"Is that it? Pathetic! Absolutely useless except for being disgusting."
Hidan continued his reckless taunting.
After all, a monster of that level just now didn't even deserve the title of "monster."
It was trash!
Shinji felt something was off upon hearing this. If it had only been a Level 3 Cursed Spirit, the guards sent by the Grass Country wouldn't have been completely annihilated.
But the fact was—they hadn't even managed to send a message. It was as if the entire squad had been wiped out.
So, where was the problem?
Shinji glanced at Hidan and suddenly remembered something—they might have fallen into a mental trap.
Although the old man had insisted there was a monster that devours humans, he never said there was only one!
For this no-man's land to have become a death trap like this, there couldn't possibly be just a single Level 3 Cursed Spirit.
That meant there were likely even more powerful cursed spirits lurking here.
Level 2? Level 1?
Or perhaps the most terrifying of all… a Special-Grade Cursed Spirit?
Shinji felt a sudden twinge of pain in his teeth. What had been an ordinary mission had suddenly become a nightmare.
He wanted to leave, yet he couldn't let go of the Cursed Soul Points so close at hand.
And… even if they wanted to escape now, it was probably too late.
So many days had passed without any reports of the "monster" reaching the Grass Country or the Evil God Cult. In fact, nobody even knew this thing existed. That could only mean one thing:
The monster had made this place its hunting ground. Humans were allowed in—but not out!
Anyone trying to flee would inevitably be caught and eaten immediately.
Shinji could sense that his guess was getting dangerously close to the truth.
"Tonight… won't be peaceful."
...
In the basement of a certain house.
"Mom, I'm hungry…"
"Be patient, my child. Dad will bring food soon."
In the darkness, a mother and daughter huddled together in a corner, covered with a tattered blanket.
Out of fear of attracting the monster, they hadn't dared to light a single candle.
If it weren't for unbearable hunger, the woman's husband wouldn't have risked going out for food.
But more than an hour had passed since he left—far beyond the promised time—which made the woman start to fear the worst.
Whether her husband had abandoned them or had been caught and eaten by the monster, she and her daughter would surely not survive alone.
Her face etched with anguish, the woman gently stroked her daughter's hair and spoke in a soft voice, repeating the same fairy tales she had told hundreds of times to distract her child from hunger.
After finishing the story once more, the daughter looked up with innocent eyes and asked, "Will a hero on a white horse really appear to defeat the evil monster?"
"There will definitely be one!"
Her mother answered with unwavering conviction, as much to reassure herself as to comfort her child.
"Then… is the white horse tasty?"
Faced with her daughter's naive yet heartbreaking question, the woman could only smile through tears. "A white horse is for riding, not eating. It's a hero's companion."
Upon hearing it couldn't be eaten, the girl's face fell. Then she asked, "So… if we could become the hero's companions, we wouldn't get eaten, right?"
"Mom, I don't want to be eaten. Can I go find the hero…"
Her mother's heart clenched, and she held her daughter tightly, torn between guilt and fear.
Guilt for being powerless and unable to feed her child.
Fear of losing her.
After all, the plots in fairy tales were lies—no hero would ride past on a white horse, swinging a sword, and slaughter all the monsters to save them.
Yet the daughter innocently believed that simply becoming a hero's companion could save her—a cruel irony.
Just as the mother couldn't hold back her tears, a noise suddenly came from above—the wooden board covering the basement entrance was being moved.
The woman froze, then whispered in a mix of joy and apprehension, her voice trembling: "Junichi… is that you, Junichi?"
"Yes, it's me. I'm back, and I found a lot of food. Wait for me, I'll be down shortly…"
"It's Dad!"
Hearing her father's voice and that he had brought food, the little girl broke free from her mother and lit up with joy.
But the woman suddenly acted frantically, pulling her daughter back and using the pre-positioned wood to block the basement entrance tightly.
"Mom, what are you doing? It's Dad! He's back, and he brought food!"
"Shut up! That's not your father—it's a monster!"
Suppressing her voice, the woman turned, tears streaming down her face.
Although the monster outside had flawlessly imitated her husband, even perfectly mimicking his voice, the couple had a secret code.
"Junichi" wasn't her husband's real name—it had been a test. But the intruder had responded without hesitation, as if completely unaware of their code.
Despite the pain, the woman had no choice but to fight to protect herself and her daughter.
Bang bang, bang bang!
The sound of hitting the wooden board came from above, but the board's reinforcement prevented it from breaking.
Then the voice continued, "Why won't it open? It's me, Junichi! Let me in, I found so much food."
The woman didn't respond, curling up in the corner while holding her daughter and covering her mouth to avoid drawing the monster's attention, hoping it would eventually leave.
Outside, the "man" didn't get a reply and escalated the act:
"Who are you?! Don't, don't take my stuff! That's my food, my water!"
After a while…
"Quick! Let me in! There's… a monster, a monster's here!"
"Please, let me in!"
Hearing the danger to her father, the daughter struggled violently, trying to open the door.
But the mother unleashed her full strength, holding her daughter no matter how much she bit or struggled.
Gradually, the sounds outside ceased—the monster appeared to have left.
The woman relaxed slightly, and the daughter tried to push the wood aside to let her father in.
The woman rushed to stop her.
Then, a cracking sound came from above.
Looking up, the woman felt as if she had plunged into an ice cellar, her entire body frozen with terror!
The wooden board had been split open with a sharp tool without her noticing, and through the gap, a terrifying, greedy eye stared intently at them.
"Found you… food~"