Why Do I Have to Do This?
The entire world was stained red.
The scent of blood.
The heartbeat.
The thief who stole lightning.
The one to be killed.
The bastard who ruined the forest.
Kill!
“Kyaaarrr!”
...
I looked at the lizardman army. In their eyes, which held nothing resembling reason, I could feel madness overflowing.
The sound of scales colliding with scales.
The beast-like breaths.
The air of the battlefield that squeezed my entire body.
They ran forward, bodies tangled in a messy tangle, pushing each other aside, appearing like a horde of zombies.
They rushed in without knowing any danger, solely to kill me.
Even after suffering that yesterday.
I forcibly suppressed the lightning I had absorbed in the suddenly narrowing alley. The pain felt like it was burning from the inside, but it was still there.
Just a little closer.
The sweet and ecstatic sensation that had shaken my whole body even now was engraved in my memory.
With only ten steps left to reach the distance, the reptilian eyes of the bloodthirsty creatures stood out sharply.
Good.
I raised my hand.
Snap!
Crack!
At the same moment the fingers rubbed, blue light flashed, and the traps nearby exploded all at once.
Fzzt!
The current spread along the wet ground.
The current that had flowed thinly across the ground grabbed the creatures' feet.
The creatures noticeably slowed down.
The paralysis gradually spread to their feet, causing the following creatures to collide with each other and start tangling up.
“Krheek!”
The creatures could not move, tangled together.
Perfect.
Power: 497%/100%
[OVERFLOW]
Zzt—Fzzt!
I released the overflowing current into my palm.
The gathered energy spun madly, forming a circle of current.
A light level so intense it made the tears in my eyes spin.
I restrained the currents that tried to spread in all directions.
If even a little concentration was disrupted, it would damage the surrounding trees.
If I let it slip, I would explode before them.
That was why it was perfect for eliminating the reptiles in front of me.
I spread my palm toward the gathered lizards.
“I’ll give it back to you. The divine punishment.”
The condensed energy bound on my palm discharged into the air’s electric charge.
Riding the electric charge that pulled like a magnet, a storm of lightning swept down onto the creatures’ heads.
Kwaquakuwa—!
Fzzt!
The enormous light struck their retinas.
A sound that pierced the ears sharply.
Then the ensuing thick, suffocating numbness.
The blue lightning began to devour each other.
The air screamed as if torn, and the split lightning reunited into one.
The light condensed.
...
Kwaquakuwa glow!
The lightning that exploded while cutting through the air took away the lives of the lizards.
The lizards screamed and howled in agony.
Within the screams, a pitiful death throe echoed.
“Magic, sa... keyak—!”
Amid the acrid burnt smell, the scent of roasted meat rose.
The storm of blue brain lightning had spread everywhere.
It was a scene I had seen many times before.
...
Was this a sonic storm?
It was far more destructive than what I had imagined.
In the place swept by the storm, bewildered sorcerers appeared.
“T-the warriors... they’re all like this at once.”
The sorcerers hurriedly tore off the totems hanging on their bodies and threw them to the ground.
“I will kill you for sure!”
The decorations corroded and strange smoke scattered.
Thud!
...
Thud!
A small echo from far away drew closer.
Several pairs of footsteps could be heard.
Did they come again?
Bang!
A tree flying out from outside the clearing as if hit by something, and the troll appeared.
Totems enchanted with magic could be seen on their necks.
Saliva dripping, the totems sparkled unusually.
It seemed these had fully controlled the sorcerers’ minds. A sigh naturally escaped me—I would have to fight trolls again.
Again?
“Keyhehek, the warriors’ souls will devour you!”
“Souls? You just summoned a troll!”
“Get lost!”
They ran toward me with red eyes flashing. The trolls passed by the lizards and immediately rushed toward me.
I tried to gather electricity, but with my overloaded body I could not pull in proper electricity. If I did it wrong, it would get much worse here.
