〈Episode 24. Things That Can Be Changed (2)〉
To put it bluntly, the "Small Folk" of Peace Land were human, yes—but they were not "Earthlings" like me.
No matter how broadly one might extend a sense of human solidarity, standing against one's own species for the sake of a race from another planet carried an undeniable contradiction.
Therefore, my actions right now were not driven by some lofty ethical code like acting "for humanity" or "for justice."
If I were to treat the Small Folk as enemies here, I would miss the achievements necessary to reach the ending.
That alone was the reason I drove the Blade of Conviction into the ground.
Kwaaaaaang!
[ has detected an abnormal sign from you.]
[Warning. Be careful not to act hostile toward the same disaster.]
[If hostile actions continue to accumulate...]
As a thick cloud of dust billowed up, the Japanese players who had lost their sight screamed from within it.
"Waaah! What the hell is this all of a sudden?"
"Cough—cough!"
Because I had poured a considerable amount of magic into that strike, the dust didn't settle easily.
[A constellation from a small planet feels its small heart pounding.]
I hesitated for a moment.
If I killed them with my own hands right now, I would immediately be able to receive a new scenario.
But the penalty I would incur as a result would be unimaginably horrific.
I wanted to delay that moment as much as possible.
So, at the very least...
"Sir, this time I'll do it."
Shin Yoosung stepped forward, drawing the dagger she had received from Yoo Sangah.
"I can handle both of them."
"Are you sure you can?"
"There's no problem."
Lee Gilyoung too—and kids these days, why were they all so bold?
If Yoo Sangah had been here, she would have stopped her without hesitation. But I wasn't Yoo Sangah.
I spoke, as if encouraging Shin Yoosung.
"You can't drag this out. You heard the penalty message, right? Finish it as quickly as possible."
If Shin Yoosung could deal with both of them, my options in this scenario would widen considerably.
There was a lot I needed to do in Peace Land.
Among them, one of the most important objectives was to capture the "serpent" Persephone had mentioned.
If I could avoid receiving a penalty here, the timing of catching that serpent might be brought forward far earlier than I'd expected.
"Which bastard is it?!"
Breaking through the dust, Shin Yoosung charged toward the source of the voice.
Almost simultaneously, I concealed myself using the Hermit's Cloak.
It was an item rendered useless by high-level detection skills—but it was unlikely those samurai bastards possessed anything like that.
Shwaeek!
Sharp magic flickered from Shin Yoosung's dagger, tracing a threatening crescent through the air.
"Aaagh!"
Struck by the sudden attack flying out of the dust, the Japanese players staggered back.
A deliberately missed blow.
She had let a perfect opportunity slip by, but if they could be driven off without a fight, that too was a viable option.
Startled by the ambush, the Japanese players wore puzzled expressions when a child emerged from the dust.
"What the hell? It's just a brat?"
The murmuring men questioned Shin Yoosung.
"Hey, kid, why are you blocking us?"
"Do you know what happens if you pull something like this?"
Unfortunately, unlike me, Shin Yoosung didn't have the Translation skill. To her, their voices were nothing more than a foreign language.
"...What are they saying?"
Only then did the Japanese players grasp the situation.
"Don't tell me—she's a Korean entrant?"
"Ah, right! Korea was included in the first wave this time..."
"Damn it. If she's first wave, she's gotta be insanely strong..."
Their faces darkened rapidly.
"Kid, move aside. There's no reason for us to fight each other."
"No fight! No fight! Okay?"
"We just need to kill those guys. Small people. Kill! Okay?"
The Japanese players awkwardly used English to show they had no intention of fighting, but Shin Yoosung merely shook her head. When her sharp dagger pointed at them, they flinched.
"Either die, or get lost. Those are your only choices."
As Shin Yoosung advanced, the Japanese players began to inch backward.
"Damn it... this is bad. I'm in the middle of a bounty scenario right now."
"...My sponsor's telling me to just kill that little brat."
"There are two of us—maybe we can pull it off?"
"Have you forgotten how strong first-wave entrants are?"
"Ugh..."
They were fairly sharp.
Everywhere in the world, the first-wave entrants of the sixth scenario were the elite selected by each country. Japan, too, must have had a significant gap between their first-wave entrants and those that followed. Similar emotions surfaced on the two Japanese players' faces.
'...Should we run?'
Meanwhile, among the Small Folk watching the standoff between Shin Yoosung and the Japanese players, a strange sense of ecstasy spread.
"Ah, ahhh..."
"What in the world...?"
No wonder they were shocked.
A small disaster had suddenly appeared and was fighting an even greater one.
