Echoes in the Great Forest
The anomaly raid team made their way toward the Gate, where a crowd of government personnel had already set up camp around the perimeter.
"We're counting on you for this raid."
"Mmh... We shall do our utmost," Namgung Min replied.
"As expected, only the Sword Saint is willing to take on such troublesome tasks."
"Haha..."
To think so many people would show up just to investigate a Gate... It almost feels like a waste of manpower, I thought. But then again, a thorough investigation was necessary, and they needed to secure the perimeter.
"Listen well before we enter," Namgung Min commanded, his voice carrying a natural, quiet authority. "Our adversaries are a race known as elves. They are highly proficient in archery and magic, so pay extra attention to your defenses."
"Got it."
"So, defense is the priority?"
It was a moment where everyone should have been tense, yet they all looked remarkably relaxed. The reason... was likely the S-class Hunter standing right before them: Namgung Min. He looked every bit the hero. Much like how Yu Jin used to naturally command the soldiers when he stood before them, Namgung Min was effortlessly drawing everyone's trust.
"I shall lead the way."
Naturally, the Sword Saint was the first to step through the Gate. He was followed in order by the shield-bearing tanks, then the damage dealers, and finally, I entered last alongside the other healers.
It had taken less than a minute for me to enter the Gate, but the battlefield was already in utter chaos. Everyone was frantically blocking and deflecting arrows and magic spells flying in from all directions. The sheer confusion made it impossible to pinpoint the Dark Elves' locations, as they remained cleverly concealed within the foliage.
"Damn it!" the tanks cursed, barely managing to withstand the onslaught.
The only one who seemed composed was, of course... the Sword Saint, Namgung Min. Deflecting arrows and parrying magic with his fluid blade, he was holding down a massive area all by himself. It was the Taiji Wisdom Sword—the same technique my sister had shown me, yet his execution possessed a level of grace and mastery that made it hard to believe they were even the same style.
"Well, shall I lend a little hand?"
I cast a buff on everyone present—a spell that boosted all basic attributes. Though they seemed momentarily startled by the sudden lightness in their bodies, they quickly adapted and pressed their advantage.
"Mages! Burn down the forest!" Namgung Min roared.
"What?! Is that allowed?"
"We must deny them the shadows of the trees!"
At the Sword Saint's command, the mages prepared their spells. However, there were only two mages in the entire raid team. Only two capable of ranged attacks... It would have been nice to have some archers or marksmen, but the Murim Alliance didn't have any. At least one of the government Hunters had brought a gun, but... he was merely keeping watch without firing. He was likely conserving his limited ammunition.
This was precisely why marksmen were poorly regarded among Hunters. With a finite number of arrows or bullets and no way to resupply mid-battle, they couldn't fight effectively in prolonged engagements. While they were unmatched when defending a stronghold, their limitations became glaringly obvious during an offensive, leaving them in a strange, ambiguous position. This was also why Hunters preferred cold weapons over firearms.
The mages unleashed their spells, but the Dark Elves were no easy prey. Sensing the incoming magic, they reacted with agile precision, firing counter-elemental spells to neutralize the attacks.
"Blocking magic with magic..."
"We already knew they were highly intelligent! Keep firing!"
Though they urged each other on, none of their attacks landed cleanly. The sheer number of Dark Elves kept all the damage dealers busy just trying to defend themselves.
I suppose I have no choice...
I prepared the Sacred Fire once more. Time to clear out the trash at the two o'clock position. Seeing the brilliant white flames blooming from my hands, several Hunters gasped in surprise.
"Sister!"
My little sister suddenly leaped in, deflecting an incoming attack aimed at me.
"Thanks," I said, giving her a bright smile. Then, I hurled a massive sphere of Sacred Fire toward the forest.
The Dark Elves scrambled to throw themselves out of the way—and the Sword Saint didn't miss the opening, unleashing a wave of sword energy to cut them down. As expected of an S-class. His situational awareness was incredibly sharp, and his execution was flawless.
