Yang stood there silently, feeling unsettled.
The shield… was it reaching its limit?
Only heaven knew how terrifying it was to sleep in the wild.
One had to stay alert to every possible danger—let alone wandering souls.
More than that, he feared that a corrupted beast might gnawed his bones clean while he slept.
Looking back, it was something he never wanted to experience again.
Yang's cold face hardened.
He looked at the people around him, carefully observing them for the first time.
Surprisingly, this group consisted of everything—young and old, men and women, adults and children.
Hell, there was even a woman carrying an infant on her back.
To give birth and survive in this kind of environment… honestly, that alone deserved applause.
But despite that, all of them shared the same characteristics.
Yellowed, gaunt faces. Thin bodies. Clothes too old, patched together again and again.
It was clear their lives had been hardened by time.
Yang searched through his memories. It seemed not everyone was like this.
For example, the people leading them.
They stood out conspicuously—stronger physiques, steadier eyes, looking healthy and capable.
Exhaling softly, Yang took out a half-filled bottle of water and drank sparingly.
Then he pulled out a bun and took a careful bite, his eyes shifting as he waited.
Previously, Yang had heard his classmates talk about this kind of group.
The Nomads.
People who wandered endlessly from one place to another, searching for food and shelter.
If he had known that one day he would become one of them, he would've paid more attention back then.
…What a pity.
Nothing they relied on was permanent.
Additionally, if they failed to find another shelter in time—
There was a term for it. One he vividly remembered.
A breeding ground.
"Hah…"
Yang's skin crawled just thinking about it.
At that moment, a clear voice rang out, drawing everyone's attention.
"Everyone—quiet."
The man clearly hadn't raised his voice, yet it carried effortlessly across the area. The noise died down almost instantly.
Yang stared at him intently.
It was a young man with sharp features and a tall, straight build.
Even standing among the crowd, he possessed a strong presence.
"Listen carefully," the young man said.
"Check your belongings and make sure you have everything with you. We'll be heading back now."
The crowd exchanged looks, clutching their bags, clear dissatisfaction written across their faces—reluctant to leave with so little in hand.
Hearing their uncontrolled murmurs, the young man narrowed his eyes slightly, a faint frown appearing.
With what seemed like a snap of his fingers, the noise vanished entirely.
Yang swallowed the piece of bun in his mouth with some difficulty, staring wide-eyed at the faint light aura spreading from the man's fingers.
This… was definitely a talented person.
The young man continued calmly.
"Nightfall isn't far, and we must reach the shelter before then. Don't make me repeat myself."
"However."
He paused, sweeping his gaze over the crowd.
"If anyone has a problem, I advise you to keep it to yourself."
The sharp aura pressed down heavily on the crowd.
At that moment, an old man beside him intervened.
"Conserve your strength and maintain your pace," the old man added. "Once we reach the shelter, we'll all be under its protection."
"Prepare to move."
Having said that, the old man nodded to the crowd and stepped back together with the young man.
As they retreated, the crowd finally found their voices again.
Most were worried. Uneasy.
As ordinary people with no magic power—not even enough to bind a beast—they rarely ventured out to collect resources.
This time, with the help of these young masters returning home, they had managed to come out under their protection.
Yet the haul was so meager they could barely survive a week—let alone feed a family.
Murmurs spread, followed by heavy sighs. Some even burst into tears.
Yang looked at their faces—troubled and hollowed—and an unnameable unease crept into his chest.
He frowned slightly, scanning the crowd.
Come to think of it.
...Where was that little girl?
Normally, after being marked, it would take more than a day for obvious symptoms to appear.
That was… normally.
Yang trusted his intuition more than theory.
He tried to sense the shadows again, but his eyes seemed to malfunction once more.
Just like before, he couldn't sense anything.
Yang lamented. Really useless at the critical moment.
Right now, he wasn't sure how reliable his half-baked knowledge even was.
Damn it.
Where did she go?
As the group began moving, Yang's anxiety only intensified.
At first, he walked at the very back. Before long, his steps quickened subconsciously.
He really didn't want to get involved—but shit.
Find the little girl first. He'd think about the rest later.
Yang nimbly wove through the crowd, carefully examining every child he passed.
Short, tall, thin—he didn't miss a single face.
His strange behavior attracted wary looks. Some people even stared at him with hostility
This couldn't be helped. There were far too many weird perverts these days.
Yang could only bow hastily and retreat as quickly as possible.
Somehow, without realizing it, he reached the front of the group.
Looking around, all he saw were tall, burly men towering over him.
Weapons hung at their waists, gleaming sharply under the sunlight—nearly blinding his dog eyes.
But the strange thing was, he still couldn't find a trace of the little girl from earlier.
This wasn't looking good.
He searched front and back, left and right—but forget the little girl, even her mother was nowhere to be seen.
Just as worry tightened his chest, a familiar voice reached his ears.
"Bubu, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Bubu?"
"…Cold… I'm cold…"
The little girl kept muttering without responding.
Yang paused, focusing on the sound.
Wait. Why was it so close?…Like it was almost—Right behind him!
Yang turned his head sharply.
Before he could see clearly, the horrific stench of rotten flesh and wet decay slammed into his senses like a curse.
Yang stood frozen, his mind going completely blank.
A creature stood inches away from him.
Its wide mouth tore open with a sickening rip, mucus and blood trailing down its chin as it leaned toward him.
Its form was both vague and horrifyingly clear—bones and skin stretched unnaturally, like twisted branches forced into human shape.
"…Hiss!"
Yang's scalp exploded.
What kind of Soul had this little girl attracted?!