"Could it be... the 'Small Savior'...!"
"Yes, the prophecy was true!"
[A constellation from a small planet is moved by the incarnation 'Shin Yoosung'.]
[A constellation from a small planet has sponsored 10 coins to the incarnation 'Shin Yoosung'.]
[The incarnation 'Shin Yoosung' has obtained the possibility of a new scenario.]
Watching that scene, I clenched and unclenched the hilt of my sword.
It felt a bit unsettling, but driving them off here and then tracking their movements afterward was also one possible approach.
But just as I expected, things were never going to end so smoothly.
The intermediate dokkaebi Gannul, who had been drifting through the air, watched the situation with an intrigued look before letting out a snicker.
[Japanese participants, you seem to think you're at a disadvantage—but are you really?]
Damn it, that bastardly dokkaebi.
As if struck by realization, the Japanese players muttered to themselves.
"Ah, right! Come to think of it, among the first-wave entrants..."
"Didn't they say Asuka turned into a mutant after acting like that? Well, I guess Korea has freaks like that too. If we tell her now..."
"No need to tell her. She's just a Joseon brat anyway."
Having made their decision, the Japanese players' gazes changed.
The murderous intent in their eyes locked onto Shin Yoosung at the same time.
"Fine. Let's fight, then."
"She's not really my type, but..."
From that disgusting grin, even Shin Yoosung—who couldn't understand their words—quickly grasped the situation. Her blade slid into motion, and the two men slowly moved to surround her from front and back.
Sharp killing intent seemed to rise from all three bodies, and then, in perfect coordination, the two men's sword forms moved at once.
Shwaeek!
With her agility pushed to the limit, Shin Yoosung narrowly avoided the blades—but it was closer than expected.
They might not have been on par with the elite first-wave entrants, but judging by their combat skill, they were clearly high-ranking incarnations within Japan.
Watching their swordsmanship, I recalled a passage from Ways of Survival.
They were each wielding only one sword, so it wasn't Niten Ichi-ryū. And judging by the length, it wasn't Ganryū either.
In other words, there was no need to worry about any connection to Japan's greatest swordsmen, Miyamoto Musashi or Sasaki Kojirō.
Not a bad matchup for Shin Yoosung's debut fight.
"You won't be able to keep running forever, brat!"
As the men's sponsoring constellations infused intent into their swordsmanship, the momentum of their blades grew even sharper. A strike that seemed aimed at her legs turned toward her waist; a blade that looked like it was going for her arm shifted to her neck. Natural feints were woven seamlessly into each attack.
Before long, Shin Yoosung's movements were caught in the overlapping sword shadows.
No matter how high her overall stats were, the other side overwhelmingly surpassed her in refined sword technique.
Pshhk!
Her collar was sliced, and a thin line of blood appeared on her arm.
I gripped my sword hilt tightly, ready to move at any moment.
I was supposed to be her sponsoring constellation, yet I couldn't even give her a proper stigma—an unfortunate thought.
"Die!"
With a characteristically exaggerated Japanese shout, the two katanas crossed as they aimed for another part of Shin Yoosung's body. This time, she didn't dodge.
Kaaang!
Lacking the strength to hold on, Shin Yoosung lost her dagger, and one of the Japanese blades immediately slipped into the opening. But she didn't panic.
[Character 'Shin Yoosung' has activated 'Advanced Multi-Species Communication Lv. 3'.]
Instead, she leapt back, spun like a swallow in midair, and landed squarely on the back of a waiting monster.
It was the Steel Wolf she had tamed earlier.
"...What the hell?"
A correct judgment.
After all, the fundamentals of combat are to minimize the enemy's strengths and maximize your own.
Awooooo!
Along with the wolf's howl, dozens of Steel Wolves burst out of the forest at once.
To have tamed that many wolves in such a short time—
As expected of the future Beast Lord.
"The hell?!"
The startled men swung their swords to fend off the wolves, but the pack had already lunged, clamping down on their arms and legs.
"Fuck! You damn mutts!"
Even if they were weakened Grade-7 monster species, they would still be a handful for men who had already expended a significant amount of magic.
Truly, a sight worth teaching for.
But Shin Yoosung still didn't know.
Why I had told her not to drag things out.
[ has detected abnormal behavior from the incarnation 'Shin Yoosung'.]
[Hostile actions toward the same disaster have been detected.]
[First-scenario penalty is being applied to the incarnation 'Shin Yoosung'.]
The penalty had finally begun.
"Huh...?"
Feeling her magic power suddenly drain away, Shin Yoosung let out a small gasp.
