Chương 18: Village

I stared at the woman with cautious eyes. I felt her power rise with each second. If the people from before were as strong as the Demons, she felt as if she could take on two of them.

"I will kill you. I will kill you," she kept on repeating, and her eyes grew hazy. The princess was batshit crazy. I dashed in first. Moving hurt a lot, but I ignored the pain because I knew I couldn't let her gain the upper hand. Unlike when attacking the Demons, I didn't use all of my Mana to launch the most devastating strikes. Instead, I kept a good amount in my legs and arms to allow myself to dodge if needed, while attacking as fast as possible.

My tactic proved to be the right one as the girl swiped her claw-like nails towards me. I wouldn't have been able to dodge that attack. Her strikes were vicious. Some were even able to reach me and draw blood. But for each attack, I returned a blow to one of her vital parts: Liver. Spleen. Heart. Solar Plexus. I hit them all in exchange for a little amount of blood. I liked this deal. The batshit crazy princess didn't. She screamed like a banshee and charged at me, accompanied by wild swings.

Her strikes left multiple marks on the trees around us. She grew angrier. She grew faster. But most importantly, she grew irrational. She overextended one of her strikes. I grabbed her wrist tightly before pulling. She stumbled towards me and was met with a mana-infused headbutt. Her nose broke into a bloody mess, and her skull caved in. I repeated the process. Her brain turned to mush. Her body turned limp. I let go of her, and she dropped to the ground like a wet sack of potatoes.

Bonus Objective Completed: You have killed the one who set you up. I just stared at the woman. I hadn't expected... her. I wasn't talking about her being the perpetrator. I didn't care. That was Timotei's life, not mine. I was talking about her... Skill? Her Martial Arts? I was sure the people in this Simulation didn't have access to the System. But whatever it was that she used... it was dangerous. She suddenly grew in strength and turned mindless. I hadn't predicted that, and were I weaker, I would have died.

What an exciting discovery. I shrugged and pushed away the feelings I felt. Instead, I went back to the makeshift camp and looted the people whom I killed. First, I rummaged through their robes. I found nothing. Then I checked their wrists and fingers. Nothing again. It was only after I checked upon Max that I discovered a small, black bracelet glinting in a metallic sheen wrapped around his wrist. It was inconspicuous, but I knew what it was: a Storage Bracelet. I took it from him and put it around my own wrist.

Sending mana inside, I was able to see its contents, in the same way I would imagine having a hologram inside your mind's eye. It was distracting. I kept in mind not to use it during a fight. The contents of the ring were simple. Deer meat, cooked and uncooked; other meal provisions that looked like emergency food. Fire tools, tents, flare guns, torches, a couple of crystals and jewelry; multiple pairs of clothes and undergarments; and lastly, an old book. I took out the cooked deer meat and the book.

I salvaged the food and read the book for the next few hours, simply recovering from the fight. It was dawn when I closed the book, put it into my storage bracelet, and sighed. The book was interesting. It was a sort of journal about Max's blacksmithing experience. Not only did he talk in detail about what he was creating but also his struggles, either skill-wise or just mindset-wise. It was an interesting read, especially with nothing else to do. I looked into the distance.

The sun rose in the distance, breaking away the night and covering the horizon in an orange hue. It was time to move again. I stopped every night to camp. The first few times setting up a tent and fire ended miserably, but eventually, I got the hang of it. With food covered—the deer would last months—I continued to review Timothy's Martial Arts experience and integrate it into my own. I passed the clearing where the previous portal was located on day 2.

On day 4, I spotted the next clearing, and on day 5, I was able to see the Demons guarding another 20-foot giant portal. It was all the same: 3 Demons. One Portal. All within a barren clearing surrounded by simple plains for a few hundred feet before being encompassed by a giant forest. The process of taking care of the Demons was the same as before. I lured out one by creating as much sound as possible. It was a Demon with a boar head.

I took care of it with a few mana-infused strikes to its organs before delivering a final blow that blasted apart all of its insides. The attack took a toll on me, but it went better than last time. I rested. Then, I took care of the last two Demons by fighting them head-on. This time, it resulted in just my arm being slightly numb while my ribs remained intact. I looked at the two corpses and grinned brightly. Not only was I less injured, but what I called Mana Strike worked much better now.

Mana Strike allowed me to send Mana into my enemies' bodies, allowing me to hurt their insides. Of course, the attack had its drawback. It took a lot of Mana to send the attack into my enemies' bodies, and secondly, the stronger the defense on the outside, the more Mana the attack cost. I couldn't just bypass armor like nothing. Still, the ability was fucking awesome. It was not a Skill but rather just me manipulating Mana in a certain way and giving it a name. I shattered the portal with one Mana Strike.

