31. Rabbit Hide
With sharp momentum, the arrow flew and precisely pierced the foremost charging enemy, exploding upon impact.
The assailant slid with the same force, crashing onto the snowy ground. It was a fatal blow.
However, the rest showed no sign of concern. Instead, they howled ferociously, sprinting straight towards the watchtower.
Finally, the moment of collision approached right before their eyes!
[!!]
“Haah-!”
With a powerful force, Zion and Earth Golem leaped towards the enemies.
Earth Golem, raising its massive arms high, struck one of them head-on, while Elf Zion swung his sword.
The blade, drawn diagonally, caused one enemy in the front to stagger and spurt blood.
Another one swiftly rushed in from the side, claws slashing.
Kagak!
The shield’s surface was scratched by the enemy’s claws, sparks flying, but the impact was nullified.
Mana shimmered distinctly on the shield’s surface.
Seemingly unfazed, Zion pushed the shield with a thud towards the enemy that had attacked him.
The giant bear-like creature stumbled backward with a loud thud.
As it staggered back, Zion swiftly struck with a skillful slash.
[Kwok?!]
Blood sprayed from the monster rabbit’s abdomen, staining the snowy ground.
“Wow!”
It was an astonishing display of physical prowess as Han watched in amazement.
With each swing of Zion’s shield and sword, the massive monsters struggled to regain composure, staggering under the relentless assault.
Earth Golem, applying a defensive stance, relentlessly moved beside Zion, grabbing the rabbit creatures by their heads and ruthlessly slamming them into the snowy field.
But it didn’t end there.
“Fire, Fire Ball!”
Hwaak!
As Yumina concentrated her mana, a sphere of crimson fire formed in her hand, engulfing the pack of monster rabbits.
In an instant, the snow melted away, revealing the earth beneath, radiating intense heat.
A tremendous heat enveloped the area, leaving no monster unscathed.
The group of monsters in the center burned to ashes, while a few nearby shivered before succumbing to death.
Less than half of the group remained.
[Gwaaah!]
The enraged monster rabbits turned their heads.
Their gaze met Yumina’s.
“Hiiii…!”
Yumina, startled, closed her eyes tightly.
In that moment, the monsters charging towards her were swiftly taken down by agile intruders.
Three wolves, Dire Wolves, to be exact.
[Krrring!]
Pups, baby wolves.
No, the fully matured dire wolves were rough and fierce now.
Their massive bodies pinned the rabbits down with their front paws, mercilessly tearing into them with their large jaws.
The rabbits squealed and struggled, but to no avail.
Like ghosts, Irina’s arrows flew true, exploding the heads of the rabbits in a flurry.
In an instant, their numbers dwindled one by one.
Up front, Zion and the wolves, drawing attention with their presence, while Irina and Yumina launched decisive attacks from the rear, systematically bringing them down one by one.
The situation was such an easy fight that Han, who was watching, was surprised beyond belief.
[Gu, Gwoe-eok?!]
Before they knew it, the numbers had decreased, and as they regained their senses, only a few remained.
Panic gripped the surviving rabbits as their initial ferocity vanished, hastily fleeing the scene.
Of course, Irina had no intention of letting even a single monster rabbit escape.
She aimed her arrow at the fleeing monster rabbits’ backs.
Her arrow, imbued with a distinct sacred power, struck the head of one of the fleeing creatures.
With their momentum, they tumbled across the snowy field and fell flat.
Her remarkable archery skills continued, neatly finishing off the last fleeing rabbit.
It was a complete annihilation of the group.
“Wow.”
Han, who was watching, couldn’t believe his eyes.
Unknowingly, he opened his mouth wide.
“Is this really happening?”
Blocking monsters so effortlessly?
It was a smooth cleanup like never before.
Clearly, the increased manpower had a significant impact on the outcome.
It was a different situation from when Irina was defending alone.
Thud!
Irina agilely leaped down from the watchtower.
She approached the dead monster rabbits, confirming each one.
Listening for any signs of life, it was to double-check if any were still alive among them.
After finishing her check, she breathed a sigh of relief.
The situation was secure.
No surviving creatures were left.
The first defense battle against the monster horde had successfully come to an end.
***
Sniff, sniff.
The young wolves had reverted to their original small forms.
They approached the dead monster rabbits, burying their noses in the snow, sniffing their scent.
Perhaps the scent of blood was quite stimulating.
Zion looked around.
His gaze was fixed on the rabbits gradually being covered by the falling snowflakes.
One by one, the monsters were all much larger than the elves.
“To think we faced such monsters. It’s hard to believe even after doing it firsthand.”
Shudder.
Could it be that it didn’t feel real?
The steel sword in Zion’s hand trembled.
It was the elves themselves and Zion who had defeated those creatures.
