Chapter 17 - Atrocity

Elias observes the naked woman who seems tired and haggard, she has foul smells and dirty face, mixtures of soil and her blood. Her body covered by many injuries, which come from either lash or grappled by those goblins. It seems she used by those goblins as a sex slave in their horde, he understands that after seeing white liquids drop between her legs. He let out a sigh, in this stage human still weaker than goblins and become their prey. When those goblins met weak humans they immediately attack them, men were slaughtered while women have become their toy.

This unsightly vile act is an ordinary occurrence in this world.

He hates this kind of thing, but this is not an age of justice and order anymore. This woman circumstance isn't a rare case, many people whether man or woman become plaything for a stronger creature.

Even so, those scary creatures aren't the only monster in this world — some monster appears from human race itself, people start to enslaved, killed, raped, and many unforgivable sins towards each other — only because they know, no retribution will befall them.

He was already experienced those era either as the victim — like as a slave fighter for influential people's amusement — or the wrongdoer — like killing innocents only to get another rune. However, as time passed, he becomes disgusted with his past despicable actions. Not only him, after the first war, human race understand their foolishness and know how important to become united in this world.

Although some humans still want to keep their small empire and enslaving other people, those people only minority which soon killed by Hansoo and his co with cold blood.

He sighs after remembering the grimdark stage of history.

Nevertheless, there nothing he can do now to solve those problems. What's more pressing is the woman condition in front of him — her life's sign is reaching critical conditions. He gently slaps her face while flowing some mana, try to wake her up.

Soon, she opens her eyes after feeling warm mana on her cheek — her sight was without light. Elias recognizes this dead fish eyes, she closes her heart to protect her sanity, and try to detach her mind from her torturous experience. He knows well because he also experienced some hopeless circumstance himself.

In this world hope, smile, and happiness fades — but people always adapt. Feelings of despair, frown, and sadness also numbed with their experience.

"You already go through a lot," Elias mumbles.

"Do you still want to live?" Elias looks at her eyes which still devoid of hope, "Do you have any family you want to search?" after he asks this question there are some light comes from her eyes followed by a subtle nod between her silence.

"Good."

If she doesn't have any hope in this world, he'll accompany her until she let out her last breath — let her die here is kinder than save her to see another hell. However, after seeing a glint of hope and determination on her eyes, he decides to save her.

He's not a savior or heroes like those great people — he's only a coward, but he won't let someone with hope die in front of him when he can save them — not anymore.

"Store open," he says while touching his left ears.

He moves to the consumable rune sub-category and looking at the only choice on his retina.

Consumable Runes store:

Recovery Rune (Colorless) — 25 Points

Points: 237 points

He gots many points after killing a hobgoblin, three goblin shaman and more than a hundred other goblins. Those amounts can give him two hundred small strength rune, but it's only enough to buy nine recovery rune. After all, recovery rune is on the expensive side, but he already decides to save this woman, without hesitation, he chooses to buy it.

"Buy two recovery rune," Elias mumbles.

[Recovery Rune x2 — -50 points]

After that some holographic notification appears on his retina which indicates his purchase was successful, he dismisses it immediately and sees two oval-red runes appear from thin air, there is no slight disturbance of mana in the entire process as if those runes were there from the very beginning.

He grabs those floating runes and put one in her hand, "please follow my instruction."

Elias slowly guides the woman to how to consume this oval rune, he explains it as simple as possible, to make sure she can follow his words. With her weak consciousness, a complex description is the last thing she needs.

The woman grabs the runes and absorbs it, every wound on her body closes at visible rates. Her haggard breath becomes stable while her scars disappear over time and her dark pale appearance becomes lighter than before. Even though she still dirty and have foul odors, but at least she becomes healthy again while her stamina is recovering.

Although Elias sees this process many times in the past, he still filled with awe when thinking how a little thing can make this healing miracle.

She sits and then looks around, seeing many goblins corpses and then looking at Elias with a tinge fear on her face. Even though she half-conscious before, she recognizes this man who slaughter those goblins earlier — a man who can even make those scary monster wail in agony.

Elias knows her expression, it's the one Emily have after he kills many goblins too — a terrified face. However, he doesn't think it too much, this kind of reaction is an ordinary one, and her view towards him is the least of his concern.

Not everyone can move his emotion like his master.

"What's your name?" Elias asks, but her answer made him baffled.

That woman awake from her thought, she moves her hands, pointing towards her open mouth and then crosses her hands while shaking her head. Elias furrow his eyebrow when sees her reaction while tilts his head — thinking what she meant.

"You're mute?" Elias asks which then answered with a nod by that woman.

He never met mute people for god knows how many years, which makes him kinda slow to interpret what she meant. In his past life, many runes and artifacts can cure these kinds of disabilities, but at this stage, those kinds of runes still a rare thing.

"Can you write English sentences?" he asks again and then replied by another nod.

After hearing his confirmation, Elias immediately jumps to take a twig from a tree, but stop for a moment and then take goblin shamans' leather clothes after remembering she still naked.

"Your name!" he throws the twig and clothes.

She grabs that twigs and writes a word in the ground — Nanako.