Chapter 13

“□□?”

“□, □□.”

It would be great if I could confidently infiltrate through the front gate, but realistically, fighting all the mercenaries in the village alone was impossible.

So I planned to dig a hole, but

village guards, carrying torches, were patrolling the palisade in pairs. “Hmm.” Was it because this village was built in the middle of a dangerous area teeming with fearsome man-eating monsters? The security was thorough.

The silver lining in this misfortune was that I had roughly familiarized myself with the terrain by exploring various parts of the village like a tourist before being abducted by the chief.

A certain god urges that now is the opportune moment.

“Oh….”

The uncooperative and cynical god suddenly became actively helpful.

What got into them?

I want to ask why, but now is not the time for such questions.

I charged towards the palisade.

Since I’d confirmed that guards patrol at night, digging a hole or damaging the palisade was out of the question. It would openly announce that someone had infiltrated the village. “Can I do it?” I also considered throwing a grappling hook over the palisade and climbing the wall, but my instinct whispered. That, as the Outcast God said, if it wasn’t ‘now,’ the next opportunity would be far off.

I jumped vertically in front of the log barrier.

Thump!

Then, I plunged the Blue Cutter into the middle of the palisade, pulled my arm inward, and leaped once more.

Clang!

“Phew~” Successful infiltration into the village without being detected by the guards!

There was a watchtower overlooking the entire village, but it was empty, perhaps because the guard had gone to relieve himself.

Lucky, aren’t I?

A certain god boasts that I should be grateful. “Yes. Overwhelming gratitude.”

The god, who had suddenly become cooperative, was extremely suspicious, but for now, I’d gratefully use their assistance.

Next step is…

Thump!

I went behind a mercenary heading to the communal outhouse outside the building, stabbed him in the neck, and twisted. If I had studied properly, it was the part where the medulla oblongata is located.

“…”

The medulla oblongata controls reflex centers for heart and blood vessel movements, respiration, and so on.

What happens if the medulla oblongata is damaged? Death would occur before one could even react. Even if it was a fantasy barbarian with a higher level than me.

“Mercenary friend. You should have thoroughly checked below the cliff before you left.” “……”

Thud.

The mercenary, who had let his guard down thinking it was safe inside the village, died weakly. One of the mercenaries who had tried to kill me earlier today, based solely on the elves’ words.

I remember all their faces. Just tricked by elves, you say?

If I accepted such excuses, there would be no bad people in the world.

“…It’s a bit bitter.”

I hated that I killed a person but felt little difference from killing a gnoll. Gary, Cole, Misa. When I killed those three, there was still a sense of desperation, ‘If I don’t kill them, I’ll die!’

But what about now?

It wouldn’t have mattered if I had buried my grudge and just left for another area. We would never meet again in this vast land, and surely somewhere there would be family and friends who would grieve if this mercenary died. However, I came back to take revenge on them. “Hey. You’re not the only human.”

Drag.

I moved the dead mercenary’s body into a dark alley and spoke to him.

I also have loving family and precious connections. But because of these fantasy barbarians, I almost couldn’t see them again forever.

How could I possibly forgive them! A certain god looks on with a peculiar gaze. “Was it… cool?”

A certain god chides me to get back to what I was doing. “Of course, Your Holiness.”

The night is far from over.

The heroes began their third day of fantasy adventure. It was more like a training camp than an adventure, but they had no complaints, receiving top-notch service all day. But that was only until today. “For mages, blessings are like essential clothing. So as their rank and level increase, a mage’s capabilities also rise.”

“Before you acquire a blessing, there’s not much I can teach you. So from today, after meditation, you will raise your level by hunting.” Princess Atena and Prince Arsuth, who had gathered again two days after starting the lessons, each spoke a word. “Level!”

“Hunting, then!”

“Oh!”

It was a pre-arranged plan, but the heroes, who had only just learned about it, were excited.

