Chapter 16: Roadside Robbery

The boss monster of the lake dungeon, the Troll Overlord, was falling from the sky at breakneck speed.

There was no other choice.

This must've been the attack that destroyed the other expedition members. Paired with the debuff of the miasma and the path being blocked, this damn monster created a deadly trap that no one had ever imagined.

I have to counter the attack before it hits the ground.

All Seeing Eye of Despair.

Time slowed from my eyes. The troll's diving attack that lasted minutes to reach the ground was extended to hours.

I waited patiently until I could reach him. It was very boring.

This might be the last time I ever get to see this arm. I guess I should savor it.

Ah... why am I so unlucky...

Goodbye.

With everything I had left, I jumped toward the falling monster.

As soon as my fists made contact, it crumpled like an egg thrown at a rock.

But it did its job.

My sudden attack caused the troll to lose its momentum, causing him to fall to the ground without causing a shockwave.

I saw the sunk portion of its chest. It was like a concrete road after being pierced by a jackhammer.

My other arm was gone. And it was bleeding profusely.

Fuck. It hurts. It hurts like hell. I want to scream. I want to cry.

But I have to endure it.

I decided to ignore it. The pain will go away soon enough.

The tears that started to form in my eyes vanished instantly.

The pain will go away in time.

"Master!"

I heard Eura shouting.

"I'm fine," I replied with a smile.

She must be surprised.

Sorry, Eura. Your master is weak.

***

I woke up in the carriage drawn by my pet spider.

Eura was driving the carriage.

I climbed to the coachman's seat and sat beside Eura.

"M-master? Are you alright?" She earnestly asked.

"I'm fine. I think," I was referring to my torn arm. A significant portion of my body was wrapped in bandages, but most had already healed.

"But! Master's arm!"

"I know," I replied.

"But... at least we're alive. As long as we're alive, there's still a chance."

"Besides, back in my world, there are actually arms made of metal. Maybe we could build one in this world. Oh yeah, I haven't told you I'm from another world, have I?"

"N-no," she replied.

"Seems like you already knew."

"Am I that transparent?" I asked with a smile.

"Y-yes," Eura replied with a red face.

"I see. Anyway, now you know that your master's a good for nothing."

"I don't find my master to be anything of the kind! Master is the first person to save me! Master is the person who saved my life! Master's brilliant and kind. And you're also good at fighting and cooking."

"And u-umm, master's also good at s-sex."

Eura continued to drive the carriage, but she was blushing intensely.

I chuckled at her words. "Well, thank you for the compliment."

Eura cleared her throat and looked away. "A-anyway, we should probably find a place to rest since it's getting dark."

"You're right," I stood and stretched out my remaining arm.

Eura stopped the carriage.

"Master, let's camp here."

"Here?"

She nodded.

I was ready to step out of the carriage.

"Sorry, master."

"Huh?"

Eura wrapped her arms around me and gave me a long, deep kiss.

"Eura," I gasped as she broke the kiss. "What was that for?"

"I just wanted to do it," she replied, her cheeks still flushed.

We got out of the carriage and set up camp. Eura started a fire while I set up the tent.

As we ate dinner, Eura suddenly asked, "Master, what was your world like?"

"It's a place called Earth," I said. "It's not too different from this world, aside from the fact that there's no system, magic, skills, and monsters."

Eura listened with rapt attention as I described the world I came from. I spoke of the tall buildings that would scrape the sky, of the bright lights that would never dull, and of the endless possibilities that existed there.

"But, why did you arrive in this place, master?" Eura asked.

I stared into the fire, "I don't know," I said.

"When I died, I woke up in a dark place with bizarre-looking monsters. The next thing I know, I'm a baby."

Eura looked at me with wide eyes. "That's unbelievable, master. But at least you're here now, and I'm glad you're my master."

I smiled at her. "I'm glad I'm here too, Eura. And I'm glad I have you as my companion."

I fell asleep feeling content, with Eura by my side and the warmth of the fire lulling me into a peaceful slumber.

