Chapter 10 – Hellhound
Hellhound.
A monster named after the legendary beast said to drag souls to hell—its glowing blue eyes and massive body were nothing short of intimidating. When the hellhound appeared before Elysia, the chat window exploded.
Run away!!
Get out of there now, there’s no way you can beat that!
She doesn’t even have any skills yet, right??
I’m out, someone wake me up during the second playthrough.
Elysia was thinking the same thing.
‘A hellhound? Here?’
It was the same monster that had appeared in Seyros Saga.
‘Did the game devs just reuse it?’
It seemed they had lazily copied both the monster’s graphics and settings from Seyros Saga into Lady Marigold. They must’ve really not felt like designing new monsters.
“How is a hellhound even living near the Duke’s estate?”
This wasn’t just some random forest—it was a peaceful one, extremely close to the city and literally adjacent to the duke’s territory.
It was common sense that the closer you got to residential areas, the lower the likelihood of encountering dangerous monsters.
‘…And now monsters are popping up in our backyard? What kind of real estate disaster is this?’
Why would such a fearsome creature be in such a prime location?
With a wistful expression, Elysia glanced back at the duke’s estate.
“Father, why did you choose to live here? Were you scammed by a real estate agent?”
Blaming her family’s poor investment sense, Elysia bent down and picked up a stone.
Meanwhile, the chat window was in chaos.
I said run, please!! 😭😭
Why are you picking up a rock??
Don’t tell me she’s planning to fight with that.
Even with solid skills, this thing is practically unkillable. 😭
Amidst the worried chatter—
KIEEEH!
The monster finally lunged at Elysia.
“…!”
She clenched the stone in her hand tightly.
She’d only ever done this in a game. This was her first time trying something like this in real life.
Up until now, everything had felt so surreal that she’d ended up chatting like she was in the middle of a stream.
‘It’s definitely different when it’s real.’
The stench of sulfuric breath in her face, the searing heat that felt like it would burn her hair—this was a situation where anyone would freeze up or faint from fear. Elysia felt chills run down her spine at the sheer realism of it.
Anyone else would have instinctively flinched or run.
But instead, instinctively—
Elysia calmly measured the distance between herself and the monster. Her reflexes and sense of spacing, honed through countless hours of gameplay, kicked in naturally.
She acted on the habits she had repeated so many times they were etched into her bones.
The moment the distance closed, she hurled the rock.
CRACK!
A sharp, thunderous sound followed.
“…Khh, ugh.”
Stone dust flew, and a cloud of dirt blanketed her vision. A tense silence filled the air for several seconds, as if time had stopped. The monster’s eyes were wide, unable to even groan.
Its posture twisted awkwardly, and only after a delay did the hellhound’s massive body collapse.
THUD.
Its body crumpled to the ground like a deflated balloon. Still cautious, Elysia picked up more stones and threw them to finish the job.
THWACK! CRACK! CRACK!
A clean, targeted execution—each stone slammed into vital spots. After the final hit, the hellhound didn’t twitch again.
“…Done. That was simple.”
After confirming its death, Elysia turned to the chat and added reassuringly.
But unlike her calm smile, the chat was losing its mind.
?
??
What did I just witness????
????????????
Did she just kill a hellhound… with a rock?
Flooded with question marks, the chat was clearly shaken. More viewers were joining, rapidly typing in awe.
“This actually worked. It’s easier than I expected.”
She hadn’t thought the monster behavior and spacing would match the game this precisely.
In a helpful tone, she continued, as if offering a tip to viewers:
“Hellhounds are easy to kill if you hit their weak point. There’s a little gem on their forehead.”
Elysia walked up to the fallen hellhound and pointed to a tiny gem barely visible between its brows. The stones she’d thrown had smashed directly into it, now embedded in pieces.
The chat freaked out.
There was something THERE??
I didn’t even see it.
How did she hit that??? LOL
That gem isn’t even meant to be a target!
Wait, seriously??
The devs said that gem was just for decoration, a rare random crit trigger.
LMAO she’s clearly using cheats.
“It’s not a cheat… I just threw it…”
Elysia tilted her head with a troubled look. That’s how she’d always done it in Seyros Saga. Wasn’t the gem there to be hit?
“Anyway, I’ve wasted enough time. I should get out of the forest.”
Her goal was to get back to the road—not to slay a hellhound.
Just as she stood up, ignoring the exploding chat—
Rustle. Rustle.
She felt new presences approaching through the forest.
“…Two in front, one behind. Let’s go.”
It was instinct. Her calmness in countless battle encounters during Seyros Saga kicked in.
‘It’s only hard the first time. I’ve got this now.’
Elysia casually picked up another stone. Even if this world had become real, she wasn’t going to cower at minor enemies.
Just like in the game—she’d win.
Her impressive stats and accumulated combat experience hadn’t gone anywhere. She could hear faint footsteps and detect openings in a flash. It was her specialty.
