A Few Minutes Before Himari's Battle with the Ice Elf Leader

"Roooaaaarrr..."
The final roar of the Ice Bear echoed before it fell silent.
I stood before its corpse, then turned to look at my shadow soldiers who had also completed their part.

"Looks like that was the last one..."
It had been almost a week since we got trapped inside the Red Gate. Around four Ice Bear nests had been cleared—and this was the last.

"Looks like… I've wandered a bit too far," I muttered, scratching my head. "Better head back now."

"Return."
The shadow soldiers merged back into my shadow, and I began heading back to our camp.

As I walked, suddenly—I felt a surge of powerful magic energy.
And its source was clear.

"That energy... it's coming from our camp."
I sped up, running as fast as I could toward the camp.

When I arrived—blood stained the snow, with bodies of fallen elves scattered everywhere.
I saw several Himari clones engaged in battle with a single elf.

'That… must be their boss.'
I narrowed my eyes at the elf, but my thoughts were interrupted by a voice calling out to me.

"Souta!"
The voice came from one of the Himari clones who was carrying Nei, while another stood behind them on high alert.

"Souta, please take care of Nei-chan!"
Just as the clone spoke, the one behind her suddenly vanished in a flash of light.

"Damn… I'm running out of energy," she muttered weakly.
I quickly took Nei from the clone's arms.

Moments later, the last clone disappeared too.

That's when I realized:

'So, Himari is channeling all her power into the clone that's fighting…'

"Nei, where's Shushu?"
Nei answered in a panic, "Shushu-san was defeated by the elf leader… she's unconscious! Nei forgot where she was after being blasted away by his attack."

I looked around, trying to spot Shushu. But then—

"Wait!"
I turned toward Nei. "What is it?"

"Nei can find Shushu-chan."

With heavy breaths, Nei closed her eyes. Her small hands clenched tightly as a gentle aura radiated from her body—she was activating her detection ability.

"Got her!" she shouted suddenly, eyes wide open.
"Behind the fallen tree to the east! And… she's lost a lot of blood!"

"Stay here." I replied, summoning two shadow soldiers to guard her.
Nei flinched at the sight of the dark figures but quickly nodded in obedience.

Wasting no time, I dashed toward the direction Nei had pointed to.
It didn't take long before I found Shushu lying unconscious, blood pooling beneath her.

I opened my inventory and pulled out a healing potion—one of the leftovers from my class change quest.
I helped Shushu drink it, but…

"Khuuk!"
It didn't work.
'Just like in the penalty zone… healing items don't work here. I better get her out of here first.'

I tore off a part of my cloak and pressed it onto the wound on Shushu's shoulder.
Then, I picked up her body and returned to Nei.

"Souta-san!" Nei called my name as she saw me carrying Shushu.

I laid Shushu gently beside her and began thinking of how to treat her injuries.

"Nei."
As soon as I called her name, Nei looked up at me.
"Yes, Souta-san?"

"Can you heal Shushu's wounds?"

Hearing that, Nei looked down. "I'm sorry, Souta-san… I can't."
I turned my gaze away, trying to think of another way.

"But—"
But? I turned back to Nei. "But what?"
"Himari-san can do it."
Himari? I looked toward Himari's clones still fighting.
"She can?" I asked again to confirm.
"Yes, she can!"

I let out a deep breath and began to prepare. "I'll go help Himari. You stay—"
Before I could finish, a sudden explosion interrupted me.

BOOM!
One of Himari's clones had managed to land a solid hit on the Ice Elf Leader, sending up a cloud of smoke from the blast.

"Ugh…" Nei covered her face from the dust blowing our way.
"Did Himari-san succeed?"
"Not yet."
Sure enough, moments later the Ice Elf Leader emerged from the smoke and launched a counterattack. He rushed at the clone who had fired the shot, but it was a feint—meant to lure another clone who had been hiding and preparing to strike from behind.