The next morning, we woke up to the sound of birds chirping and the sunlight filtering through the trees. Eura was already up, preparing breakfast over the fire.

"Good morning, master," she said, flashing me a smile.

"Good morning," I replied, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

As we ate breakfast, I realized how inconvenient it was to only have one arm. I've been trying to distract myself, but it was so hard to eat with one hand.

That was not the worst thing, however, as I suddenly felt a sensation in my missing arm.

Phantom Limb Syndrome. I've heard of it from Earth, but to think I'd ever feel it myself. It was terrifying.

I winced and grabbed my shoulder.

"Master, what's wrong?" Eura asked.

"It's nothing," I replied, trying to keep my face neutral.

"Your expression says otherwise."

I patted my shoulder, "It's just a phantom limb. It'll go away."

"I don't understand what you mean by that," Eura said.

"I'll explain it to you another time," I said.

"We should go. We still have a long time on the road."

Hours into the traveling, I could feel an uneasiness in my stomach. The dizziness was also beginning to set in. I think I might puke the breakfast Eura cooked for me.

"Eura! I'm gonna be sick! Make a pit stop, please!" I said, trying my best not to sound too desperate.

"Yes, master. There are some trees here," she said.

I ran to the trees and puked what I had for breakfast. It was terrible. My head was spinning, and I felt like I was about to pass out.

Eura was quick to react, rubbing my back and holding my hair back as I vomited.

It'll take a week or two before we arrive at our destination...

I think I'm going to die from motion sickness before we even get there. But I couldn't let Eura see me like this. I had to be strong, even though I felt like I was falling apart.

"Master, there's something up ahead," Eura said, interrupting my thoughts. She pointed towards a carriage surrounded by a ragtag group of bandits.

Eura stopped the carriage several meters away from the bandits and turned towards me. "Master, what should we do?"

"Isn't that obvious? We're killing them. No Quarter."

"Fufufufu, as expected of the master," Eura chuckled, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Well, well, well...what do we have here?" the leader sneered. "A mother and son in a nice little carriage. Aren't you too young to be a mother? You must be a real slut."

"Watch your mouth," I growled.

The bandit laughed. "What are you going to do, little boy?"

"Eura. Don't interfere. This battle's mine."

Begin Standard Operating Procedure.

First, make them let their guard down.

I faced the bandits. "I'll give you one chance to surrender peacefully."

The bandits just laughed, and their leader spoke again. "You think a little kid like you can take on all of us? You're as stupid as you are brave."

I took out my tactical knife and leaped toward the bandit leader.

Second, misdirect their attention.

I threw the knife in the air, and the bandits were distracted by it for a split second. That was all the time I needed to make my move.

I took out a molotov cocktail from the inventory and threw it at the bandit leader.

Pop. The glass broke apart and set the bandit leader on fire.

I could hear his screams as he rolled on the ground, trying to put out the flames. His followers were too shocked to move, and that was the moment I was waiting for.

Third, strike them while they're vulnerable.

All Seeing Eye of Despair.

Time has slowed down once more. I took out my Sig Sauer P226 from my inventory.

The first bullet hit the bandit's head.

The next bullet went through another bandit's neck.

The next next bullet was for another bandit's heart.

I shot another nine bullets at each target.

I released All Seeing Eye of Despair's bullet time effect, and the bandits all dropped down one by one like dominoes.

The bandit leader was rolling on the ground, screaming like a maniac.

"What was it again?"

""You think a little kid like you can take on all of us? You're as stupid as you are brave.""

I repeated his words from earlier, but it seemed like he didn't hear me as he continued rolling and screaming on the ground.

I approached the bandit leader, watching his twisted expression of pain and fear. He looked up at me with pleading eyes, but it was too late for him.

"Here. On the house." I said as I threw another molotov cocktail at him.

The fire engulfed him, and he stopped screaming. He was no more. The bandits were all gone.

I should've put a grenade on him instead of a molotov. It would've been a hell of a fireworks show.

"Master, what was that weapon?" Eura asked.

"It's a P226. A weapon from my world." I answered.

"What a fascinating weapon. Master, why did you not use that until now?"

