Lara was looking at me with embarrassment… Her face was completely red. She could not look me in the eye.

 

“Lara… That was probably the worst kiss I have ever received...” I said to Lara.

 

“Sorry…” She apologized with a sad expression.

 

“But you can try again when this is over. Please make sure you don’t puke before that.” I said with a teasing tone.

 

“Ehh?” Lara looked at me in astonishment.

 

“You’ll have to do it twice to compensate me for the terrible kiss though.” I smiled at her.

 

“Ahh…” She looked at me in embarrassment.

 

(Jeez… You stole the first kiss of three maidens on the same day... What a guy!) Arrat said jokingly.

 

Now that she mentions it… I really did something like that… It feels good to be popular! 

 

Now then…

 

I took a deep breath.

 

It is time to take care of this situation... There are 8 bandits currently in town and another 20 on the way including their boss. Hopefully the remaining 8 that came with Johan are as weak as him.

 

I’m really impressed with my evolution into a Hobgoblin… I never thought that evolving would make me this strong…

 

I don’t think I will have any trouble with those bandits, but I should listen to Arrat’s advice. I have to wake up everyone.

 

“Aaaaaaa…!” I heard the scream of a girl… It was Elise’s voice.

 

A loud crash could be heard after that. Lara and I turned to see what was going on...

 

“Owwieee…” I saw how she landed on her back after falling down the stairs. She was only wearing her panties…

 

I didn’t waste any time and walked over to her.

 

“Elise… What are you doing? Are you okay?” I asked her.

 

For some reason, I didn't worry about her. I got the feeling that she was fine.

 

“I’m glad you’re okay! I heard some loud noises coming from here! I couldn’t find you and since the noises stopped I feared for the worse! So I didn’t waste any time and I came here!” Elise answered with a relieved smile.

 

She's fine... She's a tough girl, that's for sure.

 

“And let me guess, you forgot that you were not dressed and that you couldn’t see well in the dark, and as a result, you fell down the stairs huh...” I said with a flat tone.

 

“Hehehe… You read me like an open book…” Elise smiled bitterly.

 

“...” I looked at her in silence.

 

I then flicked her forehead.

 

“Ooow! What was that for!?” She got angry at me.

 

“Go and get dressed. I’m the only one allowed to witness and enjoy your body.” I smiled at her.

 

Elise’s expression immediately brightened. I helped her stand up.

 

“I’ll be right back!” She was about to run upstairs. I stopped her by grabbing her hands. She looked at me with a confused expression.

 

“The bandits are currently attacking this town, so please wake everyone up and make them get ready to fight. I’ll be exploring outside.” I said to her.

 

Elise's expression turned into a serious one. I let go of her arm and she ran upstairs without looking back.

 

“Let’s get going.” I said as I turned around.

 

I walked towards the corpse of Johan to grab my dagger.

 

“Wait!” Lara suddenly shouted.

 

“Yes?” I replied.

 

“Are you going outside...?” Lara asked with a worried expression.

 

I nodded.

 

“Yeah… I should have gone sooner... Who knows what the other bandits are currently doing... I should take care of them before their boss and the other bandits arrive. Lara, you should wake up your family and tell them what happened. We don’t want them freaking out when they find a corpse in their dining room.” I said to Lara as I started to walk away from her.

 

“...” Lara did not respond.

 

I was getting closer to the doors… Luckily for me, I will have the advantage that I have night vision. The bandits on the other hand, will need to depend on their torches.

 

“Please come back safe! I’ll kiss you twice to make up for the previous one!” She shouted at me. I then heard how she stood up and ran towards the rooms of her family.

 

No choice but to end this quickly then!

 

I walked out the inn… As soon as I reached the street in front of the inn, I closed my eyes and focused on the smells and sounds around me…

 

The scent of blood was permeated in the air… It obviously came from behind me… There was also the smell of something burning nearby…

 

Concentrate…

 

I heard some voices coming from Junko’s church… One of those voices belonged to the guy who was talking with Johan and Kan…

 

(So they really went to the church first… Hmm… Won’t they get some kind of divine retribution if they rob that place?) I asked myself.

