When I awoke the next morning, I felt something strange.

At first, the meaning escaped me, but a few moments later, with my head cleared, I grasped at it. There were no sounds around me!

Even before I found the birds, sounds were abundant in the forest. Leaves rustling in the wind, branches creaking, etc.

I slightly panicked, but before I could reach the logical conclusion of suddenly becoming deaf, I heard my voice.

"The hell?" I could not say at what part I decided to say something, and why did I choose that expression, but I had done. At least it served to confirm I was not deaf. I also knocked a few times on the tree bark and was amazed at how thunderous such a sound could be in absolute silence.

After making sure that there were no threats in either visible or radar range, I slowly descended to the ground. I still felt a bit of unease about the total lack of sound, as well life - the radar gave out an empty map, but I was more-or-less calm. Still, I decided to start walking towards what I assumed to be 'North-West' right away. I could eat while walking while staying in such a strange spot was unwise, so I would think that I made the right call.

***

An hour or so later, the sounds began returning. It wasn't much as the plains did not have many things to produce it, but I began hearing insects buzzing, and the air current was at last... heard? I don't know, usually, we forget that air actually has a sound.

Now far calmer, I decided to think about what I had encountered. I could not find a rational explanation and so had to settle with something like... "Magic world things".

But what did I recall was that the night was extremely peaceful, with not even the almost accompanying troupe of insects walking, flying, and buzzing around or on me.

"Haa, nothing occurred and so I should be simply grateful for the good rest" I surmised before turning my gaze towards the horizon and speeding up a bit.

There was a big hill or small mountain to the west, and somehow I felt that I was nearing it with every step. Even though I was giving it a wide berth judging from my direction.

***

Four hours later I, at last, saw what I had longed to see since my... transfer? to this world. Signs of civilization!

One could say that seeing a field in the distance isn't anything special, but that was only if that person did not spend almost two weeks hoping to reach some kind of civilized land. Not to mention the hundred or so days I had spent holed with only Sepyre as an occasional company. A hundred days that actually translated into over four years by my old standards!

Before approaching closer, I decided to eat, rest for a bit and rinse my face with some of the clean water. No point in arriving half an hour earlier to be taken as a crazed man. Neither do I see the point in risking being caught tired or hungry. After all, this is a 'fantasy' world, what if my assumed civilized people... were not so civilized? or not people at all?

I resumed my journey feeling refreshed and with a clear visible destination in sight. And so, I walked far more quickly than I expected, taking only a few minutes to reach that field I had seen.

The field was in apparent use, clearly showing that someone had spent the effort to clear, plow, and plant it with something that resembled turnips. But strangely, there was nothing else nearby.

"I doubt that a farmer randomly decides to set up a field in the middle of nowhere..." I muttered while looking around. If I could not see something, that did not mean that this something did not exist, right? My life radar showed no signs of life except for some small animals, most likely rodents inside the field, but it was only about half a kilometer to each side from me. So maybe the farmer or farmers simply chose this spot because the ground is better and live a bit farther away? Following that line of thought, I decided to circle the field and look for signs of a trail or something. After all, the person or being behind the effort likely walked to it from somewhere.

***

The entire field occupied about three hundred square meters, being an almost correct square. And as I thought before, there were indeed signs of someone coming and going to it.

"Yes!" I could only exclaim when I found the trail I was looking for during the last half an hour.

With my spirits lifted, I practically began running while following it.

A few minutes later, I noticed another field, almost a clone of the previous one, except it was occupied by some strange-looking red-colored vines which I could not name on the spot. In any case, this meant that my direction was the correct one.

"HEEEEEELPPP!!!!" I practically tripped over my feet after hearing a female voice. There was so much desperation and I don't know... helplessness? in the voice that I did not think for more than a second before activating 'Life Radar' to try and find the source. It's not that I considered myself a hero or something, but... Maybe I could indeed help?

For the first time since my arrival to this, unknown name yet, world, 'Life Radar' showed me a blip identical to mine. Or to be exact, four of such blips as well a smaller one.

This group of five was located to my 'West', or, right on the other side of the vine-plant field, I was examining just a moment ago.

The plants in the field were coiled around high poles, and so generated something akin to a forest of red plants about 2 meters high. I could not see across them, but there were a few gaps there and here, and so I decided to use the field to approach. It would be a bit slower, even though I would be walking in a straight line, but at the same time, I may be able to approach without being noticed. At least if they had no mages with 'Life Radar' there.

***

My thoughts turned out to be correct, as I did manage to cross the field and not be noticed. At least it seemed so when I went down on the ground and peeked from below the last rows of plants separating me from the source of the blips.

I saw three men, each of them with their rear to the field and who were discussing something. I could not hear it very well, but I did not need to... understand they were up to no good.

In the midst of them, two girls were laying on the ground while tied and seemingly gagged, as even though I saw them squirming, no sound escaped from them.