The Elf turned quickly and killed the ambushing clone, then refocused on the first one.
It didn't take much effort for the Elf to eliminate her as well. Now, he began searching for the last Himari clone—and for the real Himari herself.

'So Himari can use some form of stealth too, huh.'

Seizing the opportunity, the last remaining clone deactivated her stealth and focused all her energy into an attack. She struck the Elf's knee, causing him to lose balance, and followed up with another blow.

The Elf blocked it with his dagger, but the force of the impact buried part of his body in the snow. Just as the clone prepared to deliver the final blow—she vanished.

I saw Himari, exhausted, panting heavily, but still unwilling to give up.
Meanwhile, the Elf began to smile again, confident that he was close to victory.

But then…
"That's it!" Nei shouted in surprise.
"GOLDEN HOUR," she said.

A golden light burst behind Himari, forming the shape of a giant, ancient clock.
My eyes widened—what is that?

GOLDEN HOUR
The moment it activated, time stopped.
"This… is my last chance!"

1…
Within a second, Himari transformed both her arms into missile launchers. She activated FULL BURST—all her hair turned into firearms—

2…
"Raaaahh!" Himari unleashed a massive barrage at the Ice Elf Leader.

As the giant clock behind her shattered and vanished, time resumed—

BOOOOOOOMM!
A massive explosion erupted, so intense it completely obscured Himari's vision.

My vision was indescribable, my breathing heavy, and my whole body ached.
"Haaah… haaah… hah…"
"D-Did I… do it?"

Himari's eyes widened as she saw the silhouette of the Elf still standing behind the thick smoke.

Instinctively, she raised her weapon to shoot, but—

SWISH!
Her arm was sliced cleanly by a single slash of a dagger.

Himari froze, eyes wide in shock.
"So… all this time, he wasn't even fighting seriously…" she thought. Her body couldn't move.
Fear, pain, and exhaustion held her in place.

The Ice Elf Leader slowly stepped forward, raising his dagger high.
He smiled arrogantly, overflowing with killing intent.

"This… is the end for me," Himari thought, resigned.

The dagger came swinging down.

THUD!
A heavy blow struck the elf's face, sending him flying several meters, sliding across the snow.

Himari was stunned, her eyes wide as she saw the figure now standing in front of her—a man.
"S-Souta…!?"

I stared sharply at the boss.
"That's enough."

The elf staggered to his feet, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
I turned to Himari, still gasping for air, her body trembling.
"Do you still have enough energy to activate Transience?" I asked quickly.
Himari weakly shook her head. "No… I don't have enough energy. I'm sorry…"

Of course, I thought. I figured as much. After Golden Hour and all those clones, she must be nearly drained.

I glanced at the battlefield—the elf was getting back up, his icy aura spreading again. I needed to keep him occupied.

"Come forth."

The shadows around me writhed, and from the darkness emerged dozens of Shadow Soldiers. The sound of their synchronized footsteps echoed over the frozen snow.

"Attack."

Without hesitation, the shadow army charged at the Ice Elf Leader, their dark weapons raised high.
Meanwhile, I turned and opened my inventory, pulling out the last healing potion I had.

"Himari, open your mouth."
Himari looked confused. "Eh? Why—"
"Just do it."
She hesitated for a moment, then obeyed. I gently poured the potion into her mouth. A soft glow enveloped her body, and her wounds began to fade.

Himari was shocked. "This… my wounds and fatigue… they're gone…"
"But?" I prompted, guessing her next words.
"…My energy hasn't recovered."
Yeah, of course. That was a healing potion, not a mana restorative. But I had prepared for this.

I pulled out a mana restoration potion from my inventory—different from the previous one.
I wasn't entirely sure her abilities used mana, but… it was worth a try.

"Open your mouth again."
Himari stared at the liquid hesitantly. "Okay…"
She sipped it slowly. Moments later, a faint light began pulsing through her biomechanical arms. Her energy… was returning.

