I Woke Up In Another World As A Slave

The weight of their conversation with B4 lingered in the air as Stick and his companions turned southward. The sounds of the guild's departure faded behind them, the masked warriors vanishing into the ruined forest like specters dissolving into the mist. Yet, despite the parting, Stick still felt Leonhard's gaze on his back, like an unseen pressure that refused to fade.

Hirohiro exhaled sharply. "I can't believe we got out of that alive." He glanced at Stick. "You okay?"

Stick didn't answer immediately. His hands still trembled, though he clenched them into fists to make it stop. He had faced down monsters before, but the sheer pressure of standing before B4—knowing they held the answers he desperately needed but wouldn't give them—had drained him more than any battle.

A heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

"You did good," Big Man said quietly. "We learned something, at least. Lord Blitz is alive."

Hirohiro let out a dry chuckle. "That's not much to go on."

Stick inhaled, his voice steadier now. "No. We learned much more than that."

Hirohiro gave him a skeptical look. "Like what?"

"B4 is a neutral guild, right?" Stick asked.

"Yeah?"

"And they only stay in the North Strip because that's their territory. No other guild contests it."

Hirohiro frowned. "Well, they do trade with the East and West, but for the most part, yeah."

"Then if they're able to communicate with him but never leave the North Strip…" Stick's eyes gleamed.

"Then he's at their headquarters," Big Man chimed in.

There was a brief silence.

"Oh." Hirohiro slapped his forehead. "Yeah, that was kind of obvious, wasn't it?"

The three of them laughed, tension finally breaking.

Then, Stick turned serious. "We've got six months, maybe even less, to grow stronger and help the twins."

"That's… not impossible," Hirohiro admitted. "You can hit LVL 50 in that time. If everything goes well."

Stick snorted. "Does it ever go well?"

Big Man's deep voice rumbled. "We're alive."

Stick nodded. "Yeah. You're right."

They continued their trek through the broken terrain of the North Strip, the setting sun painting the ruins in deep purples and oranges. Despite their momentary relief, Stick knew they weren't any safer than before. If anything, the weight of their quest had only grown heavier.

The third goblin camp was nothing more than an afterthought now. It didn't take long for them to clear it. As soon as they burned the banner, a notification popped up.

[Quest ready for turn-in]

They soon found themselves back on the circular road, the sun vanishing into a purple horizon. Stick checked his status. He had nearly reached LVL 3 after all the fights—1235/1400 EXP. A whole day of grueling battles for not even two LVLs.

A lone figure fighting off goblins near the ruins of a house. His blade flashed in the darkness, cutting down foes with precise, practiced movements.

Stick narrowed his eyes. "Gawain."

They sprinted forward.

The goblins were relentless, their numbers seemingly endless. For every one they struck down, another crawled from the shadows.

Stick cut through the chaos, fighting his way toward Gawain. "We've got you!"

"Shit! We let one escape earlier!" Hirohiro shouted, drawing his spear. "It must've warned the others!"

Big Man slammed a charging goblin aside with his bare fists, sending it sprawling into the dirt. "Too many."

They were everywhere.

A bruiser lunged from behind—a massive, club-wielding goblin covered in scars. Stick pivoted, narrowly dodging as the club cratered the ground where he had stood. Fast. Too fast for something that size.

Stick slashed. His sword bit into the bruiser's arm, but it barely flinched.

"Take the small ones first!" Hirohiro called, dancing between enemies. His spear flashed, carving through goblin throats left and right.

Stick grit his teeth. No choice.

A goblin shaman in the back raised its staff, eyes glowing sickly green. A ball of rotting energy formed at its tip.

Stick sprinted.

The spell launched—a bolt of decay, aimed right at Hirohiro.

Stick jumped in its path, raising his sword. The impact sent a jolt of searing pain up his arm. His health bar dipped dangerously.

"Stick!" Hirohiro shouted.

No time to stop.

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

Stick swung. His blade cut through the shaman's wooden staff, slicing it in two. The goblin screeched, stumbling back. Stick pressed forward, driving his sword straight into its chest.

It gasped. Then fell.

Two more goblins leapt at him, screeching. Stick raised his weapon, but before he could react—

WHAM.

Big Man's fist crushed one into the dirt. The other barely had time to turn before Big Man grabbed it by the throat and hurled it into a roadside wall.

The goblin bruiser was the last one standing. It bellowed, gripping its club with both hands.

Stick met its gaze. Then charged.

It swung. Stick dropped into a slide, the club missing him by inches. As he passed beneath its guard, he slashed upward—his sword carving into the goblin's side.

The bruiser staggered.

Hirohiro leapt onto its back, both daggers plunging deep into its neck.

It collapsed.

Silence.

Sweat dripped down Stick's face, his arms shaking.

"Is everyone alright?" Stick asked, panting.