Seizing the opening, the Hunters pushed forward to establish a proper formation. By using the blazing path of the Sacred Fire as a natural barrier on one flank, they significantly reduced the area they needed to defend. Once the formation stabilized, the Sword Saint fell back, allowing the front-line Hunters to step up and block the incoming attacks.
"Damn it, there's no end to them!"
Countless arrows littered the ground, and the earth was scarred by magical explosions. The onslaught was so relentless that it was impossible to gauge the enemy's true numbers. It had been exactly like this in the Other World. That was why we had struggled so much back then, and why the regular troops had suffered such devastating casualties.
"My lady, can you perform that attack from earlier again?"
"As many times as you need."
By burning down the forest with the Sacred Fire, we could deny them the terrain they used to surround us. Gradually reclaiming the space and narrowing the distance—that was the standard strategy for clearing the Great Forest.
Once more, the brilliant white flames of the Sacred Fire flared up and plunged into the woods. The Dark Elves shrieked in an incomprehensible tongue as they watched their forest burn. Seizing the distraction, the Sword Saint unleashed another wave of sword energy, eliminating several more of them.
"At this rate, we will be here forever."
Falling back once more, the Sword Saint even went so far as to urge the gun-wielding Hunter to start shooting. When the Hunter finally opened fire, the results were surprisingly effective. The fact that the Dark Elves had never encountered such a weapon played to our advantage, and unlike magic, the tiny, high-velocity projectiles were incredibly difficult to block. Though the wild, erratic gunfire didn't claim many direct hits, it succeeded in suppressing the enemy's offensive.
"I don't have much ammo left!"
"That was more than enough," Namgung Min replied.
Stepping forward, the Sword Saint blurred with an uncanny movement, launching himself high into the air.
"Meteor Sword."
Shrouded in a brilliant, starlight-like energy, he streaked directly into the heart of the forest where the Dark Elves had established their lines.
"I-Is he going to be alright?"
Charging into the enemy lines alone... Under normal circumstances, it was a suicidal move.
"Now is our chance! Reorganize the lines and follow him!"
With the Sword Saint gone, another Hunter took charge of the raid team. Charging into the enemy camp alone... I couldn't decide if it was reckless or incredibly bold. Regardless, his daring move bought us some breathing room. The barrage of arrows and magic flying toward us dropped off significantly, giving us a precious moment to regroup.
"Move out!"
Once regrouped, the raid team immediately dashed toward the forest. Their coordination was seamless, keeping the formation perfectly intact. While the government personnel struggled to keep pace and lagged slightly behind, they still managed to follow. I moved comfortably at the very center of the formation.
Upon entering the woods, we found the Sword Saint fighting fiercely on his own. He was using the forest terrain to his advantage, weaving through the trees to conceal himself, parrying attacks, and systematically taking down the Dark Elves with blinding speed. His movements bordered on the divine. Witnessing the sheer skill and audacity required to pull off such a feat, I finally understood why he was ranked number one among S-class Hunters. He truly possessed the talent and the nerve to back up his title.
And yet... in my eyes, he was still weaker than the Hero. If the Hero had been here, the two of us would have torn through this place in an instant... A faint pang of longing brushed against my chest.
By the way, what is Yu Jin doing right now?
As a reward for defeating the Demon King, the Hero was also granted a wish by the Goddess. If so, why hadn't he chosen to return? Well, in the Other World, the Hero was a living legend... He could have anything he wanted. Perhaps he had abandoned the idea of returning to Earth to build a harem of beautiful women and live out his days in luxury.
But what if he had chosen to return?
He would have arrived long ago and witnessed this ruined, chaotic Earth. Of course, even if he had returned, the chances of our paths crossing were slim. If I became famous, would he come looking for me? Since my appearance remained exactly the same as it was back then... there was a possibility. But would the Hero actually seek me out? If it were me, I probably wouldn't...
