## Chapter 406 – Kim Kat in the Woods
“Fuck.”
I chugged the water from my canteen, and my startled heart calmed down a little.
ㅡSlosh, slosh.
I shook it, and there wasn’t much left. I’d filled it on the morning of the wolf hunt and had been drinking from it ever since.
Fortunately, it seemed like I had some dry rations left, but water was definitely the problem.
Goddamn it, I’m screwed.
Succeeding at the gamble and escaping were good, but everything else was fucked.
First, I fell haphazardly from the top of the tree and ended up with injuries on my face, the back of my right hand, and a little above my wrist. I was bleeding.
Still, they weren’t deep wounds, so they’d probably stop bleeding soon.
Damn it, my hand.
I didn’t have time to grab my right gauntlet, which I’d taken off to caress Seserite. Of course, if I’d grabbed it then, I probably would have been caught by the Harpy Queen, but still, losing a piece of equipment I cherished felt like my heart was being torn apart.
Still, I was lucky that I didn’t lose anything else.
“The Great Demon Kim Kat stands on the earth, you bastards.”
Alone.
The most important thing was that I didn’t know exactly where I was. I didn’t know the exact direction because I’d been kidnapped and flown here by the harpies.
And there were so many damn trees that I couldn’t pinpoint my location.
But since I hadn’t been flying for a super long time, I didn’t think I was seriously far away. Probably about three or four days away from the village where I caught the wolf.
ㅡAbove all, darkness.
It was just the beginning of the night.
I couldn’t light a fire. Birds have good eyes. But it was also awkward to hide and sleep around here. If I woke up and the sun was up, the harpies would definitely be after me.
They wouldn’t chase me right now because it was dark and the forest was thick, but things would be different when the sun came up.
I had to move now.
I didn’t know the way, and it was damn dark, but I started walking right away. I was slowly getting used to the darkness, and I could start to see outlines.
How do I get out of here?
Let’s just keep moving as far as I can and then make a hideout to sleep in tomorrow night. I need water, so I’ll have to find a valley in the morning. That shouldn’t be too hard. It’ll be between the ridges.
Keep your head straight, Kim Kat.
I’ve always had crises like this.
There’s nothing to fear as long as I have my sword. The moment I get scared, I’ll lose my way. I couldn’t see much, and it was hard to move, but I suppressed my fear and took a step.
I can definitely get back.
I believe that.
If I just find one village, I should be able to get to Isvant without any problems.
ㅡRustle, rustle, rustle!
ㅡScreeeech!
ㅡTechiaaaaaat!!
Strange noises came from all over the forest.
It was time for all sorts of monsters to be active. If it was a forest near a city, it would be relatively safe even at night, but things were different if you went a little further away.
The further you get from cities or villages, the more ferocious monsters appear.
“You bastards.”
Still, if worse came to worst, I could hunt down any monsters that attacked me and take their meat and blood, so it was actually a good thing.
That kind of thing would have been hard for me in the past, but it was easy for me now. Fortunately, I’d kept my mana intact, so I didn’t feel any fatigue.
I should be able to move all night without any problems.
ㅡCrunch, crunch.
At least I hadn’t hurt my whole hand, so there was no problem holding the sword. I held the sword in my right hand and used it to push through the thick bushes growing under the trees.
As expected, I didn’t feel like the harpies were chasing me.
And the fact that the downhill slope continued made me feel like I was somewhere at the top of a mountain. Was this area a high-altitude zone, with that cliff and all?
Let’s go down along the ridge for now.
ㅡFuck.
A curse came out of my mouth involuntarily.
They’ll worry again if I’m late… Damn it. I’m going crazy with how much I want to see Cloudi, Winia, Karin, and Lady Risha. I have to go back and ask them to hug me. Should I ask them to let me have a 5P?
Thinking about that made me naturally get an erection.
“Erection.”
And then I felt a little braver.
I went down the slope, grabbing onto tough, sturdy branches so I wouldn’t fall. ㅡCrackle. It was around that time, as I was moving through the suffocating darkness of the mountain.
ㅡPfft, pfft, pfft.
ㅡPfft.
I saw something like a green lump of light flying around over there. Was it a firefly? That’s what I thought, but I hadn’t seen a firefly since I came to this world.
ㅡMoss Wisp.
That was a moss wisp, which I’d seen a few times before.
There were dozens of them flying around, as if this was their habitat. They were monsters with the inhuman ability to bewitch people. Of course, they were no match for me now.
But there was no need to clash with them.
Let’s go around.
The essence they spit out is worth money, but in a situation like this, where I don’t know what’s going on, I can’t just fight recklessly at night. If there are higher-level entities like the spirit girl I saw in the winter, it would be very difficult for me to deal with them right now.
I moved around, always noticing and avoiding anything that felt like a monster.
It’s a loss to just fight recklessly right now.
I have no water, and my stamina will run out faster. It’s a little sad because I’m thinking about money, but I have to erase everything from my mind except survival and return.
The night deepened.
* * *
As dawn approached, the world gradually began to brighten.
Only then could I see the surrounding environment properly.
It was a mountain full of large trees and plants growing beneath them.
“Ah, fuck.”
I was feeling tired because I’d been moving all night. Still, I couldn’t rest. The harpies who woke up would definitely be after me. Since they were so fast, they could easily surpass the distance I’d traveled all night.
Above all, I had to find a valley when it got light.
I felt like I was going to die of thirst right now. If I had to, I was even willing to draw and drink the blood of non-toxic monsters.
ㅡKweeeeeek!!
As if my thoughts had summoned them, the monsters’ attacks began.
