Chapter 46

– “Damn it, the monsters are attacking Elard!”

– “So why is it Elard this time?”

– “What does it matter why? They’re just doing it.”

– “Aren’t they aiming for the World Tree?”

– “Really? Are they trying to save us from those long-eared pests?”

– “What are you talking about, you nasty human maniac.”

– “Aren’t the monsters trying to stop the roots from taking hold? Seems like it, yeah.”

After a serious discussion among the scholars in the Gallery of Annihilation, that’s what they concluded.

“Are they aiming for the World Tree?”

The monsters were slowly attempting to terraform this world.

However, things weren’t going so smoothly with Elard, and it was all due to the World Tree.

They kept reverting the land polluted by the rift back to its original state, preventing any headaches along the way.

Perhaps from the monsters’ perspective, the one thing they wanted to remove most was the World Tree.

– “It’s just that it seems the easiest target.”

– “What?!”

– “Shhh.”

– “This is correct. Who else would take a beating as consistently as the elves do?”

– “For real, the strong-weak dynamic is way too severe, lol.”

– “Are they really going to just let themselves get wiped out?”

– “Gasp!”

Other opinions simply stemmed from it looking like an easy target.

You could see that just by looking at instances of monster invasions.

The area they clashed with the most was the dwarven mountains.

But thanks to the dwarves’ technology and combat ability, the monsters only managed to take a little of Kilgroth.

“Even that got pushed back when they offered some support, right?”

They gave just a few tuna cans and some alcohol, and with that, they sent the monsters right back outside the walls.

Next on the monsters’ list was Adrian, specifically the fallen Kellierhton Kingdom.

– “The reason Adrian fell, jpeg.”

– “Fact: Ever since the founding of Adrian, humans haven’t really thrived.”

– “Doesn’t something seem off with Kellierhton?”

– “The Kellton that was said to have been inherited = the first to be wiped out, lol.”

In a way, there wasn’t a race easier to target than humans.

Unlike other races which have lower populations, they were busy fighting each other.

Take Adrian’s division into two, for example; that was due to internal strife, not the monsters’ invasion.

“But if a common enemy shows up, they do fight back, right?”

The humans excel at surviving when cornered.

It’s not for nothing that heroes emerge in chaotic times.

Though the monsters persistently attacked, humans fiercely defended.

What if they swarm? Well, they can just run away.

They either retreat with their numbers intact or combine forces with other nations to carry on the battle.

The monsters’ invasion attempts ended in failure.

– “Making arrows is harder than I expected.”

– “Oh, woe is me.”

– “What are we going to do with armor?”

– “We must protect nature!”

Of course, excluding the elves.

Elves? What, there was nothing there.

Literally nothing existed.

They had excellent physical conditions and lifespan, but that advantage shone only in personal combat.

Thus, until the Great War, they had garnered a fair amount of hate from various races, but it wasn’t a major issue.

– “If you’re so upset, why don’t you find a better respawn point, lol?”

– “You should be growing the World Tree too~”

– “Or come invade, lol. Let’s have a match in Elard, hehe.”

Because they had the power.

If push came to shove, they could just lay siege.

The problem arose after the Great War.

What would usually be lethal arrows had little effect on monsters.

And they had yet to develop the advanced technologies and civilizations like dwarves and humans.

Only character stats mattered.

The price for being cocky because of that was steep.

– “I’d rather cut off my wrist than help the elves.”

– “This is what karma refers to. I wouldn’t care if the elves went extinct.”

– “Not like we’re trading anything…”

Dwarves hated elves.

With humans as trading partners, there simply wasn’t a need to deal with stiff-necked elves.

Humans… were a bit different.

– “Hehe, so you wanna be a slave then?”

– “I’d like it too, but I have things I want in return…”

– “You’re cool, lol.”

– “Ugh, those disgusting humans think just the same way, ugh.”

Humans disliked elves.

In the blink of an eye, generations shift, and thoughts change.

Just when it seemed like honorable humans emerged, it only took about 30 to 50 years for rotten ones to take their place.

A race solely dedicated to their instincts.

Elves couldn’t rely on anyone.

Except for me.

[User NatureKeeper^^ offers 100 Morning Dew!]

[User YoungHealthyElf offers Luck Earrings!]

[User TrendyElf offers Magical Leaf!]

– “Oh dear, I hope you elves do well… ^^”

– “Head of the Gallery! Head of the Gallery! Head of the Gallery!”

– “Thank you every time. Thanks to you, Elard is surviving! ^^”

“Are you trying to bribe me?”

I was clearly trying to give things away out of goodwill, but somehow, rewards kept coming back.

I frowned and accepted all the gifts into my pocket.

“Fantasy elf items? I can’t resist that.”

Instead, I ended up purchasing the ancient war weapon I originally intended to gift.

[M2 HMG] – 14,000 points.

A machine gun.

I delivered to the elves what’s known domestically as the MG50.

*

Elard had been busy with monster issues lately.

The Pumpkin Head Monster was just the beginning.

Reports indicated that around a dozen Variant Monsters were set to invade.

“Hmm, is this the…”

“Just looking at it is chilling.”

“But it looks a bit different from the shotgun the Beastfolk possess?”

Beggom.

In the Elf Kingdom, Elardrien, elves perked up their ears with curiosity.

It was all due to the weapons the Head of the Gallery had disseminated.

“The name was… machine gun, right?”

But surprisingly, the elves weren’t entirely welcoming.

“Hmm… but I was expecting more grenades to be sent…”

“Or that jump mine. Its power was perfect, but a shotgun…?”

