“Kyaaaaaaaah!”

A young black-haired female player ran through the jungle screaming.

Chasing after her was a ferocious giant lizard—a Golden Lizard.

“Wah!?”

Her foot caught on an unexpected drop in the terrain, and she tumbled to the ground.

She had already been poisoned.

There was nowhere left for her to run.

“I guess this is the end…”

There was no chance of victory anymore.

As the giant lizard closed in, she prepared herself for death.

Then, in the very next moment—

“GYAAAAAAAASSSSS!!”

A warrior appeared from nowhere and slammed a sword into the giant lizard.

The newcomer wore tattered clothes and a battered light armor covered in scratches—

A wild warrior.

Their expression was hidden behind a faded scarf.

The giant lizard immediately switched its target to the wild warrior.

“SHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”

It launched a savage pounce.

However, the wild warrior evaded the body slam with a single step, moving only the minimum amount necessary before delivering a counterattack.

The follow-up tail strike was also effortlessly avoided with nothing more than a slight crouch.

“Amazing…”

The female player couldn’t help but whisper in awe.

The warrior’s hair shifted slightly, revealing a glimpse of her eyes.

A seasoned veteran had appeared.

Her true identity was May, now seventeen years old.

The giant lizard took a deep breath and sprayed poison from its mouth.

But May had already memorized its behavior.

She calmly slipped through the scattered poison with room to spare.

An opening appeared.

Yet instead of attacking, May sprinted low across the ground.

She picked something up from the grass and leaped into the air at the same time, causing the charging Golden Lizard to crash directly into a massive tree.

“Use this.”

She pressed an [Antidote Herb] into the hand of the still-seated female player.

Faced with the ferocious giant lizard, May had prioritized healing her instead.

Then, immediately afterward—

“Th-That’s!?”

The female player shouted.

Another monster had entered the battle.

A black-purple giant bird dove down at tremendous speed.

Even then, May remained completely calm.

“[Stone Throw].”

She tossed a stone she had picked up from the ground.

The projectile struck like a cannonball, instantly shooting the giant bird out of the sky.

However, during that opening, the Golden Lizard had closed the distance.

A massive shadow spread over May’s feet.

The giant lizard raised its upper body and brought its enormous weight crashing down.

“W-WATCH OOOOOOUUUUUT!!”

Faced with such a hopeless situation, the female player screamed.

May casually evaded with a single backstep.

Then she stepped directly into the monster’s range—

“[Sword Bash].”

She drove her shortsword deep into the differently colored scale on the Golden Lizard’s chest.

A tremendous shockwave blasted through its body and out its back.

May quietly turned away.

As though she had already lost all interest.

The next instant, the giant lizard collapsed with a heavy thud.

Its body dissolved into particles of light and vanished.

“Th-That’s incredible…”

The female player couldn’t help admiring the master’s level of efficiency.

There wasn’t a single wasted movement.

“Thank you. You saved me…”

She took May’s outstretched hand and stood up.

Thanks to the [Antidote Herb], the poison had been completely cured as well.

“Such incredible combat ability in a jungle that’s difficult to fight in… C-Could it be that you’re…”

May tilted her head slightly.

The female player stared straight at her with serious eyes.

“—A native resident?”

“No, I’m not!”

May removed her hole-ridden scarf and fixed her messy hair.

The result was a surprisingly delicate and beautiful girl completely at odds with her ragged equipment.

Her shoulder-length black hair suited her perfectly.

She looked like a classic beauty.

“That monster was really dangerous.”

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

May smiled happily before letting out a small sigh.

“I just hope… there won’t be any more monsters targeting the village now.”

“…Won’t be any more?”

“Yes.”

“I hope peace comes to the village soon.”

May showed a refreshing smile.

This time, it was the female player who tilted her head.

“They… won’t disappear, though?”

“…Huh?”

May looked confused by the unexpected response.

“B-But that monster’s quest appears over and over every day.”

“Surely they’ll disappear eventually…”

“They keep appearing because they’re normal monsters.”

“…Wait, how long have you been fighting them?”

“I’ve been fighting them for a very long time.”

“Thousands of times…”

“Maybe even tens of thousands.”

“I thought so.”

“Then even if you fought them millions of times, Golden Lizards would never go extinct.”

“What!?”

“The fact that the quest can be accepted that many times means it was never a village-saving quest to begin with.”

“So there’s no need to keep defeating them.”

“Whaaaaat!?”

“In short, monsters won’t go extinct no matter how many you kill, and the village won’t be destroyed even if you leave them alone.”

“WWHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?”

“Golden Lizards are actually pretty strong, but they give great experience, so they’re considered popular monsters that players compete over.”

“It looks like they were still a bit too much for a level 19 player like me.”

“Ahahahaha.”

“…………”

As the female player laughed, May’s eyes went blank.

At long last, the shocking truth had been revealed.

Elementary school.

Middle school.

Now the summer of her second year in high school.

The battle Satsuki had devoted her youth to was finally over.

[Name: May]

[Class: Wild Child]

Level: 193

HP: 12980/12980

MP: 312/312

Strength: 621 (+12)

Endurance: 502 (+7)

Agility: 438

Dexterity: 399

Intelligence: 10

Luck: 10

Weapon: [Shortsword] Attack 12

Armor: [Adventurer’s Clothes] Defense 5

: [Hemp Scarf] Defense 2

Skills: [Sword Bash] [Stone Throw]

: [Rabbit Jump] [Bambi Step] [Monkey Climb]

: [Far Sight] [Enhanced Hearing] [Enhanced Smell] [Night Vision]

: [Friend of Nature]