‘It’s dangerous to be a woman here,’ N had said. ‘People will try to kill you for more contribution.’
So, Esther had a thought. What if she was the one killing people instead?
The result was satisfactory. Her contribution jumped a whole eight percent. She didn’t know what it meant in terms of reward, but it was definitely good.
Staring down at her blood-stained hands, Esther smeared it all over the wall to get rid of the evidence. She couldn’t really do anything about the blood on her clothes, but she could just say that Champ gave his life to block an attack for her.
Though, she wasn’t sure anyone would believe Champ would do that.
She left the crime scene quickly. “How much time do I have left?”
[00:28:23]
“Hmmm… Sufficient.”
Esther also had another advantage: N. Somehow, he knew where the bosses were.
Really. He knew. Only reason why she believed him was that she’d eavesdropped on his monologue.
According to her current calculation, she would reach the boss in only fifteen minutes.
“But what if….”
She conjured a small flame atop her palm. Moving closer and watching her Cube carefully, she set the wooden stakes on fire.
When she saw that the Cube wasn’t responding, she quickly made a whole big enough for herself and rushed through it.
On the other side, she saw a pair of footprints heading deeper into the path. “It must be Tennis and Clerk.”
Esther followed the path. At one point, she heard sounds of screaming and fighting. She saw no reason to hurry and continued walking at a leisure pace.
[Contribution: 80% → 93%]
“Huh?”
Did someone die?
Her answer was soon answered. From the horizon of the curved path, a figure emerged. It was Clerk. Her body was covered in blood, but there was no visible wound on her.
Her eyes widened as she spotted Esther and rushed over. Stopping a distance away from the fox-girl, she heaved a sigh of relief.
“E-ssi! Run! The boss killed Tennis!”
Esther’s eyes remained calm as she strode toward Clerk.
“U-Umm, E-ssi? Why are t-there blood on your clothes?”
“Same reason as yours. Champ died.”
“Eeeek! Why are you so calm!?”
Esther didn’t answer and just continued walking.
“H-Hey, and why is your Title red?”
Red?
Almost instantly, two blue screens appeared. One in front of Clerk, and another before Esther.
[Hostile state:
Hostile participants will have their title painted red.
It means the participant has killed another participant intentionally.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Killing Hostile participants won’t give you the Hostile state]
As soon as the blue screen disappeared, Clerk nocked an arrow and fired it off at Esther.
Esther frowned. She tilted her head to the side and continued walking. Against the flurry of arrows, she wasn’t hit at all.
Seriously, she’s a bad shot. Makes me miss Freya….
Eventually, she reached Clerk. Taking out Requiem, she killed her with one swift slash. She involuntarily took a step back as the blood spurt on her helmet. “Fuck!” Esther quickly removed her helmet and put it away.
[Contribution: 93% → 100%]
“There we go!” Just the sight of that almost made dirtying her clothes worth it. Esther looked down at her hand and removed the ring that hid her ears and tail. No one was there to witness it anyways, so it was fine.
She walked deeper into the path amazed at how many Treants were dead on the way. “Looks like Tennis just bashed them with his shield. There’s no way those arrows can pierce the wood.”
She reached what looked like a primitive village. It was nothing compared to the goblin fortress she’d been at with Ihwa, but it was a sign of intelligence regardless.
The Treants guarding the door didn’t attack her right away. They looked at each other for quite a bit before letting out a series of clicking noises.
Then, from atop the village’s high wooden wall, a massive Treant jumped down. It was five times the size of Esther. Its eyes were hollow and green; its beard made of tree leaves and grass.
Unexpectedly, it started to speak. “You… You’re not human?”
“You can speak?”
The big Treant chuckled. “I get that all the time. I hope you’re not rude like the humans before. I’m the Treant King. May I interest you in a drink, fellow Forest Kin?”
Although one slash with a flame-coated Requiem was all she needed to kill the King, she didn't want to take any chances. As Esther was about to refuse and just finish the job, a blue screen appeared.
[Special Event ongoing. Pausing the timer until the Event is complete]
“Okay.”
…
Esther was led inside the village personally by the King. Their houses were made of dirt and stone. It seemed that although they were fine with wooden walls, living inside wooden homes was too much for them.
Hmmm…. I’d be freaked out if I lived inside a flesh wall, let alone a flesh house.
She stood before a house bigger than most. Though, it barely fit the King himself.
The King Treant creaked his neck and slouched down to fit through the entrance and beckoned Esther in.
Once inside, Esther saw a much smaller Treant standing in wait. A servant?
“My son.” Guessed not. “Go tell Ighdua to prepare some tea. Today I welcome a guest. A Forest Kin.”
The Treant frowned. He clearly didn’t want to be told what to do, but he did anyway.
The King led Esther into a spacious room where a table made of stone and two chairs were laid. He sat down on the bigger chair, making sure that it didn’t crack under his weight.
Shortly after Esther took her seat, the King’s son entered with the tray of tea. He placed it down on the table and sat there silently.
“Excuse us, Forest Kin. But I want my son to observe our conversation today so that he can become a good King when the time comes.”
“I don’t mind.”
“Splendid. Have your tea.”
Do Treants even drink tea? But she shrugged and drank her cup anyway. Gently and graciously placing her cup down, she spoke.
“So, what do you want to talk about?”
“Important things.” The King lamented. “As a Forest Kin, surely you know what’s happening to this forest.”
Well, according to the information…. “The humans are taking over, correct?”
“Correct.” He nodded. “I see that Forest Kins like you are more welcomed among humans. Would you be our ambassador? Would you help us reach a peaceful resolution?”
“Like that’s going to work.” She snickered. “I’m no one important. I have no influence. I don’t know how your village works, but humans aren’t willing to back down at the request of a mere Treant.”
The King gestured for her to continue.
“All I’m saying is violence is the only answer.” And she meant it. Although all of this was fake, she was sure power ruled over all. Standing up, she reached a hand out to the King. “If you want your forest intact, be active. Organize ambushes. Slay those wretched humans that dare to impede on your land.”
The King stayed silent for a few moments before sighing. “Disappointing. Truly disappointing.” Spores suddenly emanated from his body. Esther tried to dash away, but it was too late. The tea she drank made her react strangely to the spore, paralyzing her.
Immobilized, she could only sit still and hear the King talk.
“I saw what you did. You killed our kind. You killed your own kind. You are a Forest Kin, but have been tainted by the corruption of humans.” He seemed truly disappointed and sad. “But I am a benevolent King. Until this is all over, I shall simply place you in a cell. Don’t worry, you will be well-fed. Guards, take her away.”
From the ground, two Treants emerged and dragged Esther into somewhere unknown.
You little shit—! Just you wait! I want to help you and you treat me like this!? Just you fucking wait!