I am Just an Average Tamer

A goblin lunged from the behind—Its rusted blade raised high, aiming straight for the back of a distracted guard.

But before it could strike—

Thunk.

Its body jerked.

Then collapsed, lifeless.

Not just that one.Another fell.Then another.

Three. Four. Five—

The goblins attacking the guards dropped like flies, confusion flashing in their beady eyes before death claimed them.

The guards froze. Stunned.

Just for a moment.

Then, realizing what was happening, they rallied—gripping their weapons tighter and pushing back with renewed fury.

And then—

A blur.

Faster than a thought, it slipped through the rear of the goblin horde.

Silent. Precise. And lethal.

One by one, goblins began to fall—necks slashed, chests pierced, heads twisted at unnatural angles.

Shrieeeek!

They screamed. They shrieked. They stumbled back into one another in panic.

Chaos bloomed like wildfire in their ranks.

Some turned to run. Others lashed out blindly.

But it didn't matter.

Death was already dancing between them.

With momentum on their side, the guards pushed forward—

Swords clashing, shouts rising, fear now replaced with grit.

And—

The goblins dropped.

Silently.

One after another.

Their deaths weren't loud.

They weren't messy.

They were precise.

Executed by a predator lurking behind them.

Those that turned to flee?

Thunk!

Long, silver needles pierced the air—

Embedding into necks, skulls, and spines.

A silent death from the shadows.

In mere minutes, the tide turned.

A slaughter became a stand.

And all because of one boy...

Kai moved again.

His blade arced—

Slitting a throat—

Then a neck—

Then sliding through ribs like butter.

Suddenly.

Whoosh!

A thick mane came swinging from behind.

Kai ducked.

Then he blurred again—

Vanish vanished from the place and reappeared, standing just far enough to analyze.

His gaze locked on the attacker.

A hobgoblin.

Taller than the others—about the size of a teenage human.

Bulky. Muscles knotted under green skin.

It snarled, eyes bloodshot, and tightened its grip on the iron mane.

Kai moved again.

It sensed him.

Moved to strike—

Too slow.

Shing!

Its head was no longer there.

The body stayed upright for a second.

Thud!

Then crumbled.

The battle dragged on for only a few more minutes.

The last goblin dropped with a thud, its twisted blade falling beside it.

Silence returned.

Only broken by heavy breathing and soft groans from the wounded.

The remaining guards didn't waste time.

They moved quickly—checking on their fallen, tending to the injured.

Kai sheathed his daggers.

He walked toward the bodies of the fallen goblins.

One by one, he crouched.

Fingers steady.

Expression blank.

He plucked out his throwing needles.

Wiping the blood off on the tattered goblin hides.

Then slid them back into his storage bracelet.

"Phew!"

Behind him, the middle-aged merchant let out a shaky breath, relief washing over his face.

The chaos was over.

He turned sharply toward the wagon—

Where his wife and daughter had peeked out, hearing the battlefield go still.

They hopped down.

The girl's eyes wide, red from crying.

And immediately, the man wrapped them in his arms.

"You're safe… You're safe…" he murmured, voice cracking, "Thank the heavens…"

His wife and daughter clung to him, trembling.

Then—

His gaze drifted.

Past the corpses.

Past the quiet fires and broken weapons.

To the boy.

Still collecting his needles.

Like the chaos hadn't touched him at all.

The guards approached the merchant.

"We should move, sir," one of them said. "The smell of blood will attract other beasts."

The merchant nodded, still shaken, but composed enough to act. "Get the wagon ready."

Then he noticed Kai approaching.

Slow, calm steps—like the fight never happened.

The merchant stepped forward and bowed his head low.

"Thank you… for saving us."

Kai didn't respond with words.

Just gave a single nod.

The guards quickly moved to their tasks, checking wheels, tightening harnesses, lifting the wounded onto the wagon.

The merchant's eyes followed Kai.

"You risked your life to save strangers," he said, voice sincere. "I owe you a great debt."

Kai shrugged, wiping a goblin smear from his glove.

"Don't get the wrong idea," he said dryly. "Nothing's free in this world."

A soft chuckle escaped the merchant's lips.

"Of course, of course…" he said, then turned and motioned with a nod.

His daughter hesitated, then stepped forward shyly.

Kai raised an eyebrow.

His tone turned flat.

"I'm not interested in your daughter," he said, arms folding. "Give me something useful."

Tension flickered in the air for a second.

Then the merchant cleared his throat—

"Ahem."

The girl, still looking a bit flushed, fumbled with her belt pouch and pulled out a small, plain storage ring. She handed it to her father.

The merchant took it and extended it toward Kai.

"This is what I intended to give you," he said. "Inside, you'll find some of the rarer items from my stock—potions, essence stones, and one artifact I picked up recently."

Kai raised a brow, "Oh." That's all he said and then took the ring.

He examined it briefly, then slipped it onto his finger.

The merchant scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "It's not much compared to what you did, but I hope it serves you well."

Kai gave him a silent nod.

The girl watched him go, her hands still clasped in front of her, the expression on her face unreadable.

The merchant let out a deep breath. "Let's move," he ordered his men. "Before we attract something worse."

As Kai turned to leave, the merchant called out,

"Wait—what's your name, young man?"

Kai paused mid-step, his back still turned.

"Kai."

Short and simple.

The merchant nodded slowly. "Well then, Kai… if you're heading the same way, we could use someone like you. We're going to Bramwell Town. How about escorting us there? I'll make it worth your while."

Kai glanced over his shoulder, the moonlight catching the edge of his tired expression.

He waved his hand lazily.

"Nah. It's my sleep time."

And before the merchant could say anything else—

Whoosh!

He vanished.

Just like that.