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The chieftain, Brunhild's grandfather, sat deep in thought, reflecting on the decisions made that day: naming his young granddaughter as the next chief, choosing to settle here and endure the winter together, and now cutting as much wood as possible to provide fire and warmth against the rapidly approaching cold. These were choices the clan had never made before.
A nomadic life had always been necessary on the Green Plains. Very few clans ever dared to stay in one place. Those that did were often completely annihilated by winter. If any miraculously survived, it was only due to external aid or because they had someone strong enough to shield them from the terrors of the Green Plains' Winter—said to be the Curse of Fenrir itself upon the world.
"They sure are taking their sweet time."
He sighed, crossing his arms after felling around a dozen trees in less than an hour. He sat on a piece of lumber and gazed silently at the horizon.
"Father, has Brunhild not returned yet? Have you seen her?"
His son, Ragnar, approached with a worried expression. Of course he would worry—the girl was his daughter.
"No, they haven't returned. But don't worry. She's with her two older siblings and brought her friends along. She'll be fine."
"Are you sure? Maybe we should go look for her…"
"Ragnar, I know you're worried, but focus on other things right now. We have to move all this lumber back to the village quickly. It's getting dark, so we can't build anything tonight. Tomorrow morning we'll start shaping it properly and build a wall or something. I've never tried making one before, but we'll brute force it until we get something that works."
"Some warriors have already built barricades at least. That should fend off smaller monsters, I hope."
"Hmm. The forest both protects us and hides dangers. Luckily we haven't encountered anything big yet—just small wolves and rabbits," the chieftain said, standing up. "Once your daughter returns, she'll bring a map to guide us. For now, let's prepare for the night. Come on."
"Okay," Ragnar nodded, sighing as he cast one last glance toward the darkening forest. "Please return safely, my children…"
He walked back to his wife. Together they resumed cutting lumber while helping other villagers construct barricades.
"Hahaha, yeah, I've never seen one of these things before either!"
"It looks really huge. Why is its stomach so bloated?"
"Must've been pregnant or something. But can lizards get pregnant? I thought they laid eggs? Hahaha!"
"Hm?"
While working, Ragnar overheard a group of young hunters who had gone out to secure food for their families. Among the carcasses they carried, one young warrior bore a creature Ragnar had never seen before. He narrowed his eyes.
"Hey, kid, what's that thing?" He pointed at the young white-and-red-haired warrior carrying a strange, humanoid-looking lizard over his shoulder.
"Ah? Oh, old man Ragnar! No idea, honestly. We caught it deep in the forest," the young man said. "It was crying and screaming and hissing really loudly. It barely fought back, hahaha! Well, it looks skinny, but I guess we can scrape some meat off it."
"What?" Ragnar slowly approached, noticing the creature was far too strange to be a mere beast. It even wore clothes. "You fool! This is not a mere monster! You…! What have you done?! This must be some kind of barbarian race you just hunted!"
"What?!"
"Don't you see it wears leather clothes and feathers?!" Ragnar slapped the boy across the face, making his nose bleed.
"Aaagh! Why did you hit me?!" the young warrior cried angrily.
Ragnar lifted him by the collar. "Return that thing where you found it! What if it tracks our scent?! Are you stupid?!" he demanded furiously. "And… if it didn't even fight back, it looks pregnant—a female! What if they get angry we killed a pregnant female?! Would you be happy if someone hunted your pregnant wife?"
"N-No…!" The young man shook his head. "Shit… Wait, what am I supposed to do now?! She's already dead…!"
"Where was she?" Ragnar asked.
"She was drinking water when we found her…" the young warrior muttered. "We just caught her and killed her clean. We didn't do anything else, we swear!"
"Tsk!" Ragnar punched him in the face. "You fucking stupid idiot! Come on, hurry—we have to get it out of here quickly or else—"
"SHYAAAAAAAHHHH!"
But to Ragnar's dread, it was already far too late.
His eyes widened as he heard the heavy footsteps of large beasts approaching, accompanied by the furious barks of wild dogs drawing nearer.
Carrying torches, a group of ten scaled creatures riding Demon Wolves emerged from the dark forest. Their eyes gleamed bright red. All carried long spears.
"KYUTAAAAK! KUTAKAAAK!"
They shouted in raspy, furious voices. Their sharp sense of smell had led them straight to the missing member and the unmistakable scent of blood.
The young barbarian warrior dropped the dead female lizardman to the ground and stepped back in terror.
