I walked calmly, controlling my breathing. As I entered the forest, the atmosphere already felt heavy, so I stayed low, checking the terrain and keeping a close eye on my surroundings. I couldn't afford to fall into a trap or be caught off guard.

  My gaze fixed on something that caught my attention.

  "Footprints..." I said, crouching down carefully to examine them.

  They're child-sized, so they passed through here.

  "According to the compass," I said, pulling it from my pocket, "they're heading towards Durmorol..."

  The Durmorol Mountains are dwarven territory, home to their capital and the finest weapon smiths in the game. You can't enter until the late game, but maybe I'll take a look if I make it out of here alive.

  I erased my tracks, sighed, and stood up to continue on my way.

  The air seemed to thin for a moment... I didn't know why, but my instincts screamed at me to duck. I threw myself backward, landing with a small roll and scrambling to my feet.

  Crack! An axe embedded itself deeply in the tree, shattering its bark and lodging firmly in place.

  "Quick reflexes," a deep voice rumbled from behind the trees. "Ah... that exquisite aroma... Fear. I love it when the prey is terrified..."

  The man emerged from his hiding place, looking terrifyingly dangerous. He stood nearly two meters tall, his muscular body draped in a tunic and reinforced with leather armor.

  "But I really hate it when the prey... cover their tracks," he said, pointing to the erased footprints. "It really bothers me."

  Surrounding me, several bandits appeared, covering my blind spots and cutting off my escape routes...

  Two on the left, they looked calm and unhurried, as if they knew they could finish me off with a single blow. They were veterans. On the right, there were three, one of whom was trembling slightly but trying hard to look menacing. The other two were covering for him, so he was the weak link. Behind him, there were two more... but what really worried me was her. I saw her at first glance, and she wasn't even hiding.

  I focused my gaze behind him, and a thinner figure leaned against a tree, cloaked in a tunic.

  "You smell... let's say..." I sighed, pinching my nose, "like a disgusting reptile. Though, I suppose Naeruns fetch a high price in Valoryn... those old aristocrats are rotten to the core."

  I tapped the ground several times before rising, needing to prepare my contraptions with subtle movements.

  The bandits slowly began to surround me, their steps slow and deliberate.

  "Let's at least try to be friendly. Tell me, what exactly are you looking for?" I said jokingly, rummaging through my tunic for smoke bombs.

  "A mission that will make us millionaires... and if we bring you along, we'll earn even more. Who's with me, huh?"

  The bandits were far too motivated, so much so that they even shouted in unison.

  That should at least serve its purpose... I tap the ground lightly and clench my fists, the bombs nestled between my fingers.

  A bird escaped the area, so the slight message of our shout had indeed served its purpose for our target.

  A heavy step behind me—another new guy who'd gotten overexcited—was what made me realize. I took a slow breath and thanked the rookie for the warning.

  I ducked suddenly, tossing the bombs to the ground as I felt the bandits' assault on my back.

  "Hm?! What the hell is this?!" one of them screamed, coughing from the smoke. "Ah... it burns!"

  "Slippery," the large man said with a sigh, raising his hand.

  The same brilliance as Elizabeth's hand when she used her magic appeared, and with it... a gust of wind began to swirl through the area.

  "Hm!?" The large man let out a sound of surprise.

  The smoke doesn't dissipate so easily... Just mix the burnt firewood with certain components of this world, and you'll have a potent mixture...

  "They're coming from behind!"

  "Cover the flank, AHG!"

  As the smoke cleared, the bandits within lay sprawled on the ground, their weapons vanished.

  "W-when did this happen...?" the middle bandit, still tied, stammered.

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  "Don't get distracted! It's just one person!" the leader shouted, drawing his sword.

  "More smoke!"

  Boom! Bang! Kaboom! The bombs detonated.

  Another scream from the edge of the forest, followed by a dry thud, and one of the bandits was hanging upside down from the branches.

  "Now it's obvious you're going to interfere, so..."

  "Don't let them get you, you idiots!" Something fell into his eyes. "SAhgh! Damn it, my eyes!"

  He forced his eyes open, but sighed painfully. While I tucked the vial into my pockets, I continued dancing through the field at full speed, staying low. I couldn't waste time.

  "There you are, you little brat!" The secondary veteran hurled his axe at my body.

  He predicted my trajectory, so I slammed on the brakes, bouncing off the tree and launching myself in the opposite direction.

  "There!" He lunged with a powerful tackle.

  "Predictable," I boasted with a smirk, stomping my foot to use it as leverage.

  Having tested the ground, my foot simply slid, allowing me to slip beneath him. With only one option left against this veteran, I took it.

  His body was robust at first glance as I passed beneath him. I simply slid my fist to strike his balls, a place he couldn't train.

