Where am I? Is this a dream?

Before I noticed, I found myself floating through a dark space with no control over my movements. I couldn’t feel my limbs as I slowly drifted through the seemingly endless void.

What is happening?

Just as I was questioning the weird situation I was in, my surroundings suddenly lit up blinded my eyes for a moment. When my vision returned, what I saw was a peaceful valley with trees and greenery. The grass was soft and the air was fresh, causing me to feel relaxed.

*Don* *Don*

Suddenly, the scenery changed from that of a peaceful valley, to that of a city. The rubbles in my surroundings suggested that a fight took place in this area. When I turned around, I saw a face that was familiar to me. She had brown hair that was in twintails with clear blue eyes. She was wearing what seemed to be clothing for mages. She held a staff in her right hand, while she had a dagger sheathed in her waist standing as a backup weapon.

Her name was Alexis, the girl I mistook as a ‘trap’ back in the dungeon. In front of her was a giant monster that looked at Alexis with a face like that of a predator looking at its prey.

When I looked closer, Alexis was heavily wounded and was gasping for air while the monster was practically unharmed.

!? Shit!!!

I quickly sprang into action and charged towards the giant monster in hopes of saving Alexis. But something hindered me from taking any actions. When I travelled a certain amount of distance, I was brought back to where I first stood.

What the!?

I kept on charging towards the two, but the mysterious phenomenon kept on sending me back to my original spot.

“ALEXIS!!!”

As I kept on charging without stopping, the monster raised its thick arm and swung it down on Alexis. The arm that came in contact with the tiny body of Alexis was quickly smashed to pieces as blood scattered on the area.

“AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!”

I kept on charging, this time, without paying heed to the consequences it may bring to my body. Just then, my surroundings went back to being the void and my consciousness was cut.

…

“AAAHHHH!!!”

I quickly rose up from the patch of grass that I slept on with sweat flowing through my body.

‘Hey! Partner! Did you have a bad dream? You’ve been sweating since earlier and you didn’t respond to my telepathy.’

Beside me was a sword with a simple design, but don’t mistake it for its blandness as this sword is an intelligent weapon known as Cordo.

I-It’s nothing. Just a bad dream…

‘Are you sure? You should speak to me if you feel that something is not right.’

I told you, it’s nothing. It was just a bad dream.

‘… Okay, I won’t pry any further. Now then, should we get going?’

I grabbed Cordo by the handle and stood up. Using [Creation], I created numerous plastic bottles that can store about 2 liters for each bottle. I filled it all up with the water from the lake and placed all of the bottles inside my item box. I also took the makeshift shelter with me by using my item box.

That should take care of the water, next is the food.

Before I went to sleep, I made a few traps to snare some wild animals to be used as my food. Thanks to the survival guide I made using [Creation], I was able to make a simple snare trap from using vines from a nearby tree.

I headed in the directions where I placed my traps and 3 / 5 traps were successfully able to catch prey. The animals or monsters in this case that were caught were horned rabbits. The bait used was a carrot I bought from the market. I used Cordo to slice it into 5 so that I could use it as bait to catch some game.

Following the survival guide on how to dismantle a corpse, I was able to gain meat, albeit little as I was an amateur in dismantling, for food.

Now that food is taken care of, shall we set off?

‘Let’s, partner.’

With that, the two of us set off on our journey back to the Human continent.

…

Hours later, I was able to arrive at a road thanks to using the [Dota 2 Map Function] to find easier directions. If I could use this to immediately find the directions, then I would have done so earlier, but this map is only able to display about two kilometers with me as the center. So my only option right now is to find a settlement or town and ask for directions, and while using the map as a compass, travel to my destination. I would love to use [Elder Dragon Form], but I risk attracting attention and sending a subjugation team at my back, and with the town destruction earlier, my dragon appearance must now be wanted throughout the elf territory, or worse, the Demihuman continent.

When I reached the road, I continued heading trough path that leads to the north. While monsters often times attack me, I fended the off while taking any loot I can get and place it inside my item box.