"AAAAHH…! KYUTAAAAAAH…!"
The lizardman leading the group—twice as large as the rest, heavily muscled, and clearly their leader—seemed heartbroken as he gazed at what Ragnar assumed was his mate.
"Kyutaaaaaa…! Kaaahhhh!"
He screamed and shed tears like a human, his hands trembling in shock, mouth gaping wide in disbelief.
"WRAAAAHHHH!"
Then, like Ragnar had once screamed for his own daughter, the lizardman unleashed a cry of raw pain and fury toward the tribe, thrusting his spear forward.
"KUTRAAROK!"
Even without understanding their language, Ragnar knew exactly what it meant.
Kill them all.
Ragnar gripped his sword tightly and barked at the other children to prepare. "Get ready! This is all your fault, idiots! If we survive, you'd better learn to think before you kill your next target!"
"A-Ah…! I'm sorry!" The young warrior who had slain the female lizardman cried out, clutching his axe. Ragnar ignored him and charged the front lines.
By now the lizardmen were already surging forward. Their Demon Wolves roared ferociously, tearing through shields and armor as warriors rushed to meet them.
The lizardmen riders thrust their sharp spears with terrifying precision and strength, releasing explosions of Mana Aura with every strike.
They were intelligent enough to possess their own Weapon Techniques, specializing in beast-riding combat and spear mastery.
"KUTRAROK! KUTRAROK! KUTRAROK! KUTRAROK! KUTRAROK! KUTRAROK!!!"
The pack leader roared like a monstrous beast, still weeping as he impaled warriors left and right. Blood sprayed everywhere, splattering the ground.
The entire village, realizing the danger, scrambled to respond. Every able warrior donned armor, seized shields, and ran to defend those who could not fight.
"Damn bastard! Who the hell are you?!"
The chieftain bellowed, swinging his hammer in a clash against the Lizardman Pack Leader. He parried dozens of powerful thrusts while the lizardman's red-and-green aura blazed around him, shaped like hissing vipers that slithered across his body, seeking to pierce even before contact.
"What a wicked Mana Aura! This is a monster beyond Tier 3!" the chieftain growled, stepping forward. "Fortress!"
With a mighty roar, his Aura surged into the shape of a crimson fortress. He shoved the lizardmen back as the ground split and cracked beneath them.
"Archers! Magicians! Anybody! Fire at will!"
"RAAAHHH!"
A dozen archers and the few rare magicians loosed arrows and spells. The lizardmen raised large shields of wood and bone to defend.
"Guuaaack!"
Only one fell—his shield shattered, then arrows riddled his body—but even then he roared furiously and charged deeper into the village. His Demon Wolf entered Berserk Mode, studded with arrows, spears, and swords, bleeding madly as it barreled toward a tent full of children.
The intent was obvious: take down as many as possible before dying—a kamikaze assault.
"Don't let them get past the barricade!!!"
"Fight them!"
"Damn it, one sneaked inside!"
"It's aiming for the kids!"
"Kill it, quickly!!!"
"Damn fucking lizards! Get out of here!"
The lizardman laughed maniacally, tongue lolling, blood streaming from his eyes and mouth as he tore through the tent. Three warriors rushed to stop him, but he swung his spear and sent them flying.
"GYAAHAHAH!"
With savage, wicked laughter, he thrust his spear toward the fleeing children and their guardians.
However.
"OOOOHHHHHH!"
The furious cry of three brave siblings rang out from behind. Before the spear could strike, an arrow pierced the lizardman's chest, a sword beheaded his mount, and a blazing axe finished the job, cleaving his torso in half.
"Gyyaaaaack!"
The lizardman vomited blood in agony before collapsing, his body and entrails splattering across the ground, staining the green grass red.
"Brunhild!"
"Magnus! Astrid!"
From a distance, Frigga and Ragnar called their names. The children had finally arrived, with Brunhild's friends—Ulf, Kara, and Sigrid—close behind.
"You kids, stick with us!" Astrid ordered.
"B-But what about our families?!" Sigrid asked.
"I'm sure you won't be able to save them if they're in a tight spot anyway!" Magnus said harshly, though truthfully. "They'd prefer you stay safe with us! Now—Ah!"
As they spoke, another lizardman charged into the village. Ragnar and Frigga moved to intercept, but this one was different. It wore a black leather cloak and moved one finger in strange patterns, weaving Wild Runes without forming circles, then firing them forward.
"Wait, run!"
