Don't move, it's a robbery!

After a long day, it's time to prepare a good meal.

I took out the mutton meatballs and soaked them in water until they absorbed water and expanded. After they softened, I took them out and put them in a small bowl. I cracked open the bird eggs I had taken from the bird's nest, poured the egg liquid into the minced meat and started stirring. I added a little salt during the process. After stirring evenly, I heated the pan, then poured in a little oil, then poured the minced meat into the pan and spread it evenly. I fried it until it was fragrant, then flipped it over and waited. Then I chopped wild onions and herbs and mixed them with rum to make a braising sauce, which I then poured into the pan.

Agua's special fried lamb is ready!

"Ronaldo, you've been hungry all day, you must be craving something, right?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot you're an aristocrat. You probably wouldn't appreciate the cooking of a country bumpkin like me. No problem, I have many novelties here that I guarantee you've never eaten before."

I fed Ronaldo some bitter pills made from weeds, then sat down next to him and enjoyed some fragrant fried lamb, smacking my lips as I ate, looking quite content.

"What are you standing there for? Don't be shy, eat up, eat your fill!"

Ronaldo: "........."

After a hearty meal, I sat by the campfire and opened the safe I had been eagerly anticipating.

There were no poison gas traps in the safe. After learning the combination, I easily opened it, but there was no gold or silver treasure I wanted inside. There were only some strange documents and a strange antique.

I frowned as I looked at the antique in the safe. It looked like a bowl, but the bottom was too high. Yet, if I said it was a cup, the rim was too wide.

The strange shape isn't the problem, but this thing looks bright green, like it's poisonous, so I don't dare touch it directly.

"What is this?"

(ﾟωﾟ): "Oh! You're in luck! It's a rare cursed item. Quick! Drip a drop of your blood onto it, and it'll become your exclusive treasure!"

"I see, I see, so that's how this tool is used!"

(ﾟωﾟ): "Yeah! Would I lie to you? You know I can't lie!"

I nodded. 'West Copper' never lies; it simply wants to kill me.

I used a dagger to cut open Ronaldo's wrist and began to draw out his blood.

"Waaaaah!!"

"Stop yelling, buddy. I just need to borrow some of your blood."

"No, I'm a robber, why would I borrow? I'll just rob you, so what? What's wrong with you?"

Ronaldo seemed genuinely upset, especially when I tried to splatter his blood into that strange bowl; he practically jumped up in a huff.

He really stood up. I almost poked his feet raw, and his legs were tied up, but he was still able to stand up. His willpower is truly remarkable.

"Tell me, what exactly is this thing? Otherwise, you should know what I'm going to do."

I ripped the rope off Ronaldo's mouth, and he almost screamed, telling me to stay away from that "holy artifact".

After another round of interrogation, I realized that I had made a small mistake in my judgment of Ronaldo.

It's not a vampire's dog.

They are dogs belonging to many kinds of monsters.

Yes, this guy has joined many cults, far more than just the vampire clan. This strange "sacred artifact" is an offering from another cult called the Dream Cult. As long as you sprinkle the blood of a living person on it, the blood's owner will be parasitized by a "god," and he will be trapped in endless nightmares, eventually turning into a monster due to madness.

Of course, there is a price to pay for using this sacred artifact. Once used, the user must offer sacrifices to the "god" every so often, or the "god's" messenger will come to take revenge.

At the same time, the curse does not always succeed. As long as the cursed person's willpower is strong enough, or their affinity with the "gods" is high enough, the cursed person may become the master of the "sacred artifact" and thus gain the power to control monsters.

"So you'll do anything, but you're not even human!"

I grabbed a stick and smashed this so-called "sacred artifact" to pieces, so that it wouldn't harm anyone else.

"No! We can't smash it! We're doomed! We're doomed! We've all been spotted by the gods!"

Ronaldo was terrified and started shuffling backwards, crying and screaming. Seeing his reaction, I realized that I had been a bit reckless and hadn't considered the consequences at all.

"Damn it, I still have too little experience with these weird things. I'll be more careful next time. Hey, what happens if the gods notice? Will there be divine punishment?"

"I don't know, I really don't know!"

I kicked Ronaldo over and, standing on top of him, asked him in a friendly tone.

"You'd better be more specific, because I'm in a very bad mood."

"I finally managed to steal the safe, but when I opened it, there was only a stack of scrap paper and a piece of trash. Now I've basically gotten nothing."

"If you make me angry again, I won't ask for the ransom. I'll tear you to pieces and send you back to your home, you hear me?"

Ronaldo nodded repeatedly, and when he started crying, he looked no different from a farmer bitten by leeches.

So, what exactly makes a noble family so noble?

Just as I was questioning them, fog suddenly began to rise around us. The fog appeared so abruptly that Ronaldo started screaming again, howling, "The messenger of the gods is about to appear! The messenger of the gods is about to appear!"

I quickly pulled out my baseball bat, got into defensive stance, and carefully watched my surroundings to avoid being ambushed by a monster that might suddenly appear.

Then I just waited there for 10 minutes, and nothing happened.