Our life in the Other World... honestly, though we might call it a memory now, it was closer to a living nightmare. It wouldn't be surprising if he suffered from severe PTSD because of it. On the flip side, if the Hero became famous and appeared on TV, I might be the one to go find him. Since the Hero had been summoned in his original body, his appearance would likely be unchanged even after returning. Either way, neither scenario was simple, so the likelihood of us meeting was incredibly low.
Deep within the forest, the raid team engaged in close-quarters combat with the Dark Elves. Despite the monsters' human-like appearance—differing only in their dark skin and long, pointed ears—the Hunters did not hesitate to strike.
"Do not hesitate just because they look human!"
The command was carried out flawlessly. Even my little sister... plunged her blade into an elf's throat without a shred of hesitation.
"You seem quite accustomed to fighting these kinds of foes," I remarked.
"Yes, I have some experience fighting vampires and the like," she replied.
Even with prior experience, it was still impressive.
The battle was incredibly fierce... and several Hunters sustained injuries, but I healed them before they could even retreat to the rear. Since my eyes could instantly perceive any wound, I mended them the moment they occurred. It was, in a sense, a rather ruthless form of healing that denied them any excuse to fall back...
The battle raged on for nearly an hour before we finally managed to clear the immediate area. We had slain roughly a hundred and twenty Dark Elves, yet more enemies undoubtedly remained.
"Damn it, this raid is ridiculously difficult."
"Mmh..." The Sword Saint crossed his arms, remaining vigilant.
"You've all worked hard," I said, walking around to heal the remaining wounds and check on everyone's condition.
Perhaps due to the prolonged, intense focus, everyone looked thoroughly exhausted. Meanwhile, the government investigators were busy scouring the area, searching for anything useful.
Honestly, I wasn't in the best of moods. If I had to put a finger on it, the death rattles of the dying Dark Elves had been incredibly grating. Calling me a witch, swearing to curse me... they had spewed every insult imaginable.
Crazy bastards... You're the ones who betrayed humanity, so why are you playing the victims?
Then again, they were selfish, self-centered creatures, so it made sense they would only think of themselves. There was no need to take their words to heart. In fact, the rest of the raid team couldn't understand the elven tongue, so they hadn't reacted at all. I had listened closely to each of their dying breaths, hoping to gather some information about the current situation... but it had only succeeded in ruining my mood.
Of course, it wasn't entirely fruitless. I at least learned that this Great Forest existed in a state prior to our attack in the Other World. If this place had materialized after I had burned it down, there was no way they would have reacted so calmly upon seeing me.
"We didn't suffer any casualties thanks to you, Sister," my little sister said.
"Oh, there were casualties," I replied.
I had simply healed them instantly...
"Still, if it weren't for you, we wouldn't even be able to rest like this right now."
Well, she wasn't wrong... Minor wounds accumulate over time, and even with other healers present, the flow of battle would have been entirely different. We would have won eventually... but not everyone would have made it out unscathed.
"It really makes me realize how incredible your power is, Sister."
She even mentioned that I could easily become an A-rank Hunter right away. Not that I cared...
"Are you still fit to fight?" a government agent inquired.
"I can manage," the Sword Saint replied, "but clearing this Gate will not be an easy task."
There was no telling how many Dark Elves remained. In the Other World, the number of Dark Elves slaughtered by the Hero's party and myself had exceeded five thousand. If we factored in those stationed in other regions, the total population of the Great Forest neared ten thousand. I didn't know how much of the forest this Gate had replicated... but if it had manifested the entire Great Forest? It meant we would have to fight battles like this a hundred more times. Clearing it with our current numbers would be utterly impossible.
"Is that so...?"
"Indeed. If possible, our safest course of action is to quickly eliminate the boss at the core of the Gate and close it."
Having witnessed the battle firsthand, no one offered any counterarguments. The real issue was the boss. Who—or what—would manifest as the boss? A regular Dark Elf? Unlikely...
The boss was highly likely to be the World Tree, corrupted by Magi. Back then, the corrupted World Tree had offered no resistance, allowing us to burn it down with ease. But how it would behave here... remained entirely unknown.