Only men who liked action? Not necessarily. “Finally…”

“Will I really become prettier?”

“Hehe, hehehe!”

The women, who had obtained ‘확실한 정보 (certain information)’ from the maids that leveling up had positive effects like smoother skin and better figures, were just as delighted. How many women in the world would dislike becoming prettier? At least among the heroes, there were none.

“It’s a slime!” “My experience!” “Alright! Me too!” Some heroes bravely charged forward as soon as they discovered the round, jelly-like creatures.

In their hands were wooden swords, not cheap beginner’s ‘worn wooden swords’ often seen in role-playing games.

These were top-quality items with enhanced cutting power from magic coating!

For heroes who were still Level 1 and had weak basic physical strength, iron swords were too heavy, so these ‘light weapons’ were devised.

Squish?!

Squishy?! The prey, startled by the terrifying momentum of the heroes with wooden swords, squished.

“Stop!”

“Stop!”

The princess and prince, horrified by the barbaric sight, quickly tried to restrain the heroes.

“Why?”

“Is it dangerous?”

“My experience…” Prince Arsuth spoke to the heroes, who questioned him with utterly bewildered faces. “As you said, the name of this creature is slime. They are beneficial creatures that do not harm humans.” “Beneficial…?” “Slimes…?” “That’s right. If there were no slimes, the entire city would be filled with filth and garbage. Furthermore, slimes eat pests and corpses. So, cities and villages with many slimes also have a reduced chance of epidemics.”

The heroes were speechless.

Slimes, which they had nonchalantly converted into experience points in fantasy games, novels, and comics?

S-squishy…

Princess Atena hugged the softly trembling slime and said,

“You absolutely must not attack slimes! Many households even keep them as pets! Be careful, because if you hunt a slime, even a legendary hero might be denounced as a barbarian!” “Yes…”

“We’ll be careful…”

The heroes, having received a stern lecture and repented, wondered. If not an easy slime, what should they defeat to raise their level?

Prince Arsuth, sensing their thoughts, pointed to the forest and explained seriously.

“On average, Level 2 goblins are most suitable, but the goblins in this vicinity have been wiped out by ancient heroes, so there are none. Therefore, our target is the average Level 4 gnoll.” “Level 4?!” “We’re Level 1, though?” “Isn’t that dangerous?” “Yeah. Gnolls are a bit…” Princess Atena, hearing the heroes’ worried voices, said,

“Don’t worry! We have a Saintess with us. You can be resurrected even if you die.” “Die?” “Die?!”

Far from being reassured by her words, the heroes fell into deeper panic.

Prince Arsuth sighed deeply and quickly calmed them down.

“You are many in number. With this many people, you can even defeat average Level 6 orcs. The situation of dying… rarely happens unless you are extremely unlucky.”

Is it just luck, though? One also dies if severely incompetent, but Prince Arsuth held back his words.

Rustle.

“■■■■!” Just then, two gnolls burst out of the bushes. They were terrified by the overwhelmingly large number of humans. Prince Arsuth blocked their retreat and shouted, “Attack! These are gnolls herded by the knight order who entered the forest first! Experience points increase more with higher contributions, so don’t hesitate! From now on, it’s a competition!” “Alright!”

“I’m first!”

“Me first!”

Competition! The heroes, judging that they would lose experience if they hesitated, bravely charged at the gnolls.

The gnolls, realizing they couldn’t escape because terrifying humans blocked their retreat, decided to fight.

Whoosh! The gnoll deftly dodged the wooden sword, then mercilessly raked the human’s face with its sharpened claws. “Aargh?! My, my eye~?!” Clang. The gnoll picked up the wooden sword that the hero had dropped with a scream.

The other gnoll was in a similar predicament. It held a wooden sword snatched from a hero. “■■■?”

The gnolls, looking at each other with bewildered expressions, began to swing the stolen wooden swords. “Kyaaah?!” “My arm! My arm….!”

“S-save me!”

