Chapter 66: The Herders

"The Hunting Layer? A mysterious layer within the Shadow World?"

Listening to George's exposition, Gune immediately quieted his mind and listened attentively.

"Actually, after I awakened my extraordinary profession 'Time Hunter,' I was able to sense and see the existence of the Hunting Layer."

"For instance, right now, I can see in the Hunting Layer the dim and worn projection of light mottled upon me, and everything around me is filled with a sense of danger."

"When I grew a bit older, I understood that what I saw was a deep inner world."

"A very peculiar and dangerous inner world, which I call the 'Hunting Layer.'"

"Within the Hunting Layer,"

"there is a very strange creature. They are humanoid, with two long, slender legs and a pair of fleshy wings, and their flying speed is astonishing."

"Beneath the wings grow a peculiar pair of arms that can stretch extremely long and have terrifying lethality."

"Their bodies are slender and pitch-black, with three eyes on their foreheads, granting them极强的 stereoscopic vision and perception."

"Approaching them silently is nearly impossible."

"At the first extraordinary rank, these creatures are already five meters tall."

"And as their strength increases, their size grows."

"Basically, about two meters per rank."

"With each rank, their power surges."

"Of course, the most important point I haven't mentioned yet."

"That is... they have a terrifying tongue."

"Using this tongue, they can penetrate reality from the Hunting Layer and lick away human time."

"Licking away time?" Gune's expression shifted slightly.

"Time is an abstract concept. Can that even be licked?"

"Or does time also have special extraordinary properties in this extraordinary world?"

After pondering for a moment, Gune suddenly asked.

"Are you sure this is licking away time?"

"I'm sure." George nodded slightly.

"Because... I can see... time!"

"See time." Gune was taken aback.

"Well! This Time Hunter... is indeed... extraordinary." Gune spread his hands.

Then Gune continued, "What happens after being licked?"

"After being licked, time is lost, and once time is lost, it must be corrected. During the correction, the one who lost time is scoured by a mysterious force."

"The scouring manifests as aging of the flesh, soul, and bodily functions, as well as loss of extraordinary traits. This all happens imperceptibly and is generally not noticed."

"These are indeed very bizarre creatures." Gune nodded thoughtfully.

George continued.

"I call these creatures that can lick away life and cause humans to lose their lives 'Deathbeasts.'"

"They are indeed beings that can lead Death forward. Calling them Deathbeasts is quite fitting." Gune mused inwardly.

"Deathbeasts are powerful, cunning, and intelligent. They specifically lick humans with long lifespans, especially when they are asleep."

"In the Hunting Layer, one lick can consume two or three days of a human's time."

"Here's the most terrifying part: these creatures don't focus on just one person each time they lick. They almost always lick everyone nearby, taking a dozen or so licks from each before moving on."

"These things... they even know to shear the wool separately. Their intelligence surpasses many people!" Gune was shocked.

"Earlier, you asked why I didn't report this to the higher-ups of the Extraordinary Association."

George slowly began to explain.

"Because when I was young, I told my teacher, and my teacher made me keep it a secret no matter what, telling no one."

"In fact, my teacher's decision was very correct."

"Because... these creatures are being herded... by certain mysterious existences!"

"Mysterious existences, using human life as grass and water... to herd." Gune's eyes narrowed slightly, and his fists clenched tighter.

This simply doesn't treat us humans as humans; it treats humans as walking flesh and grass.

"And there is more than one herder." George said softly.

"And within the Yulan Extraordinary Association, there are traces of them."

"That's why I dared not speak out."

"If I reported it, I would probably be close to death."

"I don't know if you've noticed, but with the rise of extraordinary steam machinery, the evil spirits and alien races have also become turbulent."

"The originally scattered alien races deep in the Otto Mountains to the north have also cooperated to fight against us humans."

"You should know that someone is secretly fanning the flames, and these herders are among the instigators."

