WHFIO18

Chapter 18

Screams echoed in the distance.

From inside Elses’ inner pocket, Luti’s ears twitched sharply at the sound. With a voice lower than usual, almost a murmur, he spoke:

“That’s… a Beast.”

In this world, monsters referred to small creatures the size of animals, while beasts meant enormous monsters—larger, more destructive, and far more dangerous.

There’s no one here capable of handling a beast right now.

Elsez had been about to head toward the source of the deafening crash, but her steps faltered. No—she couldn’t move properly at all. The numbness from the spider’s venom was already spreading up her bitten leg.

Calling out to a guild member beside her—one who looked utterly terrified—she asked,

“Hey, you. What’s your name?”

“Sh–Shane. My name’s Shane.”

“Shane, carry me on your back.”

“H-huh?”

“A beast appeared over there. My legs are paralyzed, so you’ll have to carry me.”

Shane assumed that Elsez, disabled by a status ailment, naturally wanted to escape. Without question, he hoisted her up and began heading toward the edge of the forest.

But Elsez gripped his shoulder firmly.

“Where are you going? We need to head that way.”

The direction she pointed was exactly where the thunderous noise had come from.

“B-but you said there’s a beast over there?”

“Yes. So let’s go.”

Shane blinked, trying to make sense of her words. Then realization struck—and his face drained of color.

“Don’t tell me… You’re planning to fight in that condition? You said your legs are paralyzed!”

“That’s why we have to hurry. I need to finish this before my body’s completely useless.”

Shane had been about to ask How could you possibly defeat a beast like that? but he stopped himself.

Hadn’t he just witnessed her strength earlier?

He couldn’t say for certain whether her power was enough to kill a beast—but there was an undeniable force in her words, the kind that couldn’t be ignored.

So Shane turned, adjusted his grip on her, and broke into a run toward the source of the crash.

Elsez narrowed her eyes, scanning the dense forest that obscured the view ahead.

In a beginner’s hunting ground… a beast?

Such a thing shouldn’t happen. Not in the decade she had spent living as Ruel, nor in any regulated hunting zone overseen by magicians.

And yet… a possibility occurred to her.

Could it be…?

She ordered Shane,

“Circle around the area where we heard the screams earlier. I need to check something.”

Panting from the effort of carrying her, Shane didn’t reply. But he obeyed, running a wide loop.

There’s only one case where beasts appear in unexpected locations—when a dimensional rift opens.

A rift wasn’t part of this world at all. It formed in unstable regions of mana flow, like a tear in the fabric of the “world” itself—black, immeasurable cracks from which monsters and beasts poured out.

After spewing forth their horde, the rifts would eventually close on their own.

In the game, rifts appeared as random events—discoveries that triggered surprise quests where players had to deal with the oncoming flood.

That spider monster from earlier… it might have come from a rift as well.

If there really was a rift here, this wasn’t just about killing a beast—it demanded a coordinated, systematic response.

But… she saw no rift.

Did I guess wrong?

And then she noticed it—something half-hidden in the grass. A faint, black magic circle.

This is… a dark magic circle.

Unlike the usual ones inscribed with ancient runes, this one bore characters in a language completely unfamiliar to her.

Suspicious…

She tried to examine it more closely, but the fading lines dissolved and vanished.

Elsez fixed the location in her memory just as a scream rang out nearby.

“Uwaagh!”

Her and Shane’s heads snapped toward the sound.

“That’s it. Let’s go.”

They sprinted toward the cry.

A man came hurtling through the air and slammed against a tree with a sickening crack.

“Ghk!”

Shane rushed forward. “Hey, are you alri—”

“Shane! It’s coming!”

He leapt aside at her warning, just as a massive, bark-colored root whipped down like a giant lash, striking the ground where he’d been standing.

The root writhed, feeling along the earth, then coiled around the injured man’s leg and began dragging him away.

“P-please! Help me!”