The two gnolls ravaged more than ten times their number of heroes.

They pursued the heroes who were fleeing, soiling themselves, and struck them down with wooden swords and bit their necks.

Magic?

In this urgent situation, few heroes could calmly generate fireballs.

Pop.

“Uh, why… Kyaaah?!”

Even if they barely succeeded, the power was too weak to even singe the gnoll’s gray fur. “…That’s enough.”

“■■?!”

Prince Arsuth, who had only been observing so as not to steal the heroes’ contributions, quickly brought the situation under control.

Snip.

In a single strike, the gnolls who had been toying with the heroes were severed in two.

“Sob, sob…”

“Mom… Mamaaa…” “My leg! My leg?!” “It hurts! It hurts…!”

The area where the two gnolls had rampaged was truly horrific.

If they had been allowed to run wild any longer, the number of dead and severely injured would have snowballed.

“How could this happen…”

Prince Arsuth was in a state of confusion at the completely unexpected turn of events.

Then, a savior appeared. “You’ve worked so hard leading the heroes, Prince Arsuth.”

“Saintess!”

The Saintess, who had been watching the hunt (?) from afar, approached without an escort.

The prince bowed his head deeply. “I am sorry. I truly have no words. For the legendary heroes to be like this… that is to say…” “Clumsy, aren’t they?”

“Y-yes, that’s right!” Prince Arsuth, who couldn’t bring himself to say they were incompetent, agreed with the Saintess’s ‘expression.’

Flash!

The Saintess, her right hand engulfed in a pure white light, spoke in a calm tone.

“There must be a reason our god chose these individuals as heroes and sent them to this land.”

A certain male god asks if there was.

A certain god shows a question mark.

A certain innocent goddess is bewildered.

A certain evil god shrugs.

Thump! Thump! The heroes, touched by the healing light generated by the Saintess, were resurrected one by one. “Ugh…”

“Sob, sniff…”

“Waaah!”

However, the mental shock and injuries could not be healed.

The Saintess, after a quick glance at the heroes, declared,

“Great heroes. Fight with all your might. Every time you die, I will resurrect you.”

“Eek?!” “Gasp!”

The true adventure of the heroes, tougher than cockroaches, had finally begun!

I, too, once yearned for adventures in a fantasy world while watching games, novels, and comics. But nowhere was there a development like this.

Thump!

“…?!” The mercenary, whose neck was grasped in my hand, tried to say something. Crunch.

He had been scratching his grimy butt as he walked down the alley, and now he slumped without even a scream. I laid the mercenary’s body, whose neck was broken and died instantly, on top of his comrades who had gone before him, like a sandwich.

“…It’s too quiet.” Even though so many mercenaries had died, the village remained silent as a mouse. Why am I only taking out mercenaries?

It’s my fault.

Infiltrating the village so boldly was fine, but then I was at a loss as to how to find the elves.

I’m not a professionally trained killer or assassin. I don’t know any techniques or methods to kill a target and get out without being detected. “What should I do about this?”

As I hesitated, I just kept taking out mercenaries heading to the outhouse.

A certain god looks on with extreme disdain.

“I know, right.”

I think it’s pathetic too.

I’m supposed to be avenging myself on the elves, but I’m only dealing with mercenaries… Hmm? “Why aren’t there any elves?” The villagers heading to the outhouse were of all ages and genders. But not a single ‘elf’ had been seen so far.

Is an elf’s bladder capacity larger than a human’s?

A certain god laughs at me for only just realizing.

“That’s too much.”

What could be the reason only elves are nowhere to be seen? It would be a big problem if they had already left the village…

I was deep in thought about that problem when.

“OOD.”

“O. □□□.” “.” I saw pure villagers, not mercenaries, moving stealthily through the night without torches.

If that were all, I wouldn’t care much…

“.”

The villagers were forcibly taking elves with sacks over their heads to the chief’s house. “…Things are getting interesting.” I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ll try to join in.