The dim light illuminated the whole sky while gloomy clouds shrouded the horizon.
As the cold, chilling breeze swept through the encompassing land — bringing forth a depressing atmosphere — a shrill, desperate cry suddenly echoed from afar.
In the center of a small village, where a stone fountain devoid of water was being filled with wood and dry grass, a family of three can be seen being stoned by hundreds of villagers around them.
Their disheveled appearance could be seen huddling together — tightly — to protect a young girl in their center with their bare body, letting the hard stones hit their battered body instead.
"Kill that misfortune! Kill these three misfortunes!"
"It's your family's fault my son died of illness; you three deserve to be burned alive and die a horrible death!"
"My poor lily, you just played with that misfortune for a day, yet you ended up dying the next day. No worries, they will pay for their sin soon."
"Kill them! Kill them!! KILL THEM!!!"
Seeing the three didn't react to the accusations and curses that they hurled over or even utter a cry of pain after being stoned for a while, the villagers' eyes grew more perverted.
As if possessed, they increase the force and effort they put into throwing the stones and spoiled vegetables on their hands toward the family, causing the couple to bleed all over their bodies, to the point that their clothes began to tear.
...
"Mo-mom, did I do something wrong? Dad, I am scared."
Amidst the chaotic atmosphere, the trembling voice of the young girl weakly sounded; although it was weak, the couple protecting her still managed to hear her.
Hearing their daughter speak, the disheveled, pale woman with half of her face tainted with red could only silently close her eyes. Streaks of tears silently poured down from the corner of her cheeks as she bit her upper lip til it bled, knowing that their deaths were only around the corner.
Although she badly wants to comfort her daughter one last time, the pain she is experiencing right now is too much to bear; hence, she can only caress the hair of the girl to offer her warmth.
"No, how can my lovely girl do something wrong? You're just like an angel..."
Seeing this heart-wrenching sight, Naib swallowed the metallic taste forming in his throat before speaking to his daughter in a gentle tone.
While doing so, his eyes scanned the faces of those ungrateful villagers around them venomously, engraving their figures deep within his soul as killing intent enveloped his being. Right now, the only thing he wanted to do was to kill them all!
If he could just turn the time back, he wouldn't let the faces of these ungrateful bastards fool him! Who would have thought that after helping them drive those abominations hiding within the forest away, instead of paying them, these demons would draw their knives toward them?
That's right, those accusations were merely a facade; they all wanted to avoid paying by killing them!
Although Naib and his family proposed to forget about the payment upon understanding that they couldn't fight hundreds of normal people at the same time, the villagers were adamant about killing them.
The reason? They wanted to silence them so they could continue hiring spirit hunters. If Naib and his family spread the truth outside, then no spirit hunters would be willing to lend them a hand; hence, the villagers would end up fending off those abominations on their own, a thing that they are not willing to do, hence the current situation...
Unfortunately, there's no medicine for regret.
...
"F*ck this life! Not only did I transmigrate into this twisted world without a cheat, but now, we were also about to die.
"No, even if I die, I have to pave a way for my family to escape. I will not let them die in front of me!'
Indeed, other than being a spirit hunter, Naib was also not originally from this world; instead, he came from a planet called Blue Star.
After an unfortunate event that led to his death on that planet, he ended up waking up in this body, which was a decade ago.
Although the predecessor's life that time wasn't great — being an orphan and having no one to lean on — with his past profession as a butcher, Naib managed to survive for years... before eventually becoming a spirit hunter due to a fortunate and an unfortunate encounter.
Despite being at the bottom rung of the spiritual hunters association, life has always been at the end of one's rope, and being bullied every day, it's still better than being the norm whose life might end up without them knowing.
Moreover, with a wife with potential that surpasses him and a sweet daughter who always cheers him up, what else does a man like him wish for?
Unfortunately, due to trusting human nature too much, this beautiful life might end today.
"Sarah, I will draw their attention away. After I create an opening, you and Ren quickly head toward the depths of the forest... Remember not to look back."
Hearing the determination within Naib's voice, the blank look on the woman's face was immediately replaced by terror before switching to helplessness as her eyes trembled slightly.
Although she badly wanted to oppose her husband's words, in the end, she could only nod her head, knowing that there is no better option available that could possibly save her daughter's life.
"Take care; remember that we will always love you."
Hearing those words, Naib only offered a weak smile before dashing toward the nearest villagers around.
"RUN!!!"
With a desperate shout, Naib swung his fist with full force, erupting the accumulated anger deep within him, causing the villager's face to cave in upon collision, killing him in an instant.
Still not done, he grabbed the stone within the corpse's hand before throwing it toward the nearest person in sight, making the person cry in pain as he rushed toward its direction.
"Die! You all deserve to die!! I will not let any of you harm my family!" He bellowed with all his might.
AHHH!!!
However, just after uttering those words, a familiar desperate cry sounded behind him. With eyes filled with fear and denial, Naib immediately shifted his gaze behind him, only for his eyes to widen in pure terror.
NNOOOO!!