Seeing Selene about to speak, then suddenly stopping, and then looking down as if she had heard something, Richter and Louise immediately reacted—whatever she was seeing, it wasn’t normal! “I implore the Eternal Cycle, the God who unravels all suffering!” Richter took a step back and, during the brief interval of the divine spell, quickly cast two spells to anchor their minds, then finished his prayer, “Please unravel us from all suffering!”

His hand drew an infinity symbol in the air, then, returning to the starting point, drew a line through it.

The divine spell took effect. Waves of blue-black magical energy spread out, and their negative emotions rapidly dissipated like mist under the sun. Logic and reason took over their minds. Selene, who had been slightly dazed from fear, immediately took a few steps back, avoiding the gaze of the head, which was wriggling, trying to crawl out of the pile of clothes.

Even without limbs or a body, even blinded and deafened, even without life, it still moved forward bit by bit, using its forehead, its rotting flesh, its barely attached teeth, wriggling, like a clown, relentlessly approaching.

And as it moved, even in this state, it still smiled.

【Shhh…】

Louise stepped forward, shielding Selene. Though she still couldn’t see what the so-called “treasure” was, whether it was living or dead, or what its abilities were, she always had some tricks up her sleeve.

A hazy, purple mist, seemingly containing a spirit, suddenly appeared on the empty ground in front of the three, engulfing the skull, the clothes, and the mound of dirt. A moment later, Louise reached out her hand, half a foot away from the mist.

Then she suddenly clenched her right fist.

The expanding mist contracted, and the matter within it was compressed into a sphere about ten centimeters in diameter. Under the increasing pressure, it continued to shrink until it disappeared completely.

A chilling wind swept across the village, swirling, then drifting away.

“Is it gone?” Richter looked at Selene.

Selene looked strangely at the village. The wind carried a stronger metallic scent, and the sweet smell was more noticeable. It almost made her want to eat it… Realizing that the wind wasn’t the main issue, she turned her gaze back to the ground and said firmly,

“It’s gone.”

“What was it?” Louise turned around. “Was it some kind of object? I saw you look like you heard something…”

Selene hesitated. If she spoke, Richter and Louise would know about the skull, and would be aware of the possibility of similar things in the village, but this might lead to new dangers… And those repeated whispers of “Shhh…” couldn’t simply be an imitation, could they?

After carefully organizing her thoughts, Selene shook her head.

They didn’t have enough information yet. Speaking might bring danger. Staying silent seemed safe for now… If they were strangers, this kind of secrecy might affect their teamwork. But they weren’t strangers.

And this silence, this refusal to share information, was itself information.

“Right.”

Richter and Louise exchanged glances, immediately understanding.

“Now that the immediate danger is gone, let’s proceed with our plan. Let’s go to the village entrance and look for a notice board,” Richter stroked his chin. “But Louise, you know Selene better than I do. Keep an eye on her. There are things like soul-stealing ghosts and brain-eating monsters that can subtly affect a person’s mind. We can’t rule out the possibility that whatever we dealt with might…”

Louise nodded and said earnestly,

“Don’t worry. I practically raised that kid… Just kidding.”

After a brief adjustment, the three continued forward, along the bumpy, dusty road. As they walked further, the half-circle hole Louise had made disappeared.

Under the fence, next to the dirt wall, a small mound of dirt reappeared. A new set of words was written, as if a child were muttering, writing on the ground with their finger.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

【They don’t like my treasure… It’s so cute…】

...

They didn’t encounter any anomalies or dangers along the way. The road to the village entrance wasn’t long, but because it was crooked and uneven, and because the three were on high alert, it took them about half an hour to reach the end.

There was a small wooden house there, seemingly a guardhouse. The fence and the dirt wall extended from both sides of the house, forming an enclosure. A small notice board stood next to the house.

Exchanging glances, confirming that there were no anomalies within their range of perception, the three, even more alert, approached the house and the notice board, able to see the papers attached to the wood.

The papers were layered on top of each other, the material coarse and yellowed, and the writing wasn’t particularly clear. Richter glanced at them and memorized the contents.

“It’s all pretty standard stuff. You need to pay a toll to enter the village. The lord needs to collect taxes… Most of it is that. The papers pinned underneath have orders from when the army passed through.”