Sensing that the situation wasn't what could be called normal, I took a risk and crawled my way a pair of meters more, and began to eavesdrop on the men.

"...T'is two should fetch three galden a one, don'tcha they?" The nearest man asked.

"Three? Only in Vruz" The middle one answered

"Vruz? That's mighty far from here, don't it?"

"Yah, but we can't take them to Drogzilg. Might be known faces to the guards"

"You two, we are not going to Vruz or Drogzilg" The third man suddenly spoke up.

"And where my we go then?"

"Chubu's Garden of Pleasure. Micheal said that they are paying at least twice than before now"

"The old weasel said that? No wonder he and his boys moved towards there"

"Boss, that means what?"

"That means we get 4 gald for the older one and at least 6 gald for the youngling"

If the previous conversation was not enough to understand that I encountered the type of bandits commonly referred to as Slavers, then my status screen did. I had yet to see any title and was very surprised to note that the criminal ones were marked in deep red.

Bandit A (To the right from my viewpoint, tall and big)

NAME & TYPE LEVEL (Hiding anything below average (common person) to avoid cluttering) Killer (Title - Criminal) - Strenght 14 Force (Martial) 12 Unarmed (Martial) 11

Bandit B (To the middle from my viewpoint, small and slightly hunched)

NAME & TYPE LEVEL (Hiding anything below average (common person) to avoid cluttering) Killer (Title - Criminal) - Kidnapper (Title - Criminal) - Quick (Martial) 11 Assassin (Unknown, maybe Martial?) 11

Bandit C (To the left from my viewpoint, normal build and height, a sword with no scabbard is seen on his belt)

NAME & TYPE LEVEL (Hiding anything below average (common person) to avoid cluttering) Killer (Title - Criminal) - Kidnapper (Title - Criminal) - Kingdom of Neverc Bounty (Title?) 10 (Not a level, I think it's money?) Slashing (Martial) 13 Close-Quarters (Martial) 13 Negotiation (Economic) 11 Deceit (Social) 11

"And now... What do I do?" My brain tried to form a plan, but I had no real idea of how to act. Dealing with three bandits was already unrealistic, and even though their stats and skills were pretty low, with most of them being even inferior to what was considered 'common'...

I could still not think of any possible way to fight with them.

As I urged my neurons to give me at least some kind of idea, the men who had gone silent, probably counting their expected ill-gains, suddenly began talking again.

"Boss, if we are selling them to the Garden of Pleasure, shouldn't we try the merchandise?" The man in the middle suddenly asked with a gasping voice

"I don't know, you two remember that the goods have to be undamaged"

"We'll be gentle, don't we Brotu?"

"Yeah boss, we'll not break them!"

"Then I will take the younger one. You two can have the other. But! Don't dare to injure her! Especially you, Brotu! Or I swear to the gods I will sell you to pleasure the visors of the Garden. Hehehe" The man standing to the front and left said with a vile laugh. One that was immediately continued by the one in the middle.

***

I don't know what was my breaking point, the fact that three bastards discussed the two girls as merchandise, the sheer fact of kidnapping someone, or what they were about to do. Or maybe the fact that I managed to see that the girl that they called young was a fucking child no more than twelve years old!

I have never considered myself a hero and always considered my morals to be grey, but hearing and seeing this made me feel very angry.

I was assaulted by such a wave of anger that I could not even recognize it as my own. It was akin to a foreign feeling that came from somewhere else. It was like if my entire body was filled with a burning desire to kill, destroy, and utterly exterminate them...

It was like... I was meant to judge, condemn, and execute them!

________________________________________________________________________

What occurred next is something that I could not explain. Right as the thought of killing them lodged itself into my mind, this anger suddenly disappeared. Or no, it was like if the foreign anger separated itself from my mind, formed one of its own, and took control of my body.

And so, for the events that went over the next three minutes, I did not feel control of my actions.

Even now, I can only remember the events as if I wasn't the 'true' main actor.

*SNAP* *SNAP*

'I' stood up and without concealing slowly walked towards them, snapping the poles and stepping on the plants. Obviously, they noticed 'me' right away, and even shouted something. I can not recall what it was, but most probably some kind of threat or warning.

Afterward, the three of them grabbed the weapons they had at their belts, but...

*SWOOSH*

Like a missile, my body suddenly rushed towards them, and I shudder at the thought that I was not scared of bloodshed or fighting, on the contrary, it was like if I wanted it!

"Flint!" Conjuring the small, not bigger than a baseball flame in the left hand, 'I' half-threw, half-pushed it right to the face of the nearest man. The one that looked and talked like a retard, well, a two-meter tall and almost the same in width brute armed with a hatchet. A hatchet that looked so small in his hand that one could think it was a toy.

"AAAAAAAAHHHH" A scream full of pain followed, but 'I' did not even register it, turning towards the other two.