 

(They will. When they die, they will be punished in hell just like those other two. On the other hand, punishing them while they are alive is your job.) Arrat explained.

 

Ah… That makes sense. I wouldn’t have it any other way!

 

I ran as fast as I could towards the church.

---

-----??? POV-----

“Oi! Oi! If you stop using this barrier, I promise that we won’t harm any of you. Just give us the women and your gold!” A rowdy man dressed with black clothing said to me.

 

“That 's right! You only need to give us the women. The men can keep their lives if you obey us!” A burly man spoke with a vulgar tone.

 

…

 

“Father Marcus… For how long do you think you can hold?” A woman asked me.

 

“If the gods are merciful, an hour at most… If they start attacking, it may take less time for the barrier to disappear...” I whispered to the woman…

 

“No good… What are we supposed to do? No one is going to save us… We are just slowing down the inevitable...” A young girl was already taken by the pits of desperation…

 

“Like hell I would hand them over! I will fight to my last breath!” The father of the young girl stood up with righteous indignation.

 

“Mommy… I’m scared!” A young boy was crying in the arms of her mother.

 

“Everything will be alright… The gods are watching over us…”

 

“Everyone, let’s offer a prayer to the gods in our time of need. They will surely grant us a miracle.” I placed my hands together and started praying.

 

I was praying for the barrier to last until that fated person arrives…

 

A day ago, I had a vision… Or you may call it a dream… In the dream, Norvek was in its darkest hour, bandits were destroying our buildings, killing the men, raping the women, and throwing the children to the maws of hungry monsters for their own amusement.

 

They destroyed this very church in which we are currently hiding in… Even though they did that, the gods did nothing…

 

I found myself in despair thanks to that dream…

 

But the dream did not end there…

 

These words appeared in my mind: “Do you wish to change this fate?”

 

In that instant, it was clear for me… It was a premonition sent by the Goddess of Destiny.

 

I nodded desperately.

 

The dream then changed… It showed a golden creature with blue eyes and shiny blonde hair fighting the bandits. That golden creature had the shape of a person.

 

The people of this town, with the exception of the people at the inn, were all in the background of my dream. They were being protected by a barrier that covered the whole church. I was the one making that barrier.

 

I then knew what it had to be done… I organized everything to make the people of this town come to the church this late at night. Out of the 56 inhabitants of Norvek, 52 are here, inside this very church. Yes, 4 of people are missing. This is also the will of the Goddess of Destiny. She showed me how the people who are currently at the inn would be protected by that person.

 

We just need to hold on until that person arrives…

 

“C’mon! I’m starting to get angry! No one will come here to save you! You’re wasting our kindness!” One of the rowdy men shouted.

 

“Oi! How is the fire going?” A burly man asked.

 

“We’re setting up everything!” Another man answered enthusiastically.

 

“Did you hear that? If you don’t come out, you will die!” The first rowdy man was mocking us…

 

This is bad… So they intend to kill us with that poison if we don’t come out…

 

The barrier might be able to hold against physical and magical attacks, but it doesn’t prevent air or the poison made by fire from coming inside the barrier…

 

Marcus… Just pray… Just give your all and the gods will have mercy on us, their poor followers…

 

“Oi! Have any of you bastards seen Rick? I can’t find him!” One of the bandits yelled.

 

“He must be looking for some gold! Just leave that lazy and greedy idiot be!” The first rowdy man shouted back.

 

Could it be…?

 

“Ron!? Where are you!? Has anyone seen Ron!?” Another one of the men shouted.

 

“He was here just a second ago!” The first rowdy man shouted.

 

It is happening…

 

“Ah! Samuel is gone too! What’s happening!?” One of the bandits shouted in confusion.

