...
"Alright..."
Standing atop a tree, my gaze fixed downward—more precisely, on my prey.
A short sword and a small shield rested in my hands, ready to be used.
All that was left was to wait for the right timing.
The moment he was directly beneath me, I would jump down and ambush him.
And he should die instantly, since that creature wasn't wearing a helmet at all.
A great strategy, right?
But—sometimes your prey doesn't act the way you want it to. Yeah, he suddenly turned and walked somewhere else.
Still, I had prepared something for situations like this.
I took something out of my pocket—a stone.
Well, hopefully I won't miss.
With enough force, I threw the stone toward him.
And yes, it landed right beside him.
You might think I missed, but that was actually my intention.
If you've ever played stealth games like Metal Gear Solid, you'll know what I just did.
Alright, let me explain.
I deliberately avoided hitting him so he'd grow curious about who threw it. Even though that creature has low intelligence, it should still try to trace where the throw came from.
Well, this only works if you're not too far away.
And my distance from that creature was probably only around seven meters.
The only difference was that I was up in a tree.
-
And look, just as I expected.
He started searching.
Alright, come over here.
Just a little more...
A little closer...
Alright!
The moment he stepped right within my reach, I jumped down from the tree and pointed the tip of my sword downward.
But not everything goes smoothly.
The creature seemed to notice me and managed to shift its body, avoiding my fatal strike.
"Damn..."
Even so, I still managed to hit his left arm.
But now, I might have to face him head-on.
"GARGGG!" he roared, his voice loud.
"Looks like I don't have a choice..."
After saying that, I immediately rushed toward him.
Then I swung my sword, but the creature managed to block my attack with its dagger.
Seeing my attack fail, I took a few steps back to create some distance.
Damn, this is hard.
I need to take him down quickly, or I might run out of stamina soon.
Yeah, even though it looks like this, I've actually never fought before.
Basically, everything I'm doing right now is just the only way I know to survive in this strange world.
I clenched my teeth and charged again.
The creature didn't stay still either.
I swung my sword again—and it was blocked once more.
Our weapons clashed, the sound of metal ringing through the forest.
But—at that moment, I lost focus.
And his dagger managed to slash me.
"Argh..."
I immediately stepped back.
My mind raced, thinking about what I should do to win.
My breathing became heavy, sweat dripping down my body.
In this short new life of mine, this might be the first time I've felt it.
The feeling of standing on the edge of death.
My vision started to blur from the exhaustion.
And it seemed like he didn't waste that opportunity.
He tried to attack me.
By reflex, I blocked his strike with my shield.
Then, when he staggered slightly, I noticed something strange.
A line?
No… maybe a thread?
Or maybe not a thread.
But whatever it was, it extended from his body.
Not just one—there were many.
The moment I saw them, I felt like I knew what to do.
I aligned my sword and followed those lines… those threads.
And suddenly, it felt like my body was moving on its own.
Before I realized it, my sword was already very close to the creature's head.
Seeing that, I poured all my strength into it and thrust forward.
But since my sword was somewhat dull, it didn't go in too deep.
Still, I managed to knock him down to the ground.
With that, I pushed my sword deeper.
And finally, he died.
-
I pulled my sword out of the goblin.
The blade that had once been silver was now stained red in several places.
My hands trembled for some reason, causing me to drop the sword.
"Damn."
My first day in this world…
And it already feels this difficult.
Also, even though what I killed wasn't a human, I realized something.
Yes.
Every creature—no matter what it is—wants to live.
And that includes me.
So if they resist, then fighting back is inevitable.
In the end, it's kill or be killed.
This world feels completely different from the fantasy worlds I used to see in anime or manga.
That's why I can't afford to let my guard down.
I have to take this more seriously...
-
After resting for a while, I started looting the goblin I killed.
I got a fang—though I'm not sure where it came from—a dagger, and a silver coin with a hole in it.
Even though I don't know which of them is valuable, there's no harm in taking everything.
Money is still money to me.
Once I was done, I immediately started walking back toward the city.
...