Day-7
...
The next day, I woke up feeling exhausted.
Well… it was the same yesterday too.
Huh… I've been too hard on myself these past few days.
Even if I feel a little sorry for myself, it won't really change anything.
In the end, I still need to earn money to survive.
I got up from the pile of straw I called a bed, preparing to go through my usual morning routine.
Or… that's what I thought.
Looking up at the sky, I could see the sun had already risen, its warm light filling the morning.
Yeah… looks like I overslept a bit today.
It's usually not this hot yet.
-
After making some preparations—putting on my usual clothes and leather armor, carrying my two main weapons along with my shield, and of course my small backpack—
I opened the door and stepped outside.
Unlike usual, the morning felt rather lively, and the air was warm.
I stopped walking and looked up at the sky… a small smile forming on my face.
"Looks like it's going to be a clear day."
I couldn't help but hope my luck would be just as bright…
-
On my way to the gate, I stopped when I noticed something.
He looks familiar.
That was my first thought when I saw his figure.
I felt like I had seen him somewhere before… or maybe I just passed by him once? I'm not sure.
Sitting on the grass by the roadside was a large man in worn-out armor.
So now… should I talk to him?
Even though I'm not the type to start conversations, for some reason… I felt a bit sorry seeing someone alone like that.
I saw a bit of myself in him.
Not exactly the same—our loneliness is probably different. But… being different isn't a reason not to help someone, right?
At that moment, I decided to keep him company for a while.
Maybe we're destined to become partners—just kidding.
I walked over to him, and when I stood right in front of him, I spoke.
"H-hey… what are you doing here…?"
A bit of nervousness slipped into my voice.
He slowly looked up at me, blinking a few times before responding.
"…Who?"
A fair answer. I'm a complete stranger, after all.
I stepped to his side and sat down.
"Well… I'm not really anyone. But I feel like I've seen you before, so I got a little curious. That's all."
I smiled as casually as I could.
"I-I see…" he replied briefly.
Seems like he's not very talkative.
I looked at him for a moment.
"What's wrong? You look down. Did something happen?"
He didn't say anything.
"You don't have to tell me, really. I'm not anyone important to you anyway. But… I'll stay here with you for a bit."
I tried my best, in my own awkward way.
I saw him nod slightly.
"…Thank you."
"No problem…"
-
For a while after that, nothing happened.
Just two men sitting in silence, lost in their own thoughts.
The atmosphere was… awkward.
But eventually, someone broke that silence.
Five people approached us—three men, and two of them were women.
"…Mogzo?"
I heard one of them call out.
So they know him.
The five of them came closer. I stood up, then spoke to the big man beside me.
"Looks like they know you. Well… I guess this is where I leave."
I turned around and walked away.
There was no response from behind me, so I just kept going.
Huh… what was I even doing?
That was… hard to understand, even for myself.
-
By the time I reached the forest, the sun had fully risen.
Good thing there are plenty of trees here…
At least that's something to be grateful for. Without them, just imagining the heat is already unbearable.
As I walked, casually scanning my surroundings… it was basically just trees.
To be honest, I was a little worried.
That something like yesterday might happen again.
But hopefully… that worry would turn out to be nothing.
-
After walking deeper into the forest—
Suddenly, I heard rustling nearby. Along with the sound of quick footsteps.
I immediately became alert, drawing my sword and raising my shield.
And just as I expected—
The sound got closer, followed by a sharp shout.
A goblin leapt out of the bushes, charging straight at me.
Damn.
I barely had time to react—it was already too close, ready to strike me with its sword.
I tried to dodge by shifting my body slightly—
But the attack still grazed my right arm, leaving a cut.
That hurts…
I never expected a goblin would ambush me like this.
Just as I thought I didn't need to worry—
The rustling sound came again.
From the same direction, another goblin rushed toward me.
This one carried a dagger.
But since I was already on guard—
I managed to block its attack with my shield, then tried to stab it with my sword.
It stepped back, avoiding the strike.
So much for my worries being unnecessary—this is even worse.
Damn it… one I might manage, but two?
Running might be a good option…
But can I?
That's the real question.
I shifted my gaze between the two goblins, trying to keep both within my sight.
But one of them seemed impatient and rushed at me again.
It swung its sword—I blocked it with mine.
But it didn't stop there.
It followed up with a thrust—
Before it could hit me, I kicked it, forcing it back.
No time to breathe.
The second goblin attacked immediately, launching a series of quick strikes with its dagger.
Most of them I managed to dodge—
But then it suddenly switched to a reverse grip and attacked from a different angle.
Once again, my legs proved useful.
With its short range, I kicked it back.
I stepped forward—
Only to see the first goblin attacking again.
For the next few moments, this repeated over and over.
They didn't give me a single chance to attack.
I was completely forced onto the defensive.
At this point… I couldn't keep it up.
My breathing was heavy.
My arms ached from blocking their attacks.
"Damn it… damn it… damn it… what do I do…"
I was starting to lose my composure.
Fighting two goblins is completely beyond me.
And what confused me the most—how are there two of them ambushing me?
Then I realized—
The one with the sword… might be the goblin that escaped from me yesterday.
Is this… revenge?
Maybe.
But that doesn't matter right now.
What matters is—how do I find an opening to run?
But that's easier said than done.
I'm already running out of stamina just trying to hold them off.
Even if I manage to run, I won't get far.
What now…? Honestly, I have no idea anymore.
My focus started to slip.
Everything blurred at times, then snapped back.
Then I noticed—
One of them was gone.
I quickly looked around—
Only to find it right in front of me.
Its attack was already coming.
And in that instant—
Everything became clear.
I knew exactly what I had to do.
At the very last moment, I slammed my shield into its blade—deflecting the attack.
Its sword flew out of its hand, clattering to the ground.
I immediately slashed at the now-open goblin.
It tried to retreat—but my strike still landed, leaving a shallow wound.
It staggered.
As its companion rushed toward me—
I grabbed my axe and threw it at the goblin with the dagger.
Without even thinking whether it would hit—
I turned around and ran as fast as I could.
-
Some time later, after running quite a distance—
My breathing was ragged. My heart was pounding.
Sweat poured down my body. Exhaustion hit me all at once.
I collapsed onto the path without caring about anything.
"Haa… haa… damn…"
My chest felt tight. My stomach hurt.
Running with barely any stamina was a terrible idea—
Especially since I kept running for that long.
After a while, I sat up, leaning against a tree.
Staring blankly ahead.
"…Guess not today either, huh…"
A faint smile appeared on my face.
But I didn't feel happy at all.
If anything… my future felt even more uncertain now.
Huh…
I let out a long sigh.
Today didn't go the way I wanted either…
...