Brunhild cried out. She sprinted toward her parents, tackling them to the ground just as dozens of noxious, poisonous green-flame explosions erupted in front of them.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"Nnnggh!"
"Brunhild?!"
"W-What are you doing—Mmph?!"
Brunhild clenched her teeth and used her cloak to cover her parents' mouths and noses, tearing strips to make improvised masks.
"Cover your mouths! Don't inhale it! It's poison that'll melt your lungs!"
Yet even as she warned them, she breathed the fumes without hesitation. She charged the lizardman shaman, using Wild Cat Leap and Charge to close the distance at lightning speed, swinging her axe.
"Searing Cleave!"
The lizardman smiled viciously and summoned a wall of worms and poisonous vipers through its strange Wild Magic, only for Brunhild to blast it apart with a massive fireball.
BOOOM!
As the flames engulfed it, Fenrir darted in, slipping beneath the Demon Wolf's massive body to seize its jugular in a swift, clever sneak attack.
While the Demon Wolf thrashed and died, Brunhild grabbed the shaman by the tail. "Where are you going—What?!"
Her eyes widened as the lizardman instantly severed his own tail and fled. She clicked her tongue, infused red energy into her axe, and hurled it.
"Red Fang Axe Style."
"Second Form."
"Tomahawk Boomerang!"
Forging the specific formula of how to use this attack into a proper technique, Brunhild incorporated it into her arsenal of forms, making it her second even before she could learn the official second form.
Her axe flared with red spiritual flames as it spun midair, cleaving through the lizardman's body and exploding it into shreds before returning to her hand, dripping with the creature's blood.
She noticed her siblings and parents battling another mounted lizardman that had breached the village, stopping it before it could claim more lives.
"HAAAAH!"
Magnus and Ragnar wrestled the rider down from its mount and threw it to the ground, while Frigga and Astrid fought the Demon Wolf, combining their weapon techniques to slash the monster's body relentlessly.
Meanwhile, her friends supported them by firing arrows and small spells, distracting the creatures long enough to create openings for the family.
"Krukaaaahhh!"
The lizardman warrior roared and unleashed a powerful aura, hurling both of Brunhild's parents and her brother across the ground. They rolled but quickly sprang back up and charged again, slamming the monster down and striking with sword and axe, cutting and slashing its flesh.
"GYAAAAAH!"
The lizardman raked their faces with sharp claws, but that was all it managed before it died—vomiting blood and growing cold and stiff.
"Healing Light!"
Brunhild raised the Holy Scepter, which she had kept in her Inventory the entire time, and healed her father and brother. Then she infused Mana into it and…
"Step back!"
She lifted the scepter skyward and released a wide wave of healing light, restoring the many warriors teetering on the brink of death. They gasped for air as vitality flooded back into them.
The spell also affected the lizardmen, however, and those near death were suddenly healed, laughing and fighting with renewed vigor.
It was a dangerous gamble, but with most of the lizardmen still outside, it was the only way she could ensure as many of her people survived as possible.
"Haaa… I'm out of Mana."
She dropped to her knees in exhaustion, grabbed a Mana Potion and chugged it, then another, and another, until her Inventory was empty. She stared at the ongoing battle outside.
"W-We have to go! We can't let them break through again! Grandpa's struggling—hurry!"
"Okay!"
Brunhild rode Fenrir as they charged forward. The chieftain heard their voices and his eyes blazed with hope, hope that grew brighter when his injuries suddenly healed from the wide-area spell, even though it also restored his opponent.
"The cavalry is here, bastard! Get ready!"
"GRRRR?!"
The Lizardman Pack Leader glared back with his four remaining warriors as he spotted Brunhild's family charging forward. She reached him just as Fenrir leaped. Using Wild Cat Leap to soar even higher, combined with Charge, the Goblin Ring, and the Winged Boots, Brunhild descended at lightning speed. Her axe overflowed with every ounce of power she could muster, amplified further by dozens of Fireball spells.
"RAAAAAHHH!"
With a ferocious, war-goddess roar, Brunhild's axe crashed against the Lizardman Pack Leader's spear. Their auras collided, sending ripples through the air and shockwaves that hurled the chieftain and nearby lizardmen backward.
The Demon Wolf lunged to bite her, but Brunhild kicked its chin hard, drove her toes into its eyes and destroyed them, then grappled its neck with her thighs and tore it free—all while punching the lizardman off its back.
"What?!"
