Under the crying clouds and roars of thunder was the Rain Village shrouded in an eerie atmosphere.

No one dared to go out. No one was brave enough to do so. They were afraid; afraid of this mysterious plague. That's why despite hearing the cries of the man earlier, no one answered.

Only the doctor, whose name is Robert, offered to help due to his expertise and profession.

"It all started a week ago," Robert recalled all events that transpired 7 days ago. "Villagers started getting fevers, colds, and coughs. Many of them also experienced nausea, paranoia, and other symptoms not normal for a regular illness."

Zeus and the doctor continued walking to the doctor's temporary home.

"I am a doctor in a nearby village and after hearing this news, I hurried here to see if I could do something. However, this illness…" Robert shook his head. "No, this plague is not something I could defeat. My knowledge of medicine was too lacking to counter this spreading disease. It was then I found that this plague was coming from a mutated rat hiding in one of the village's houses."

Listening to Doctor Robert, Zeus frowned. There were so many things that he wanted to confirm but he decided to listen first. Only when he gets the information he needs is the right time to plan.

"I tried to fight it, hoping I could save them but then…" Robert paused for a second and continued, "...but then the infected began to mutate. They turned violent and moved out of their rationality. At first, we could stop it, however, as time passed, they were getting stronger and their bodies started to turn into ugly creatures."

"In the end, I was forced to kill it."

Robert lowered his head. Even for him, killing people was too burdensome to shoulder. However, it was their own good. If he didn't, they were the ones enduring the impact of their negligence.

"Did you kill the source of the plague?" Zeus asked.

"No."

"How come?" Zeus' eyes narrowed. Killing a mutated creature should be easy since doctor Robert had a talisman. Just one of them would be enough.

"You must be confused why I didn't kill it when I have talismans, right?" Robert pushed the door and sauntered inside the house. Zeus followed him.

Robert continued with a hoarse tone, "It's because…the rat was the previous village chief."

As soon as the words strained his ears, Zeus' eyes narrowed.

"The village chief huh?"

'So the villagers are protecting this rat?' He thought.

If so, then who issued the mission to eradicate this plague? It shouldn't be the villagers if they were protecting this village chief that had turned into a mutated rat.

'Which means…'

Robert took a seat on a wooden chair before lighting up another candle that illuminated the small house.

"No matter how much I persuade them, no matter how much I educate them, they won't listen at all. 'Our village chief is the nicest man we know' they said. I understand what they were saying but that monster is no longer the village chief they know."

"Is that why you issued a mission?" Zeus asked, taking a seat across from the doctor.

"Yes. Since I cannot do it, it would be better if I ask for the kingdom's assistance. Maybe that way, the villagers would listen."

"But why a mission?" Zeus was confused. "If you reported it to the knights, they would surely help you for free."

The Rain Village might be small and only a group of commoners. However, no matter how poor this place is, it wouldn't change the fact that it was still a part of the kingdom. The jurisdiction and rules of the kingdom still applied here. This means that plagues such as this won't go unnoticed.

Even then, after heading his thoughts, Doctor Robert shook his head.

"You're still a fresh young man after all. Maybe that's why you don't know how they rule." Robert smiled bitterly. "They would solve this problem, yes. However, how long do you think it would take before they act? A week? A month? Or maybe when all the villagers are already dead? I cannot rely on their promises, young man."

"For them, our existence is nothing. They would only bother with this case when it started to spread in the capital or when it might affect the nobles and their businesses. That's how the kingdom works."

"I see." Zeus lowered his head.

He understood now. The reason why Robert filed a mission was that as long as adventurers see that there's a reward, no matter how difficult it is, someone would certainly be fooled to take it.

This also means…

"Another adventurer should be here beside me, right?"

Although he's not familiar with the mission rules, Zeus could still guess that much.

Robert nodded. "Yes, it's Khan but 2 days ago, he expanded the area of investigation outside the village. You might not be able to meet him as I don't know when he'll go back."

