Chapter 1530: Meeting Humans (Part 1) For a fleeting moment, Gary wondered if they had been dragged into some kind of strange tutorial. After all, each of them carried a system. It gave quests and it was guiding them. When the white light swallowed them, he thought perhaps this new space would be another part of that system, something where they would face challenges, trials, or instructions. Maybe they would need to fight. Maybe they would need to speak with someone, solve riddles, or prove themselves against another test. That was the logic forming in his head, at least, until his nose caught a scent. And not just any scent. It wasn’t the sharp, heavy musk of vampires or the faint familiarity of werewolves. It was the unmistakable presence of humans. The realization made him hesitate. His steps slowed, and for a moment he doubted everything he had assumed. If there were humans here, if there were other living beings… then this wasn’t some simulated trial. This wasn’t a dream space where only their systems existed. It felt like a real world. The thought tightened in his chest. If this was real, then where exactly had they been sent? With those doubts circling in his head, Gary and the others continued onward. The three of them, Gary, Kai, and Lupus, followed the trail of the scent until they reached the top of a grassy hill. As they climbed the last few steps to the peak, the aroma grew stronger, richer. And then they saw it. Spread out below them was a village. Gary blinked several times, his eyes taking in the scene. It wasn’t like the tidy villages he remembered from his own world, with neatly aligned streets and stone houses that resembled cookie-cutter designs. This was something different. Something older. The buildings varied wildly in shape and size. Some looked patched together from heavy stone blocks, others topped with thatched roofs of thick hay, and many constructed with rough timber that seemed cut straight from the forest. The randomness of it all gave the place a rugged charm. Around the outskirts of the village, Gary spotted makeshift farming structures, wooden frames for drying harvests, small enclosures for livestock. By the river that wound behind the settlement, he saw people bent over, washing their clothes in the flowing water. Instead of paved paths, the ground was simply dirt. The earth was flattened and hardened from generations of footsteps, strips where grass had long ago been trampled away. From their vantage point, Gary estimated no more than fifty people lived here. Most looked young or middle-aged, with barely any elders in sight. “This looks like something out of a medieval movie,” Kai muttered, his voice breaking the silence. He tilted his head, scanning the old-fashioned homes and dirt roads. “Maybe we’re not just in another country… maybe this is a whole different world.” Lupus crossed his arms, his expression dark. “And which country do you know of that has endless land like this, dotted with small villages that look like relics?” Gary let out a small laugh. “New Zealand, maybe? Don’t they film all those little people movies there?” Kai rolled his eyes, though the tension in his jaw showed he wasn’t entirely joking either. “Look, arguing about it won’t help. Let’s just go down there and ask. If they’re people, then they’ll talk to us. With our luck, they’ll probably speak English anyway.” The three descended from the hill and stepped across the boundary of the village. Immediately, heads turned. Dozens of villagers looked up from their chores, their conversations faltering as they stared at the three strangers. Their gazes weren’t hostile, if anything, there was curiosity and surprise. Gary quickly realized why. Their clothes. The black and gold of the Howlers’ uniforms gleamed faintly in the sunlight. On Kai, it looked especially sharp and formal, and on Gary it gave him an imposing air. They stood out like lanterns in the dark. Even Lupus, though his outfit was simpler, was no less conspicuous. He wore a plain brown shirt that ended just above his biceps, leaving his muscular arms bare, along with trousers patterned in muted, almost camouflage tones. The fabric hugged his legs tightly, flexible enough to survive his transformations without tearing apart. It didn’t blend in here either. Yet the villagers didn’t back away. If anything, they smiled. “Well, at least they seem friendly,” Kai whispered under his breath. As they reached the village well, a man stepped forward to greet them. He stood out instantly. Broad-shouldered and scruffy, with a wild beard that framed his face. His tunic was rough, but over one shoulder he wore a leather guard, etched with long scratches that looked as though claws or blades had struck it countless times. More telling than anything, though, was the sword strapped at his side. Gary’s eyes narrowed. The weapon didn’t look decorative. It looked sharp, heavy, and used. ‘Is that thing real? Or is this some kind of cosplay village?’ Gary thought. ‘Why would we be sent here?’ The man’s grin spread wide as he threw his arms open. “Hello there, travelers! My name is Caram, and I’m the leader of this village, Caram Village. Great name, right? A very great name, if I do say so myself.” The three exchanged looks. They understood every word perfectly. Too perfectly. “It’s not often we get visitors here,” Caram continued, “and not ones as flashy as you. You must be from the city, yes?” “We are,” Kai answered after a pause. “The city of Slough. Have you heard of it?” Caram rubbed his beard thoughtfully, squinting at the unfamiliar name. “Slough, Slough, Slough… No, I can’t say I have. It must be far, very far from here. Which is what I figured, you three look lost.” “You’re right about that,” Lupus muttered. “That’s exactly what we’re trying to figure out. Just how far are we?” Caram’s gaze swept over them again, his eyes narrowing slightly. “You must have done well to travel across the plains yourselves. But I see no weapons, no armor. Just flashy clothes. How did you make it here with nothing to defend yourselves?” “No weapons?” Kai echoed. His eyes flicked toward the man’s sword. “You mean like that blade you’re carrying? Of course we wouldn’t bring weapons, we’d be arrested for carrying something like that where we’re from. But what do you mean by the plains? Why would we need weapons just to walk through them?” Before Caram could answer, a guttural roar ripped through the air. “GRAAAKKKK!” The sound rattled the earth, forcing the villagers to scatter. Heads whipped toward the noise, and Gary spun around with Kai and Lupus at his side. Charging from the horizon, its massive form blotting out part of the landscape, came a creature unlike anything they had seen before. Its body was covered in thick black hide, stretched tightly over heavy muscle. It ran low to the ground on all fours, its movements shaking the earth with every step. Its head was enormous, almost disproportionate, and jutting from either side were two massive tusks. Each tusk curved outward in a cruel arc, lined with jagged grooves that looked disturbingly like serrated teeth. Gary’s stomach dropped, his body tensing instinctively. “That’s… that’s a beast,” he said. *** For updates on MWS and future works, follow me on my social media below. 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