Chapter 2 Novel Eng

– Ouch!!

Surprisingly, when the arrow was about to pierce that boy’s head, he seemed to have an eye behind his back to detect it, so he tilted his head and dodged it.

– TWANGG!

A sharp arrow ignored the young boy and shot straight into the tree trunk, shaking violently.

Duong’s forehead starts to sweat drop by drop. He almost thinks that he had rested in peace right there after a few seconds of struggling under the tree.

Duong slowly turns his head, staring intently at the arrow, his eyes full of horror and scrutiny, and he hunchs over and gasps heavily, it took a few seconds for him to stammer his first words.

– Who… who did this?

Duong stands up and goes to pull the arrow from the tree trunk. His heart still wildly danced inside his chest, after minutes of terror feeling, his fear immediately turned to anger, breathing heavily and he shouted:

– What the hell! I have just opened my eyes. That was a close shave.

By now, Ari is unable to hide anymore, she frantically leads her horse out of the bushes, timidly heading towards Duong. When all are facing each other, Ari quickly kneels on her knees, pleads with a regretted face, and pulls the horse’s head to make a signal, while whispering:

– Keep your head down!

The horse is also very cooperative with its owner, lying down, lowering his head and giving a tender look to Duong.

At this time, Ari and her horse look like the ducks in a thunderstorm, she hastily asks:

– I’m sorry! I was hunting and a rabbit suddenly jumped on here, I didn’t know where you were. Are… are you okay?

The horse turns its head to look at Ari, then looks back at Duong and nods as if to confirm its owner’s words. As soon as she sees Duong is still unharmed, Ari sighs with relief, hoping that this young man in front of her does not make it difficult for her. Anyway, there’s already so much trouble, she doesn’t know what will happen if her father knows about this.

Seeing the sincerity of the horse and its owner in front of him makes Duong Duong’s anger subside. And at the same time, he realizes that the owner of the arrow is just a girl around his age, anyway, he thinks that he is a generous person, and he is still fine so everything can be ignored. At this time, he reaches out his hand and returns the arrow that nearly took his life back to Ari, his tone is somewhat softer:

– Almost died, but it’s okay now. Here’s your stuff.

Ari receives the arrow in return, and she sends Duong profuse apologies:

– Sorry, really sorry!

Seem that everything seems to go smoothly, her mood is relieved, and knowing that Duong is not a fastidious person, Ari observes Duong more closely and then asks him more:

– But what a wonderful man you are, how did you avoid my arrow?

Duong smiles carefreely while answering questions and introducing himself:

– Hehe, it’s not a problem, because I’m a mage!

For a moment, all emotions on Ari’s face are frozen, she opens her eyes wide, staring at Duong unblinking, her mouth hanging open.

Without missing another second, Ari immediately falls to her knees, her head bows as low as possible as if she hates herself for not being able to bow any lower to show her sincerity. Her voice is already loud, now becomes even louder and clearer, quickly saying what she has prepared all these days.

– Help us to destroy the monsters, please! My village depends on this forest, but recently the forest has been taken over by a bunch of monsters, they have swept away almost all of our food source and now our rations have run out.

After saying that, she quickly catches a big breath in her mouth and continues:

– The monsters are so strong and aggressive that the villagers can’t fight back. While I was very confused, I accidentally heard that the mages from the famous Association of Magic – Van Quang Pagoda are travelling to the south and about to pass by, so I purposely waited here… …I was incredibly lucky to meet you! You must be a good guy sending from the heavens! Please assist us in fighting the monsters and saving the villagers! We are extremely grateful and will engrave you in our hearts, eternally grateful to you!

Ari is a girl with no unique ability to use the power of words to move other people’s views, so she chooses the method of using the number of words to make the other person overwhelmed to the point of stupor and have to agree with her words.

It is unknown whether he agreed, but based on the overwhelming stupor, it seems she has succeeded.

The atmosphere had been silent for a long time, Duong’s ears had not stopped ringing due to the hiss of the arrow, but his eardrums vibrated again when he had to listen to Ari lay open, Duong still could not understand anything from her words. In his head, he draws a blank:

– Monster… Van Quang Pagoda…What is this?

