A Core Ship From The Start

Chapter 128: Chapter 110: Tracking in the Snow Sea _1

Winter roads are not easy to navigate.

The heavy accumulated snow covered the path before us, especially in the faint-lighted forest. Our steps varied in the depth of the snow as we moved.

“Sir knight, what exactly are these beastmen they keep talking about?”

Ann and Ogis were the most relaxed in the group, Ann was cradled in Duanmu Huai’s arms like a child while Ogis perched on his other shoulder. This arrangement spared Ann the effort of walking. Curled up in Duanmu Huai’s cloak, she curiously peered at the forest ahead, whispering her questions to him.

The reason why Ann was interested in the beastmen was simple. It was because Duanmu Huai once told her when preventing Greiya from tagging along, that the locals would mistake Greiya as a beastman. The disgust and caution on the warrior’s faces when they mentioned the beastmen also intrigued her, making her eager to understand what a beastman was.

“If you ask me, beastmen are more like some sort of deformity.”

Duanmu Huai led the group from the front. Like a snow plow or an icebreaker, he trudged forward. The heavy snow was pushed aside by his sturdy figure, laying out a smooth path for those behind him.

“They are human children, but while these children are still in the womb, they were tainted by Chaos Force, transforming their forms…When these children are born, they don’t resemble ordinary babies. Instead, they look like monsters, covered in beast-like fur and adorned with goat-like horns.”

“………”

Hearing this, Ann covered her mouth, then asked tentatively.

“So… what happens to those children in the end…”

“In short, they are usually killed. But, some parents who can’t bring themselves to do it leave them in the wilderness——this is not a good idea. These beastmen despise civilization, loathing humans when they grow up, becoming enemies. They attack the villages, capture women, have them give birth to their progeny, grow their tribes, attacking humans again.”

“It seems, they seem so….. very pitiful…..”

Listening to Duanmu Huai’s tale, Ann murmured softly to herself.

“If the parents didn’t abandon their children…”

“The results would still be no different. You have witnessed how Greiya was treated in the academy, I assure you, the hardships and tribulations a beastman faces who tries to fit into human society will be a hundred times of what she went through. Ultimately, the beastmen’s lineage carries the blood of Chaos, allowing them to wreak havoc is akin to letting Chaos go wild, it implies destroying the world… Of course, in my opinion, the biggest reason is that the beastmen are simply too ugly.”

Here, Duanmu Huai snorted coldly, a sentiment shared by many players — the main sin of the beastmen wasn’t their Chaos blood, rather, it was just their plain ugliness. Beastmen, as their name suggests, were monstrous creatures with humanoid bodies but beast-like heads. They were covered in fur, and most of them resembled something like a wild boar, goat, or bull.

Can that possibly engender any affection?

Players often commented that if Chaos were a bit smarter and created something along the lines of cat-girls, humans would have probably succumbed earlier. Unfortunately, there is an obvious lack of females among beastmen, much to the players’ discontent.

You’re bypassing cats and dogs, even foxes and rabbits would do, wouldn’t they?

So, one could only say that Chaos doesn’t understand the human heart and deserves scorn.

Please be aware that the anthropomorphic beast-girl versions on the forums are quite popular.

While talking, the dense forest before everyone’s eyes transitioned into a sparse landscape as a village came into view. Energized at the sight, they had been trudging in snow for so long, and finally found a place where they could rest.

“Thank God, I was nearly frozen!”

Upon seeing the village ahead, the Two-Handed Swordsman loudly exclaimed.

“I must have a good drink to dispel this damn chill!”

“Then I think you’ll be disappointed.”

Upon hearing what the Two-Handed Swordsman said, Duanmu Huai responded without looking back.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Because there’s no one inside.”

In fact, just as Duanmu Huai had said, the entire village was eerily quiet, devoid of any signs of life. Not a single human, let alone a cat or a dog, was to be found. When they arrived in the village, all that greeted them was the whistling cold wind and blowing snowflakes.

“Sigh…”

The cold wind blew down the barren streets, and all around, save for the sound of wooden doors clattering, there was nothing to be heard. Seeing this, Kevin also furrowed his brows, his face solemn.

“Damn, I was here before. It was still fine then. I had even warned them about those dangerous beings…”

“This might actually be good news for us. If those things are wandering nearby, the chances of finding and dealing with them are higher,”

Duanmu Huai scanned the surroundings, speaking with a cold tone.

“But first, let’s deal with some unwelcome guests.”

Before his words even fell, the pile of straw in front of Duanmu Huai suddenly exploded. Next, a tall sheep-headed beastman roared, brandishing its battle-axe at him. This scene was so abrupt that it startled Ann into screaming. The girl’s scream seemed to further stimulate the enemy in front of them, causing it to reveal a ferocious grin before lifting its battle-axe. Simultaneously, Ogis, who was sitting on Duanmu Huai’s shoulder, gently flexed her fingers. Following her action, the sharp puppet thread, as if slicing through frozen mutton, easily turned the beastman in front of them into pieces of flesh.

But this was only the beginning.

With roars echoing around, several beastmen armed with weapons emerged from all directions. They stood on rooftops or in shadows, their eyes reflecting the excitement of seeing prey fall into a trap. Meanwhile, everyone else also swiftly drew their weapons, vigilantly watching the monsters before them. Clearly, they were now surrounded.

At the same time, a tall tauren wielding a battle-axe blocked their path. It stared at Duanmu Huai and let out an enraged roar before lifting its battle-axe. Then, just like a real bull that had been provoked, it lowered its head and charged at them.

“What a shame, beef hotpot isn’t bad during winter.”

Duanmu Huai set Ann down on the ground, then tightly grasped his War Hammer, coldly watching the charging tauren. He then snorted and strode forward to meet its charge!!

“Boom!!”

The two fiercely collided, and in the next moment, the tauren was sent flying like it had crashed into a high-speed train, leaving a long trail behind it in the snow. Its horns had been snapped off, and it was bleeding profusely. Before the tauren could stand back up, Duanmu Huai was already in front of it, his War Hammer slamming down. Thereupon, the tauren’s head, just like tofu, was instantly smashed to pieces under the Thunder Waraxe, turning into a pile of fragments.

“Roar—————!!!”

With the death of the tauren, the beastmen rushed forward, and a fierce battle began.