Chapter 47

In front of me was a weasel.

A creature the size of my forearm, exuding an innocent and pure vibe that was undeniably adorable.

Seeing it, Ambasha, filled with the simple desire to touch something cute, reached out her hand.

In that moment…

“Hmm?”

Just as her hand was about to make contact with the creature’s body, an inexplicable chilling sensation washed over her.

Triggered by a nagging instinct, Ambasha reflexively stepped back while simultaneously drawing the knife she had brought for butchering.

Not just an average person but someone with an innate talent for battle, her instinctive movement was remarkable.

At the same time, the small creature in front of her vanished from her sight in an instant.

And then…

Thwack!

A sharp sound pierced the air right after.

Accompanied by a bizarre noise that resonated as if metal were being torn apart, several strands of Ambasha’s hair were severed and fell to the floor.

On her now-exposed forehead was a cross-shaped scar.

Had she taken a single step closer just moments ago, what lay on the ground wouldn’t have been just her hair, that much was certain.

“Gulp…”

Awash in the sheer thrill of narrowly avoiding disaster, an icy chill crept down her spine.

In that moment, Ambasha found herself swallowing hard without realizing it.

Then…

“Shaaa…”

A low growl echoed ominously in her ear.

Turning cautiously towards the source of the foreboding sound, Ambasha peered around.

“What… what is this…?”

Before her eyes was the sight of the weasel clutching a piece of torn metal in its mouth.

With its red eyes glinting menacingly in her direction, it discarded the metal shard and lowered itself into a hunting posture.

It was clear it was preparing to attack again.

In an instant, the once-adorable creature transformed into an object of terror, prompting Ambasha to take a step back involuntarily.

And then…

“Shaaa!”

“AAH!!!”

The weasel lunged at Ambasha, who screamed in fright.

Just then…

Clang!!!

“!”

A sharp noise sprang up unexpectedly.

At the same time, Ambasha felt someone pulling her back.

“Are you alright, senpai?”

“Uh… Elkana?”

With a dagger drawn, Elkana rushed to protect her.

Ambasha’s eyes then caught sight of Magellan, wielding a dark sword—Calaborg—deflecting the weasel’s attack.

“What the… is this creature…?”

Magellan, armed with a solid blade, was holding firm against the creature’s fangs.

His face was etched with profound confusion as he observed the situation.

Fueled by a rapidly swirling flow of magical power, Magellan’s sword could easily split steel.

For an ordinary beast to attempt stopping it with its mouth would likely result in the jaws of even the fiercest predators, like lions or crocodiles, being cleaved in half.

Nonetheless, this small creature was not yielding at all to his strike.

And the force imbued in its teeth was undoubtedly…

‘Concentration… if it’s able to block my sword like this… at the very least, it’s Grade 6 or higher…’

From the moment she laid eyes on it, Ambasha sensed something was off.

Even though she was just a young girl, the fact that she—an established Grade 2 warrior—was trembling before it indicated it wasn’t an ordinary creature.

However, the combat ability of the weasel she faced was at least on par with Elkana.

Not even a demon race.

The realization that such an insignificant-looking creature could harbor this amount of power left Magellan profoundly astonished.

Just then…

Clang!!!

“Ugh!”

The weasel whipped itself sharply, sending Magellan’s sword flying.

At the same time, the creature seemed to become momentarily blurred…

“Whoosh!”

Skreee!!!

With incredible speed, the weasel darted in for a flurry of strikes against Magellan.

With a concentration level clearly around Grade 6, its speed was such that even an advanced Grade 8 warrior like Magellan struggled to keep up.

Though it was a baffling situation, when thought through, it made perfect sense.

A petite size of just 50 cm.

Moreover, weighing no more than 1 kg.

Considering that even the nimble rabbit weighs 2-3 kg, this weight is virtually feather-light, allowing it to attack while boosted by its magical power.

While its destructive potential was Grade 6 level, its efficiency in speed was unmistakably superior.

It was fortunate that Magellan was a considerably skilled warrior with extensive combat experience; otherwise, dealing with the little beast’s stupendous speed would not have been easy.

Attacking was out of the question, leaving him to focus solely on defense.

With Elkana and Ambasha positioned behind him as well, no matter how skilled Magellan was, he was inevitably being pushed on the defensive.

‘Damn it! At this rate, I’m going to be in danger. Then…’

At that moment, Magellan retracted the concentration within his sword.

Simultaneously, he ordered the magical energy enveloping him to behave differently.

Boom!!!

In an instant, blue flames burst forth from Magellan’s body.