Now that everything was over, the young lad was trembling all over again.
“We always used to run away. But to think we fought these monsters and came out unscathed, or rather, alive like this….”
The two siblings had always been powerless weaklings who only ran and hid.
But now, things were different.
Zion and Yumina had gained some strength to resist the harsh world.
Just like that, they had become respectable members of this square.
Zion chuckled, his nose twitching.
“For once, I didn’t become a burden to big sister Irina. hahahaha.”
“Now we can achieve more, Zion. It starts now.”
Indeed.
Irina was right.
The world still had dangers lurking everywhere.
Certainly, it was improving compared to before, day by day, but it was still a world where you never knew what might come up.
Today, they overcame the situation smoothly, but they didn’t know if tomorrow would bring even more challenging circumstances.
To survive in this world, everyone had to unite as they were now.
It was a harsh world where gaining a bit of strength didn’t mean you could rest easy.
Zion nodded.
“I’ll strive to become even stronger in the future.”
With the victory in battle, the elves were now entitled to their rightful rewards.
“Wow….”
Zion’s eyes sparkled.
He gently stroked the thick and rich fur of the giant monster rabbit fluttering in the wind, mumbling to himself.
“Such precious fur, sister.”
“Yeah. It’s a really lucky day, isn’t it?”
They all laughed joyfully.
It was a harsh world where snowflakes drifted down.
The fur was one of the most valuable treasures in this place.
It was an unexpectedly good harvest.
If they were human, a large meat harvest would probably be the greatest joy.
But since the recipients were elves, it was a bit different.
Irina looked at Zion and Yumina, whose faces had reddened from the cold, and chuckled.
“hahahaha, feeling cold, everyone? With this, we can make clothes and hats. We could even make a soft blanket.”
“A blanket!”
Yumina exclaimed, her mouth agape in surprise.
I understood the limit of watching.
The attire of the elves had a noticeably meager appearance even to the unfamiliar eye. Though they seemed to have dressed thickly enough to withstand the cold, their garments, without exception, appeared worn and heavily weathered, as if they had been worn for a long time and had aged considerably.
In such circumstances, if they were to wear clothes made of fluffy fur, it would undoubtedly provide a great deal of warmth.
“Oh, come to think of it.”
At that moment, Han recalled a previous incident.
It was about the dire wolves that had fallen before.
“System. Those wolves from back then. They’re probably still lying dead in the same spot, given the cold weather. Their bodies are likely neatly frozen in place, right?”
[It is difficult to provide a clear answer, but it is likely that the bodies of those individuals are still intact in their original positions. Since there aren’t many beings wandering around here to disturb them.]
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“Oh, really? In that case.”
Han’s eyes narrowed.
However, the subsequent response from the system dashed Han’s expectations.
[However, it would be quite challenging to locate them at this moment.]
“Why is that?”
[In this world, traces left by living beings, such as footprints or bodies, are quickly buried under snow within a few hours due to constant snowfall. Therefore, exploration would likely be difficult.]
“…That’s a shame.”
The system only provided realistic responses.
If it was giving such a definitive answer, there was probably no room for error.
Indeed, just by looking at the scene before his eyes, it was evident.
Even at this moment, the thick, rough snowflakes had quickly covered the monsters in front of them, turning them completely white.
In just a brief moment, the forms of the rabbit creatures were slowly disappearing under the snow, as if a small mound had risen from being covered by snow.
Moreover, if one were to view from the perspective of an observer looking down on the ground, the situation was already at this point, let alone how it might be for the elves on the ground.
It was probably not easy for them to discern objects, let alone less so.
Thud!
Zion dragged the rabbit’s carcass over.
Each monster boasted a substantial weight comparable to a bear, yet there was no sign of strain on Zion’s face.
Upon closer inspection, a faintly shimmering aura flowed all over his body. It was mana.
Meanwhile, Irina and Yumina had begun processing the rabbit fur.
The monster rabbits, which were already starting to freeze with a faint white frost, felt a cold chill as their skin was cut by the elves’ white fingers.
The white fingertips quickly turned pale as they touched the cold skin.
They must all be feeling the chill, even if they didn’t show it.
After observing them for a while, Han took action.
He lit a fire with 100pt and bestowed warmth upon the elves.
Irina, noticing the gesture, covered her mouth and chuckled.
“Thank you, god.”
“You’re welcome.”
The elves proceeded even more smoothly with the rabbit preparations than before.
Gathered in a circle around the fire, they skillfully separated the rabbit’s flesh and fur with practiced hands.
And as for Han…
“Hmm….”
He decided to stop there.
Anything beyond that, honestly, made him a bit uneasy to look at.
It was just a short while ago that it was a living organism in good condition.
Though it was a monster, it still had blood and flesh like a human, so watching it quietly made him feel a bit cruel, to be honest.