Chapter 6 - I Shouldn't Have Done That (6)

The messenger didn't slow down even when exiting the city. People backed away in shock, and the guards seemed to say something as we passed through the city gates, but I wasn't sure if it was okay.

THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD.

Regardless, we left the city gates, crossed the bridge, and rushed into the forest. Given the time, the sun had already set, leaving our surroundings incredibly dark.

CLICK.

I briefly glanced at the messenger's flickering torch up ahead and pulled up the world map again.

Looking at the location marker on the world map, there was still quite a distance left. It looked like we had to travel as far as the distance from the trading company to the city gate, no, maybe 1.5 times more than that.

'Ah, it's making me so anxious since it doesn't tell me the number of survivors. At this rate, won't they all be dead by the time I arrive?'

I quietly narrowed my eyes in anxiety before wondering if I could increase the horse's speed even more.

'I don't need a light source since I have a lantern. What about the horse itself? For some reason, I keep getting the gut feeling that it would be fine to push it even faster.'

After some hesitation, I lowered my posture and gave the horse a signal. The bouncing against my rear became much more intense, but it wasn't to the point where I couldn't match the rhythm.

"Huh?!"

My horse overtook the messenger's horse and began to pull further ahead. The horse would suffer a bit, but since we wouldn't need to push this fast on the way back, I hoped it would endure.

The messenger tried his best to stick behind me, but perhaps the horses themselves were different, as the distance between us gradually widened.

THUD, THUD, THUD.

Right around the time I started wondering if the horse was going to foam at the mouth, we nearly reached the spot marked on the map.

It was to the extent that the clashing of metal and the screeching of demons could be heard even over the sound of hooves.

The torches of those fighting came into view as well. It was a light indicating that there were still survivors.

"May victory be upon my blade..."

While instinctively offering a prayer, a brief dilemma occurred to me. *'Should I stop the horse here and join them on foot? Can I not do mounted combat?' *

"And glory to the heavens above!"

'Ah, whatever, let's go with mounted combat! It's not like the horse is going to die anyway!'

"It's reinforcements!"

"Reinforcements?!"

The fierce combatants from the merchant group spotting me and me cutting into their midst happened almost simultaneously.

My blade sliced through three goblins at once, while my horse struck two more and trampled their heads.

"Die, you miserable bugs!"

At the same time, I realized something. Mounted combat was, without a doubt, too much for me.

"W-What the!"

"Is it just one person?!"

"I thought you said reinforcements arrived!"

"Are we going to live?!"

Controlling a speeding horse with just my two legs was hard enough, but swinging a sword from up there to slice up tiny goblins was even harder.

Furthermore, it was the dead of night. Though there were fires lit here and there, it was an undeniable fact that it was harder to make things out than during the day.

I'd probably get the hang of it if I kept at it, but it wasn't something to attempt right at this moment.

"Tsk."

As soon as I made that judgment, I hurled my two-handed sword at a goblin and immediately leaped off the horse.

Dropping from a horse with this much momentum would normally come with immense impact, but this was a game.

My body landed on a pile of goblin corpses.

THUD!

Because I executed a breakfall as I jumped, my body rolled across the ground with a slight, dull ache. My HP dropped a little, but I didn't suffer any status effects. That was all that mattered.

I retrieved my two-handed sword from the goblin that had it embedded in its head and swung it in one continuous motion. Two goblins nearby were instantly sliced in half.

A quick glance confirmed that my horse had charged straight through the battlefield and was running away into the distance.

「❖ People in Danger

∎ Eliminate the Attackers 8 / ??

∎ Bonus: Number of Survivors 30 / 52」

'Nice. It tells me the numbers right as I arrive.'

I quickly scanned the battlefield to identify the danger zones. Slashing down the goblins lunging at me was a given.

Fifteen cargo wagons, and people fighting on top of them after tearing through the roofs. Horses that were barely alive or completely dead. Goblins swarming from all directions.

'Are those wolves tearing at the corpses among the goblins?'

「Jackal │ A cunning beast that hunts in packs using clever tactics. Jackals tamed by demons are even more ferocious and resilient.」

Looking at the pop-up window, they were jackals, not wolves. Not that it was a very important detail.

"You've really caused quite the mess..."

I acted out my hatred while my mind raced quickly.

'The wagons and goods aren't what I need to protect, so skip those. Ignore the spots where a lot of people are grouped up, too. They look like they can hold out fine by helping each other even without me.'

'In that case, the first place I need to jump into is decided.'

SLASH!

I dashed toward the very front and swung my two-handed sword.

The goblins gripped rusted daggers with their scrawny limbs, and the jackals swiftly tried to scratch me, but I didn't care. They were all one-shots anyway.

"W-Watch the ground—!"

THUD!

As I cleanly swept along the right side of the lined-up wagons, one of the wagon wheels slightly rattled, and the ground swelled upward.

If someone hadn't been holding a torch nearby, I definitely would have missed it.

"...?!"