Louise then went to take a look and nodded in agreement. She and Richter looked at Selene.

Selene blinked and looked at the notice board, at the drawing on top of the papers.

【Don’t go into the mountains! Don’t go into the mountains! Don’t go into the mountains!】

【No matter who you are, whether you’re a superhuman or not, don’t go! If a companion wants to go, stop them. Break their legs. Break their arms. If you still can’t stop them, kill them!】

Surprised by this warning, Selene paused, sharing these sentences with her companions.

“…Listen, the writer’s mental state wasn’t very good. And the drawing… is that Jose?” Louise frowned, making a guess, then glanced at the village, at the wooden structures stretching towards the heights. “‘Into the mountains’ refers to the mountaintops, or does it mean we can’t go any further?”

“The reliability of that statement needs further discussion,” Richter touched his collar. He seemed used to touching a scarf, but he wasn’t wearing one, so he touched his collar instead. “Selene, try to copy the writing… If it’s Jose’s handwriting, I should be able to recognize it.”

After Selene did her best to imitate the writing, Richter glanced at it and confirmed,

“It’s Jose… He has a habit of adding a small stroke at the end of each character.”

But his attempt to discern it was pointless. As Selene read the next sentence, Jose revealed his identity.

【You might be wondering, you might be surprised, but… no matter what, read this first, if you want to survive.】

【First, you should know that this village is called “Tatra.” At least, before everything changed, it was an old, quiet village with beautiful scenery. The villagers were strange, but kind and welcoming. My name is Jose. I came here with the “Your Work” caravan, but after spending a night at the inn at the entrance of the village, everything changed.】

【I believe what I saw is what you saw—quiet and empty. Except for the insects, there were no living things. And no one could leave. It was as if an invisible wall surrounded the village, trapping us, the few dozen people left from the caravan, in a place that once held thousands… By the time I wrote this, only I and ■■ remained.】

【Everyone in the caravan is dead. Even the mage, without any resistance, died after encountering the danger in this village. But their sacrifices weren’t meaningless. At least we know what we can do, what’s dangerous, and what we can try if we prepare beforehand. We also know what we absolutely cannot do.】

【First, though I’ve said this many times, I still need to emphasize this—do not go to the mountaintop! Using the ruined church, whose deity is unknown, as a boundary, the area below it is dangerous, but you can still survive. The area above the church is strictly forbidden! Don’t ask why. Just know that some idiot went into the church, then to the mountaintop, and we lost twenty people because of it!】

【The following are some things to keep in mind to survive.】

【After nightfall, don’t stay outside. Go inside a building immediately. If you see lights outside or hear sounds, pretend you didn’t see or hear anything. If possible, hold your breath and pretend there’s no one in the room. Believe me, you definitely don’t want to join them.】

【We’ve marked each house. A circle means it’s safe and you can stay there. Intertwined lines mean there’s danger, but you can enter if you’re prepared, but don’t stay too long. A chaotic jumble of lines means don’t go in. It’s very dangerous… The danger in the houses comes from some low-intelligence undead who act purely on instinct. We suspect that something terrible happened here in the past, creating a lot of undead and restless spirits. They’re trapped here. If you’re a cleric from the Divine Glory Church, you could try to purify them. You might be able to create a safe zone.】

【Then there’s the inn. The inn is relatively safe, or at least, the danger is minimal. The rooms are safe, and there’s food on the first floor. I and ■■ ate there. It tasted strange, but it was edible. The only thing you need to watch out for is don’t go to the first floor after nightfall. There are restless spirits drinking and partying there. Don’t join them.】

…What is this? Am I in some kind of rule-based horror movie? Selene couldn’t help but curse, sighing with relief.

Based on the message, the danger in the village seemed to be coming from “undead,” and everyone knew that “undead” could be fought and killed. And Jose hadn’t died here in the real world, which meant there was a way out.

Theoretically, the three of them should survive, and even if they encountered danger, they could fight and win… But according to the message, Jose and the nameless person had also survived, yet hadn’t seen each other. Did they simply avoid each other, or was this because the time jumped after the two left?

…Based on the previous experiences, staying in one place for too long brought danger. Not following the rules also brought danger.

We need to follow the rules and find a way to move time forward.

Selene quickly figured out what she needed to do and shared the information with her companions.