It’s Not My Time To Die

There are five bandits approaching me now, four walking in front. The one on the far left is rather thin and tall, holding a small knife in his hand. Next to him is a stocky man holding a club the size of a human hand. Next to him is a man wearing a red headband and gloves with spikes on the back. The one on the far right has protruding front teeth and is carrying a bow. The last one, observing from behind, has a wound on his eye, a muscular build, and holds a very sharp sword. My instincts tell me I should run away from here, but my body won’t move, and my eyes can’t look away from the little kid. Damn it, what am I thinking? Didn’t I promise myself I wouldn’t run away anymore and become stronger?

I slapped both my cheeks hard to snap myself out of this baseless fear.

“Kekeke, it seems he’s scared. Let me start.”

The archer aimed his bow at me and released an arrow directly toward my head.

*Syuut!* (sfx shooting an arrow)

*Dag.* (sfx the bow got stuck in the tree)

Luckily, I managed to dodge it, and now I have a weapon. I pulled out the arrow and took the sharp tip.

“Stupid! Now you’ve given him a weapon!”

The bandit with the headband punched his own companion, knocking him to the ground. If this is how it is, I still have hope.

“Attack him together. We don't have time to deal with this kid.”

They advanced together, the thin one moving faster and swinging his knife to slash at me. I ducked and kicked his leg to make him fall, but he jumped to the side, and now a large club that could crush my body was coming at me. I dropped to the ground and rolled to the side, then quickly stood up again before a punch hit my face and sent me flying quite a distance.

“You’ll die here, kid. Stop fighting and make this quicker.”

My body screamed in pain, blood flowing from my nose and mouth. But strangely, I felt I could do it. For bandits, they were surprisingly well-coordinated. But I found a weakness. I gripped the arrowhead tightly and began running toward the fat bandit holding the club. He looked panicked and tried to raise his club to defend himself. The skinny bandit tried to stab me from behind, but I noticed and dodged, then grabbed his hand and slammed him to the ground. Moments like this would be exploited by the boxer bandit, who tried to punch me from the side. I lifted the skinny bandit and blocked the punch with his body.

“Uaghh!”

“W-what?”

They looked confused, especially the big one. The skinny one fainted after being hit hard by his partner, and I threw him aside.

Now there were two left. I ran forward again, targeting the fat bandit. But this time he was ready with his club. He swung the large club to the side as I approached, but I dropped to the ground and slid behind him, then plunged the arrow I was holding into his neck. I pulled it out, and blood spurted everywhere.

One left. I stared at him sharply with the intent to kill.

“How dare you look at me like prey!”

He charged forward and unleashed a series of continuous punches. I managed to dodge them because their direction was easy to predict when seen directly.

“Take this punch!”

He exerted all his strength into that right punch. But this was the moment I’d been waiting for; I slipped into his open left side, stabbed his stomach, and ripped it open to the side.

Now only their leader remained.

Suddenly, I heard clapping. The sound came from their leader behind me.

“Impressive, you’re truly impressive. Unfazed by being surrounded by many enemies and still able to think in such a desperate situation.”

What is this bastard saying? I just defeated his comrade, yet he’s praising me.

“Get to the point. Tell me, do you want to join us?”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“You don't even care about your own colleagues, how can I be the subordinate of a loser who hides behind them?”

“Be careful what you say, kid. Just because you managed to defeat those punks doesn't mean I'm on the same level as them.”

His eyes narrowed sharply. He began to brace himself with his sword.

“Just because your face looks more intimidating than theirs doesn’t mean you’re stronger than them.”

I could see veins beginning to surface on his face and hands. He seemed angry.

“It’s not my fault your face is intimidating, is it?”

“Bastard!”

He lunged forward and swung his sword skillfully. I dodged him, but the more he swung, the faster his movements seemed to get. A few slashes managed to cut my skin, but luckily they weren’t fatal. I kicked him, trying to create some distance. I couldn’t get close to him at all; the medium range gave his sword the advantage. How could I get closer to him?

“What? After being so arrogant, now you're scared, hahaha!”

“Why should I be scared? Oh yeah, I forgot, your face is scary. I guess now I'm scared.”

“I'll tear your mouth apart!”

He charged forward, but this time his stance was unsteady. I could see the opening. This was my chance! As he slashed sideways, I ducked and hurled a bladed arrow that struck his eye. With that brief opening, I kicked his hand, knocking the sword from his grip. I seized the weapon and cleaved the bandit leader’s head.

“Sorry, but it’s not my time to die just yet.”