Joel cried. Ten minutes later, the door of the building suddenly opened.
Several people entered, and one man said,
"Is this the kid who killed him?"
There was no doubt when they looked at the scene. His eye was badly damaged, and he couldn't close it. He tried to cover it with his blood-stained hands. His hands were trembling.
"Criminals… look at me."
One man approached the boy, turned him around, and their gazes met.
Immediately, the man felt uncomfortable.
"What did you do to me?" he asked.
Then he vomited blood and fell to the floor.
Suddenly, someone threw a spear at Joel's face. But he reacted quickly. He blocked it with his arm. The spear slightly tore his skin, struck the wall, and fell to the ground.
Joel thought,
I don't have a choice.
They want my death.
He stood up without hesitation and looked at them.
Suddenly, they all died horribly.
Joel ran outside toward the forest, covering his eyes. The others tried to follow him, but they died at the entrance of the dark forest.
Later, another group of pursuers arrived and saw the horrible scene. Their comrades were lying on the ground, dead.
Another group inspected the building, and they all witnessed a terrifying sight: blood and internal organs scattered everywhere.
Someone vomited on the floor.
"It is the work of a devil," he whispered.
At that moment, at the entrance of the Cursed Forest, a short-haired adventurer with blue eyes and a scar on his face smiled maliciously and said,
"This child came from the Cursed Forest. He's a monster. A beautiful prey like that shouldn't escape. And that bastard Stephane was taking advantage of him, so he'll pay his debts instead."
Some people swallowed their saliva and replied,
"But it's the Cursed Forest. We can't venture there."
The adventurer was fearless. He said,
"I've cheated death many times. It's not a kid who will scare me."
Then he advanced into the Cursed Forest, walking with complete confidence.
On the other side, Joel was running without stopping. Finally, he climbed a tree and cried,
"Why am I like this? Why am I not normal like others?"
He lamented his fate, feeling alone and abandoned in this cruel world.
Tears flowed down his face as he closed his eyes, praying for someone—anyone—to hear him and understand him.
But there was only the silence of the forest and the wind blowing through the trees like a mocking whisper.
Meanwhile, the adventurer entered the Cursed Forest cautiously, his saber drawn and ready to strike. He took out a lamp and murmured,
"Find my prey."
A blue light came out of the lamp and began searching for its target.