A monster charges at me. Its legs are mismatched, and its face is grotesquely twisted, but those long ears stand out.
I lift the shovel with one hand and conjure a flame in the other.
Larger than usual. But not too big.
A flame the size of a soccer ball waits to be thrown from my hand. I hold back, waiting for the approaching monster to get closer.
“Could you stop moving for a moment?”
“Got it.”
The Bear Drummer pierces the monster’s belly with a gigantic spear that suits his non-elf-like stature.
“!@&!()#”
Instead of guts, maggots explode out. The sight is so nauseating it makes me want to throw up. No way I could eat that!
“Now’s the time!”
I immediately launch the flame forward. The creature twists its body in a chaotic frenzy, missing its heart but hitting its left arm.
“!@*(ㅕ!)(#!”
The smell of burning flesh stings my nose. I wonder what would happen if the flame spread to the branches, but I guess the World Tree is tough; it doesn’t look like the branches are burning at all.
I think I can get away with unleashing more fire.
“What a fascinating flame.”
“It’s the flame of the Phoenix.”
The Bear Drummer pulls out the spear with all his might. The creature, now engulfed in flames, screams and stumbles before finally collapsing. It’s a surprisingly anticlimactic end.
Maybe it’s because it’s just cannon fodder, like in a game. Still, I couldn’t let my guard down. Being careless is what brings danger to people. I keep one flame hovering in my hand as I move forward.
If it gets back up, I’m throwing this flame without hesitation.
“!*@&!(#>…”
[Contractor, that thing is looking at us.]
Even while it’s on fire, it’s staring at me? I glance at the burning head as it twitches. I can’t make out its shape, but it feels like it’s really staring at me and whispering something.
Then, I confirm that the monster is completely lifeless.
It’s charred nearly beyond recognition, but I’ve seen my fair share of burnt corpses, so I can handle it.
“It burns quite easily. And it’s weaker than I expected.”
“Don’t let your guard down.”
I know that much. I turn my gaze from the corpse to the contaminated branches. The tainted branch is covered in a red membrane, looking like something out of an alien game I played a long time ago.
“Was it hiding in this branch? I wonder if a branch this contaminated can move.”
“We’ve never dealt with this kind of situation before either.”
“Maybe they’re learning and evolving too.”
As I wildly speculate, I reach out to touch the contaminated branch. Just as my finger is about to touch the slimy membrane, a rough hand grabs my wrist.
“What are you doing?”
“To uncover the nature of this contamination, I need to collect a sample of the membrane.”
“That’s not a smart idea. There’ve been comrades who tried that, and they all ended up looking like that thing.”
“How long does it usually take to mutate?”
“About 10 minutes in human time… perhaps. Though there’s some variation, it never exceeds 15 minutes.”
“Well, that’s enough time.”
I press my finger against the membrane.
[Contractor?! It’s dangerous?!]
“I’ll be fine.”
‘!@!@&!!*(#&!)(, right?!’
“I feel dizzy…”
I quickly grab the shovel with my other hand and slice off the contaminated fingertip without hesitation. My blood spills over the World Tree.
“How could you do something so reckless?! We need to get the queen to heal you…!”
“Calm down.”
“Do I look calm right now?!”
I present my finger to the Bear Drummer. It looks fine, as if nothing happened. He stares back and forth between the severed finger on the floor and the healthy finger attached to my hand, his face a mix of confusion.
“What the hell did you just do?”
“The Phoenix’s Blessing. I can regenerate a fingertip in an instant with it.”
Well, that’s why they call it a Phoenix. Phoenix means resurrection, and if you can come back to life, you earn the title of a divine beast. Not that I’m actually considering dying, though.
I pull out the severed finger using my pouch to store it. This is somewhat grotesque.
After changing the pouch back to its original state, I take off my goggles. Must have a mark on my face. But it’s a necessary choice; better than being mentally contaminated.
