The Smiling Death-Chapter 329: In Search Of Something Unknown

Amon stepped out of his house.

The rain was falling, but lightly, not heavy. Fine droplets drifted down from the dark sky, tapping softly against rooftops and soaking into the earth. The wind, however, was strong.

It pushed against him the moment he stepped forward, tugging at his hoodie and rustling the trees violently.

Lightning flashed across the sky.

A second later, thunder rolled through the village.

Amon adjusted his hood slightly and began walking in the direction Vetaal had pointed earlier.

West or perhaps slightly northwest.

The village was quiet now. Most people had already retreated indoors because of the weather. Only the sound of wind and rain filled the air.

He had only taken a few steps when—

"Amon!"

A voice called out from behind him.

’That voice seems familiar...’

He stopped and turned around.

A short distance away from his house stood another one of the same size and shape. In the window of that house stood Scarlett.

Her red hair was faintly illuminated by lightning as it flashed again. Her amethyst eyes were narrowed slightly as she looked at him. As always, she looked more beautiful than anyone here.

"Where are you going at this time, in the rain?" she asked.

Her voice was calm, but there was clear suspicion in it. After all, Amon had been going out in such weather at this late evening, where night would soon come. Anyone would be suspicious of him.

Amon smiled widely. "Just taking a walk." So Amon decided to make an excuse.

Scarlett’s eyes narrowed further. "In this rain?"

He shrugged casually. "Yeah. I love getting soaked in the rain." He gave her an idiotic reason.

For a moment, she simply stared at him. She stared at him suspiciously. Then she shook her head and sighed.

"Do whatever you want." She said to him like she didn’t care.

Amon laughed lightly. "I will."

Another streak of lightning split the sky, briefly lighting up the space between them.

Scarlett remained standing at the window, watching him.

"Anyways, see you at dinner time in the canteen. Bye." Amon turned around again and continued walking.

Soon the houses of the village grew fewer behind him. The path turned darker.

The forest loomed ahead. Thick, towering trees swaying violently under the wind. Their branches twisted and creaked as if whispering to one another.

He stepped past the final edge of the village boundary and entered the dark forest.

The air inside felt different. Heavier. Cooler.

Rain slipped through in scattered drops, tapping against leaves and dripping from branches. The wind moved through the treetops with a low howl, but down below, the forest floor felt strangely muted.

Amon continued walking. His steps were steady. His eyes sharp.

He carefully observed his surroundings. The movement of branches, the rhythm of the rain, the shadows between trees.

Though the monsters in this region were usually asleep, he did not lower his guard.

Lightning flashed again, briefly illuminating the forest in stark white.

For a split second, every tree, every root, every shadow became visible.

Then darkness swallowed it once more. Amon walked deeper. Further west. Further into the unknown.

Amon continued to walk for a while. All he saw was a familiar sight. Something he had been watching for more than two months. The same forest with black-colored trees. Nothing much different. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

The only new thing here was the rain, the lightning, the cold wind mixed with rainwater hitting his face from time to time.

"It’s been a while since I started. But how far should I go?" he mumbled to himself. Well, it was not like he needed to worry. He could just continue to walk nonstop. In the end, he would come back to his village, since it was more like a loop.

No need to worry about getting lost.

His boots were now stomping through wet ground. Water flowed with soil. Water seeped around the soles as he moved, the ground squelching faintly beneath each step.

Mud clung to the edges of his footwear, slowing him just slightly. The rain had grown colder. The wind sharper.

Amon kept walking. While walking at a normal speed, he felt it. He felt like something came into his right side, from the corner of his eye. Just... something new.

His gaze shifted to the right. Through the curtain of rain and swaying branches, something darker than the surrounding forest caught his eye.

A hollow place. An opening that led somewhere.

Half-hidden behind thick roots and overgrown shrubs was a small cave-like structure carved into a low rocky mound. It wasn’t large. The entrance was barely tall enough for a person to walk through without ducking slightly.

Lightning flashed. For a split second, the cave entrance was illuminated in stark white. And then darkness swallowed it again.

Amon slowed.

"What’s that? A cave..." He had explored the surrounding area of the village with Vetaal before entering the villagers’ area.

But he had never come in this direction.

Curiosity stirred within him.

But this might be something new. He might have found something useful inside. In a place like this, nothing could be normal.

He changed direction.

Each step toward it felt heavier, not because of fear—but because the air itself felt denser near the cave. The sound of the wind seemed to dull. Even the rain felt quieter.

’Sometimes I hate that I have so much curiosity. But well, it always wins over my fear.’

Well, he just put those thoughts aside and walked closer.

He stopped a few paces from the entrance.

Up close, he could see that the stone around it was darker than natural rock almost charred. Faint cracks ran along the surface like old scars. Water trickled down from above, sliding along the jagged edges before dripping into the darkness within.

The path leading inside descended. It was going underground. He couldn’t tell how deep it might lead inside.

Amon narrowed his eyes. "Interesting..." He found this quite interesting. He felt as if there was really something inside.

"Nothing wrong with checking it... also, the cave inside would be dark... that’s better for me."