I Became the Guardian of Big Shots in the Game

The 1st colony, cleared in an instant by just three people.
The 2nd colony occupied by the big bat swarm wasn’t much different either.
“Kiiiieee!!!”
Most of the big bats that flew in all at once were intercepted by Levi and Hwaryon.
Those that fearlessly landed and rushed in were stopped by Ponya, Ethan, and Sir Rashid.
The task of the count’s knights, including Sir Stanley, was limited to dealing with monsters that flew to the rear.
Yet not a single knight thought it was unpleasant or that their pride was hurt.
‘Is this really a human battle?’
Because the children’s combat skills were superior to those of most knights.
They unconsciously couldn’t even feel jealousy.
Not just the basic movements, but the reaction speed to avoid monster attacks, the ability to attack weak points by cutting appropriate places.
Even knights with considerable monster subjugation experience wouldn’t be able to fight so skillfully.
When touching a wall that can’t be surpassed.
They say humans feel awe rather than jealousy.
That was exactly the emotion the mercenaries and knights were feeling.
“What are you all doing!”
The knights who had hesitated momentarily came to their senses at Sir Stanley’s shout.
“Such young children are fighting at the forefront. Are you just going to stand there in admiration?”
“No, sir!!!”
“Don’t act in a way that brings shame to the count! Do your best in your respective positions!”
“Yes!!!”
Even Sir Stanley, who was commanding his subordinates, deeply admired the battle at the forefront.
‘Ordinary people are moved just by enjoying the same era as heroes.’
He was certain that Ethan’s wards were talents who would rule the world in the future.
He thought he had already received enough honor just by fighting together on the same battlefield as them.
“Even if we can’t be of much help, we should at least not be a hindrance. Everyone, fight hard!!!”
Mercenary Captain Tron was also swept up in the strange competitive atmosphere.
“Kids, dungeons like this are our specialty, right?”
“Yes, sir!”
“But even those noble knight sirs are fighting so hard, what are you all doing?”
Greedy things that only chase after gold.
Trash that can’t be found even a speck of loyalty in.
These are negative phrases that commonly follow mercenaries.
Tron hated such perceptions.
So he acted with his own sense of loyalty.
If he received an advance payment, he would hold his position even if faced with mortal danger.
It was an inappropriate mindset for long-term survival as a mercenary, but.
Such behavior attracted loyal comrades and subordinates.
Tron’s mercenary group ‘Aporia’ became famous as a highly trusted mercenary group.
“They said 300,000 gold will fall to our mercenary group alone if the mana stone mine is developed. A whopping 300,000 gold! If we’re going to receive such a huge sum, shouldn’t we fight at least as hard as the kids, in good conscience?”
Though the “kids” he was referring to seemed far stronger than 3 named monsters with bounties on their heads.
The mercenaries didn’t talk back.
They understood exactly what their captain meant.
Tron stepped forward, holding a curved sword in his right hand and a repeating crossbow in his left.
“Anyone who’s late won’t get extra pay when we split the request money!”
“Of course!”
“Follow the captain!!”
Thanks to the knights and mercenaries burning with enthusiasm.
Ethan and his wards were able to clear out the small fry and approach the queen bat.
“This one’s the queen!”
“Where should I stab this thing?”
“Just shove your sword into its neck or belly or anywhere!!!”
The big bat colony was subdued in an instant.

When the fierce battle ended.
Time was given for reorganization.
This mainly involved moving the wounded to the surface and dismembering work to extract the monsters’ cores.
“Watch carefully. Big bats have their cores in the head, not the chest. You do this like this…”
Slan dismembered a big bat with skilled knife work.
“Ooh!”
The children watched with interest.
In a way, this too was part of the lesson.
Of course, not everyone liked it.
“Ugh…”
Elyssia seemed to have a weak stomach and couldn’t bear seeing the monsters’ skin being peeled off and flesh being cut.
Borka took her and moved to the back.
“Are you okay?”
“My stomach feels a bit queasy…”
“Sit here and rest. There’s no need to force yourself to watch.”
“B-But. Everyone else is working…”
‘As expected, the material for the White Saint is different.’
Following Elyssia’s gaze.
It was fixed on the wounded and the medics treating them in the distance.
Healing priests with healing abilities can only be found in the Holy Spirit Realm, the headquarters of the church, or in large cities.
They can’t be found in the relatively underdeveloped northeastern region of Etrion.
So no healing priests were able to accompany this subjugation team.
Instead, though it’s not quite the same, they brought plenty of potions.
“Aaagh!!!”
“Bear with it a little more. Just a little!”
So for those whose arms were cut off or ankles were bitten off by monster attacks.
People with physical losses were treated with the crude method of pouring potions on the affected areas.
Even injuries that could have been reattached if there was a high-ranking healing priest now had to be satisfied with just stopping the bleeding.
Screams echoed through the ore temporary storage area for a while.
“Elyssia. Do you remember what skills you learned from the skill books?”
“Yes, , , and .”
is a skill that alleviates pain for the injured and reduces various harmful effects, while is a healing skill as the name suggests.