At least I’ve proved its effectiveness.
“Let’s head back.”
“…Impressive.”
The Bear Drummer mutters in disbelief.
——————
“Cutting off your own finger and contaminating it… What a unique human you are.”
The queen looks at me with intrigue, while the elders gaze at me as if I’m crazy. Receiving these two opposing stares, I merely shrug.
“I just chose the most efficient method.”
“You’re probably the only one who would call that efficient.”
I scratch my head at the queen’s response. Well, I guess humans can act that way.
“So, what do you plan to do now?”
“For now, I’ll conduct various experiments on this fingertip.”
“Experiments… What kind of experiments?”
“I want to see what the limitations of this contamination are. Through spirit magic, magic, auras, and other methods.”
“…You’re truly an interesting human.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
We head back up once again. We’ve obtained a sample, but we still need to check on how far the contamination has progressed. It must have been another three or four hours.
While chewing on jerky, I notice the increasing contamination and realize how little time we really have.
“It seems we don’t have time to conduct leisurely research.”
“But we cannot abandon the World Tree.”
“I understand that sentiment.”
It would be easier to just ‘disinfect’ everything… But we can’t do that to the World Tree. Burning down the house just because there are bugs is not an option. I need a way to get rid of this contamination.
While I was lost in thought, I felt a gaze.
I turned my head toward the direction of the feeling and saw a strange creature quietly staring at me from above.
Our eyes met.
[Contractor?]
The creature didn’t move but melted back into the contaminated membrane.
…What was that?
And that strange language from earlier was echoing in my head, are these guys intelligent?
“Why so serious?”
“Has a contaminated creature ever acted intelligently?”
“Hm… thinking about it, there have been some that move quite cleverly.”
“Have you seen them personally?”
“Indeed.”
Considering how serious the mental contamination can be, isn’t it strange that the high elf queen seems unaffected?
It could be a problem of mental fortitude.
A high elf who has lived for countless years should have quite a strong will. I’m unsure what might happen if she keeps connecting with outsiders…
Without saying a word, I started organizing the information I had gathered in my head as I moved my feet. Having climbed without direction, it’s now time to head back down those daunting stairs.
As I silently contemplated this, I looked up and asked the queen.
“Your Majesty, is there a suitable open space outside the city?”
“Do you need an open space?”
“Of course. I can’t experiment inside the city.”
“Hm… I’ll inform that Bear Drummer to guide you there.”
“Thank you.”
After almost half a day of walking, I finally set foot outside the city, guided by the Bear Drummer to an empty open space. The spacious area seems perfect for experimentation.
“You can do it here. But how do you plan to conduct the experiments?”
“First, I’d like to create an experimental area and would need your help.”
“To set up an experimental area… that will take some time.”
“No, it will only take five minutes, so please summon the elves skilled in spirit magic. It would be ideal to bring those with exceptional control over different elements.”
“Five minutes? You must be joking.”
Seeing is believing, right?
“Crafting.”
The ground of the open space is quickly shaped, walls rise, and a long table appears right in front of us. It looks similar to a shooting range from my memories.
“…Impressive.”
“Don’t underestimate me; I excel at crafting.”
The Bear Drummer stares at the makeshift shooting range in awe before turning to fetch the elves. I sit and create a suitable chair using my crafting skill, staring blankly at the pouch containing my severed finger.
“I never thought I’d experience cutting off my own finger in my lifetime.”
[You shouldn’t do such dangerous things!]
“Well, I couldn’t think of a better approach.”
Without taking risks, one wouldn’t reap rewards. Given that it’s just a fingertip, I figured it would be easier to respond, even if something unexpected happened.
[Still, it made my heart drop!]
“You don’t even have a heart.”
[That’s not the point!]
Seemingly annoyed, Rue keeps slapping me with her tendrils.
What a cute little monster.
I start to play with Rue’s tendrils while refining the plan in my head.
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