 

I couldn’t help it but to cry… We are saved… The gods really saved us…

 

I’m glad…

 

“Mark!? What the fuck!? He was behind me just a second ago!” Another bandit shouted.

 

“Khoj is also gone!” The rowdy man shouted… He was getting desperate.

 

Thank you… Thank you gods… Thank you for saving these lowly lives… 

 

I prostrated myself to show my gratitude…

 

“You two stay close!” The rowdy man shouted. 

 

Only three of the bandits remained… They were all looking around while pressing their backs against each other. They were looking scared.

 

“Alright… I don’t know what’s going on, but we should get the hell out of here!” One of the remaining three yelled at the others.

 

“Are you an idiot!? Do you want the boss to burn us alive!?” The rowdy man shouted.

 

“Then what do you suggest we…-” The bandit was interrupted. He suddenly fell to the ground.

 

“Ehh? Joan...? Joan!” 

 

The rowdy man looked at the body of the bandit that fell to the ground.

 

“Shit! He got hit by a rock! His face is a mess! Richard, be careful… Ehh?” The rowdy man turned around only to find that the other bandit was also hit by a rock.

 

The rowdy bandit was the only one left…

 

“How did this happen? There’s no way that we…-” The rowdy man was hit in the face by a rock…

 

The rowdy man fell to the ground.

 

“Mommy? The bad men are gone?” The young boy asked.

 

“I think so sweetie…” The mother hugged her child tightly.

 

“Bah! They were all talk! Looks like there was no need for me to kick their asses!” One of the men shouted.

 

“Thank goodness…” A young woman said with relief.

 

I also sighed with relief…

 

It was then that I saw it, the silhouette of a golden skinned humanoid creature… It was walking towards the rowdy man and the entrance of the church.

 

“No way…” I muttered as soon as I saw the status of the creature.

 

The word HERO was on the status of the creature.

---

“I could have never imagined that evolving could make me this strong...” I muttered to myself.

 

I was walking towards the entrance of the temple. The entrance was covered by a strange yellow dome. In front of the entrance there were two corpses and an injured man lying on the ground…

 

I’m also surprised by my physical strength. I was able to quickly break the necks of some of the bandits and carry their bodies away. I was also able to kill two of them just by throwing rocks.

 

<SYSTEM: You have leveled up!>

 

(Huh? You can also gain EXP by killing people...? That’s a bit messed up...) I was a bit shocked.

 

(Well, not by killing people. You may gain EXP by winning battles, reading books or by performing heroic actions.) Arrat answered my question.

 

(I see… So I should start reading books to get more EXP.) I nodded to myself.

 

(Well, it doesn’t grant as much EXP as winning battles, but it will help you to evolve quicker.) Arrat said with an easygoing tone.

 

(Thank you!) I thanked Arrat.

 

I quickly opened my STATUS to confirm some things...

---

[STATUS]

NAME: Ru

RACE: Hobgoblin

AGE: 10 days old

LEVEL: 8 / EXP: 60/2100

JOB: HERO

TITLES: Novice Hunter / Survivalist / Irresistible Lover / Hero / Apex of the Forest / Bear Killer / Bane of the Ligers

---

[STATS]

HP: 270/270

MP: 250/250

STAMINA: 15,000/15,000

NATURAL DEFENSE: 100

MAGIC RESISTANCE: 35

MAGICAL ATTACK: 30

PHYSICAL ATTACK: 100

INTELLIGENCE: 190

---

[NORMAL SKILLS]

CRAFTING / Grade: E / Proficiency: 40/100

TAILORING / Grade: E / Proficiency: 60/100

CLOSE UNARMED COMBAT / Grade: D / Proficiency: 160/350

ARMED COMBAT: SPEAR / Grade: D / Proficiency: 110/350

ARMED COMBAT: SWORD / Grade: D / Proficiency: 60/350

ARMED COMBAT: DAGGER / Grade: D / Proficiency: 160/350

FOOTWORK / Grade: D / Proficiency: 200/350

STEALTH / Grade: D / Proficiency: 100/350

LESSER DETECTION / Grade: E / Proficiency: 189/200

FIRE MAGIC / Grade: E / Proficiency: 0/100

LIGHTNING MAGIC / Grade: E / Proficiency: 0/100

MANA PERCEPTION / Grade: A+ / Proficiency: 0/??? /

---

[PASSIVE SKILLS]