Reacting swiftly, the weasel evaded the flames and ceased its assault.

Bravery always eludes even the strongest beasts when confronted by fire.

The creature instinctively retreated, widening the distance between itself and Magellan.

“Grrrr…”

With ferocious eyes, it momentarily glared at Magellan.

Having lost some momentum from the previous clash and the ensuing flames, the weasel began to cautiously assess the situation.

And then…

Tap!

“Stay there!”

The weasel darted up along the storeroom wall, making a speedy escape.

Magellan hurriedly began to chase after it.

The brutal ferocity aimed at Ambasha, combined with its tremendous fighting power, meant that if he allowed this creature to escape, he risked untold dangers in the future.

Thus, Magellan followed the creature outside the storeroom while Elkana comforted the trembling Ambasha.

*

The auction items in Benessa were filled with rare treasures collected from around the world, including several rather dangerous artifacts.

Among them was a cursed magical sword steeped in blood.

A notorious gem said to have destroyed a kingdom.

A miraculous elixir that restored vitality with just two drops, but would lead to death if three or more were consumed…

Items that inherently possessed a heavy aura of doom or could summon calamities depending on their usage were slated to fetch exorbitant prices from people with particularly peculiar interests.

However,

If one were to pinpoint the absolute most dangerous object among these items, one could only select one without fail.

The other auction items wouldn’t harm anyone just sitting there.

They wouldn’t cause blood to spill.

But only ‘that thing’…

Without even being touched, it could act on its own volition, biting off and consuming its “owner’s” neck in just a second, making it by far the most hazardous.

The most vile and malevolent rodent of all (not to mention it’s related to the bear, not the rodent family).

A being that supposedly carved a path of wickedness over 1.6 km width made of blood.

This creature, known as VeRoy, was the only non-human player character that appeared in the original work.

True to its weasel species, its cute appearance belied a popularity in several regards.

However,

The contradiction of this creature starting at a noble mansion rather than a wild forest or town completely differed from its adorable looks.

Despite being a beast, it began as a combat power of a mid-grade Grade 6 warrior right from the start, feasting blindly on the necks of everyone within the mansion as its “tutorial” phase.

In just 10 minutes from the start of the game, it achieved an outrageous kill count of 80, leaving those who chose it purely for its appearance in utter disbelief.

Moreover, due to its monstrous growth, by the time the tutorial ended, it had become an advanced Grade 8 warrior.

With its initial specs second only to Marsus after his corruption, this little weasel boasted some crazy stats.

Though inherently unable to equip items due to racial traits, this ultimately balanced its power in later stages to align more closely with that of most characters.

Nevertheless, in bare-handed combat, it was a near supreme force, making it superior to Marsus, who eventually became a worthless character.

Thus, with its shocking development and ferocity unmatched by its cute facade, players began to refer to the creature by alternative names.

In foreign fandom, its nickname was:

Bopal Weasley.

In the domestic scene, it was referred to as:

Max Level Zebby.

In reality, during battle, the blood splattered across the ground wherever it passed, marking its path in gore, reminiscent of a certain well-known rabbit online.

Furthermore, to summarize its actions up until the mid-game, one could easily describe it as “a 50 cm small monster systematically devouring the necks of a city of 100,000 inhabitants.”

Being a beast by birth, it accepted requests from non-human creatures, using its unique small frame to stealthily roam around the city, massacring the residents like a little white slaughterer.

Magellan might have had options not to kill it, but this Max Level Zebby treated all humans like monsters, effectively showcasing the very essence of human hunting for players.

After a disastrous encounter with the Emperor, aimed to attack the city, its concept shifted, but it merely granted it the ability to receive quests from humans.

Even afterward, the hunting grounds saw no substantial change, transitioning from an “unnamed city” to “enemy camp,” rolling on with the inherent nature of human hunting.

As a result, in the original work, it was noted that over ten cities fell to its hands, and the official tally of humans devoured by it exceeded 800,000.

While this number included civilians, it was outright like a monster that singlehandedly obliterated a small country.

And now.

Finally managing to corner the troublesome beast, the horrifying realization dawned on me that it had hidden itself somewhere within the ship.

I couldn’t help but curse involuntarily.

The only things remaining in the box with a hole in it were whatever food it had left and its litter.

Consequently, I immediately set about deploying the Circle of Magical Power.

The strength to sense not only people but even the tiniest ant passing by.

No matter how swiftly this small creature moved, locating it would not be a difficult task.

And then,

The position where I pinpointed it was…

“!… Franklin!”