This fog is definitely not normal; it's not caused by natural causes. It's just a monster behind the scenes. Why doesn't it show itself? Is it hoping I'll lower my guard?

Okay, then I'll let my guard down.

"Where's the divine messenger? Are you playing me again?"

I pretended to be annoyed and kicked Ronaldo hard. Seeing that there was no response, I continued to punch and kick him. Ronaldo didn't know what was going on and thought I was really angry, so he kept begging me for mercy.

So I kept typing for several more minutes, but the surroundings remained quiet and there was no sound at all.

Tch, why aren't you coming out? Are you waiting for me to be exhausted?

If I'm not mistaken, these fog-creating monsters are likely lurking in the shadows, observing me. And these kinds of monsters probably aren't particularly strong in direct combat.

Otherwise, they wouldn't need to compete with me in patience.

Hmm, this is a bit troublesome. I'm not very good at dealing with these kinds of things. How can I force them to appear?

However, judging from the fact that they appeared immediately after I shattered the sacred artifact, this so-called deity must possess some abilities, at least enough to exert some control over these so-called divine messengers.

What if I continue to insult it?

You can give it a try.

I chuckled, stepped on the shards of the sacred artifact, and then shoved them away forcefully.

Oops, I accidentally stepped on it!

Suddenly, an angry roar came from the mist. The source of the sound was unknown; it seemed both far away and right beside me.

Ugh, I'm angry.

I used the same trick again and stomped on it hard once more.

The voices were closer this time, and the roars were clearer; it seemed these so-called divine messengers had truly reached their limit.

With a series of angry roars, the surrounding mist slowly gathered, gradually transforming into pure white bodies. Darkness formed their eyes, and the sound of the wind gathered into a furious howl. One by one, enormous monsters gradually revealed their shapes.

The design is a bit comical, how should I describe it?

Hmm, white fur, hooves, and a rather perky butt.

Overall, they resemble a white goat standing upright.

I remember what this thing is now! It's a nightmare! I even bought their eyes from the market when I was making medicine before! Those things are expensive, one costs several hundred gold coins, enough to buy dozens of sheep.

Now look what's happened! They've delivered themselves right to our doorstep, and there are five of them at that.

Great! Excellent!

I grinned and charged over with the stick, ready to knock him out with one blow first.

"Thump!"

Unexpectedly, their reactions were almost as sluggish as those of ordinary people. He also tried to attack and dodge me, but he was no match for me at all. My stick easily struck one of the monsters on the head.

It seems my previous guess was correct; Nightmare is not a monster that relies on speed and strength. However, the moment I hit it with my stick, I felt something was off.

Almost instantly, the nightmare I hit turned into mist before my eyes and then vanished without a trace.

I quickly retreated to avoid being attacked, only to find that all the nightmares around me had disappeared.

What happened?

I was somewhat taken aback and didn't know what to do for a moment. Just as I was in a daze, they reappeared, just like before. The mist gathered again and then coalesced into a shape, still consisting of 5 heads.

I felt something was wrong, so I picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at them.

The moment I hit it, the nightmare vanished again—not just the one I struck, but all of the nightmares disappeared.

Could it be that all of this is just an illusion?

I've actually been outsmarting the air all along?

I had a bad feeling. It would be very difficult to deal with this type of monster when I was alone.

Judging from its ability to create illusions and conceal its form with mist, Nightmare's direct combat capabilities are definitely not strong. However, given my current situation, the best way to deal with it is to use fire.

But the surrounding trees are too dense. If I start a fire, and the fire gets out of control, I might be the one burned to death.

Ugh, I'm so angry! I shouldn't have smashed the sacred artifact.

Just as I was pondering how to fight, I suddenly heard a horse neighing. I turned my head and saw a Nightmare appear beside the horse, its claws already tearing through the horse's throat, sucking blood continuously.

Although I stole this horse, and specifically from Ronaldo's house, it's now my property, and I'm furious that it's been killed like this.

I stormed back, cursing, and slammed the nightmare on the head with a stick. Just like before, it disappeared again.

The horse was still bleeding, its eyes were glazed over, and it looked like it had died a gruesome death.

However, its death also made me realize that something was wrong.

First of all, if it really is all an illusion, then why could this guy actually hurt the horse?

Secondly, I only managed to hit one Nightmare at a time, so why did all the Nightmas disappear together? If they were illusions, then only the one I hit should have disappeared.

I turned to look at the monsters that had reappeared. The foul breath they exhaled was mixed with the smell of blood. Although they were breathing, they had no heartbeat. Their dark eyes were devoid of any expression. Every Nightmare was the same size and even their fur was the same pure color.

What abilities and secrets do they possess?

I calmed myself down and took out a recently made pill from my pocket.

This pill, made with vampire hearts as its core ingredient, can only be made from one vampire heart. After taking it, it can greatly enhance one's explosive power and agility, and even slowly change one's physique, giving one a slight but permanent boost.

You can't eat too much at once, otherwise some strange effects might occur.

As I felt the medicine taking effect in my body, I began to concentrate my mind, accelerate my breathing, and tense my muscles, allowing my body to start up in the most active way.

"Heave-ho!"

"Phew~"

Come on, let me be a little serious.