I Became a Wendigo in a Fantasy World

16 – Episode 16

The warriors gazed up at the Wendigo with stunned looks on their faces.

There was hope, at least until the monsters swarmed. Even if it were a sense of duty squeezed out from defending the town.

But now, it was gone.

“Ahh…”

“Come on, snap out of it! We need to get up and run!”

Was that truly a living being? Or was it an entity that initially should not exist in the world?

The sinister deer skull slowly spread apart, causing the fallen warriors to tremble in terror.

It seemed as though the entity would soil their souls with a cursed voice and turn them into meat chunks with that massive sword.

‘Is it approaching? Or not? I can’t tell. It’s right before my eyes, yet I don’t feel its presence.’

The discordant sensation disturbed their minds. The warrior, Dmitri, had rather wished to pass out. At least then, he wouldn’t have to die in fear.

Dmitri attempted to close his eyes as he stared at the giant standing before him. But just as he was about to…

“I seem to have arrived late. I apologize. I should have arrived before the barricade collapsed.”

“…Excuse me?”

Dmitri wondered for a moment if he’d lost his sanity. The words that flowed from the giant’s mouth were not a curse, nor a scream.

He looked around vacantly. His colleagues all showed the same shattered facial expressions.

Could it be that what he heard was not a hallucination?

Warriors appeared behind the giant, supporting them. Dmitri grabbed the man who seemed to be the leader of the warriors.

“What, what is that creature?”

At that question, a frown appeared on Gerone’s forehead. They dared to use such words towards the Spirit.

‘Hold back. The creature hasn’t yet received the grace of the Spirit.’

With a dignified attitude, Gerone spoke to Dmitri.

“Be careful with your words. The Spirit is merciful, but we who serve him, are not.”

“The, the Spirit?”

Why on earth is the Spirit here?

Dmitri looked at the back of the giant with a puzzled face. The figure of the giant, wielding a sword, evoked a sense of awe.

The giant, Wendigo, slowly looked back. Dmitri, who made eye contact with him, swallowed hard and wondered.

‘What on earth is it thinking?’

Dmitri, despite being aided by the warriors, retreated without resolving his confusion. And then another question passed through his mind.

‘Why is it talking about the barricade that it destroyed itself?’

Full of questions, Dmitri moved away from the scene.

***

Relieved, Wendigo watched the departing warriors.

‘Good, they naturally moved past the issue.’

To be honest, when the sword struck the barricade, Wendigo gave a sigh of regret. There was no place to test the new power, as a result, it unknowingly used excessive force.

Despite the regrettable act that readily elicited sighs, Wendigo calmly gathered his thoughts.

The third-rate dwells in regret for their mistake, the second-rate analyses it to correct the error. Then what does the first-rate do?

The elite knew how to take advantage of even their mistakes, and in this sense, Wendigo was quite elite.

“Honestly, it was on the verge of collapsing, wasn’t it?”

Wendigo was shameless. Otherwise, how could he, a mere spirit on the fringe, sit in the village enjoying the food offerings of the villagers so leisurely?

If the fences were going to crumble anyway, it would be better to use them to strengthen his ties with the village.

“Hmm, it feels comforting now that I’ve lost my shame.”

“Creeeargh!!!”

When Wendigo’s mind became as tranquil as a lake, he automatically saw the filth pile stretched out before his eyes.

He saw the faces of the monsters he hadn’t noticed when they were just being driven away from behind.

“Tsk, their appearance is quite hideous.”

“Kyaargh!!!”

As the fence crumbled, the monsters rushed in like a wave with a screech. Wendigo raised his hand and summoned the mystery.

A giant root sprouted like a sharp spear, piercing the monster and becoming a wall. The frost descended on the root as its skeleton, turning it into a formidable barrier disseminating deadly cold.

The barrier was far more durable than the fence. Realizing they couldn’t break the wall, the monsters all headed towards the only vacant space.

Of course, Wendigo was at the center of that space.

“In such a space, the black star will be suitable.”

The weapon, reflecting his will, transformed into a blunt, black club. Wendigo, who moved it around a bit, nodded his head at the satisfactory balance of weight.

“That’s about right.”

As he twisted his weapon, the monsters revealed their teeth with a furious roar.

Pure violence that didn’t feel one bit intellectual.

This vigor would make the skin of any ordinary person tingle…

“Kii…”

“SILENCE!!!”

Kwaargh!!!

Wendigo did not have such a thing. He was in a state deficient of fear necessary to feel such a thing.

In the frenzied swing of the mace, the monsters were smashed beyond recognition. Some were swept away by the mace and made marks on the walls.

Wendigo swung his blood-stained mace in a frenzy.

The sound of bones crunching, flesh being torn away, the pitiful cry of the monsters.

Horrible sounds echoed through the forest for a moment.