"Can you move?" I asked quickly.
"Yes." Her eyes lit up again. "I can use Transience now."
"Good. Shushu needs your help. Go."

I snapped my fingers. Two shadow soldiers immediately appeared beside Himari.
"You two, protect her until she reaches her destination."

The three of them ran off, disappearing into the snowy forest toward Shushu's location.

I exhaled and turned around.

In the distance, the Ice Elf Leader was tearing through my shadow army with ease. One slash, one burst of energy—none of them stood a chance.

Maybe Igris could hold him off a bit… But even so, the distance was too far.

I locked eyes with the elf, who now realized I was the only remaining enemy on the field.

"…That's enough."

My hand clenched tightly. The shadows on my body began to dance wildly.

"Now, it's my turn."
I looked at the Elf. It seemed that his fight with Himari had really drained him.
If I attacked together with Igris… maybe we could win.

"Return."
All the shadow soldiers instantly melted into the ground like black mist… except for one—Igris remained standing, his sword drawn, eyes locked on the Ice Elf Leader.

With this, I could focus my mana entirely on Igris's regeneration. It should be enough… as long as I didn't waste any time.

While preparing myself, I asked,
"Veyran siláe nor'thal envariën?" ("How did you find our camp?")

The Elf paused for a moment—he looked slightly surprised.
"Siláe… ven'thar alae nor'shel envariël?" ("You can… speak our language?")

I froze. Wait… what? Elven language? But I was just speaking normally… Could it be… the system?

The Elf spoke again, his tone now calmer, a little arrogant.
"We saw an ice bear running in fear toward our territory. That was unusual. We followed where it came from… and found a bear nest that had been completely slaughtered."

I could picture the location—corpses of ice bears, snow stained with blood. Yeah, that was us.

"Several dens had been cleared. And according to one of my soldiers… who is now dead…" —he glanced toward the body of an elf nearby—
"…there was one creature among the humans whose power nearly matched mine."

I stared at the elf's corpse. That… was the one who attacked us earlier.

The Elf smirked.
"And of course… that creature was you, wasn't it?"

A cold wind blew between us.

He looked at me sharply, then asked with a mocking tone,
"Why would a creature like you—clearly not human—choose to protect humans?"
I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

The Elf chuckled softly.
"You really don't know, do you?"
His gaze was sharp, yet curious—like someone starting to uncover a mystery.

"Since we arrived in this world, we've constantly heard a whisper…"
His tone slowed.
"…kill the humans… the voice echoes in our heads every time we see a human."

He stopped, looking at me with a strange smile.
"But when I saw you… there was no whisper. It was silent."

I froze. My heart started beating faster.

"And that can only mean one thing…" he said softly.

His face tensed, but his eyes gleamed.
"You… are not human."

Could it be… because I have the system?
Because I've become a "player"?
That thought flashed through my mind like lightning—but I didn't have time to dwell on it.
The elf opened his mouth again.

"I'll give you a generous offer."
His voice sounded… too calm.
"Hand over the humans… and I'll let you live."

I stared at him sharply.
"…Who exactly are you people?"

He gave a small smile, as if he'd been waiting for that question.
"We are—"

Suddenly, his body glitched, like a broken image on a screen.
His voice cut out—then…

"Hand over the humans… and I'll let you live," he repeated, with the exact same tone and intonation.

I narrowed my eyes.
What was that just now? A glitch?

"What the hell…?" I muttered under my breath.

"Come on… it's a good deal, isn't it?" he said, leaning forward, that thin smile never leaving his face.
"You'll accept it. I know you will."

I let out a slow breath. Calmly but firmly, I lifted my head and looked him straight in the eyes.
"I refuse."

His smile vanished.

"So… you choose to become my enemy?"

The elf's gaze turned sharp. The icy aura around him began to gather again.
Cold wind bit into my skin.

