Love Letter From The Future

The response speed to my outcry, which felt like a desperate struggle, was swift. Although everyone wore dazed expressions, a week of hellish training had ingrained new instincts into their bodies.

The sword was drawn, and we formed a protective barrier around Senior Elsi. Even until that moment, the monster merely gazed at us without any movement.

As if mocking me, threads of thought tangled in my mind as I met that gaze.

That giant, considering the example of the high-ranking monster we faced last time, would surely be incredibly fast. However, with such a large body, it couldn’t pass through the trees.

Would it be better to fight inside the forest even if there were obstacles in the sword’s path? No, that was foolish thinking.

That monster had already adapted to the forest. In fact, there were no signs of fallen trees around. What that implied was that, whatever the principle, it had some strategy to navigate through the narrow gaps between the trees.

In that case, intercepting it in an open area was the best option. I immediately drew my sword and planted it into the ground.

“Senior Elsi, begin the chant!”

“Shield!”

In response to my words, magical energy exploded from Senior Elsi’s wand like fireworks. A solid armor of magical energy enveloped my body.

This is why mages were important. At the very least, they prevented us from dying instantly.

Celin and Seria quickly joined me. It was crucial to strike as we moved in a crossfire pattern. We employed a hit-and-run tactic so that the monster couldn’t focus on just one of us.

Even so, there was no guarantee we would land effective hits. The only hope was the deep blue aura lingering on Seria’s sword. Apart from her, there was no one among us who could leave a mark on the monster’s hide with a blade.

We had to focus solely on disrupting the monster’s senses. Even if it wasn’t its hide, areas like its nose or eyes would be vulnerable to a knife. We needed to ensure that the monster couldn’t ignore me and Celin, building up cumulative strikes against it.

And we could leave the decisive strike to Senior Elsi. The destructive power unleashed by the five rings enveloping her heart was terrifying.

If we struck its weakness directly, even a monster would not be able to endure it.

Watching Seria charge at the monster, I turned to shout at Senior Elsi.

“Senior Elsi, aim for its horn!”

“Haste, Strength… What?”

Senior Elsi, who was diligently casting support magic for us, reacted as if I were spouting nonsense, but there was no time.

The first exchange of blows was already underway. Seria swung and drew a silver line in the air. A textbook overhead slash, but the wolf, facing her directly, instead raised its body and dodged the sword.

It was already fearsome in terms of size. Naturally, it was larger and as it stood up, it felt as if a giant tree that had lived for hundreds of years was moving.

How could such a body move so swiftly? Yet that absurd reality unfolded right before my eyes. There was no time for complaints.

The wolf swung its front paw at me in a crashing motion. Sharp claws protruded. It wasn’t a cat, yet the length it had hidden was quite considerable.

It was a fitting length for such a large paw. The claws measured up to the size of a decent knife. However, Seria was the best fighter among us.

A sound triumphed that was unbelievable for the clash of claws and blades. Seria bit her lip and parried the monster’s claw with her sword. The blue aura blazed on the blade.

Seria skillfully burrowed into the wolf’s embrace. Its abdomen was relatively thinner in terms of hide. If she could cut through there with her aura, the wolf would not be able to escape unscathed.

However, before Seria could burrow into its embrace, the wolf’s front paw swung again. The sheer size and weight of that paw were overwhelming. Even attempting to parry with a sword had its limits.

At that moment, Celin dashed forth. Light erupted from her hand. It was her signature sword technique.

Bang, another explosion erupted.

Celin’s full-force strike had the drawback of being unable to follow up with combos, but its power was nothing to scoff at. It was enough to deflect the wolf’s strike that Seria had to brace herself against.

Thanks to her support, Seria had already slipped into the wolf’s embrace. Just a brief moment filled with the hope of landing our first effective strike.

With a sudden shift, the wolf’s body twisted at a bizarre angle. No, should I say it twisted?

It bent its body like a mollusk. The enormous size stretched and left a trajectory in the void. Before long, the wolf was behind both Celin and Seria.

Damn, I could only curse inwardly.

Even if it were a monster, how could a wolf move like a mollusk? What about its hide and bones?

Moreover, the monster was gliding through the air just by elongating its body. It was a physically nonsensical sight.

That explained how it had been moving freely among dense trees until now. In fact, the more trees there were, the more advantageous it was for that monster.

While its movements were restricted, it could utilize that trait to roam freely in the forest.

It was a moment that proved my choice to confront it in an open area was correct. Of course, it was a welcome realization. Immediately, Celin and Seria had frozen in shock, while the monster had positioned itself behind them.

It was a situation that anyone could recognize as a crisis. I lacked the time to run out and had to pull an axe from my waist.

Next came the throw. The hand axe, shot like an arrow, aimed for the side of the wolf.

