I’m In Trouble Because The Darkened Heroes Are Obsessed With Me

The sound of screaming followed closely after.Reti, tucked into Elsez’ pocket, twitched its ears at the sound.In an unusually subdued voice, Reti murmured, “It’s a magic beast.”In this world, monsters referred to small creatures roughly the size of animals, while magic beasts denoted massive creatures with devastating power.There shouldn’t be anyone here capable of dealing with a magic beast.Elsez, who had started to head toward the source of the commotion, stopped in her tracks.No, it wasn’t a choice—her legs simply wouldn’t cooperate.The paralysis from the spider’s venom was spreading, making her movements increasingly difficult.Looking at the visibly terrified guild member next to her, Elsez called out, “Hey, you. What’s your name?”“Sh-Shane,” he stuttered.“Shane, carry me.”“Huh?!”“There’s a magic beast over there. My legs are paralyzed, so you need to carry me.”Shane, assuming that Elsez intended to escape the dangerous area, reluctantly hoisted her onto his back and started heading toward the forest’s edge.But Elsez grabbed his shoulder, stopping him.“Where are you going? Head that way.”She pointed toward the direction of the earlier explosion.“That’s where the magic beast is!”“Exactly. Go there.”Shane blinked in disbelief, and then, realizing her intent, his face turned pale.“You’re not seriously planning to fight in that state, are you? You said your legs are paralyzed!”“Exactly why we need to move quickly. I have to deal with it before the paralysis gets worse.”“How could you—”Shane was about to ask how she could possibly handle a magic beast in her condition, but he stopped.He had seen her fight earlier.While he couldn’t be sure if she was strong enough to defeat a magic beast, her confident tone carried a weight that he couldn’t dismiss.Finally, Shane turned and began running toward the direction of the explosion.Elsez frowned as she peered toward the source of the commotion, hidden behind dense trees.A magic beast in the Starting Forest?In all her years playing the role of Ruel, there had never been an instance of a magic beast appearing in a beginner hunting ground managed by mages.Not once in ten years.Why is one here now?As she pondered the anomaly, a thought crossed her mind.Could it be…?“Shane,” she said, “let’s circle around the area where the scream came from. There’s something I need to check.”Though panting from carrying her, Shane nodded and followed her instructions, running in a wide loop around the area.The only time a magic beast appears in an unexpected area is when a dimensional rift has opened.A dimensional rift was an unstable tear in the fabric of reality caused by erratic mana flow in certain regions.Resembling a jagged black hole against the world’s backdrop, these rifts disgorged countless monsters and magic beasts before sealing themselves shut.In the game, these rifts often triggered surprise quests, requiring players to defeat the monsters pouring out.That spider earlier might have come from a dimensional rift too.If there really was a dimensional rift here, the priority wouldn’t be defeating the magic beast—it would require a more systematic response to the crisis.But no rift was visible.Maybe I was wrong.Just as she began to dismiss the idea, something caught her eye—a black magic circle obscured by tall grass.This is… a dark magic circle?Unlike the typical ancient language used in dark magic, this magic circle was inscribed in an unfamiliar script.Suspicious.She tried to examine it more closely, but before she could, the fading magic circle disappeared entirely.Marking the spot in her memory, Elsez quickly scanned the surroundings.A scream suddenly rang out from nearby.“AAAH!”Both Elsez and Shane turned toward the sound.“That’s enough. Head toward where that scream came from,” Elsez said firmly.The two hurried toward the source of the scream.When they arrived, a man flew through the air, crashing violently into a nearby tree with a sickening thud.“Ugh!”“Hey, are you alr—”“Shane, look out! It’s coming!”Before Shane could approach the injured man, Elsez shouted a warning. He dove out of the way just as a thick, brown tree root slammed into the ground where he had been standing. It had narrowly missed him.The root writhed, probing the ground before wrapping around the fallen man’s leg and dragging him away.