"It's obvious… I'm still stronger than you."
"You won't be able to defeat me."

I raised an eyebrow, then gave a small smile.
"Oh really?"

I dashed forward, appearing right in front of the Elf leader, Knight Killer dagger in hand.
My slash flew fast—

Clang!
—but it was blocked. His dagger met mine, metal clashing and sending small sparks flying.

As he swung a counterattack, I instantly pulled back—leaping lightly away.

"That strike just now… was to gauge my strength, wasn't it?"
He gave a thin smile.
I narrowed my eyes. Sharp guy...

Wasting no time, Igris and I dashed in together. We flanked him from both sides.
I slashed from the left—
he dodged.

Igris dropped from above, swinging his sword, but Baruka dove downward, evading with extreme speed.

But I was already waiting there.

"Now!"
My dagger lunged from the side, almost hitting him—but again, he parried it.

His body leapt into the air, but Igris had already read his move. With perfect timing, he appeared in Baruka's path, and—

WHAM!
A massive swing from Igris's sword nearly cleaved the Elf in half. I slashed from the side, combining my momentum.

But Baruka spun mid-air, both of his daggers deflecting our attacks with overwhelming force.

BOOOOOM!
We were blasted backward, debris and shards of ice flying through the air.
Baruka stood calmly, pointing his dagger at me.
"My name is Baruka," he said, voice calm but sharp.
"What's your name?"

I stood tall, pulling out Kasaka's Venom Fang in my left hand. The green poison coating it slowly evaporated into the air.
I stared at him, then replied,
"Souta Hayashi."

The fight heated up once again. I dashed forward—this time, Baruka struck first, slashing his dagger toward me.
With reflexes kicking in, I leapt into the air, evading the blow.

From above, I countered immediately, stabbing down with the Knight Killer dagger. But Baruka dodged, and my dagger struck the hard ground.

Clang!
He immediately stepped on my dagger, trying to pin me in place.

But—
I swiftly stored the dagger back into my inventory, then summoned it again mid-air, slashing from an unexpected angle.
Baruka was briefly caught off guard, but still managed to block my strike with one hand.

Without pause, I swung my second dagger—Kasaka's Venom Fang—toward him, but suddenly stored it away and grabbed his arm directly.
His movement stalled for a split second.

That was all Igris needed—he appeared, sword swinging with full force.
Baruka ducked, narrowly dodging the strike.

But I spun and kicked upward from below, my heel slamming into Baruka's stomach.

"Ugh!"
His body lifted slightly—and before he could recover, Igris's slash slammed into him, sending Baruka flying back.

I didn't waste a moment.

I summoned three Shadow Mage Soldiers from the darkness.
They readied themselves behind me, gathering energy for a spell.

My task was simple—create an opening.

Igris and I charged in once more.

Igris struck first—his sword sweeping from the side, forcing Baruka to block with both daggers.
I slashed from below—nearly hitting him, but he dodged again.

I spun mid-air, landing on Igris's shoulder, using my hand to push off, then—

"HAAAH!"
—a spinning kick slammed into Baruka's gut, sending him flying through the air again.

Igris instantly raised his sword, and I leapt high, using the blade as a springboard.
I shot straight toward Baruka, who had just landed. He raised his dagger to meet me—

And just as expected, Igris appeared behind him, attacking in sync.

Baruka blocked Igris's blow, twisting around—

But at that exact moment, I kicked his knee with full force.
"ARGHHH!"
A crack echoed. His knee gave way, his stance faltered.

He braced for another strike—but both Igris and I leapt back.

From behind came the sharp hum of magic.

The three mage soldiers unleashed massive fireballs toward Baruka.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!
A huge explosion rocked the battlefield, engulfing Baruka in fire and thick smoke.
Hot winds swept the area, dust and embers swirling violently.

I stared into the cloud of smoke.

Was that enough…?

The smoke slowly began to clear. From within, an angry roar echoed—

"AAAAARGHHHHH! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!"