Just woke up, and Duong is still not perky. He was almost killed by a girl and now she is earnestly begging, kneeling on the ground right in front of him, the two of them looked very strange. He also wanted this trouble to end quickly, Duong tries to regain his composure to clarify the situation:

– Wait a minute, who did you tell to take the journey to the South?

Duong’s voice sounded with surprise. Ari looks up and smiles, but she still innocently replies:

– It’s the mage of the Association of Magic Van Quang Pagoda.

– Van Quang pagoda…?

When he hears it, Duong realizes that Ari was mistaken, Duong immediately grabs the bag without any thought and puts it on his shoulder, planning to run away, he quickly says:

– You’re wrong, I’m just passing by.

But Ari is even faster, Duong just moves a little, she leans forward with a speed like a leopard, her arms like the front limbs of predatory animals, circling around to hold his legs. Duong is like a poor prey pinned in the leg by the iron fangs of the hunter and is unable to move. Ari shouts:

– Wait, wait! – Trying to hold on to the only chance, shouting while holding Duong’s leg, determined not to lose the village’s savior.

Duong tries to move his foot forward bit by bit, but Ari also tries to pull against it, the boy takes a step, and she also pulled another step, no one gives up, and soon Ari’s body leaves a trail long on the ground.

Finally, facing Duong’s determination, Ari has to take her ace, the girl ventures to shout:

– IF YOU HELP ME, I WILL PAY YOU 100 gold coins.

BOOM! Duong is shocked, the sentence like a thunderbolt, like a whirlwind, hit Duong’s heart, that scream goes deep into his ear, passes through his eardrum, and pierces straight into his mind and then his foot starts slowly faltering.

Feeling that the steps of the boy in front of her were no longer fierce, Ari grabbed the chance and continued showing her pitiful look:

– You better save a life than constructing seven towers. How can you let our village all die, sir?

Duong thinks to himself, he is sure Ari had mistaken himself for some powerful mages. But somehow, the price Ari offered is heavier than any excuse Duong wants to refuse.

– But but… I’m not…

– 200 Gold coins!

Getting that deal from Ari makes Duong instantly realizes that it is embarrassing to refuse such a sincere girl. Furthermore, accepting a make-living offer on such a long journey is a really straightforward thing to understand and a commendable thing to do. Seemingly satisfied with the above argument, Duong tries to suppress the complacency in his heart and quickly strode energetically toward the wretched village.

Feeling that the steps of the boy in front of her were no longer fierce, Ari grabbed the chance and continued showing her pitiful look:

– You better save a life than constructing seven towers. How can you let our village all die, sir?

Duong thinks to himself, he is sure Ari had mistaken himself for some powerful mages. But somehow, the price Ari offered is heavier than any excuse Duong wants to refuse.

– But but… I’m not…

– 200 Gold coins!

Getting that deal from Ari makes Duong instantly realizes that it is embarrassing to refuse such a sincere girl. Furthermore, accepting a make-living offer on such a long journey is a really straightforward thing to understand and a commendable thing to do. Seemingly satisfied with the above argument, Duong tries to suppress the complacency in his heart and quickly strode energetically toward the wretched village.

Finally getting Duong’s consent, Ari happily leads Duong deeper into the village.

Fearing that the villagers will discover the presence of a stranger, Ari leads Duong on a deserted road that she used to utilize to sneak out of the village, successfully bringing Duong into her base.

As she walks, she is worrying that the person behind her will suddenly change his mind, so sometimes she glances back and forth to see if Duong is still behind her or not.

Duong in the back keeps mumbling:

– So lucked out! So lucked out!

He can’t help thinking of all the things he could buy with that money. Being lost in thought, he is unconcerned with which path the girl in front will lead him.

Until he finds himself on a bridge which is ten meters above the ground, he returns to his senses to observe the strange structures around him.

In front of Duong’s eyes, a small house appears, the house is made entirely of wood, the special thing is that somehow, a large tree pierces through it and continues to grow without affecting it. A strange but incomprehensibly harmonious combination.