  "Agh!" he screamed in agony, slamming into the tree in front of him the moment the blow landed.

  I leaped back, breathing heavily.

  —Ugh...—I took a deep breath, regaining my composure.

  —You're mine!—The other veteran lunged at me from behind, his sword piercing through my cloak.

  —God, not even a moment's rest...—Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I sighed.

  —You're already dead... hehe—He twisted his sword, trying to pull it free. —W-What the hell...?

  "Bandits usually use thin, dull swords..." I said, spinning around and placing my hands on his shoulders to apply a neck crank, forcing him to the ground.

  His sword shattered from hilt to tip.

  "Let go! You bastard!" He thrashed, his hands gripping the leather straps on my wrists. Immobilized by my legs pinning his arms, he only strained harder.

  "Shh... Just give in..."

  Seconds later, he collapsed unconscious.

  "Ah..." I released him, breathing heavily. I sprang back to my feet, checking my supplies with my fingers tucked inside my cloak.

  With my other hand, I drew the tip of my sword from beneath my cloak, unhooking it from my mail. I watched as the woman remained motionless, while the man struggled to wipe his face.

  "Ah... Kevin, did they capture Marcus already?" She kept wiping her eyes, trying to pry them open.

  "Well... that just leaves you and the other one behind!" I took a step forward, but...

  My body recoiled in pure terror, leaping backward in fear. I didn't know what it was; even my hands were trembling.

  "Ah! Boss...?!" the man exclaimed.

  "You never fail to disappoint me, you ridiculous fool," the woman said, kicking the man hard in the back and sending him flying toward the sea. "Clean yourself up there."

  "AH!!!"

  The man shot through the air like a cannonball, flying several meters before splashing into the water. It made one thing perfectly clear...

  "One wrong move and I'll die," I muttered, chewing on a homemade protein bar pulled from the folds of my robe. I sighed wearily.

  "You're quite skilled, little one," she said, cracking her neck and stretching her shoulders as if simply showing off. "But let me tell you, this is the end of your journey."

  "Don't you have a little too much confidence in yourself?"

  I analyzed her height and build. She didn't look particularly strong to me... but I shouldn't underestimate her. In Kaelion's dream, she...

  "That's what it's like to be at the top." He vanished before me.

  He was a demon.

  The air seemed to split at that moment, and I couldn't even blink. My left arm, which had instinctively moved to protect my ribs, shattered from a single kick.

  "Gah!" I screamed with all my might, bouncing off the trees as I fled deeper into the forest at full speed.

  Each blow felt infernal, my head throbbing as my left arm hung uselessly from my body, completely shattered. The world around me seemed to slow as I tried to cushion the impacts, positioning myself with practiced skill.

  Finally, I slammed into a tree, the impact cracking my back—another fracture.

  Blood gushed from my forehead and mouth. I didn't want to get up; I was too... too terrified.

  "Sh-shit... what... what the hell..." I could only gasp, staring at my left arm.

  I couldn't feel it. It was shattered and hung from me like a simple stump, riddled with impaled branches and cuts that made blood pour out.

  But the Naerun blood wouldn't let me die... I felt my back beginning to recover as the cuts on my arm closed faster than I expected—

  "You survived, that's a point in your favor," she whispered in my ear, "though I understand the Naeruns... have a resistance far superior to any burly warrior in combat..." She traced her fingertip over my chest.

  His flirty tone only made my blood boil, as he was clearly mocking me.

  "Come on, come on... you took down my subordinates... won't you even say something?"

  "What kind of beast are you...?" I coughed up blood, leaping back with my remaining strength as smoke bombs exploded in the air.

  I have to run alone... I have to run, I have no chance, not even of escaping, but... the smoke should distract her, along with... I need to find them quickly...

  "W-where are the bombs...?" I gasped into the smoke-filled air.

  My back collided with something soft. I didn't want to believe it... didn't want to imagine it... but...

  "Looking for something dear...?" Her coquette voice returned, wrapping around me as her left arm encircled my waist. "Running from a lady in combat isn't very attractive, you know... it makes you look like a coward."

  Despite the danger, I felt a sense of calm... even if only for a moment...

  "I hate cowards..." Her right arm tightened its grip.

  The leather of his right glove cut through the light wind with its force, and...

  Craaaack!

  I flew through the air, my gaze fixed on the sky and clouds... My adventure ended here, not even... at the beginning of the game... Though to be honest, I'd come to an unexplored area armed only with my detective skills... Clearly, I stood no chance against magic or armed bandits...

  "At least..." My vision slowly darkened, and I felt neither pain nor regret. "My father and mother... will live well... I'm sorry, Zac..."

  My vision went completely black, followed by a thud that made me realize I had fallen to the ground. With my last breath, I simply sighed.

  "Z-Zac... M-Mom..."