Some of the wolves abruptly slipped out of her control and retreated back into the forest.
[The physical volume of the character 'Shin Yoosung' has decreased.]
[The overall stats of the character 'Shin Yoosung' have decreased.]
The Japanese players, having noticed the change, shouted out.
"I-it worked! I knew this would happen!"
"Just hold out a little longer!"
...So it ends up like this after all.
I felt Shin Yoosung searching for me with anxious eyes.
Still wearing the Hermit's Cloak, I stepped up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
Her trembling shoulders slowly steadied.
"...Thank you, mister."
As if she had come to some conclusion on her own, Shin Yoosung bit her lip.
[The incarnation 'Shin Yoosung' is given the second-stage scenario penalty.]
Shin Yoosung's body was gradually growing smaller.
That was the result of a "disaster" voluntarily relinquishing its own authority.
Even so, she still retained more than enough power to take the Japanese players' lives.
Maximizing her agility, Shin Yoosung closed in on the men's backs like a beast.
"U—uwaaah!"
Had she learned this by watching Yoo Sangah at some point?
Having steeled her resolve, Shin Yoosung's dagger technique was outstanding.
The dagger flashed, and the man's carotid artery spilled blood helplessly.
Pshhhhk.
"G—gahh… th-this is… impossible..."
The gushing stream of blood splattered onto the plain as the man's pallid face slumped toward the ground.
[Character 'Shin Yoosung' has slain the 'Disaster Without a Name'.]
[Primary contributor: Shin Yoosung]
Wiping the blood splashed on her cheek, Shin Yoosung moved toward her next target.
The terror-stricken man crawled backward on all fours. The Steel Wolves lunged at him, savagely tearing at his arms and legs.
"G—gyaaaaah!"
Shin Yoosung stepped forward to finish him off.
That was when the anomaly occurred.
[The incarnation 'Shin Yoosung' has been completely stripped of the rights of a 'Disaster'.]
[The dokkaebis of have judged 'Shin Yoosung's actions as hostile acts against the scenario.]
[The incarnation 'Shin Yoosung' is given the third-stage scenario penalty.]
[Miniaturization has begun.]
In this scenario, those who abandon the qualification of an apex predator come to resemble the prey they once hunted.
Kwaddeudeudeuk.
At a speed incomparable to before, Shin Yoosung's body began to shrink.
"Ah...?"
With a small gasp, the clothes she was wearing suddenly became enormous, and the dagger in her hand dropped to the ground.
Her height—once up to my waist—shrunk to my knees, then from my knees to my shins, until finally her body disappeared entirely within the oversized clothes.
As her stats fell and her control weakened, the Steel Wolves all retreated back into the forest.
A tiny Shin Yoosung crawled out from within the clothes and limped toward the man.
"Yoosung. You can stop now."
Panting, Shin Yoosung turned to look at me.
In the child's reddened eyes, ferocity and bitterness were intertwined.
She had fought monsters countless times before, but this was likely her first truly deliberate act of murder.
"He's already unconscious."
At my words, Shin Yoosung looked toward the fallen Japanese man.
Foam frothed from his mouth as he lay sprawled on the ground.
I tore a bit of the fallen clothing and covered Shin Yoosung's body with it.
Now no bigger than my fist, Shin Yoosung examined her body several times, clenching and unclenching her tiny fists.
She was probably coming to understand what had happened to her.
"Do I have to fight people like that in this state?"
"Yes."
"...How many are left?"
"Quite a lot."
Shin Yoosung looked up at me with troubled eyes.
"You knew, didn't you? That if a disaster opposes another disaster, they turn into a Small Person."
I nodded and approached the fallen Japanese man.
On closer inspection, he was no more than a young man in his early twenties.
He was still breathing.
"Are you going to use him?"
"There's someone I need to kill before the change is complete."
The moment I said that, new messages rang out.
[Be careful not to oppose the same disaster.]
[A disaster that opposes another disaster will lose all rights as a 'Disaster'.]
In the sky, the dokkaebi still floated there with an expression that said it was enjoying this far too much.
Yeah...
Let's see how long you can keep smiling.
[ judges that your 'Disaster activities' are insufficient.]
[If you do not kill the dominant species of Peace Land within one hour, you will be deemed to have no intention of acting as a 'Disaster', and your status as a 'Disaster' will be revoked.]
Looking down at the foam-mouthed Japanese man, I slowly removed my cloak.
I had one hour left.
Within that hour, I had to capture their "king."
〈Episode 24. Things That Can Be Changed (2)〉 End