When the sun sets, I make camp ate the meat that was edible I got from the monsters that attacked me and that got caught by my trap. We continued this for about three days before something showed up on my map. 2 kilometers from here, I should be able to reach another town, albeit smaller than the one that was destroyed.

Finally, no more camping outside…

While I thought to myself about the beds I could use in the inns, the sound of an explosion echoed through the area. The earth shook and a string gale assaulted where I stood.

Nghh!!! What the heck!!!

When I turned towards the source, I saw a party of five battling a giant monster. The monster closely resembled the extinct mammoth back on Earth, with the exception of a scorpion’s tail.

The party of five was clearly exhausted as they continued battling the giant monster. Looking closely, the party consisted of a female and male dwarf, a male dragonewt, a female elf, and a tall male human. The human was probably one of the giants race, as he towered for about 2.5 meters.

They all looked like in their teenage years as they looked younger than the average adventurers. Their age range is probably from 15 – 18 years old. By this world’s standards, they are already adults.

Cordo, get ready!

‘Yes!’

Cordo replied in an excited manner, probably because he was itching to fight with a giant mammoth.

I dashed towards the party while wielding Cordo in my right hand with incredible speed. Our distance was about 200 meters, but that was covered in a matter of seconds with my speed.

…

~ Third Person POV ~

“Shit!!! Why is this monster here!?”

“I don’t know! Just run!!!”

Five demihumans were running from a giant monster behind their backs. The monster had an appearance of a mammoth, excluding its tail resembling that of a scorpion’s.

“Chiemi!! Can you use your earth magic to stop it!?”

“Impossible!! I’m still a novice mage who can use only beginner earth magic!!!”

Chiemi, the female dwarf, replied in a surprised expression at her elf party member, Eulia. Taking into account that all of them were fledgling adventurers, it is likely impossible for them to immobilize it, let alone slow or make a scratch on it as the monster that was chasing them was a rank-A monster known as [Marpion].

The Marpion is known to possess high physical power and for its unpredictable movements, making it a huge threat to villages or unprepared forts and towns. A Marpion regularly travels alone and is an omnivore that can eat either plants or meat, but prefers meat more than plants. Marpions are extremely hostile towards other living beings, even to their own kind, so meeting with two of them together is mostly impossible. If that happened, then it would be a nightmare.

“Hurry up you guys! I’ll try and buy some time!!”

“You can’t Kalgo!! You’ll die!!”

The demihuman that raised his voice was the giant, Kalgo, saying that he would buy his teammates time to escape, but was immediately shot down by Yami, the dragonewt.

“But we can’t keep running like this! If we continue, all of us will die!!”

“Then why not fight till the bitter end! If we are to die anyway, then why not die while fighting, not by running as cowards!!”

The male dwarf who was silent until now spoke up while gasping for breath. Certainly, if they continued like this, all of them would die. All of them were weak to the point where even the giant race Kalgo, who had physical superiority to the others in that party, would likely die in one hit from the Marpion’s trunk.

“Nii-chan!!”

“Chiemi, your brother is right! Even if we left one of us to buy time, The Marpion would just trample him down like mud and quickly reach us!! Why not fight that monster till the end!! We still may have a chance of beating this thing down and being successful adventurers!!”

“Chen!!! Your orders!!”

While Kalgo agreed with the male dwarf, Chen, the dragonewt, Yami, awaited orders while being out of breath from continuously running from the Marpion.

“Haha!! Even if we are to die, we will still die together with honor!!! Kalgo! Pick up the giant rock in front of us and throw it towards the Marpion!! After that, Yami is to attack it with his elemental blade. Chiemi and Eulia is to support Yami! Kalgo! You’ll join with Yami to attack the Marpion!! I’ll also join with Kalgo and Yamu and keep on using earth magic to restrain it if it is possible!!”

“““Understood!!!”””

Out of the four other party members, only one was unable to respond. She was their elf party member, Eulia. Looking around, Chen found Eulia on the ground with ragged breathing, indicating that her body had already reached its limit. Behind her was the Marpion.

The Marpion raised its large trunk and swung it towards the female elf who, was on the ground because of being exhausted.

