The young man was struck by something, causing his body to explode into a shower of blood instantly.
Flesh and blood splattered everywhere, even reaching those standing more than ten meters away.
Silence… A silence so profound that everyone present could hear their breathing.
At this moment, they could see that the dark figure was a monstrous creature over two meters tall, its outer skin as black as metal.
Two sharp fangs curved upward, and it gripped a spiked club weighing more than two hundred kilograms in its hand.
Even from a great distance, they could feel the overwhelming danger and the chilling presence of death emanating from it.
No one knew who screamed first, but the crowd immediately broke into a frantic escape as soon as the cry rang out.
Yes, the monster they had just witnessed was none other than Urlgan.
To him, these Lords were no different from ants, while he was the giant towering over them.
After evolving to Rank D-Peak and being further strengthened by Noan using the remaining Skeletons, Urlgan's power had increased by more than 20% compared to before.
Additionally, thanks to the artifact 'Pioneer's Medal,' Urlgan and the other monsters under Noan's control received another 20% boost in strength.
It could be said that Urlgan's power had now reached an utterly terrifying level.
Watching the terrified and panicked crowd flee, Urlgan's eyes remained emotionless.
To him, those weaker than him were mere insects. Just as humans kill ants without guilt or sorrow, he feels nothing in this moment.
Without hesitation, Urlgan lunged toward the fleeing people, swinging the spiked club in his hand.
Instantly, the frail young man's body was smashed into a gruesome mix of blood and flesh.
The girl who often complained fell to the ground when the young man's blood splattered onto her face.
Panicking, she frantically wiped her eyes with her sleeve, but as soon as she looked ahead, she saw Urlgan.
His massive figure, the terrifying aura, and the breath of death emanating from him made her tremble so violently that she wet herself.
"No… no…" she stammered, trembling, "Please… please… don't kill me… please…"
Urlgan tilted his head slightly, swung the club in his hand, and…
A series of explosions echoed, and the forest again sank into silence.
Urlgan glanced around. Seeing that only one survivor remained, he turned and left.
The fat man sat on the ground, trembling like a dog before a lion.
He was certain his life would end here, but the monster simply turned away, ignoring him completely.
Realizing this, the man was overjoyed, but his legs shook so badly that he couldn't stand up.
With no other choice, he could only crawl on the ground.
Caleb furrowed his brows and shouted, "A monster appeared in the food forest? Are you joking with me?"
It was nighttime. The usual gathering place for Caleb's subordinates is in a small wooden house by the river.
After hearing their report, Caleb could no longer hide his shock and fear.
He trusted that his subordinates wouldn't lie to him, but this was simply too unbelievable.
"A zombie attack?" Caleb frowned and asked.
He asked because the zombie horde was just over ten miles from the food forest.
If that horde had reached the food forest, it would mean their food supply had been completely cut off.
A young man said, "It doesn't seem to be zombies."
Hearing that, Caleb frowned and said, "Explain clearly."
The young man nodded and said, "Boss, according to the only survivor, it wasn't a zombie but a monster resembling the Orc race."
"It was over two meters tall, its entire body covered in a tough black hide that looked like metal, and it wielded a massive spiked club." Find the newest release on novｅlfire.net
"Its strength was terrifying—just one swing of its club could explode a person into pieces. It could even snap a tree over ten meters tall with bare hands."
"What's even more outrageous is… after those Lords died, their territories were completely looted, not a single thing was left behind."
Caleb took a deep breath, fear creeping into his heart.
The moment he heard that the dead Lords' territories had been looted, he immediately thought of Noan.
However, he quickly dismissed that thought.
Because Noan's soldiers were all Skeletons. Besides, based on his subordinate's description, the monster's strength seemed to have surpassed Rank D, nearing Rank C—or perhaps it had already reached Rank C.
He had to acknowledge that even his Stone Golem couldn't break a ten-meter tree with its hands.
Nor could it obliterate a Lord in a single strike.
If Noan had such overwhelming power, he would have wiped out all the Lords in this area long ago—why would he need such a complicated scheme?
Caleb furrowed his brows and asked, "Is there any way to find out who looted the dead Lords' territories?"
The young man shook his head.
Caleb glanced at the others; they also shook their heads, looking at him in confusion.
He frowned and asked, "How many people have died so far?"
"As of now, seventeen people have died. They were members of three different Lord groups, who entered the food forest in turn, along with three of our members," the young man reported. "Only one person survived."
Caleb wasn't surprised at all; in fact, he found this completely natural.
After all, many people were there—one lucky survivor wasn't unexpected.
Caleb stroked his chin, deep in thought.
'If that monster is an Orc, then this isn't too difficult,' Caleb thought.
If it had been a zombie, the spread of the virus could have threatened the survival of this entire region.
But if it was an Orc, he didn't have to worry about that.
"I understand!" Caleb nodded and said, "Gather the thirty strongest Lords to follow me—we're going to kill that monster."
"Boss!" Another person spoke up. "Are you planning to attack it?"
"Are you afraid?" Caleb frowned.
"No!" The young man grinned and laughed, "Hahaha… I've been feeling bored lately, so I want to fight for a change."
"Me too," another person added. "We've been here for so long without a proper battle. Now that we have the chance, we have to seize it."
"It's just a monster. Even if it's Rank D, there's no way it can stand against such many Lords."
Seeing everyone's confidence, an inexplicable sense of unease crept into Caleb's heart. It was like a massive hand pulling strings behind the scenes.
However, he quickly dismissed the thought, thinking he was being overly suspicious.
If someone could control such a terrifying monster, they would have emerged and become this region's ruler.
Besides, this area was filled only with Rank F and Rank E Lords. Caleb refused to believe that someone with overwhelmingly superior strength would appear here.
No, Caleb didn't believe it—he didn't want to believe it.
After everyone left, Anna remained behind. She approached Caleb and gently asked, "Caleb, are you worried?"
Caleb took Anna's hand, frowned, and said, "You don't need to come with me. Just stay here at home."
"I must face an incredibly powerful monster this time, but don't worry."
"No matter how strong it is, as long as we gather the Lords, killing it will be easy."
Caleb reasoned that he wasn't wrong. The intelligence of most wild monsters was low, making them easy to trap.
That was why he felt so confident.
He believed that as long as he prepared adequately, even if that monster was Rank D or even D+, it wouldn't be able to defeat them.
Moreover, Caleb refused to believe that even with the combined strength of over thirty Lords, they couldn't take down a mere Rank D monster.
He was convinced that with the Lords' power and intellect, they could still emerge victorious even if the monster was Rank C.