I wondered if they had obtained information about the core.
‘In that case, they must be hunters.’
The streets were deserted, filled with a somber atmosphere.
It was only a day since the tragedy occurred, so it was only natural.
Half of the shops were closed, and people gathered, gazing up at the spire.
Gloom was written on everyone’s faces.
“Oh! Princess, the building you see over there is magic tower. We’re almost there.”
The building Genia pointed to was not a tower but just an ordinary structure, except for the images displayed on its exterior walls.
I absentmindedly watched the images through the window.
“What is that?”
“It’s a display showing the types of artifacts sold at the magic tower. What was it called? Something like turning stored images into reality with illusion magic?”
So, they use the building’s exterior walls as screens to showcase the stored images for advertising purposes?
“After they started that, the purchase rate of artifacts skyrocketed. It’s really amazing, isn’t it?”
“Whoever came up with that is quite clever.”
“Yes, right? I was quite surprised. I heard it was invented by the new owner of the tower.”
“Who is the owner of the magic tower?”
“The owner of the magic tower is someone who rose to the position from commoner origins. There are rumors that they are not an Imperial citizen but rather from Acron.”
This world is divided into two empires.
One is the Taycan Empire, and the other is the Acron Magic Kingdom.
Taycan and Acron are different in many ways.
If Taycan is a nation established by knights, Acron is a nation established by wizards.
Furthermore, while Taycan prohibits the institution of slavery, Acron maintains the system.
Because of these stark differences, the relationship between the two empires is not particularly friendly.
Then, one day in the past, a Acron archmage by the name of Riphunshato underwent a transformation into a slave due to a conflict.
However, just before becoming a slave, Riphunshato requested asylum in Taycan, and that’s how they came here and established the magic tower.
Since then, the relationship between Taycan and Acron has deteriorated significantly… Well, history is not important now, so let’s move on.
“If that rumor is true, it’s quite a daring move to come here.”
“It hasn’t been confirmed for sure. There are rumors that he is a stunningly handsome man with gray eyes and gray hair, but perhaps because he’s a dark mage, the rumors aren’t so favorable.”
“A dark mage?”
It was at that moment we heard a commotion.
Boom!
Hailstones, no, monsters falling from the sky.
“Ahh!”
“Eek! M-Monsters! Monsters have appeared!”
People who were peacefully walking on the street screamed and stumbled in fear.
BSome rushed into nearby shops, while others climbed up the trees along the roadside.
The monster that turned the quiet street into chaos let out a long roar.
Kuwaah!
Although the monster’s arms were severed, its tattered side was halfway regenerated.
It seemed like it had been hiding somewhere in a nearby building, waiting for its wounds to heal.
It was possible because it was one of the ones that’s core hadn’t been destroyed.
I had anticipated this.
People were confident that since the gate had disappeared, all the monsters must have been eliminated. But that was not the case.
The only condition to close the gate was to defeat the boss.
This time, it was a tutorial, so there was no appearance of a boss.
Originally, whether the leftover small fry monsters were wiped out or not had nothing to do with the gate.
That’s why even though the gate disappeared, I thought there might still be monsters near the Hegea Plaza.
Many people had experienced secondary damage due to monsters that had remained hidden and appeared late in their past lives.
[Mission: Kill the monsters within 5 minutes (2,000 points)]
[Accept] / [Decline]
I had planned to hunt them down anyway, so I couldn’t be more grateful.
“Accept.”
[System: 00:05:00 remaining until mission completion]
“Shall I go earn some points?”
I firmly adjusted my hood and stepped outside the carriage.
* * *
“Pl-please… please save me!”
Sara screamed for help. Her terrified voice echoed through the streets.
However, there was no one to lend a helping hand. Even if she tearfully pleaded for assistance, everyone turned away.
It was pitiful, but not surprising.
If an ordinary person stood in front of a monster, they would only meet their demise.
She would have pretended not to notice.
Sacrificing oneself for others was something out of a fairy tale, wasn’t it?
Growl…
The monster’s roar reverberated from nearby, as if she could reach out and touch it.
She couldn’t wait for help any longer. Now she had to survive on her own.
“Ugh!”
Sara quickly stood up but immediately slumped back down. Her legs, paralyzed by fear, refused to move when she tried to escape.
‘Is this how I’m supposed to die helplessly like this?’
She had only taken a short stroll while taking a break from work, and yet she unexpectedly encountered a monster. She couldn’t believe it.