Despite the chaos, everyone who witnessed the girl's actions stood speechless. Mouths hung open as they watched the nearly four-meter lizardman crash to the ground with an annoyed expression while Brunhild strangled its mount right in front of him.
"KRUKAAAA!"
He roared and charged, thrusting his spear. Brunhild used the wolf's corpse as a shield, forcing the lizardman to impale his own mount. He didn't seem to care, filling the body with bleeding holes as he stabbed toward Brunhild behind it.
But as the wolf's corpse collapsed, Brunhild vanished through Shadow Step and reappeared beside him. Her axe rushed toward his throat.
CRASH!
The lizardman blocked with his scaled palm, reinforced by his Mana Aura. He swiftly punched her face, breaking her nose, then struck her neck, stomach, and ribs. He kicked her groin before slapping her with his tail, sending her flying across the forest and smashing through several trees.
"Aaack…! Cough, cough…! Uuuggh…!"
Pain exploded through Brunhild's body. She clenched her teeth and drank a potion a second before the Lizardman caught up. His fists rained down as he seemed intent on killing her with his bare hands.
She evaded with Shadow Step, appearing behind him. Searing Cleave struck his scaled back, slicing through stone-hard muscles. Blood splattered everywhere as his spine was exposed.
"GRRRR!"
Yet the Lizardman Pack Leader was a force beyond reckoning. He swung his tail, knocked her down, and stomped her face repeatedly, trying to crush her skull.
"Guuaaaahh!"
Brunhild screamed in agony as her face was destroyed and her eyes bled.
But her aura surged, burning with the very essence of her soul. Her hands channeled fire and engulfed the Lizardman's entire body.
"Kuuaaaahhhhhhh!"
The lizardman screamed and fled into the forest, groaning in pain as he used his aura to suppress the magical flames.
"Cough, ugh…"
Brunhild stood, spitting teeth and blood. She glared at the fleeing lizardman, gripped her axe tightly, and charged once more.
Ten fireballs manifested around her, rotating as she attacked. The lizardman dodged, kicked her chin, and sent her flying upward.
He caught her leg midair, then smashed her into the ground and trees over and over.
"RAAAAHHHH!"
But Brunhild refused to give up. Screaming with both agony and fury, she twisted her body, seized the lizardman's arm, and transformed her hands into sharp, fiery claws as her Spiritual Embodiment Skill hardened to the consistency of stone.
"Nnngh?!"
The lizardman groaned as she tore through muscle and bone. She followed with her axe, slashing his arm apart. Blood sprayed everywhere. The lizardman roared, using the spray to blind her before slamming a fist into her stomach and then her face. His remaining hand overflowed with aura as he thrust his claws like small spears, piercing her body and riddling it with holes.
"Aaaaaggghh!"
Brunhild collapsed, groaning in torment. Several muscles and bones had been pierced; the pain was so excruciating it brought tears and screams unlike anything she had ever felt.
"BRUNHILD!!!"
As the lizardman prepared to finish her, Brunhild's father and grandfather appeared behind him. Hammer and sword smashed into his back, widening the wound even further.
The lizardman roared and whipped them with his powerful, muscular tail. Then dozens of spells and arrows rained down on him. A powerful, cutting wind blade from a clansman struck next.
Not only Brunhild's family and friends had arrived—other tribe members rushed in to confront the monstrous leader. The other lizardmen had already been mostly dealt with.
The lizardman roared with fury. His eyes turned completely red as his aura surged. His blood began to dry up instantly. Everyone realized he was using some kind of Spell or Skill.
"He's sacrificing his own lifeforce to gain power!" Frigga detected immediately. "Be careful! Ah! Brunhild! Where are you!?"
As Frigga searched frantically, the lizardman charged her. His claws surged with power. He swung them through the air, slicing space itself. Sharp waves of energy hurtled toward her, ready to shred her apart.
"MOM!"
Magnus leaped forward, grabbed her, and threw them both to the ground. The cutting waves barely missed his vital points but sliced his leg clean off. Blood sprayed from the wound.
"Uuuggh?! Aaaahhh!"
"Magnus!"
"WE ARE YOUR OPPONENT, LIZARDMAN!!!"
Ragnar, Thorfin, and Astrid roared together. Their auras fused as swords and hammer clashed against the lizardman, who fought back with his bare body even in his dire condition.
CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!
Hearing the screams and smelling fresh blood, Brunhild slowly rose. She walked toward the lizardman, her aura surging and cloaking her in the flames of her soul.