"It's alright. At least I know the details of this mission now. As for my next plans, maybe I could start with asking the villagers first. Is there any way I could do that?" Zeus asked.

He needed help from the doctor. After all, no villagers wanted to leave their houses. Although he doesn't know how big this village is and how many is their population, everyone should know something about this plague. Something even the doctor doesn't know.

Doctor Robert looked at the clock striking at 11:50

AM before turning back to Zeus.

"You wait for a few minutes. Every 12 noon and midnight, the rain stops. That's when they go out." Doctor Robert stood up, walked to the small kitchen, and brewed a hot coffee. "Although I don't recommend talking to them, maybe you can find someone who is open-minded and doesn't mind hearing your opinions."

"Thank you for the information, Doctor." Zeus stood up and trudged towards the door. He took one final look at the doctor before leaving the house.

…

Tap, tap—

The sounds of the splattering raindrops rapidly diminished. Any moment now, the rain would stop.

"Should be time," Zeus muttered, looking intently for any doors that might open at any time. Hopefully, he could ask an open-minded person otherwise he could only try to find the previous adventurer that appeared here before him.

At that moment, as if they talked about it already, the doors opened with a loud bang. Every villager peeked left and right and after seeing that it was completely safe, they exited their houses.

Zeus didn't waste time and stepped forward, garnering several eyes.

"Excuse me." Zeus smiled and approached one of the villagers. However, they pulled back, not even bothering to hide their vigilance. He felt numerous eyes containing hostility and malice but as they were just regular humans, he ignored it.

Zeus sighed before continuing. "I want to inquire about the village chief. Is there anyone I could talk to?"

Everyone didn't move but a commotion stirred amongst the people he questioned. They were vigilant, it seems.

"Don't worry, I'm only here to help. And if there's anything I could help you with, don't hesitate to tell me." Zeus said, however, despite his assurance, nobody stepped forward.

Zeus observed everyone's reaction from the children to the elderly. The children had fears etched on their faces while the elderly were clearly feeling a complicated emotions.

With this, Zeus confirmed one thing.

'They were aware of the village chief's danger.'

But the fact that they still protected it made him wonder if this village chief used some extraordinary means like mind controlling or brainwashing. The only thing is… that seemed too impossible for a mutated man since they lose their intellect in the process of transformation.

'It's a pity.'

At times like this, It would have been easy if they cooperated. But, Zeus was determined to complete the mission no matter what happens.

Even if it means assassinating the village chief.

At that moment,

'Huh?'

Zeus perceived an unusual presence.

…

Deep in the forest, sounds of fleeting wind accompanied by a large figure echoed. The bushes rustled as this figure rushed towards the Rain Village in a haste.

Swish—

As the light shone on his face, the man's figure could be described in detail.

It was a big man but rather than saying that, it's more appropriate to call him a fat man. He's well over 5 foot 8, has black hair, and a perfectly chubby face. The man wore a neon-colored striped shirt and gray long pants. Raincoat wrapped tightly around his body.

He's Khan, an E-rank adventurer.

However, despite his size, he moved too fast like a silent lightning bolt.

Swish—

"The rain stopped." Khan looked ahead. The village's entrance entered his eyes. Together with the rain, he slowed down and observed the villagers exiting their houses.

'What's going on?' he thought. For some reason, everyone seemed to be looking in one direction. Bewildered by this, Khan followed their gazes and it soon landed on a young man dressed in wet clothes.

As he inspected this young man, his eyes shifted to his belt where a small badge was clipped.

"Another adventurer?" He murmured. He stayed for a while, listening to his ramblings. But, after hearing his antics, the man shook his head.

'You're not getting any information from them.' Khan said inwardly.

After all, he already tried this and what he received were nothing more than their scornful eyes.

As he was about to leave, a hand grabbed his shoulders, rooting him in his position.

"Wait."

A young voice called him out.

"Are you Khan?"