Lastly, was a skill Ethan chose so that Elyssia could hold out even for a short moment if she found herself in danger.
“Healing will be difficult before you get used to it. But it seems you could help the wounded with .”
“Can I be of help too?”
“Of course. In dungeons, it’s not just fighting and dismembering monsters that helps. What comes after the fight is even more important.”
Elyssia seemed deeply impressed by those words.
She had lived her whole life only receiving help from others.
Even at her young age, she wanted to give to others as much as she had received.
That’s why.
“Then I’ll try!”
She wanted to be of help, even if it was just a small strength.
Holding Ethan’s hand, she headed towards the wounded and.
Used on the injured who were lying down on relatively flat surfaces with blood-soaked bandages.
A warm energy spreads throughout the cold cavern.
Holy power like the gentle hand of God, driving away pain and cold, caressed the wounded.
‘Is this range correct?’
As if to show why she’s the future strongest saint in history.
A skill that would have been limited to about 3m radius for ordinary priests.
When Elyssia used it, the range easily exceeded 10m radius.
“Oh… The pain is gone.”
“Did that little miss over there do this?”
“Yes, she did.”
Ethan answered instead of Elyssia who was concentrating.
“Ah, I feel like I can live now.”
“Thank you, miss.”
Elyssia, who had opened her eyes as if she had gotten used to using the skill, smiled brightly as she met the patients’ eyes.
“I’m glad.”
Borka, who had been watching this intently, went to find a medic to learn how to apply bandages as if she couldn’t lose.
Having learned how to apply bandages perfectly just by seeing it once, Borka went back and forth among the wounded who still needed treatment, helping out.
‘How admirable.’
Ethan, who was watching, also helped Elyssia and Borka tend to the wounded.
After taking care of the injured for a while and taking a brief rest.
Ethan glimpsed the temperaments of the two children.
[Target: Elyssia]
[Temperament: Timid, Self-sacrificing, Dedicated.]
[Target: Borka]
[Temperament: Distrust of humans, Clever, Cautious.]
‘It seems she mustered up courage to help Elyssia.’
After all, the ‘distrust of humans’ temperament is not something easily overcome.
It’s not like Borka was just treated as a simple troublemaker.
Considering that she was a ‘cursed child’ chased out by all the villagers running after her, one can glimpse how remarkable it is.
So Ethan helped with all his might too.
He moved wagons and potion boxes loaded on handcarts, and transported the wounded on stretchers to where the first colony had been.
While taking another brief rest during this.
[The first root of the World Tree informs that it senses the energy of a sibling.]
‘In here?’
[The first root of the World Tree nods that it is so.]
‘But you don’t have a head.’
The first root acts as the pillar to which the other five roots are attached.
The other five are each in charge of creation, destruction, maintenance, transformation, and recovery.
It’s an extremely rare item with no fixed acquisition strategy as it’s generated in random locations each playthrough.
Occasionally when checking seeds, it’s said to sometimes generate underground or in deep seas, so Ethan was going to be satisfied with the first root which can be obtained definitively.
‘Which number is it?’
[The first root of the World Tree answers that the reaction it felt was the ‘destruction’ trait.]
‘It’s the third one. The root of destruction.’
It would be a great help if he could just get it.
Ethan carried potion boxes with an excited heart.
[The first root of the World Tree urgently warns the user!]
[It reports that an evil energy is approaching!]
‘What do you mean by evil energy…’
[The first root of the World Tree urges caution, saying it’s stronger than the demon worshipper encountered in the labyrinth!]
“Already reached here, huh.”
The voice came from the passage leading to the 3rd colony.
Ethan put down the potion box and drew his sword.
“Who’s that guy?”
“Isn’t he from the mercenary side?”
“He’s not one of ours? There’s no one that tall in Aporia.”
Two soldiers and two mercenaries slowly approached to check.
“Who are you?”
“I heard there’s a stone worm colony down below. How did you come up from-”
“So noisy with your chattering.”
The man simply walked forward.
The soldiers and mercenaries who thought they were completely ignored got angry and tried to draw their weapons, but.
“Uh-”
They spilled onto the floor with their whole bodies in pieces without even being able to scream.
“!”
Only then did the subjugation team grab their weapons and take battle stances.
“Elyssia, Borka. Over here!”
In the meantime, Ethan gathered the children and joined up with the Douglan exploration team.
“It’s dangerous, so no one step forward recklessly.”
Thud. Thud. Thud.
As he slowly walked up and took off his hood.
A pitch-black face and two horns were revealed.
“M-Monster-”
With just one motion.
The heads of five soldiers at the front fell off.
“Fall back!”
“Those who aren’t confident, fall back!”
Sir Stanley and Tron pushed their subordinates back and stepped forward.
Then the opponent pointed his sword somewhere with a dumbfounded expression.
“Get out of the way, you small fry.”
Where his sword tip was pointing.
“I thought something felt strange. There’s no way mere humans could have found the cultivation ground I painstakingly created. The disciple carefully chosen by the wicked tree was here.”
Ethan was standing there.
???
“Come! I shall gladly strike you down and be chosen by the great One!”