SUPERIOR SENSE OF SMELL / Grade: C / Proficiency: 405/3000

SUPERIOR SENSE OF HEARING / Grade: C / Proficiency: 508/3000

---

[UNIQUE SKILLS]

ENHANCED STAMINA / NO GRADE / NO PROFICIENCY / SKILL ESCALATES WITH LEVELS.

---

[BLESSINGS]

BLESSING OF THE GODDESS OF THUNDERCLOUDS,

LADY ELECTRA

BLESSING OF THE GODDESS OF DESTINY,

LADY ARRAT

BLESSING OF THE GODDESS OF LIFE AND NATURE,

LADY ASTERA

---

Jeez… My stats have increased a lot… I also never noticed that I had the blessing of Astera…

 

I also got the skill “Stealth” because I took care of the bandits without making a sound!

 

I wonder how long it will take for me to evolve again…

 

Oh well… I will just take it easy for now. I have other things to do before even thinking about that.

 

I walked towards the injured bandit. I took a good look at his face. It was swollen and covered with cuts and bruises.

 

“Yo, shitface.” I kicked the arm of the injured bandit.

 

“Ugh…” He groaned in pain.

 

“Let’s make it easy for both you and me, okay? If you tell me what I want to know, I won’t kill you. How does it sound?” I smiled at him.

 

“Fuck… You…” The injured bandit insulted me.

 

“Think of it carefully.” I smiled warmly at him.

 

I grabbed the hilt of my dagger… I prepared myself and…

 

“AAAAAAAGH!” The bandit screamed in pain.

 

I had stabbed his hand with the dagger. Blood immediately flowed out of the wound. I left my dagger there but I placed my foot on top of it.

 

“Now? Do you wanna tell me what I want to know?” I asked again.

 

He nodded while he yelped in pain.

 

“First, did you steal anything or rape anyone here?” I asked the injured bandit.

 

He shook his head.

 

“N-No… They… They were all hiding behind a barrier in the church… We were going to the mayor’s house to raid it and we found all of the people here... “ He explained while biting his lip.

 

I see… I’m glad that I managed to arrive on time and that everyone is safe...

 

“Second question, how strong are the rest of your companions?” I asked.

 

“We… Johan, Kan and the boss are the strongest in our group…” He said feebly.

 

Hmm… I don’t know if he’s telling the truth…

 

(He’s not lying. I can confirm that.) Arrat said with an easygoing tone.

 

(Thank you Arrat.)

 

“Final question… How long will it take for your group to reach this place?” I put some pressure on the dagger using my foot.

 

“Aaagh… The plan was for them to come after sending a signal to the sky using magic…” The injured bandit answered.

 

Oh? So they are not coming immediately. Isn’t this a good opportunity to set up a trap for them?

 

I like where this is going! This is good… I need to talk with Silvia and Elise to make a plan to take care of all the bandits!

 

“Thanks for the information. As I promised, I won’t kill ya.” I said to the bandit.

 

I looked towards the entrance of the church… The yellow dome was no longer there. Several men started coming out from the building.

 

“They, on the other hand, might not forgive you.” I said to the bandit as I took my dagger back.

 

“W-Wait! You said that you would not kill me!” The bandit protested.

 

“And I’m keeping my part of the deal. They didn’t make a deal with you in the first place.” I said as I sheathed my dagger.

 

Several of the men who came out of the church started inspecting the bodies of the dead bandits… When they noticed the only one who was alive, they quickly took him away.

 

The bandit screamed a lot… It was annoying.

 

“Excuse me…” A man who was wearing a white robe and a necklace with a strange shape spoke to me.