“It’s not a shotgun, it’s a machine gun. The Head of the Gallery referred to it like that, didn’t he?”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

The elves peered down at the machine gun with suspicion.

Guns? Good.

But in societal perception, guns were viewed as fatal weapons.

With just a flick of a finger, they could kill any opponent.

However, they had to be used at close range and weren’t effective against large numbers.

Having only seen shotguns, misconceptions about guns emerged.

“Isn’t it inadequate for warfare?”

“What if we try to get close and end up dying?”

Particularly, the elders showed a lot of concern.

They wished they’d received grenades or mines instead of this unfamiliar weapon that they hadn’t experienced firsthand.

“Your Majesty, utilizing this weapon seems…”

“For the safety of Your Majesty, it should be stationed in the audience room.”

They quickly assessed that it would be difficult to utilize the machine gun in war.

They had no idea what the difference between a machine gun and a shotgun was, and they favored only what was familiar.

“No.”

However, Armin was different.

She didn’t care what the elders were saying.

From the moment that long and beautiful grand magic entered the conference hall, she couldn’t focus her gaze anywhere else.

“Ah, it’s so beautiful.”

“Your Majesty?”

“Mersenne, when did the monster horde say they’d reach Elardrien?”

Tap, tap.

[Title: Conference is so boring!]

Author: Elf Elder

Conference… it’s boring and tedious…

Isn’t it better to read another book during this time?

Don’t you agree, Harp-jan?

(Nods in agreement, Harp-con)

Say hi to my friend, Harp-jan!

“Mersenne?”

“Oh! I feel the same way!”

While Mersenne was engrossed in her gallery duties, her ears twitched.

She understood the question a beat late and replied.

“Um, I heard they’d reach Elardrien by tonight.”

“Tonight?”

“Wow, they’ve already gotten this far…”

Mersenne’s report naturally dampened the mood in the conference room.

Night would be the worst possible condition for battle.

Elves had excellent night vision, but it wouldn’t help against mindless charging monsters.

In major battles, this could even become a disadvantage, causing them to sense impending heavy casualties.

“This is nice!”

But Armin’s expression was bright.

No, it was so bright that she seemed ecstatic.

“It’s finally time to see… no, utilize the grand magic that the Head of the Gallery provided!”

Armin spoke with the eagerness of an elf who couldn’t wait to see.

“That… the mine and the shotgun, right?”

“M15 Antitank Mine, M2 HMG Machine Gun. Please refer to them properly.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.”

The queen showed unusually keen interest in the grand magic bestowed by the Head of the Gallery.

“Oh no, I have to go out and witness the battle myself.”

Armin was eager for the night to arrive.

*

Late at night.

The moonlight dimmed, casting only thick darkness over the night.

Strange growls began echoing one by one in the silence of Elard.

– “Grrr…”

– “Grrrr!”

“They’re here!”

Monsters were approaching not from the eastern location outside, but unusually from the north and west.

Variant Monsters mutated by the rift began to reveal themselves one by one.

And as reported, their size was immense.

“Oh my…”

“How are we supposed to take that down?”

The elves, who expected nothing bigger than the Pumpkin Monsters, were met with giant monsters that easily exceeded three meters.

At that size, they were on the larger side even among adult trolls.

Above all, unlike trolls who couldn’t use mana shields, these creatures could.

Elven swords and bows couldn’t penetrate their hides or claim their lives.

“I can’t, I can’t catch something like that.”

Despair filled the expressions of the elves.

Specifically, it was only the elves who hadn’t witnessed the jump mine’s power before that reacted this way.

“The monsters are approaching with grand magic!”

Mines. The elves called that grand magic.

Would it even be effective?

No matter how powerful the explosive was, could it even kill monsters that large?

As the elves, filled with doubt, watched, those who knew just slowly covered their ears with their hands.

“Block your ears.”

“What?”

“Learn it if you don’t know. Even if you can’t memorize it, just follow my orders.”

The young elf, just about to participate in the battle, looked bewildered and covered her ears.

And then she noticed the unusually expectant elves.

“Is the Head of the Gallery’s weapon really that impressive?”

As doubt began to shift into curiosity.

“I stepped on it!”

One elf filled with dopamine screamed, and they soon understood.

KWAAN!!!

“?!”

The immense impact felt as if a giant was shaking the ground.

It was powerful enough to mistake it for thunder.

– “Grrr!”

Even the elf fell to the ground losing balance, just like the monsters collapsing in the distance.

And the sky looked red.

It was indeed the middle of the night.

The sky became bright enough to fill their eyes.

“Is this grand magic…?”

Grand magics mentioned only in ancient tomes.

As I barely collected myself after the shock, the monster that had stepped on the mine was nowhere to be found.

With the simultaneous explosions, the monster horde was thrown into madness.

But that wasn’t the end.

– “Kiaeek!”

– “Grrr!”

“The monsters are coming in droves!”

After the Variant Monsters were killed off, low-level monsters began to rush in.

As the infathomable numbers froze a young elf in place, something appeared from behind.

“Your Majesty?”

It was Armin, the Queen of the Elves.

“Your Majesty, it’s not safe here!”

“Hurry back!”

“Hey, put this all down!”

The young elf was now engulfed in confusion.

What was that explosion shaking the sky, and why was the queen here?

At that moment, Armin appeared to the young elf, breathing heavily with excitement as she recklessly set something down.

Clank, kaboom!

“Elf hoo-ray!”

It was the MG50, a beloved machine gun since the Great War.