Disaster strikes out of nowhere.

It is hateful, but often true.

One day, when I was just playing around with my monster silkworms, tickling the fat and helpless little fellows, a shiver ran up my nonexistent spine, causing me to instinctively grab the worms, roll, and duck.

Whiz~! Tuk!

Something flew past where my head was and stuck itself in Sara's bark, causing the monster tree to rustle her branches and trunk in momentary pain.

When I looked back, I saw it was an arrow, with its tip sharp and made of metal.

This isn't a kind of weapon I've encountered around here.

"▓▓ ▓▓▓▓▓▓! (Die, monster!)"

"!" I turn my head, having heard some kind of shout. I did not understand what it meant. But I do see a pair of humanoid creatures running at me at a fast speed with weapons in hand.

They leapt over the wooden fence with relative ease.

One of them is covered in a mix of leather and metal armor, holding a steel sword. His figure looks like that of an adult man, but I can't see through what he looks like inside. The only gap in his helmet shows me his determined black eyes.

The other one is taller, with lean muscles, green scales covering him all over, wearing nothing but a pair of baggy pants. He doesn't have a nose. His mouth is full of fangs, and his eyes look threatening like a snake's. Since he has limbs though, I'd say he's closer to a lizard. There are a pair of horns grown out of his head and a thin tail wrapped around his waist. In his hands is a long wooden rod with an inverted metal blade at its end. In other words, a frigging scythe.

"Meow meow! (Number 1, Number 2, hide!)" I quickly order the little guys to back away, pushing them away with my tentacle.

I don't know if they understood me, but Number 1 and Number 2 obediently wiggled away.

Sara and I got ready for battle.

Despite being caught by surprise, I didn't hesitate to act. This is the benefit brought about by experience. Not just experience points, but true experience in combat.

There is a thing known in my old world as the fight or flight response, but truth is, when face with a sudden deadly threat, most inexperienced people would freeze or hesitate in indecision first, a completely useless and potentially fatal reaction.

The me in my past life and the me right after I came to this world was more or less like that, the many scars on my body serving as proof.

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Now however, I didn't hesitate. I dash straight at them.

Fleeing would probably have been the better choice. My danger sense is telling me that they're both strong and dangerous, neither weaker than the crowned ape from a week or two ago.

But Sara and the two silkworm brats are behind me.

Unless I'm willing to dump them, I have to fight.

Both sides are running pretty fast. We clash in practically no time.

Clang!

Sword on sword. Sparks erupt between me and the enemy swordsman.

I lose in strength, getting pushed back right away.

But it doesn't matter. A head-to-head confrontation with him wasn't my aim.

My blade slides off his and I slip past his side.

The lizardman (I'll call him that for now) swings his scythe at me, the blade coming at me diagonally and from the side.

A scythe is unwieldy. Only an idiot would use it in battle... is what I would like to say. But in fact, its irregularity as a weapon is also what makes it hard to defend against.

Thus, in an instant, I decided not to defend against it.

I threw my body at it, in the same direction it is coming down from, and constricted its rod with my tentacles. The swing carried me with it, completely missing.

"!" The lizardman seems surprised at my reaction. I understand. It's not a normal reaction after all.

"Meow! (Break!)" I try to twist and break the wooden rod of the scythe, but who knows what wood it is made of, it doesn't even creak.

My danger sense tingles.

I immediately let go and leap away.

A sword comes down, stabbing besides the scythe.

Reaching the ground, I leap again. An arrow embeds itself in the spot I touched.

A thick tree branch swings down.

The swordsman dodges.

Thwack!

The bark hit the ground, making a loud sound.

All of this happens in a matter of seconds.

Sara continues occupying the swordsman with her branch swinging. Occasionally, she would throw in a poke here or there, a small variation that I told her to add and practice day and night to make her attacks less predictable.

Even with that improvement, her branches are still being cut and injured, testament to the skill of her opponent.

While dodging arrows, trusting entirely in my danger sense, unfortunately not high enough in level to prevent the arrowheads from scratching me, I found a moment to spray poison ink at the lizardman's face and torso.

After much practice, I learned how to spray ink in a less and less concentrated manner, and over a wider area. It takes some accumulation, but is more effective, working as a small smokescreen and having a higher chance at entering life-threatening areas.

The lizardman immediately closed his eyes and shut his mouth. The ink sprayed all over his top. Yet none got into a dangerous area.

Wiping his mouth with one arm, with his eyes still shut, the lizardman backed away.

I was momentarily shocked. This guy, he knows how to deal with my spit! Fortunately, this is not the first time. The shock didn't pause my steps and didn't let the arrows hit me.

"▓▓▓▓▓, ▓ ▓▓ ▓▓. ▓▓▓▓ ▓ ▓ ▓▓▓▓ ▓▓▓ ▓▓▓▓! (Jason, I've been inked. Give me a moment to cleanse myself!)

After the lizardman said something, the swordsman went to his side, protecting him from Sara's branches and me. Meanwhile, the lizardman reached into his pocket.

I didn't get to see what he'd pull out. As soon as I saw that they weren't going to attack me for a while, I immediately dashed toward the forest. "Meow! Meow! (Hold on! I'll be back!)"

"▓▓▓▓▓! ▓▓ ▓▓▓ ▓▓ ▓▓▓▓! (Dammit! It's going after Meyon!)" The swordsman turned his head and shouted. Then he groaned. "▓▓▓! ▓▓▓▓ ▓▓▓! (Urgh! Cursed tree!)"

Sara, following my instructions in her own way, intensified her attacks on the pair of invaders, stopping them in their tracks and preventing them from chasing after me.

According to experience, my own experience, an enemy hiding in the dark is the most dangerous. Whoever the archer shooting at me is, I have to take them out first!