 

The man looks very young. I think he must be barely reaching his mid-twenties. He has long blonde hair and red eyes. He’s 1.72 meters tall. His white robe is covering most of his body. Ah… He’s also wearing glasses.

 

“How may I help you?” I asked.

 

“My name is Marcus. I’m the local priest. I cannot thank you enough for saving me and my fellow villagers. You have my gratitude.” He bowed to me.

 

Honestly, it is very weird to have someone bowing like that to me…

 

“You don’t need to bow, Father Marcus. I did this because of my own selfish reasons.” I said to him.

 

(You don’t need to act all humble now, you know? Go ahead and take the credit!) Arrat said with an amused tone.

 

I’ll pass… I don’t want to be showered in more gratitude.

 

“Whatever those reasons may be, I’m glad that they led you to save us. May Serent and the rest of the gods bless you, my child.” Marcus bowed again.

 

“Thank you very much.” I nodded.

 

“May I have the honour of knowing the name of our saviour?” Marcus had a gentle smile.

 

“Ru.” I replied.

 

Marcus looked a bit surprised.

 

“I-Is that so…? So you’re the one that…-” Marcus was interrupted.

 

“Ru! I’m so glad that you’re okay!” Junko interrupted Marcus… I was suddenly hugged from behind.

 

Of course, I knew that she was coming. Don’t underestimate my nose and ears!

 

“Ru! You really found the bandits! I cannot thank you enough for this!” Elise also hugged me…

 

They were not the only ones who came here.

 

“They are too fast…” Mi sounded a bit surprised.

 

“Awwww! We came here too late! Ru stole all the fun!” Ya sounded really disappointed.

 

“I wanted to punish those guys!” Ra seemed really angry.

 

“Ru! Please tell me there are more! I want to kick their asses!” Xi was excited.

 

“I’m glad that Ru is okay…” Ta muttered softly.

 

“I’m also glad, but I’m also kinda angry that he didn’t call us to help him! We are supposed to be a tribe dammit! Gi was angry… 

 

This bad… She’s really scary when she gets angry…

 

“Jeez! Don’t sweat it too much, Gi. It is Ru that we are talking about, he handled everything easily!” Na defended me from the wrath of my older sister.

 

It feels kinda good knowing that she trusts me!

 

“They surely got killed because they underestimated Ru.” La said confidently.

 

Not really… I didn’t fight them head on. Well, Johan did get killed because of that.

 

“It is a shame though… I wanted to see Ru fighting!” Da said before giggling.

 

It was not a big deal…

 

I suddenly felt how someone took my right hand. It was Wa.

 

“...” She was looking a bit uncomfortable. It must be because of the number of people here.

 

“I’m so glad…” Silvia came running at us… She hugged Elise, Junko, Wa and me at the same time… 

 

We were trapped in her tight embrace…

 

“I was so worried… I know that you can take care of yourself but… I couldn’t help it… Please never do this to me again…” Silvia sounded really desperate.

 

(Of course she would! You’re her soulmate after all.) Arrat explained.

 

“Sorry… I promise that I will wake you up next time.” I said to Silvia.

 

“N-No way… You… You are…” Marcus was pointing at Silvia.

 

Oh? He recognized Silvia? That’s a new one. Well, we don’t really have time for that.

 

“Silvia, can we continue this later? I promise that I will compensate you, I will apologize a thousand times if you want, but we should get ready to take care of the rest of the bandits. I think we have a golden opportunity to take care of them tonight!” I said to her.

 

“Ehh? You found the rest of them?” Silvia sounded a bit confused.

 

“Yeah! I think we can set up a trap for them.”

 

“Ru… I’m so glad that you’re my golden prince! I love you! Thank you so much!” Elise was euphoric.

 

“We can finally get rid of them… Let’s do it!” Junko was also showing her fighting spirit.

 

We then started to discuss our strategy to take care of the bandits. We kinda forgot about Marcus and the rest of the villagers for a bit...