I Became a Wendigo in a Fantasy World

3 – Episode 3

The people wondered if they had seen something crazy, or if it wasn’t that, then were they hallucinating the evil?

In front of them, the death of a person, even by unyielding warriors, had no sense of reality.

What pulled the people into reality wasn’t their death but the frightening net that had wrapped around the warriors’ bodies. It was the net that had spread towards them.

As the chilling reality set in, a horrified gaze filled their eyes.

The creature turned the heads and hair of the half-cut bodies and corpses inside out.

And the creature, with a grand net in hand and black liquid dripping from its beak.”

Wendigo reclaimed his sword. He didn’t intend to swing it, but his motion was enough to engulf them in fear. Cutting down half a dozen people in a single stroke was such a horrifying sight that they screamed in terror.

“Hee, heeek!!!”

“It’s a demon. A real demon!!!”

Even a brave person would naturally fear death, let alone ordinary people. They couldn’t even muster the strength to brandish their weapons. Even their soldiers couldn’t offer any real resistance and were losing their lives. What could they do?

They fled without looking back. If necessary, they did not hesitate to shove the person next to them, clearly showing they were scared to the bone.

While Skadi watched them with satisfaction, she also felt bitter. She was reminded of how poorly she’d been treated by these weak people simply because she lacked power.

Wendigo read Skadi’s emotions and asked her,

“You don’t look like you feel sorry or pity for those people. Was there anyone among them who ever helped you?”

“Everyone looked down on me as if I was cursed. No one ever helped me. Can you believe that in all my life, the only ones who have helped me are my mother and the spirit?”

Wendigo’s question seemed to fuel the sparks of anger within her.

Despite feeling pity for Skadi, Wendigo was glad in a way. His thoughts did not include sparing anyone’s life.

“They have seen my face and my actions. They even saw me kill.”

He knew that they would never accept him as a stranger who treated him like a monster simply because his hair color and eyes were different.

Fear and dread may fade with time, but when they did, they would try anything to drive out the monster. It was wiser to now eradicate the root of the upcoming conflicts.

“I will deal with the fleeing ones. Wait here. Oh, do you have a weapon?”

“No, when I ran away, I didn’t have time to grab anything… but we can use the weapons the soldiers dropped.”

Wendigo glanced at the fallen soldiers’ weapons and Skadi’s thin arms. He doubted she could swing a huge axe or sword that those muscular soldiers had used.

He crafted a dagger out of cold air. It might look crude, but it was filled with deadly cold air that could easily sever life.

“Take this. This dagger is infused with cold air. Just stabbing with it will easily kill a person.”

“Tha, thank you!”

Surprised, Skadi gratefully accepted the dagger. She never expected to receive anything from a spirit. Moreover, it wasn’t a typical item. It was a token infused with the mysteries of spirits. She was startled to discover the intense mystique the dagger contained. Despite its crude appearance, it had the power to inflict death upon half a dozen people.

Skadi wanted to refuse such a dangerous item but was unable to voice it. Wendigo, who handed her the dagger, had vanished as if he had not been there in the first place. She gazed blankly at the dagger in the tranquil silence of the forest.

Wendigo rushed through the forest, lost in thought. He felt as if he had changed far too much.

‘My speech seems strange now, and more than anything, I barely feel any revulsion towards killing.’

Even when hunting bears, he had found himself in a state of numbness towards taking a life. Even now, he felt the same.

Wendigo stood at a suitable spot and threw his ice spear. The spear pierced through the dense forest, impaling the heart of the fleeing figure.

Once he realized this strangeness, he started to notice other things. Not only was the act of killing peculiar to him but also, his skills in throwing the spear were not his own.

‘Is this something a normal person can do? No, absolutely not.’

Even the best archer would struggle to hit a distant target in such a landscape, let alone a person accurately hitting a target with a thrown spear.

Everything was unimaginable before he became Wendigo. By this point, Wendigo had to admit it.

‘I have changed in becoming Wendigo.’

A mere physical transformation wasn’t enough. There was a visible change in his mind, or something even more.

However… pondering if it was wrong didn’t seem too troubling. Without change, how could he have harnessed his mysterious powers?

Just like how exercising and dieting were essential to build muscles, or gaining vast knowledge was necessary to become a scholar.

Every deed had a price.

Wendigo wanted to live, even if he wasn’t human. He needed strength to survive in this harsh world. If the price for that was an odd speech pattern and a diminished resistance to killing, he could pay it a hundred times over.

“If it is to survive, it’s inevitable. And…lack of resistance doesn’t mean I’m bloodthirsty. What do you think?”