The rat-like man that had stood in the middle was only a few meters from me, holding a small knife in his left hand.

This man was visibly shaken and did not look like a confident fighter at all. He had not even tried to move into range, but again, 'I' was in such a state that I did not care about anything of that. There was a clear goal, eliminate them, and somehow all actions and thoughts were only directed to fulfill it.

"Shaped Mana" 'I' heard myself command and a spike? spear? made of mana extended from the right hand.

The rat-like man did not even have a chance to avoid, after all, this spell was very quick, and so another shout, this time more a squeal of pain followed

"AIIIIIEEEE" No doubt it was painful, after all, the pole sharpened end had penetrated his abdomen and poked out from behind.

"Dispel" 'My' voice again gave me the impression that it wasn't me, as if it was me, how the hell I was so calm?!

But that was not the end, as 'I' ignored everything around and slowly began walking towards the last man, the boss of this group. He had moved away from a few steps at the start, and so had observed everything that had happened. But he did not act, even as 'I' dealt with his fellow bandits.

But he had not escaped, no, this one maintained a facade of calmness, and how he had assumed a guarded position with a sword in hand resembled one of the forms that I had seen in the books.

"Cut"

"Cut"

A 70 cm edge materialized in each hand. But about 3 meters away from him, 'my' hands moved on their own and the blades flew towards him.

Avoiding one and sweeping the other one aside with his sword, the bandit's boss easily defended against the throw, but...

"Cut"

He did not see the moment in which another blade was materialized in 'my' hand and like a feral beast, body slightly crouched, 'I' lunged forwards in a low jump.

"Grgh" He was fairly more stoic to pain, but that did not save him from the fate of the others, being wounded and taken out of combat. Which was confirmed by the clang of his sword against the ground as he crouched down holding both hands on the deep cut in the lower part of his stomach.

Now that I am recalling, I am sure he said something, at least his mouth moved, but as before, I simply can not recall any specifics.

Up to this moment, only about two minutes passed. While the events continued for three. If I can somehow understand the part of the fight and the need to dispose of this trash, and even accept that it was me who did it... I am left blank for what happened next.

My hand moved and picked up the sword dropped by the bandit. And next 'I' spoke up

"In the name of my goddess, Sepyre, I sentence you to death" This was said without any emotion, and if it wasn't my own voice, I would doubt that I could speak like that.

*Slash*

As the beheaded body slumps to the ground, 'I' move towards the half-dead smaller bandit.

"In the name of my goddess, Sepyre, I sentence you to death"

*Slash*

This one was already on the ground, and so 'I' chopped down. Right afterward, 'I' moved towards the still screaming bandit, the one that had his face burned by 'Flint'.

This one did react to 'my' approach. He wildly began swinging his hands which were hiding from view the burnt flesh and even bones on his face... Not that it did help him at all.

"In the name of my goddess, Sepyre, I sentence you to death"

And after avoiding the wild, and most probably blind, flaying the sword separated his head from the body.

And with a loud *Thump* the now shortened by a good deal body fell backward on the ground.

________________________________________________________________________

As if the foreign takeover had ended, I suddenly felt myself in full control of my body. To say that I was in shock, would be to severely undermine my condition. Fuck, I had just killed three men in cold blood without feeling anything or having at least a slight reaction!!!

As the smell of blood, feces, guts, and worse of all burnt flesh assaulted my nostrils, as well my mind replayed all what 'I' had just done, I bent over and began vomiting

*Blergh*

It took me a few minutes to get my bearings together, and only then did I notice that I was still gripping the bloodied sword.

I instantly threw it away, before noticing that not only the sword was covered in blood...

"The girls!" Suddenly a thought crossed my mind and shoved all of the disgust, shock, etc. away.

I turned towards where the two girls were and saw that thankfully they were ok.

As I approached them, both of the girls began squirming. Bound as they may be, they still tried to crawl away from me. Not that I can think they were in the wrong. After all, they had just seen how a strange-looking man dressed in leaves jumped out and savagely killed three men. And even if the bandits deserved it, the scene was by far not nice. Plus, that man, now covered in blood, was moving towards them.

"Don't worry, I will not hurt you. I want to release you" Trying to sound calm and express all the possible goodwill the situation could entail, I spoke up. I had no chance to speak the human language that I learned thanks to Sepyre, but I hoped that my feeling about my level was true.

***

Even though the girls were wary of me after I untied the ropes that tied them, they did not run away as I, at first, expected.

They followed me until I felt reaching my limits and sat down on the ground a few dozens of meters away from the carnage. By now they even tried to speak to me, but I somewhat unkindly asked them to wait for a few minutes.

Which I used to finally calm myself. As well quickly go over everything that had happened while activating 'Record'.

I refrained from checking my staus or anything, only sparing a single glance at my current mana and stamina levels.

Mana 4 / 30 Stamina 18%

No wonder I feel so tired...