CHAPTER 5

The river points to west. That’s where Bread Village is. That’s where I have to run. If it’s not abandoned, there will be people there. Even if they’re not Adventurers like me, they can still help! Floating words! Help me whenever you can!

DETAIL CHECK

Order confirmed.

I can hear footsteps behind me. I’m too afraid to turn my head. Who is that?!

DETAIL CHECK

A Warlock from World Number 1.

Does he have Goldcalibur?

DETAIL CHECK

Correct.

Crap! He’s behind me! Is there any spell I can use against him?!

DETAIL CHECK

Check failed.

Flour!

I need to keep running and running!

Wait! I still have my metallic arms and legs! I can hit him!

I stop running. I turn then throw a punch! It hits someone! This guy is in a tuxedo complete with a top hat. Is that what my stalker looks like in this world? Wait. Where is Goldcalibur? I can’t see it. The floating words mentioned it before. Is the sword not in here with us?

Another man in a tuxedo is running towards me. He also has the same hat as the guy I punched. His face is… empty? He has no mouth, eye, nose, eyebrows, and ears. Empty.

I pull my hand away. They guy I punched also has an empty face. Could it be that he’s summoning something? Is this something that only he can do because he has Goldcalibur?

More faceless men are coming from the forest. Flour! I must run!

Oh no! They are everywhere! I can’t run! I have no choice but to fight them! Usually in a game, if there are many identical enemies, that means that they are the minions. Minions will usually attack one by one. They will also be easy to beat. I have metallic arms! I can do this! All I have to do is focus on which one of them is attacking.

Why are they attacking me at once?! This isn’t how it was supposed to be! Follow the cliché you flour!

Time for cliché is over. I need to improvise! Punch! Kick!

It’s useless! They’re holding all of my limbs! NO! Think! Think! Think! There must be something that I can do to free myself!

Wait! I can change the flat part of my arms to make a mold, right? Does that mean that I can shapeshift those metals to crush their hands?

Yes! I can! The shapeshift is limited, but it’s enough to crush some of their hands! I need to destroy more of them! I shapeshift every inch of my metal skins into spikes. I swing all of my arms and legs to beat anyone stupid enough to touch me!

I can stand now! I need to keep hitting them until no one else remains! All of my arms and legs are burning! PUNCH! KICK!

Someone cuts one of the faceless men. It’s him. My stalker. He has Goldcalibur with him.

“I’ll save you.”

Is he… NO! I won’t forgive him for what he did to me! He never had any pure intentions with me! I don’t care if he is genuine or not! I won’t even let him send me back! I’ll take Goldcalibur from him and use it on myself! I won’t let him have the dignity of proving himself to me!

I punch a faceless man, he slashes another. He slashes a faceless man, I punch another. I hate this synergy!

“Don’t overexert yourself!”

I punch him on the face. That felt REALLY good! Wait a minute...

The faceless men stop attacking. I can understand it if they stop attacking him because he’s lying on the floor. But me? They stop attacking me? That makes no sense. Unless…

This is his doing! He summoned these faceless men then he can pretend to be a hero in front of me! This sick man and his filthy hands!

“Why did you do that?”

“Stop following me!” I scream.

“All I want is for us to make a happy family here.”

“Who even wants you?!”

“You did.”

“You can’t even gaslight correctly!”

“Give me a chance.”

“You have negative chance!”

“When I hugged you, don’t you feel your heart skip a beat?”

“You kidnapped me and chained me in your basement!”

“It is for your own good.”

“You took me away from my mom!”

“You mean, our mom.”

“It’s my mom! You don’t have the right to utter that word!”

“What are you talking about? Of course she’s our mom. We’re practically married at this point.”

Is he for real?

“With my ownership Goldcalibur, I have an extensive knowledge of this world. I can guide you through it. I can make both of us a new dynasty. Our bloodline rule this world forever. We can be the parents of this paradiso.”

Is this a divine comedy or something?

“Let’s cleanse this world together and leave our mark that’ll last for eternity.”

With your dirty hands? That’s it! I can’t take this any longer! I want to punch him again!

A faceless man appears from the ground and lands an uppercut directly on my chin. More appears from the ground! He can summon more! If he keeps on summoning, there’s no chance that I can win! As much as I want to pummel him, I need to stay alive to finish him off.

There is only one way for me to escape this: the river.