Elza had lost her parents when she was young, and her earliest memories were of following the adults to hunt slimes when she was barely eight or nine years old. Growing up without parents had shaped her into a solitary figure, withdrawn and unsure of herself in the company of other children. She preferred isolation, finding comfort in the quiet of the outskirts rather than working alongside others.

When there was trouble in the village, Elza was cleaning slimes in a forgotten corner of the suburbs. When the village was saved, she was still there, methodically slaying slimes. Even in times of disaster, no one thought to find her, and she remained unseen. Only when she returned home at night would she learn of the events that had transpired.

One day, as she prepared to rest, a voice rang in her head:

[Hero System Activated.

The first generation Hero has fallen. Congratulations, you have been chosen as the second-generation Hero.

Elza Gorete, welcome. You are now the Exterminate Hero.]

But even as the words echoed in her mind, Elza had paid them no heed. Titles meant little to her. Hero? System? Exterminate Hero? Such things were irrelevant. All she cared about was cleaning slimes and repaying the village that had raised her. That was enough.

Oddly, though, as the day wore on, Elza noticed something strange. Her body felt lighter, more nimble. She was killing slimes faster than ever before. Her movements were sharp, efficient. Could it be that the voice in her head had spoken the truth?

She brushed off the thought. It didn’t matter. If she could kill slimes quicker, all the better. It just meant she could rid the village of them faster. So, before dawn the next morning, Elza returned to her usual spot and took over from her night-shift colleague. The slimes fell effortlessly before her blade, and before long, she found herself seeking out more areas to clean.

After assisting other groups, she returned to her corner and resumed her work, her efficiency drawing quiet compliments from the villagers. They marveled at her speed, but Elza barely noticed. Her mind was elsewhere.

It wasn’t until later that day, when she wandered through a less populated part of the village, that she saw something unusual. A group of villagers had gathered, their attention fixed on something ahead. Elza, curious, approached and looked up.

In the center of the crowd stood a young man with black hair, holding what looked like a peculiar black stick. Around him, dozens of slimes writhed and squirmed. The man moved with a graceful ease, lifting the stick and flicking it toward the nearest slime.

“Poof!”

The stick extended in an instant, slicing through the slimes with terrifying precision. With every flick, more slimes fell, pierced cleanly by the weapon. In mere moments, the entire area was clear, the slimes obliterated. The stick, now curved into dozens of sections, stretched across the clearing like a web.

The crowd erupted in awe.

“As expected of the Sword Hero!” someone shouted.

“He killed them all in an instant!” marveled another.

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Elza’s eyes widened in wonder. 'Sword Hero?' That strange black stick was a sword? And the way he moved… it was so fast, so effortless. If she had a sword like that, could she also protect the village with such speed and precision? Her heart raced with excitement at the thought.

As the young man departed and the crowd began to disperse, Elza returned to her quiet corner. The image of the black sword lingered in her mind. If only she could wield something like that. She clenched her fists in determination. Surely, there had to be a way.

Her gaze fell on a red slime slithering nearby. Without thinking, she grabbed it in both hands, stretching it apart. Could she really…?

At that moment, the same voice echoed in her mind:

[Passive skill: [The Power of My Thinking] activated.

Skill description: If you think it can become a weapon, then it will.]

A flash of red light burst from her hands, and in an instant, the slime was reshaped into a sword, just like the one the Sword Hero had wielded earlier.

[Item obtained: Red Slime Sword Lv1

Item description: Exclusive weapon for the Exterminate Hero, can be upgraded by killing slimes.]

Elza gasped. The slime had actually transformed! She stared at the sword in disbelief. 'So that Sword Hero’s weapon... was made of slime too?'

Before she could fully process what had just happened, she swung the sword toward a nearby slime.

“Poof!”

The blade extended, piercing the slime with ease.

“It works!” Elza exclaimed, her voice rising in excitement. She wanted to run to the village and show everyone what she had discovered. But she hesitated. If she killed too many slimes, it might take away from others' work, and standing out too much could lead to resentment.

Elza nodded to herself, gripping the slime sword tightly. She had made up her mind.

Dawn broke over the village, casting a soft, golden glow over the trees as Elza rose from her quiet corner and began walking toward the support area. Her colleague, still wiping sleep from his eyes, glanced up and immediately blinked in surprise.

“Elza? You look... different,” he said, his brow furrowing as he studied her face.

“Different?” Elza touched her face, puzzled. “I don’t feel any different.”

“No, no, your face hasn’t changed, but... you’re paler than before, almost glowing! And your hair... when did it turn red?”

“Red?” Elza blinked, startled. She pulled down a strand of hair, and sure enough, the inky black locks she had always known were now a vibrant, fiery red.

In her mind, she faintly heard the echo of that strange voice from before, but she shook her head. *I didn’t dye it, did I?*

“Well... red is red, I suppose. No use fussing over it.” She shrugged it off, glancing over the horizon. “Slimes are coming anyway. We’ve got work to do.”

Without another word, Elza headed back to her task, dismissing the strange changes as quickly as they had appeared.

...

Meanwhile, in the heart of the village, a courtyard bustled with life as villagers lined up, offering food to the heroes who had just returned from their harrowing mission. At the center of it all, Ariana sat at the dinner table, spooning mouthfuls of stew into her mouth, her exhaustion evident but her hunger winning out.

Beside her, Layton ate with reckless abandon, practically inhaling his food with an enthusiasm that drew chuckles from some of the onlookers. Miruku, though still recovering from the slime king’s attack, managed to eat more delicately, though the exhaustion on her face mirrored Ariana’s.

Off to the side, Anyi stood in quiet conversation with a group of villagers. The exchange was hushed, but the tension in the air was palpable.

“Sword Hero-sama,” one of the villagers, a believer in the hero system, spoke, presenting a scroll. “Several heroes have perished recently, taken by the monsters. These are their names.”

Anyi opened the scroll, scanning it quickly until his eyes stopped on one entry: Exterminate Hero. His breath caught, and his expression hardened as he stared at the name for a long time, deep in thought.

;Exterminate Hero... One of the strongest heroes of the last life... already gone?'

In his previous life, the Exterminate Hero had been a formidable force, surviving even the harshest battles. For her to have died so early this time...

'Was it because of me?' Anyi wondered, his chest tightening. 'Did my presence alter her fate, causing her to stray from the path?'

A weight of guilt settled over him. Whatever the reason, the Exterminate Hero was gone—far too soon. And the world was left that much more vulnerable because of it.