"GET OUT OF THE CARRIAGES AND LEAVE EVERYTHING BEHIND IF YOU HAVE ANY INTEREST IN STAYING ALIVE!!!"
A bandit shouted a command at us the moment we got near the edge of the dense forest that Miguel had been warning us about. It seemed his bad feeling about this route was justified after all.
The man leading the group looked remarkably like a pig. He stood there with his chest and his large, round stomach fully exposed to the air, both of which were covered in a thick, coarse layer of hair that extended down his arms. His skin was a roadmap of jagged scars that crisscrossed his torso, giving him a truly repulsive appearance.
"B-But we absolutely have to reach the city of Nash... Our entire village is counting on the supplies from this trip."
Miguel stammered as he stepped out of the carriage. He had climbed down the moment we were forced to a stopped, clearly trying to find a way to talk his way out of the situation. Though, looking at the opposition, it was a losing battle.
"HAH! Do you really think I give a damn about what your village needs? If you don't want to end up as bird food, just shut your mouth and follow my orders."
The pig-like man clearly didn't have even the slightest intention of settling this through peaceful negotiation. He wanted the loot, and he wanted it now.
Miguel noticed the futility of the conversation as well. He turned his head toward me and the two mercenaries he had hired, who were currently standing right by my side. The look on his face was one of pure desperation, silently asking us what our move would be. After all, we were the ones who would have to fight if he decided to decline the bandit's demands.
The two mercenaries traded a quick, skeptical glance. I couldn't really blame them for being hesitant; the odds didn't look great.
Looking back at the pig-man again, I counted about ten other bandits grinning behind him. In terms of numbers, we were completely outnumbered and surrounded.
But even so—
'This is more than doable.'
Tap-
I slid down from Bong's saddle, my metallic boots hitting the dirt as I stepped forward to stand directly beside Miguel.
"...?"
The pig bandit, Miguel, and even the two mercenaries all shifted their gaze toward me. I opened my mouth, and calmly—
"What if you lot just get out of my face right now? If you do, I will spare your lives. How does that sound as a counter-offer?"
I muttered that, letting the words hang in the air.
I could practically feel the eyes around me widening in shock. There were even a pair of sharp, piercing gazes digging into my back, coming straight from the two mercenaries.
'The two of them are probably cursing me in their heads right now.'
Not that I particularly cared what they thought. If they were that scared, they were more than welcome to turn tail and run away.
"PUWAHAHAHAHAHA—!"
The pig bandit then suddenly erupted into a fit of maniacal laughter, holding his round stomach with both hands.
"S-Sir Verc...!"
Miguel turned to me, his voice pitching high in a panic. But before he could spin himself into a full-blown breakdown—
"I'll handle this. I have no intention of disappointing the people back in the village after the warm send-off they gave us."
I stated that with a confident, steady smile on my face, doing my best to reassure him.
"Phew... man, that gave me a really good laugh. My sides hurt."
The pig bandit finally calmed down, wiping a tear from his eye as he looked at me. But as he took in the cold, serious expression on my face, the humor died away. He realized quite quickly that I wasn't joking with what I said.
"Huh... Are you actually blind? Do you really think you can deal with all of us with just the three of you?"
The pig bastard asked, his voice dropping into a low, threatening growl.
I responded with a casual, nonchalant shrug of my shoulders—
"I'm more than enough by myself."
Then I declared that, intentionally stoking the fires of their anger.
It seemed to work perfectly. I watched as the pig bastard's face contorted into a deep, furious frown, and he went completely silent. If this were a cartoon, I'm fairly certain there would be actual smoke billowing out of his ears right about now.
Fwish~
The pig bastard reached down and drew a heavy, wicked-looking machete. Following his lead, the rest of the bandits behind him drew their weapons as well. It was a good thing they all seemed to be using melee weapons; it made my job a lot easier.
FWIP—
With a swift pull, I unsheathed my own sword.