“Help me! Please, help me!” he screamed, clawing at the dirt in desperation.As Elsez turned her gaze in the direction the tree root was dragging the man, she saw it—a colossal tree-like magic beast towering over the forest.Multiple roots extended from the beast, some of which had already ensnared people. Those who remained free were desperately circling around, trying to rescue the captured, their faces painted with hopeless despair.Shane’s expression mirrored their fear, his body trembling slightly.Elsez carefully assessed the tree beast before her.A lower-class magic beast…Even though it was classified as “lower-class,” a magic beast was still far stronger than a monster.The guild members who frequented this beginner hunting ground stood no chance against it.Elsez addressed Reti in her pocket.“Reti, can I beat that thing with my current strength?”“Of course! Even weakened, this great me could crush that thing. But…”“But?”“Right now, you can’t even dodge its attacks, can you?”Ah.Elsez furrowed her brow, realizing that her legs had gone completely numb.Shane, thinking she was speaking to him, asked, “What?”“Nothing. Just talking to myself.”Shrugging off his question, Elsez refocused on the magic beast, deep in thought.If I could just land a single blow…After a moment, an idea came to her.“Shane, put me down over there,” she said, pointing toward a spot closer to the magic beast’s roots.“What?!”Shane’s eyes widened in horror. The spot she pointed to was right in the beast’s range. Placing her there was akin to offering her up as a sacrifice.“When I give the signal, use your strength to rescue the others. You might not be able to hurt the beast, but you can distract it for a moment.”“B-But what about you?”“I’ve got a plan. Just do as I say.”Though reluctant, Shane eventually nodded, realizing he had no better options.He carried Elsez to where she indicated and carefully set her down, retreating as instructed.Immediately, one of the beast’s roots snaked toward her, wrapping around her body. Elsez didn’t resist as she was pulled toward the creature.Shane watched nervously.What is she planning?The root carried Elsez to the center of the beast.As she approached, she gathered mana into her arms. The moment she reached the beast’s base, she unleashed her power, ripping the root apart with a burst of energy.The severed root fell away, and Elsez dropped to the ground.Before the beast could react, she drove her mana-enhanced fist into its massive trunk.The force of her attack sent a shockwave rippling through the beast’s body, causing it to stagger momentarily.Shane’s eyes widened as he pieced together her strategy.She let herself get captured on purpose…!Even with her legs paralyzed, she had used the beast’s own movements to position herself for an attack.While Shane and the other guild members stared in awe, Elsez shouted, “Shane, now!”Snapping out of their daze, Shane and the others rushed forward, hacking at the beast’s roots and rescuing the trapped guild members.Meanwhile, Elsez teleported away from the beast just before it could regain its balance, reappearing beside Shane and the others.The plan had worked, but Elsez’ face twisted slightly in discomfort.The feeling in my arm is starting to fade too.The guild members gathered around her, their voices filled with gratitude.“You’re a rookie, right? Thanks so much!”“You saved our lives!”Among the six who had been caught up in the chaos, there were guild members from both her guild and others.“Let’s get out of here before that thing recovers—”Boom!Before the sentence could be finished, a massive root slammed into the ground beside them, sending dirt and debris flying.Everyone except Elsez froze in terror, their faces turning pale.The overwhelming endurance of the beast and the certainty that its next strike wouldn’t miss filled them with dread.Shane hurriedly picked Elsez up, while the others prepared to flee.“Wait! Stop!” Elsez called out.The guild members hesitated, turning to look at her with confusion.“We have to stop it here,” she said firmly.“What?”“There’s a village beyond this forest. What do you think will happen if this magic beast makes it there?”Realizing the implication of her words, the guild members fell silent.The village was home to ordinary people with no means to defend themselves. If the beast reached it, the damage would be catastrophic.“But how can we stop it? You saw it—it’s way out of our league!”“And you’re not even in fighting shape!”Elsez’ sharp reply cut through their protests.“And if the villagers die, will you be able to justify this to yourself? Will you live comfortably, telling yourself there was no other choice?”Her piercing question silenced them.“Those with power have a responsibility to protect the weak.”Lowering her gaze briefly, Elsez then looked up, her golden eyes blazing with conviction like a finely honed blade.“That’s the justice that has protected our world so far.”