads of sweat dotted their bodies in the cold night wind.
In the shadows cast by the people, a group of children lay on the ground, bound hand and foot. Many were whimpering and crying.
Wearing a feather-woven headdress, a bewitching woman with scarlet and white paint on her face raised her hand and shook a silver bell.
The bell was quiet, its tone clear, yet its sound carried distinctly through the commotion and reached everyone's ears.
The bewitching woman began shrieking something, gesturing downward with her hand. Her voice was as piercing and terrifying as the cry of a night owl.
More and more little people began carrying basins over and splashing the red liquid onto the spots they had marked out.
Soon, a bizarre red Eight-Pointed Star appeared on the ground, surrounded by a ring of obscure symbols.
Just looking at those symbols filled one with a deep sense of malice.
The woman raised the bell above her head and shook it frantically.
The little people at the edges grinned cruelly, revealing rows of sharp teeth.
They drew black stone knives from their belts and walked toward the bound children.
The bewitching woman stretched her body gently and began to dance, shrieking as she moved.
As she danced, the other little people around her joined in. They followed the rhythm of the drums, swaying wildly.
Under some unknown influence, the Eight-Pointed Star glowed a dim red, and the little hearts piled in its center began to melt like red ice.
At last, the wild dance ended, and the organs had fused into a mass of gelatin.
The gelatin seemed to be conscious, like an animal, and began moving in one direction.
The crowd made way for it, and the mass crawled over the children's corpses.
It enveloped one child and paused. When it moved again, its size had grown a little.
Then it repeated the process.
It moved faster and faster, until it could Devour a corpse in a matter of seconds.
In the end, it had transformed into a monster resembling a wild boar, but far more terrifying.
Its skin was a bizarre, deathly white. It stood about two meters tall and measured roughly three meters from snout to rump, with two half-foot-long tusks jutting out from the corners of its mouth.
The bewitching woman was overjoyed. Her body blurred into a streak as she flashed to the monster's side.
A dense tangle of gray, tendril-like threads poured from her mouth and wrapped around the boar.
The instant the threads touched it, the boar let out a shrill scream.
Soon, the sound stopped abruptly.
The threads cocooned the boar, leaving not even the slightest gap.
The woman stared intently at the Gray Cocoon, reaching out to stroke it as tenderly as she would a lover.
Before long, the Gray Cocoon quickly withered and rotted.
An even more terrifying monster burst out of the cocoon.
The boar now had four long tusks jutting from the corners of its mouth.
A row of thumb-thick, white Bone Spikes grew along its back, while its flanks were covered in countless eyes.
Each eye held a different expression: cruelty, fear, despair, and even madness.
"Roar!" Red light flared from all the monster's eyes as it roared at the sky.
The bewitching woman walked back to the bonfire and picked up a piece of still-burning charcoal. She scrawled a string of symbols on the open ground.
When she was done, she raised her hand, shook the bell, and headed toward the mountains.
The monster raced to her side, and the little people hurried after them.
Five days later, at the church.
Sunlight streamed through the small skylight, leaving a path of light across the room.
Kraun sat ramrod straight like a schoolboy, while Father leaned rather lazily against a chair and explained various kinds of monsters.
"Vampires are mutated, evil humans. No one knows exactly how they came to be. They abhor sunlight and grow weak under its glare, but at night, they become stronger."
"They're incredibly fast and much stronger than ordinary people, though not as strong as werewolves."
"They possess blood magic and can draw on the life force contained in blood to recover their strength and heal their injuries."
Knock, knock. The sudden sound of someone at the door interrupted them.
Nick furrowed his brow, a flicker of displeasure crossing his face.
He had specifically instructed everyone not to disturb them during this time.
"Father, Inspector Hull has an urgent matter and requests an audience," came Avina's warm, lilting voice from outside.
"I'll step out for a moment," Nick said, then strode out.
About fifteen minutes later, Father hurried back in with several books in his arms. "I have to go take care of something. Stay here and continue studying. These are my old notes on mysterious species. Study them carefully, and don't slack off on your physical training. Once the church finishes processing my application, your Transcendence potion will be sent over."
"What happened? Maybe I can help."
Kraun rose to his feet, expressing his desire to fight alongside Father.
After several days of practicing the Gold Shield training method, his swordsmanship had reached a level that would astound even a true Witcher.
Nick shook his head. "Not yet, young man. You'll be able to help once you become a true Transcendentalist. Don't think that just because your swordsmanship is coming along well, you're ready. If I used my full strength, my speed and power would leap to another level. When someone's strength is great enough and their speed fast enough, no amount of skill can bridge a gap that seems small but is, in reality, as vast as a chasm."
He was about to say more, but Father simply waved a hand and turned to leave.
At the doorway, Nick turned his head slightly and said softly, "You didn't think I'd shown you my full strength at the slaughterhouse last time, did you?"
Hadn't he?
Kraun stood up, astonishment plain on his face.
"I showed less than half my strength. Once you advance to Transcendence, you'll discover an entirely new world. So for now, just focus on pushing your limits. Don't take any risks."
"Less than half his strength..."
Kraun was stunned, but at the same time, filled with anticipation.
He clenched his fist, his resolve firm: With the Golden Wall, I'll grow until people have to look up to me.
Before you continue