Kilde was supposed to be the name of the chief’s son who had snatched meat from Alvy. She had described him as a mean boy. He was the classic case of a child basking in his parents’ glory as he led his entourage around with reckless abandon.
According to Alvy, he was particularly cruel to her alone. Upon hearing this, we unanimously agreed that it seemed to be typical behavior of young boys, where “they pester the girls they are interested in”.
The more we heard from Alvy, the more this speculation turned into a conviction. While such scenes might appear cute to adults, to the young Alvy, it was nothing but annoying and it was something she was utterly fed up with.
The news of young master Kilde’s disappearance was perplexing. What could possibly be the reason behind it? I decided to listen without interjecting.
“What has that fool done this time?”
“It seems Sir Kilde went on a hunt for monsters with other children…”
“Why would he do something so reckless…”
“According to one of the children who managed to escape and return, he said it was to restore his honor…”
A warrior from the Nadeus tribe glanced my way occasionally as he spoke. The mention of regaining honor likely stemmed from the recent embarrassment he was keen to erase. He must have attempted to prove himself by slaying a monster, but it would be difficult for an untrained child. Muno too pressed a hand to her forehead and shook her head in disbelief.
“Has anyone gone to look for him?”
“Sie Setun and a few others have gone, but… but there was something that I was concerned about…”
“Out with it, don’t dilly-dally!”
“Y-Yes! According to one of the children who fled back, they… they might have seen the Black Wall monster…”
“Tch! What a nuisance!”
The “Black Wall” the warrior referred to seems to be the black walls surrounding a ruin at the heart of the “Ashfall Hills” that the Nadeus tribe traveled to. Approaching it is taboo, as it is said to be infested with terrifying grotesque monsters.
Typically, these creatures lurk within the depths of the Black Wall, yet they sometimes emerge into the open. It was said that encountering even a single one could spell doom, as it possessed the strength to overwhelm ten Nadeus tribe warriors with ease. The advice given was clear: should one come across such a beast, the best course of action would be to flee immediately.
“Setun must be aware of this, right?”
“The thing is, he doesn’t know. It took some time for the children to calm down…”
“So he left before he could find out. What a situation… Isam, I promise fair compensation for this. Could you please help and go rescue Kilde?”
――――――――――
Emergency Quest: “Save Kilde!” Do you wish to accept this quest?
*If you choose no, this quest will not be available again.
Yes/No
――――――――――
Ah, an emergency quest after so long. Turning it down could mean not just harm to Kilde but a significant danger to Setun and the other warriors as well. It would leave a bad taste to abandon those we’ve gotten close to over the past week, not to mention the prospect of a good reward. There’s no reason not to accept!
“Leave it to me… Jigoro, Shio, Mikelo, Eiji! We’ve got work to do! Let’s go!”
“Right on!”
“Wow, this is sudden, huh?”
“I will accompany you.”
“Understood. Sorry, Alvy. I’m off to help your friend… no, your acquaintance.”
I quickly sent out the quest information to everyone and then extended party invitations to the four individuals I had chosen. The selection was based on their combat strength and the weight that Karl could carry. Considering the possibility of unknown enemies and the need to swiftly move and search from above, I determined this was the best approach.
“Everyone else, please form parties and be ready to depart at any moment! We might have to send out a request for help!”
“Understood. Searching for people and fighting strong enemies… we’ll form parties based on the speed we can offer.”
Usaji, who had by now fully assumed the role of deputy leader, was in charge of everything. Before we part ways with the Nadeus tribe, let’s undertake this quest as our final adventure here!
◆◇◆◇◆◇
Kilde, the chief’s son, had been in a foul mood recently. The cause was the loss of face he and his parents suffered as a result of taking it easy and showing off. Although it was entirely his own doing, the flame of blind anger within him grew larger by the day.
After he finally reached his breaking point, he decided to take action to reclaim his lost honor. After arming himself with weapons meant for adults, he led the boys who always followed him out of the village for a hunt.
What awaited him was the harsh reality of a high-difficulty field. The Scarred, including those of the Nadeus tribe, use various patterns and for certain reasons possess physical abilities and magic powers superior to those of humans. However, the “Ashen Hills” was a field where the minimum level requirement was 70; it was a challenging arena even for the highest-level players right now. Kilde and his group, who had never undergone rigorous combat training, stood no chance with their crude weapons.
They were members of the Nadeus tribe, and they wore the same cloaks of concealment as Alvy, thinking they could pull off a surprise attack without being detected. But the reality of the hunt was anything but simple. Remaining invisible and erasing one’s presence were two very different things.
Their intended prey, the Sprinter Flight Rabbit, had escaped before they could even get close enough for a surprise attack. This was because the sound of stepping on the grass gave them away. And just like that, careless noises nearly exposed them to the Airblade Weasel, an enemy far beyond their abilities and that sent shivers down their spines.
“Hey, Sir Kilde? Shouldn’t we head back now?”
“You’re saying we should return empty-handed?!”