I only wished it would hit close to that mouth, which was wide open as it tried to attack Celin. And, as always, my throwing skill did not betray my expectations.

Clang, the spinning axe collided with the monster’s teeth and ricocheted. Teeth were nerve-sensitive areas; no matter how tough the creature was, being struck there would cause pain.

The wolf let out a mournful sound as it twisted its mouth. It veered away from Celin and crashed to the ground.

It was a close call. But it couldn’t refrain from falling into a daze for long after just getting hit on the teeth with an axe.

“Dodge!”

Startled by my shout, Celin and Seria quickly moved away from the monster. The monster’s front paw swept through the space they had just occupied. Its arm had elongated like a whip.

With a whoosh, the sound of slicing air echoed. It was a chilling sound. Even as I buried my head to the ground, it was evidence it was attempting a surprise attack.

If they had stayed still, Celin and Seria would have been caught in half. Once they escaped the monster’s vicinity, they quickly regrouped beside me.

They had shocked expressions. Although they had heard monstrous traits were bizarre, they never expected it to this extent.

The monster was already compressing its long body again. It had regained its muscular fiendish form as if air was being forced back into a balloon.

“Anyone have ideas for a strategy?”

“…How about running away?”

That was Celin’s idea. Her face was pale with fear. After almost dying just before, her emotional turmoil was understandable for someone with little combat experience.

Of course, my answer was already determined. I quietly shook my head. If we did that, the monster would inevitably chase us down.

In the midst of it all, Seria picked up my bouncing hand axe and handed it back to me. Having gone on monster hunts, she looked calmer than Celin. Besides, among us, she was the strongest.

Even she wore a serious expression. Her gaze harbored a grim outlook.

“I think we have to rely on Senior Elsi.”

That was fine, but then we needed to buy time. I hung the hand axe back at my waist.

Then it happened. With no precursor, the wolf’s body shot forth like a cannonball.

Seria instinctively threw herself to the side, but Celin was still dazed. I pushed her out of the way.

Thud, a shock that vibrated through my entire body.

Come to think of it, the high-ranking monster presumed to be its young did the same thing. A headbutt with such terrifying speed that there was no proper warning.

Now, I felt the secret unraveling. It could stretch and compress its body at will. Naturally, it was also possible to coil its muscles without revealing them.

My body crashed through a couple of trees and slammed into the ground. I could hear the splintering sounds of the wood.

Gah, I felt like my breath was being choked off. The shield was holding, but the impact transmitted through to my insides.

“Hey, are you okay…!”

“Don’t worry about me, just continue chanting!”

Senior Elsi asked about my well-being, sounding flustered, but there was no time. In the open area, Seria and Celin were already engaged with the monster.

Once again, the monster was distorting its body and delivering unpredictable attacks. Thanks to the shield, I had avoided instant death, but my insides felt like they were churning.

I spat up a splatter of mingled blood. Just allowing one hit had resulted in this.

I forced my trembling arms to calm down by slapping them with my other arm. Then I dashed back into the fray.

“Ian, are you okay…!”

“I’m fine, just fight!”

Senior Elsi had already begun her incantation. Some time had passed, but we needed to stretch it out more. During that time, casting any support magic was impossible, so I considered the shield non-existent now.

I awakened my senses as much as possible and followed after the elongated wolf’s rear. Then I lunged forward with all my strength, aiming my sword.

I felt a poke, but there was no sensation of piercing through the hide. Still, it must have stung because the monster let out a wail as it was struck unexpectedly. Seizing the opportunity, Seria slipped in below the wolf’s jaw and slashed with her sword.

A trickle of blood splattered. As expected of Seria. Even a monster of named caliber seemed to get wounded by her aura.

The monster, confused about whether to attack me, who had poked at its rear, or Seria, who had just scored her first hit, appeared uncertain. At that moment, Celin’s sword found a gap and struck the monster hard.

Bang! The sound echoed. Even though the sword had lodged itself, the explosion could be heard. This meant she had not fully pierced the hide, but that strong elemental force could become a blunt weapon in itself.

The monster let out a howl of pain and, stretching out its hind legs, retaliated in a manner reminiscent of a worm on a rainy day.

It then swiped at Celin, who was stuck near its waist.

“Yahhh!”

With the sound of a whip crack, the shield surrounding Celin shattered. It was because the monster’s claw had struck her shield.

Celin rolled across the ground. It was then that Senior Elsi’s voice rang out.

“Somehow stabilize its movements! I’m coming!”

Celin was still down, and only two among us were capable of executing that command.

Seria and I’s gazes met. In unison, we kicked the ground and lunged forward. The monster glared at us with an even more ferocious gaze.

If we were hit again, it would be the end. But our only chance lay in defeating the monster. We had no choice but to charge in more aggressively.

