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And we have reached second world there, it being Cultivation Online.
***
Alan walked toward them at a steady pace.
Latina noticed him first.
"You're done?" she asked, brushing a bit of dust off her dress as she stood up.
"Yeah," Alan replied.
"Though not fully," he added, and briefly explained the situation. They listened and nodded.
"You can roam as much as you want. We'll just rest here," Marie said calmly.
Han Sua stepped forward and added, "You can go with ease of mind, benefactor. Your wives will be treated honorably here."
Alan nodded once.
He then kissed his children goodbye before leaving for the area where the big poisonous rats were blocking the road.
********
The pine forest was small, so he could escape quickly. Beyond the forest, a large community of monsters came into Alan's view.
Arched tents were set up everywhere throughout the area. There were around 500 of them. Assuming there were two monsters per tent, that meant at least 1,000 monsters.
"There are tents and living tools… Doesn't it seem like the monsters living here are quite intelligent? Are they lizardmen-type monsters?"
Alan thought as he looked at the monster community in front of him.
He clicked his tongue lightly.
"How long am I supposed to think about this? I should just check it myself," he muttered.
Alan wasn't the type to overanalyze for long.
His eyes scanned the entire area carefully.
'Is this some kind of monster settlement?'
The 500 tents were spaced about 50 meters apart, and each section was separated by low fences. It looked like each group valued its own space.
'Judging by the tools, they are humanoid monsters… not lizardmen. And they prefer living in groups.'
Humanoid monsters with a structured lifestyle and clear boundaries.
Alan frowned slightly.
'This isn't normal.'
Then he remembered.
'Right… this is the Eastern Continent.'
Trying to understand everything based on normal logic wasn't useful here.
'I'll just see it myself.'
Alan's figure disappeared.
He moved silently toward the monster community and approached the nearest tent.
'No presence?'
The place was too quiet.
Every tent looked empty.
'Did they all leave?'
However, if 1,000 monsters had moved somewhere, there should have been traces.
"…Don't tell me…"
Was it nap time?
The idea that 1,000 monsters would all be sleeping at the same time sounded ridiculous. Alan pushed the thought aside and looked inside the nearest tent.
Then he paused.
A rat.
No… it looked more like a hamster.
A large hamster-like couple was sleeping inside the tent.
"…Cute?"
No, that wasn't the point.
There was something strange about them. It felt like they had a natural concealment ability. Even when looking directly at them, it was hard to grasp their presence clearly.
"…This is suspicious."
For a moment, Alan stayed still, observing.
Then—
"Muong?"
Thump. Thump.
The hamster couple's noses twitched, and they slowly woke up.
Their eyes moved around for a second—
Then they locked directly onto Alan's position.
"Kyaak!"
Their mouths opened wide.
In an instant, their appearance changed from harmless to monstrous.
"…Tch."
Alan narrowed his eyes.
Inside their mouths were hundreds of sharp teeth, layered like saw blades. The sight was unnatural and unsettling.
Then—
A foul smell spread through the air.
It was strong enough to make a normal person dizzy or even poisoned.
Alan didn't move.
The poison had no effect on him.
"Human! Muong! Kill! Muong!"
The creatures let out broken, aggressive sounds as they stared at him.
The big poisonous rats became agitated by the intruder and raised their tridents. Their cute appearance disappeared completely. Their black eyes turned red, and the sharp front teeth dripping with black poison were now clearly aimed at Alan.
'Fast.'
Their attack speed was extremely high.
In an instant, they closed the distance.
One of the rats thrust its trident forward while another swung its tail, aiming precisely at Alan's weak points.
Peeng!
Alan had already moved.
The ground where he had been standing exploded as the trident struck it.
He had switched positions at the last moment, avoiding the attack cleanly.
The big poisonous rats didn't stop.
They opened their mouths again, releasing a foul, poisonous stench into the air while continuing their rapid attacks.
It was a deadly combination—poison, confusion, and overwhelming speed.
But—
Alan didn't panic.
Instead, a faint smile appeared on his face.
'Good.'
He had already expected the monsters of the Eastern Continent to be strong.
The stronger they were, the better.
Without hesitation, Alan stepped forward.
His movement was precise.
He avoided another incoming strike and instantly closed the gap.
Then—
He attacked.
Chaaeng!
The strike landed cleanly.
Both rats were hit at the same time.
Their bodies froze for a split second—
Then they collapsed.
[You have defeated a big poisonous rat.]
[35,970,411 experience has been acquired.]
"…Not bad."
Alan looked at the notification calmly.
The experience gain was higher than he expected.
Alan then went to next tent and resumed his hunting.
[You have defeated a big poisonous rat.]
[35,970,411 experience has been acquired.]
[A big poisonous rat's gallbladder has been acquired.]
[The big poisonous rat's leather has been acquired.]
[You have defeated a male big poisonous rat.]
[21,899,050 experience has been acquired.]
The hamster-like creatures were monsters found near what would be considered a "starter" village. They were likely at the lower end of the East Continent's food chain.
Even so, the experience they gave was excellent.
The female gave far more experience—several times higher than what stronger vampire-type monsters would normally give.
"…Only the males are labeled clearly, and they give less experience," Alan muttered.
'Does that mean this is a matriarchal group?'
Even then, calling the males "low reward" didn't make sense.
They still gave more experience than most high-level monsters he had seen before.
"…This place really is different."
Alan thought for a moment.
'Someone like Kraugel probably came here before reaching a higher stage… Could he hunt monsters like this?'
If not for the poison and confusion effects, it might have been manageable through skill alone.
But—
'How would he deal with the abnormal effects?'