I was awoken by the sound of metal clashing.

As I opened my eyes weakly with a groan, I found myself lying on the ground in a dimly lit place.

I was suddenly assaulted with a very sharp pain at the bottom of my body.

"AAAAHHHH?! MY LEG IS...?!"

I soon found an arrow lodged into the flesh of my left leg. There seemed to be some kind of paralyzing effect as well, seeing that that blue veins had already formed around the impaled area.

While paralyzed, I could still feel extreme degrees of pain from it. It felt as if someone had cut my flesh with a pair of scissors and poured salt into the open wound.

This arrow was fresh.

My eyes danced around to find the assailant, and I soon realized that I wasn't alone.

A warrior clad in dark red armor fighting with a sword in front of me. Their entire figure was fully protected in a full plate of armor. Sword clashing with metal resounded in the hollow cave I was in.

With the sudden company, I soon fell into a daze.

That's right, I fell into a cave in order to escape... and then...

"You fool! The poison in your leg should have been cured! Get up on your feet, there's one coming at 3 o' clock!"

A low-pitched and taut voice resounded and entered my ears clearly. Even though I couldn't make sense of it.

...Huh...? What's coming?

Turning to my right slightly, the sight answered my questions. I was lying on the ground so the woman had obstructed my vision at the front.

There was a green-skinned humanoid rushing towards me with a wooden club in its hands.

A... g-g-g-goblin?! The weird grunting I had heard mixed in with the sword clashing were goblins after all!

Then... this... was a dungeon?!

My deductions proved to be true. Slashing a few more times, I could hear the person in front of me clicking her tongue.

Oh, this place is too narrow for her attacks... a place with magic... she probably could use a sonic boom around here huh...

As I was deep in contemplation, the warrior yelled at me again without turning their attention away from the goblins.

"Huh? You don't seem to understand your situation very well?! Take cover outside, I'll hold them back!"

I probably looked like a weakling who got in the way after all. ...I should move. But before I managed to do so, the warrior turned their head around.

Under the moonlight that seeped through the hole at the top of the cave, I saw her. A girl that seemingly was the same age as me, had pinkish red hair that seemed really strandy, paired with her sharp yellow eyes that matched the glow of the sword she was brandishing.

I was momentarily mesmerized by her beauty.

Just as quick as she had done that, she had reverted back to her battle-ready stance, holding her sword vertically with its fuller facing the endless swarm of goblins. Although her combat style did not look very elegant, every single action that she does cut out a lot of needless movement, as if it was refined to become as practical as possible. It seemed that this girl was an experienced swordsman.

Killing goblins clad in black armor mercilessly, reminded me of the main character of a story who killed goblins for a living. That character was my role model; He had suffered from the hands of his mortal enemies, and thus he began to adopt careful practices. This girl probably had similar origins.

"Hurry! Get out of this place before I destroy this place completely!"

The paralysis wasn't as strong as I had initially thought, and I quickly made up my resolution to get out. As I quickly scurried towards the surface, I could hear her shouting out something. A skill perhaps, maybe this world still required an aria or a keyword to use magic.

A few flashes were created and a few explosions ensued. Explosion sounds, accompanied by crumbling rocks.

As I caught my breath while limping, I could not help but turn my head back nervously. However, smoke was still coming out of the cave entrance, I could not see her silhouette anywhere.

(Is...Is she going to be all right?)

...I shouldn't have been worried. When I had thought that for just a moment, a figure bursted out of the smoke and landed gracefully before me.

The warrior girl had slightly anxious look on her face, unbefitting of her overwhelming power that could actually collapse an entire cave like that. Did she mess up somewhere? But her sword was surprisingly clean of any semblance of blood stains despite all the slashing she had done prior. She was undoubtedly a pro.

"We need to get you to a healing magician quickly, you're losing alot of blood! Get a grip of yourself, I'm going to run towards the nearest city at top speed!"

Finishing those words, she ran forward and caught me with a grab on my collar and carried it in front of her body without hesitation.

Ah. That was when I realized. I had been bleeding out the entire time. My body... was cold. My vision turned hazy as soon as I saw her safe.

Nngh! My body is heating up, looks like my body... wasn't holding up that well... as I... thought...

The arrow was still lodged in my leg, and I had suffered from a few internal bone fractures. I was catching a fever from the lack of fluids in my body. The wind that was acting against the speed of the girl carrying me did not cool me down at all. In fact, I felt even weaker from the chills I was getting.

I was feeling a foreboding of death.

"Don't strain yourself too much! Hold out for a bit more, I've stabilized the poison inflicted by the goblin arrows with my skill. I'm bringing you to the city to cure your physical wounds now, so... Please make it, please make it, please make it!"

The girl clutched my body tighter, as if her tears were about to fall out.

Sensing no ill intentions from the girl, I started to relax my eyes a little. My vision lost its sense of color, and I slowly lost the ability to see. But I could still pick up sound faintly in this state. I felt something wet coming out of my eyes.

