"G-God’s actually... shitting," Bojo whispered, unable to believe what he was seeing as if his world had collapsed. How could a god actually shit? Isn’t he supposed to be a supreme being?
The human, who looked around 18 to 20, who was shitting and singging, looked up and noticed the goats. In the next second, the human shouted, "Alpma no jaka ass!"
Chaos returned at once. Footsteps scrambled, and an alarm rang out. A woman burst from a shed, broom raised and shrieking. Lin bolted, Toro shoved Bojo forward, and Bram lowered his head, ramming the human aside. A crack, a scream, and blood sprayed as the human crumpled. Torches flared, the woman’s howls chased them all the way to the fence.
Lin, who was in the front, never looked back. He had gambled his life on curiosity once—never again. He ducked under the wire, and in a heartbeat, they were back inside the farm. Almost fucked up. Damn, that was so close. Thought Lin as he panted for breath.
"What sorcery is this?" Toro panted, looking toward the fence. Outside, it’s just green grassland. But it’s clearly fake because they just returned from outside.
Lin glanced at Bram, trying to keep his voice steady but uneasy. "Was it really necessary to attack the Human?"
Bram snorted angrily, eyes flashing. "Weren’t you the one who said those ’gods’ kill us? Why the sudden mercy now?"
Lin winced at Bram’s harshness but couldn’t shake the feeling stirring inside him. Why had I felt sympathy? Maybe it was because, once, I was human too.
"Alright... It’s my fault. But I’ve got other questions," Lin admitted, his voice rough and a little vulnerable.
"Make it quick," Bram growled, shifting his weight impatiently.
Lin hesitated before asking, "Why did you two follow me?" Relief mixed with irritation—he appreciated the backup, but their constant presence was unsettling.
Toro smirked faintly. "You’re the outsider. Besides, we liked your views on the gods."
The word hit Lin harder than he expected: Outsider. He had heard this title far too many times, but no one had ever explained what it really meant. There was Rokan, who told him to hide and become strong—yet even Rokan hadn’t given a clear answer.
Lin looked at the pair of goats, one thought dominating his mind: there was no better time than now to ask about this "outsider" thing. "What exactly does ’outsider’ mean? And why does everyone hate me?"
Toro and Bram exchanged troubled glances; their faces darkened as if Lin had uncovered wounds they tried to hide.
"You’re really asking that?" Bram’s voice was sharp, almost incredulous.
"Yes," Lin said quietly. "I can’t remember anything about my past. It’s strange... having others hate you when you don’t even know why."
There was a brief pause. Toro’s tone softened, tinged with surprise. "You can’t remember anything? Not even a little?"
"No," Lin whispered. For a moment, he felt he should have said he didn’t remember anything. But still, if he hadn’t said that, he wouldn’t have received whatever they were about to say.
Toro frowned, his voice low. "I see... We don’t know much either. But you’re infamous. People say you’re cursed. That’s what I’ve heard. But not everyone hates you. Look at us."
Toro gave a small, encouraging shrug. "You should train, build some muscle. Who knows? Maybe you’ll unlock some secret power someday."
Before Lin could respond, a sharp voice rang out from the main gate.
They turned toward the sound and saw the gate swinging open. A squad of humans surged inside, torches blazing despite the bright moon. The humans kicking sleeping goats, checked their coats—desperate to find the escaped ones. Fresh chapters posted on novel·fire.net
"We’ll talk later," Toro said as he signaled Bram. "You two should leave and find somewhere safe. Thanks for the help—see you soon."
Lin called out after them, but they were already disappearing into the shadows.
His system chimed urgently with dozens of notifications, but Lin ignored them all. No reading until they were truly safe.
Around him, the other goats watched—some suspicious, others curious, and some openly disgusted, especially when they caught sight of Bojo. Lin threw them a cold glance and kept walking.
At that moment, sudden barking sounds reached his ears. He looked back, and soon more barking followed.
"Dogs... don’t tell me they’re after us?" he thought. This had to be it. Without wasting a single second, he glanced at Bojo and shouted, "Run, Bojo!"
At the same time, across the fences, outside the farm, a few villagers clustered near their crooked homes. Faces tight with fear, some whispered while others barely hid their sniffling. The air around them felt heavy—thick with tension, worry, and sadness.
Inside a narrow, smoke-hazed tavern, a woman slammed her fist down hard. Bottles rattled. Cups jumped.
"I fucking told you not to come here. Look what you’ve done—Leone, that kid is about to die!" she shouted, voice raw with anger.
The man she screamed at didn’t flinch. "He’s still breathing," he snapped. "And I didn’t drag you along. You followed me."
"We followed you! You told us it was just a job and the pay was good. That we wouldn’t have to do anything—live like normal villagers. It’s been less than a month since we arrived, and how many times have we been attacked?"
"How was I supposed to know someone would target a farm?" the man shot back.
"You’re the leader!" she shouted. "You were supposed to know better. Did you even look around before we chose this place? Did you ever stop to wonder where the people who lived here before us went? Where the hell are they, huh?"
"There was no one here," he said stiffly. "We scouted it. It was empty."
"Oh yeah?" She leaned forward, eyes furious. "Then explain the human crap I found under my bed on the first night. Or the burned clothes we saw behind the east hedge. Go ahead. Make it make sense."
The man opened his mouth—then stopped. Just a flicker. His jaw clenched, but nothing came from behind his glare.
He looked away. That was enough. The woman stepped back, voice now lower, cold and confident. "You knew something was wrong. You just don’t want to say it."