She wouldn’t miss.
WHOOSH!
BOOM!
KIEEEH!
Every hellhound that lunged was struck down by Elysia’s flying rocks. The viewers were loving it.
Was this game always a shooter?
Why does it sound like explosives every time she throws a rock??
Right, her strength stat is like 50 million LOL
I can’t believe she’s killing boss monsters with pebbles.
Move aside, she’s on her way to the palace 🤣🤣🤣
“All done! Looks like it’s clear—I’ll keep moving!”
Despite the chaos in chat, Elysia confidently made her way through the forest.
This is insane… so this is what happens with 50 million Strength…
I thought I’d clicked into the wrong channel for a second.
What kind of person is this… do you just eat and hunt mobs all day?
‘…I was a ranker.’
Not just any ranker—rank #1.
Feeling a bit exposed, Elysia tried to change the topic.
“Alright everyone! Now’s not the time for this. If we don’t focus, I’m going to get lost. Can someone help me find the way to the city?”
At this rate, she might end up past the mountains and across the border instead of reaching the capital.
Then—
Rustle.
“……!”
Another faint presence.
Elysia reflexively threw the stone in her hand.
WHOOSH! KABOOM!
A huge cloud of dust erupted on impact. Elysia froze.
‘…Did I miss?’
She had never doubted her hits before. But this time felt different.
‘It didn’t miss… someone blocked it.’
Narrowing her eyes, Elysia peered through the clearing dust.
And what she saw—
“…What the heck is this?”
A man in a mage’s robe. A familiar voice.
Elysia paused. It was none other than the Sub-Tower Master of the Ashen Magic Tower—one of the main male leads!
Archmage Jerome Plumen.
Seeing her, Jerome raised his guard.
“You—who are you? What kind of attack spell was that? And what are you holding?”
Hair disheveled and protected by a defensive magic circle, Jerome had clearly been hit. His eyes darted warily to the item in Elysia’s hand.
She happily opened her palm.
“This? Just a rock.”
“A… rock? A rock?”
Jerome, flustered, glanced between the dead hellhounds and Elysia.
“I-I clearly saw you take down a hellhound just now…”
“…”
With a grim expression, he asked again.
“…Is it a magical artifact?”
“I just picked it up off the ground.”
“…?”
An awkward silence fell.
Standing stiff like a statue, Jerome finally muttered:
“A rock? How could you— No, that’s not it, right? You killed the hellhound with something else, right?”
“You really don’t believe me? Look here.”
Elysia pulled him over and pointed to the embedded stone in the hellhound’s forehead.
A dazed Jerome let himself be dragged, muttering in disbelief as he looked.
“I-it’s… really a rock?”
“See? I told you. Why don’t you believe me? I thought you were more trusting.”
“I mean…”
WHO WOULD BELIEVE THAT LOL
That thing sounded like a bomb! 😂
I seriously thought she threw a grenade.
Jerome, clearly overthinking things, asked with a grave face:
“Did you enchant the rock?”
“Nope. I just threw it. Like this.”
Elysia tossed another rock at a nearby tree.
WHOOSH! BAM!
“A-are you serious? That’s really all it was?”
“See? Want me to show you again?”
She picked up another rock and turned toward Jerome.
Startled, he shook his head quickly.
“N-no, please just put it down and explain calmly.”
“Okay.”
She slowly lowered the rock.
“Ahem.”
Maybe she came off too threatening?
Elysia made her voice small and pitiful.
“I was just so scared… I grabbed the nearest rock and threw it… It was self-defense. You understand, right?”
“Hmm…”
Her voice was delicate and sorrowful. But Jerome, having just witnessed the whole event, wasn’t so easily swayed.
Now eyeing her with deep suspicion, he spoke carefully.
“Whether your story is true or not… aren’t you Lady Semperion?”
“…Ah.”
Elysia shut her mouth.
‘I changed clothes, wore a mask, and it’s dark out—how did he recognize me?’
Ah, those sharp-eyed mages.
It was probably her distinct features and golden eyes. Elysia had a reputation for causing a scene at every ball she attended.
If Jerome had been to even one, it was no wonder he remembered her.
Elysia sighed internally.
‘Ugh… don’t tell me my runaway plan’s already busted.’
If word got out that Jerome saw her wandering at night, and that reached her father?
“Hmmm…”
Yeah, nothing good would come of that.
Determined, Elysia gave a bright smile and shook her head.
“I believe you’re mistaken, Archmage Plumen! I’m just a civilian out on a nighttime stroll!”
As if anyone would believe that. 😂
Literally everyone can tell you’re Elysia! Your mask fell off earlier!
Panicked, Elysia yanked her mask back up, but Jerome still looked skeptical.
At that moment, a notification popped up:
[Jerome Plumen’s Affection Rating has increased!]