– We have guests, everyone!

Ari says, interrupting Duong’s thinking.

The two get into the house in turn, as soon as she steps inside, Ari quickly introduces Duong to everyone.

– This is the mage I just invited, his name is… ah… um…!

Duong in the back takes a step forward, smiles friendly, and waves his hand to everyone:

– Hey guys, I’m Duong.

Ari beside him at this moment can only laugh and scratch her head trying to hide her unreliability. The whole house has only one room, the decoration is quite simple but still fully furnished, it seems that this is not someone’s daily living space but just a place for people to gather.

– Phew..phew – a pair of lips part, letting out a faint puff of smoke. In a medium-sized room, on the opposite side of Duong and Ari, three people are staring at them with six eyes.

The closest to the two is a girl with an active appearance. She is sitting cross-legged on a wooden bed, her body is somewhat strong and sturdy. She is wearing a sleeveless shirt that exposed her strong arms and her right hand is gripping a cigarette. She takes a puff, then a faint smoke is released and skimming over her confident face with unique purple hair. The smoke stands out and then gradually disappears. She doesn’t respond to Duong’s greeting but just gives him an appraising look, then turns to Ari and asks:

– Well, this is the one you always talk about huh? Ari?

Behind the purple girl is another one who appears to be younger, with a quite similar face, shoulder – length black hair, and wearing the same kind of dress with two black – blue colors. This person stands her back to the window, staring at Duong as if she is uninterested in him. Her body is a little smaller but no less powerful. She stands with her back to the window sill, her eyes wondering as if she has no curiosity about him.

– Greeting sir, the Mage.

The one who has just welcomed Duong is the doctor who told Ari about the mage group of Van Quang Pagoda. This guy is carrying a stack of books and scrolls that appear to be medical documents, and the doctor’s face still has the same gentle and kind expression as the first time he appeared, with a bright smile as if welcoming with a look of concern, and a little surprised by Duong’s appearance.

Trying to extend his chubby hand to Duong, the doctor waits for a handshake with a friendly face:

– Hello, hello!

Duong replies and reaches out to squeeze the doctor’s hand.

– Hello, I’m the doctor in this village.

The doctor, still keeping the warmth as usual, smiles back. They talk to each other with great goodwill at the first meeting, the doctor continues to show his hospitality and friendliness by enthusiastically taking on the role of a bridge, introducing the people who are in the house.

To ease Duong’s awkwardness, he points at the purple shirt girl, then the dark blue shirt girl, and says:

– Let me introduce Nic and her sister, Rin. Rin’s forte is whipping and Nic specializes in swords.

These two girls are siblings and the things they carry are also their forte weapons. From the moment Duong enters the house, He conveniently takes a glance around the house, looking at them from the beginning he already guesses a little about this. This pair of sisters seem quite contrasting, the older sister looks energetic and strong, and her words certainly carry weight, and the younger sister looks completely opposite, cold, and less talkative.

At least since Duong walked in here, she hasn’t opened her mouth once. Everyone has their own characteristics, but their abilities are certainly not trivial. Thinking so, he turns his eyes to the two sisters to greet them, Nic still nods slightly in response to the stranger’s gaze, but Rin doesn’t, she shows a winterly smile, nodding in return with a gaze filled with strong confidence.

Ari is also excited to introduce herself, she confidently pats her chest, and says her name:

– I’m Ari, I use a bow and arrow, and I can hit a moving target 100 meters away. We will go with you into the forest to destroy the bad Pan.

Referring to Pan, Duong immediately hits the main issue:

– Tell me more about that creature. When did they show up in the forest?

The mood in the room changes abruptly, Ari suddenly feels her heart pounding rapidly, and she begins to speak:  – Pan is a mischievous species that has lived in the forest right next to our village for a long time. They have received tributes from our forefathers in return for preserving the forest’s resources. Since the beginning of time, villagers have had a close connection with the forest, and we had relied on it for a variety of necessities. But, in a recent half year, the Pans have begun to change…

Ari frowns, seemingly she is searching through her brief teenage memories:

-.. degenerate, aggressive and turn to eat people in the village. Currently, most of the animals in the forest have been eaten by them. And they can come down to the village to eat us, too. The villagers have organized many attacks, but the Pan lord is very strong. Normal weapons can’t hurt it. Moreover, there are many little Pans, and we have failed consecutively. So I would like to ask for the mage to help us.

