Chapter 23

"Whoo, whoo"

Upon hearing that sound, Michelle and Helena exchanged glances.

A unique cry, like a low whistle, which they instantly recognized as the voice of Whips.

"Everyone, fall back. Michelle, do you have the magic stones?"

"I do have some, but not many. I have three in total."

"I'm sorry, but I need your support."

"Of course. It would be meaningless to die here holding back."

Helena stepped forward, shielding Michelle and the others.

From around the corner leading to the cave entrance, a slithering sound was mixed with the occasional hard thud.

"They're here."

As if in response to Michelle's words, a brown creature appeared in the lantern light.

Its lower body was like a snake covered in scales, its upper body resembled a horse with short fur, and its head looked like an owl with a human-like face.

Standing about two meters tall, this bizarre creature approached slowly, moving its two front legs and slithering with its lower body.

A single strike from its short beak is sharper than the fangs of Despair, known as the "Despair of the Grasslands."

Even Lactor is nothing more than prey in front of this monster.

"Whoo, whoo"

A strange sound came from the face covered in white feathers.

The sound of its front legs tapping, like a countdown to their remaining time, echoed through the cave.

No intelligence could be seen in its narrowed eyes, only the instinct of a hunter sizing up its prey, accompanied by a red glow.

This is the appearance of the strongest monster in the Kosas Forest, the nightmare of the forest, Whips.

"Don't you dare step forward!"

As Michelle's warning ended, Whips' beak opened wide, and a loud cry was emitted from within.

"Whoo-whoo-whoo, whoo-whoo-whoo-whoo-whoo!"

The cry, which seemed to play a scale, was Whips' special ability to strip away human consciousness.

It is called the "Song of Silence" by mercenaries, as it incapacitates humans and brings silence to the battlefield.

"Hanslrick! Everyone!"

From behind Michelle, Solt's scream echoed.

"Michelle! Everyone suddenly collapsed...!"

"Leave them! They just fainted!"

Among the students, only Solt managed to withstand the Song of Silence.

Helena remained calm, and Michelle barely managed to keep her consciousness.

"Ha!"

This time, it was Helena's turn to strike.

Whips tried to evade by lifting its upper body, but Helena's sword was faster.

The sharp blade reached Whips' shoulder.

However, its tough skin, harder than it looked, deflected the sword, leaving only a minor cut.

Whips tried to crush Helena by leaning its weight on its front legs, but the blonde swordsman stepped back, as if it was within her expectations.

"I'm coming!"

With a shout, Michelle threw a pebble-sized mineral at the monster.

It hit Whips' torso with a dry sound, shattering and immediately encasing the impact point in ice.

What Michelle threw was a magic stone, a mysterious rock that can produce effects similar to basic attack magic, even for those who cannot use magic.

It is said to be a relic from ancient civilizations or the mythological era, and the technology to create it has been lost in this age.

Therefore, while it is convenient for anyone to use, it is also rare, and even a basic magic stone, which is relatively common, can fetch a high price of five gold coins.

While merchants without combat skills may carry them for self-defense, they are not something to be used lightly.

"It doesn't seem to be very effective. But it's better than nothing, I guess."

However, the attack from the magic stone, which Michelle had paid for, did not seem to do much damage to Whips.

Whips ignored the magic stones Michelle threw and continued to focus its hostility on the blonde swordsman in front of it.

Helena's sword danced in the narrow cave.

She dodged and circled around Whips, striking at its sides and back before retreating.

While the wounds were increasing, Whips' movements did not slow down.

Her strikes were too light.

Against Whips, which was much harder and more resilient than it looked, Helena's sword could not inflict fatal wounds.

On the other hand, Whips' attacks were heavy.

Any of its attacks—its sharp beak, its weighty front legs, or its massive, scaly tail—would be devastating if they hit.

Moreover, Helena's stamina was gradually decreasing as she continued to move.

In the narrow cave, with six people to protect and no room for injury, Helena's stamina was slowly being drained.

Perhaps it was inevitable that the moment would come.

A tail strike that sliced through the air finally caught Helena's side.

"Ugh!"

With a cry of pain, Helena's body collapsed.

"Helena!"

"Helena!"

Whips, looking at the fallen Helena with cold eyes, let out a cry.

"Whoo, whoo!"

It was like a declaration of victory.

"Helena! Heal...!"

Solt tried to rush to the crouching Helena.

"Idiot! Don't step forward!"

Michelle's warning was already too late, and Whips had already targeted Solt, slowly advancing.

"Aaah..."

Facing the monstrous creature up close, Solt's face was filled with fear.

Her eyes were wide open, fixated on Whips' movements, but her body was frozen in place as if paralyzed.

Cruel red eyes reflected in her pale pink ones.

Just as Solt's life was about to be extinguished, Whips, about to strike with its beak, suddenly stopped.

The monster turned its gaze away from the defenseless prey in front of it and began to look around, turning its neck from side to side.

Confused by the sudden change, Michelle and the others were left behind as the situation shifted again.

"Roar!"

Suddenly, an unusual cry erupted from Whips' mouth.

The monster writhed and thrashed, and a large amount of blood spurted from its lower body.

"Sword...?"

Michelle was the first to notice.

Part of Whips' long, scaly lower body was stained with blood.

A short sword was deeply embedded in the spot where the blood was spewing.

But no one in the room could explain where the short sword had come from.

Amid Whips' cries, something flew through the air from the direction of the cave entrance.

By the time Michelle noticed the sound, a short sword had already pierced Whips' head.

No matter how strong the monster's stamina, it was helpless with its head pierced.

With a final, agonizing cry, Whips' massive body sank to the ground.

As Michelle and the others stood in shock, the sound of multiple footsteps approaching from the entrance could be heard.

"Michelle! Helena! Are you alright!?"

The first to rush in, shaking her purple hair, was Clente, who was supposed to have gone for help.

More guards followed, and behind them, mercenaries unfamiliar to Michelle appeared.

It seemed Clente had done her job well.

"Did we make it in time..."

Seeing the long-awaited rescue, Michelle finally let out a sigh of relief.

2019/05/02 Typo correction: "回り込んでは一撃を" → "回り込んで一撃を"

*Thank you for the typo report.

2019/08/11 Correction: "吹き出る" → "噴き出る"

*Thank you for the typo report.