Within her Soul Orb, divine power began to stir, responding to her life-or-death crisis as an instinct of self-preservation.
Thorfin, Ragnar, and Astrid barely held the lizardman at bay, covered in wounds and bleeding heavily. Ragnar and Thorfin's fingers were crushed or sliced; they could no longer wield their weapons properly. Astrid was barely holding on.
"D-Damn it!"
"Bastard!"
Their auras surged again, merging into a giant burning fist that struck the lizardman with all their remaining strength. The mad reptile only smiled viciously as blood poured from his nose, eyes, and mouth.
With a single shockwave, their Aura Embodiment shattered, leaving them completely powerless.
"Haaa… Haaa… Haaa…"
But he heard gasping behind him. As he slowly tried to crawl toward the village, someone stood in his path.
"…?"
And then he saw her—the one he thought he had already killed.
"Missed me?"
"GRAAAKK!"
The furious lizardman hissed and swung his claw, unleashing the same slicing shockwaves as before. Brunhild swiftly evaded, combining Wild Cat Leap and Shadow Step to dodge an attack that would have killed her instantly.
Her hand seized the lizardman's arm. She threw him to the ground as flames engulfed his entire body.
"KUUAAAAHHH!"
The giant beast screamed in agony like never before. His very soul was slowly consumed by the gold and red flames. Crying out in torment, he fought back—kicking Brunhild's head to throw her off balance, then slapping her with his tail and knocking her down.
He followed with another kick to the back of her head to finish her, but Brunhild dodged swiftly. She swung her axe into the wound on his back, cleaving his spine and destroying it.
"Aaaaaack!"
The creature let out an agonizing scream. Blood splattered as he suddenly lost the use of his legs. His hand trembled. His eyes stared at Brunhild… and then at her.
All this time, he had been searching for her.
His trembling hand slowly reached out, ignoring Brunhild as he realized it was too late.
"…"
Brunhild held back from decapitating him. She watched the lizardman suddenly display an astonishing moment of humanity.
He caressed his lover's face. Tears streamed from his eyes as he held her tenderly, whispering words she couldn't understand.
"…Was she your lover?"
"…"
"I'm sorry."
The lizardman glared back at her with anger, frustration, and overwhelming sorrow. He stared at his wife, then gently caressed her stomach. His eyes widened for a moment.
It was still warm.
"A-Aaah…"
"What? What's wrong?"
The lizardman tried to communicate with the warrior who had bested him, pleading and defying his own savage nature.
Though she couldn't understand his language, Brunhild wasn't foolish. She quickly realized what he meant.
"Please… take care of my child."
The lizardman grew colder. He hugged his lover tightly, resting on the blood-soaked grass, caressing her face and whispering sweet words.
Brunhild didn't know what to say or how to respond. She watched the lizardman die slowly beside his deceased lover.
She let the axe fall from her hand. She realized this battle had already been won.
The Lizardman Pack Leader died while embracing his lover.
She already knew because his soul lingered right there, mourning his beloved even in death, yearning desperately to see her again.
Brunhild didn't know what to feel at that moment. He wasn't innocent; he had gone on a rampage and caused immense damage, just like the rest of his pack.
She sighed and pointed her hand at him, absorbing his soul.
Worried about her brother, she hurried to his side. She found him alive but unconscious. His left leg had been severed just below the knee. He had lost a tremendous amount of blood, but the Holy Scepter—which she had entrusted to her mother—had sealed the wound in time, though it could not reattach the limb.
"Magnus…" she breathed in relief, covering him with Healing Flames to keep him warm while the magic worked. The flames neither burned nor caused pain. "Mother, are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah," Frigga murmured, nodding. "Thankfully, it seems it's finally over. Your brother's alive… but many people must be hurt or… perhaps some died. We have to regroup everyone at the center quickly and stay warm together. Your father and grandfather—where are they?"
Brunhild felt a quiet surprise at how steadily her mother handled everything. A woman her age from Earth would likely have broken under such strain, but her mother was a hardened warrior herself. Still, when she had believed Brunhild dead earlier, she had panicked in a way that was unlike her usual self.
"Let's go. I'll help you."
Brunhild lifted Magnus onto her back and draped him in a freshly torn Demon Wolf pelt—still bloody, but warm.
"Brunhild! Frigga! Are you okay?"
"Ah, Dad! We're fine… well, big bro lost a leg."
"Hm. At least he's alive."
