The branches of the trees spread widely toward the upper parts of the forest, catching the light, while the large leaves blocked the sky.
Some branches extended down to the ground, creating gaps and sending light to the lower layers of the forest.
A heavy rain began to fall, blocking the light and pressing the large leaves of the trees downward.
The strong leaves could carry large amounts of water until they became too heavy.
In the deep forest on the southern border of "The Empire," there was a village surrounded by large, wide trees.
There was a small square surrounded by trees, with decorations made of stones and bones hanging from their branches.
The square was surrounded by about 25-30 houses.
In the center of the square, there was a massive stone building, much larger than the other structures in the village.
The walls inside the stone building were covered with countless symbols.
In the middle of the stone building, there was an open area with a short but wide, pitch-black log, into which a stone shaped like an inverted T was placed.
An elderly man, hunched over with graying hair and a beard, opened his hands to both sides, palms facing the sky, and prayed.
"Oh great and noble lord, please bless and protect our village" With great concern in his eyes, he placed his offering on the log and cut it.
Blood began to flow.
In the southwestern part of the village, about 500-600 meters away from the houses, around 30 members of the village stood in the forest. Most were adult men, but there were also a few women and youths. They all had black hair and eyes.
Almost all of them had small wounds. Beneath them, there were numerous Tier 1 (normal beasts) danger beast corpses and a few Tier 2 (low-class) beast corpses.
"YOO Kato, we're done here!" shouted a tall, muscular man holding a bloody long spear. His voice was a little harsh, but it carried a cheerful tone.
About fifty meters away, through the trees, a blood-soaked, indistinct figure could be seen. This was Kato, the village's strongest warrior.
Kato shouted loudly, "I'm done too. They're all dead." In front of Kato was a small stack of Danger Beasts.
It was clear that the 30-member group had killed only a small portion of the beasts escaped from Kato's side.
Kato threw a three-meter-tall, seven-meter-long tiger over his shoulder and walked toward the team, saying, "That took too long. Let's go back without worrying ElderGenzo."
The man with the spear nodded, and the group, carrying the smaller beasts from the danger beast wave as offerings and foods, made their way to the center of the village.
The elderly man, Genzo, rushed out of the building with a worried look on his face and checked on the group.
Upon seeing the group, Genzo asked, stressed, "Daigo! Did we lose anyone?"
"HAHAHAHAH, relax, old man. Everyone's perfectly fine. We're tougher than you think." the man with the spear answered.
Genzo let out a sigh of relief. But when he turned to Kato and saw him drenched in blood, he looked at him as if he were some kind of monster and asked, "Are you hurt?"
Daigo grinned broadly and said, "Old man, I'm starting to think Kato isn't even human. He killed more danger beasts than the rest of us combined without a single scr—"
GGRRRRRRMMMMBL!
Genzo rushed to Daigo's side, worry etched across his face.
"What's wrong, Daigo?" he asked in a panic. Also everyone panicked when Daigo falls suddenly.
"T-... tell my wife i died starving..."
Genzo started kicking him roughly
"But this time im really gonna die. GUYS HELP!"
Everyone's laugh filled the air.
Genzo Kaimana lifted Daigo from the ground and said cheerfully, "I've prepared some ointment for the wounded, go take care of your wounds... Now that we've survived this danger beast wave, tell everyone, after the rain clears, there's a feast!"
Everyone entered the stone building with happiness, chatting happily as the wounded were treated. After a while, everyone went to their homes, except for Kato and Genzo.
Genzo anxiously asked, "Has the number of danger beasts increased again this period?"
"There's a significant increase. If this keeps up, we may start taking casualties. I've noticed that in the dry season, there are 50% more danger beasts compared to the wet season."
They lived in a tropical climate, with two seasons: the wet season and the dry season. During these two periods, the tribe regularly faced danger beast wave attacks.
Genzo sighed deeply, "I'm afraid of..."
--------------------------------
Daigo entered his house and saw his wife. She was a small woman, in sharp contrast to Daigo's towering 2-meter frame. With her long black hair and dark eyes, she looked like a typical village member. When she saw Daigo in his tattered, bloodstained clothes, a trace of concern crossed her face, and she rushed to his side.
"Darling, you've hurt yourself again!" Her eyes were already welling up with tears.
Daigo smiled warmly and comforted her, "I've already treated myself, and I've had worse injuries in the past. These are just scratches—"
She hugged Daigo tightly and began to cry.
The smile on Daigo's face faded. "I'm sorry. I promised I wouldn't get hurt again but i couldn't keep my promise." As he hugged her with one arm, he began wiping away her tears with the other.
After a while, She calmed down. A wide smile appeared on Daigo's face, and he said, "I won't go anywhere, I won't leave you and our child behind! I'm sure everything will be much better in the future." He gently rubbed her belly. Their child would be born soon.
"There's a feast tonight my wife. How are you feeling? Will you be able to join?"