TAP!
Then, somewhat unexpectedly, the two mercenaries stepped forward from the carriages and took up positions right beside me.
"Sir Miguel, please move to the back immediately. You're going to get caught in the middle of this mess if you stay there."
One of them said, his tone grim.
Miguel, sensing that the time for talking was officially over, complied instantly and scrambled back toward the safety of his carriage.
The other mercenary glanced sideways at me, a slight, worried frown creasing his forehead—
"You'd better not be all talk, kid, or we're all going to end up dead in this forest."
He said, gripping his weapon tightly.
I actually found myself smiling after hearing that. I guess I underestimated their sense of duty or perhaps their courage.
"Don't worry. Just make sure you guard the carriage and keep them off Miguel. I'll take care of the rest of these guys."
I declared.
And in the very next moment— BAM!
"LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN ACTUALLY BACK UP THOSE BIG WORDS!!!"
The pig bastard, followed closely by his swarm of bandit goons, all rushed toward us with clear killing intent burning in their eyes.
*****
BAM!
I kicked off the ground with explosive force, rushing forward to meet the bandits head-on.
"Ah...! Are you insane?!"
I heard one of the mercenaries shout after me in disbelief, but I simply ignored the comment.
I reached the pig bastard first. He raised his heavy machete high— SWOOSH!— and brought it crashing down, clearly aiming to split my skull wide open with a single blow.
TING—!
I swung my blade upward in a sharp arc and parried his attack with ease, sending his heavy weapon bouncing away. I caught a glimpse of the sheer shock across the pig bastard's face, and I have to admit, it was incredibly satisfying to see.
Fwish~
I spun my body around his guard, passing by the pig bastard with fluid grace. Then, with a swift, calculated thrust— PHUCK!
"GAAGH?!"
I drove my sword straight through the heart of a bandit who had been rushing up behind his leader. I didn't waste a second after that, I immediately pulled my blade out of his chest, and in one fluid motion— SLASH!
I followed through with a wide, horizontal sweep.
"KEUK?!"
"AARGH!!"
"URRGH?!!"
The steel bit deep as I cut through three more bandits in the blink of an eye. One had his throat sliced clean open, while the other two took the hit directly across their eyes.
Of course I had no intention of leaving them to suffer as blind men in the dirt, so twisting my wrist to adjust the angle— SLASH!
I swung my sword horizontally again, this time in the opposite direction, coming back around to finish the two I had just blinded.
Thud—
Both of them were decapitated instantly, their heads hitting the forest floor with a series of dull, heavy thuds.
"...?"
Just then, my [Danger Sense] flared, notifying me of an attack coming from behind. I quickly twisted my torso and raised my sword horizontally above my head.
TANG—!
The impact vibrated through my arms as I stopped the pig bastard's machete just a few inches away from my scalp.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
He exclaimed, his voice cracking as he looked around and saw four of his men had already fallen in the flash of a few seconds.
"Just stay still for a moment. I'm going to deal with these weaklings first. Don't worry, I'll get around to you eventually."
I smirked at him as I declared that.
My plan was to thin out their numbers as quickly as possible. If I got bogged down in a duel with the pig bastard right away, the other bandits would likely ignore me and rush the carriages. I wasn't entirely sure if the mercenaries could protect Miguel while I was busy with the fat-ass leader.
That's why I was intentionally making myself the primary target for everyone on the field.
'I can easily deal with the whole lot of them if they're stupid enough to all come at me at once.'
I thought.
BAM!
Then I slammed my boot into the pig's stomach, using the resistance of his large body as a foothold to launch myself backward and out of his reach. I spun in mid-air and landed, spotting another bandit standing directly in my path.
SHHHHK—!
I didn't miss a single beat, swinging my sword with practiced precision and decapitating another bandit before he could even raise his weapon to defend himself.
'It's time to see how skilled I really am with the sword.'
I thought, slightly excited.