Power: 1%/100%
The trolls, judging me as dangerous, spread a will like a tree’s scream.
Uwoong!
The roots suddenly bursting from the ground wrapped around the trolls’ legs, but they quickly broke free with strength.
Tududuk!
I retreated.
Seeing them quickly close the distance, I measured the gap. Because of the trolls’ huge bodies and their long arms, fist fighting would be disadvantageous. Right now, the only thing I could rely on was my massively enhanced physical ability.
I blocked the direction the trolls’ clubs were flying with my spear.
Kwa-jik!
The spear I held turned into something else.
Thud!
I was thrown by the body as it broke and barely dodged.
I quickly put my hands on the ground and stood up.
“No weapons. Damn it.”
I threw the spear that had been in my hand to the side, and a curse naturally burst out.
Sleek.
Once again, from the sleek roots that had extended, something was placed in my hand.
A baseball bat.
...
Seriously? No matter how much it had gotten stronger, facing that club with this was impossible, right?
Since it had come to this, I had no choice but to use my light body to quickly strike and retreat. Their movements were slow, so aiming for the vital points...
Piooooo—
Shick!
A bird-like shape cut through the wind rapidly.
Swaack!
The giant bird’s claws sharply raked across the troll’s head. Then, one after another, arrows flew in from the forest.
“Krwoarara!”
Puk—! Puk!
I was about to run into the rain of arrows flying toward my body and head, but I raised my arm to protect my head.
Was it?
On a tree branch.
Long ears.
An elf.
They were firing their bows again.
Swaack!
Puk.
An arrow pierced the eye, and the troll staggered and stopped.
Then arrows continued to fly one after another.
Swaack—! Swaack! Swaack—!
They kept shooting like a beehive without stopping. The trolls who had been hit by arrows, realizing it wouldn’t work this way, began to run toward the elves.
The arrows were not enough. A decisive blow was needed. And on the ground, a club dropped by a troll could be seen.
“Bind them again!”
Woong!
Chwaak.
Responding immediately to my shout, the massive tree roared. The thick roots bursting from the ground wrapped around the trolls’ legs.
The trolls struggled to break free from the roots. Unlike before, with the layers of stacked roots, it was not easy to cut them apart.
Tuduk!
Over the trolls who were struggling to cut them, the trolls lifted the giant club they had dropped. Heavy enough to feel like it would hit the bone filled my palm.
“Attack power is definitely there.”
I dove into the gap where the trolls, bound at the feet, swung their upper bodies. My awakened physical ability exploded, and the heavy club drew a parabola.
Pwaaak—!
“Kruhueung!”
“Die! You bastards!”
Bam! Puk!
Every time I hit, the sound of something breaking mixed with the trolls’ screams.
I swung the club relentlessly until each one’s regeneration stopped, until the red blood stained the leather and the screams completely stopped.
Crack! The sturdy club broke but could not be stopped and shattered.
I discarded the broken club.
I gripped the baseball bat I was used to again.
“Finishing with this should be enough.”
Holding the light baseball bat again, I delivered a full swing toward the temple of the staggering last troll.
Pwaak—!
The feeling that flowed through my hand, and oddly enough, the sound that rang out even felt light and cheerful.
The troll who caused brain concussion could not support its huge body and collapsed.
“A human fought a troll with bare hands.”
“That human... what is their identity? A mage? A warrior?”
“...I’ve gone outside the category of humans I know.”
“He’s not an ordinary human.”
The elves’ gazes were directed coldly at the trolls in the rain.
“Hah, hah.”
Breathing heavily, I examined the trolls.
Thud.
The baseball bat I had dropped hit the ground, and the sound spread.
“Surprisingly, the baseball bat is hard.”
When I came to my senses, a tingling sensation was felt in my hand. Looking at my hand, the entire thing was stained red.
Swoosh... Is this okay?
I must have swung it too violently. The raised physical ability left wounds on my palm.