Wendigo pounded his mace, from which blood was dripping, to the ground.

“hehehehe, when did they start getting cunning like crazed beasts?”

When scores of monsters turned into a mass of blood, they began to act cautiously as if they had regained sense.

A bloody, pungent silence circulated between Wendigo and the swarm of monsters. Those who moved first were the monsters.

They withdrew into the darkness of the forest, hiding their savage appearance.

‘Smart. And therefore even more detestable.’

Wendigo felt a sense of repugnance from their behaviour. Was this really a behaviour befitting the monsters?

Absolutely not. If they were crazed monsters, they wouldn’t have retreated, and if they had the sensibility to retreat, they wouldn’t have thrown themselves at the stakes in the first place.

When they completely retreated, Wendigo looked around the floor.

Among the blood, flesh, and broken bones scattered on the floor, Wendigo picked up something.

“…What is this?”

This creature resembling a worm moved its hexagonal mouth twitchingly. Wendigo squashed the worm. Then the smell softened.

Could this worm creature have been the source of the smell?

A whirl of cold air centered around him froze the filth on the floor. Then, the foul smell vanished as if it were a lie.

“The source of the smell were not the monsters, but these worm-like creatures.”

“Mister Spirit. Are you okay?”

Garon and Dimitri approached Wendigo.

Garon had witnessed a boar spirit being torn apart, so he wasn’t greatly shocked at the massacre before his eyes, but Dimitri was different.

As Wendigo bowed his blood-soaked head and looked at him, Dimitri felt a chill run down his spine.

Dmitri instinctively knelt down and pressed his head to the ground. He cried out in a loud voice, as if his throat would burst.

“Please, take only my life and quell your wrath!”

“…..”

The Wendigo stared at Dmitri, visibly bored. Why would he offer his life when he had already saved it?

“Dmitri! What are you doing!”

‘Truly, the others still have their senses..’

“You risked your life to protect us, so now it’s our turn to sacrifice!”

“Spirits. Please spare this friend’s life, take mine!”

Upon witnessing such a pathetic sight, the Wendigo sighed. The Wendigo then asked Geron, who was attentively watching this farce, with a somewhat pleased expression.

“Do I look that scary?”

“Yes, honestly, you looked scary. And now you look even scarier.”

“Ah.”

Only then did the Wendigo realize he was covered in blood.

As a blood-soaked giant wearing the skull of a deer, and even wielding a blood-stained club, it would be suspicious if he wasn’t found terrifying.

‘Making a good impression is harder than I thought!’

It was indeed a headache.

* * *

With Geron’s earnest entreaties and Ivan’s explanations, the villagers accepted the Wendigo’s presence.

To express their gratitude towards the Wendigo and his companions, they held a modest celebration.

Of course, the notion that a spirit would help people without asking for anything in return was hard to believe…

“The food is exquisite. You have a good wife.”

“hahahahaha! If the Spirit praises so, it seems I have not lived in vain!”

The Wendigo, when decreasing its terrifying appearance and strength, seemed a trustworthy spirit.

A spirit enjoying a meal prepared by humans and sharing pleasantries was something Dmitri found hard to believe, even with his own eyes.

Dmitri filled a beer mug and approached the Wendigo.

“Do spirits also drink alcohol?”

“I can, but I don’t get drunk. It’s a pity.”

“Ha ha, it would be quite troublesome if a spirit like you get drunk.”

Wendigo couldn’t argue. If he made a scene while drunk, he could destroy a couple of villages.

Watching Wendigo devour a pig’s front leg, Dmitri took a swig of his drink.

“Really, I can’t even imagine what would have happened if we didn’t have you.”

“Well, even without me, you would have probably managed.”

“Heh heh, I appreciate the sentiment, but it would have been difficult. Without you, those bastards would have attacked us to the very last man.”

Dmitri drained his bitter ale.

It wasn’t a lie. Even Wendigo thought they were lucky.

If he hadn’t luckily showed up, those bastards wouldn’t have backed off.

Even if they had fought off the monsters, the village would have been ruined. That was clear.

Perhaps he knew this.

Dmitri finished his drink in one go and knelt before Wendigo.

“You’re not going to repeat what you did a few hours ago, right? I may not know much, but no spirit should recklessly take a human life.”

“That’s not my intention. I have a request to ask of you.”

When Dmitri spoke with resolute determination, Wendigo felt intrigued. In his opinion, Dmitri was the pillar or the core of this village.

What could that man be begging for so humbly?

“Let’s hear it. If it’s not too much trouble, I’ll consider it.”

“If it’s big, it’s big.”

Dmitri offered a formal bow. Unlike their first encounter, his bow was not a desperate struggle.

It was a bow filled with genuine respect and reverence.

“Spirit, please take us in.”

“Hmm…”

Wendigo rubbed his chin and looked down thoughtfully at Dmitri.