"Those who herd the Deathbeasts and lick human life have no regard for human life; in their eyes, humans are just walking flesh and grass."

After George finished his explanation, both fell into a brief silence.

Mysterious existences indifferent to life, herding strange monsters that lick time, and the surging tides of the era being stirred.

Echoing George's words in his mind, Gune couldn't help but sigh inwardly: "This world is more complex and mysterious than I imagined."

After a moment of thought, Gune looked at George.

"Aren't you afraid I'll leak this information?"

"Of course I am."

"But I need the help of a powerful teammate even more."

"Teammate? Help?" Gune chewed on the words.

"Have you encountered them before?"

"Yes. When I was at the second extraordinary rank, I was already very strong. I thought I could kill a first-rank Deathbeast."

"I used the power of time to enter the Hunting Layer and hunted a first-rank Deathbeast."

"As a result, I almost died, and that creature escaped."

"Escaped." Gune pondered.

"Deathbeasts are unimaginably powerful. I can't handle them alone, and sometimes they don't act alone; they may appear in groups of three or five."

"Alone, I'm ultimately outnumbered. That's why I want to find a strong partner to hunt these Deathbeasts together."

"With my ability, I can bring an extraordinary of one rank lower than me into the Hunting Layer."

"Among all the extraordinaries I've met, none have ever given me such a strong sense of danger at the first rank."

"So you came to me?" Gune said softly.

"Yes. I really need a teammate like you, so I'm willing to take this risk."

After considering for a while, Gune spoke again slowly.

"I am a spellweaver, and I am currently deeply studying the world framework, the Shadow World, and even analyzing runes."

"The Hunting Layer you mentioned is a mysterious layer of the Shadow World."

"Entering it should greatly help my studies."

"So, you're lucky. I'm willing to cooperate with you." Gune said softly.

"Phew..."

Seeing Gune agree, George finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"You say you're invincible at the first rank, but that doesn't mean you can kill those first-rank Deathbeasts."

"Your words, my cheat doesn't like to hear." Gune thought to himself.

"Maybe." Gune didn't argue much.

"In our Sugg Ruins City, there are two Deathbeasts being herded, one second-rank and one third-rank. They have been licking for many years."

"The short lifespans of many laborers who work hard for money are largely caused by the Deathbeasts."

"If we let them continue to grow, it's hard to predict what will happen."

"My target is that second-rank Deathbeast."

"I am currently at the third rank, so I can bring a second-rank extraordinary in."

"So, when you advance to the second rank and reach its peak, we can join forces to eliminate that second-rank Deathbeast."

"This will take some time; there's no rush for now."

"Moreover, after this hunt, we need to hide our tracks well so the herders don't find us."

"After all, beings that can herd such creatures are no small matter."

"Mm." Gune nodded slightly.

After discussing more details, the two stopped.

Gune looked gently at the night outside the glass.

"Time Hunter, Hunting Layer, prey."

Gune chewed on the relationships among them.

"George probably still has some things he hasn't told me, but I can infer them."

"This hunting... should be of some help to him, but that's not the main point."

"The point is, this guy should also feel his own uniqueness. He doesn't want our world to be toyed with by those terrifying existences; otherwise, wouldn't it be better for him to ignore it?"

"Going to such lengths, even risking contact with me, shows he is a righteous person. That's good. At the same time, I feel that what he said is indeed true."

"Of course, while largely trusting him, I also need to be more cautious."

"For me... I need to use this opportunity to deepen my understanding and insight into the deeper layers of this world. This is very important for my path of runes."

"Secondly... eliminating the herding of those mysterious existences is indeed something I should do. After all, I am also a member of the flesh pasture in their eyes."

"If I remain silent now, one day the Deathbeast will lick me, and by then, no one will speak for me."

"Phew..."

Gune let out a soft breath, looking at the deep night outside.

The depths of that bizarre and uncanny extraordinary world, like the city shrouded in night, showed only faint outlines but could not reveal the terror and mystery hidden in the darkness.