Ari ends her words and turns her pitiful gaze to Duong as a plea, creating a perfect ending that moves the listener’s heart.

After listening, Duong has a basic grasp of their situation and the problem need to be solved. He has also figured out a bit of a solution and how to deal with it, but it will depend on what he gets, so he asks Ari again about the remuneration she promised earlier:

– I see, but there’s a little problem. The promise of the reward…

Before Duong finishes the sentence, Ari is like a leech touching lime, she is sitting still, suddenly startled and shouts to cut Duong’s words:

– That… Of course haha…

She keeps stammering and is unable to answer clearly: – I’m sure about that!!

Ari chuckles simperingly, stands up, and swiftly draws everyone out, leaving Duong alone in the house, as if scared that Duong and others may ask further questions.

– You can rest here.

She adds as she walks away, smiling.

– We’ll be on our way tomorrow morning.

With this expression on her face, everyone could see that there was a problem. The doctor had just been pushed out, could only look at her from behind and call her softly reprimanding:

– Ari!

Ari quickly closes the door completely without forgetting to say the last greeting:

– We don’t bother anymore.

BAM! The door closes, and Duong is left inside, he must be confused again right now.

– Phew, it’s finally over. Standing in front of the house, the daughter of the chief heaves a sigh of relief and leans against the door to let her breath out as if she had just faced her father’s wrath. The other three could only bewilderedly stand around Ari on the suspension bridge leading to the village, no one understands what happened, some of them had not said a word to the mage, and something as important as tomorrow’s battle plan also has not been discussed. The three people immediately raise doubts about the two words “remuneration” that Duong had just said.

The three of them try to walk away from the house for a while, and then Rin immediately asks Ari about what just happened:

– Ari, what’s the pay? How much did you promise him?

Ari whispers a number that causes all three of them to widen their eyes in unison.

– WHAT?

The doctor is definitely the most shocked one, God knows how much he fears the village chief. Although the village chief is gentle and friendly and frequently looks after the villagers, he is a person who is generally respected, he always radiates an invisible majesty that makes the doctor nervous every time he faces him.

Ari, the ring leader of problems, led the mage into the village and informed him of everything.

The doctor gets goosebumps just thinking about the village chief’s sharp gaze sweeping over him. He hurriedly bombarded Ari with questions:

– Wait, you’re not going to take the village fund that the chief is keeping, aren’t you?

Ari can only silently nod a few times, her face is down. Rin has the opportunity to gloat, she laughs at Ari.

– Haha that’s Ari, that’s interesting!! There’ll be a devil to pay! I’m imagining what the chief will do when he finds out, Ari!!

The only one who still has a disinterested expression here is Nic, she turns her gaze to glance at everyone and then absently looks away. For someone who doesn’t have a definition of money like her, 2 coins or 200 coins are not much of a difference.

– Holy crap!… The village chief will kill us.

The doctor once again lamented, even though he tried to reassure himself, that this small soul hidden deep in this round body could not be calm.

Ari walks behind him, continually encouraging him,

– It’s okay, it’s okay…

But it doesn’t seem to help. The four of them go further away from the house where Duong Duong is residing.

So, in the next morning, a young but passionate and sentimental archer girl, a good doctor who has great learning, a young warrior woman with a knack for using whips skilfully, and a little sister who is good at using a sword have gone into the forest very early.

Duong feels strange, as a mage, he is only greeted by the four of Ari, and when he goes to battle, the others also do not know his face. But he’s sure that people waiting for his triumph will pay him appropriately. He has no idea that everyone here knows that if this journey reaches the chief village’s ear, it would never have been allowed.