Baruka emerged, his face twisted in rage. But I was already charging at him.

Blinded by fury, his movements grew sloppy.
As he slashed down from above, I twisted my body, spinning mid-air, narrowly evading the attack—and creating an opening—

Igris!
A powerful slash from Igris swept in from the side.
CRAAASSHH!
Snow burst outward in all directions like a small explosion. Baruka was still airborne, struggling to regain his balance.

And that's when I activated stealth.

My body vanished instantly, slipping swiftly behind Baruka—and the moment was just right…
I reappeared behind him and stabbed my dagger straight into his right shoulder blade.

Damn it—I should've aimed for a vital point—but Baruka was fast enough to twist his body.

My dagger pierced through his right chest—blood sprayed.
Both of us were thrown apart by the clash of force.

Baruka looked even more furious. He roared and lunged at me again.
I threw Kasaka's Venom Fang at him.
He dodged easily, laughing mockingly.
"Is that all? Your attacks are pathetic!"

But I just smiled, raising my hand slightly.
Ruler's Hand.
The dagger, floating in mid-air, spun around and shot toward Baruka's blind spot.
CHAK!
He turned to block it, but his own dagger shattered from the force of my controlled strike.

Before he could react—
Three large shadows emerged from his own shadow.

"Come forth."

Three Shadow Ice Bears—hidden in his shadow the entire battle—suddenly lunged at him.
GRRAAAHHH!
The first one—the Ice Bear boss—bit into his waist.
The other two clamped down on each of Baruka's arms, holding him in place by sheer force.

Baruka roared, struggling to break free.
That's when I shouted:

"IGRIS!"

Igris was already airborne. He gripped his sword with both hands—
—and with one full-force swing—

SLAASHHHH!

The strike slammed into Baruka's head, decapitating him in one clean blow.
A shockwave burst out from Igris's slash, tearing through the area ahead—snow blasted, ground cracked open.

Baruka's body crashed to the ground, lifeless.
His head rolled slowly… and stopped beneath my feet.

I let out a long breath.

"Finally… it's over."

[You have defeated the dungeon boss.]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]

After checking the loot I received, I walked over to Nei, Himari, and Shushu, who now seemed fully recovered.

"It's over?" Himari asked, still in disbelief.
I smiled. "Yeah."

"Waaah, Souta-san, you were amazing!" Nei said brightly.
I just smiled in response.

Then I turned toward Shushu. "How are your wounds?"
Shushu replied enthusiastically, "All healed! Thanks to Himari—and also thanks to you."

"Good. In that case, let's get out of here."
I pointed toward the gate that had appeared behind me. "Let's exit through that gate."

The three of them cheered instantly, while I turned around. But before that…
I approached the shadow of the Ice Bear boss, which was still biting into Baruka's corpse.
"Let go of the body."
Obediently, the Ice Bear boss dropped the corpse in front of me.
Without realizing it, a smile formed on my face, seeing the true reward from this grueling battle.
I uttered a single command:
"Arise."

In the Mato Dimension

It had been almost seven hours since the red gate appeared. The unit commanders were still on standby around the area.
Ren Yamashiro turned and looked at the other commanders.
"All of you, return to your headquarters. Kyouka and I will keep watch here."

Fubuki looked hesitant.
"But they—"

"Don't worry, Fubuki. I promise I'll make sure they're all safe," Ren cut her off gently but firmly.
"Besides, it's been too long. I'm worried the Thunder Gods might take this chance to strike at our undefended bases."

The other commanders exchanged glances, then nodded in agreement.
"Tenka, can I ask you to keep an eye on the Seventh Unit base?" Ren asked.

Tenka turned and nodded.
"Alright. But... what about the Tenth Unit's main base?"

"No need. My base isn't far from here anyway."

