38. A: Finding a Path.

Blankly staring around for a while, I start feeling bored.

Then, judging this series of events as finished, and the possibility of new things happening to be nonexistent, I start walking forward.

Step by step, I walk while gradually increasing my speed with every step I take.

In such a manner, not even moments later, and I was dashing through this dark forest for a second time. This time with me been swept by excitement, not to forget the feeling of been energized that is still affecting me.

Dashing through trees while in a good mood, to the degree that I even started humming, I only tried following the paths that looked familiar to me, trying to find the right one.

Though, even after searching around for a while, I just ended up with no result. With me once more, finding myself unable to locate the path leading back to the first building.

"Well, I was lost, after all, so it's not like just reaching here will magically show me the path back"

Though this time, at the very least, I don’t have a deep bleeding hole in my shoulder, so I can slowly have my time, as I search around.

And with my choice decided, all I could do was to leisurely search for a clue leading to the rat’s building while happily humming, like a little kid on a school field trip.

Spending my time like that, I looked around, searching through trees, and paths, with no results appearing in the first half an hour.

But not giving up, I kept looking nearby until I found a broken spear on the ground.

“is not this mine?"

Judging it to be the spear I used last time in killing the first bald fang from my tag game with them, I look around it, but there is nothing special here.

"Nothing. That’s weird. I thought I would find another disintegrating corpse in this place. Could it be that the corpse was taken by something? or was it maybe absorbed ?”

Well, I don’t if it was taken for food or something.

"No. before that, do monsters need food, to begin with ?"

They should have stamina stats too, so? I don’t know.

Though, if it comes to absorbing other monsters' curses, it should be the normal thing when thinking about it.

Because If I was able to do it, then these monsters should be able to do it too.

“well, if the bald fangs were a type of monsters that preferred living in each other’s close surroundings, it won't be weird if they were to devour each other’s corpse or even absorb its curse.”

And that may also explain the disappearance of its corpse. Also, the rats too may do the same, it’s not clear after all if the corpse would disintegrate naturally, first, or get its curse absorbed first, especially if a group of the same monster was living next to each other.

“No actually, even if they were not of the same group. If simply a strong monster, or a different monster species, was in the surrounding when another one died, it may also get there lured by the curse. though it may depend on the circumstances at the time, who knows?”

After all, I do not know if monsters do attack each other or not.

And in the last time, I was here, even though the rats acted hostile toward the fangs, they haven’t fought, instead, they were just threatening them, to protect their territory or their building in this case.

So I can’t be sure if monsters do fight, or not.

But even so, I can’t dismiss the possibility.

That even if monsters don’t fight each other, a very stronger monster will still try to raid weaker ones, if it was lured by enough curse amount.

“though it’s just a possibility, after all, it’s not like I met any other monster feeding on the others, or seen a monster that strong around.”

Of course, it’s not like I deny the possibility for one to exist, but for now, I don’t think I will be meeting it, as long as nothing too crazy happens, or a person with bad luck appears.

Well, with my path found now, I leave thinking for a later time and start humming once again while walking carefully toward the old rats’ building.

Slowly and carefully walking, I stop to grip my halberd, in case a sudden battle starts or something.

Then resuming walking while looking ahead, I try not to make a loud sound.

“Though they can’t hear me anyway. But just in case.”

After all, some caution is always a good thing, even if it’s a boring thing sometimes.

And with such a mindset, moving slowly, then getting behind a tree, I carefully observe the two buildings and their surroundings ahead of me.

The first one, which is nearest to me being an old building. Or at least an old-looking building, because of its bad state, the moss on its wall, and all the giant rats that are living inside it.

The second was a building not far from it, on the other side from me. Almost looking like the first one, with the difference being the multiple bald fangs walking around it and nothing moving inside it.

“At least, I don’t see anything moving for now.”

But I still need to be careful in case something lives inside.

For this reason, I am planning to give that building a visit later.

After I finish taking care of the things in its surrounding.

But for now, I will first focus on finishing all the enemies on the outside.

Looking at the fangs walking around the building and the rats hiding in their own place without getting out, I start thinking of my plan of action.

Even if I have become a level 6, I am not that strong compared to the fangs status-wise, though it sure is different if it comes to skills, battle experience, and clear thinking. Oh, and agility too, maybe?

“But even so, I don’t feel like testing my luck in a one-on-many fight if possible.”

And with that in mind, my best possible course of action simply is to ambush them, one by one.

With that thought in mind, I crouch down a little, then holding a pebble near my foot, I aim at fang that is nearly 15 meters from me, and ...

Thud.

Throw it, hitting its head.