The Rebirth of a Slave

"Um, my master?"

"What?"

"May I... do my work?"

"Work?"

Risha glanced briefly into the forest.

Ah, so that’s what she means—making, spreading the forest.

Restoring green to this ruined world certainly counts as work.

"Fine, go ahead."

"Yes!"

Risha sprang into action, overjoyed.

That’s what it means to be an Eternal Slave—delighted when given a task by her master.

She worked.

She drew magical circles using her slave card.

She summoned trees and grass with magic, arranged them, and expanded the forest.

"Keep going. I’ll walk through the woods."

"Yes!"

She strolled alone through the forest.

The rest of the world remained shattered, but here—entirely reborn.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves. Animals lived here now.

An oasis.

That word fit this place better than any other.

By the time I realized it, I’d already crossed through the woods and reached the edge of the trees.

The wasteland came into view. I thought about turning back.

“Uwkee.”

“Mmm, monkey?”

My hand snapped to the slave sword at my waist—instinct.

It was a monkey. Not the usual one.

A creature called Shreubiju—sharp claws, a vicious look, but weak as a slime or goblin in the game.

Not that monkey. Just a regular one.

As animals go, it was almost cute if you looked closely.

The monkey had come from outside the forest, peering around with wide eyes.

“Drawn here, huh?”

It didn’t answer. Instead, eyes bright with curiosity, it vanished into the woods.

So this is how the forest’s population grows, I thought.

“Speaking of which… menu open.”

I opened the new menu.

I stared at the magic listed there.

There was still an “Encounter Up” and “Encounter Down” I hadn’t used yet.

Encounter… what did that even mean?

Was it the original sense—“to meet”—or the more common one, “monsters appear”?

“Either way.”

I decided to try it out.

Spent one unit of magic on Encounter Up.

The triangular sigil flared, wrapping the forest in light.

I waited a little.

Soon after, animals started arriving—bugs too.

Rabbits, small creatures, dragonflies, butterflies—every kind.

They came in droves, disappearing into the deeper woods.

“Animals, then… no.”

I started to conclude—then stopped myself.

Among the creatures streaming in… monsters were there too.

A caterpillar, thick with white fur, named Eluka.

It came charging in—straight at me, using that same reckless speed it always has.

I drew my slave sword and cut it clean in half, straight down the middle.

Eluka vanished. White fur scattered everywhere.

Hmm. So monsters come too, not just animals.

That’s useful.

I turned back into the forest and searched for Risha.

“Risha, how much longer can we keep adding animals to the forest?”

“Animals? I think we’ve got plenty of room left.”

“Good. Then I’ll add more.”

“Yes. How should we do it?”

“That’s my job.”

I held up a new card.

Risha blinked, then looked at me with sudden respect.

“You’ll expand the forest.”

“Yes, understood!”

After parting ways with Risha, I returned to the forest’s edge.

Waited a while. No animals. No monsters.

Used Encounter Up again—immediately, they appeared once more.

Animals pass by. Monsters get cut down.

After a while, the magic wore off. Used it again. Kept going.

"Feels like we're roleplaying, huh."

Something like that slipped out.

Started feeling like I was playing a game—hunting monsters endlessly at an infinite spawn point.

Just a little chore. Not bad.

Materials piled up. More animals started moving into the forest.

"Mmm... this time, a monkey, I bet."

Coming from afar: a monkey monster.

Sharp claws.凶悪 look. Schreiviju.

Aggressive despite being weak. Leapt at me the second it saw me.

One clean cut. Counter—split in two.

The severed monkey collapsed, dead. Then, slowly, it was enveloped in light. Took on a human form.

"Wait... could it be—An Eternal Slave?"

Closer look—definitely not just a regular human.

Golden hair. Pointed ears. Looks like an elf.

Eternal Slave.

I secretly rejoiced.

Possibility of acquiring my sixth slave.

I waited, magic suppressed, for the Eternal Slave to wake.

Still as stone, even as animals and monsters passed by.

Eventually, it stirred.

“Uhn… w-where… am I?”

“Noted.”

“Yes… wait—Your Majesty, the King?”

“Huh? You know me?”

An Eternal Slave who knows me?

Not surprising if it were a regular human—but this is unexpected.

I’ve met few Eternal Slaves.

Including Lissa, all of them became my slaves.

So an Eternal Slave who knows me… that’s a little jarring.

But then—

Her reply hit even harder.

“What are you talking about? I’m Svetlana.”

“…Huh?”

Svetlana… that Svetlana?

“You weren’t… regret, were you?”

“That’s right, even now—huh?”

Svetlana stared at her own reflection, stunned.

The final fate of an Eternal Slave: Regret.

An Eternal Slave who never found a master would gradually transform—shifting from an elven appearance to something darker, more like a dark elf.

Brown skin. Silver hair.

Everything about her now was the exact opposite of the woman before her.

Svetlana, shocked.

She looked at her hands. At her hair.

Then grabbed her chest—probably feeling her heart.

“Back to being an Eternal Slave…”

“Is that even possible?”

“Never seen anything like it.”

“Hmm.”

Never seen anything like it…

Anyway, first things first—let’s hear what she has to say.