chapter 6
6. Threat
Yes.
Come to think of it, elves are said to be a race that mainly lives in nature.
He remembered when Irina used to pray.
The time when the world tree and the surrounding land quickly recovered into a green field of grass.
If, as the system said, elves draw strength from the forest, then for Irina to regain her original power, it meant that the world tree also had to grow naturally.
Since they give each other strength, they must inevitably be connected at the same time.
“Then when will it be possible for her to pray for the recovery of that world tree? It doesn’t seem like something that can be done at any time.”
[Correct. It is not a simple act of prayer but a sacred act of dedicating one’s mana to the world tree for restoration. Therefore, it is an act possible only when she has recovered enough mana to be able to pray.]
He also knew a fair amount about mana.
Even though he lacked talent and couldn’t become a hunter, he had completed basic classes at the association at some point.
He had enough basic knowledge.
Mana, the immaterial energy circulating in the atmosphere of this world.
It was something akin to the vitality that makes up the insides of a living being or an object, so using it recklessly was not a good choice, even for one’s own health.
If one were to deplete more than a certain amount of mana, they would feel fatigue, and going further, just the act of depleting most of it alone could lead to a perilousness bordering on death.
At that moment.
Beep-!
Suddenly, a familiar, intense warning sound rang out, followed by a message appearing before his eyes.
[Warning! Dangerous elements detected in the surrounding environment! Please check immediately!]
Dangerous elements?
Instinctively, he shrunk the screen to scan the surroundings.
Soon, not far away, he could spot two monsters approaching towards the square.
[Red Alert: Goblin]
…Not good.
They were goblins.
And this time, not just one, but two of them.
“Krrr-.”
“Kieeek!”
Approaching with unimpressive wooden shields and knives in hand, they wandered around as if inspecting the area, slowly getting closer.
It wouldn’t be long before he faced these creatures.
Han urgently moved towards her.
Summoning a large hand he had used before, he approached her.
Tap tap.
Gently tapping her shoulder, Iriana, who had been building a mushroom wall nearby, turned her head towards him.
“My, my lord?”
He raised his hand and pointed in a direction.
Where the rough footsteps were coming from, where the goblins were approaching.
“…?”
Iriana tilted her head in puzzlement for a moment.
“Why… are you doing this?”
She still didn’t quite understand Han’s actions.
…If only words could communicate.
Therefore, he decided to change his approach a bit.
Han picked up a sword from a nearby table and placed it in her hand.
“Ah.”
Then, he once again pointed towards the direction where the goblins were approaching.
It was a warning of danger.
With Han’s clear actions, Iriana seemed to realize something, her expression stiffening.
Why would Han give her a weapon to hold in her hand?
There was probably only one reason.
“…Thank you, my lord.”
With a determined expression, she bowed her head towards the ceiling, then swiftly ran up to the top floor of the mushroom house.
And then, he looked in the direction Han was pointing.
Whoosh!
Snowflakes blowing fiercely.
Soon, beyond them, the figures hidden by the snowflakes revealed themselves.
It was the goblins that Han had just discovered.
“Keek?”
Approaching cautiously, the goblins soon changed their expressions upon seeing the mushroom house standing tall in the center of the square.
The mushroom house created by Irina was a structure that stood out distinctly in the snow-covered ruins.
“Krrr-!”
As if on guard, they began to approach slowly.
The grip on their weapons indicated that they were prepared to attack at the slightest provocation.
Meanwhile, Irina had quietly hidden herself under the mushroom wall.
Although they hadn’t seemed to notice her presence yet, it wouldn’t be long before they did.
‘What should I do?’
Watching their movements, Han clenched his fist tightly.
At that moment, she was fighting for her life.
But he had nothing he could do to help.
‘Wait, nothing I can do?’
Then suddenly, Han’s expression seemed to shift as if he had realized something.
“…No. There is something I can do, right?”
He called up his status window.
Kim Han
• Class: Lesser Race God.
• Current Level: 2
• Traits
① Omniscient: Above all the elves.
② Race Management: Can govern the race.
• Current Points: 900pt
[From now on, you can check the status of the elves!]
Han stared at it for a moment.
Something caught his eye in his status window.
Soon, his hand moved towards ‘Ignite,’ one of the options in his menu.
Click-
As he did…
Whoosh!
A bonfire, previously summoned multiple times, suddenly appeared in front of two goblins standing guard, surprising them.
“Keek?!”
The fire illuminated the scene.
The two goblins, taken aback, brandished their weapons towards the blazing flames.
It was a reflexive action.
But even so, there was no way an ethereal flame could hit its target.
