Webnovel Author In The Apocalypse World-Chapter 374: Skirmish by the River

He had no idea what this world-creating plant actually looked like, how big it was, or whether it had only this single fruit or multiple ones like it.

Still, knowing that this world was a plant's fruit made Kim Haru feel somewhat relieved.

He also had a rough guess about that impenetrable white fog—he wasn't completely clueless about how to get out anymore.

However, according to the villagers, one could only safely enter the white fog once, so he had to make thorough preparations before he tried it.

Kim Haru began thinking about how to achieve his goal.

Just as he finished marking the critical areas in the grassland he had cleared, he heard a commotion outside.

"The village across the river is attacking!" someone shouted.

In the pitch-black night, flickering flames rapidly approached from a distance, leaping in the dark sky.

Occasionally, their reflections shimmered on the river's surface, creating an oddly mesmerizing sight.

However, once he realized that each fire represented an enemy wielding a large blade charging toward them, that sense of beauty and romance instantly vanished, replaced by a heavy tension.

When Kim Haru stepped out of his room upon hearing the noise, the so-called "people from the other village" were still on their way.

"What's going on?" Kim Haru grabbed a passing villager and asked.

The villager had been in a hurry, nearly losing his temper when someone suddenly stopped him.

However, the moment he turned and saw Kim Haru, the reprimand that had been at the tip of his tongue softened.

The villager mumbled a few words, but Kim Haru quickly stopped him.

He had completely forgotten that he couldn't understand the local dialect.

Letting the villager rush off to join the defense team by the river, Kim Haru happened to see the village chief approaching.

As soon as the chief received the news, his first thought was Kim Haru—this esteemed guest who held the key to leading them out of the canyon.

He absolutely could not let anything happen to him.

Catching Kim Haru's question, the chief sighed helplessly and explained, "The people from that village must have noticed something strange during the day and decided to try attacking again. They're like firecrackers, always ready to explode. The only things on their minds are fighting and seizing territory. Even the horses I used to own had more sense than them. You can't reason with them at all."

Kim Haru frowned. "Do you fight often?"

Logically, conflicts over territory could escalate into full-blown wars.

However, since the battles were relatively small in scale, they were more like skirmishes or disputes.

By using the word "fight" instead of "battle," Kim Haru had unconsciously lowered the gravity of the situation.

The village chief felt a subtle relief in his heart.

He had been utterly frustrated by the other tribe's relentless attacks.

But now that he thought about it—so what if they were fighting again?

It wasn't as if they hadn't fought before.

No need to panic.

Calming himself down, the chief decided not to rush to the river. Instead, he stood at Kim Haru's doorstep and began explaining the situation between the two villages.

Unlike Kim Haru's village, whose people had all fallen from the plains above, the opposing village seemed more like natives.

As a responsible leader, the village chief hesitated before saying, "I can't say for sure whether they're actual natives. But when we first arrived in this place, they were already settled here, living properly. We even tried to form an alliance with them—after all, strength comes in numbers. Who knows what kind of dangers lurk in this strange place? But they refused."

At this point, even the village chief couldn't understand their reasoning.

The other side looked human and spoke a language that was mutually intelligible.

Alyhough there were some differences in word usage, they were no more than minor dialectal variations between neighboring regions.

From every perspective, they were human, and it was precisely this point that made the village chief doubt their claim of being indigenous.

Howeve, if the other side were also human, then regardless of who arrived first, negotiations shouldn't have completely broken down, making cooperation impossible.

Forget cooperation—why were they trying to seize land?

Had this turned into territorial expansion?

Tonight's ambush was not the first of its kind.

The two sides were evenly matched in terms of combat strength, often clashing back and forth without a clear victor.

However, overall, the opposing side held a slight advantage.

By now, Kim Haru had fully embraced the virtues of a farmer and had completely lost interest in these skirmishes.

He only cared about ensuring that his plans for finding a way forward were not disrupted.

For that reason, Kim Haru didn't mind lending a small helping hand.

"Do the two sides have any distinguishing marks?" Kim Haru asked.

The village chief didn't know why Kim Haru was asking, but he still answered honestly, "The people from the other side all wear thick mud rings on their heads. They're heavy and very conspicuous."

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Kim Haru nodded. "I see."

Then, the village chief watched as this esteemed guest beckoned toward the enormous owl.

The owl soared into the sky, stirring up a fierce gust of wind that made the surrounding houses rattle.

Even in the darkness of night, its massive body appeared even darker than the night itself.

Its flight path led directly to the battleground between the two villages.

Realizing this, the village chief's eyes widened.

"You… you're…?"

A thought crossed his mind, making his hands tremble with excitement.

Kim Haru's gaze fell upon the riverbank where the conflict was taking place.

He simply gave a short hum in response.

The certainty in his tone was unmistakable.

The village chief grew even more agitated.

His chest heaved with suppressed excitement, yet despite his role as village chief, he could barely contain his joy.

He glanced at the riverbank, then at Kim Haru, and in the end, he couldn't hold back.

"Can I go take a look?"