Ruthless Measure
Eve Wyler was leading five teams through the forest.
Their target was a Lizardman colony — around a dozen individuals inhabiting a rugged area, crudely armed yet organized enough to pose a threat.
Hidden in the undergrowth, Eve's sharp eyes glinted coldly as she watched and waited for the perfect moment.
"Almost there."
Her small fist, slightly raised outside the brush, would be the signal to unleash an all-out attack.
'If we strike during the Lizardman scouts' shift change, we can finish this without taking a hit.'
All the members she led were girls — which meant a physical disadvantage and a fragile image in combat. But—
"Strike team, attack!"
"Attack!"
[Offensive Spell: Small Fireball]
[Offensive Spell: Fast Shock]
[Offensive Spell: Fearless Wave]
[…]
Ten offensive spells, large and small, burst forth in an instant.
"Shield team, forward!"
"Advance!"
"Hyaaaah!"
Ten tall girls rushed out with shields and slammed into the disoriented Lizardmen, who tangled up and fell in confusion from the earlier barrage.
Then, at that moment—
Eve rose to her feet.
"Let's go!"
The final five charged at the fallen Lizardmen without hesitation, blades and spears gleaming.
"Rip them apart!"
And just like that, the battle was over in an instant.
Amazingly, not a single one of them was injured. They had completely taken the Lizardman colony by storm.
Their victory came from superior numbers — twenty-five in all — and a perfectly timed ambush.
'Thank goodness. Another success.'
Eve sat down on a tree stump, catching her breath as her pounding heartbeat slowly calmed.
After the kobold camp and the goblin encampment, this was the third victory of the day.
Every girl assigned Lizardmen as prey had now completed her task.
"Great job, sis!"
"We did it again thanks to you, Eve!"
The young witches from the strike team chirped happily around her.
"It's thanks to how well you all did."
Meanwhile, the shield team's warrior girls were collecting proof items — necklaces taken from the slain Lizardmen.
"Here, this one's yours."
It was Elaine Holt, a nineteen-year-old swordswoman with her long hair tied up. She handed Eve a Lizardman token.
Elaine remembered that Eve's target was the small Lizardman sentry and had saved one for her.
"Thanks, Elaine."
"No, thank you, Eve. I can't believe you took out half of them yourself. Everyone's grateful to you, you know?"
"Haha."
Eve gave a shy smile.
But it was true — just as Elaine said, Eve was leading twenty-five girls through the ritual with incredible speed.
After kobolds and goblins, the girls assigned Lizardmen had completed their hunts in a single day — half of all the female participants.
'All that's left are the orcs and gnolls.'
At this pace, even moving carefully, they'd finish all the girls' hunts within two days.
But Eve had another plan.
'It's time to move on to the orcs.'
The sun was setting, and the girls were clearly exhausted, but—
[Quest: Savior of the Sons is in progress.]
'I have to go. Tonight's the night.'
She was a player in this world — and she knew what others didn't.
The Kishiris Order's conspiracy.
'The Ultra Wave will happen after sunset, when the moon rises.'
When that happened, all the boys would be slaughtered.
"I have to stop it."
Draining a potion to restore her stamina, Eve stood up once more.
"All right, if you've gathered all the proof, we're moving!"
"Strike team, move out!"
"Shield team, move too!"
For now, they would return to the girls' quarters to rest and reorganize.
'First, I'll hit an orc barracks, subdue it, and awaken the Shield of Balance.'
Then she'd head into the Orc Shaman's Cave, where the Ultra Wave would begin.
There, she would slay the Kishiris priestess and stop the ritual.
"..."
It wouldn't be easy — but that was Eve's plan.
As she walked silently, Elaine shouted to the girls behind her,
"Everyone, head into the quarters and unpack! We're resting there!"
"Woo! Let's lie down already!"
"My back's killing me from carrying this shield all day!"
"Maybe it's not the shield — maybe you just miss your handsome boyfriend?"
"Hey! What are you saying?!"
The girls laughed, their laughter bright and carefree like rustling autumn leaves.
But Eve, at the front of the line, didn't share their mood.
'Gilroshan…'
When she thought about the Shield of Balance in her inventory and the Orc Shaman's Cave, his face inevitably came to mind.
That rigid expression surfaced in her thoughts.
"…Maybe I should've heard him out."
She'd flatly refused to speak with him at the camp last night, so he'd probably try to sabotage her independent plan now.
And that look he gave her when he turned away—
'Like a puppy that's been abandoned.'
The memory bothered her, leaving her thoughts tangled.
'Yeah… I was like that too when I first fell into this world. I needed something to hold on to.'
But not anymore.
Now, she couldn't afford to waver.
Her top priority was the safety of these girls.
Quest completion rates didn't matter to Eve in the slightest.
Her one and only goal was to get every one of them out of the hunting grounds safely — without shedding a single drop of blood.
'So why does that face keep coming back to me…?'
"…Sigh."
"Why do you keep sighing? Everything's going great. Something bothering you?"