“Please… Please, someone help me!”
“Ho-hold on a little longer! I’ll inform the magic tower and come back!”
Some people rushed towards the magic tower, but Sara knew.
She knew she would be dead before the mage arrived.
Feeling hopeless, Sara pushed her injured ankle backward. It was visibly swollen, but she couldn’t feel any pain.
Thud—
Her back pressed against the wall.
It was a dead-end alley with nowhere else to retreat.
“…Go away! Please, just go away!”
Sara swung her arms frantically. She grabbed any nearby rocks and hurled them at the monster.
However, the monster didn’t stop. The distance between her and death was rapidly decreasing.
Gradually, the grotesque form of the monster came into focus.
Its large mouth stretched wide, revealing rows of sharp, saliva-drenched teeth.
“Oh my goodness, it’s going to devour me with those teeth!”
A shiver ran down her spine at the thought of the impending pain.
She had one final wish.
“If only my breath could be taken away in an instant.”
Sara tightly clasped her hands together and closed her eyes.
“…?”
Despite the time that had passed, which should have been enough for her to be devoured, she felt no pain.
Sara cautiously opened her eyes.
“…Huh?”
The monster that seemed moments away from devouring her was writhing right in front of her.
Its enormous foot hovered in the air, comically swaying.
Sara’s brown eyes widened as if they were about to burst.
From head to toe, a pedestrian wearing a robe inside-out had the monster’s neck gripped tightly with one hand, holding it up in the air.
Judging by their physique, it clearly wasn’t a man. How was such a thing even possible?
“W-who… are you?”
“Are you going to keep sitting there?”
“…Yes?”
“If you’re awake, then get up.”
Sara clung to her injured leg, tears streaming down her face. There was no one more desperate than her to get away from the monster.
“I… I want to, too, but, ugh! M-my leg…”
“3 minutes and 45 seconds.”
“…What?”
“Never mind.”
The pedestrian made an incomprehensible noise and looked around.
The onlookers who had been watching were startled and averted their gaze.
“There.”
“….”
“There, with the blue hair.”
“M-me…?”
“Yeah, you’re the one just standing there, watching even though someone is injured.”
The man who was pointed out by the pedestrian took a discreet step back. It was better to stay out of it and avoid unnecessary danger. He decided to pretend he hadn’t heard anything.
“If you keep stalling, I’ll throw this at you.”
However, with just a few words, the pedestrian made him stop in his tracks.
As the man froze in surprise, the pedestrian clicked her tongue.
“Come here and support this person.”
“…Me?”
“Should I do it instead? Do you want me to handle this guy?”
“Oh, no! I’ll do it. But, is that monster… really, truly okay?”
“If you’re worried, I can let it go and try catching it again.”
“No! No! Please, keep holding onto it just like that! Please, never let it go! Never!”
“Alright, then hurry. There are 3 minutes left.”
“Yes!”
The man rushed over to support Sara.
Then, as if realizing it wouldn’t work, he quickly lifted Sara and ran without hesitation.
In the next moment, the pedestrian hurled the monster.
It didn’t seem like he exerted much force, yet the massive body flew through the air like a sheet of paper and crashed into the outer wall of a building.
Crash!
A loud noise echoed, and dust scattered from the building.
Then, the monster slid down the wall, flowing like a stream.
“Gasp!”
The onlookers gasped in astonishment.
The once fearsome monster, in front of the pedestrian, could not muster any strength and hung limp like a rag doll.
The pedestrian approached the dazed creature and sat down in front of it, crouched low.
What was he planning to do?
It was at that moment when the curiosity of the spectators overcame them, and they stared in anticipation.
The pedestrian inserted his hand into the torn side of the monster and then pulled it out.
Thud!
Get hand was drenched in crimson blood, the sight so gruesomely fascinating that it sent shivers down their spines.
The spectators doubted their own eyes.
Not only was it unbelievable, but it was also too horrifying to witness with eyes wide open.
“Oh my! How horrifying…”
“Ugh, that’s quite gross.”
Some of the onlookers covered their eyes, while others sat on the pavement, feeling nauseated.
The pedestrian paid no attention to the surrounding situation.
Calmly, he placed the extracted core of the monster inside his robe.
“There, you see? Hey, removing the core kills the monster. What nonsense are these people talking about? Ha, these people are so petty, really… Oh, I get it. I’ll definitely do it. There are still 52 seconds left, so why not?”
Mumbling such incomprehensible words.