Their weapons passed through the flickering flames like a breeze, causing the flames to flicker wildly.
At that moment, Hani’s action was outstanding.
His momentary wisdom had created a perfect moment for Irina to act.
The two goblins staggered greatly, and one goblin, holding a long wooden spear, lost his balance completely and fell face-first into the snow.
Irina keenly seized that moment.
“Hap!”
Hidden under the wall, she rushed out of hiding and, with a sudden attack, plunged her sword into the fallen goblin’s throat.
The fallen creature couldn’t even let out a proper scream and perished right there.
In an instant, one of them was dead.
All that remained was one goblin holding a rusty dagger.
“Kik? Kiik?!”
The goblin, startled, scrambled to his feet in an instant and wildly brandished the dagger in his hand.
“Kiyek! Kiyeek!!”
While threatening, he screamed at Irina with all his might, even unleashing a desperate cry.
It was a desperate resistance.
Perhaps it was an instinctive action of a life form that believed it would die if it didn’t move at that moment.
But Irina, who had dodged goblin attacks with agile movements before, was quick to slip under him and thrust her sword from below upward.
Thud!
With a brief sound piercing flesh, the goblin slowly fell back.
As he fell, he was already lifeless with his throat cut open.
“Haa, haa.”
Above the snowy white ground, amidst the goblins’ spreading blood, Irina exhaled deeply, her breath reaching her chin.
After catching her breath for a while in place, she barely managed to stand up, swaying as if about to fall, and expressed a thankful gesture towards Hane.
“T-Thank you. My Lord.”
‘…Haa.’
Hane, who had been watching Irina’s fight, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As Irina’s breathing quickened, so did the pounding of his heart.
He was fortunate that his strategy had worked against the goblins.
If not, Irina might have been in great danger.
Ring!
At that moment, a notification window from the system appeared before Hane’s eyes.
[Congratulations! Your disciple has successfully completed two threat events!]
[As a reward for overcoming the crisis, a new weapon, ‘Wooden Bow,’ is now unlocked!]
[Hurry and hand the weapon to her!]
Oh, a Wooden Bow, you say?
It was a familiar sound that she heard.
Irina, who was taking a break inside the mushroom house while tending to the fire.
To such a woman, Hane handed over a wooden bow.
“Oh… What’s this?”
Taking the wooden bow, Irina looked up in confusion.
Summoning his large hands, Hane lightly patted her head and then clenched his fist as if to encourage her. It was his own gesture of empowerment.
Did he understand Hane’s thoughts?
A faint but clear smile appeared on Irina’s seemingly tired lips.
“Hoho, thank you. Sir. I’ll make good use of it.”
However, soon Irina, as if sensing something amiss, tilted her head quizzically, gazing up at the ceiling cautiously before tentatively calling out to Hane.
“Um… Sir?”
As she turned her head again in response to her call, she heard her continue speaking.
“I received the bow, but um… are there… no arrows… by any chance?”
‘Oh. Arrows.’
Only then did he realize.
Come to think of it, he bought the bow, but why didn’t they provide arrows?
Something seemed off. He checked the store once more.
Novice Store
▷Temporary Novice Tent: 100pt
▷Fire Starter Kit: 100pt
▷Ration Set: 100pt
▷Arrows x10: 100pt
……
(Current Points: 300pt)
Upon discovering that notice, he was dumbfounded, clicking his tongue.
“Oh my, arrows x10 for 100pt each? Isn’t this a complete rip-off?”
Ironically, he had to spend points each time to get arrows.
And these were consumables. Once he used up the 10 shots, he had to purchase them again.
There was no other way around it.
But despite knowing this fact, Hane had no choice but to purchase them.
The reality was that there was no weapon as useful as a bow at the moment.
In terms of safety and strategic diversity, it was better than a sword because it allowed for long-range attacks.
So, inevitably, he bought arrows and handed them over to her.
Initially, he gave her only 10 arrows, but shortly after, thinking it might not be enough, he purchased 20 more.
***
A day had passed.
It was Saturday morning, the beginning of the weekend.
Hane got up from his seat with a stretching yawn.
He was sleepy, but his eyes opened on their own.
It was an unusual occurrence for him, who usually reveled in the luxury of sleeping in and enjoying his weekends to the fullest.
Beep.
In his usual manner, Han lay sprawled on the sofa, habitually turning on the news broadcast whenever the weekend rolled around.
Beep, beep beep.
As he swiftly flipped through the channels, searching for something worth watching, he stumbled upon unexpected news.
[Breaking News! A new being from another realm has appeared in the dungeon!]
…Another realm?
His fingers, manipulating the remote, froze momentarily as if in a sudden halt.