Ambushed

[Roger? Can we talk?]

[Roger?]

Roger ignored the system, causing it to unleash an energy pulse and electrocute him. However, Roger was tolerant of pain.

"Auch! It stings, huhu!"

The system groaned as it stared at Roger, who feigned to cry by rubbing his hands on his face.

[What makes you so childish? Would it kill you if you acted responsibly for once?]

"Last time I tried, I took responsibility for my actions. I died! Teehee!~"

Roger's comments left the system speechless and uncomfortable. Roger chuckled as he realized he had won. He gently rose to his feet and wiped the sand grit off his buttocks.

"Do you want to go to the forest?"

Roger changing the subject made the system happy. It chuckled and offered Roger little instruction.

[Yes. A low-level forest is where we'll be headed. However, you can still be hurt or killed there. So concentrate on defense and avoid attacking monsters in packs. Instead, focus on picking up your adversaries one by one.]

"Yes, I intend to do so. I'm going to stay in the woods for a few nights."

Roger began walking toward the forest with a grin on his face. He was determined to level up as quickly as possible, even if he had to spend nights in the woods.

[What? You are not required to stay overnight. You have unlimited time on your hands. Why are you rushing your levels?]

Roger walked while swinging the sickle around in his hands. He sang a strange melody quietly. But Roger kept an eye on his surroundings, attempting to remain as hidden as possible.

"Is there anything else I should be doing? I run as soon as I am strong enough to free myself from enslavement. Not to mention the fact that I live in a barn. It makes no difference whether I stay in the barn or the woods."

Roger had no comforts in this world, and returning to the barn would garner a thrashing from Damian, which the system didn't know. Why should he go home and do nothing when he can accomplish something in the forest?

[I see. Why are you strolling through the fields? You could take the highway.]

"If someone notices that I am not sleeping, they may assign me a job. That's inconvenient. So that's something I'd like to avoid."

[That is an excellent point.]

Roger arrived in the jungle and looked back to ensure no one had seen him. He headed into the woods after making sure no one was there.

"It smells wonderful here. I've spent a lot of time in the woodlands. However, the odor is much stronger here."

[This is understandable.] The plants here produce a small quantity of mana, which increases their aroma and even serves as a form of self-defense.]

"Woah!"

Roger came to a halt and took in the breathtaking surroundings. Even though he lived near the forest, he rarely visited it because he preferred to hang out in the city or play computer games at home. Roger glanced at hundreds of blue flowers after stepping into the woods.

"I never imagined a forest could be so lovely!"

Chirping birds, little animals, and hidden flowers drew his attention. Roger gazed at the lovely squirrels and pondered if he could kill such adorable creatures.

"Is it necessary for me to murder these adorable creatures? I would prefer killing bandits or something."

The squirrels began hopping around the trees and leaving the area when the chirping stopped.

*Boom*

Roger was thrown into the air after a loud explosion near him. He collided with a tree and felt a warm sensation on his head.

"What is this?"

He placed his palm on his head and noticed the blood. He felt disoriented, and his hand shook as he realized someone had harmed him. Roger was startled to hear a taunting voice nearby.

"This guy!" Imagine my surprise at seeing him in the woods so soon!"

"There must be something wrong with him!"

Roger noticed two dark forms lurking in the shadows, and he couldn't see them because he was so dizzy. A kick from one of the figures sent Roger to the ground. When Roger touched the sore spot, he realized a stranger had cracked one of his ribs.

[Roger! What's wrong? I urge you to depart immediately!]

As the system realized it couldn't help, it began to panic. The system was also remorseful for proposing that Roger go hunting in the wilderness. On the other hand, Roger had no immediate plans to enter the race. He consciously decided to amass as much data as possible about them. He was still on the ground, his hands clenched over his sickle.

"Who are you? Or are you too shy to say introductions to strangers?"

When Roger asked the question, the two men shared a chuckle. One had a large, bushy beard, and the other was shaved head-to-toe.

"What a shambles of a person! Honestly, I'm shocked!"

Roger could see the men as they approached closer. Both wore robes that appeared to be of high quality. How did Roger feel when he saw what they were wearing?

'What these fuckers want from me?!'

Both attackers had no visible weapons at the time of the incident. That leaves just two options: magicians or assassins. Roger sat up and stared at them as soon as he realized what was happening.

"Roger, what's wrong? You don't even know who we are? Haha~"

"I believe we sparked a recollection in him. He's too good to be lying, after all. Other than that, I doubt he'd turn up here."

[Roger?! Why aren't you running]

'Better question is, can you hear me??'

[Huh? Yes! Stop asking silly questions and RUN!

Roger shook his head and remained, refusing to move. He kept his eyes fixed on the two men as he followed their every move. He clenched his sickle even tighter in his hands.

'Think about it, if I; if to flee, they would shoot me in the back. Something else is required of me at this point.'

[Huh? What are you going to do?]

'Watch and learn. Hehe!~'

"Why are we doing this? Why would we tell you that?"

"Because we were paid."

The tall man slapped the back of the petite guy's head after the short guy accidentally spilled the beans.

"What?! He'll be finished soon enough, anyways!"

"Oh, you're saying that? Is this the same as the last time?"

"No! We'll make sure he's dead this time!"

The two men stared at other. In their mind, they were their prey.