The beginning of the journey is still a peaceful scene, the branches and foliage cover the road, and the rays of the sun crept through the gaps in the leaves shining down like bright green pillars. On both sides of the road, the dense bush is not very high, and some sounds of unknown animals’ names came from these bushes, some long-lasting, some high-pitched, some with a low or hoarse voice. All kinds of sounds blend into one, neither mixed nor disordered, but low and high, one after another, like a symphony of nature.

Cool breezes blow away the heat in the rainforest, bringing in the scents of mud and indescribable plants, along with the wind, and even the chirping of birds.

Duong distractedly directed his attention to the stream along the path, the clear water kept flowing slowly until the poetic natural picture began to give way to the dense fog, the deeper they went the more it began to change, an overwhelming feeling of darkness and suffocation rising inside them. The trees on both sides of the road withered as if something had drained their vitality, the trees had only their roots, their thin branches and leaves pointed straight up to the sky like boneless arms rising from hell. The sound of murmuring streams and birds has now been completely replaced by a chilling silence.

Occasionally, they could hear the wind stir the leaves or a black shadow running past. The creatures of the jungle were all lurking in the dark, watching with vigilance for the mysterious visitors who first set foot in this place.

The further they go into the forest, the harder it was for the light to reach to their footsteps. The surrounding scenery is therefore also bleak. Ari, Rin, Nic, and the doctor are all silent and uneasy. Although the Gai Lan forest is where they grew up, no one is more familiar with it than they are. But in recent years, those who tried to go deep into the forest have returned full of injuries, making them only dare to go around the forest’s edge looking for food. This is their first attempt at going so deep.

– Ugh.

The first time Ari hears her swallow salivate so loud. She turns her gaze to Duong, seeing the mage still keeping a calm face as if this death scene doesn’t affect him at all. Seeing that, Ari suddenly feels so much more confident.

At this time, Duong speaks up to break the silence:

– Why do the deeper you go into the forest, the more the trees wither?

Ari both walks and leads the horse, and turns to answer:

– Because of the evil vitality of monster – Pan. The forest used to be lusher and more beautiful than it is now very much.

Referring to the beautiful forest in the past, the little fear left in Ari is also dissipated to a frazzle.

He does not say anything after listening and just looks around. Looking ahead, he quickens his steps, surpassing everyone, and then he comes to a halt and sits down in front of a thin patch of weak grass. Duong bends down to examine the grass and picks up a flower mixed in it. Although it can grow, when the flower blooms, it is completely colorless, from the petals to the leaves, it is only a color of ash. Duong considers the flower for a moment before dropping it down to the ground and rejoining the others.

Going deeper into the forest, the scenery still hasn’t improved, the big trees have also become dry and broken, the green color is less and less, and sometimes there are traces of animal carcasses. The sun has already risen, but the fog shows no sign of abating, and the air around is still filled with a cold and murky feeling.

– We’re currently on our way to the Pan’s lair. This is the route they usually go, so it’s easy to see them, so be very careful. Because the Pans can use sound to call the herd, so if you see one, you must kill it immediately to prevent their signal sound.

Ari’s voice softly resounds to give Duong Duong the instruction, and for the moment, they have entered the area inhabited by the Pans…

– Look!!!

Nic quietly reminds everyone, looking in the direction Nic has pointed, a scene of blood and blood emerges clearly through the thick fog.

About ten meters in front of them, two silhouettes are moving very fast. They are two little Pans eating a deer.

While in their subconscious, the impression of the Pans as only eating small animals or plants, now the reality in front of them gives them goosebumps.

Although the villagers warned about the change and madness of the Pans, and they would occasionally encounter a Pan or two running to the edge of the forest, it is the first time seeing the Pans using their sharp jagged teeth, trying to tear the deer into pieces, then they scrambled to devour every part of the liver and intestines, unwilling to leave anything behind.

The whole group stops and the fishy smell rises through the nose, making the doctor involuntarily feeling nauseous.

– Are those Pans?

Duong immediately wonders as they all huddle against a nearby cliff:

– Yes, they are! These other wild animals in the forest are about to be wiped out.

