Chapter 6

After the battle with the goblin.

I quickly left the scene, picking fruits as I moved towards the river.

While eating on the go, I kept watch around me, perked up my ears, and thought.

There were no other body parts or bloodstains at that spot.

That means he wasn't killed and eaten there.

It's possible that the body was brought from somewhere else and shared with others.

In that case... that place must be dangerous.

There's a possibility that his companions are nearby, and the goblin's body is still left there.

Unlike rabbits, which are stabbed to death, the smell of blood could attract companions or other monsters.

What I should fear is fighting multiple enemies at once.

To be honest, I can still handle one...

But if two or three goblins appear together, it would be very bad.

Three of them... I can only imagine being killed if I fight them.

When to decide to flee...

Considering my loose shoes, being left behind is quite dangerous.

In that case, it's best to run away as soon as I confirm multiple enemies.

Run away if there are two or more. I might have to move away from the river, but to survive, I need to stick to this rule.

Then, I suddenly stopped and took something out of my bag.

It was a flashlight I had put in my bag as a work tool.

It's a small but very powerful LED type, and since I use it for work, I chose a relatively expensive foreign-made product.

I have spare batteries in my bag, and it might be effective as a blinding tool against goblins...

If they have a similar structure to humans, even in broad daylight, being directly hit in the face would be unbearable.

They would instinctively close their eyes and cover their faces.

Especially if they are not used to it and lack knowledge, it would be even more so.

No matter how many times my senior does it, I always end up reacting this way!

If I can block their vision and movement, I can finish them off with a full swing of a screwdriver...

With this, I should have a high chance of winning against a single goblin unharmed.

It's doable.

With the right approach, there's still hope.

(Hehehe... Hahahaha!)

▽ ▼ ▽ ▼ ▽

Yuji, with his strange high spirits and endless imagination, didn't realize he had stepped into the lair of a certain monster.

It might be because he was so deep in thought, simulating battles.

The fatigue from the previous battle and the hunger he was trying to ignore might have also made his mind scattered.

However... the enemy doesn't consider such things.

The enemy shows no mercy.

So, before he knew it—

Yuji, who was laughing to himself, was blown away by a large impact from behind.

"Ow!!... My back hurts!! What the hell!? What happened!?"

Confused, he reflexively rubbed his back, but there was no blood.

However, the pain didn't subside at all.

What happened!?

He suddenly turned around.

There, a brown mole-like creature was staring at Yuji.

Or rather, he couldn't be sure if it was a mole.

Yuji had never seen a real mole before.

Just from the creature's face emerging from the ground and its relatively large, hook-like hands, he judged it to be a mole-like creature.

"Damn... Are you the culprit!?"

Naturally, the mole didn't answer.

However, in response,

"Moqu!"

It raised its hand and let out a single cry.

Then, a black mist appeared above the mole.

And...

Something began to form in the mist.

"Seriously... A mole using magic!?"

For Yuji, who was witnessing the formation of his first magic spell, this was a natural surprise.

Moreover, the mole cast the spell with just a cry, which was an unexpected shortcut incantation, adding to his shock.

It gradually grew larger, and anyone could see it was a stone.

Not picking it up from the ground, but growing it in the air.

After about 5 seconds...

The stone, now the size of a tennis ball, was silently launched at Yuji.

At the speed an adult male would throw a stone, it headed straight for Yuji's face.

"Whoa!!!?"

Yuji reflexively hid his face behind his bag.

However,

Thud!!

Clunk!!

"Ugh!!?"

Yuji had put the aluminum case in front of him, covering his face, by chance.

He didn't read the trajectory; he just felt intuitively that if it hit his head, he would die.

By chance, it hit the aluminum case, and the impact didn't stop there, giving Yuji a blow to the face, mainly his nose.

The result was a generous nosebleed, the first since his school days, and a sharp pain.

(Damn, damn, damn... This mole is really trying to kill me!!)

Crouching and pressing his nose with teary eyes, he couldn't think of a way to deal with it, unlike with the horned rabbits or goblins.

The first magic spell and the phenomenon far from his usual common sense planted extra confusion and fear in Yuji.

And the mole wasn't just watching the scene silently.

"Moqu!"

Again, a cute but terrifying cry was emitted.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh!!!"

Yuji suddenly ran towards the mole.

(If that stone comes, I can't be confident I can avoid it! Even if it hits somewhere else, it would be very bad! Then... I'll kill it before it hits me!!)

This action by Yuji was the right choice.

The distance to the mole was about 10 meters.

The magic stone seemed to be aimed at a precise location.

The only shield available to block it was the aluminum case.

If the distance was greater, it would expose more vulnerable areas, but if the distance was closer, the aluminum case could cover a larger area.

For the mole, if the target was 10 meters away, it could aim for areas other than the shield, but if the shield was right in front, it could only hit the shield.

(Damn... Can I make it before it's launched!?)

Because of his loose shoes, Yuji couldn't run as he wanted, and he was in a dilemma even in this short time.

Kick it away before it's launched.

Or first, put the bag in front to protect myself from the magic stone with all my might.

(The previous launch took some time from formation to launch. If the stone is that size now, it should take a few more seconds. If it's launched halfway, I'll have to endure it! Protect my face!!)

Yuji threw the bag away, covered his face with his arms, and glared at the mole.

"Shoot if you can!! Damn mole!!"

Then, the stone was not launched, and Yuji's full-force kick hit the mole.

The mole rolled and flew away.

'Level has increased to 2.'

"Huff... huff... huff..."

Whether projected onto his retina or sent to his brain as a signal, Yuji saw the status icon flashing and the level-up announcement flowing from right to left in his vision...

"Huff, huff... This world is seriously too hard..."

He muttered from the bottom of his heart.