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n22 Arrangements

nLumian awoke to the world shrouded in a faint, gray fog.

nWith practiced ease, he bounded out of bed and rushed to the window. His gaze fell upon the mountain, a towering behemoth of brownish-red stones and reddish-brown soil that loomed in the wilderness beyond.

nDespite its modest size, a mere twenty or thirty meters tall, the mountain seemed to stretch endlessly upwards, piercing the very heavens themselves. Lumian found himself using the words “mountain peak” to describe it, so profound was its impact on him.

nBeneath its massive frame, the ruins of dilapidated structures encircled the desolate wilderness, stacked atop one another, layer upon layer.

nJudging by the shotgun-wielding monster’s build, I’d say it’s highly skilled in both running and jumping. It also appears to possess a degree of intelligence, capable of wielding a weapon as complex as a shotgun…

nIt has incredibly strong tracking abilities, and I can’t discount the possibility that it possesses some sort of superpowers, much like Aurore…

n…

nAs Lumian focused his mind, details of the target began to surface.

nHis initial judgment was grim—if he attempted to face the monster with the shotgun, his chance of survival was a meager 10 percent. And if he tried to utilize his special trait, it would only hasten his demise. His meditation was a double-edged sword; it pushed him to the brink of death, making him vulnerable to even the slightest strike from the enemy.

nSneak attacks and assassinations were not viable options either. The other party possessed an uncanny ability to track his movements, rendering any attempts at stealth futile. Plus, Lumian lacked the necessary equipment to mount a ranged assault. A revolver would have been a godsend.

nFor the past two days, Lumian had wracked his brains trying to come up with a plan. And finally, a solution presented itself: traps!

nHe had ventured deep into the mountains with the village hunters, where he mastered the art of setting traps. Since then, Lumian had become a pro at pulling off a few practical jokes.

nLumian’s initial plan was to use oil as a weapon. His idea was to fill a large bucket with oil, tie a rope to it, and hide it somewhere high. When his target approached, he would yank the rope, causing the bucket to tip over, drenching the unsuspecting victim with oil. Then, he would light a torch and toss it at them.

nHowever, after some deliberation, he gave up on the idea.

nOn the premise that the creature had strong tracking abilities, he knew he had to overestimate its sense of smell.

nThe smell of oil was quite obvious, and if he used other stronger smells to cover it up, he wasn’t sure if the other party would react differently. The monster might even be able to distinguish even the slightest abnormality, like wild dogs.

nIn the end, Lumian chose to dig a deep pit and plant stakes at the bottom.

nHe knew that there was a certain problem with this plan. With the tracking abilities displayed by the monster, there was a high chance that it would discover the anomaly in advance and see through the trap.

nLumian’s response was to find a way to exploit its blind spots and lower its guard.

nHis weapons were inferior to the creature’s, but he hoped his intelligence could give him the upper hand. As a human, he had one advantage: his brain.

nAt least from our last encounter, it possesses a certain degree of intelligence, albeit not quite that high… Lumian comforted himself.

nBut he refused to let this lull him into a false sense of security. He would plan assuming that the creature had the cognitive abilities of an average human being.

nSomeone like Pons Bénet.

nNo, that guy’s IQ is lower than a pile of rocks. If it weren’t for all his goons, I’d have him bowing down to me and calling me daddy. After a moment of contemplation, Lumian raised his expectations of the monster. Yes, treat it like an uneducated padre.

nHe gazed out the window again, his eyes fixated on the wilderness between his dwelling and the ruins.

nThis place was closer to the “safe zone,” making it the ideal location for his hideout. However, there was no cover, leaving everything exposed in plain sight, making it unsuitable for an ambush.

n“It’s fine to dig a trap, but if I use myself as bait, the other party will be able to spot me from a distance and shoot me. It won’t need to come over at all…” Lumian muttered, contemplating whether to take the risk of entering the ruins to set up a trap.

nHis plan took shape rapidly, with one thing left to confirm: it would take a lot of time to dig a deep pit and plant stakes below. Lumian couldn’t expect the other party to wait until he was done.

nAfter a moment’s reflection, Lumian opened his arms and made an “embrace the Sun” gesture. He prayed more fervently than ever before.

n“My God, my Father, please bless me and aid me in dealing with that monster.

n“Praise the Sun!”

nThere was no 100% certainty for most things in the world. Lumian didn’t hesitate for a moment. He grabbed the pitchfork and axe from the bedroom and proceeded to the study.

nConsidering the target’s weapon, Lumian knew he had to switch up his protection gear.

nHe shed his cotton clothes and lashed hard-bound books to his chest and back with a rope.

nThis was makeshift paper armor!

nHe vaguely remembered his sister warning him about the potential for internal injuries, but he couldn’t afford to worry about that now.

nHe stretched to make sure the weight of the books wouldn’t impede his fighting abilities, then donned his leather jacket and headed down to the ground floor to gather materials for his trap.