Ren then walked toward Kyouka.
"Do you still want to wait, Kyouka?"
"Of course. There's no way I'd leave my subordinates behind," Kyouka replied firmly.

Ren smiled at her response.
"What about you, Yuuki Wakura?"

Yuuki looked a little surprised to hear his name called by the Commander.
"Just like Kyouka-san, I'll stay here."

"Alright, then—"
Ren's words were suddenly cut off by Tarara Konomi, the First Unit Commander.

"Look… the gate!"

Ren and Kyouka instinctively turned to the red gate, which was now slowly changing color.

"What the—"
But before Kyouka could finish her sentence, Ren interrupted her.

"Kyouka, fall back! Everyone, get ready!"

From within the gate… a silhouette emerged.

Three figures appeared from the glowing gate—Himari, Shushu, and Nei.
Kyouka immediately rushed forward to meet them.

Fubuki ran straight toward Himari and pulled her youngest daughter into a tight hug.
Himari gave a slightly awkward smile, her face turning a bit red.

"I-I'm fine."

Ren approached and immediately asked,
"How did you manage to get out of there?"

Nei was about to answer, but suddenly she stopped.
Her eyes shifted toward the gate.

Another figure emerged—Souta, walking calmly despite looking exhausted.
Not long after, the gate slowly began to close and disappear.

Souta walked past Kyouka without saying a word, but Kyouka stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait, I have something to ask you," Kyouka said.

But Souta shrugged off her hand roughly.
"I'm too tired. If you have questions, ask your subordinates."

That response stirred something in Kyouka. She grabbed his shoulder again—this time, more forcefully.
Her gaze turned cold.

"Three of my members were involved in this incident. As their commander, I need to know what happened."

This wasn't a request—
It was a command.
Or perhaps, a threat.

"You're right," he said, his tone flat but sharp.
Souta turned around, his gaze piercing, his expression visibly angry.
"But I'm the one who saved your three members. As their commander, maybe you should start with a 'thank you.'"

Kyouka fell silent.
The intimidating aura she had projected earlier slowly faded.
It wasn't just Souta's words that made her pause, but the overwhelming pressure she felt—an unexplainable force radiating from the young man before her.

She took a breath and lowered her head slightly.
"…I'm sorry," she said briefly.

Souta resumed walking, not sparing another glance back.

Yuuki, who had been watching from nearby, stepped closer and quietly asked Kyouka,
"Why did you do that? That… wasn't like you at all."

Kyouka slowly shook her head.
"I don't know either. For some reason, I just lost control…"

Ren, who had been silently observing the whole time, also walked over.
Her gaze followed Souta's back as he walked farther away.
"Yuuki, go with him. Make sure he's alright," she said quietly.

Yuuki nodded and quickly caught up to Souta.
He quickened his pace until he was walking beside him.

"Hey… wait a sec," Yuuki called gently.

Souta only glanced at him briefly but didn't stop walking.
"I want to be alone," he replied flatly.

"I know. But I can't just let you wander off alone in your condition," Yuuki responded calmly, walking beside him.
They walked in silence for a while, only the sound of their footsteps echoing in the cold air still lingering from the battle.

After some time, Souta finally spoke.
"…I know I was rude earlier. But I'm just so tired. Not just physically… it's everything."

Yuuki nodded slowly.
"It's okay. Anyone in your position would've felt the same. But… you saved my friends. Personally, I want to say thank you, Souta."

Souta glanced at him, his expression softening a bit.
"…Thanks for saying that."

Meanwhile, Ren still stood near where the gate had been, her eyes following the direction where Souta and Yuuki had gone.
Kyouka stood beside her, silent, as if still processing everything that had happened.

"…I lost control," she murmured.
"It wasn't just worry… That boy's aura… It's not a normal human's aura."

Ren nodded slowly.
"I felt it too. There's something... off about him."

She crossed her arms, her expression thoughtful.
"I'll contact Central Command. Maybe… it's time we dug deeper into who he really is."