Wasn’t This Supposed To Be a Strategy Game? Chapter 54

“The chances of low- or mid-rank monsters showing up in a high-level hunting ground are slim. Monsters, like beasts, are instinct-driven—they tend to avoid danger on their own.”

Damn it.

Eden’s face visibly fell, and Zephar suppressed a chuckle.

She had just single-handedly taken down a massive monster, and yet here she was, pouting because she wanted to hunt a low-rank creature.

Apparently, the woman before him underestimated her own capabilities. Not that he minded.

“Once we finish up here in the high-tier zone, we can drop by the low-tier grounds.”

At that, Eden’s expression instantly brightened. With the sword Zephar had gifted her, taking down a low-rank monster would be a piece of cake.

“Hopefully a Chupi shows up. Even a low-rank monster should give decent points if I take out enough of them, right?”

“Likely so.”

Matching her tone, Zephar rode alongside her. Now that she had confirmed the strength of high-rank monsters wasn’t anything to worry about, Eden felt somewhat relieved.

As long as Asmun avoided the red-eyed monster and didn’t clash with Marquis Ogden—just as she had warned him—and if she could manage to kill one low-rank monster, this episode might actually pass without incident.

She didn’t care about winning.

“It’s not even a quest anyway.”

But such hopeful expectations rarely come true so easily.

“Ah!”

While trailing after Zephar through the hunting grounds at a gentle pace, Eden suddenly cried out, looking skyward.

Following her gaze, Zephar also looked up—and saw a bird-like monster rapidly approaching from afar, something clamped in its beak.

“That’s…”

Before he could mutter the monster’s name, Eden let out a sharp whistle.

Startled mid-flight, the monster jerked in fright, eyes rolling back—and fell straight down, landing squarely on Eden’s saddle.

The bundle of dry grass in its beak tumbled to the ground.

“You saw that, right? That’s a Chupi!”

Grinning brightly at her unexpected windfall, Eden pointed at the creature. Things were finally going her way—a monster she knew how to handle had appeared.

“Indeed.”

Zephar tilted his head, feigning surprise. A Chupi, terrified of high-rank monsters like Seruca, had no business being in a high-tier zone.

“The marker…”

Eden, eager to finish the quest quickly, lifted the unconscious Chupi. This meant she wouldn’t have to go all the way to the low-tier hunting grounds to fulfill the “one low-rank monster” objective.

But simply knocking the Chupi out wasn’t enough, apparently—no quest-clear window appeared. According to the tournament rules, she had to claim a piece of the monster bearing the hunting seal.

“It doesn’t seem to have a marker…”

And then it happened.

The limp body of the Chupi, resting in her palm, began to glow white.

“…?”

In the blink of an eye, it turned to powder—an unidentifiable substance—and crumbled completely. The dust dispersed like sunlight scattering into mist, vanishing without a trace. All that remained in Eden’s palm was cold, empty air.

“……”

“……”

Eden stared at her hand, stunned. Zephar, who had witnessed the same bizarre scene, was equally frozen.

“What was…”

—Ding

The sound snapped Eden’s stiff neck upward. Over Zephar’s head, a quest-clear window had appeared.

『【★】Basic Quest Complete!

You have defeated one low-rank monster using the Low-Rank Monster Erasure ability!

Please choose your reward:

< Prophecy / Item / Stat Point >』

Eden’s pupils dilated as she finished reading the prompt.

That’s what the Low-Rank Monster Erasure ability does?!

She managed to turn her stiff head toward Zephar again—he was still staring at her in shock.

From his expression, Eden could tell this ability was just as rare as the bestiary from before.

And in that instant, she realized: she had just revealed something she absolutely shouldn’t have.

“……”

The atmosphere in the high-level hunting grounds, with just the two of them present, became strangely dense.

In this frozen moment, the only thing still moving was Eden’s horse, calmly munching on the bundle of dry grass the Chupi had dropped.

“Your Grace, I—”

Eden clenched her now-empty hand, trying to offer some kind of excuse—but no words came.

Zephar was already staring at her hand again, no longer surprised but thoughtful, clearly turning something over in his mind.

Then came another alert.

Ding.

Again?

