Damien ignored all of it, finding their thoughts or questions irrelevant.

His focus narrowed entirely to the beasts still rampaging, to the cries of the panicked villagers, to the chaos that threatened to overwhelm the settlement in mere moments.

His sword flared again, the silver metal heated until it glowed red-hot and the flames danced along its length. In a single fluid motion, he launched himself forward.

Beast after beast fell before him.

A metal jaw wolf leapt from behind a burning cart — sliced clean in two by a swing of his blazing blade.

A hulking black bear, its claws ready to tear a man in half, swung at him from the side — Damien ducked under it effortlessly, drove the blade into its throat, and lifted it cleanly away as the creature's eyes glazed over, lifeless.

No villager could follow the speed, no monster could withstand the onslaught.

Minutes passed like seconds. The air was thick with smoke, blood, and the acrid scent of burnt fur. The ground shook faintly beneath the weight of the rampaging horde, yet Damien's strides remained steady, his mind clear, his body moving with deadly efficiency.

Finally, as if some unseen command had been issued, the beasts began to falter.

Their movements became erratic, uncoordinated. A metal jaw wolf froze mid-leap, its yellow eyes flickering uncertainly. A bear let out a confused roar, stepping back from the nearest group of villagers.

Damien's eyes narrowed. The flames along his blade dimmed slightly, the heat dissipating as he took a slow, deliberate step forward.

'Of course,' he thought, his jaw tightening. 'They're retreating…'

Damien's eyes flicked over the retreating beasts, the frown on his face deepening as he processed the situation.

The horde wasn't acting like a natural one. If this had been a naturally occurring frenzy — caused by the subtle shifts in mana that sometimes drove wild creatures into madness — the monsters wouldn't have stopped mid-charge.

No, if it were natural, the creatures would have continued their attack with increasing ferocity.

Each one would have clawed and bitten indiscriminately, trampling the villagers underfoot until every last one of them had either fled or been destroyed.

There would have been no hesitation, no faltering, no pause for thought. The retreat was unnatural — calculated, deliberate, and methodical.

Damien's gaze hardened, and his mind raced through what he knew from the game.

The beast horde that attacked the village during this event was actually controlled by a person.

They were standing behind the chaos, pulling strings and manipulating the monsters like puppets.

His eyes flashed strangely, a sharp glint of insight striking him.

'The person controlling them… isn't human,' he thought. 'It's a demon.'

He remembered the villains of the game vividly. These weren't just ordinary beasts.

These were the kind of enemies who had caused untold suffering in the story, the cliche tale of demons who threatened the very world.

They were cunning, calculating, and incredibly powerful, possessing abilities and classes that far exceeded anything humans could learn. Each one could turn the battlefield into utter chaos with a single command.

Damien's lips pressed into a thin line. The villains' objective had always been the same: to invade humanity, corrupt its defenders, and rule over the world without mercy.

And now, judging by the behavior of this beast horde, the game's events were not just a simulation. The chaos unfolding before him bore all the hallmarks of the same demonic interference he had read about.

He hadn't even finished the game yet, but he knew enough.

The demons weren't limited by mortal laws; their classes were unlike anything humans had ever seen, combining magical power, physical prowess, and tactics that defied logic.

Damien exhaled, before turning back to the two women.

Claire and Nora had been frozen in place, still clutching one another as they trembled, eyes wide at the destruction that had surrounded them.

"Stay close," he muttered, voice low but firm. "We're going back inside for now. I need to assess everything."

He led them carefully back into the house, ensuring that no shards of glass caught their feet.

Inside, he paused for a moment, taking in the splintered furniture and broken windows, before his attention snapped outward once again.

From the other side of the village, a loud, rhythmic march suddenly echoed, reverberating through the empty streets.

Damien's head snapped toward the sound.

Emerging from between the remnants of the fleeing villagers were a group of men clad in heavy, polished armor.

Each one carried a long, straight spear and a shield emblazoned with the village's crest, while expressions of dramatic courage plastered their faces.

"We're here… the brave guards of the village!" one of them shouted, his voice booming over the remaining chaos.

The villagers who had survived the initial attack immediately stiffened. Whispers began circulating through the crowd, sharp with disbelief and contempt.

"Finally… they show up after the worst is over."

"These so-called village guards only appear when the monsters retreat."

Whenever the so called guards meant to protect the village appeared, it was either when it was extremely late, or at times, they never even showed up.

The villagers had complained of this many times to the village chief, but he didn't care.

The only times they bothered to do their duty properly was when it was time to enforce ridiculous tax increases, or ask for money from the villagers.

"Wow… the monsters… they're gone!" the man in front, with a bald head and thick beard said, clapping his hands.

"To think we'll have nothing to do here… guess we'll just have to go back." another said, and to everyone's surprise, the rest of the guards shamelessly nodded their heads.

It was clear that they didn't care about the villager's lives, and even acted oblivious to the chaos in front of them.

The villagers all gnashed their teeth, but none of them spoke up, knowing what consequences would follow if they tried to.

But them, a young boy suddenly stepped forward, pointing a finger at the useless guards in annoyance.

"We don't want your useless selves here, go away! If not for him… the hero who appeared… we'll all be dead?!"

Meanwhile, Damien's ears perked at those words, and a frown appeared on his face.

'A hero…?' he thought.

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