The monster was once again condensing its form. Now I understood. There was a reason for it to revert to that solid muscular body.

It was preparing for another headbutt. Seria and I’s gazes met once more.

She nodded silently.

If we didn’t stop that headbutt, we would be unable to deliver the direct hit of Senior Elsi’s magic. Our minds had synced in that understanding.

Seria immediately positioned herself in front of me. The shield magic was still active, so it was an unavoidable choice to minimize the risk.

Moments later, a collision sound echoed.

Boom! Compressed air burst forth, sending my hair flying wildly. Seria struggled to manage the wolf’s force, pushing herself back.

The moment the monster hesitated felt like a clutch. Feeling something was off about the atmosphere, the creature attempted to elongate itself again, but it was already too late.

My new sword surged like a torrent. Closer, it was at a distance too short for the wolf’s arm to even touch me.

At that instant, my hand axe flew from my waist. With all my strength, I aimed for the wolf’s snout, delivering a downward strike.

A crunch as the axe sunk into its flesh. If it were my wish, I would have liked to bury its snout into the ground, but the monster’s strength made that impossible.

And then, blood sprayed over my face.

Having achieved my goal, I rolled to the side. Overwhelmed by the sudden pain, the monster raised its head, unable to control itself.

The axe could not withstand the recoil and flew into the air. The monster’s blood painted the sky with crimson rainbows along the path of the axe.

A mournful scream reverberated with overwhelming volume. The noise reverberated in my ears, and I had to cover my ears. The next moment.

The world turned completely white.

It was not an exaggeration or a joke. Literally, the world erased itself like a blank piece of drawing paper. My sight and hearing slowly crumbled at the edges.

It was a lightning bolt. The spear of thunder, descending from the heavens, scorched the world white-hot.

The ground cracked open, and the hot wind wildly shook the trees. Even though it was merely a shockwave, it sent my body rolling along the ground once more.

It was Senior Elsi’s magic.

The name of the spell was “Judgment of Light,” a level 5 lightning spell.

It was mighty. Despite being a piercing magic directed at a single point, the surroundings were thrown into chaos as if a bomb had exploded.

When my hearing returned, the only thing that remained was a high-pitched ringing that bored into my brain like a parasite. I swayed, pushing my body back up.

If this power struck its weakness directly, no matter how fearsome the monster was, it couldn’t possibly survive.

With that conviction, I gripped the hand axe that was now rolling on the ground. The static energy crackled, but I endured it.

Finally, my eyes looked toward the monster.

The monster, raising its snout, made no move. It was as if it had become a stone statue.

Residual static energy seeped into the air. The expressions on Seria and my faces brightened as we assessed the monster’s condition.

The monster, before lowering its head again to glare at me.

Its horn glowed with blue electricity. That magic seemed to pulse to its eyes, which had once been shrouded in darkness now shone with bright blue light.

No matter where I looked, it was not the stance of a beast at death’s door. Rather, that fierce gaze resembled that of a predator before its prey.

While I was lost in those blue eyes of the monster, Senior Elsi screamed as if in despair.

“It’s resistant to lightning! That bastard has lightning resistance!”

Huh, this shouldn’t be happening.

My head went blank. I had come this far believing that the horn was its weak point. But it still seemed perfectly fine even after being struck on it?

It looked like a sturdy horn at a glance. It seemed impossible to slice through it with aura, at least in terms of hide.

So then, what on earth?

In frozen time, my gaze met the blue eyes of the monster and slowly shifted toward its horn.

My heightened senses scrutinized the area around its forehead. Then I found a tiny crack, very slight.

Between the horn and its hide, a gap was visible.

Time began to flow once again. I gritted my teeth and rolled. The monster’s paw swiped through the area I just occupied.

I threw away all sense of dignity. I rolled through the dirt, retreating backward until I was covered in mud.

Senior Elsi looked visibly flustered. Her teeth chattered, pale as a sheet. She must have judged there was no possible chance left to win.

I shouted at Senior Elsi.

“Senior Elsi, one more time!”

Despite my insistence, she only shook her head. Her voice trembled with fear as it slipped from her lips.

“Wh-what are you talking about… That thing has lightning resistance?! My magic would be meaningless even if it was cast a hundred times… Yikes! Fine, I’ll do it! I just have to do it!!”

Of course, Senior Elsi’s defiance was short-lived. Even while rolling on the ground, I subtly showed her the retrieved hand axe.

But she did not understand. Not only Senior Elsi, but Seria and even Celin, who had gathered her composure, looked at me as if to ask what I planned to do.

What was I going to do?

“Celin, Seria! Buy me time again!”

After a week spent without a single memory, it was the one thing I knew how to do well.

In other words, it was a crazy thing to do.

---