"It's loud and deadly. It's only useful in situations where stealth and mercy are optional."

I looked around at the aftermath of the battle, the stench of burning flesh filling my nostrils. It was a necessary evil, but it still made my stomach turn.

"I'll check the front of the carriage. You go check the back."

"Yes, master."

It was a fairly large wagon. It must've been a transport for materials or something. I walked towards the front and noticed the body lying on the ground.

It was a middle-aged man.

All Seeing Eye of Despair.

I checked his organs, but there were no signs of damage. His heart was also beating.

He must've passed out. I have to wake him up.

I lifted his clothes and pinched his sternum.

"Wake up!" I shouted.

"Ugh..." The man moaned as he woke up.

"Who are you? Are you a bandit?"

"A kid?" He looked at me, and his eyes widened, but he didn't seem to be afraid.

"Stand up. I've already killed the bandits."

He looked around quickly, and then he saw the bodies of bandits on the ground.

"I'm a slave trader from the city of Verdale. How did you-," He was interrupted as Eura walked towards me.

"Master, there are people in cages in the back of the wagon," she reported.

The slave trader looked dumbstruck. He was eyeing my Eura with a strange expression on his face.

"Is-is she your slave? Are you selling her? Name your price, and I'll pay you twice, no, thrice the market price!" He said excitedly.

At that moment, I felt the rage surge into my brain.

[Your personality trait "Compulsive Murderer" has surfaced.]

[Kill him.] [I have to do something.] [Quick.] [I have to kill him.]

[Let me kill him.] [Kill him.] [I hate him.] [I must kill him.] [Kill him.]

[Kill him.] [He's disgusting.] [I have to kill him.] [Let me kill him.] [Kill him.]

[I want to.] [Kill him.] [Kill him.] [Kill him.] [Ah, I want to kill him.] [Quick.]

[Kill him.] [Quick. I have to do it.] [He's disgusting.] [He's defenseless.]

[I can kill him even with one arm.] [Kill him.] [Kill him.] [I have to do something.]

[Ah, I want to kill him.] [Let me kill him.] [Quick.] [He's weak.] [I have to do something.]

[Kill him.] [He's weak.] [Kill him.] [Kill him.] [I can kill him even with one arm.]

[Quick. I have to do it.] [I have to kill him.] [Ah, I want to kill him.] [Quick. I have to do it.]

[I have to do something.] [Kill him.] [He's disgusting.] [Ah, I want to kill him.] [I have to kill him.]

[I want to.] [Kill him.] [Kill him.] [I must kill him.] [Quick. I have to do it.] [I hate him.] [He's weak.]

[He's defenseless.] [I can kill him even with one arm.] [Kill him.] [I want to.] [Kill him.] [Kill him.]

[He's defenseless.] [He's defenseless.] [Let me kill him.] [I must kill him.] [I want to.]

[I can kill him even with one arm.] [Kill him.] [Kill him.] [Kill him.] [Kill him.] [I hate him.]

[Kill him.] [He's disgusting.] [Kill him.] [Kill him.] [I must kill him.] [I hate him.] [Kill him.]

[He's weak.] [Quick.] [Kill him.]

Murderous thoughts echoed through my mind like an itch at the roof of my mouth that could only be soothed by killing this man in front of me.

It was like an uncontrollable burning fire was raging inside me.

"W-w-wh-what-What are you doing...?" He said, somehow still maintaining his composure.

When I had come to, I was already grabbing the slave trader by the collar. He was shaking in fear.

"Say that line one more time, and you'll be joining these bandits on the ground," I hissed.

The man didn't dare to speak. His face was pale, and he was trembling.

"Eura, let's go check the cages. See if there is anyone worth buying." I commanded.

Eura flashed a mischievous smile at the slave trader before walking away.

The man just watched us as we walked away, still trembling in fear.

When we arrived, I saw that there were several people in cages. It was clear they had been through a lot.

Their eyes were vacant. I've seen those kinds of eyes before. They were the eyes of those who had seen hell.

[You have found a target for corruption.]

[You have found a target for corruption.]