Although there were no results to show for their efforts, the resolve of everyone but Kilde had already crumbled by this point. A major reason for their miserable situation was their lack of awareness while running away from the monsters and that pushed them far from the settlement. The boys, who had gone along with the same attitude as when they ventured near the tribe to gather edible weeds and tubers, found their spirits and nerves frayed by the fear and tension of the experience.
However, Kilde was different. He desperately needed a tangible achievement to show for himself. The idea of giving up and fleeing was inconceivable to him.
“Oooooh…”
“Vgooooh…”
“Geh…Geh…”
“Eek?!”
Just then, the worst possible enemy appeared: the Black Wall monster. What Kilde and the others encountered was a monstrous entity with numerous human-like heads clustered together, from which limbs sprouted randomly. This creature, with its countless vacant eyes roving about, was slowly advancing toward them.
In the folklore of the Nadeus clan, there are no clear descriptions of the Black Wall monster’s form. This was mainly because encounters with it are rare. However, even from a distance, the impact was enough to chill the boys to the bone. Everyone, including Kilde, was paralyzed with fear.
“Ee…. Eeeek!!!”
“Run-run for it!”
“Wa-Wait, you guys?!”
The boys who were already longing to get home found that they were unable to overcome their terror. Their bodies were driven by sheer fear and they screamed and fled in all directions. Kilde, who had only half-heartedly braced himself for what was to come, missed his chance to escape. Left behind, he could only reach out with a desperate hand toward the disappearing backs of his friends.
“O-oh…?”
“Vgaa…”
“Gegig!”
“……”
Even with the concealment cloak, they couldn’t mask their voices and sounds. It seemed the monster had heard the boys and it began to move fiercely towards Kilde’s location.
Realizing that he might be devoured if he stayed where he was, the terrified Kilde slid into a gap between a nearby rock and the ground and lay face down. He covered his mouth with both hands and desperately tried to hold back his ragged breathing. Cold sweat poured down his back and forehead from extreme tension, and the loud beating of his heart was almost unbearably clear.
“Shaaah!”
“Kiiih!”
At that moment, two small shadows leaped at the monster. They were Airblade Weasels from the edges of the “Ashen Hills” known for being among the most aggressive creatures in the area. Despite their small size, these predators used [Storm Magic] and their sharp blade-like tails to attack this huge monster which they judged to be their meal.
“””Guoooaah?!”””
The two Airblade Weasels furiously slashed at the monster, inflicting a wound upon wound on it. It seemed they might actually manage to whittle it down. Even Kilde who was watching from a distance couldn’t help but think so.
“Ngooah!”
“Kyugeh?!”
“Aaah!”
“Kyugah?!”
However, the monster was a monster for a reason. Suddenly, the arms sprouting from the gaps in its heads swelled enormously and snatched the Airblade Weasels right out of the air.
Of course, both Airblade Weasels thrashed wildly in an attempt to escape. Nonetheless, the monster was utterly indifferent to their efforts and flung them into its gaping maw. It chewed loudly with two of its many mouths and effortlessly devoured the weasels with ease.
“”Geeehp!””
After letting out a disgustingly loud belch, the creature began to sniff the air with the noses on its heads closer to the ground. After several sniffs, all of its faces turned towards Kilde’s hiding spot behind the rock and each one of them was bearing a sadistic grin. Unlike the skeleton avatar of Isam, Kilde could be detected by his scent.
With all of its faces laughing in a sinister wheezing chorus, the monster approached steadily. Tears welled up in Kilde’s eyes as he chattered his teeth in utter despair.
As if to torment the frightened Kilde, the monster reached his hiding spot and began to shake the rock with its numerous arms. Unable to do anything about the violently shaking rock atop him, Kilde even forgot to scream. He squeezed his eyes shut, clasped his hands over the back of his head, and could only pray desperately for the monster to give up or for rescue to arrive.
“Now!”
“Uoooooh!”
But it seemed luck was on his side, as the search party led by Setun arrived just in time. At Setun’s command, the warriors who were mounted on their beasts hurled throwing axes at the monster. All the axes thrown with their martial arts hit the monster’s body and scattered some of its heads.
Though it looked like a painful blow, Kilde, who knew what became of the attack by the Airblade Weasels, understood it was all in vain. As expected, the monster merely glanced at Setun and his group before continuing to shake the rock as if nothing had happened.
While still shaking the rock, the monster grew new arms where the hand axes had struck, effortlessly pulled them out, and casually tossed them aside. Some of the monster’s faces mocked Setun and his group with a sneer. There was an overwhelming difference in their strength.
“Guge? Gehehe…”
The monster didn’t perceive Setun and the others as a threat, but rather as new prey. Therefore, it thought with its many heads about slowly savoring them in front of Kilde, whom it had initially set its eyes on, before adding them to its meal.
Everyone from the Nadus tribe present was made to believe that victory was impossible. However, this complacency bought them some time.
“Buooooooooooooooh!”
“Ubyuh?!”
A huge shadow descended from the sky, crushing the monster from directly above. This attack was so sudden that the members of the Nadeus tribe, who had no idea what was going on, froze in their place.
As the dust kicked up by the impact drifted away with the wind, the source of the intervention became clear. There stood a towering warrior with the fierce head of a boar and he was pulling the axes out of the monster.
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