Peaceful Life System: I only need to live peacefully-Chapter 48: Growing Unease

"That’s... not blood," Riku stated quietly, carefully examining a bird’s wing without touching it directly. The colour was too uniform, the edges too defined, almost like a dye or a rash that had seeped into the very tissue. It felt inherently wrong.

A sudden wave of dizziness washed over Riku, a sharp, prickling sensation behind his eyes. He instinctively put a hand out to steady himself on a nearby tree trunk. For a fleeting moment, a small, almost translucent puff of reddish mist, like disturbed rust spores, seemed to coalesce above the back of his other hand before dissipating instantly into the air. He blinked, the sensation passing as quickly as it came, leaving a faint metallic taste in his mouth.

He had not really seen such a scar or felt such a feeling in his previous life, though he had days of experience in every class and had played through every content that the dev had created. In fact, he was the only one who had cleared every achievement in the game.

However, this only amplified his unease. He quickly clenched his fist. "Did you two feel that?" Riku asked, trying to keep his voice casual as he straightened up. "A bit of a dizzy spell? Or see anything... odd, just now?"

Lila frowned, looking at him with concern. "Dizzy? No, I did not feel anything. Are you ok?"

Eren shook his head. "Nothing here, Riku. Just the smell of these... things. Maybe that is getting to you" He gestured to the dead animals.

Riku forced a reassuring smile. "Yeah. must be these animals then. Or maybe I am just a bit dizzy?."

But the metallic tang lingered, and the image of that brief, crimson mist was unsettlingly vivid.

"See?" Eren said, pointing at the red rash once again and oblivious to Riku’s momentary lapse. "Never seen anything like it. It’s not poison berries; they usually cause foaming or fits. And no predator did this."

Lila shuddered slightly. "It looks... diseased. Should we burn them?"

"We should take one back," Riku decided, his mind racing. He needed a closer look, and Barou needed to see this. "The rabbit. Wrap it carefully in some broad leaves, Eren. Don’t let your skin touch it."

Eren nodded, carefully bundling the small, stiff body.

Back in the village square, a small crowd gathered as Riku, Lila, and Eren laid the leaf-wrapped rabbit on a clean wooden plank. Barou pushed through, his brow furrowed. Gnord, Sherry, and even Sister Alia, drawn by the commotion, joined the periphery.

Riku carefully unwrapped the rabbit. A collective gasp went through the onlookers.

"What in the spirits...?" a farmer muttered, recoiling slightly. "Those red marks... like it’s been painted," another added. Joric, a usually boisterous man, scratched his head. "Well, it’s a fresh rabbit, otherwise. Shame to waste it. Bit of stew, maybe?"

"Hold on, Joric!" Barou’s voice was sharp, cutting through the murmurs. He leaned closer, his eyes narrowed, then looked up at Riku. "This isn’t natural. I’ve seen blights, animal sicknesses... never anything like this. Those marks... they feel wrong. Almost like... a curse."

The word ’curse’ hung heavy in the air. Villagers exchanged nervous glances. Sherry’s eyes, Riku noted, sharpened with a flicker of recognition, or perhaps just professional interest.

"A curse, Chief?" Lila asked, her voice a little shaky.

"I don’t know for sure," Barou admitted, "but we can’t be too careful. No one eats any wild game. Not birds, not rabbits, nothing from the forest until we understand what this is. Stick to the stores we have and what we’re growing in the main fields."

There were grumbles of agreement, mixed with anxious whispers.

"Riku," Barou turned to him, "you’ve dealt with... unusual things before. Any thoughts?"

Riku met his gaze. He couldn’t reveal what he suspected, especially with the system offline. He felt a growing sense of dread, a prickling unease that this was more than just a localized animal sickness. The brief sensation, the red mist – it all pointed to something insidious.

"I agree with you, Chief," Riku said carefully. "It’s not like any disease I’ve encountered. The markings are do not seem to be of any disease or curse that I have encountered. However, you are correct in your judgement."

"Caution is the best approach. We should monitor the forest edges, report anything else unusual immediately. And everyone needs to be vigilant about their own health. Any unexplained tiredness, any strange marks..." freewebnøvel.com

He let his voice trail off, hoping the implication was clear without causing outright panic. Internally, however, his unease was a cold knot in his stomach.

Riku still could not put a handle on it, but somehow it felt different. Different from the bandits, different even from the Vintross crisis. This was unseen, creeping, and he currently had no tools to analyze it properly.

This isn’t good, he thought, the crimson stain on the rabbit’s fur seeming to pulse faintly in his vision. This isn’t good at all.

Ding! A new message flashed across Riku’s internal vision, crisp and clear, a standard system announcement.

[System Alert: Anomaly Detected in Local Ecosystem!]

[Quest Issued: The Whispering Blight]

[Objective: Investigate the source of the unnatural affliction affecting local wildlife. The path of discovery may be perilous, but unique insights await the diligent explorer.]

[Reward: ??? (Commensurate with findings and resolution)]

[Hint: Sometimes, the deepest roots are found by venturing off the beaten path. Trust your instincts, Host.]

Riku blinked. The Whispering Blight? Unique insights? The system, even in its limited capacity during the upgrade, was clearly nudging him towards a solo investigation. The vague but enticing promise of a mystery reward also raised his curiosity and suspicion

Ok! Let’s go and check it out! After all, since when did he, as the great Grand Maximus, became afraid of trouble...

Barou, noticing Riku’s momentary distraction and the thoughtful frown that creased his brow, stepped closer. "Riku? Is something else wrong? You look... troubled."

Riku forced a reassuring smile, though the system’s new quest weighed on his mind. "Just processing, Chief. This is... unexpected." He glanced towards the southern woods, a new resolve hardening his gaze. "I think I need to take another look out there. Alone. See if I can find where this is coming from."

"Alone?" Baron interjected, stepping forward, concern evident in his voice. "You yourself said that this is something new, and no one knows about it. What if something happens to you?"

Riku turned, slowly meeting Barou in his eyes.

"It’s the only way to be sure no one else is put at risk," Riku replied, his tone gentle but firm. "And I have a feeling this needs a... particular kind of observation."

"Keep the village on alert, Chief. No one ventures south of the new fields. And if anyone feels unwell, even slightly... use the remedies I prepared before. I’ll be back as soon as I can." His voice trailed off as he turned, already moving towards the forest path, "Just... remain vigilant."