Of all places, it was the exact spot of ground I was about to step on, so I panicked a little. However, I was the type of person who could hide momentary surprise, nor did my brain freeze up just because I was startled.

I calmly shifted my footing to step elsewhere and thrust my blade right into the center of the swollen ground.

CRUNCH!

Something both hard and squishy caught on my blade.

「Intestine Worm │ A demon that burrows beneath the earth with a body resembling sheep intestines. It hunts its prey using a paralyzing venom secreted from its teeth.」

As I threw a quick glance, I saw my sword impaled in the head of a bug that looked like a mealworm bloated several hundred times over.

'I wondered why everyone had climbed onto the wagons, but it seems it was because of this guy. The unusually high death toll is probably due to its paralyzing venom, too.'

From then on, I continued my slaughter while watching my step. Because the people had all climbed onto the wagons, I didn't need to hold back on swinging my sword, which made things much easier.

On top of the mound of goblin corpses the people had piled up so far, an equal amount of carcasses was added.

*CRUNCH! * The intestine worm getting squashed under my combat boots was just a bonus.

"W-What the hell is that..."

"It's a monster..."

KREEEK.

KREEEEEK!

However, while I was tearing them to shreds, I spotted a single goblin with a distinctly different color.

A hobgoblin like the one I saw in the sewer. Hidden by the wagons and the darkness of the night, I'd thought it was just a regular goblin.

It was a big catch.

KREEK?!

The hobgoblin raised its staff. Black light then flowed into the surrounding goblins.

'Judging by the signs, it's probably a buff skill. In that case, I can't let it go. Supporters and healers are the number one priority for elimination.'

"I'll tear you apart...!"

As soon as I spotted the bastard, I bolted straight for it.

The goblins tried to stop me, but it didn't matter as long as I ignored them.

「Survival Instinct │ A seasoned warrior must be able to take care of themselves on the battlefield, so it suggests paths to evade attacks.

Effect: Suggests 1 evasion path

Cooldown: 60 seconds」

I activated one of the skills I'd picked up while leveling up.

With that, a semi-transparent arrow appeared, showing me a path to advance while taking as few hits as possible.

This wasn't what the skill was meant for, but it was my own little trick.

Regardless, I immediately pushed off the side of the wagon and jumped. The wagon was loaded with so much stuff that it didn't tip over just because I stepped on it.

TAP, TAP, TAP!

My body perilously cleared two wagons as I stepped along their sides and the narrow top edge of their railings. Soon, the hobgoblin at the very front was right before my eyes.

KREEEEK!!!

The goblins that had latched onto me when I jumped between the wagons dug their nails in. However, that level of pain and weight was bearable.

Putting strength into the hand holding my sword, I sliced cleanly upward. The goblins that had offered their bodies as a meat shield were hacked apart, and as I adjusted my grip into a reverse hold, I slammed the blade down from the air.

THWACK!

*'Are hobgoblins all destined to die by impalement?' * This time, instead of the head, the blade of my two-handed sword pierced right through its neck.

SPLASH!

Because the angle was awkward, ripping it open with a swing of the sword was a bonus.

GRRRRND.

After slicing from the hobgoblin's throat down through its arm and bursting out its armpit to scrape the ground, my sword plunged into the body of another goblin.

At the same time, I let go of the hilt and peeled off the goblins and the intestine worm clinging to my body.

Not only had my HP dropped quite a bit, but the paralysis venom meter had also built up slightly. I was still in the safe zone, but getting bitten three or four more times would be dangerous.

SMACK.

I hurled away the goblins caught in both my hands and drew my longsword with my left hand. My right hand was still busy tearing off the little demon bastards attached to my arms, legs, and back.

KREEK!!

'But even though the boss is dead, these guys are perfectly fine.'

I narrowed my eyes at the goblins that weren't fleeing in panic, only to discover one fact I had overlooked.

While the right side of the wagon I had run along only had goblins and intestine worms, there was still one hobgoblin left on the left side.

'My gacha luck was a bust.'

"Aaaagh!"

Just then, an NPC was about to fall off a wagon with an intestine worm biting into his ankle.

"Tch."

I exaggeratedly contorted my face and threw my longsword. Because it wasn't made for throwing, it didn't get any system correction and landed a bit off from where I aimed, but that was more than enough.

The sword embedded in the ground blocked the path of the goblin trying to approach the fallen NPC.

SWISH.

In the meantime, I quickly grabbed my two-handed sword and charged forward. Since the number of goblins had decreased by the amount I had slaughtered, I could dash through much easier than before.

"Die...!"

To maximize my reach, I gripped the very end of the two-handed sword and slammed it down from above.

CRASH!

The two goblins that had dodged the longsword to target the NPC were split in half from the crown of their heads to their groins.

"Eek!"

"Pull him up!"

"Hurry and grab him!"

"Please grab his other arm!"

The NPC who almost died freaked out, and the others on the wagon hastily grabbed his arms. He was hoisted up and collapsed face-first onto the cargo.

