Chapter 51: Hunting Monsters (2)
"That..." Ethan’s expression changed slightly as the soul-shaking screech echoed through the forest once again.
Without wasting another moment, his jade-green body quickly moved in the direction of the sound. His feet barely touched the ground as he utilized the thick trunks of the trees to propel himself forward, repeatedly kicking against them before covering several meters in a single jump.
The further he traveled, the more curious Ethan became. The sound had clearly originated from somewhere beyond the first hill, but despite the distance, he could still faintly feel the strange pressure carried within it.
’What kind of monster can produce a sound like that?’ His curiosity grew stronger.
Until now, Ethan had mostly relied on the information Jake and Eris had given him. He knew the world was filled with monsters of various ranks, but knowing about something and actually witnessing it were two completely different matters.
And now, he finally had an opportunity. As Ethan continued moving forward, the terrain gradually began to change.
The trees became denser, while the ground beneath his feet slowly descended. After traveling for several minutes, he suddenly noticed something peculiar.
The five hills weren’t simply surrounding one another; instead, they were enclosing an enormous piece of land. Ethan slowed down slightly as he looked ahead, his eyes thoroughly scanning the entire land.
Hidden between the five hills was a vast region divided roughly into two sections by a flowing river. The stream wasn’t particularly wide, but it stretched deep into the forest, separating the two lands while continuing toward the distant hills.
The area was enormous enough to accommodate a small city.
’So this entire place was hidden inside the hills...’ Ethan couldn’t help but find it interesting.
From the boundary where the colony had been established, the hills had concealed most of this region from his sight. Had he not followed the strange screech, he probably wouldn’t have discovered it anytime soon.
His gaze swept across the distant land before he continued forward. ’I’ve already instructed Eris about everything. The colony should be fine for now.’
Since there was nothing else that demanded his attention, Ethan felt that leaving the colony for a while wasn’t a bad idea.
After all, he couldn’t simply remain inside the nest forever. If he wanted to become stronger, he needed to hunt stronger prey on his own. Only that way would he truly be able to train his reflexes and overall skills apart from simply leveling up.
Ethan repeatedly pushed himself forward, moving deeper into the forest while keeping his presence as low as possible.
He didn’t know what kind of monster was waiting ahead, and there was no reason to carelessly reveal himself.
After traveling for a considerable distance, Ethan finally noticed a faint yellow light flickering between the trees. Immediately, he intentionally slowed down his movements.
’Light?’ He carefully observed the distance.
It was extremely faint, almost completely concealed by the surrounding vegetation. If Ethan hadn’t been paying close attention, he probably would’ve missed it entirely.
His instincts immediately told him to be cautious as he lowered his body and began moving forward at a much slower pace.
His jade-colored skin blended naturally with the surrounding vegetation, making his body extremely difficult to distinguish among the thick greenery.
He deliberately controlled every movement; even the slightest rustling of leaves was avoided.
As he approached, the yellow light became slightly clearer. Ethan moved behind a thick tree and carefully looked through the gap between its branches.
For a brief moment, Ethan simply stared at the giant creature lying in the distance.
’A monster...’ The thought jumped into his mind as his gaze landed on a bird that resembled an eagle.
Its enormous body was sprawled across the ground, its size easily rivaling that of a two-story building.
Its wings were massive enough to cover a considerable portion of the surrounding land, but neither of them could move properly.
Blood covered almost every part of its body, and several patches of feathers had already been torn away, exposing the flesh underneath. Deep wounds could be seen across its wings, abdomen, and neck, while its breathing remained heavy and uneven.
But the most shocking part wasn’t its injuries but the chains.
Several enormous shackles were wrapped around the eagle’s legs and neck, while thick metallic chains stretched from them and lodged themselves into the earth.
Even more shocking were the anchors piercing through its wings. Several massive pieces of metal had been driven into the earth through the edges of its wings, preventing the creature from properly spreading them.
Ethan’s expression gradually became serious as deep lines formed over his forehead. ’Someone chained it here.’
The anchors had been positioned specifically to prevent the eagle from escaping, while the chains around its neck and legs restricted even its movement on the ground.
Whoever had done this had clearly intended to keep the creature alive while making escape impossible.
But why?
Ethan didn’t approach it recklessly. Instead, he remained hidden behind the tree while carefully observing the surroundings.
