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I pushed Daniela’s mistake away to the back of my mind and locked it away. We would walk through the forest today as well. I used my upgraded Presence Detection skills to carefully check in all directions as we moved. But it was really taking a toll on my tired body. We took more breaks than usual as we made our way through the forest.

 

“The trick to using Presence Detection for the space above you is to imagine that you are looking down on yourself. Imagine that you are looking down, and learn what that feels like.”

“Hmm, hmm…”

 

Imagine that I am looking down at myself from above… Thankfully, that was a camera angle that a gamer would be well acquainted with. There were a lot of action games with that angle. With a little help from ‘Jack of all Trades, Master of None,’ I was able to grasp that feeling of looking down on me and raise Presence Detection higher.

 

“Hmm…like…this…?”

“It would be easier if there was something up there to detect. But there is nothing around us now.”

 

Indeed, I was not able to find anything. Well, it was either that, or I wasn’t doing it properly. And while we were presently resting, we didn’t have time to climb trees just to test this. We had to get clear of this forest within the day, or the hellish ambushes would come again. I knew that I wouldn’t last a second night. I would definitely die.

 

“Yes, try to hold onto that sensation until we are out of here. It should only take two more hours. Let us hurry.”

“Aye aye…”

 

I whipped my tired body into standing, and moved one foot and then the other. It was nice that that was all it took to move forward. If I was a beast, I would have to use my hands as well. Though, I suppose they were front legs.

 

There were apparently monsters other than blood apes as well, and we would occasionally detect some goblins. They weren’t mist goblins, as there was no mist here. Just normal goblins. But we quietly avoided them, so there was no fighting. Daniela had seen it in my face. It was as if I had gone out hiking after my night shift without ever sleeping. If I had a mirror, I was sure that I would see a haggard old face.

 

I felt like I was dying, but continued to walk, and finally, we escaped that forest. It was as if we had come out of a long, narrow tunnel. I could sleep in an instant now…

 

“Hey, Asagi. Do not sleep! Look!”

“Huh…?”

“This is no time to go senile! Look!”

 

Daniela hit me on the back. I felt like the impact would tear me up like paper, but I looked up. There was something on the ground, and several people on horseback were circling it.

 

“Is it some kind of ritual…?”

“Idiot! They are bandits!”

 

Daniela said as she pulled out her bow and unleashed an arrow. It caught one of the riders and knocked him right off of his horse. Ahh, the thing on the ground was a covered wagon! I finally understood what was happening.

 

“Shit, bandits!?”

“That is what I have been telling you!”

 

Frantically, I unsheathed Schwarz Tempest. I stabbed the greatsword into the ground as I put the sheath into the hollow bag so it would not get in the way.

 

“We could use the horses, just kill the bandits!”

“You can say that, but I’ve never killed humans before!”

“Fool! They will kill us! And the people in the wagon as well!”

 

And it struck me. It wasn’t that there were just bandits here. There were passengers in the wagon. I would have to kill, in order for those people to live.

My sleep-deprived mind became clear then. And for the purpose of saving myself and the others, I activated Legs of the Forest Wolf. With the speed of the wind, I ran. Ran towards the bandits who turned to us after Daniela’s surprise attack.

To save people. To save myself. That was all I thought of as the bandits unsheathed their swords, cursed, and ran towards me as I swung the greatsword.

Next Chapter

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Translator:

We’re just a few chapters away from 100!

As the translator, I have a few small requests for anyone who has enjoyed the journey so far.

 

Consider adding a rating or writing a review. Obviously, it would be nice to get Asagi out of the 3-star rating gutter, but any honest review would be great for telling people what this series is about.

 

Consider donating. December ad revenue was low so I won’t be getting paid for a while, and unfortunately, January is looking very bad for me, and things are quite tight for me this month. Any small contribution would be a tremendous help and encouragement.

https://ko-fi.com/A0A7GXHJ

 

Thank you.