The river I was following slowly widened, its current becoming calmer but deeper. The surrounding forest began to change. The giant mossy trees that had sheltered me earlier were becoming sparse, replaced by lower, more open vegetation.
The pale morning sunlight, which had been blocked by the canopy earlier, now shone more freely on my face, though still veiled by thin overcast clouds.
The rain had finally stopped completely. The air started to feel warm and humid, water vapor rising from the forest floor like the earth's breath.
I took off my black poncho and folded it haphazardly, stuffing it into the side pocket of my mountain pack. My softshell jacket was enough to protect me now.
I walked with a steady rhythm, eyes constantly scanning the surroundings. That Orc earlier was a warning. If there's one, there's usually a colony.
"System," I whispered.
The holographic screen appeared.
[Balance: 802 Points]
I smiled faintly. Selling that Orc sword was decent. At least I wasn't running a deficit today. But I needed more. Surviving in this forest wasn't cheap.
Suddenly, my ears caught a new sound. Not an animal or flowing water.
The sound of... metal clashing?
And screams. Human screams?
I stopped instantly, hiding behind some tall bushes. The sound was coming from up ahead, slightly away from the river.
Humans? Elves? Or another race?
Curiosity and caution battled in my mind. If they were humans, maybe I could get information on where I was. But if they were bandits or soldiers hunting Elves... I was in big danger.
I decided to get closer, but extremely carefully. I crawled through the underbrush, keeping my body low. Mud stained my new pants, but I didn't care.
The sounds of fighting grew clearer. The clang of swords, angry shouts, and the growls of wild beasts.
I peeked from behind a fallen tree trunk.
In a small clearing surrounded by trees, a battle was taking place.
Three humans—two men and one woman—had formed a fragile triangular formation, backs to each other as they were surrounded. One of them wore silver armor.
That armor should have been gleaming, but now it looked dull, its surface full of deep scratches and blackened bloodstains. It was clearly of much higher quality than the rough leather armor of the Orc I met earlier, but now it looked on the verge of destruction.
The man standing at the front, covered in armor, gripped a round wooden shield that was split in half in his left hand, splinters sticking out from its shattered edge. In his right hand, he held a longsword with a slightly dulled blade.
Behind him, a woman stood with a shaky posture, her face pale. She held a slender, curved wooden staff; at its tip was a blue crystal whose light flickered dimly, almost extinguished.
And the third man, who looked the youngest among them, lay helpless on the ground. He moaned in pain, clutching his bloody leg, a short sword lying abandoned beside him, slipped from his grasp.
And their opponents...
Five wolves.
But these weren't ordinary wolves. They were the size of bison, with silvery-grey fur standing upright like needles. Their eyes glowed red, and from their gaping mouths, drool dripped down, hissing as it touched the ground.
Direwolves?
One of the wolves howled, a sound that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It leaped, lunging at the shield-bearer.
CRASH!
The man was pushed back, his feet dragging through the dirt. His shield cracked again.
"Hold formation! Don't let them near Dina!" the man shouted, his voice hoarse.
The woman named Dina released a Fireball with a trembling hand from her staff. The Fireball missed, hitting a tree behind the wolf.
"I... I'm out of mana!" the woman screamed in despair.
That woman just shot a fireball from her staff...
So magic really exists in this world.
I analyzed the situation quickly. Three humans on the brink of death against five monster wolves.
I had two choices. Leave quietly and let them die, or intervene.
The first choice was safe. The second was high-risk. But... they were humans. They spoke a language I could understand. They were a source of information. And if I saved them... maybe I could get a reward. Or at least a ride to the nearest town and basic information about this world!
Besides, I had a weapon they didn't.
"Hope this hits," I whispered, pulling the Glock 17 from my pocket.
I aimed at the wolf closest to the female Mage. The wolf was preparing to pounce, its back arched.
Distance forty meters. A bit far for a pistol, but the target is big.
I held my breath. Focus.
PFFT!
The bullet hit the side of the wolf's head. It didn't die instantly, but it was flung away, howling in pain as it rolled on the ground.
All eyes—human and wolf alike—immediately snapped in my direction. Or rather, toward the bushes where I was hiding. They looked confused.
I didn't give them time to think. I aimed at the second wolf that was biting the injured man's leg.
PFFT! PFFT!
Two shots. One in the neck, one in the back. The wolf convulsed, then collapsed on top of its victim.
"Who's there?!" shouted the shield-bearer, his eyes wild, searching for his mysterious savior.
The three remaining wolves now forgot their prey. Their noses sniffed the air, seeking the source of this new threat. And they found it.
Three pairs of red eyes stared straight at me.
"Shit," I cursed. "The silencer doesn't hide my scent."
One of the wolves growled low, then sprinted toward me. Its speed was incredible, far faster than the Orc earlier.
I stood up, stepping out of cover. No point hiding anymore.
I fired. PFFT! Missed. The wolf leaped sideways, dodging my bullet with fluid movement.
It was getting closer. Twenty meters. Ten meters.
My hands were sweating. Calm down, Liam. Calm down.
I waited until it jumped for the final strike. As its massive body hung in the air, blocking my view, I fired three times in rapid succession at its exposed chest.
PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!
Blood spurted. The wolf's body crashed into me, knocking me to the ground with painful weight. The smell of its foul, fishy breath filled my nose. But it was dead. Its dead weight pinning me down was the only danger now.
I shoved the heavy corpse aside with difficulty, my breath coming in short gasps. My new jacket was now smeared with wolf blood.
I looked toward the clearing.
The last two wolves seemed hesitant. Three of their packmates dead in seconds by my hand. Their survival instinct took over. They howled softly, then turned and ran, vanishing into the forest.
Silence returned to wrap around the clearing.
I let out a sigh of relief, watching the wolves choose flight.
I stood up, wiping the blood off my jacket with trembling hands. Adrenaline was still pumping hard through my veins.
The three humans stared at me with their mouths hanging open. They saw a small hooded kid, wearing strange green clothes, holding a small black object that had just slaughtered the monsters that nearly killed them.
The shield-bearer lowered his weapon slowly. He took a step forward, limping.
"Kid..." his voice was raspy. "You... who are you?"
I holstered my pistol, but kept my hand near my pocket. Caution couldn't be dropped just yet.
"Just a lost wanderer," I replied, my voice sounding young and innocent, contrasting sharply with the pile of wolf corpses around me.
"Are you guys okay?"
The man exchanged glances with the woman. There was confusion in their eyes, but also deep gratitude.
The woman dropped her staff and fell to a sitting position, weeping in relief.
"We survived... thank God..."
I walked closer, stepping over a wolf corpse.
"My name is Liam Ashford," I said, introducing my new identity for the first time to other living beings.
"Can you tell me... where is this?"