The third portal ended very much the same way. It took me 3 days to get there. The clearings were getting closer to each other. I lured out one monster and took on the last two Demons head-on. I guessed I could now take on all three, but I decided not to take that risk. Standing in front of the third, crumbled portal, I checked my objectives. Objective One: 3/3 Objective Two: 9/25 Bonus Objective: Complete. No new Objective appeared. I was happy, at least somewhat.

I guessed that the more objectives I completed, the better the rewards I would receive. In fact, I had already checked my level, but it didn't change at all. The objectives stayed the same for the next few days as I wandered through the forest, trying to find the next demon. It wasn't until I found a change in routine that a new objective appeared in front of my vision. Bonus Objective added. Save the village from a small group of Demons. You have 24 hours to prepare. I was once again at the edge of the forest.

But instead of looking at a clearing with a portal in the distance, I could see a small village built next to a small river. Inhabitants were running around wildly, with people shouting at each other. Weapons were drawn. Orders were barked. And even makeshift traps and spikes were being placed around the village. There were maybe 20 people total, looking at the amount of houses. All combatants. My first instinct from all the fighting was hiding and helping the village from the shadows.

But there was a reason why I was told that I had 24h to prepare. I probably couldn't take them on my own. I stopped hiding, and twenty minutes later, I arrived in front of the village. The villagers' eyes went from panicked to relieved to scared in a span of seconds. I stood just outside the village after seeing those fear-filled eyes. Nobody talked to me. In fact, they didn't even talk to each other. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

It wasn't until an older gentleman, whom reminded me of Samuel, arrived that somebody spoke.

"What do these honorable Martial Artists want from our small village?" The man said and bowed deeply.

"My name is Timothy. I am a Core Disciple from the Mana Martial Sect. It has come to our attention that the village is under attack from Demons. It is our mission to protect this village and vanquish all of the foes that dare to step into humanity's lands." I decided to create a story; I thought it would sound believable and would get them to listen to me.

"The Mana Martial Sect?"

"Aren't they one of the strongest–""Silence! Do not interrupt our conversation!" the elder screamed, then turned back to me. His tone much more meek.

"Is there proof of identity you could show us? A token perhaps? Where are your comrades?" I froze for a moment, not having an answer prepared. Then I shook my head sorrowfully, "Unfortunately not. I lost my token fighting multiple Demons a week ago. A nasty bunch. Injured me badly." I showed them the three cuts across my chest. The scars were still there. They gasped in shock. I continued, "My comrades and I had to split up after we got overwhelmed. We agreed to meet here and fulfill our mission... alas...

I-I don't think they will join us." The elder nodded slowly. I knew he was still unsure of my intentions. I felt for his strength and that of the villagers. They were quite weak. Maybe at the level of the Goblins I previously fought before. No threat. I looked into my storage ring, being vulnerable for a brief moment. I nodded. I still had enough cooked deer meat for multiple months. Besides this, I was also lucky enough to catch another one. This one wasn't skinned nor prepared, however. Just a corpse.

"I know it's hard to believe that somebody is coming to help you, so let me show you my goodwill." I summoned the carcass of the deer and presented it to the few villagers and the elder. They stared at the deer with wide eyes. I could see some of them even salivate. I was right. They had food trouble. Next, I summoned a few pieces of cooked meat and pressed it into the hand of the elder and the three other men behind him. They seemingly forgot their weapons and took the meat immediately. The elder didn't complain.

"I thank you for your goodwill, dear martial artist," the elder bowed. I bowed back.

"Can you update me on the current situation? I have reason to believe the attack will happen within 24 hours, but I know nothing about the village nor the attackers. Information gathering was the task... you know," I said, my tone turning sorrowful.

"I know," the elder nodded grimly. Then he began to explain the current situation to me. One of their hunters had found a small group of demons who were coming right towards them. There were 16 demons exactly. That was two days ago. During that time, a couple of men took women and children and fled towards another village. Around 20 military-age men remained to defend their homes while they began to build traps around the village. I nodded. The odds weren't great. But I knew it was possible to win.

"Do you have any lumberjacks? Carpenters?" I asked. The elder nodded.

"Gather them, find and create as many sticks that are around 5-7 feet tall and sharpen their tips. We won't be able to build a great amount of traps in the time we have left, so we will have to be happy with what we have." The elder seemed hesitant.

"Now," I commanded. Over the next 24 hours, my orders were followed perfectly. The meat was a great motivator, and I made sure they got much more than what was actually needed. A lot of sticks with my measurements were gathered or created while other villagers sharpened the tips. I made sure all of these weapons were placed exactly where I wanted them to be while making sure everyone understood the plan I had in mind. They did. Even the elder didn't complain.

I wasn't sure if he agreed or was just smart enough to know when not to argue. Either way, the night passed. We slept enough to wake up refreshed and ate breakfast before we spotted the group in the distance. Bipedal creatures with red skin, towering heights, and bulging muscles, accompanied by the heads of different animals, all marching in a straight line and with one purpose: To destroy this village.

"The Demons are here!" I screamed.

