Tutorial 4: A Hero Without Legs
I tried to engage the elf in conversation while still restraining him.
“Hey, you’ve been looking for the World Tree since earlier… Is it true that elves are born from plants?”
The struggling elf turned his head and glared at me.
“This… this stupid human… Our mother has achieved great feats and become one with the World Tree. Therefore, the World Tree is my mother!”
Wait, what?
At that moment, I recalled a brilliant idea.
Padlip! Nothing shakes a person's mental state like a good dad joke.
By the way, as an orphan, I have immunity to padlip.
“Then does that mean your mother is dead?”
The elf sneered.
“As expected, you're a fool who knows nothing… Don't think of humans as equals. The great elves who have achieved great feats are granted the honor of eternal rest in the embrace of the World Tree. I will also achieve great success here and go to the embrace of my mother, the World Tree!”
This guy really talked a lot.
But the real padlip was just beginning.
“Really? Then your mom is a plant person now.”
The elf's face froze for a moment.
“W-what…?”
It took him a moment to process the meaning of my words, and there was a buffering delay in the elf's speech.
I was worried he might not understand medical terms, but fortunately, he seemed to have gotten it.
“There are people who proudly say their mom became a plant person… That's amazing…”
The elf's face twisted horribly.
“You crazy bastard!!! How dare you say that!!!”
“And you crazy son of a bitch! I've never seen someone whose future dream is to become a plant person! Snap out of it!”
The guy clinging to me suddenly writhed violently and let out a roar.
“You damn human!!!! I won't let you die easily!!!! Kuaaaaaak!!!!”
“Hmm… Is that really worth getting angry about…?”
I didn't have a mom, so I didn't know.
Then, footsteps sounded from behind.
“He's coming!”
Somehow, the doll girl had regained her senses and was running towards us quickly.
Whip-!
I turned my body so that the elf's body I was holding would be exposed to the doll girl.
The excited elf spotted the approaching doll girl and his eyes began to shake violently.
“This… damn…!”
The doll girl quickly picked up the dagger that had fallen. It was the elf's dagger I had dropped earlier.
Crack crack!
And lightning began to wrap around the blade of that dagger.
At that moment, the elf's expression changed.
The bewilderment disappeared, and an unnaturally bright smile appeared.
Seeing that expression gave me goosebumps all over.
“You picked up my weapon…! You dared to touch the weapon I was bound with!! You stupid humans!!”
“No way…?”
The feeling was very bad.
I desperately shouted at the doll girl.
“No!!! Drop that weapon!!!”
But it was already too late.
“Elemental Burst!!!!”
Before the elf could finish speaking, the dagger in the doll girl's hand glowed blue and exploded.
BOOM-!
“Kyaahaaaak!!!”
The doll girl's right arm disappeared along with the explosion.
And the shockwave of the explosion hit me too.
Overwhelmed by the huge shock and pain, I let go of the elf.
“You bastard… So you can explode your own weapon…”
Then, with a flash,
The elf rolled quickly and picked up the bow and arrows that had fallen.
Whoosh-
The arrow was shot. Since I had already taken a lot of damage, I couldn't dodge.
Thud!
“Kuek!”
I felt the arrow sink deep into my right thigh.
And coldness spread from there.
Along with the blood, my leg started to freeze.
“I… I made a mistake…”
Looking ahead, the doll girl was kneeling, muttering blankly.
In her eyes, which had completely lost an arm, was filled with despair.
And a stream of tears flowed down her white and pretty cheeks.
“It's over…”
No more hope.
The only capable person, the doll girl, had lost an arm and was now accepting defeat.
Having used a lot of strength to hold down the elf, I was too exhausted.
The right thigh hit by the arrow continued to feel tremendous pain.
Also, the body was ruined from the explosions received in succession.
I just wanted to lie down right away.
We lost.
We lost like dogs.
“Uha ha ha! Stupid humans!!!”
The elf laughed triumphantly and reloaded the bow.
“Now die. And even in death, atone to your mother, the World Tree!”
The elf aimed the bow at my head.
At that moment!
Thud!!!!
From somewhere, a spear flew and deeply embedded into the elf's side.
“Kuek!!”
The elf screamed and lost his balance, staggering to the side.
“What? A spear…?”
I slowly turned my head towards the direction the spear came from.
And I was so surprised I nearly fainted.
“Kiki kiki kiki kiki kiki!!!”
Clear laughter!
The one who threw the spear was lying on the ground, laughing happily.
The red-skinned monster had no legs.
