Chapter 120: Whispers in the Ear

Chapter 120: Whispers in the Ear

"May I ask who you are?" The middle-aged man, although unfamiliar with Rain, bowed respectfully.

The current Rain was no longer the skinny commoner he had been two months ago.

At this moment, Rain stood at a moderate height, with a robust build, riding a tall horse, wearing a set of knight's plate armor, and carrying a large double-bladed greatsword wrapped in parchment. He exuded a powerful and formidable aura.

The impression he gave was that of a formal knight, or at the very least, a knight apprentice.

"I am Rain. Is this Agatha's Mill? I heard about the mysterious incident here, and I've come to handle the matter." Rain dismounted and nodded to the middle-aged man.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man's face lit up with joy. "Yes, this is Agatha's Mill. Rain, I am Gregory Viktor, the steward of Baron Watson's family, and I am delighted to meet you!"

"Mr. Gregory, could you please give me a detailed account of the situation?" Rain looked around and noticed that at this moment, although the problem had occurred in the two windmill mills, the remaining mill for grinding flour had very few workers.

It seemed that the rumors of the ghost's existence and the series of deaths had left most people with lingering fears.

"Of course, Rain. Please come and sit over here, and have a cup of bitter chrysanthemum tea."

Rain and Gregory sat down in a nearby farmhouse. After they settled, Gregory began to narrate the details of the entire incident.

"Not long after Baron Watson purchased Agatha's Mill, one day, a thick fog enveloped the mill, lasting an entire day. The next morning, we found two farmers who had come to grind flour dead in the windmill closest to the mountain. They had been disemboweled, and their necks and bodies bore obvious claw marks. Initially, we thought it was some kind of wild beast, so we hired a bounty hunter. But the next day, the bounty hunter also met his end at the hands of the creature."

"After the consecutive deaths, an experienced bounty hunter arrived. He examined the wounds on the corpses and inspected the area around the windmill. He said he could smell the stench of decay and the presence of ghosts."

"Since then, no bounty hunter has dared to take on this task."

"It wasn't until recently that Baron Watson sent a team of family guards to investigate. After a night, all five of them were found dead in the two windmill mills, their bodies sprawled in disarray."

"Their chainmail had been torn open by sharp claws, and their bodies were covered in blood and gore! After that, the two windmill mills were sealed off." Gregory's face showed a hint of terror, as if he was still shaken by the gruesome scene.

Rain nodded. It seemed that the claws of the ghost or monster had high killing power, capable of tearing through chainmail.

"Mr. Gregory, have you seen the monster?"

"No, not yet. No one has seen the monster's appearance, which is the most unsettling part." Gregory frowned as he spoke.

The unknown is frightening.

"I understand. Leave the rest to me." Rain nodded.

Whether the culprit was a ghost or not was still unknown.

Rain decided to go and inspect the two windmill mills. Although the bodies had already been dealt with, there should still be some traces at the scene.

"Rain, here are the keys to all the farmhouses and the three windmill mills." Gregory respectfully handed Rain a set of bronze keys.

"Then I'll trouble you, Rain. I'll immediately report your arrival to the Baron."

Rain nodded, took the keys, and headed towards the two windmill mills alone.

It was already nearing noon, but strangely, the weather began to change. The initial bright and sunny day gradually became foggy, which was unusual since fog typically occurred in the morning or evening. At noon, the sunlight was usually at its strongest, dispersing any mist, but now, the situation was reversed.

This prompted Rain to silently heighten his vigilance.

Using the bronze key, Rain unlocked the door of the first windmill mill with a 'click'. Instantly, a damp, musty smell mixed with the scent of grain wafted towards him, along with a faint stench.

The windmill mill had a unique design, with a narrow top and a wider base, forming a cylindrical shape. The grinding area at the bottom was a circular space of about a hundred square feet.

Inside, various farming tools, stone grinders, and other objects were neatly arranged.

Rain approached the stone grinder and began to examine it. Although some time had passed, clear dark red bloodstains were still visible on the stone.

Rain crouched down and carefully inspected the splattered bloodstains. Combined with the account of Gregory, the steward, it seemed that the farmers who had come to grind flour had been attacked by sharp claws, directly hitting their necks, causing blood to spurt out, leading to their swift deaths.

After examining the first windmill mill, Rain opened the door and stepped outside.

At this moment, the fog outside had thickened, and visibility had significantly decreased. Rain could only clearly see objects within about ten meters; beyond that, even with his sharp eyesight, everything was blurry.

After some thought, Rain did not retreat but proceeded to the second windmill mill. He unlocked the door with the bronze key, pushed it open, and stepped inside. This windmill mill had an almost identical interior structure to the previous one.

Similarly, Rain discovered bloodstains on the stone grinder here, radiating outwards, just like the previous victim's.