KREEEEEK, KREEK!

'That guy is sorted, so is it time to kill the one remaining hobgoblin?'

*'Good thing it was on the way.' * I retrieved my thrown longsword and swung it sideways. The head of a jumping goblin detached from its neck and rolled to the side.

CLACK.

Just like that, the longsword that bisected a goblin returned to my waist. *'Damn. Even I think that was incredibly badass.' *

GRRRRND.

The two-handed sword held in one hand lightly scraped the ground before lifting into the air as I gripped it with both hands. *TAP, TAP, TAP. * My combat boots stepped right over the goblin corpses.

KREEEEEEK!!!

The end of my charge. Sensing the threat to its life, the hobgoblin summoned goblins to stand in front of it.

However, I didn't slow my running speed, my two-handed sword was leveled parallel to the ground, and its blade reached approximately one meter in length.

CRUNCH!

With a couple of goblins hanging from my shoulders, I pierced through the hearts of three goblins and the hobgoblin.

KRIK!

KRIK KRIK!!

"It-It's dead..."

"The demons are..."

Immediately after, the goblins began frantically scattering in all directions.

SHING.

I drew my bloodstained longsword and lopped off the hobgoblin's head—just in case—and hunted down the fleeing ones. The goblins that were clutching the clothes of corpses or frantically jumping about fled across the forest in terror.

"You're running away...!"

'Would chasing down even the fleeing ones to tear them apart fit my concept better? Or would it make more sense to help the people recover?'

SPIT.

I spat out the blood in my mouth—some goblin flesh had gotten in there while fighting. It was the drawback of an overly well-implemented game—and pulled out my neglected two-handed sword.

A quick glance confirmed the number of survivors remained locked at 27.

"W-We lived..."

"Thank you, oh gods..."

"Just who is that person...?"

'Ah, right, the mercenaries. Didn't the trading company say they recruited mercenaries separately and sent them over too?'

'Unless there's a problem with my memory, that should definitely be the case, but I have no idea when they're arriving. It seems the messenger managed to grab my runaway horse and safely grouped up.'

"Aaaagh!"

*'I don't know. Mercenaries or not, chasing them down would probably fit my concept better.' * The moment I took a step with that thought, a vehement scream struck my ears.

"The demonic energy is encroaching!"

"Is-Is there no medicine?!"

"We have sedatives, but...!"

A certain game setting belatedly came to mind at those words.

「Demonic Energy Encroachment │ Those attacked by demons have a set chance to be encroached by demonic energy.

As the encroachment level rises, various status effects are applied, and in severe cases, one can transform into a demon.」

'I remember that in the original game, the meter had a set chance to build up every time you took damage from a demon. Did it apply various status effects at 10 percent increments?'

'Still, it wasn't hard to manage. You were fine as long as you bought medicine from the temple and drank it, or received Purification.'

'Crucially, the Demon Knight class didn't need to worry about it. Probably because I already had a demon in my arm, the encroachment meter didn't build up at all!'

"Take this."

"Excuse me?"

Setting that aside, I currently had that medicine.

'Maybe because the starting items were universal across all classes? They gave it to me even though it was a useless item for the Demon Knight class.'

「Demonic Energy Antidote │ A pill that purifies the demonic energy encroaching inside a human. It quells the madness invoked by demons and brings temporary peace.」

Anyway, I tossed a pill bottle to him. There were 10 pills in a set, so they'd put it to good use.

"This is... th-thank you!"

"Is it medicine?!"

'It was a bit pricey so I felt a little reluctant, but seeing the overly realistic faces of the NPCs actually made me kind of proud.'

'Yeah, well, I don't need it anyway, so it's good to save some NPCs.'

'Besides, it's not like a guy who lost his family to a demon and suffered encroachment would just stand by and watch someone get encroached by a demon. So it doesn't break character interpretation either. Perfect.'

"Are there any bandages over here?!"

"Dammit, we don't have enough sedatives..."

"Is this all the demonic energy antidote we have?!"

"Th-That person gave us all of this."

"Good lord..."

'Though somehow, it seems like they need more.'

I hesitated, my feet pointed toward the night forest, before ultimately turning my body toward the wagons.

*CREAK. * The sword in my grip scraped against my leather gloves as it was sheathed on my back.

CLATTER.

"This is?!"

"Use it."

Considering the number of remaining people, I tossed them another pill bottle of demonic energy antidote, and handed the bandages given to me at the start to the guy who needed them.

'I wondered why they packed so many starting items for me, but it seems it was all intended to be used for stuff like this.'

"Th-Thank you!"

'It was all provided by the game, so there's no reason to thank me. More importantly, will that old man reimburse me if I bill him for this?'

The game was so well-made that it was hard to tell.

THUD, THUD, THUD.

"Ah, it's the reinforcements!"

Just then, the mercenaries sent by the trading company could be seen running over from afar—or to be exact, the torches they were carrying could be seen.

It was the end of the quest.