“Huh!?”

No matter how well they hid in the darkness and bushes, it was useless. The repellent stench seeping from their bodies gave away their location.

Wendigo grabbed the man who was hiding behind a tree by the throat.

“Gak!? Spare, spare me…”

“So many filthy sins. Disgust and rape, too. Are you really human? You seem even worse than a beast.”

Whether he had become accustomed to his ability to read desires and emotions or not, Wendigo realized that he could read sins through their stench.

The man who believed in superstitions and chased women was indeed scum. Without hesitation, Wendigo tightened his grip.

“When the Wendigo’s hand pierced through the man’s throat, the man was instantly silenced. At that moment, the hatred he had felt towards the Wendigo seemed to dissipate, replaced by a sense of relief.

The Wendigo roamed the forest, killing its enemies. There was no way to stop this suddenly appearing Wendigo. The only human living in that desolate forest became the lone target of the Wendigo in an instant.

‘Save me, save me!?’

The last survivor, whose heart was torn out by the Wendigo, had his plea ignored as the Wendigo chased after the scent of the woman.

She was taken aback upon seeing the Wendigo that suddenly appeared. It hadn’t been long since she’d left, and she was surprised to see it return so quickly.

‘Well, well, you’re back!’

‘Don’t call me ‘your majesty.’ Call me Wendigo. I’m sorry. The things I left behind have caused you harm.’

The Wendigo spoke as he looked at the corpses surrounding the woman. Two men, clutching their stomachs and throats, lay dead with expressions of anguish.

Scaredy, who had never imagined the Wendigo would show concern, was startled.

‘No, your majesty, or rather, Wendigo. Thanks to the amulet you gave me, I wasn’t hurt at all! In fact, I should be the one thanking you!’

‘I appreciate you saying that. But are you okay? It was your first murder, after all.’

She had become a monster. Killing a human didn’t shock her, but she was human once. She didn’t know if she would have killed to save her own life in a dangerous situation, but now she could.

Overwhelmed by the Wendigo’s concern, Scaredy felt relieved. It seemed she had asked a natural question as she gazed at the body curiously.

‘My mother once told me that it’s foolish to show mercy and compassion to an enemy that has been defeated. In a harsh world where it’s difficult even to protect oneself and one’s people, only the privileged can afford such thoughts.’

‘That’s true. It’s a harsh world, difficult to protect oneself and one’s people. You’re a clear-minded mother and daughter.’

The Wendigo sympathized with her words. If the world was one where the strong devoured the weak, it was natural to eat to one’s heart’s content. Otherwise, one never knew when they might become the prey.

Scaredy, who had never expected to receive human empathy from the Wendigo, laughed bitterly. Receiving a compliment for the first time in her life, other than from her mother, she blushed and turned away.

‘Wendigo. Thank you for listening to my request. Since the Wendigo listened to my request, now it’s my turn to pay the price. Please tell me. What kind of price should I pay?’

Scaredy looked at the Wendigo with a determined gaze. She had never contracted with a ruler before, but she was already a fully knowledgeable ritualist.

The power of a ruler was never free. A contract was more than just a preparation to gain power; once power was gained, one had to pay the price the ruler desired.

That price could sometimes be a delicious meal or a precious drug, but other times it could be a dangerous throat or a reenactment.

In severe cases, it might involve requesting the life of a young child or taking one of the sands from a beach. Usually, the price related to a throat was only applicable when a tremendous power was exercised…

‘This is exactly the situation. I received a throat and gave a throat to the Wendigo. The throat given by the Wendigo is just enough.’

The situation was exactly as dire as it could get.

The price at stake involved at least twenty-one lives—there was no escaping the brute truth that the cost was “half of your own life.”

Her resolve could be described as nothing short of being prepared for death.

‘Had I not met Lord Wendigo, I was fated to die anyway. If this is what His Lordship desires!’

“There’s no need for anything grand. A mere explanation of this world, spirits, and malevolent spirits will suffice.”

“…”

Skadi wondered for a moment if she had heard incorrectly. Even with a resolute heart, the issue at hand involved her very life—it was only natural that a sliver of weakness might seep through.

“No, that’s not right. I’ve made a mistake in my thoughts.”

“!”

As Wendigo seemed about to retract his statement, Skadi steeled her resolve once more.

Of course, this grand spirit wouldn’t desire such a meager offering!

She straightened her posture and decided to listen attentively to what he would say next. Wendigo stroked his chin and corrected himself.

“You wouldn’t know much about the world, having never left your village. Just teach me about spirits and malevolent spirits—that’ll be enough.”

“…”

Skadi felt like a fool.