Chapter 7: May God Bless You

As Rod stepped inside, the warmth from the crackling fireplace instantly chased away the chill in his body.

He casually glanced around the simple wooden cabin. A sofa, a bed, a table with a few chairs, and a partition—it was sparsely furnished.

"Have some water to warm yourself up," the elderly woman said warmly as she invited Rod to sit down. She went into the other room and brought out a cup of hot water.

Rod frowned slightly, feeling a sense of unease.

It seemed strange to him—meeting a stranger in the middle of nowhere and being greeted with such hospitality. Something didn't feel right.

Plus, with werewolves lurking around, how was this old woman living alone in the forest?

Everything about the situation felt off.

Rod took the tea but subtly placed it on the table without drinking.

"Is there a village nearby?" he asked.

The smile on the old woman's face faltered when she saw that Rod hadn't touched the tea.

"It's quite late now, the town should already be asleep. Why don't you rest here for the night before heading out in the morning?" she suggested.

Rest for the night?

Rod's lips curled into a smirk as his gaze swept around the small cabin. It didn't look like there was enough space for two people to sleep comfortably.

"No, thank you."

Rod declined firmly.

Seeing that Rod had no intention of staying, the old woman seemed a little disappointed but still pointed him in the right direction.

"Keep going straight ahead, and you'll reach the village soon. But be careful—there are dangerous beasts in the forest. I suggest you wait until morning before leaving."

Beasts?

What kind of beast could be more dangerous than a werewolf? Rod wasn't worried about the old woman's warning. He thanked her and left the cabin without hesitation.

The old woman stood at the door, watching him disappear into the darkness before she slowly withdrew her gaze.

"Smart kid," she muttered.

...

After leaving the cabin, Rod walked for about twenty minutes before he saw a village brightly lit in the distance.

As he approached, his expression grew puzzled.

The small village was surrounded by a thick wall, and every few meters along the wall, there was a torch. Countless torches encircled the entire village, making it look like they were trying to keep something out.

"Who goes there?"

Rod had barely stepped out of the darkness when a group of militia patrolling inside the wall heard the noise.

Immediately, several pairs of eyes, filled with both fear and tension, turned to face him.

"Relax, I'm just a passing traveler," Rod said, stepping into the torchlight confidently.

"A traveler?"

Seeing that Rod was just an ordinary human, the militia visibly relaxed. However, they quickly became suspicious again.

"What are you doing walking through the forest so late at night?" one of them asked.

"I walked straight through, of course."

Rod sighed at their wary expressions.

"Walked straight through? And you didn't encounter anything... strange?"

The militia leader hesitated for a moment, then asked cautiously.

"You mean the wolf-like creature? I did run into one, but I killed it."

Rod thought about it and decided to be honest. Werewolves and humans were clearly enemies, and killing one might even earn him some goodwill from the locals.

"Killed it?"

The militia stared at him in disbelief.

As people who had dealt with werewolves for years, no one knew better than they did how terrifying a werewolf could be. Even with weapons like fire and silver, it usually took a group of at least ten experienced hunters to take one down, and most of them would suffer serious injuries or even die in the process.

But this man claimed he had killed one by himself?

Impossible!

Just as the militia was about to voice their doubts, a blood-curdling howl echoed from the darkness.

Howl!

The sound immediately caused the militia to tense up, fear written all over their faces.

"It's a werewolf! Get inside quickly!" one of them shouted.

"Sound the alarm! We've encountered a werewolf!"

As the militia scrambled to alert the village, a werewolf, covered in fur, burst out from the bushes, its bloodshot eyes filled with a crazed, bloodthirsty fury as it locked onto the humans inside the wall.

"This werewolf isn't afraid of fire!"

"It must be starving. Prepare for battle!"

"Traveler, get inside! Don't do anything foolish!"

The fully armed militia rang the alarm bell and shakily raised their weapons, preparing to face the frenzied werewolf. Even if they died here, they needed to hold it off. If the werewolf made it into the village, the casualties would be far worse than just one or two people.

But then, to the militia leader's surprise, he noticed something strange.

The oddly dressed young man outside the wall wasn't retreating into the village. Instead, he was walking straight toward the werewolf.

What was this guy thinking? Was he trying to get himself killed?

As the werewolf and Rod finally clashed, the militia could already imagine the horrific scene of the traveler being torn apart by the beast.

They were about to turn away when, in the next instant, something unbelievable happened.

Boom!

A dull thud echoed through the air.

The ferocious werewolf, who had been rushing at Rod with madness in its eyes, was suddenly stopped in its tracks. Rod had grabbed its head with one hand and slammed it forcefully into the ground.

The werewolf, standing nearly 2.5 meters tall, was being manhandled by Rod, who was shorter than 2 meters. It was like a giant facing a scrawny child.

But this "scrawny" young man seemed possessed by a demon, pinning the werewolf to the ground effortlessly.

Rod's expression remained cold as he calmly pulled a short-barreled shotgun from under his coat. He etched a cross onto the struggling werewolf's forehead with the barrel.

Boom!