Translator: CinderTL
"Damn it! Beasts! Bastards!"
The young noble gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain that wracked his body as he staggered forward, leaning against a tree trunk for support.
Blood continued to seep from his wounds, clouding his consciousness, but his rage fueled his determination to keep moving.
"How could so many demonic beasts suddenly appear near the manor? Were those guards all asleep on duty?"
He muttered curses under his breath, his voice trembling with pain.
"Once I get back... no, wait."
Darco shook his dizzy head, struggling to stay alert.
"I need to get them to rescue Roland first, then I'll settle the score with them!"
Dragging his heavy steps, he finally reached the edge of the forest.
Just as he was about to shout for help, he caught a whiff of a strange, unsettling odor—a mixture of roasted meat and blood.
Having just fought for his life, Darco's instincts immediately went on high alert.
Ignoring the dizziness, he crouched low and cautiously peered out.
He saw the two guards who had been left behind lying in pools of blood, their bodies covered in gruesome wounds. It was clear they had long since breathed their last.
Several fine horses had also fallen victim to the same brutality, their bellies ripped open.
A group of goblins were hacking at the horse meat with rusty blades, roasting it over a bonfire. The sickening stench of charred flesh filled the air.
"Damn it," Darco muttered, holding his breath as he scanned the surroundings warily. His already pale face drained of even more color.
His trembling fingers, hidden by the dense undergrowth, counted the figures in the distance.
"One... two... three... over a hundred goblins!"
Cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
"How the hell did these beasts suddenly appear here? When we arrived..."
He saw several goblin patrols circling the perimeter, their rusty weapons glinting menacingly in the sunlight.
Fighting off dizziness, Darco inched backward inch by inch until the nauseating smell of roasting meat finally faded into the air. Only then did he slump against an oak tree, collapsing onto the ground.
"Hah... hah..."
His labored breathing echoed loudly in the silent forest.
Excessive blood loss was blurring his vision, and each breath sent a searing pain through his wounds.
The young noble tilted his head back, the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves stinging his eyes.
"I never thought I'd die in a place like this... at the hands of goblins. How ridiculous."
In a daze, Roland's calm voice seemed to echo in his ears again.
"Young Master Darco, something's not right. We should prepare to escape."
If only they had listened to that advice...
If only they had conserved their strength...
Even without horses, if they had supported each other, they might have actually escaped.
Darco closed his eyes in agony.
Roland's handsome face flashed before his eyes.
The young man he had only known for less than a day, yet had come to genuinely admire.
Gifted, humble, and polite.
"It's all my fault..."
His nails dug deep into his palm.
"If I hadn't been so stubborn... Roland would still be alive."
Guilt surged through him like poison, tightening his throat and making his eyes prickle with heat.
"Young Master Darco?"
"Those old men in white robes from the Church... they weren't lying after all."
Darco murmured weakly.
"You really do see hallucinations before you die."
"Young Master Darco!"
No!
This isn't a hallucination!
Darco's eyes, which had been closing, snapped open, their unfocused gaze sharpening.
In the morning light, the young man who had filled him with guilt stood before him.
His short black hair was damp with dew, and his slender frame stood ramrod straight.
His handsome face was unmarred except for a few scrapes, only his bloodstained robe hinting at the battle he had endured.
"Young Master Darco?"
Seeing Darco standing frozen, staring blankly at him, Roland frowned unconsciously, his mind racing.
Strange. With his injuries, he should have lost consciousness.
Just as Roland bent down to examine him, Darco suddenly jolted as if struck by lightning, his bloodstained hands clamping tightly onto Roland's shoulders.
"Roland! You're alive!"
Darco's voice trembled with disbelief.
It was just a false alarm, after all.
Feeling the firm grip on his shoulders, Roland finally relaxed. He raised a finger to his lips, lowering his voice.
"Please be quiet, Young Master Darco. This forest is swarming with goblins right now."
"Oh, right. Right."
Darco nodded as if waking from a dream, studying Roland carefully in the morning light. For the first time in his life, he spoke with genuine sincerity.
"Thank the Heavenly Father for bringing you back alive."
But as the words left his lips, a sudden shock jolted through Darco's heart.
He clearly saw that Roland was completely unharmed, save for a few scattered bloodstains.
"There must have been at least thirty or forty goblins back there."
"For Roland to have escaped that horde unscathed... it's simply..."
Recalling the fierce swordplay Roland had displayed while wielding his iron sword, Darco swallowed hard, his estimation of Roland rising another notch.
"How old is he? Sixteen or seventeen?"
Thinking back to his own performance at that age, Darco couldn't help but sigh softly, a complex expression crossing his face.
"Young Master Darco, what about the two guards? Why are you alone here?"
"Hah..."
The question brought the scene back to Darco's mind, sending a wave of nausea through his stomach.
Suppressing his discomfort, he took a deep breath and recounted what he had witnessed.
"Tsk."
After hearing Darco's account, Roland frowned, unconsciously clicking his tongue.
He pondered for a moment, then cautiously glanced around, lowering his voice.
"You should be familiar with this area. Is there anywhere nearby we can hide temporarily?"
"Hmm... let me think..."
As his initial excitement subsided, the pain in his body returned with renewed intensity.
Darco leaned against a rough tree trunk, his brow furrowed in thought.
After a moment, his eyes suddenly lit up.
"I've got it! Roland, follow me."
The young noble prince then limped down a small path to the left.
"Last winter, I hunted a brown bear in a cave not far from here with my guards. The cave is quite spacious, making it an excellent resting place."
