That evening, as the twilight settled.
"Do I truly possess the strength of a giant?" Will muttered to himself as he walked along the narrow path through the forest. Ever since he had awoken from his unconscious state, Jin had told him that he had acquired the powers of a giant, yet Will felt no change in his body whatsoever.
"Where does this path lead?" Will realized only after leaving the Bone-crushing Arena that he had no idea which direction to go.
"How should I proceed?" He glanced around in despair, but the surrounding trees seemed to stretch endlessly with nothing else in sight.
"Smoke! There's smoke over there!" Will exclaimed, his heart leaping. Smoke meant there were people nearby. Filled with excitement, he rushed toward the source.
"Ah, there really are people living here." After running along the woodland path for several minutes, Will discovered a modest, primitive village.
"I feel like I've been here before." Will stared at the village before him, trying to recall something from the past.
"Ah! I remember now! This is the village where I was kidnapped!" Realization dawned on him; he had unwittingly returned to the desolate village, the one where the old woman had tricked him.
"I must find that old woman!" Now fully remembering, Will hurried toward the old woman's house.
'There's light, there must be someone there.' Will approached the dilapidated house, peering through the cracked wooden door.
Suddenly, with a loud crash, the door was forcefully shoved in as Will, intending to enter quietly, nudged it gently. It flew open as if struck by the force of several people.
'Is this the strength of a giant?' Will stood frozen, his mind blank. His mouth agape, he stared at his hand in disbelief.
Cautiously, Will peered into the room. Seeing no one inside, he slowly stepped in. Approaching the fireplace, he reached out, finding it still warm, indicating that the old woman had not been gone for long.
Due to his immense strength, Will had completely destroyed the door, so he set it aside temporarily and sat down on a nearby chair.
"Johnny! Has Johnny returned?" A frail voice called from outside. The old woman, with an eager expression, rushed into the room.
"Johnny!" She cried joyfully upon seeing the figure sitting in the chair.
"Grandmother, it's been a while," Will said, smiling as he turned to face her.
"Ah, it's you." The old woman's joyful expression faltered into one of terror, as though she had seen a ghost.
"Are you still alive?" she asked in disbelief, rubbing her dry eyes as if to confirm what she saw.
"Of course," Will replied, slowly rising from his seat.
"How... how did you return? How did you return? How did you return?" The old woman rushed to Will's side, her eyes fixed on him, repeating the question frantically.
"What... what's wrong?" Will, taken aback by the intensity of her gaze, stammered, unsure of how to respond.
"Why hasn't Johnny returned? Why hasn't Johnny returned?" The old woman frantically scanned the room, as if hoping to find her son somewhere.
"There's no one else here!" Will's shout interrupted her search. The old woman, staring at him, said nothing in reply.
"Please! Spare me! Don't kill me! I didn't want this!" The old woman suddenly began to sob, collapsing to her knees, her hands repeatedly bowing to Will in a desperate plea.
"What are you doing?" Will, startled, hurried to her side, gently lifting her up and helping her to sit in the chair.
"My boy, I was forced into this. I didn't want to deceive you, but they took my son. They said that if I brought them a replacement for him, they would return him to me. Please, forgive me!" The old woman cried out, her voice thick with sorrow.
"Grandmother, I think you misunderstood. I didn't come here to cause you trouble; I just got lost again," Will explained with a reassuring smile.
"You... you truly are a good person." The old woman was once again moved to tears.
"Grandmother, please tell me what happened to your son." Will sat down opposite her, eager to know more.
"Oh, this story goes back a long way—about ten years ago. My husband, son, and I lived in a bustling town not far from here. It was a prosperous place, full of life. We lived comfortably until one day, everything changed. A strange illness began to spread, one even worse than the plague. Those infected would vomit dark green liquid and slowly perish. It was terrifying!" The old woman's face twisted in a grimace as she recalled the events.
"An illness?" Will asked, intrigued and confused.
"Yes, that once-thriving town was completely transformed by this plague. My husband died from it, and in order to escape, I fled with my young Johnny," the old woman continued, her voice cracking.
"What happened to that town?" Will asked, concerned.
"I never returned, but I've heard it became a dead town, no one dares to go near. And yet, the plague hasn't disappeared. A month ago, Johnny began showing symptoms. Occasionally, he would vomit dark green liquid," she said, tears once again brimming in her eyes.
"Then, your son..." Will hesitated, unsure if he should ask. The sight of the old woman in such distress made it hard to continue.
"My son... he is still alive. I'm certain of it." The old woman's voice grew firm, as if trying to convince herself. She was sure that her son was still among the living.
"A week ago, four people came. They were the ones who had taken your son. They said they could cure him, and Johnny went with them. He hasn't returned since. Every time I asked them about him, they insisted that if I brought them another person, they would tell me where Johnny was. But they were lying to me all along!" She broke down into tears, finally unable to contain her emotions.
"If we find them, we'll find your son, won't we?" Will asked urgently, his voice rising.
"I think so... but those four men are dead," the old woman said, her gaze turning away in sorrow.
With that, the last thread of hope seemed to snap. Will sat in silence, his arms crossed, his gaze lowered as he pondered the situation.
"Then... I suppose..." Will raised his head, staring at the decaying roof as his thoughts drifted.