Chương 30: The Big Bully

Ch 30 - The Big Bully

"They're attacking! They're here! Hurry! Everyone, run! Find shelter now!" The trees throughout the forest shook violently as flocks of birds burst into the sky all at once, fleeing in desperate panic. Heavy tremors rolled across the ground, each one stronger than the last. The cool morning air blended with the thick mist, sending countless drops of dew spilling from the leaves as the forest seemed to hold its breath.

"They're here! Everyone, move! Get inside! Don't let anyone fall behind!" It was a small village, not much more than a quiet settlement hidden beneath the protection of the surrounding forest. Only a dozen or so houses stood within its borders. A simple wooden fence circled the village, looking old and fragile, barely reaching the chest of a grown adult. Several adults dressed in simple farming clothes ran in every direction. Panic was written across their faces.

Some rushed toward the center of the village, while others shouted at the top of their lungs, trying to warn everyone who was still outside.

"This can't be happening. They really found our village!"

"Hurry! Take the children! Don't look back! Just run!" About five middle-aged men stood at the village gate, gripping hoes, pitchforks, and other farming tools that had become their only weapons. Their bodies trembled uncontrollably, yet none of them stepped back. Around them, the ground continued to shake over and over again, as though something enormous was taking slow, thunderous steps toward the village. Their faces had gone completely pale.

The man standing at the very front tightened his grip around his pitchfork, his breathing ragged as both of his hands shook despite his desperate effort to stay calm. From the direction where the morning sun should have been rising, the light was swallowed by two towering figures emerging from the thick mist. Each of them stood nearly twice the height of an ordinary man. Their gray bodies were broad, dense with muscle, and looked as hard as solid stone. Simple pieces of armor protected parts of their bodies.

A pair of sharp horns curved from each of their heads, while their faces resembled those of wild bison, framed by long, unkempt black hair. The two towering figures came to a stop directly in front of the village gate, completely blocking the entrance. Their massive shadows stretched across the ground, making the five men standing before them look as though they had been swallowed by darkness itself. One of the two Beastkin stepped forward, his heavy footsteps making the ground shudder beneath him.

His coarse, tightly curled black hair was tied into a rough ponytail that hung behind his broad neck. A massive war axe rested across his back.

"You filthy humans really don't know your place, do you?" His deep voice rumbled through the village.

"You thought you could hide out here and keep everything for yourselves? While my people go hungry?" He let out a harsh snort.

"We need food. Bring out all your livestock. Every sack of grain. Every bit of dried meat, every vegetable, every scrap worth eating. Hand it over. Now." His eyes narrowed as he glared at the villagers.

"If you refuse... then don't expect anyone in this village to live through today." The man standing at the front immediately dropped to his knees. His face had turned ghostly pale as he lowered his head until it nearly touched the ground.

"P-Please... have mercy..." His voice shook so badly he could barely finish a sentence.

"We're barely surviving ourselves. The monster attacks over the past few weeks have taken everything from us. Our fields were destroyed, our livestock were killed, and many of our people never came home. We don't have enough food left even for our own families." He swallowed hard, tears welling in his eyes. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"We're only trying to stay alive. Please... give us a little more time. My wife... my children... the children of everyone in this village... they'll starve if we give away what little we have left. We're begging you. Please show us mercy." The Bullkin took another step forward, looking down at the kneeling man as if he were nothing more than a pitiful little insect.

"Like I care." Without another word, he drove his foot forward. The kick landed with a sickening impact, launching the man through the air before he crashed hard into the dirt several meters away. A horrified scream rang out from one side of the village as several villagers who had been secretly watching from behind the houses recoiled in terror. Another man quickly dropped to his knees, while several others rushed toward the injured villager lying motionless on the ground.

"Please! We beg you! Have mercy on us!" one of the older men cried, pressing both hands against the ground.

"We aren't warriors. We're just farmers trying to protect our families. We've never raised a weapon against your people. Please... we're innocent people."

"We'll find another way!" another villager shouted desperately.

"Just... just don't kill anyone. Give us a few days. We'll hunt, gather whatever we can, even search the forest if we have to. We'll bring you everything we can find. Please... just spare our village." An elderly man fell to his knees beside them, his frail body trembling uncontrollably.