nNot long after, Lumian’s grip tightened on the shovel and bundle of ropes at his waist, one for climbing and the other for crafting rope nets to replace the tree branches.

nHe breathed deeply, steeling himself for what lay ahead, and gripped the iron axe in his right hand as he opened the door.

nA faint gray fog crept through the wilderness as Lumian approached the mountain, the peak now dyed in blood.

nLumian made his way through the eerie silence, creeping towards the edge of the ruins.

nWith caution, he walked a distance to the side and tossed his shovel, pitchfork, ropes, and other gear into a dark corner of a collapsed building. With only his trusty axe in hand, he returned to the spot where he had entered the ruins.

nMoving quietly and deliberately, Lumian crept deeper into the ruins without drawing attention to himself.

nWhen he finally reached the spot where the three-faced monster had scared him off last time, he paused for nearly a minute before turning back.

nHalfway there, he began to detour, circling back towards the collapsed house where he had stored his tools.

nAs he approached, Lumian scanned the terrain, searching for a suitable location to set up his trap.

nThere’s a relatively wide and short crevice here. With a little modification, it’ll make an excellent trap and save me precious time. As for the other one, well, that might take a while. But I’ll just have to hope the monster won’t find me too quickly…

nLumian retrieved his shovel and other gear, turned back to the chosen location, and set to work.

nAfter modifying the crevice, Lumian wielded his axe and sliced off a jagged piece of wood, then inserted it into the trap’s base. He crafted a net from rope, draping it over the trap before covering it with soil, ensuring that it blended seamlessly with its surroundings.

nWith everything in place, he began to mimic the monster tracking him.

nIf this creature is as perceptive as I think it is, it will sense the trap and avoid it, perhaps leaping over it in a single bound. However, it would inevitably reach this spot…

nI need to be here, so it spots me the moment it arrives… Lumian measured the distance with his feet and confirmed his line of sight before settling on a relatively intact wall.

nHe squatted there and confirmed his line of sight.

nThen he began to dig a second trap.

nThis was a trap specifically designed for “normal humans.”

nLumian knew that when someone had managed to track down their target and easily realized that the other party had laid a trap for them, only to discover that the enemy was lying in wait nearby, they’d probably get cocky. Their thirst for success would overwhelm them, and they’d ignore the possibility of a second trap, eagerly lunging at their prey.

nIt was a classic flaw of people with pedestrian intelligence.

nLumian just prayed that the monster didn’t possess the average IQ of a human. If it did, he had no choice but to bolt. Odds were he’d be ensnared and left to die in the wild, with a slim chance of making it back to his house and hiding in the “safe zone.”

nCordu’s abnormality had forced him to make a dangerous choice.

nWith every passing moment, Lumian grew increasingly wary. Even though he had set up the second trap, the monster with the shotgun had yet to make an appearance.

nThe same held true for the other monsters.

nAt last, Lumian began to relax. After stowing away his shovel and other supplies, he stood tall, spreading his arms wide.

n“Praise the Sun!” he exclaimed with renewed vigor.

nLumian shrank back against the wall and fell to his knee, his eyes fixated on the first trap.

nThere was no clear line of sight to the path he took, obstructed by a collapsed building looming in his way.

nHe waited there, patiently, his heart thumping in his chest. Lumian could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins, and the sensation was unprecedented.

nAs a vagrant, Lumian had encountered his fair share of “enemies” who were bigger and brawnier than him. But they weren’t looking to off him; they just wanted his grub, dough, and a decent spot to catch some Z’s. Even if someone happened to die in the scuffle, it was chalked up to an unfortunate accident.

nBut now, the adversary he was up against was a monstrous creature that didn’t abide by human laws or morals. And it was exponentially stronger than Lumian. Hell, it might even possess a few superpowers. If his scheme went sideways, the outcome was all but certain.

nThump, thump, thump… Lumian’s heart was about to leap out of his chest.

nEveryone wanted to live the good life, and Lumian was no exception.

nBreathe in, breathe out… breathe in, breathe out…

nLumian tried to take deep breaths to steady his nerves, but it wasn’t helping.

nLumian hoped the monster would appear sooner, though he dreaded its arrival.

nOn the one hand, it could bring a quick resolution to this situation, regardless of whether the outcome was positive or negative. At least then he wouldn’t be as anxious as he was now, almost at the point of breaking down. On the other hand, fear gripped him tightly.

nRealizing that he couldn’t go on like this, he reminded himself, I can’t burden Aurore with my fears. With that, he attempted to meditate, focusing all his energy on the task.

nAlthough it proved more challenging than before, Lumian eventually managed to outline the crimson sun in his mind.

nThe mere sight of it eased his nerves somewhat, yet he still trembled with fear.

nSuddenly, he heard a faint rustling sound.

nIt was as if a shepherd was approaching quietly through a nearby pasture, hidden from view.

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