My loud call for help was answered as some rough-looking people appeared.
“What’s with all the noise!?”
They couldn’t spot me hiding inside the wagon, so they began searching the area thoroughly, but I couldn’t come up with a good escape plan.
Wait, didn’t I activate the skill? Why isn’t anyone coming?
“Yongyong, what should we do? I think the skill might be broken.”
“Kkyuung!”
Yongyong, determined to handle things himself, tried to wiggle out of my grasp, but I held him tightly.
“Kkyuu!?”
“No way! What if you get hurt!?”
“Kkyuuu!”
As I clung to Yongyong, sneaking around to avoid detection, I suddenly felt a chill. Turning around, I found a man with a tattooed face staring at me blankly.
“Are you alone?”
“I’m not alone; I have Yongyong with me…”
His expression grew more severe, and he shouted loudly.
“Found her!!!”
With that shout, I could hear footsteps closing in from all directions.
Soon, a gang of criminals surrounded me.
“Where did this little rat sneak in from!?”
“What are the guards even doing!?”
Apparently, they couldn’t believe I’d come alone. Just as they began searching around me…
“Enough.”
The crowd parted as a massive man approached.
He walked up to me, examining me from head to toe with a distasteful gaze, as if appraising merchandise.
“Oh? Quite the premium item.”
“Are you… talking about me?”
“Cooperate, and we won’t have to handle you roughly.”
As he looked at me with a sleazy smile…
“Graaaawr!”
With a thunderous roar, a bear appeared.
The people around me were taken aback.
“Wh-what is that beast!?”
“Isn’t that a Warbear!?”
“No way! That thing’s over 10 meters tall!”
As the bear stood protectively in front of me, blocking the men, they were about to speak again when…
A gigantic pillar of light descended from the sky, revealing more and more monsters.
It looked like three to five hundred colossal rabbits, each holding an enormous carrot, were more than ready for battle. There was an elegantly… no, rather beautifully formed slime, leading a horde of its kin, along with a goblin tribe yelling, “For Valhalla!!”
The orc warrior who once helped me arrived, leading his tribe alongside the Warbear, while countless griffons flew above, encircling the village.
With the monsters’ arrival, some of the villagers collapsed to the ground in terror.
Then, with a massive rumble, the earth split open, and a huge tower emerged, releasing monsters from within.
Everything was there: scrappy rabbits, slimes, goblins, orcs, the Warbear, and even some particularly unruly griffons.
Amid the terrified voices begging for mercy, one person screamed.
“It’s the end!! The end of the world has come!!!”
As they pointed up at the sky, something strange happened.
The clear sky cracked, like shattering glass, and through the fissures appeared countless eyes staring down at the earth.
Among them, one pair of eyes stood out—captivating and intense.
“The Demon Lord!?”
[It’s been a while.]
The Demon Lord greeted us warmly, while among the demons, the dark elves greeted me joyfully.
[Mom!]
[Kyaa! It’s our mom!]
[Out of the way, ugly!]
[Me too! I want to see Mom!]
It was nice to see them, but… was this really the time for greetings?
[Skill: Help Me! has successfully summoned allies!]
Although the Enho tribe didn’t show up, countless others had.
I asked them to help sort out the situation, and all the monsters, beastfolk, and other races imprisoned in the wagons were freed. They turned to glare at the humans who had captured and caged them.
“Feel free to do as you please.”
At my words, screams echoed around me.
I turned to thank the monsters who’d come to help, handing each one a mana stone. By the time I was done, my pouch was nearly empty, and Yongyong was frantically trying to stop me from giving away his dinner.
“Kkyuuung!”
“H-hey, just one night’s worth should be okay, right?”
“Kkyuuu!!”
Leaving just enough for Yongyong’s evening meal, I emptied my pouch and distributed mana stones among the monsters. As when they’d appeared, they vanished in a bright light as soon as they received their stones.
The Demon Lord and the other demons watching from the rift in the sky also said their goodbyes.
[Come visit us next time.]
[Mom! I’ll miss you!]
[Love you, Mom!]
As I waved goodbye, I held back the tears that blurred my vision—getting called “Mom” at my age was surreal.
An elderly beastfolk approached me, bowing deeply.
“Thank you, savior.”
“I only did what needed to be done.”
“No, without you, we would’ve suffered for life.”
Looking at his frail form, I wanted to give him something, but I’d given away all the mana stones I had. Well, aside from the few that Yongyong was guarding with his life.
Just then, a message appeared.
[You have inflicted significant damage on the secret organization *Five-Pointed Star*. Mana Stone Pouch granted as a reward.]
What a windfall!
Opening the reward pouch, I found it filled with mana stones.
This many would be more than enough.
I handed a mana stone to each monster and beastfolk who still seemed weak or disoriented, and soon, they all looked revitalized.
The beastfolk, feeling their strength return, rejoiced, and many of the monsters experienced sudden growth.
Among them, a beastfolk woman approached me, her upper body human-like but her lower half resembling a mermaid.
“Thank you for saving us, savior.”
“I only did what was right.”
“This is a small token, a treasure passed down by our tribe.”
She handed me a glowing orb.
It looked identical to the orb I’d received from the fortune teller.
「Atlantis Treasure Map」
It looked like an orb but was, in fact, a map.
Unlike the last item that displayed ???, this one clearly showed the name!
“This map will lead you to Atlantis, our merfolk’s ancestral home—a legendary city. As our savior, you may be able to visit.”
With that, the monsters and beastfolk dispersed.
When I used the map I’d just received, the same voice from before spoke again.
[Beginning route guidance.]
“Where are we headed!?”
[Recalculating route after deviation.]
“Are you kidding me!?”
\*\*\*
“Damn it! What on earth happened here!?”
The main base was destroyed in a single day.
I’d heard rumors of a summoner who could control monsters, but that many? That’s insane.
I barely managed to escape, sacrificing my men, to report this to my superiors as quickly as possible.
But soon, my hope faded.
Before me stood countless foxes.
Foxes are usually gentle, weak, and popular targets for hunters, but these foxes were different.
Not only did they appear in human form, but each had nine tails.
Foxes with nine tails are known to ascend and become immortals, so how…?
“You thought you could harm the Enho tribe’s savior and live?”
“I… I didn’t know! I swear!”
With those words, the world went dark.
The foxes—or rather, the Enho tribe—moved on to deal with the remaining stragglers.
“Sis, since we’re here, shouldn’t we at least say hi?”
“There are still more pests to exterminate.”
“Aww, but I wanted to see them.”
After taking care of the remaining enemies, they would continue to eliminate any group that dared bare their fangs at our precious savior.
At that moment, they sensed something.
A group of humans in black cloaks appeared in the direction the tribe was watching.
Their aura was intense; could they be enemies?
“Foxes, huh? Then you must be associated with our savior.”
With those words, they relaxed.
Only one person possessed such power and was referred to as the savior.
Our savior.
“Planning to wipe out the remnants? We can provide information.”
Introducing themselves as the Dark Knights, they threw a scroll to us. Upon inspection, it contained the organization’s scale and the locations of their bases.
“This information was obtained through a guild network. It’s reliable.”
“Since you’ve helped us, we’ll repay the favor one day.”
“No need. Everything we do is for the savior.”
With that, the Dark Knights vanished.
Leading the tribe, we attacked all bases marked on the map.
So that none could ever threaten the savior again.
That night, we eradicated every last one of the humans in their hideouts.
All for the one we cherish.