"Everyone! In position!" The villagers scrambled to their feet and then up the houses where we had most of our javelins placed. It was quite the sight, seeing 20 people sitting on different rooftops, all holding javelins, waiting for my command to fire. I watched the Demons come closer. We had tested how far the villagers could throw those javelins. It was a surprisingly long distance, but then again, even at Wood Rank, they were as strong as world-class athletes back on Earth. Maybe even stronger.

The path towards the village was a downwards slope that went up again. The Demons reached the upward part and with it, our striking distance. I waited. 300 Feet. Still no command. 250 feet. Silence. 200 feet. Nervous glances were thrown towards me. 150 feet. Mana gathered inside my throat, and I could feel the palpable silence. The calm before the storm. The nervousness was real. 125 feet.

"Fire!" I screamed. Whistling overshadowed every other sound as the javelins arced upwards, then back down and into the mass of marching Demons. With heavy thuds, the javelins hit the ground or shattered off the chitin armor, but a few drilled into the Demons in unprotected areas. The tips dug in maybe an inch or two. The Demons charged us, just as expected, and the villagers sent down a second volley of javelins. Then they quickly climbed down the houses; a few nervous ones just jumped straight down.

We moved backward and onto the next line of houses while the Demons poured inside the village and reached the houses the villagers had just been on. The Demons followed us, but so did the storm of javelins. Once more, most missed or shattered against the Demons' armor, but even more drilled themselves an inch into their skin. Their angry screams were a pleasure to my ears. We repeated the process a third time before we were out of javelins and houses. We quickly ran into the forest towards the village's back.

The Demons followed us like cattle, the trees causing them to split up. And just like that, a two-sided massacre began. Well, at least everyone besides me was having trouble. With my level and the battle experience I gathered, fighting two Demons at the same time was quite easy. As for the villagers, their screams echoed through the forest. I saw somebody get torn apart right next to me, causing the Demon to join the one I was already fighting. Despite that, I kept my calm and observed the situation.

I would dodge and weave while using the forest to keep the Demons away from me. I lured them out a little so a third wouldn't join the fray before taking care of them while watching the battlefield from the back. Some people just absolutely got massacred. Their limbs were torn off one by one, and their skulls shattered. Those actions were done by the uninjured demons. I felt bad for not helping, also knowing I just couldn't. Luckily, not all of it was grim.

Multiple villagers had teamed up and attacked the injured Demons. Their swords, spears, and pitchforks cut into their skin, and they were eventually able to subdue multiple Demons. I decided to finish off the two I had been holding at bay. They were uninjured previously, but my constant onslaught of attacks did quite a number on them. I infused my Mana into my fist and hit the first Demon into the liver. By now, it was a process I got so used to, it was basically impossible for me to miss.

The organ burst, and the monster buckled over. Like always. Before its comrade could come and join, my leg lashed out, and combined with the mana powering my strike, the attack was delivered in a lightning-fast and devastating manner. The brutal crunch of its neck breaking, confirming its death. The second demon died in a much similar way. Organs burst. Pain flared inside its body. It buckled over. Boom. Its neck was broken. The fight going on was surprisingly evenly matched.

Half of the villagers were dead, their bodies spread across the forest. That was the same case for the demons. Half of them were dead. I burst towards one of the few uninjured demons held at bay by three villagers. With its back turned to me, it didn't notice my approach. I jumped up into the air, my body forming a backward C shape as I pulled my hands over my head. Then, with the entirety of my body's momentum combined with the mana flowing through my hands, my fists slammed into the back of the demon's head.

A heavy thud, followed by a loud crack, and the demon's skull split open. I followed up with a second strike and dug into its head, gripped tight, and pulled out as much brain as possible. It looked disgusting. I threw it to the side and went on my way, helping the villagers out wherever I could. I killed three more in a much similar manner, and the fight was over. The demons didn't expect me; I struck them, and they died. It was getting easy. And easy meant boring.

However, as I looked around me, things changed a little. One villager was bleeding out, with the second one holding the man's stomach, preventing his guts from spilling out. Both men cried. The dying man was relaying his last words, and over the next seconds, the light inside his eyes dimmed. Not everybody had it as easy as me. I felt guilty for not being able to protect them all, but I was simply too weak. Far too weak.

I could have at most taken on three demons, but then I would have been injured and out of the fight. More people would have died. I promised myself that for Blackstone Town, things would be different. Not only would I be stronger, but I was also going to make sure my people could handle a skirmish or two. This was my duty as a ruler.

"Thank you," the villager elder arrived at my side. I wasn't sure how he was alive.

"Thank you for saving our dear little village. Truly, without you, we all would have died. This old man thanks you." Bonus Objective Complete. You have saved the village. Thank God it was done. Bonus Objective added. Kill the village's traitor. Oh. All I remember was seeing a blur and the village elder's vicious expression before my world turned dark.