Two hundred meters from the battlefield, Delia sat on a tree branch, inspecting the cut on her arm and recalling the recent fight — brief, yet extremely dangerous. At first, she had been scared, but now the fear had vanished, giving way to a new, previously unknown feeling — the thirst for battle.
Yes, she wanted to fight again. She wanted to feel the surge of power, see her enemy before her, and emerge victorious. Delia felt ready for new challenges, full of determination and the will to go all the way.
An expected movement on the former battlefield caught her attention. She saw a group of roughly ten creatures fussing over a deer carcass. A few minutes of observation made it clear: they were butchering the carcass while simultaneously eating the rotten meat.
Remembering that disgusting stench, Delia felt her stomach twist. Her face paled.
«Deep breath…»
{Forget that. It's important to find out how many of them there are and how dangerous they are.}
She carefully descended from the tree and, hiding behind trunks, moved closer to the presumed enemies. About seventy meters from the group, a window appeared before her eyes:
[Attention!]
Demonic Outcast Fairy
Threat Level: No Rank
{This is hardly a fairy…} — Delia thought indignantly.
Nine anthropomorphic, short creatures stood before her — completely naked, without hair or sexual characteristics. Four eyes, round mouths, sharp claws — not a trace of magic, only deformity.
After a while of observing each creature, with no further notifications, she realized they were all of the same threat level.
Taking a suitable shooting position behind a tree, Delia aimed her bow at one of the monsters. Ignoring the slight pain in her right arm, she released an arrow.
«Shot!»
«Hit!»
The arrow, taking on a more defined shape, flew at high speed and struck the monster sitting with its back to her.
[Demonic Outcast Fairy killed!]
Wasting no time, Delia fired again. This time, the arrow struck the belly of one of the fairies — not fatal, but severely wounding it.
Finally, the monsters reacted, panic rising among them. They began looking around for the attacker. At that moment, a third arrow struck, blasting the head of yet another creature.
Seeing where the attack came from, the six remaining ones with glowing red eyes charged at her.
Deciding to let them get closer, Delia didn't shoot — she simply nocked another arrow and waited. When the distance shortened to twenty meters, her fingers released the string.
«Shot!»
«Hit!»
The arrow pierced the chest of the nearest enemy.
[Demonic Outcast Fairy killed!]
Dropping the bow and grabbing her axe with both hands, she charged at the remaining foes. The first three were already close. They lined up, and she delivered a slicing blow. The blade effortlessly split the central and left creatures in half.
Holding the axe in her left hand alone, she swung around and cleaved the third monster, who had already leapt at her, attempting to bite. But it didn't succeed — the axe severed its legs, and with her right hand, Delia tossed it aside.
[Demonic Outcast Fairy killed!]
[Demonic Outcast Fairy killed!]
Her body was ablaze. Wild energy raged within her. Letting out a low, bloodthirsty growl, Delia stared at the remaining fairies. They froze just a few meters away, and unable to meet her gaze, began retreating.
But she gave them no chance.
Swinging the axe, Delia charged. Within seconds, it was over.
[Demonic Outcast Fairy killed!] X 3
Ignoring the notifications, she approached the legless fairy and severed its head.
[Demonic Outcast Fairy killed!]
Then she noticed the wounded creature limping into the forest. Without hesitation, Delia followed it at a safe distance.
After ten minutes through the woods, the monster reached a clearing covered in grass.
In the center stood a five-meter tree, its branches bearing three translucent fruits, each containing a fairy. Around it wandered five outcast fairies, led by one who stood head and shoulders above the rest, her leather wings spread behind her.
[Attention!]
Demonic Soldier Fairy
Threat Level: Mortal Rank 1
[Attention!]
Demonic Mother Tree
Threat Level: Mortal Rank 1 +
{So the tree is dangerous too… And judging by the "plus," it's stronger than the deer.} — Delia noted, deciding to see how the fairies would react to their wounded companion.
When the monster reached its group, she exchanged a glance with the soldier fairy, then approached the tree. Roots emerged from the ground, wrapped around her body, and dragged her underground.
The soil trembled. One of the fruits pulsed and burst — another soldier fairy emerged. Reinforced, they began guarding the area: two soldier fairies at the tree, five outcast fairies around the perimeter.
