The Absurdity Continues: A Forest Lord’s Vengeance

‘I am the Hero.’

In just two days, I had survived a snake swarm chase, a pig herd siege, and even witnessed my best friend transform into a werewolf. I thought those plotlines were absurd enough!

Yet, I was utterly unprepared for what came next, something even more preposterous!

“Hero, what exactly is it about that man that captivates you? Clearly, I am the one who loves you more!”

A young girl, with flowing green hair and clad in a pristine white robe, slowly rose from the surface of the lake, her voice laced with fervent emotion.

She, indeed! Without a shadow of a doubt, she had to be the Forest Lord.

However, it came as quite a surprise that the Forest Lord was, in fact, a lesbian.

As she finished speaking, the entire forest erupted in a frenzy. Beasts roared, and trees trembled violently.

Meanwhile, Helter had once again collapsed to the ground, utterly unconscious.

This scene, at first glance, was utterly beyond explanation.

I need to start an hour earlier to make sense of it all…

“That crow just spoke…” I murmured, shaking my head. “First snakes, then pigs becoming spirits, and now crows too!”

“What did the crow say? Something about ‘this humble one’… Could it be the Forest Lord?”

“Most likely. I recall the Village Chief mentioning that the Forest Lord commands all living creatures within this forest…”

Before I could finish my sentence, Helter swung his blade, mercilessly striking down a small, hopping rabbit in front of us.

Blood splattered across the ground once more.

“What are you doing?! Bunnies are so cute! What did it ever do to you?”

“Didn’t you say the Forest Lord can control all the animals in the forest? That means we could be under her surveillance at any moment. Hacking down every animal we see is the correct approach!”

“You’re far too cruel!” I exclaimed, genuinely shocked.

“Cruel? Where? Hunters see this all the time. Aren’t you also a frequent hunter?”

“But I only hunt those ugly yet valuable creatures! Things like hyenas and wild boars! I’d never be like you, a brute who kills every single thing they see!”

Helter merely shrugged.

“Come on, you used to be an assassin, for crying out loud. Have you forgotten that after just two days of being the Hero?”

“I was an assassin… but…” I lowered my head, a wave of shame washing over me. ‘But I’ve only ever killed one person…’

“Pfft.” Helter nearly choked on a laugh. “One person? Oh, right! I forgot. You’ve only ever killed the original Hero, and that was by accident.”

“Don’t laugh…”

“You are far too kind. An assassin being so soft,” Helter remarked, then with another swing of his blade, he dispatched a fox ahead of them.

“Stop hacking at everything indiscriminately! It’s easy for her to use animals to spy on us! Besides, my original goal was to find the Forest Lord. What if you infuriate her?!”

Helter froze, turning around with a bewildered expression, about to speak.

“Really?! The Hero has actually come to find this humble one!” a squirrel with glowing red eyes shrieked excitedly from a tree.

“Hmph!” With a single slash, Helter unleashed a sword qi, cleaving the squirrel in two.

“What in the world are you doing?!”

“To prevent the Forest Lord from spying on us. That squirrel just spoke; it was clearly being controlled.”

“Ugh, ugh, ugh, I’m going to throw up again… That’s disgusting…”

“Hold your urge to vomit, Hero. Why are we looking for the Forest Lord? Isn’t our goal to find the Holy Sword?”

“Are you genuinely foolish or just pretending? A tiny item like the Holy Sword, searching for it in this vast forest of Newbie Village? What a joke, it would be difficult to find even in a month.”

“Thus, finding someone intimately familiar with the forest would make locating the Holy Sword much simpler.”

“So you…”

“So I planned to go to the legendary dwelling of the Forest Lord, the Sacred Lake, to seek her out. My apologies, I didn’t inform you of my plan beforehand, letting you foolishly follow me all this way.”

Helter began scratching his head, looking troubled.

“Hero, this is going to be a problem.”

“What kind of problem?”

“Didn’t the village rumors mention it? The Forest Lord is said to be half-divine, and she only accepts those with good hearts! Someone like me, a hunter, a warrior who emerged from the arena stained with blood… How can I possibly face her?”

As he finished speaking, Helter, with another swift swing of his sword, killed a small wild boar that happened to be passing by.

“Then you should also restrain yourself! If you keep hacking at everything indiscriminately, the Forest Lord will be even less likely to accept you!”

“Alright…” Helter muttered awkwardly, sheathing his sword on his back.

“We’re just a few steps away now… Be prepared, and try to be a bit more restrained, okay?”

Half an hour later.

Beside the tranquil Sacred Lake.

“This is my first time in such a sacred place.”

“Country bumpkin, aren’t you a bit uncultured? I’ve been here more than once, you know~” I said, squatting by the lake and gazing at the clear water.

“And then? Where’s the Forest Lord?”

“I haven’t seen her either. This is said to be the Forest Lord’s dwelling, but she’s never openly appeared. I’ve only ever heard her voice.”

“What should we do then? Miss Elf and the annoying Guard are still waiting outside.”

“I’ll try calling her.” I stood up and took a deep breath. “Forest Lord! We have guests! Are you there? If you are, give a squeak!”

“Squeak, squeak, squeak!” A small mouse with glowing red eyes scurried over.

“Looks like she’s here! Hey! Can you show yourself? I am Hero Emily! I mean no harm; I’ve simply come to retrieve my Holy Sword!”

“This humble one cannot grant you the Holy Sword.”

The mouse looked up and spoke.

“Why not?”

“You broke your vow. You must accept your punishment.”

“Broke a vow? What agreement?”

“As expected, have you forgotten your agreement with this humble one? I have waited painstakingly for you for twenty years!”

“Huh?”

‘What agreement?! That was clearly an agreement made by the original Hero! How would I know anything about it?’

“Hero, if you can recall it, this humble one might let you off the hook and even tell you the location of the Holy Sword.”

“But what if… I truly can’t remember?”

“The punishment begins.”

The little mouse let out a piercing shriek, causing my eardrums to throb with pain!

Helter, too, clutched his ears, but it was futile.

[“Oh, great Forest God, Floris! Do you hear me? Bestow upon these two the punishment they deserve! Let them know their transgressions!”]

My mind was now a complete blank.

“What are you saying?!” My legs felt suddenly weak, and all I wanted to do was sleep!

‘No! I couldn’t sleep! I still had an adventure to embark on! I hadn’t even left Newbie Village yet!’

My fading consciousness pulled me down…

[You are about to face what you do not wish to see, yet what truly transpired.]

“Lu Ren! Lu Ren!”

A familiar voice echoed in my ears.

I opened my eyes to see a robust young man.

“Helter? Why have you shrunk?”

“Are you still half-asleep? What do you mean, ‘shrunk’? The village is having a fireworks festival soon, come join us!” Helter pulled my hand, rushing towards the center of Newbie Village.

“Slow down, slow down!” I cried out, then noticed my own tiny hands. What was happening? Had I also shrunk into a child?

I looked up at the sky; it was night. Then I glanced at the surrounding streets, noticing the windmill shops that had been dismantled long ago were now back.

Had I returned to the past?

‘No, this must be the Forest Lord’s doing, a trick of her spell!’

A frown involuntarily creased my brow at the thought.

“Cheer up, Lu Ren!”

Seeing Helter’s youthful smile, so full of hope for life, once again, my heart involuntarily skipped a beat.

Truth be told, ever since he had fallen into despair and ruin, I had never seen him smile with such confidence again.