---
Arthur couldn't believe what he was seeing…
Three monsters emerged from the shadows of the trees as if the forest had spat them out all at once.
They were massive, twisted-limbed, and their glowing red eyes burned like embers under winter wind.
Beside him, Elyara Fiendright stood with a steadiness unfit for a girl barely sixteen.
Despite the exhaustion in her legs, her eyes were… sharp, alert, reflecting the power she was born with—power no ordinary human could possess.
---
The roar of the first monster ripped through the silence… then it charged.
— "E— Elyara! Fall back!"
— "You're the one who should fall back!"
She raised her right hand quickly, and the air bent around her as if it were following an absolute command.
— "Wind Magic — Gale Slap!"
A violent gust erupted and struck the monster directly in the chest, but the hit wasn't strong enough to knock it down… it only stopped it for a moment. A very short moment.
The other two monsters lunged toward Arthur.
His body trembled. The system screamed in his head:
[Warning! Monsters' level exceeds host's level! I suggest running… or running… or, did I mention running?]
— "Stop joking now!"
— [So this isn't the right time to develop my sense of humor?]
Arthur didn't have time to shout back; one of the monsters leaped toward him, claws gleaming under the faint moonlight. He rolled across the ground desperately trying to survive, hair covering his eyes and dirt sticking to his face.
He stood up with difficulty… then swallowed hard.
— "I have no strength… no weapon… not even a single skill! How…"
The monster attacked again.
Faster. Stronger.
Arthur raised his arms instinctively to block the strike—but before the monster reached him, Elyara's voice thundered:
— "Arthur! Duck!"
He ducked without thinking.
Dozens of wind blades tore past him, sharp enough to cut the air itself.
— "Wind Magic — Blade Storm!"
The blades slashed the second monster, carving deep wounds into its body and forcing it to stagger backward with a muffled cry of pain.
Elyara's eyes glowed as if she had been born for this.
As for Arthur… he was panting, sweating, and his heart felt like it would burst out of his chest.
This body was pathetically weak.
But the third monster didn't wait. It leaped at her from the side in a treacherous strike.
Arthur shouted:
— "Elyara!!!"
He moved without thinking… running on trembling legs and throwing himself toward her.
His attack wasn't heroic nor effective.
It was more like a desperate attempt to save her… but it was enough to slow the monster for a split second.
Elyara raised her left hand:
— "Wind Shield!"
A transparent barrier formed and pushed the monster back, slamming it into the ground and raising a cloud of dust.
She looked at him, her breaths quick:
— "You… why did you rush in? You could have died."
— "Because… I don't know. I couldn't just stand and watch."
She didn't answer. But her eyes trembled for a moment.
---
The first and second monsters returned and approached together… intending to kill them both at once.
— "We… won't get out of this unless we do something," Arthur said.
The system laughed mockingly in his head:
[Congratulations on analyzing the situation, genius. Want a medal?]
— "System… not now!"
— [Fine, fine. I'll help you. Prepare for your first skill… but don't expect much.]
A notification appeared in front of his eyes:
[Skill Unlocked: Pebble Throw (Lv. 1)]
[Description: An almost useless skill… but it might distract a squirrel. And maybe a monster… if it's dumb enough.]
[Upgradeable]
— "Are you kidding me?!"
— [Who said I'm a respectable assistant?]
But he had no choice.
Arthur quickly bent down, grabbed a small stone, and threw it with all his strength at the third monster's eye.
A miracle happened.
He missed the eye… but hit the nose.
The monster stopped for a second, startled.
Elyara shouted:
— "Good! Keep it distracted!"
She raised both hands. The air around her began to swirl with terrifying force.
Her dress tore at the edges, and her silver hair lifted with the rising wind.
— "This… is a high-level spell!" Arthur muttered in shock.
— "Advanced Wind Magic…"
Then she erupted with a voice that shook the forest:
— "Cyclon Picaxe!"
A small tornado formed in front of her, smashing into all three monsters at once and hurling them far away until they crashed into the trees.
The ground shook…
and silence spread.
Elyara collapsed to her knees from exhaustion.
Arthur fell to the ground too, not from fatigue… but from shock at what had just happened.
The system, you bastard, who needs help now, huh?
The system:
[.....]
---
After minutes of heavy breathing, Elyara said:
— "If you hadn't helped me… we might not have made it."
Arthur smiled shyly:
— "Even though all I did… was throw a pebble?"
— "But it was at the right moment."
The system appeared in his mind with sarcasm:
[Oh, great. Now we're heroes? Should I add an achievement called: 'Nation Saver with a Stone'?]
— "Shut up."
— [Kids these days… no respect.]
Elyara chuckled softly, even though she had no idea what was happening in his head.
And so…
their first victory was born.
A pathetic one, perhaps… but a beginning that would change both her fate and his.
---