Delia was about to nock an arrow to destroy the fruits but suddenly felt dizzy. As soon as the arrow began forming, her strength left her.
{So I am the source of the arrows… Then I need to rest. I'll wait for the wound to heal.}
[Name: Delia
Race: Human
Progression: 1st Level Mortal Rank
Status: Weakened due to infection (2 hours 30 min)
Objective: Find the exit — 0/1
Enemies defeated: 9/100 (additional)Inventory:
Bow (Lower Mortal Rank)
Two-Handed Axe (Middle Mortal Rank)
Police Uniform and Mask (Unranked +)]
About three hours later, having fully recovered and eliminated the infection, Delia returned to the enemy camp. By this time, changes had occurred: five ordinary monsters disappeared, as did one of the fruits, leaving only one soldier fairy guarding the area.
Deciding it was the best time to strike, she shot the remaining fruit, destroying the not-yet-born monster.
[Demonic Soldier Fairy Killed!]
Congratulations on your tenth kill!
Reward: Technique of Three Supremacies, Volume One — "Mortal Supremacy."
{Interesting… but now is not the time.}
She lured the enemy away from the Mother Tree, quickly retreating back into the forest. It followed, not hesitating, using its wings to leap in long bounds after her.
Choosing a spacious area, she turned to face the enemy.She placed her left foot slightly forward. Clutching the axe tightly — the shaft groaning in her hands — she brought it behind her back, aligning her body for the perfect strike.
«Deep breath»
The air was heavy, filled with the smell of decay. The inhale left a bitter taste of rot in her mouth. The dead forest stood silent — a true cemetery of nature. Only the dry claps of leathery wings echoed among the bare trees. The sound filled everything — vibrating, multiplying, spreading like a ghostly chime, as if darkness itself responded.
A fraction of a second — and the enemy was right in front of her face.
Time froze. Everything around became viscous, every movement drawn-out and deliberate. She clearly saw the creature: red, glassy eyes — soulless, yet full of madness and savagery.
In their depths, she saw a reflection of her own eyes — the same primal savagery that flared the moment everything froze in tense crescendo.
For an instant, everything vanished.
«Shhh»
«Strike!»
The axe passed through the target's body effortlessly, silently. There was no crack, no crunch. Only what passed for the creature's blood splashed over her. The upper and lower halves of the body flew apart.
[Demonic Soldier Fairy Killed!]
{That was… strange.}
She did not dwell on what had happened. Taking several body parts with her, she returned to the clearing.
{Now to figure out the tree.}
Ensuring no other fairies were around and staying off the green grass, Delia threw the monster's parts toward the tree. Seeing nothing unusual, she continued, throwing them closer and closer. About two meters from the tree, roots almost instantly shot up from the ground, grabbing the pieces and pulling them underground.
{I don't really want to approach this… Maybe knock over one of those giant trees? The odds of doing it on the first try are low, and noise isn't ideal. Then just leave? But… something about this tree draws me. Something I desperately need.}
After a few minutes of thought, she formulated a plan — whether it would work, time would tell.
Returning to the forest, she found a wide, long log and dragged it to the clearing. Stopping outside the reach of the roots, she set the log upright and prepared to drop it just to the side of the dangerous plant.
«Push!»
«Hit!»
When the log fell, she immediately jumped on it with her axe in hand and ran toward her target.
The deadly roots, wrapping around the log, found nothing edible and couldn't "understand" its presence, but the vibrations kept them investigating — less aggressively. This allowed her to approach within striking distance.
The blade, though not without effort, finally cut through the trunk of the Mother Tree, as thick as two adult thighs.
[Demonic Mother Tree Destroyed!]
With a dull thud, it fell to the ground. Its roots, which had been entwining the log, lost strength and sprawled lifelessly on the grass.
Looking at the felled part of the tree, she realized the object that had drawn her attention was in the stump. Feeling around, she found its core soft and reached inside, pulling out an object.
Holding it in her hand — a pink, glowing grape-like thing, the size of a chicken egg — she felt an irresistible urge to eat it. Overcoming this, Delia ventured deeper into the forest in search of a safe place.
Half an hour later, she found a perfect hollow tree for shelter. Examining it and finding no one inside, she climbed in, covering the entrance with a nearby stone. Inside was enough space for a small group. Sitting opposite the entrance, Delia began to organize her newly acquired items.