“Eulia!!!”

Chen yelled out towards his party member, who was about to be smashed in front of his very eyes. The trunk of the mammoth was smashed down on the ground and generated a shockwave capable of knocking down their giant.

A cloud of dust covered the area around where Eulia once was.

“DAMN YOU!!!”

Chen, having reached his limit, charged towards the Marpion with no regards to his safety.

“!? Nii-san!!!”

Chiemi, who was worried and mortified towards the current situation, called out towards her brother who was recklessly charging towards the Marpion.

“Ngghh... Heavy!!! What the heck is this trunk made of!?”

Just then, a voice unfamiliar to the group was heard where Eulia was. The voice sounded like someone who was complaining while under the stress of something heavy. Said voice also poured a bucket of cold water on the enraged Chen, causing him to stop in his tracks.

“Nghhh!!! Haaaahhh!!!”

“!? Hiihh!!”

With a shout, something flew about ten meters from the dust cloud and landed beside Chen. It was the trunk if the Marpion. Blood gushed out from where it was severed.

Just as the trunk landed, the cloud of dust subsided, revealing a white haired, golden-eyed half dragonewt wielding a simple decorated sword. He had a tail with silver lustrous scales, capable of charming the public eyes with just its sight alone.

“Beautiful…”

Yami, who was a dragonewt, almost the same as him, muttered something under his breath that no one else heard.

…

~ Kouta POV ~

Damn that was heavy!!! What was that!!?

‘That was the trunk of a Marpion, with its enhanced strength, that swing was on par with a human sized cannonball launched into a castle wall with full force. If that swing smashed into the girl behind you, there would have been no trace of her left.’

What us with that!? Then you’re telling me that I could’ve died by just receiving that attack!?

‘Yes.’

As I made that exchange with Cordo, the mammoth, or Marpion, cried out in pain and anger. It raised its scorpion tail and used to in an attempt to skewer me.

How the heck are you still alive!? Can’t you breathe!?

‘Idiot, can you see that it has a mouth right? It can still survive a couple of minutes, so quickly end this fight!’

*Ting*

With a sound that almost sounded like metal clashing against metal, the scorpion tail was stopped by my silver tail.

Even this is heavy!!

‘Be careful partner, if the poison of the Marpion enters your body, you will die in a matter of seconds.

Scary!!!

While feeling scared about how I almost died twice because of receiving the Marpion’s attacks, I quickly redirected the tail to make it slide against mine. While the tail missed its targer, I quickly used Cordo to sever its tail. The Marpion once against raised its pained voice as it began trembling.

‘Partner, Marpions, upon losing their tail flee, but this Marpion, maybe feeling that it has no more chance to live, will use the last of its strength to bring you down! Get ready!!!’

Get ready for what!?

As I screamed in my head about the warning of Cordo, on the Marpion’s mouth, a condensed ball of light could be seen.

!? A laser beam!?

‘What is a laser beam? Anyway, that is a magic skill called [Ray of Light]. Marpions, in addition to their high physical capabilities, can also use a random magic type. It seems that this Marpion has a light attribute!’

So that is technically a laser beam!!! Anyway, how can I stop that!?

‘Use me partner! I can reflect that attack!’

Are you serious!?

‘Trust me!!’

While I was at a dilemma on what to do with this dangerous situation, the magic finished charging and launched towards me.

Shit!! Cordo!! You better not be lying!!!

I swung Cordo towards the laser beam at the instruction of Cordo.

‘[Flowing Sword Technique – Secret Technique: Light Reflection]!!!’

The laser beam suddenly changed its course to the opposite direction when it came in contact with Cordo. The Marpion was enveloped in light as it blinded my eyes. Moments later, the light subsided. I regained my vision and in front of me, was a Marpion with burn marks all over its body. It was lying down on the ground unmoving, indicating that it has already lost its life.

Thank you Cordo!!!

‘We are partners after all.’

While I thanked Cordo, Cordo just shrugged and went back to being a silent sword. When I turned around, I saw the four other demihumans looking at me like some kind of savior.

“Umm… Hello…”