"I've lived long enough. If you must take someone's life, then take mine. But please... spare the young ones. Spare the mothers. Spare the children. They haven't done anything wrong. They deserve the chance to grow up. Please... I beg you... don't destroy our home." The Bullkin paid no attention to their desperate pleas. If anything, the look in his eyes only grew colder. He leaned forward slightly, his massive frame casting a dark shadow over the pale faces of the villagers kneeling before him.

"You pathetic humans are starting to make me sick." A cruel grin spread across his face. Without warning, he reached down and grabbed one of the men by the jaw. The others gasped and scrambled closer, still begging as they reached out with trembling hands.

"Please! Stop! Please!" The Bullkin lifted the man as though he weighed nothing before hurling him across the village. His body slammed into the ground and rolled several times before finally coming to a stop. The Bullkin casually swung his left arm to the side. The elderly man who had been pleading only moments earlier was struck with terrifying force and sent flying, crashing through a wooden fence before collapsing into the dirt. He seized another villager by the shoulder and flung him in the opposite direction.

The last man was kicked without a second thought, his body hurtling across the open ground before crashing into the base of a tree.

"Hahaha... Hahaha!" The Bullkin threw his head back and laughed.

"So this is all humans amount to? Pathetic. Weak. You can barely stand, yet you still think you can bargain with me." The villagers froze in horror. Some cried out the names of the injured men, while others could do nothing but stare, their bodies trembling. A young woman with blonde hair tied into a high bun suddenly rushed forward. Wearing simple village clothes, she dropped to her knees in front of the Bullkin.

"Please... I'm begging you. Don't hurt anyone else. We'll do whatever you ask. Just... Please spare the people of this village." A smile slowly spread across the Bullkin's face. Before he could respond, another small figure came running straight toward him. It was a little girl, no older than five or six, with blonde hair tied into two pigtails that stuck out from the sides of her head like little horns.

"You big meanie!" she shouted, pounding her tiny fists against the Bullkin's knee.

"Don't hurt them! You're bad! You're a big bully!" The young woman behind her went pale.

"Lula! No! Get away from him!"

"Lucia! Hurry! Get Lula out of here!" someone shouted from the crowd. Lucia lunged forward, desperately trying to reach the little girl. But she was too late. The Bullkin had already wrapped one enormous hand around the little girl's small body and lifted her high into the air as though she were nothing more than a doll.

"Let me go!" Lula struggled, kicking her legs wildly.

"You're the bad one! Let me go! I'll beat you up! Put me down! Let me go!" Lucia stood frozen, tears streaming down her face as she clasped her hands together in desperate plea.

"Please... please let her go. She's just a little girl. She hasn't done anything wrong." Her voice cracked as she fought to hold back her sobs.

"Take me instead. Please... I'll go with you willingly. I'll do whatever you want. Just don't hurt her. Please... I'm begging you." The other villagers could only watch in horror, their faces drained of color.

"Sister Lucia!" Lula cried, struggling in the Bullkin's grasp.

"Don't go with him! I'll teach this big bully a lesson! He's mean! He's a bad guy!" The Bullkin slowly turned his gaze toward Lucia. A cruel smile spread across his broad face as his eyes wandered over her.

"I'm not interested in human women. They're too small. Too fragile." His eyes slowly swept over Lucia before a grin spread across his face.

"Still... I suppose I'll settle for this one." The words sent a wave of terror through the villagers. Several of the men instinctively stepped forward, but fear rooted their feet to the ground. None of them dared challenge the towering Bullkin. With effortless strength, the Bullkin reached out and grabbed Lucia, lifting her onto his shoulder as though she weighed nothing.

At the same time, he casually tossed the little girl back toward the villagers, where several people hurried to catch her before she hit the ground.

"No! Sister Lucia!" Lula screamed, tears pouring down her cheeks.

"Let her go! Give her back! Sister Lucia!" Ignoring the cries behind him, the Bullkin turned away and began walking toward the forest. His heavy footsteps echoed through the village, sounding completely satisfied with the prize he had claimed that day.