Based on this, Rain believed that the two farmers had died from the same type of attack.

In other words, the victims had all been killed by the same method.

Suddenly, Rain sensed something moving in the air, and the skin on his exposed hand felt the flow of air within the room.

This prompted Rain to immediately unsheathe the 'Radiant Greatsword' from his back and grip it tightly.

In the face of an unknown enemy, Rayn, clad in knight plate armor and possessing the Extraordinary Trait 'Iron Skin', was still wary of being ambushed. Who knew how powerful their attack would be!

At this moment, the fog around them thickened, seeping into the windmill from outside, gradually obscuring their vision inside.

The next second, Rayn's hair stood on end as he thought he heard a whisper in his ear.

He listened intently, and it seemed to be a woman's voice, shouting:

"Danger! Run! Run! Run!"

This startled Rayn.

He decided to step out of the windmill to consider his options, as this place seemed rather eerie.

Just as Rayn turned, he suddenly froze.

The windmill he had just entered seemed to be the source of the eerie presence.

A woman with golden pigtails, wearing a plaid dress and a white apron over her chest, her sleeves rolled up, appeared before him—a farm girl.

Her sudden and eerie appearance gave Rayn goosebumps all over.

"Is this a ghost?"

"But why didn't my Danger Sense warn me?"

Rayn drew his sword with one hand and reached for his waist pouch with the other, intending to take out 'Holy Water' just in case.

Suddenly, from the dense fog behind him, a slender arm with sinewy tendons extended, aiming at Rayn's neck, its sharp nails resembling eagle claws.

At the same time, his Danger Sense, at level 2, went into overdrive, and the next second, his head was attacked, causing his thick plate helm to emit a piercing metallic scraping sound. Rayn dodged and swung his sword backward, stirring up the surrounding fog.

Rayn felt like his sword had struck something, but the sensation was odd, not like hitting a solid object.

It felt more like he had slashed through water.

Suddenly, a piercing scream came from behind him, so shrill that it could almost affect one's consciousness. Rayn's head buzzed, and his eyebrows furrowed.

As Rayn scanned his surroundings again, the farm girl in the plaid dress had disappeared from the entrance.

"Drip."

Rayn focused and noticed several drops of blood on the ground.

The Radiant Greatsword in his hand began to glow faintly, and there was a streak of crimson blood on the blade.

The blood was red, so it wasn't a ghost.

Rayn held the Radiant Greatsword to his nose and sniffed; the blood had a pungent, fishy smell, different from the iron-like scent of human blood.

Apparently, the owner of this fishy blood was the one attacking him.

Rayn had a premonition that the attacker could be hiding in the fog, ready to strike at any moment.

For this type of ambush predator, Rayn could only defend passively, luring the creature to attack him, as searching for it in the dense fog was impossible.

After some thought, Rayn, with his Danger Sense at level 2, added his last skill point.

【Core Skill: Danger Sense Lv. 3 (Passive)】

Effect of Danger Sense Lv. 3 (Passive): Your perception of surrounding dangers is significantly enhanced.

(Note: The sensitivity of Danger Sense is directly proportional to the host's mental strength. The stronger the mental power, the sharper the perception.)



Danger Sense Lv. 3 provided Rayn with immediate improvement. Previously, at Lv. 2, it would only alert him at the moment an attack was launched.

Now, Rayn could vaguely sense the direction of the enemy.

For instance, he could feel that something was lurking behind him, not too far away.

Danger Sense Lv. 3 allowed Rayn to perceive the general direction of the danger.

Without turning around, Rayn stood still, holding the Radiant Greatsword, as he had already devised a counterattack plan.

The creature behind him seemed to be getting impatient.

At that moment, the farm girl appeared again, this time about ten meters to Rayn's right, closer than before.

She approached him slowly, her expression sorrowful.

However, Danger Sense Lv. 3 still didn't alert Rayn to the girl's approach!

Instead, the alarm bells went off behind him, and a sharp claw shot out from the fog again!

Rayn was prepared and reacted instantly.

'Limit Break!'

Rayn's chest swelled, and the muscles and veins in his neck bulged like a giant python.

'Roar Strike!'

Instantly, a massive sound wave emanated from Rayn's mouth, rippling through the surroundings.

The fog was momentarily dispersed, revealing a hunched figure with long, slender limbs and sharp claws—the hidden creature.

The creature had bulging eyes, which now stared at Rayn in terror, as if ready to pounce from above. Its claws were aimed at Rayn's neck.

Apparently, the sonic wave attack was effective against the creature hidden in the mist.

In the next instant, a flash of light, flashed by.

"Thud."

A hideous head fell to the ground, rolling around at Rayn's feet.

Rayn had decapitated the creature with a single strike.

The next second, Rayn turned to look at the girl again.

This time, her expression had changed.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end