SSS: Chapter 6

A jolt of electricity passed through me as my fingertips grazed past the tip of the stick.

Numbness.

Yet, there was no discomfort.

This stick that I have swung for nigh on four years.

It was akin to a limb of mine, answering freely to my call.

I was not aware of why this has come to pass.

Perhaps I had been accustomed to it?

Or maybe there was some deeper reason?

Regardless, the outcome was the same.

Thus I abandoned the myriad thoughts that swirled around in my head.

All that was left was an emptiness that mirrored the oppressive silence that had surrounded me.

Footsteps.

In this strange silence, to my ears which twitched at the flutter of a leaf, these footsteps were unnaturally loud.

My limbs tensed.

My breath froze.

This was the signal that I had been waiting for.

Bloodshed was about to begin.

Something crossed my line of sight.

The next instant it was gone.

From what I had managed to see in that brief moment, it was petite.

A lithe frame with a height that was comparable to mine but slightly shorter.

It was gone before I could get a closer look.

I could still hear the squeals though, which sounded like the wails of a pig.

They echoed around in the surroundings.

Seemingly coming from everywhere.

The darkness had long since obscured the characteristic mottle green skin of my adversary from my sight.

No doubt, it was choosing to hide, lying in wait like a seasoned predator for me to take a misstep.

Unfortunately.

Its stealth was not invincible.

The sound made by the rustling of leaves.

The breeze fluttering past, grazing against my face with a cold kiss.

Footsteps.

A suppressed squeal of excitement.

Getting closer and closer.

Darkness had already covered the whole sky and my field of view, and it was not possible to see satisfactorily.

So I used my ears.

Now was the time to entrust everything to the five senses.

"Even if you can't see it, you can hear it"

Thus, I wait for the right moment.

"Hu, Human"

"My Win"

A shrill scream followed by a blast of foul odor assaulted me.

Thud!

A sudden numbness drifted my hand.

I came to a realization.

My stick had just collided against a thick club.

I swung again.

Blood sprayed like a fountain.

The advantage that I possessed in reach could be clearly seen then.

The foul odor from earlier became even thicker, gagging my nose.

With a frown, I leaped back to a safe distance, steadied myself, and with barely a moment's pause, my feet had set off into the air once more.

My feet had pressed towards the earth like a coiling spring and the earth had returned the favor by hoisting them far above into the sky.

Closer.

More closer.

Even more,

That was it.

Just when I could see it's ruined face embellished with terrible blotches and pustules my arm swung speedily.

For a moment, the world turned silent and the wind stopped to move.

For a moment our eyes met.

For a moment I could peer into its soul and it could peer into mine.

I didn't see anything worthwhile there.

Just primal emotions that gave way to emptiness as sensation slowly converged to its brain.

The moment passed.

A gentle breeze fluttered across.

I stood there with my back to the goblin.

Mine was a brutal blow aimed at the neck.

It stood no chance.

"Kuh, huh…"

It gurgled in pain as it desperately craved for air.

I had used my momentum to drive my stick in and through its throat all in a single swift moment.

A mere swing to reap a life!

Nevertheless, reality disappointed me.

My thrust didn't carry enough power and had thus been only able to mortally wound it rather than sending it on its way as I had expected.

My face darkened momentarily as I was forced to come to terms with my lack of strength.

Still.

There was not much point worrying about it now.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have time for you right now."

Its crimson eyes glared at me with undisguised murderous rage yet for a moment there I could see hesitation as it pondered whether it was effective to accept my act of mercy.

Unfortunately, there was no way of knowing if its feral instincts would dominate it once more causing it to come after me.

"It's troublesome to be chased afterward, so let me deal with it, here and now."

Saying that I shook my stick purposefully.

Being unable to use magic it seemed impossible to me that I could end its life with a blow.

Brute force might still work but given the fact that they possessed thick and sturdy bodies, there was no way knowing how long it would take to crush all resistance.

That's why I decided to stun the goblin in front of me, this being which burns with an indomitable fighting spirit.

