Mercenary Systems: The Eternal Life
Chapter 4 Night Escape

The night is getting late. All I can do so far is settle down, as it is today, put your back against the wall. Being in the shadows, I peeked through the end of the wall of a building, outside the building where the previous warehouse was. Some people were still wandering around, they must have realized that I had escaped from there.

Honestly speaking, this escape has made my heart beat even though it has not been in a clash with those on the Slave Merchant's side so far.

Meanwhile, the,

[Save yourself (12 Quest Points)]

Maybe I should really make it out of this dangerous situation, then the bottommost Quest will turn into Quest Points in return. Since I rushed out of the warehouse, I forgot to bring a little food. This empty stomach became a problem in the end. I still don't have any Quest Points to buy food from the Shop.

By the way, the Shop even sells food as well. All types of food were rewarded with 1 Quest Point. Given the difficulty of obtaining Quest Points, I thought it was fair enough when I would get 1 kilogram of roasted venison for just 1 Quest Point. Suitable for use in emergency situations.

So, right now I forgot about the other Quest besides the last one. A new Quest should appear, so that I can continue to earn Quest Points after successfully completing this last Quest.

After making sure it was safe to pass through the street that got lighting, I hurried away towards the narrow and dark alley that was in front. I don't know where I'm going, but I'm not going to sit around waiting for them to catch me. Probably, it's good enough to think that it's safe for me to get out of port.

Is correct. I have to get out of this harbor.

Running in the dark, not knowing what I accidentally kicked or stepped on, I continued to run without reducing my speed of movement.

There was some kind of pressure that made my hair stand up. I think someone's watching me from somewhere. That should be my feeling, so I chose to stay focused looking forward. It's only natural that I feel nervous now, not nervous because of the crowd. This was an extreme experience for my early life in another world. Moreover, the night, the times where the darkness was smiling evilly at me, gave a sense of fear.

Every now and then, I would stop running when the narrow alley I was passing through ended up with a large street lit by the dim lighting of a torch or something, just to make sure no one was around.

"Well..."

The road ahead stopped my escape. It's late at night, the road shouldn't be so crowded. Different story if something is happening, such as a celebration or something like that. Within the range of my vision, I found many merchants and buyers interacting. The lighting was brighter than the roads I had walked.

"Maybe, market?"

It looks like a night market, but it's strange that the night market is operating at this late time. In addition, I saw children wandering around with their peers.

I gulped, considering whether I would blend in with them or not.

Because I spent more time alone in the corner of the room, rarely socialized, I hesitated to blend in with the crowd in addition to being careful not to be found by the Slave Merchant's men. But if I stop here, I may soon be found by them. Also, my stomach keeps charging to fill.

Clenching my jaw, I carefully entered the crowd.

"What is this really about?" I muttered as I continued walking through the people dancing, no one noticed my presence.

The pungent smell of alcohol was smelled in several places I went through. Some children running around nudged one of my thighs to make it fall. I was about to help him, as well as check if the child was hurt, but the child was in fact more concerned about his excitement of playing with peers.

Someone offered me a drink. I turned it down, because I thought I should pay after I get one glass.

I breathe out slowly. Not only was my stomach empty, my throat was dry.

As I continued to walk down this great street, at such a late time, where the streets were filled with people who were sharing happiness, my gaze accidentally met someone's eyes. That man, one of the men who escorted me with pathetic men to put in the barn.

Without saying a word, I immediately turned my back to go away from the man.

I took a quick step, occasionally glancing back to check if the man was following me or not. Even though I wished I hadn't, in fact the man openly followed me.

My body has no experience in combat. I'm not sure if I can deal with it or not. But, my chances of winning are much greater than fighting against more people.

My steps accelerated, until I finally ran.

Of course, the man who followed me came running, so as not to be left behind.

It would be good if he was left behind, not that fighting one-on-one against him would be bad as well. This could be an opportunity for me to subvert one of them in the hope that I will be able to defeat the remaining 4 people so that I get more Quest Points.

Perhaps, I can take advantage of this opportunity to complete the Quest in the second row, though,

[Lose at least 5 mercenaries (40 Quest Points)]

Ah, right too. They are mercenaries. Am I willing to fight one of them? Against pirates there might still be a chance to win, but the mercenaries, of course they should have much better combat skills.

I got out of the crowded street, got into the alley before. There was a shallow plan to defeat one mercenary. Just like how I managed to take the lives of the pirate members who brought food to the warehouse, I intend to attack him secretly. There should not be a long and exhausting fight.

Successively taking people's lives in one night, I felt even more nervous as I waited for the mercenaries who were following me to arrive in this dark alley.

There are many large items that can be used as a good hiding place. I made one of the broken tables that had been thrown into hiding, before launching an attack. The table naturally uses the side of the table top with supported by a pair of legs to rest on the dirty floor.

Darkened. It would be fine if I kept hiding like this. But, I have been determined to defeat one mercenary. Having already taken people's lives, why would I hesitate to do it again?

The sound of footsteps kept approaching. It was just a pair of legs alternately wriggling forward, towards my hiding place.

While waiting for the right moment, I tried to find something that could be used as a weapon. There were some stones that were the size of fists, pieces of wood, and things I didn't know. These things can be used as weapons. With trembling hands, I continued to fumble around the floor. In the end, my hands did not take any items, my heart balked at doing surprise attacks using weapons.

I let out a small breath.

One life was taken by both hands, but it did not spill blood. I feel still not ready to do something cruel to that extent.

There is no choice, for this is the path I have chosen.

"Tch! That little bastard is good at hiding," the mercenary grumbled.

My eyes straight forward. No matter the air that freezes the tears, I do not close my eyelids to rest them. So focused, I forgot to do it, of course, it was not intentional.

The sound waves were well received by my ears. I can guess the distance the mercenaries are approaching my hiding place.

My heart was racing, but I was breathing quietly.

"Get out, you little bastard! Don't bother me any further if you don't want to be hurt," he said, kicking things through, as well as rummaging through large pieces of broken stuff that could serve as a hiding place. "I'll forget this if you get out right now."

I clenched my hand tightly. That guy was very close.

At that moment, beyond belief, or perhaps because I was stupid to the point of not thinking about the conjecture, the broken table I was hiding in was thrown easily by someone's silhouette. Of course it was the same person as the one who was chasing me.

It was revealed that my hiding.

"Hehehe... Got you, motherfucker."