A Blade Driven In

I walk toward the exit of the slums. In a place where the law has no power, you can’t afford to let your guard down for even a moment. While remaining cautious of my surroundings, I quickly make my way to the exit.

Dilapidated shacks are scattered about in disarray, encroaching on what used to be a wide road.

Though it isn’t as unsanitary as a place covered in filth and waste, there are strange bags piled up in the corners of alleyways, leaking a red liquid.

The slums may appear empty at first glance, but I can always feel someone’s eyes on me. The moment I let my guard down, I know they’ll pounce.

The disorganized buildings make it difficult to see clearly, and the narrow slums are hard to navigate when trying to avoid an ambush. I stay on high alert, my senses fully engaged, as I walk.

The tension in the air feels like walking through a forest dense with monsters.

Having already fought a tough opponent, I’m mentally and physically drained. Moving through the slums while staying alert feels exhausting.

I just want to get out of here and catch my breath.

After walking through the slums for a while, I finally approach the exit.

The security improves as I near the boundary between the slums and the town, and the streets become cleaner. This is the prime area of the slums.

There are shops at the boundary where the townspeople come to shop. At first glance, everything seems peaceful, but this is still the slums. If someone tries to steal from you, you’ll have to handle it yourself.

That’s why you can find good bargains, essentially stolen goods, at cheap prices.

The area around the border between the slums and the town is busy with the exchange of stolen goods. I walk through the crowd and make sure to stay alert as I leave the slums.

“Haah,” I exhale. I don’t like the strange tension that the slums bring. It’s not something anyone gets used to… or so I think.

As I walk toward the Adventurers’ Guild, a man dressed in shabby clothes approaches me.

“Hey, sir, sir, I need to talk to you for a moment. Please come with me.”

His way of speaking reminds me of how I talk with Gonz and the others. I think to myself as I approach him.

I sense only one person, and the man looks short and weak. More importantly, he doesn’t give off the typical air of someone ready to fight.

I walk up to the man who called me.

“Sir, may I borrow your ear?”

He brings his mouth close to my ear as if to whisper. With his left hand, he grabs my shoulder, and with his right hand, a knife is suddenly in his grip.

I can’t let him get the drop on me!! I tense my abs and immediately retaliate.

“Gaaaah!”

I feel the shock of the knife stabbing into my stomach. At the same time, I bite down on the man’s nose, which is nearby.

A horrible crunching sound echoes in my mouth. Surprised by my unexpected counterattack, the man releases the knife and steps back.

I chew on the man’s nose, mixing it with my saliva as I continue to hold it in my mouth.

The man steps back, and I see him reach into his sleeve. A projectile weapon? As soon as I notice this movement, I spit out the mixture of his blood and flesh from my mouth.

The man freezes after being hit in the eyes with the fleshy projectile. Taking advantage of his hesitation, I step in and kick him in the groin.

The sensation of something soft crushing under my foot is felt on the top of my foot.

“AAAGH!!!”

The man cries out, clutching his groin, and falls to his knees, writhing in pain.

“Here’s for you!”

I drop an elbow strike to the back of his neck. A sharp cracking sound resonates as my hand sinks into his neck. The man shakes violently, then falls unconscious, motionless.

I stay on high alert, my senses stretched to the max, scanning my surroundings. I can feel human presence nearby, but I don’t detect anyone suspicious who seems intent on targeting me.

Even so, it’s best to leave the area quickly. I need to treat my wounds as well.

I search the man’s body. I quickly collect a bag of coins and a hidden weapon from his sleeve. The weapon is a small metallic stick, like a boomerang shuriken.

As I examine the metal stick, I catch a faint, strange smell coming from it. At that moment, a chill runs down my spine.

Poison? Seriously? Was it on the knife too? This is bad, it’s already been two or three minutes since I was stabbed. After grabbing my things, I headed straight for Ms. Cleiane’s clinic.

Thanks to my leather armor, the knife didn’t go in too deep, but seeing a knife sticking out of my own stomach was still quite a shocking sight.

Fortunately, the clinic isn’t far. As I walked, a sudden burning pain exploded from the stab wound.

The poison didn’t take effect right away, so I thought maybe it was only on the metal throwing spikes. But it seems the knife was coated too.

My whole body feels hot, the stabbed area burns like it’s on fire, and I can’t move properly anymore. Even so, I walk. If I don’t want to die, I have no choice but to keep moving.

The town is relatively safe, but if I collapse, they’ll strip me naked and toss me into the slums. I refuse to die without even leaving a body behind.

My vision is blurring, and I can’t make out the scenery around me. Damn it, I let my guard down. I never imagined I’d be attacked in the town after leaving the slums…

Is this the end…? I don’t want to die. It hurts. My body won’t move.

Damn it, I won’t die like this. Move your legs! Lift your head! I don’t even know where I’m walking anymore. Even so, I force myself forward.

There was a heavy thud. I tried to keep going, but my legs wouldn’t move. Was that the sound of me collapsing…? At least the fall didn’t drive the knife in deeper.

If I can’t walk, then I’ll crawl. I dig my fingers into the ground and drag myself forward. I have to get to the clinic.

Ah… Gonz, Al, Kimon… and Village Girl. I want to see them again…