Is a perforated throat painful?

In that case, you would be released from your misery for a while.

I swung down the stick without any ceremony.

Dong!

A reverberating sound ripples outward when the piece of stick and its head contact, and soon the white of its eyes can be seen signifying its loss of consciousness.

The so-called weakest demon.

Goblin.

I was unable to defeat it conclusively.

At least not in the way that I had imagined.

It is said that the difference between the prowess of a Goblin and an Ogre is akin to that of a baby and an adult.

Was I really capable?

Capable enough to face an ogre?

Despite burning with anxiety, I did not do anything drastic.

Instead, I sat down next to my fallen opponent and let out a sigh.

Pent up emotions were released at that moment.

Stress.

Tension.

Fear

Concern.

Anxiety.

Hope.

These emotions that had stifled my breath were let loose, it was as if some invisible shackles that had tied me down were released at that instant.

It was my first battle.

The first time that I had to face a monster.

The first time that I had swung my stick at an opponent.

The marks in my palm were there alright, as clear as day.

Maybe it hadn't reached the conclusion that I would have hoped for.

Maybe I wasn't ready for the storm that was to come.

Certainly to an objective observer, what I had done so far should give no confidence in betting for me in a confrontation with the Ogre.

Even so,

"Ha, Ha HA !"

I was laughing uproariously till my insides hurt.

The reason was that it was too far away.

The place where the swordsman who I dreamed of, stood was too far away.

The series of movements that my body executed in my battle earlier.

They were involuntary.

Built deep into my psyche, they did not emerge from my long hours practicing or from sudden inspiration.

Instead, they had always been there since the dream that night.

The memories.

The memories of the Swordsman that had been engraved within.

His actions were no different for me than the natural acts of going to sleep or waking up.

Somehow, his means had long since become a part of me.

So, I didn't think it was impossible.

For some reason despite my misgivings, it never seemed impossible to beat the Ogre.

What I would be facing was a mature Ogre.

A demon whose body was evolved just for battles and that too at its peak.

On the other hand, there I was, nothing but a mere lad with a wooden stick.

The difference in levels was too obvious here.

Still.

I didn't feel like losing.

It has been four years already.

If I were an ordinary person who had done nothing but swung his stick continuously for all these years, it wouldn't matter how much effort I had put in, defeating the Ogre would be impossible.

That was certain.

However, I was no ordinary person.

I was someone who fully recollected the legendary life of the Sword Demon, a maniac who had dreamt of slashing the stars!

To him dispatching an Ogre was hardly worth any effort.

Of course, the current me was unworthy of being a shadow of him at his zenith, still, it might be possible for me to use his experience, his wisdom to face down the ogre even with my meager skills and strength.

Some of his moves that I would need are clearly beyond my ability at this point.

Forcing myself to replicate them will only end in me tearing my body apart with the strain of performing them.

But.

Even such a flawed imitation could certainly pierce through the Ogre's heart.

Definitely.

The power of the skills of a Swordsman who had laid an entire world low in his pursuit was no joke.

The ogre is by no account invincible.

The prerequisite being that I transcend my current self!

I cannot imagine how the Sword Skills could fail.

To slash a star!

Racing after this distant dream, a web of excellence has been spun tracing the path of the seeker who conquered peaks that had hitherto never been defeated before.

I too was following now in his footsteps, picking up the pebbles that lay strewn across the path and marveling at the wonders they held inside them.

Fear was real.

Fear of the Ogre.

Fear of the unknown.

However, since I had set foot on this path, fear was but an outlet of release.

I was standing there now, at the very beginning.

Mere pebbles had been enough to engross me for so long, far ahead lay mountains each vaster than the one before.

Even more distant, I could see them.

The stars twinkling in the night sky.

I could feel the worry building up in my chest as I wondered about the fate of Sophia.

I felt the metallic air that preceded a storm; goblins had never been found so close to the village before.

What I had to do then was clear.

I stepped forward on the path.