Episode 2: Into the Forest

Today the mining team Seu-Rong worked on with Bob was hired to assist a group of low-level D rank Players on an extraction outside the wall. It seemed the party of Players had accepted a mission to eliminate a group of goblins. Miners were brought along to help extract mana crystals that resided in places where monsters roam. Meaning after the Players eliminated the goblins, Seu-Rong and his mining team would begin the extraction. Stationed at the entrance of D City gate stood Seu-Rong’s mining team, who saw a party of four Players heading their way.

"Nice to meet you all; I'm Fredrick!" Fredrick seemed like a friendly and nice guy, similar to Seu-Rong’s age, who reassured the mining team that the area they were heading to did not hold many monsters. They brought equipment for the mining team to keep them safe from danger while they waited for the Players to kill off the goblins. Once the area was cleared, then it would be time for the mining team to step in.

Venturing into the forest wasn't Seu-Rong's first trip outside the gate, seeing as mining companies' primary purposes were traveling outside the gate, with the assistance of the Players who hired them to extract mana crystals. But extraction only occurred once the Players finished their mission of clearing the monsters in that area.

"I'll tell ya, kid. Venturing outside the gate never gets easier. Never know when a monster might come out." Seu-Rong fully agreed with Bob as he couldn't shake off the ominous feel that made his stomach ache. Living in such a poor city filled with only small groups of low-level Players did not boost morality.

This was especially true when it came to ordinary people like Seu-Rong, who had no way to defend themselves if attacked by monsters. Thankfully Seu-Rong had never run into such a dire situation, and he was not looking forward to it if the day ever came.

After traveling half-way into the forest, the group counted their luck that they hadn't run into any monsters. Deciding to take a break, Fredrick discussed with the mining team how he would not mistreat them and promised to divide the payment equally with them. Something which brought a lot of talk from the other miners, after Fredrick stated that he and his team were going to scout the area for any monsters lurking in the area.

"Something about that kid and his team doesn't feel right," said Bob, who was standing beside Seu-Rong. Recalling Fredrick’s friendly and nice impression from earlier, Seu-Rong didn’t sense anything off from him.

"Why do you say that? They seem like a nice group of people to me."

"Listen to me, kid. I've been alive long enough to know one should never trust a book based on the cover and to always trust my gut. Right now, my gut is telling me not to trust that kid." Looking at Bob's serious face, Seu-Rong thought that the other was being over vigilant and decided not to say anything.

After a while, the group still had not returned, not that any of the other miners except Bob noticed, too busy chatting with each other. Seu-Rong soon excused himself, feeling the need to pee. Seu-Rong didn't walk that far from the group. Once he finished, a scream rang out loud. Zipping up his pants, an ominous feeling gripped Seu-Rong’s chest as he ran to the others, only for his blood to run cold at the sight which greeted him.

'G-Goblins?!' Seu-Rong mentally screamed, feeling bile rush to his throat when he saw a goblin ramming his spear through a miner's chest. If that wasn't enough—many other goblins descended on the poor fella and continually stabbed at his body, dying the ground red. Never had Seu-Rong witnessed such a gruesome scene that was happening throughout the whole area when he felt something grip the back of his shirt and was about to scream when a large callused hand covered his mouth.

"Shush, kid! We gotta run!" The voice that whispered urgently in his ear was Bob. Dragging him, Seu-Rong managed to steal a look and saw that Bob's right arm was bleeding heavily, blood running down from the cut he managed to get on his face.

"Damn! Those shitty bastards!" cursed Bob, who at some point threw Seu-Rong over his shoulder.

"Bob, what’s going on? Where did those goblins come from? Didn’t Fredrick say he and his team were going to scout the area? Shouldn't they have stopped the attack or at least warned us-"

"Kid, sorry to break it to you, but I believe we have been bamboozled!" The wound on Bob's arm hurt like hell, but he was determined to get both him and Seu-Rong out of this forest alive.

"What do you mean-"

"They're just rumors, but word is that there is a group of Players that go around using miners as bait, so they can go in, defeat the big boss, and keep the haul of crystals to themselves. Those shitty bastards hold no care for human lives and only care about their own greed!"

"W-What! But why  assume Fredrick and his team are those cold-blooded people?"

"Noticed how long they have been absent? I wanna give them the benefit of the doubt, but in reality, no one would leave behind a group of regular unarmed humans just to go scout. Common sense, one or two should've stayed behind to watch over the miners while the rest scouted. Now stop talking, kid. I gotta con-"

Seu-Rong found himself falling off Bob's shoulder and almost crushed his arm when he fell to the ground. When he looked back, Seu-Rong felt the blood drain from his body. Eyes wide as a saucer and going blurry due to tears that welled up in them.

"Bob!!!"

Pierced straight through Bob's chest was a long spear. Dropping down to his knees, Bob mentally cursed his luck. Sensing Seu-Rong running over to his side with tears running down his eyes, Bob knew this was his end and couldn't bear the fate happening to the kid.

"G-Get out of here, kid. The goblin that threw this spear is heading in this direction, and there is no telling if he's bringing backup."

"B-But, Bob!" Large tears continued to run down Seu-Rong’s cheeks. Remembering how on his first day at the company, Bob was the first to strike up a friendly conversation with him, when everyone else ignored or ridiculed him, later taking him under his wing. He was a close friend that Seu-Rong valued deeply and seeing him bleeding profusely and on his last dying breath, ripped a knife through Seu-Rong's chest.

"No! Now you listen here, kid. You are going to go far. I can just feel it. But you gotta trust in yourself and have more confidence." The light in Bob's eyes was starting to dim. Both Seu-Rong and Bob knew this was the end, but before he parted this world, Bob wanted to leave Seu-Rong with these parting words.

Hoping the young man would take what he said and live his life in the way Bob could not. "This world is not pure and favors only the strong. So get out of here and grow strong, kid. Live a long and fulfilling life."

Seeing the light vanish from Bob's eyes, Seu-Rong wanted to scream and demand the life of his friend to be brought back to him. But the sounds of goblins rushing through the forest caused him to think straight and remember Bob’s brave sacrifice. Setting his feelings aside, Seu-Rong knew he must live and began to run like his life depended on it. Which in this case was correct, knowing if he slowed down for just a second, the goblins would catch up to him.

'I can't stop now!'

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