“Everyone, hurry up and run!!”
Just as Fi shouted, humans stepped out from the empty air.
They wore no armor, and instead of swords and shields as weapons, they wielded hoes and plows and sharpened sticks as they charged.
“Die! You filthy kobolds!”
With bloodshot eyes, they flowed in like a tsunami. Fi froze as he watched their enraged expressions.
“Move!”
His vision shook for a moment, and then cleared again.
“Ah…”
Solde was in front of him, with a wooden stick piercing through his back. Blood was pouring from his mouth.
“Ru…”
The man pushed the stick in further. Solde shuddered once and then stopped moving.
Just then, there was a cheerful beep, and the clear board glowed on the man’s chest.
“Oh!? So…is this…a level up!?”
Similar sounds were heard throughout the forest.
“Mine beeped too!”
“And mine!”
“Ah, but the little ones only give you one point!”
Amidst the chaos, there was one thing he understood now.
These men had acquired the ability to level up, just like the Heroes.
“Why have you stopped? There is still prey that should be hunted.”
Behind them, there was a sorcerer in bright blue robes.
“Eat them all. And gain their power.”
He pointed to the forest.
The men smiled with mad expressions.
“Arghh! Diee!”
“We’re not afraid anymore!”
“This is revenge!”
What was wrong with them?
These kobolds had nothing to do with the monsters who attacked the village.
They were just living their lives…
“Help! Fiii!”
The ground shook under the feet of the stampeding men. It swallowed up the child’s cry.
“Stop! They haven’t done…”
“Hey! There’s a strange one over here!”
And like that, men stood in his path.
“Hey, isn’t that the one who was with the goddess’s kobold?”
“What should we do? They did help us…”
“Kill it.”
A man with an axe moved in front of them. Fi recognized his face.
He was the one who had been glaring at Sheto with hatred.
“After all, it is supposed to be a dragon. I bet it will give lots of experience points.”
That was enough to make the hesitation disappear.
“Hey, Poro. Are you trying to take it all for yourself?”
“You get points if you land a hit. We just need to do it at the same time.”
“Alright then.”
His life was being treated like that of a rare monster on the hunting ground.
As the screams and laughter echoed around them, the men lifted their weapons.
So, he was going to die here.
“GURAAAAGHHH!”
The white body of the star wolf rushed through the men.
“Guto!”
Fi’s arms went around Guto’s neck, and then the strong wolf jumped out of the circle.
“Don’t let it get away! Kill it and the wolf!”
The men shouted, but their voices grew distant. While holding onto Guto desperately, Fi looked back at the fading scene.
“Ah…”
Numerous humans surrounded a kobold who was trying to escape. Even the ones who managed to escape found their paths blocked by armored knights.
“All of you! Hold up your weapons and push them back!”
Still, Adara shouted desperately, and they used their weapons to resist the wave of humans.
“Help! Brother! Fi!”
“Help him! Guto!”
The white wolf turned around and charged towards the villagers who swarmed around the young kobold. Fi held on tight with his short legs and stretched out his hand.
“Hold on!”
“Fi!”
The child grabbed Fi’s hand and was pulled up onto the saddle.
“Run at full speed!”
While carrying them both, Guto ran. Still, several humans noticed them and attacked with their weapons.
“You bastards!”
Without thinking, Fi took out his hatchet and began to swing.
“Gah!”
“Damn it!”
The blade cut through flesh, and blood flew into the air. Guto ignored it and continued to run.
“Fi! Where’s brother? Where’s ma?”
“Be quiet!”
Fi hugged the kobold tightly, as if to press him against Guto’s back.
Behind, the sounds of screams, anger, and leveling up continued to ring.
He could not bear it any longer, and buried his face into Guto’s fu.
But even then, the symphony of terror filled the little dragon’s head.
—
How fun.
“Gahaha!”
So fun.
The axe sunk into the monster in front of him.
The enemy turned into a bag of blood, and the device around his neck glowed.
Poro continued to swing.
“Help…”
And he was blessed.
Congratulations.
Before he knew it, there were no more enemies.
As he looked around, he saw other men covered in blood.
“He…lp…”
A small enemy was at his feet.
It looked like a grimacing dog.
“Hey, Poro. That…”
“No.”
“Look. I’m going to level up with just one more point.”
“Fine. But hurry up.”
He looked down and swung without saying anything.
There was a dull thud, and the handle broke.
It had been an old thing he had just picked up. And so he would have to find something else later.
“Is it finished?”
“Aye. Look.”
The sorcerer looked at the device and nodded without interest.
“If you continue to level up like that, you might be promoted to a knight one day.”
“A farmer like me…can become a knight?”
“And it is all thanks to the plate. You now know the power of god.”
The rectangular plate was clear like glass. And somehow, there was no blood on it. And though he could not read, he was able to understand what was written on it.
Soldier.
Level 8.
“Hehe…”
He had not laughed once since the burning of his village.
“Ahahaha!”
But now, everything was amusing. Fun. So fun.
And so without being able to hold himself back, Poro continued to laugh…