5 – Mountain Village

“Amel… Ma’am.”

“Amel is fine.”

After Amel used [Resurrection], the villagers’ attitude changed dramatically.

It’s like they became more affectionate.

They ask what they can do for her whenever they get the chance, even when there’s no need.

“Amel, don’t you have any business to take care of?”

“What business?”

“You haven’t gone since you left the village. If you’re holding back because of us…”

“…Ah.”

She knew what they meant.

They were talking about the restroom.

Amel’s body was an Avatar. A body that didn’t need to go to the restroom. It was common knowledge that Heroes didn’t need to relieve themselves.

‘Seeing that they don’t know, it’s understandable that they were surprised by the [Resurrection].’

The villages that were still in the dark even after Heroes were chosen and summoned didn’t even know if Heroes were chosen or summoned.

Was it Stillo?

The village of Stillo had a strong tendency to be like that.

“Keila, Heroes don’t go to the restroom.”

“Restroom?”

“They don’t go to the toilet.”

“Ah… Huh…? …Really?”

“Yes. They don’t.”

“Like a fairy.”

“….”

A short break.

They rescued the members of the volunteer army from the cage and identified who had died and who had survived.

There were 120 members of the volunteer army, but only 24 were trapped.

Only one-fifth survived.

The village women and young men mourned and burned with animosity towards the bandits.

“We’ll never let the bandits get away with this…”

“Amel, please save us…!”

Sniffle.

They cried and pleaded.

She stood them up one by one and brushed the dirt off their knees.

“You don’t have to beg like that. I’ll take care of the bandits for you. Thank Keila. This is all in return for taking care of me.”

“Thank you…!”

Sniffle, they cried.

At that moment.

Hands full of fruit.

“….”

“….”

It was the sister of the man she [Resurrected].

“Please, have some. I picked them myself for Amel.”

“…Yes.”

“I’m Leki.”

“Leki. You don’t have to do this.”

“I want to do it.”

Amel ate the fruit that Leki had picked.

They were wild strawberries, but they didn’t suit her taste.

But seeing her sparkling eyes, she couldn’t bring herself not to eat them. As she ate, her eyes sparkled even more, and she could see how happy she was.

If she had a tail, she would have wagged it like the dog she had seen wagging its tail like crazy on YouTube.

‘Cute.’

The taste isn’t great, but

It became bearable.

Amel watched as the villagers sorted out the situation.

They were sad, but there was still work to be done. There was no time to wallow in sadness, and the longer they delayed, the more time the bandits would have to reorganize.

The volunteer soldiers listened to the whole story and took the bandits’ weapons.

After eating and drinking.

They rose with renewed determination.

Amel saw this and stood up as well.

Keila turned to Amel’s rising figure and shouted.

“Don’t tolerate the bandits!! Is everyone ready?!”

“Waaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!”

A roar that included even the men.

Keila pointed her sword towards the enemy camp, and Amel walked out in the lead.

“Follow Amel!!”

“Boss!”

“What do we do, Boss!”

“They’re so strong!!”

“Shut up!”

The boss shouted.

When even the vice-captain went silent, the subordinates visibly wavered.

The vice-captain was the strongest of the Red Blade Bandits. No one could match him in terms of force, and his skill was that of a mid-level Expert.

He had risen to the level of a mid-level Expert at a young age 20 years ago and was called a promising prospect, but he had stagnated for 20 years and had fallen into banditry.

It was an unseemly sight for someone who had once been a knight, but his skill was genuine.

The fact that such a man had lost even after receiving the boss’s enhanced Enhancement magic was bewildering and confusing even to the boss.

‘Where the hell did they come from?’

They fought a mid-level Expert and won without causing a commotion. To be able to do that, they would have to be at least top-level.

‘Master… No.’

That was too much.

Masters were valuable assets of the nation.

If a Master moved, it would be impossible not to hear about it.

Even among the Heroes, there were few who were equal to them.

Besides,

‘The Heroes who are confident in their skills would have entered the tournament and wouldn’t be here.’

The Hero Martial Arts Tournament was being held, and the attention of the strong Heroes was focused on the tournament. A Hero who was a mid-level Expert would have entered the tournament.

But there was no doubt that someone with the skill to defeat a mid-level Expert had appeared.

The boss gripped the bead tightly.

He felt the Magical Power contained in the bead.

‘Not yet. I can still get stronger!’

If he had this Magical Power, he would have established his own village before long. He was envisioning a scenario in his head where he would become a territory.

He couldn’t end here without even getting started!

The boss drew on the Magical Power of the bead.

“Ooh…!”

“Power is overflowing!”

He poured as much Magical Power as he could into his subordinates.

All the boss could do was Enhance his subordinates.

He could cast Enhancement on himself, but that wouldn’t be enough to defeat the intruders. Since the vice-captain had lost, something more was needed.

The boss had eyes.

Eyes that could see Magical Power.