Ari affirms, she both knits her brows and speaks, looking directly at the monsters, her voice turns harshly and she feels quite indignant.

– Let me wipe them out, they’re as easy as cake.

Rin leaps up, be eager to emerge from hiding, and dashes up to Pans. Her face is filled with defiance as she spits out the cigarette she is smoking from her mouth.

Duong looks at Rin’s back, he can’t help admiring this girl’s determination and courage. She pulls out the whip from her waist, her posture looking very proficient. Then, ahead of the group, Rin rushes over to the Pans. Rin maintains the same expression as before, landing powerfully on the ground from her recent leap, standing directly facing the Pans.

These small Pans are aggressive, but their fighting power is not good, it can be difficult for ordinary people, but for those with combat skills like Rin, they are no match.

When a Pan is still absorbed in the mouthwatering prey, Rin slides deftly and as gracefully as a cat to turn behind it and swings her whip at it.

A move just released, the tip of the whip has tightened Pan’s neck a few rounds, then she pulls it upside down While digging in its prey, Pan is suddenly being attacked, gaping its mouth with blood on it, trying to struggle. From the experience of The villagers, after many collisions, they know a bit of the behaviour of Pans, what Rin did with Pan made them could not scream as well as control it.

These small Pans are aggressive, but their fighting power are not good, it can be difficult for ordinary people, but for those with combat skills like Rin, they are no match. The key point is to kill them quickly because Pan can use their voice to call the others

Rin forcefully pulls back the rope, causing Pan to fall backwards, successfully dragging it for a distance, it lifts all four its legs into the sky screaming helplessly because its neck is locked.

Realizing that its fellow-creature is in danger, the remaining Pan accepts to give up his half-eaten food and quickly switches to an attack. It jumps up with its whole body, stretches out its front paws with sharp claws, and its red mouth full of teeth also bares its fangs, all rushing towards Rin and pouncing, treating Rin as new prey.

Although Pan suddenly attacks, she already has a precaution. She retracts the whip, darting to one side to evade the Pan’s tremendous attack.

BOOM!!! A thunderous collision occurs between the Pan’s head and the ground, sending rock and soil flying.

– Ble ble, too slow.

Rin teases

No one thinks this Pan is so cunning, its first attack is just to distract Rin and when Rin dodges, it immediately hits Rin so hard with its tail making she can’t keep up guard. The tail is a particularly useful weapon for the Pan. With a single tail flick, they can effortlessly knock down their opponents.

Originally, Rin had faced the Pans before, but this Pan seemed to be smarter than the previous ones, making her subjective and unable to dodge, the monster slams its tail into her legs. Rin hits the ground, and a numbness spreads to her head from the wound, making her more alert.

But this Pan is too cunning, it does not wait for Rin to have time to prepare, and immediately rushes to continue to attack Rin. On Ari’s side, she is always heading her bow at Rin with fully alert. Feeling unsettled, she immediately lets go of her hand, the arrow gains tremendous momentum through the scales and pierces the monster’s head. The monster squeals in pain:

GRECCCC.

In the midst of the precarious situation, Ari quickly lets the bowstring go to save Rin a life, but she knows that this arrow also put them into a worse situation. Rin says:

– Damnnn! it’s screaming.

Ari immediately shouts:

– Rin, hurry back!

She knows that when the scream of the dying Pan resounds, its fellow creatures will respond all around the forest.

Right now, Rin is apparently hurt in Pan’s area, and the team has yet to locate Pan’s lair, so this fateful battle must be avoided for the time being. They then flee deep into the forest to seek sanctuary. Both men and horse run as fast as they can, with no intention of stopping or looking behind.

The five people help each other to escape from the Pans before they can bring their fellow creatures to support. They don’t know how long they ran, or how far the way is, but only see that the sun will go down soon. When they are sure that danger is behind them, they decide to choose a safe place to rest for the night, anyway, the group has an injured person and needs to make plans for the next day. Running along a trail deep in Gai Lan forest, the Ari group was fortunate to come across a cliff that is somewhat discreet, easy to defend, and hard to be attacked. The place is big enough for horses to rest and a group of five people to stay.