I turned my head. The sorcerer was pierced with arrows from the unfamiliar strangers’ shots. Judging from the appearance, there seemed to be bad blood between them and the lizards.
“Keyak, dirty elf bastards. You’re interfering with our plan. This human bastard too, we all curse you elves!”
“That’s your thing, isn’t it. How dare you deceive us and trap us in a trap. We’ll kill you.”
“Krhehe. You idiots who came chasing us after going blind in the ruins!”
“Shut up!”
Puk!
“Keyak!”
The elf’s anger turned the lizard’s cheek. Only then did the long ears of the strangers come into view.
What kind of situation is this?
The appearance of the ruins and the elves.
The lizards were not simply quest mobs, but there was something connecting them.
Previously, mentioning the sorcerers’ rituals or plans repeatedly suggested something was there.
I walked toward the gathered elves. Straight nose bridges and beautiful eyebrows. They looked like they had jumped out of a novel or video—perfect proportions and harmony in appearance. Pretty.
...
Unlucky.
As I approached, the long ears slightly turned toward me.
“Wait, that sorcerer is mine.”
“Human. Thanks to you drawing our attention, we easily caught this one, but we also have business. So give it to us.”
A subtle contempt was felt from the slightly raised chin and the downward gaze.
I thought they thought I had caught the troll together, but it seemed my hasty judgment was wrong. Not only appearance, but also a bad personality, it seems long-eared people are like this...
Zzt!
Sparks shot up from the fingertips. At the same time, the elves holding their bows hesitated.
“If you got it easily, shouldn’t you give something back? Don’t you know give and take?”
“...”
The elves’ gazes lingered on the sparks.
Their pupils trembled at the destructive movement hanging at the end of the gaze. It was clear they were thinking of the power that had swept away the lizards earlier.
“Wait! There’s no need to fight each other now. Interrogating together is fine, right?”
“Ibrin. You don’t belong here.”
“No, this is the right time now. Heibrin.”
“It’s not like that...”
Listening to their conversation, it seemed Ibrin’s words were correct. From the beginning, even the electricity wrapped around the hand was nothing more than a bluster for blackmail.
There was no need to fight anyway.
“Khrheek.”
Shifting my gaze from the dying sound beside me, I saw a dying creature kneeling with knees on the ground. A posture like one right before hunting prey.
“I will make you all a sacrifice and curse you! Oh god! Offering this sacrifice, strike all the filthy ones in front of me with lightning!”
In the moment I was arguing with the elves, the sorcerer’s shout that had prepared finally echoed like a scream.
I reached out to shoot the spark, but it was too late.
Poof
It scattered as if blocked by something.
From the lizard’s eyes, nose, and mouth. All holes bled, and it convulsed.
“It’s useless! Krhehe!”
From the lizard’s appearance screaming with frothy blood, something ominous was felt.
The electricity I had forcibly squeezed was only the size of a mouse tail. That too was blocked by something.
“What! The thing is trying to do something else again!”
Swaack!
Puk! Puk!
I immediately tried to shoot an arrow to stop it, but the magic continued to smile in a bizarre way.
“Erkion, my lord!”
The energy gathered on the lizard’s body spread into the sky.
The clouds split, and raindrops swept across the clearing. At the same time, an overwhelming force from the sky pressed down on my shoulders.
“Worms disturbing my ears. How did humans and elves enter my garden?”
A voice from the sky carried power.
“W-what is this...”
Fear seeped into the trembling elves’ voices.
The god the lizards had sought had truly descended.
“This time, the smell of dirt is vibrating. It’s only this much to summon me.”
With an unpleasant voice, I scattered the energy extending from the lizard.
“What should I do with you?”
A pressure like the entire body’s hair standing on end.
In the heavy, settled divine voice, I awkwardly raised the corners of my mouth and secretly opened my mouth.
“... Can’t you just send me off nicely?”