He saw the Magical Power dwelling in the bodies of his subordinates and interfered with their Magical Power, taking advantage of the Enhancement magic.

The designed magic of Enhancement magic made it difficult to see effects beyond the injected Magical Power, but then he could further Enhance his subordinates in other ways.

He cast Enhancement magic on every nook and cranny of their bodies.

Each time he cast Enhancement on the minute details.

Changes occurred in the bodies of his subordinates.

Their muscles became bulky and swelled up like balloons, and their bodies turned bright red. Their eyes rolled back, revealing only the whites.

“Kuek.”

“Bo…oooss.”

“Kueeeee…”

The subordinates were unaware of the changes in their bodies and simply rejoiced in the pleasure of becoming stronger.

“Power… is overflowing.”

“Meat. I need meat.”

Dozens of muscle-bound men.

Crack.

Crack.

A nearby tree fell.

The tree broke and fell just from being lightly gripped.

The subordinates were Enhanced to the point where they could not be returned to their original state. In return, they were granted power like that of monsters.

“Hek… Hek… Go. Go and tear the intruders apart…!”

The muscle-bound subordinates turned their heads in the direction the intruders were coming from.

But,

“Meat.”

“It’s meat.”

The muscle-bound subordinates looked at each other and, losing their reason, began to tear at each other, biting each other.

Clang.

Clang.

Clink.

As they devoured each other, knife-like scales sprouted from the body of the muscle-bound subordinate who had eaten the most, and it was dyed a dark gray color.

“Meat.”

“..!!!”

His head turned towards the boss as well.

The boss aimed the bead.

“Stop! Stop it!!! Are you disobeying my orders!!!!”

Thud.

One step.

Two steps.

He was coming.

“Hic.”

The boss hurriedly turned and ran away.

He tried to draw on the Magical Power of the bead to increase his running speed, but the weakness of a mage was in their casting speed.

Before the magic could manifest.

A crude, giant hand.

It grabbed the boss by the side.

The violent grip, without any control of strength, tore at his flesh. The boss was ripped at the side and rolled on the ground.

“Haa… Hiyaak…”

A passage from a fairy tale he had heard long ago replayed in the boss’s head.

The boss, who had been a mere student at the Magic Tower, had heard it during a lecture.

Destruction befalls those who suddenly gain too much power.

The boss was too excited.

The muscle monsters ate the boss, supplying nutrients to their suddenly swollen bodies.

Crunch.

Crunch.

It was then.

Gulp.

“…?”

One of the muscle bandits swallowed the bead.

Blades sprouted from his back in the form of wings.

Kkyaaaak!

Euaaaak!!

What is that!!

It echoed.

“What’s going on?”

Keila heard the voices echoing.

They sounded like bandits, but something had happened and they were in an uproar.

The bandits ran towards them as if fleeing.

The bandits were surprised to see the villagers and changed direction, but some of them came straight towards them.

“Help me!!”

“A, a monster has appeared!!”

“Save me… Kehk…!”

As one of the bandits lunged at Amel as if to hug her, Leki, who was nearby, struck him with the scabbard.

Keila asked the bandits.

What was going on.

“I don’t know! A muscle-bound thing suddenly appeared and… Huaaak!! We have to run!! That’s a monster in human form!!”

“You guys brought it, so you guys deal with it!!”

There was a bandit who was making a baseless accusation, but he was beaten up by the nearby villagers and passed out.

Still, one thing was certain.

There was something that had sent the bandits into a frenzy.

Seeing how panicked the bandits, who roamed freely through the forest, were, the villagers would not be able to handle it.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Amel took the lead.

She drew her sword from its scabbard.

Leki took the scabbard.

That series of actions was still unfamiliar, but Leki was very proud to be taking the scabbard.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

Footsteps.

Rustle.

Swish.

A tree fell.

Each time the footsteps echoed, a tree fell, and the sound of metal colliding overlapped with the sound of cutting down trees.

Scratch.

Scrratch.

Like the sound of sharpening a blade.

Amel crossed the foothills.

The monster climbed the foothills.

She found the monster.

“Meat.”

“Found it.”

“Ehehe.”

Blades sprouted from the body of a monster with dozens of heads.

But what caught her eye even more was,

[Magical Power]

“….”

She thought the boss possessed [Magical Power], but it seemed the monster had it.

The monster shot blades like whips.

She coated her sword with [Sword Aura] and deflected them.

The sword was chipped.

The sensation of colliding with it.

She didn’t know how strong it was, but the strength and sharpness of those blades were on par with those of the [Doll].

“…Leki.”

“Yes.”

“Tell the people to go back to the village. It’ll take some time to catch that thing.”

“I’ll wait as long as it takes.”

“I’m saying you’ll be in the way.”

“…Yes.”

Leki informed Keila and also informed the villagers.

While they were doing that.

Amel charged into the monster’s arms.