“A little kid monster…?”
It was the little kid monster whose legs were cut off by the werewolf!
“How did he get here…?”
Long bloodstains trailed behind the lying little kid monster.
“No way…?”
He crawled all the way here?
Even though both legs were cut off, he crawled here after hearing the fight sounds?!
“Kiki kiki…”
Thud.
The little kid monster collapsed as he used up all his remaining strength.
I felt his life force fading away.
Grit, tenacity, bravery, determination, courage.
No matter what suffix I added, there was no word to express that heroic act.
That small monster saved me from the crisis just before death.
Even burning his own life!!
“Thanks. To me, you are the true hero.”
But the fight wasn't over yet.
This was the last chance created by our brave little kid monster.
I was never going to let this opportunity slip away!
“Kueeeee…”
The elf looked at the spear stuck in him in disbelief and was in pain.
Now, it was clear that this guy's life was almost over.
I stood up.
“Kuek…”
There was tremendous pain in my right leg where the arrow had hit.
But I had to go.
I had to inherit the sacrifice of the little kid monster.
I had to end it myself!
I dragged my almost immobile right leg and approached the elf.
“Weapon…?”
None.
Could I kill him with my bare hands?
No. There was a weapon.
The arrow stuck in my leg.
I could use this by pulling it out as a weapon.
“Damn it…”
The area around the arrow deeply embedded in my thigh was completely hardened like ice.
If I pulled it out, the surrounding tissues would definitely break and the leg would be amputated.
“But I have to…”
The little kid monster had come all the way here with both legs cut off and created this opportunity.
The doll girl had completely lost one arm.
But I was supposed to end it with all four limbs intact?
Thinking such selfish thoughts?
“I can't do that.”
The distance to the elf was just a few steps away.
With resolve, I gripped the arrow tightly.
Crack-!
Using all my strength, I pulled out the arrow.
There was a huge resistance due to the frozen tissues, but I successfully pulled it out in one go with all my might.
“Ugh…!”
On the verge of screaming from the unimaginable terrible pain I had never felt in my life.
Thud thud thud.
Because the arrow was pulled out, my frozen right leg was breaking in real time.
Now, my right leg was completely gone.
Tap! Tap!
I hopped with my remaining left leg towards the elf.
And I met eyes with the elf who had turned his head.
“You… guys…!”
The eyes, bloodshot from the pain of the spear and extreme anger, glared at me.
I had come into range where I could reach out and touch him.
It was time to kill that guy.
At that moment, the elf's gaze fixed on the arrow I was holding.
“Elemental… ugh!”
I quickly covered his mouth with my left hand.
At the same time, I poured all my strength into the right hand holding the arrow.
And I thrust it upward from below the elf's chin.
Whoosh-!
I didn't forget to twist the arrow I had stabbed in to stir the brain.
“Ugh…!”
“Go in peace… Dream of becoming a plant person, achieve it in your next life.”
Blood tears flowed from the elf's eyes.
And his eyes dimmed, and his vitality began to fade.
“It's over…”
Was there any more enemy?
Unlikely.
Even if there was, there was nothing I could do now.
We had all done our best.
Thud.
I collapsed and lost consciousness.
Mission Complete!
Victory in the special tutorial.
Will return soon.
Waiting for transmission... [00:10]
“Hah!”
Instantly, my mind snapped awake and my eyes opened.
“Huh…?”
What is this?
I see the familiar ceiling. My room.
“My leg!!”
I quickly checked my right leg.
It looked perfectly fine.
Thank goodness. I can continue squatting from now on.
“Wait, but what really is this?”
Dream…? Have I been dreaming all this time?
Is there such a vivid dream?
Looking at the time, it was 1 AM.
I had gone to bed around 12:30, and after thinking about various things, I must have fallen asleep, so not much time had passed.
“It was a long dream for such a short time…”
It was an extremely lively dream.
It was said that pinching in a dream doesn't hurt, but it was all nonsense.
The feeling of the leg being stabbed was still vivid.
“But it's good.”
This was the first time I had experienced such a horrific nightmare.
If I suffered from such nightmares a few more times, I would definitely become insane.
“Ah, really, I'm so tired.”
Just as I was about to get up from the bed to go to the bathroom and sleep.
Ring!
Wait, no way?
A semi-transparent window appeared before my eyes.
Special tutorial cleared.
Now you are an official participant.
Time until next summon... [7 days]
I was an official participant now.
Next summon in 7 days.
But wait, this is just a dream, right?
But the system message is real...