They decide to light a fire there to scare away wild animals as well as to prepare meals, with the doctor in charge of the food.

The light of the fire glows weakly on the faces of the five people in the dark night, and a breeze blows the heat to their faces and sprays into every pore on their bodies.

Ari sits still, staring at the tiny soot flying into the sky, making a crackling sound. Duong turns to Ari and asks:

-You said that the Pans have become so aggressive lately?

-Yes, Pan has ruled this forest for generations. They don’t interact with us much, but they had never hurt anyone. A few months ago, a villager got lost in the forest and went missing. Then the Pans started to become aggressive and tried to catch people to eat.

Ari replies sadly, her contemplative expression no longer as innocent as when she had just started on the journey.

– It could be the process of conversion.

Duong thought for a moment and then let out a firm statement.

– Process of conversion?

Everyone who hears what he says is extremely doubtful because they are unaware of it; even the doctor has never heard of these words. All of them gape at Duong, and even Nic who usually ignores everything, cannot stay out.

Responding to everyone’s gazes, Duong continues to calmly explain:

– The evil-creatures is the lowest form of the mysterious creature. They exist as an individual with intelligence and emotions. The Pans we have met are all in this form.

The scene is quiet on four sides even the crackling of flames became clear. Everyone was also silent, curious about the new knowledge in front of them, all listening attentively and Duong goes on to say:

– Although they have intelligence, they are easily manipulated by higher rank ones, namely the Pan’s lord. I think those Pans changed to monsters. When the evil-creatures turn into monsters, there are two ways: First is self-practice, forging spirit, and capacity. This method takes a lot of time, possibly decades. If successful, still retain the inherent instinct and personality. The second type is absorbing force from a certain source of energy that is suitable for the body or possessing the fetishes that can also create transformation. This method is faster but has limited energy sources, and it is difficult to find the right supply for the essence.

Duong pauses for a moment. He scrawled on the ground in the form of a Pan with its snout open in an attack position. Of course, Duong does not forget to draw a prey next to it, a very valuable prey. HUMAN!

Duong raised his head, his eyes sliding over the four faces looking at him bewildered, he took a quick breath and continued to explain. “But there is still another way, also the shortest and most common way. That’s eating intelligent species, like humans. The evil – creature cannibalism will become corrupt and degenerate. They will find ways to get more meat. Although this type has transformed into a monster, since its nature is gone, it will turn into a harmful species.”

After saying this, Duong turns his head to Ari, seeing that she is listening intently, he continues:

– I hypothesized that a few months ago when their food resources were scarce, someone had accidentally died in the woods, had been accidentally found by the Pan. Although human flesh is not in its menu, in this ruthless struggle for survival, the Pans need to adapt to survive. When its stomach growled, it ate the corpse. Of course, EAT is easier than NOT TO EAT.

BOOP! The wood is thrown to bait the fire by Duong, and in an instant, it is easily swallowed by the burning fire, Duong turns his eyes towards the dying fire, unable to hide his wistfulness, he says:

– After that, Pan lord became stronger, and began to metabolize. To find more human flesh, it manipulated the small pans to attack the villagers. The more humans it eats, the more transmutation it becomes.

He mutters again, turning his eyes to the sky, the new moon already over the top of his head inlays with gentle light on the mountains and forests. As if remembering something, Duong wakes up, regaining his uplifting mood.

– Well, stop here, we need to take a rest now, there will be a rotating guard tonight.

All of them, who has been listening intently, are suddenly interrupted in confusion. Realized it is quite late at night. Sleeping places are arranged quickly and carefully.

Only the doctor is slow, he is still overwhelmed, still wondering how such obvious inferences can be thought out by a young man. They have been struggling all day, they should have buried their heads and fallen asleep, but those tired people still can’t sleep. They have also crossed mountains and forests many times before, but doing dangerous things like this is still the first time. In this group, except for Duong, this is absolutely a new experience with the other four.

That night, they slept very hard. Their sleep is in vigilance, in insecurity and mixed with an indescribable euphoria.