...

"Move out of the way, I am Vlad Red of the Luna Empire! I am in a hurry right now, move!"

I could hear some commotion as the girl lowered her speed a little.

Were we at a checkpoint?

Vlad... Red?

I could pick up sounds of armor grinding against each other, sounding like signs of armored guards near us.

We were probably at... a gate that stationed sentry soldiers...?

...

I passed out again for a little while.

And then bits of my consciousness were returned slowly again as I felt the pain leaving my body while a cooling sensation coursed through my entire body and replaced that muddy feeling that stung my senses.

I opened my eyes slightly, and saw that I was covered with a very thin veil of green smoke.

That's... probably... healing magic... Magic sure is convenient...

"Doctor, has his condition stabilized?!"

"Yes, he's okay for the time being... but what happened to him? For a boy his age to become tattered like that... adventurers really do not have restraints... HEY! Close your eyes, they're bleeding right now!"

"Blo-?!"

A sound of shock was heard, looks like it came from that girl who called herself Vlad Red.

"...! Ex-Excuse me for a moment!"

I heard a door closing.

Obediently, I closed my eyes slowly. It really did hurt alot when I did open them for a brief second.

"Lie down like this and listen to your condition, White."

"Y-yes..."

Hmm? How did he know my name?

"Firstly, your eyes. You have been exerting extended pressure on your eyes, thus it had punctured some of the inner veins. Not even mentioning about your internal skeletal fractures and that wound from an arrow shot, your eyes took the most damage from this. ...This is really nasty to look at. For someone as young as you, it's really a first. Boy, are you an adventurer?"

The doctor enquired me while I was being treated with the same greenish glow around my body.

But I couldn't speak; I was too burnt out from the fatigue I was suddenly feeling.

"...Could it be that you can't speak from the slight fatigue caused by Recovery Magic LV3? ...I'll take that as a no then."

...By the sound of it, it seems like it's unlikely that a normal person would feel weak from this Recovery Magic LV3...

...I have no words, doctor... I don't exercise...

"But if you're not, then why were you wandering around the Goblin Taverns in that case? That arrow lodged into your left leg, that was from a Goblin Archer right? Their arrow tips have been smeared with goblin excrements, so it acts a conductor of lethal poison. These goblins fight dirty, so you're very lucky you'd only gotten away with this arrow wound. That sister from before had casted her holy Status Cure on you to keep you alive, you'd better thank her later. If that sister had brought you here later, it might have had permanent repercussions on your body!"

At this moment, the girl came back. My eyes were closed, but I could hear the door opening and her familiar voice.

"Doctor, how is he right now?"

"Mm... I'll have to do another diagnosis in the morning, so he'll have to stay here for tonight."

"Aahhh... huuuu.... That is sufficient, Doctor. Well, I'll see you later tommorrow morning then.

...I'll be back to talk to you again."

I opened my eyes a little again to try to look at her face.

It was a look of concern after all. This girl... ...Vlad Red was it? I hope I see her tomorrow.

She took a last glance at me... at the space above my head and continued suddenly.

"You're... lucky to have met me nearby while I was out on a guild quest. If not, your life would have been forfeit just when you'd arrived in this place.

...Fate must have brought me to you tonight. I'll leave you here for now.

...Rest tight, White."

Finishing those words, she left the room.

The healing magic had finally finished. I was already feeling much better barring the tiredness accumulating in my body.

As I started to open my eyes fully, I could see the figure of a neatly dressed man in his 20s. He was probably the doctor magician administering the treatment from just now.

"We're done with the treatment. That said, do behave yourself here. The payment has already been made, so you can take a rest for the night here on this sick bed. If you need to clear your body wastes in the middle of the night, just open the cap of this bottle and invert it, stick it onto your belly. It will cleanse the impurities with Lifestyle Magic LV2, so you don't have to move around too much."

I nodded my head.

Healing magic is really convenient...

...!

All of a sudden, the doctor clutched my wrists tightly with both of his hands.

"?! L-let go...!"

I held eye contact with the doctor for a moment, before it was let go.

"...Magic might be useful, but it isn't universal. I hope you take that... to heart."

I felt a little sting from where he's clutching my wrists.

"...I-I understand..."

L-looks like he's just concerned for me.

The doctor left through the door just like that.

I began to recall the events that had transpired today. Remembering what had happened earlier truly reminded me that I was sent to a very dangerous place.

Mission? That's right, I had a mission entrusted by Rululu... not that I have any plans on fulfilling. Nor do I have the capabilities to... But should I at least try...? Maybe pick up some magic first.

Swordplay like that Vlad Red earlier was impossible for me... Hmm... I should a-ask her about that first thing in the ... morning...

That Rululu... Can't she afford to treat me a little better, since I was the... Chosen One? Would it hurt to give me a slightly better treatment than a mountain-living savage constantly around danger from the start? Rululu... I have so much complaints when I see her again...

As I eased my mind for the day, I began to fall into deep sleep.