On the way, they met her father, grandfather, and big sister, all alive, though covered in wounds and bleeding heavily. The Holy Scepter's magic and the Mana Diamond allowed Brunhild to cast wide-area Healing Light Spells continuously. The gentle warmth spread through everyone nearby while the light guided them together.
"What happened to your hands?!" Brunhild panicked, noticing her father missing a couple of fingers, his thumb reduced to a shortened tip.
"I'm fine. I'm already patched up. Missing a finger or two isn't going to stop me," her father said.
"Fingers don't grow back, you know?!" Brunhild scolded.
"You're one to talk when you were almost about to kill yourself back there…" her grandfather sighed. "And your nose is broken. You're bleeding constantly!"
"I'm fine!" Brunhild insisted stubbornly, spitting blood again. "It'll heal. My Physique can handle minor injuries."
After ten minutes, the entire tribe finally gathered in a large tent, surrounded by torches and the remaining wooden barricades. Brunhild felt deep relief to learn her friends had survived and their parents were safe.
Using the Holy Scepter, she saved many lives, but five people had died that night. The loss cast an even heavier shadow over the tribe after everything they had already endured the previous day.
One disaster after another—it truly felt as though Fate itself opposed them. Yet they persevered, largely thanks to Brunhild and her family.
The Mana Diamond and Holy Scepter had been lifesavers; far more would have perished without those two extraordinary items. The tribe's gratitude toward Brunhild deepened even further for bringing them into the clan's possession.
Bruised and utterly exhausted, Brunhild refused to rest. She continued working for her people, tending wounds and brewing medicine from the herbs she had gathered.
She fed her brother some stew while he stirred briefly awake before slipping back into unconsciousness. She kept pouring healing magic into him to mend his internal injuries and counteract the massive blood loss.
Healing magic accelerated regeneration, which also helped the body replenish lost blood by forcing faster production of red blood cells.
Of course, the process was taxing and demanded enormous calories. That was why she made sure he ate well before he passed out again.
"With a missing leg, how is he going to fight?" her mother wondered. "Is there any medicine that could help him regrow one?"
"He'll be fine," Brunhild said. "Haven't you seen him? He can run on all fours. A missing leg isn't going to stop him, and we can always make a prosthetic one, right?"
"Can we?" her father asked. "Well, we'll try."
"I'll make sure we can," Astrid nodded. "Brunhild, why don't you go rest for now?"
"Not yet…" Brunhild walked outside. "I'll do a bit of magic, so please just wait here."
"Wait, Brunhild!"
Her mother followed her and found Brunhild outside, speaking to something she didn't recognize at first.
A small red fairy perched on her shoulder.
"Yeah, let's build something for the cold night… a big house, a community wooden house."
Brunhild browsed through what she could build right now using her Soul Points. A system screen floated before her, displaying the available options.
[Territory Building System: Available Buildings]
[Large Community Wooden House (E Grade)] [Cost]: [50 Soul Points] [Wood]
[Reinforced Wooden Wall (E Grade)] [Cost]: [100 Soul Points] [Wood]
[Summoning Sanctuary (E Grade)] [Cost]: [200 Soul Points] [Stone]
[Animal Ranch (E Grade)] [Cost]: [50 Soul Points] [Wood]
[Storage Building (E Grade)] [Cost]: [50 Soul Points] [Wood]
[Windmill (E Grade)] [Cost]: [50 Soul Points] [Wood]
"Brunhild?" Her mother approached as the night grew colder and snow began to fall. "Dear, what are you—Ahhh!"
Her mother's eyes widened and she stepped back. In a split second, magic she had never seen before manifested. A large magic circle appeared in an open area still stained with blood and snow. The lumber everyone had gathered began to float toward the circle.
At the same time, golden energy slowly surged from Brunhild's soul, fusing with the wood. It magically transformed and reshaped the timber into a beautiful three-floor wooden manor—complete with glass windows and a warm chimney inside—even though she hadn't used sand or stone.
"So the System can compensate for missing materials as long as I provide the primary one needed for most of the building," Brunhild nodded, admiring the structure. "Hm? Mom?!"
"Brunhild! W-What is this?! Did you make this?!" her mother asked, staring in disbelief. "By the gods…! You made a whole house, girl!"
"Ah yeah… um, it's part of my magic," Brunhild explained as best she could.
"Y-You don't say…" Her mother's eyebrows twitched. She could scarcely believe she had given birth to such an extraordinary girl.
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