As I looked up—way up—at the hulking figure before me, my brain officially declared a state of emergency.
The woman standing there was, without exaggeration, a shocking mountain.
Tall? Check. Broad-shouldered? Double check. Muscles that looked like they could snap me in half like a dry twig? Triple check.
Better not get on her bad side. (´･_･`)
My feet began shuffling backward of their own accord. Some ancient survival instinct—probably from my caveman ancestors—screamed at me from the depths of my mind: Retreat! Retreat!
Now, what led to this moment, you ask?
Well, it all started with the Kobold lady's betrayal—I mean, "guidance." After I finished every menial task she threw my way (and the countless repeated ones that made me question my life choices), she handed me off to yet another Kobold.
This one was apparently their "advisor," though all she did was flash me a smug grin and vaguely point me toward their "real leader."
Like a clueless fool being herded to my doom, I followed. I mean, what else could I do? It's not like they were giving me a choice—I'm pretty sure they would've dragged me here if I'd refused.
(•_•)
And now, here I am, standing in the presence of the *final boss* of this "various races" female village.
Oh, and let's not forget the journey here. The Kobold lady and the advisor spent most of it laughing at me—not the polite, "haha, you're funny" kind of laugh, either. No, it was the wheezing, bent-over, "look at this absolute idiot" kind of laugh.
I swear, one day I'll get my revenge on these smug furballs. Mark my words.
(╬ಠ益ಠ)
But first, I need to survive her.
This towering woman looked like she could throw me over the horizon without even breaking a sweat. Her intimidating aura alone was enough to knock at least ten points off my confidence.
"Uh… nice to meet you?" I managed to squeak out, my voice cracking so badly it sounded like I was back in middle school.
She raised an eyebrow, her expression a perfect mix of unimpressed and mildly curious. Her gaze alone felt like it weighed a hundred pounds, pressing down on me with silent judgment.
And thus began the longest, most painfully awkward silence of my life.
---
"You're the one who's been running around causing a stir, huh?" she finally said, her voice a deep rumble that matched her towering presence.
"C-causing a stir?" I stammered. "I mean… not on purpose?"
Her lips twitched into what might've been a smirk—or maybe I was imagining it. "The Kobolds here are good at sniffing out people who act… strange."
I froze. Did she know about what I've been doing to the ogre village? Actually, might be possible. Words travel fast here, an example would be how Boulder and those lizardmen found us, which means she knows what I've been doing!
"Well," she continued, "if you're done bumbling around and wasting my tribe's time, I've got something useful for you to do."
"...Useful?" I echoed. My brain was still stuck on how do they know I'm strange?!
"There's a monster in the eastern forest," she said bluntly. "Big, nasty thing that's been wreaking havoc lately. I want you to deal with it."
Oh, great. Another life-threatening mission. Just what I needed, what's more it's the eastern forest! "And by 'deal with it,' you mean…"
"Kill it," she clarified, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Think of it as repayment for the… *hospitality* we've shown you."
Hospitality? What hospitality?! I've been running errands like an unpaid intern!
ლ(́◉◞౪◟◉‵ლ)
"That monster's been a problem for too long," she continued, crossing her massive arms. "It's not just a threat to us but to *anyone* passing through the area. Take care of it, and maybe we'll consider you worth keeping around."
"Wait, hold on—" I started, but she was already standing tall again, effectively cutting off any protests.
"Head out tomorrow morning," she said, her tone making it clear this was not a negotiation. "And don't come back until the job's done."
With that, she turned and walked away, leaving me standing there, stunned and slightly terrified.
"Great," I muttered under my breath. "Another death sentence. Thanks, universe."
[System Activated!]
[Quest Received: Slay the Monster in the Eastern Forest!]
[Reward: Increased Reputation with the Various Races Village!]
"Oh, now you show up," I hissed at the invisible system.
[System Response:]
[The Host is advised to stop whining and start preparing.]
I glared at the empty air where the system's sarcastic voice echoed in my mind. "One of these days, I'm going to uninstall you."
[System Response:]
[Error: Uninstalling the system is not possible. The Host is advised to try their best.]
This is the same monster from the wolf zone isn't? A corrupted one? The one place I deliberately avoided going to again?
Fate really hates me.(╥﹏╥)