Eden, so panicked her face was going numb, glanced up again at the quest window hovering over Zephar’s head.

『【!】Basic Quest

Make the 3rd Prince, Asmun Declan, the winner of the Imperial Hunting Tournament!』

The brightly flashing letters appeared far too late for comfort. Seeing that it was a basic quest, Eden’s breath caught in her throat.

Basic quests had to be cleared. Which meant she now had to locate Asmun immediately and assist him in becoming the victor.

In other words, she didn’t even have the time to explain herself to Zephar.

“I—um, excuse me, Your Grace, I’m really sorry but—”

Trying her best to remain composed despite feeling like she’d been slapped in the head, Eden began to speak—but then her horse suddenly jerked violently. She was thrown off balance and instinctively grabbed the reins, staggering.

“Priest!”

Zephar shouted in alarm, but it was no use. Eden’s horse, suddenly thrashing like mad, bolted forward at a terrifying speed.

Gripping the reins tightly, Eden lowered her body, clinging desperately.

“Ahhh!”

“Priest! Stop the horse!”

Zephar chased after her on horseback, but it was impossible to keep up with the crazed speed of Eden’s steed.

“Pull the reins!”

Zephar yelled as he pushed his horse harder—but Eden couldn’t do it. The galloping was too wild, and even lifting her upper body was impossible.

If she tried to move recklessly now, she would definitely fall—and at this speed, a broken neck would be a mild injury.

“Save me…!”

Tears streamed from her tightly shut eyes. Zephar’s voice was gone; she couldn’t even hear him anymore, and fear flooded her.

Wait… could this game actually have a death-by-falling ending?

Just as that hopeless thought crossed her mind, she felt the horse’s pace begin to slow.

“…!”

The wind that had been slicing past her ears began to ease. Eden opened her eyes wide and looked around.

The horse, which had been sprinting like a rabid beast, was now staggering, drained of energy. Then, at a certain point, it came to an abrupt stop.

“Haa…“

Eden, gasping for breath, slowly straightened up from where she’d been clinging tightly to the saddle.

She should jump down right away—but even that felt too risky at the moment.

As she hesitated, gripping the reins with trembling hands, trying to figure out what to do, the horse suddenly rolled its eyes back—and collapsed.

“Ahh!”

Eden was thrown violently off, tumbling to the side.

“Ugh…“

Thankfully, she didn’t break her neck or twist any limbs. Still stunned, tears rolling down her face, Eden slowly forced her body to sit upright.

“What… the hell… was that?”

She was so dumbfounded she felt more angry than scared.

They told me to join the hunting competition—and now the horse goes berserk? This is part of the story?

Zephar was nowhere to be seen.

And it wasn’t just Zephar. Eden looked around at the eerily quiet surroundings.

A faint mist lingered in the air. This place was clearly far from the central areas of the hunting grounds—no sign of life anywhere. A chill ran down her spine.

“Damn buggy game…“

Sniffling, she wiped her tears. A heavy dose of disillusionment hit her.

She didn’t know how she’d ended up in this mess—but sulking wasn’t going to fix anything.

If she failed to make Asmun the winner of the tournament, the game wouldn’t progress. Today was her only chance. If she lost it, the route would end in failure.

“I can’t let that happen.”

Gritting her teeth, Eden tried to get up—

Rustle.

A faint sound behind her made her freeze.

A jolt of ominous dread stabbed her in the chest. Whipping around, she saw a woman—sword raised high above her head.

“……!”

Eden’s eyes widened, locking onto the red-glowing eyes of the attacker.

Lady Marens.

“L-Lady Marens…?”

Eden called out the name in dazed disbelief, but Lady Marens’ eyes flared—then she swung.

Her elegant sword sliced toward Eden’s head.

“Ahhh!”

At that moment, the enchanted magic stone necklace Eden was wearing flashed with blinding light. A shimmering barrier formed just in time over her head, deflecting Lady Marens’ blade.

“Gasp…“

Barely surviving the attack, Eden collapsed to her knees. Her instincts screamed that her life was still in danger. Without even processing what had happened, she forced her trembling body to its feet and ran as fast as she could.

Behind her, Lady Marens charged forward at terrifying speed, slashing wildly with her sword.