They turned toward the direction he was being pulled—and saw it.

A massive tree-like beast loomed there, its many roots writhing like serpents. Several people were already entangled, helpless, while others circled desperately, trying to cut them free.

But the hopeless gulf of power was written across every face.

And Shane’s face, too, was pale with terror.

Elsez studied the creature calmly.

…A low-tier beast.

But even a low-tier beast was far beyond a mere monster. The average adventurers of a beginner hunting ground had no chance.

She whispered to the small companion hidden in her pocket.

“Luti, with my current strength… can I take that thing down?”

“Of course! What do you take me for? Even weakened, I could handle trash like that. But…”

“But?”

“…with your body like this, I doubt you could even dodge its attacks.”

Ah.

Elsez finally realized—she had completely lost all feeling in her legs.

“What did you say?” Shane asked, thinking she was talking to him.

“Nothing. Just talking to myself.”

She waved it off, eyes narrowing as she considered the beast.

One strike. If I can just land a single decisive blow…

At last, she spoke to Shane.

“Put me down over there, in front of it. Then you stay back.”

“What?!”

He stared at her in horror. The spot she indicated was well within range of the writhing roots. Putting her there would be no different from offering her up as bait.

“When I give the signal, you and the others save those people. Even if you can’t hurt it much, distracting it will be enough.”

“And you? What about you?”

“I have a plan. Just do as I say.”

Reluctantly, Shane obeyed, setting her down where the beast could see.

At once, a root lunged, coiling around her body and dragging her toward the creature’s core. She offered no resistance.

What is she planning?! Shane thought anxiously.

When the root carried her all the way to the beast’s trunk, Elsez acted.

Mana surged into her arm, explosive power bursting forth as she tore the root apart from within.

Shredded fragments flew as she dropped—only to drive her mana-empowered fist straight into the beast’s thick trunk.

The impact reverberated with crushing force. A shockwave rippled through the entire monster.

The great tree staggered.

And Shane understood.

She couldn’t move, so she let herself be dragged in. To use its own body against it…

Even paralyzed, she had turned the beast’s nature into a weapon against it.

Elsez shouted:

“Shane! Now!”

The guild members snapped out of their daze. Rushing forward, they hacked at the trunk, buying time for the trapped victims to wriggle free.

Elsez, having fallen to the ground, teleported back to their side before the beast recovered.

The plan had worked. But her expression twisted slightly.

Damn. My arm’s starting to go numb too…

The grateful guild members crowded around her.

“You’re the new recruit, right? Thank you—seriously!”
“You saved us all!”

There were six of them in total, some from her own guild, others from different groups.

One of them began to say, “Then let’s get out of here before it—”

KWOOM!

Before he could finish, a root lashed through the air beside them, slamming into the ground with terrifying force.

Everyone except Elsez went pale.

They had seen its endurance, and they knew—this next strike would not miss.

Shane quickly hoisted Elsez again, while the others prepared to flee.

But her voice cut through the panic.

“Wait! Don’t run.”

All eyes turned to her.

She spoke with unshakable certainty.

“We have to stop it here.”

“…What?”

“Beyond this forest is a village. What do you think will happen if that thing reaches it?”

The words froze them. Ordinary villagers—people with no fighting ability at all. If the beast rampaged through, the devastation would be unimaginable.

But the adventurers faltered.

“You saw it yourself! How are we supposed to fight that? We’re just a bunch of small-time guild members!”
“And you—your body’s not even working properly…”

Elsez’s eyes narrowed. Her voice was calm, yet sharp as a blade.

“And if the villagers are slaughtered, can you live with yourself? Saying it couldn’t be helped?”

Silence fell.

Then, softly but firmly, she declared:

“Those with power have the duty to protect those without. That’s the justice that has safeguarded our world until now.”

Her amber eyes gleamed like a blade honed to perfection, unwavering as they pierced through each of them.