Eve gave a faint, bitter smile at Elaine's question.
"Ah, it's nothing. By the way, you went to see Erkward last night, didn't you? How was he? Is he doing okay?"
"Don't even get me started. Ever since he became the vice-leader's aide, his nose is so high I almost smacked him. Oh right, he said to say hi."
"Oh, really?"
"He still likes you, you know. Not that he's the only one."
Eve chuckled softly.
And as they walked, Elaine kept chatting, filling the evening air with stories.
Family, Friends, Swordsmanship, Love, Hobbies...
From small, trivial matters to their deepest thoughts — the two of them shared everything. They were that close.
In truth, their bond had been forged long before this ritual ever began.
'It's already been three years since I came to Aulrax.'
After falling into this God-Forsaken World, she had escaped the Duchy of Wyler and settled here.
And over time, she stopped seeing the people of this world as NPCs — they were real, living human beings to her.
'No... even more precious than that...'
They were family.
"Big sisters! Look! Aren't these flowers pretty?"
"Huh? There's a bug on that one."
"Eek!"
"Hahahaha!"
Everyone who followed Eve now had been with her for a long time.
The boys' bonds with her were shallower, but they too shared history with her.
So even though she was a player, it was only natural that Eve cared more about their safety than about any quest rewards.
'They're all my friends, my little brothers and sisters. I can't let them get hurt.'
Watching them die — that was unthinkable.
That was why Eve had chosen the independent squad route.
It was a decision that Gilroshan could never have predicted.
'Maybe... I should've talked to him?'
…No.
After a moment of hesitation, Eve shook her head.
'It would only cause confusion. Gilroshan can't be part of the Revolutionary Army's camp anyway.'
He had to be driven out.
She'd struggled with the thought, but in the end, she'd accepted it: someday, she would have to cut him off.
'He's dangerous.'
The independent route itself was known as a "half-clear method" — and that said it all. Gilroshan was a dangerous factor.
'That's why, ever since he was in Cold Sun, I've been quietly pressuring him, trying to push him away.'
She'd leaked bits of information to the city guards, hoping they'd force his party to leave the area on their own…
But the result had been a complete failure.
Gilroshan's group had evaded every pursuit and made it all the way here.
'Honestly, I'm impressed.'
He didn't just understand this world better than anyone — he used that knowledge boldly. Watching him cut through what seemed like impossible paths made her curious what road he'd choose next.
But still—
'We can't coexist.'
In the end, they would clash.
They would shed blood.
That was the fate of every player who fell into this world.
'Just like that person did.'
It was no different now.
Gilroshan and Eve were both pursuing the same quest — but each insisted on their own method.
As long as they stayed in the same region, these confrontations would keep happening.
And eventually, it would all end the same way it had three years ago.
"…So I have no choice. This is my path."
Eve muttered under her breath as she trudged along the forest trail.
Overhead, the crimson sunset began to fall across the plains.
In the distance, a massive rocky hill rose up — and on either side of it stood two sturdy wooden cabins.
They were still small, barely visible — no bigger than the tip of a finger from here.
"Oh! That must be our cozy lodgings!"
"Are our quarters on the east side or the west side?"
"East! Ahh, I can't wait to wash up!"
"Can we run there, big sisters?"
The girls, exhausted after a long day of hunting, cheered excitedly.
"Don't get too rowdy."
"Hey, who's that running ahead? Captain of the shield team, control your girls—ha, kids these days."
At the front, Eve and Elaine laughed softly, calming them down.
Of course, she understood their eagerness to rest, so she didn't bother to stop their chatter.
Twenty-five girls walked together along the forest path toward their lodging—
When suddenly—
Boom…
A deep, rumbling impact shook the ground.
"Huh? What was that?"
The shock was strong enough that every girl stopped in her tracks.
And the next moment, Eve's eyes widened in disbelief.
Rrrrrrrumble…
Atop the rocky hill, the largest boulder began to tilt — slowly, ominously — as if a giant were collapsing.
It was majestic, unreal—
and horrifying.
Then, the moment the tilt reached its limit, the rock fell.
"Wha—what?"
"S-sis!"
"Whoa—whoaahhh!"
The girls screamed as the massive boulder crashed down, dragging mounds of dirt with it as it thundered down the slope.
"No! Stop!"
It wasn't headed directly toward them—
but Eve still screamed.
Because from where she stood, she could see exactly where it was going.
The landslide struck the eastern lodge.
The girls' cabin.
CRASH!
With a single colossal blow, the log house was crushed and erased from existence.
"..."
"..."
Everyone stood frozen, staring as clouds of dust rose into the air.
And in that moment, a chilling memory resurfaced in Eve's mind.
'Ah… the black market.'
Back when she'd rolled those thugs into giant balls and sent them flying.
"…Gilroshan."
It couldn't be anyone else.
No other explanation fit.
He was the only one who knew the secret of that mountain of stone.
Eve's face twisted in rage as she shouted—
"Hey! Gilroshan! You crazy bastard!"