Only then did he notice the creatures surrounding the eagle.
Dozens of rats crawled over its enormous body, insects gathered around its wounds, and several small animals continuously tore pieces of flesh from its body.
There were even a few weak monsters among them, but they weren’t simply attacking the eagle—they were eating it.
Ethan watched one of the larger rats bite into the exposed flesh on the eagle’s leg before quickly retreating.
The creature’s body suddenly changed as its muscles twitched. Its claws became slightly longer while its body seemed to grow just a little larger.
Ethan’s gaze became thoughtful. ’They’re evolving.’
It was only natural to think so. The animals weren’t simply feeding on the eagle because they were hungry.
They were consuming its flesh because the biological matter within its body was allowing them to slowly mutate.
Some of them had already begun displaying unusual characteristics. Their bodies were larger than ordinary animals, while their teeth, claws, and other physical features had started changing.
’So this is another way animals can become monsters.’
Ethan remembered what he had discovered earlier. Nox had changed the world and affected both the humans and the monsters.
And clearly, it had affected ordinary animals as well.
However, these creatures were different from the mutated animals he had encountered earlier. Those animals had merely possessed strange physical traits.
These creatures were actively consuming the flesh of a powerful monster and using the energy contained within it to accelerate their own transformation.
’If they continue eating it...’ Ethan glanced at one of the rats. ’They might eventually become monsters themselves.’
The thought made him slightly interested, but Ethan’s attention quickly returned to the eagle.
The creature suddenly struggled as its enormous body twisted against the ground and its wings attempted to move.
CLANK!
The chains violently rattled, while the eagle let out another roar as its claws dug deeply into the soil.
But despite its tremendous strength, the chains barely even moved.
Who knew how long the eagle had been chained up for? Even if it were a strong monster, how could it survive such torture for an extended period of time?
Because of the heavy chains wrapped around its body, its wounds never closed. Rather, they enlarged every day by a few inches. Without enough food to help its body revitalize, the eagle had clearly reached its limits.
After struggling for several seconds, the eagle collapsed again, its breathing becoming even rougher. The surrounding animals immediately returned to feeding on its flesh.
All this while, Ethan hadn’t moved an inch.
A monster this large... And judging from its presence, it was undoubtedly stronger than the ordinary creatures he had been hunting.
Its body alone could probably provide an enormous amount of biological matter.
If he killed it and used flesh assimilation...
His evolution progress might increase considerably.
Perhaps even more than the hundred animals he had consumed earlier. For a moment, Ethan’s gaze remained fixed on the creature.
’This is almost too convenient.’ That was precisely what bothered him.
He had just decided to leave the colony and search for monsters.
And almost immediately, he encountered a gigantic monster that was already severely injured and completely restrained.
It was practically waiting for him to finish it off.
However, Ethan wasn’t foolish enough to believe such a convenient opportunity came without a price.
’Who chained it here?’
His gaze moved across the surrounding forest as he analyzed:
There were no humans.
No obvious awakeners.
No powerful monsters.
Nothing that could explain why such a creature had been restrained in this location.
That only made the situation more suspicious.
If someone had been strong enough to capture an eagle of this size, why hadn’t they killed it?
Why leave it alive?
Why allow countless weak creatures to slowly consume its body?
And most importantly... Why place it in such an isolated region?
Ethan remained hidden as these questions continued circulating through his mind. ’Could this be a trap?’
The possibility wasn’t particularly far-fetched. Perhaps someone had deliberately chained the monster here. Perhaps they were using it as bait.
If that was the case, then Ethan approaching the creature would be exactly what they wanted.
His gaze slowly shifted toward the yellow light he had noticed earlier. It wasn’t coming from the eagle itself.
It appeared to be coming from somewhere near the creature’s body, faintly flickering between the surrounding vegetation.
’What is that?’
He had already learned enough about this world to understand that strength alone wasn’t everything.
Jake had survived because he knew information Ethan didn’t. The humans possessed knowledge he lacked. Now, standing before this strange scene, Ethan once again felt the disadvantage of being ignorant.
So rushing forward simply because there was food in front of him would be foolish.
Ethan remained hidden among the trees, slowly moving between them. The eagle struggled once again, but its movements had become noticeably weaker than before.
Its enormous body convulsed in pain as another group of creatures began nudging and tearing at its wounds.