The early bird catches the worm, and the monsters who woke up early in the morning found me, a human traveling alone, and came to pick a fight.
ㅡKweeeet!!!
The attacker was a giant larva that crawled down from a tree and opened its mouth. They were insect-type monsters, generally called Giant Larvae.
The guy who had come down about 4 meters from the tree trunk greeted me by spitting at me.
ㅡSplat!
“You bastard!”
Attacks that fired highly viscous fluids usually had toxins in them. I used footwork to avoid it without difficulty and threw my sword like a javelin to hit him.
ㅡThwack!
ㅡKweeeeeeeet!!!
The tip of the sword pierced through his body and got stuck in the tree. However, he twisted his body and fell down with the Giant Larva.
ㅡThud.
Can I eat this?
Unfortunately, I don’t know enough about the monster, so I don’t think I should eat it. And even if I were to drink its blood, I don’t really want to drink the blood of a bug.
ㅡWhoosh!
I cut off its head and moved on to find a valley.
The forest was quite dense, but I had to watch out for harpies now that the sun was up. I kept looking up at the sky as I moved. It would be very difficult if I were attacked by harpies in this situation.
ㅡSwish.
After about an hour, I heard the sound of water.
ㅡA valley.
As soon as I saw the water, I felt extremely happy, and I suppressed the scream that was about to burst out and ran excitedly.
“Fuck yeah!”
First, I checked the surroundings to make sure there was nothing wrong, then washed my hands and face and filled my canteen with water to quench my thirst.
“Damn!”
I thought my throat was going to burn.
I felt like I was going to live after chugging the water. I also felt a little relieved. Anyway, now that I’ve found a valley, I might be able to find something if I follow the stream.
Should I take a break around here?
Just as I was thinking that.
ㅡRustle.
I heard a noise and turned around. I figured the only thing that would show up in a place like this would be a monster looking for water, so I held out my sword.
“Huh?”
“Twee?”
What was in front of me was.
“Uh, uh?”
“Twee, twee?”
It was an orc.
Green skin. And firm-looking arm and chest muscles compared to a potbelly. He was shorter than me, but he was wider. The orc, whose tusks were sticking out, widened his eyes as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“Maggot.”
And so, I impulsively swung my sword.
“Twee!!!!!”
The orc also reflexively pulled out the rusty cutlass he was wearing on his waist and hurriedly defended himself. ㅡClang! The blades collided.
My heart started beating fast, and my thoughts started accelerating. It was the first time I’d fought an orc since Bulverza and the orc remnant extermination.
ㅡOrcs are strong monsters.
Of course, I was much stronger than I was back then.
But I was flustered because I suddenly encountered an orc without preparation ㅡ I’ll put those thoughts aside for now. I can think about it after I kill the enemy.
“Twee, twee! Tweeeee!!!”
The orc’s panicked cry… I’m winning with strength?
Instinctively, I kicked him in the crotch.
ㅡThwack!
Originally, swordsmanship included kicking techniques.
“Twee!!!”
The steel front kick, strengthened by the greaves, penetrated perfectly between the orc’s legs, and as soon as I felt the inhuman sensation of his balls breaking at the tip of my foot, I felt his strength drain away.
“I’m sorry!! I didn’t mean to!”
ㅡStab!
I stabbed him in the neck. I have to relieve his pain! “Twee, twee…!” That was the end of it. With a sword in his neck, the orc knelt down and collapsed powerlessly.
ㅡTweee…
The fallen orc foamed at the mouth and soon became silent.
I had reflexively killed the other person. I felt like I had become a vicious murderer.
“What?”
But orcs die this easily?
I definitely had a hard time when I caught them last time.
Bulverza was impossible to beat in close combat, so I had to fight him from a distance. And when I hunted the remnant orcs, I won by instantly cutting them down with an undeveloped Sure Kill Slash that I had activated on the spur of the moment.
ㅡTrickle, trickle.
Blood was trickling from the orc’s neck.
“I am the Great Demon Kim Kat.”
The answer was this.
I, Kim Kat, had grown strong enough to take down an orc in seconds. Of course, the orc was panicked, and my weapon was longer.
Still, it was an overwhelming victory.
I was the one who was panicked, too.
Usually, if a warrior who hasn’t mastered mana manages to fight an orc one-on-one and win, it’s considered a significant achievement.
It’s a standard for strength.
I’ve gotten stronger.
Even though I killed the first orc I met in an instant, a kind of satisfaction welled up inside me. Well, what can I do? Humans and orcs have to fight when they meet. Thinking that far, I immediately searched the orc’s body.
ㅡRummage, rummage.
He must have just come out for a drink of water, because there was nothing but leather pants and a rusty cutlass.
He just came out for a bit?
Are there orcs nearby? The chances of an orc tribe being nearby are low, so it seemed like there was a group of orc remnants who had survived last time. They had made a nest in a place like this.
I had one more reason to run away.
Even though I overwhelmed the orc 1:1, things might be different if a large number of orcs attacked me at the same time. Also, the orcs would definitely look for the killer if they confirmed the death of their comrade.
ㅡSwish.
I immediately threw the orc’s corpse into the bushes, took the cutlass, and crossed the valley.
It wasn’t deep or wide, so there was no problem. My feet were wet, though. I entered the forest area and ran as if I were running a marathon.
Running on a mountain path was a little uncomfortable, but if I moved in an open place like a valley, the harpies would quickly find me.
Damn it, there are so many inconveniences when I think about having to run away from flying bastards.
ㅡThump, thump, thump, thump!
I kicked off the ground.
I haven’t escaped yet.