Perhaps seeing Roland unharmed, Darco's previously unsteady steps quickened slightly.
However, the journey to the cave was far from peaceful.
Despite the short distance, they encountered several goblin patrol squads.
Fortunately, Roland reacted swiftly. Whenever he spotted goblins, he struck first, immediately cutting them down with his sword.
Yet the clash of steel inevitably alerted nearby enemies, drawing more pursuers.
Forced to fight and retreat, the two men dodged through the dense forest.
After a series of detours, they finally broke through the encirclement, pushing through thick undergrowth to reach a hidden cave.
"Hah..."
The long battle had drained Roland's stamina like water. He gasped for breath.
Motioning for Darco to stop, Roland took a moment to recover before entering the cave to inspect it.
As Darco had said, the cave was spacious enough to accommodate seven or eight people.
After confirming there were no signs of recent activity, Roland returned to the entrance and carefully helped Darco inside, helping him lean against the rock wall to rest.
"Hiss."
The movement of sitting down pulled at his wounds, causing Darco to suck in a sharp breath.
Roland gazed at the young noble's body, covered in injuries. His brow furrowed, especially at the makeshift bandage on his leg, soaked through with blood.
While the wounds weren't fatal, delaying treatment any longer could prove life-threatening.
Thinking this, Roland spoke softly.
"Young Master Darco, may I rebandage your wounds?"
"Just call me Darco, Roland..."
Darco shifted his position, forcing a bitter smile.
"Alright, Darco."
Seeing his sincere expression, Roland raised an eyebrow slightly. He didn't say more, simply tearing off several clean strips of inner lining cloth.
Unlike the hasty bandaging during the goblin attack, they now had ample time.
Roland carefully cleaned and dressed the wounds, recalling the basic first-aid techniques he'd learned before his transmigration. At the same time, he asked in a low voice, "Darco, have you ever encountered demonic beasts while hunting in this area before?"
"No."
Darco gritted his teeth against the pain, his voice trembling slightly.
"If there were truly demonic beasts here, my father would never have allowed me to come."
"Is that so?"
Roland used water from his flask to wash Darco's wound, his mind replaying their earlier encounter. After a moment of thought, he spoke again.
"I have the feeling... those goblins were searching for something."
"Searching?"
"Yes." Roland nodded solemnly. "If their target was us, they would have pursued us relentlessly. But look at their current behavior: patrolling the forest, setting up sentries—they're clearly looking for something."
"You're right." Darco responded thoughtfully.
He recalled how the goblins had given up their pursuit halfway and turned back. He frowned, trying to make sense of it, but after a moment, he could only shake his head in frustration.
"But I can't imagine what they could be looking for in this forest. Believe me, Roland, this godforsaken place is nothing but beasts. Besides..."
Darco obediently turned to allow Roland to bandage his wound, muttering curses under his breath.
"I'm more interested in what that old man Beckham and the guards at the manor were doing! How could they let so many demonic beasts get so close to the manor?"
Roland's hands never stopped as he continued to bandage Darco's wounds with strips torn from the lining of his coat. His brow furrowed deeper with each passing moment.
He wasn't disagreeing with Darco's words, but he detected something unusual in his tone.
Darco spoke of Beckham, the only knight in the Blackwater Territory, with a hint of disdain and contempt.
This struck Roland as odd.
Since his arrival in this world, whether through hearsay or from close friends like Sean and John, he had only heard respect and admiration for Beckham.
This contrasted sharply with Darco's current contemptuous attitude.
While nobles outranked knights in the Golden Valley Kingdom, this was still a world where extraordinary strength reigned supreme.
Roland believed that even the highest-ranking noble should show due respect to a knight like Beckham, who wielded such power.
Yet Darco's attitude was more akin to that of a master addressing an insignificant servant.
This was somewhat illogical.
But since it had nothing to do with their current situation, Roland chose not to press the issue.
He carefully bandaged Darco's final wound, his movements gentle yet efficient.
As he worked, he spoke in a low voice.
"Your injuries, especially the one on your leg, can't wait any longer. Although I've applied a simple bandage, without proper medication, you could suffer permanent damage."
He paused, recalling the goblin patrol teams constantly crisscrossing the dense forest outside. His voice dropped even lower.
"Moreover, the goblins' search radius is shrinking. It's only a matter of time before they find us. By the time the manor discovers what's happened here and sends guards to rescue us, it will likely be too late. I suggest we rest briefly and then move immediately. What do you think?"
"You're right, but..."
Darco frowned, recalling the scene in the forest.
"You saw them too—there were too many goblins. If we encounter them, they'll swarm us from all sides in no time."
"Unless... we can anticipate their movements, it'll be nearly impossible to avoid those mongrels."
Roland nodded heavily.
With his current strength, he could easily handle a few goblins on his own and escape the forest. But with the injured Darco, it was a completely different matter.
As he pondered, he tightened the last bandage on Darco's wound.
The next moment, a line of golden text suddenly appeared in his vision:
[Emergency Treatment Acquired. Current Level: Lv.1]
"Emergency Treatment..."
Ignoring the drowsy Darco beside him, Roland opened his Job Panel.
When he saw that the survival skill requirement for becoming a hunter had changed from one bar to two bars, he let out a slow breath.
"Well, that was convenient."
"Become a hunter."
As he murmured the words in his mind, the text on the screen began to change:
[Detection Complete. Basic Class: Hunter Available]
[Requirements: Strength 1, Agility 2, any Lv.1 Archery-related skill, two Survival-related skills 2/2]
[Confirm Class Change?]
"Confirm!"
(End of the Chapter)