"Mhm…"

However, he wanted to know who was responsible for this. He didn't like the same thing to happen again.

"Greg, I think you have a point. There's no way he's going to get away from this. He's like a rat in a trap, unable to escape!"

"Indeed, he has no one to look after him!

Sara won't be rushing to his side like she usually does!"

When Roger heard the name 'Sara,' he instantly raised his brow while thinking, "Who the hell is Sara?"

The two burst into hysterics of laughter. "And, you know what happened to Erika?"

"Who are two clowns talking about?"

The assassin's demeanor seemed to be lightened by his response. Instead of joking, they stared at Roger and adopted a blank expression. Despite this, Roger urged them forward.

"Then what happened? What about Erika?"

In the midst of all this, Shorty's smile reappeared.

"She's marrying the prince of her dreams! To get rid of any potential obstacles, her parents sent us."

"Why? Were we in a sexual relationship? Is she adorable? Plz, tell me she's hot! My expectations for partners are high!"

It seemed as though the questioning of the bald man was making him rage as he mumbled incantations and fired the spell in the air in response.

"How dare you refer to my young mistress in this manner?"

Roger was hit by a fireball thrown by the bald man, but he was ready for it. Quickly, he evaded his pursuers and crept up behind a tree. There he contemplated whether now would be a perfect moment to flee. Is it better to take the conflict to the other person?

'System?'

[Yes? What's the matter?]

'Do you think these two are strong?'

[No idea.]

'Useless!'

[… Seeing people's strengths and shortcomings requires a particular skill set you do not possess.]

At the very least, he was hoping for information that could tell if Roger should run or fight. But he has no choice but to rely on good fortune for the time being. Seconds after the first fireball hit Roger. His clothes were burnt. However, the wound instantly healed.

'I-It doesn't hurt!'

A sinister smile appeared on Roger's face as he realized. He forgot that he had a healing skill that made him immortal, and he was running away simply because he panicked.

"Come on, you little rascal! We'll keep your head intact to give it to Erika's fiance!"

With one last glance, Roger noticed the bald man's shoes emerging from the shadows. Despite the man's lack of distance, he walked around it. As a result, Roger seized the opportunity to retaliate and grabbed his leg.

"Got ya!"

"AHHHHHH! What?!"

Roger stood up while holding the man like he was a weightless doll.

"Hehe!~" Roger smirked, staring at the man, who kept trying to kick him with his free leg. However, Roger squeezed the hostage's leg harder and broke it.

[You've got a hostage!] The system giggled.

'Huh? Hostage?'

When the shorty saw his friend was hurt, he went straight toward him, blood gushing from the wounded man's wound. On the other hand, the bald guy put a stop to it.

"Greg, you can't do that! He's stronger than we were informed! You must maintain a safe distance from him! Greg, have you heard me?"

"What about you?!"

"I'll be alright! He wouldn't dare…."

Then Greg saw the friend's throat being slashed open.

"No!" Greg shouted after seeing his friend's body collapse to the ground after Roger released the leg.

"You're next! Teehee!~"

"You crazy bastard, do you know with whom you're messing? You'll be doomed if you even think of hurting us!"

Roger quickly jumped forward and took all the fire spells that Greg threw at him. He knew that he would quickly heal from this much, and soon he grabbed Greg's throat and before Greg could say anything, Roger crushed it.

*Ping*

[It appears that you have accumulated 230 experience points.]

[It appears that you have accumulated 230 experience points.]

[It appears that you have accumulated 230 experience points.]

[It appears that you have accumulated 230 experience points.]

"Is there more than one level to this?" Roger questioned the system, but she did not reply. Instead, countless notifications continued to pop out in front of him.

[You've leveled up!]

[Congratulations on leveling up!]

[Congratulations on leveling up!]

"Mhm?"

Roger remained glued to his notification window in anticipation of yet another level. He was under the impression that it had been postponed once again. However, it failed to appear.

"Where was I? Oh, yeah. An experience farming. Hehe!~"

Greg's eyes were wide with terror as Roger stared at him with a ghastly grin. He tried to flee, but Roger rushed and quickly stomped his skull a few times when he observed suspicious movement. Knowing that the man was still alive, he realized he would need a weapon to end this. Despite being severely injured, the man began screaming for help.

"P~please! Let me go. I wo; I tell anyone what happened!"

However, that's not what Roger had in mind, and he lost his smile.

"It appears that you attempted to kill me at a location where I would be unable to be found for some time. Furthermore, you may be able to conceal evidence that points to you as the murderer. Hehe!~"

"Y-yes…"

"Let me kill you and get rid of the proof that links you to me now, shall we? Teehee!~"

[It appears that you have accumulated 150 experience points.]

[It appears that you have accumulated 150 experience points.]

[It appears that you have accumulated 150 experience points.]

[It appears that you have accumulated 150 experience points.]

[Congratulations on leveling up!]

Roger hysterically laughed as she stabbed the victim over and over again. Roger's face and clothes were covered in blood. If the system had a stomach, she would have vomited at this repulsive sight. After Roger accomplished his work of turning the corpse unrecognizable, the system began grumbling.

[You've just slaughtered people! How can… Why?!] the system screamed, she could not believe her host was a murderer. The system wanted to ask, 'how could you do that.' However, Roger interrupted it and answered only the 'how' part.

"How? Cutting and slashing them. Look at how many levels I've gained! ~"