"You shouldn't have come in between!" Hirohiro bickered. "Their attacks are hardly a danger to me."

Stick gasped for air. "I guess that's a yes."

He checked on Big Man, who absent-mindedly looked into the distance. Stick followed his gaze to see Gawain standing in the middle of a field of goblin corpses.

They rushed over. "Gawain, are you alright?"

But the squire simply stood there, staring. Gawain's house was already lost. The walls had caved in, and what little remained smoldered with dying embers.

"Now, the last remains of Cavon are broken." Gawain stood at the wreckage, his sword tip resting in the dirt. "My uncle has nothing to return to."

The group exchanged uneasy glances, but their silence gave them away. Stick hesitated. He didn't know what to say.

"Don't fret. I am aware." Gawain sighed. "I had a gut feeling when I saw a fresh grave in the east."

"I'm sorry," was all Stick could manage.

"Would you please tell me…" The squire looked at him. "What were his last words?"

Stick swallowed. What should he say in such a moment? That Shadis died with regrets? That his last moments were not about him or his family? None of that would be fair towards the man who saved his life.

Stick took a deep breath. What would be the words that Shadis should be remembered by?

"The new generation is the future."

Gawain closed his eyes. "Yes… that sounds like him."

Stick clenched his fists. "I promise to rebuild Cavon. I will restore the honor of House Blitz and bring back normalcy to this land."

"Well put." A single tear slipped down the squire's cheek before he wiped it away, regaining his composure. "The new generation is the future."

He steadied himself, grandiose in composure once more. "I believe I owe you a reward for your heroic deeds. Thank you."

He handed Stick a pair of metal boots labeled [Page's Carriers].

"What are those?" Hirohiro asked. "I've never seen those before."

A notification popped up.

[Received 1500 EXP.]

Ding. Ding. Ding. Three more notifications followed.

[LVL Up]

[LVL Up]

[LVL Up]

"What's happening?" Stick asked.

He checked his status. Completing the quest had propelled him to LVL 5. Stick turned to Hirohiro excitedly. "Look!"

"That's insane! That much EXP…" Hirohiro grabbed Stick's arm in disbelief. "That's impossible!"

But Stick just laughed. "I'll be LVL 50 in no time."

"Yeah…" Hirohiro tried to sound calm. "Still…"

"Come on! Why aren't you celebrating with me?" Stick demanded.

"It's good that you're climbing the LVLs that fast. Don't get me wrong," Hirohiro said. "The sooner we continue to the Whispering Woods, the better. It'll be more difficult to track us there."

Stick's celebration was cut short. "So what's the problem?"

"You have to fight the Goblin King first," Hirohiro reminded him. "How will you do that without a group?"

Stick's grin faded slightly. "Why do I have to?"

"Well, if you want to survive the Whispering Woods, you'll need the loot," Hirohiro said. "Also, I believe you'll need one of these."

He flashed a signet ring on his finger.

"That's a nice ring, Nakamura!" Stick grabbed Hirohiro's hand. "Look at the size of that thing."

"Uh, yeah?" Hirohiro pulled his hand back. "But this isn't about the looks. It's what it can do."

"And what's that?" Stick's curiosity peaked.

"It allows you to travel freely between the Goblin Steps and the Whispering Woods."

Stick's mind flashed. "Wait, you mean the magic light that parts the trees?"

"Exactly," Hirohiro said. "Every Zone Boss has an item like this."

So it's not something that only Carnifex members can do?

There was still so much he didn't know, but Stick felt his confidence grow as he learned more about the game.

"Ahem," Gawain demanded their attention.

The two turned.

"Speaking of goblins."

Gawain gave him a second quest—this time, they would have to kill a dozen Goblin Shamans and Heavy Bruisers in the eastern part of the Goblin Steppes.

"Goblin Shamans? Don't mind if I do." Stick cracked his knuckles. "We'll be slaying the Goblin King in no time."

"And one more thing." Gawain took off the fur cloak. "For the cold."

He walked over to Big Man, who was still half-naked against the winter.

Big Man didn't comment, only nodded a thank you, but his face gave away that he enjoyed the softness of it very much.

"But wait, what will you do now?" Stick asked Gawain. "Where will I find you?"

"You will find me at Spearhead," Gawain proclaimed. "I'm off to send a signal to the goblin bastards."

"The former Goblin Hunter headquarters," Hirohiro said. "I know where that is."

The former Goblin Hunter headquarters?

Stick felt the spark ignite a fire in him.

"Time is wasting," Gawain said. "Come on!"

They scrambled for anything useful inside the ruined house. A cooking pot here. Some bedsheets there. And provisions that remained unscathed. Without much delay, the group set out towards the east of the Goblin Steppes until they reached a crossroad.

"Squire Gawain Moore."

"Yes?"

Stick bowed. "Happy hunting."

Gawain bowed back. "So long, Page Stick Arslan."

They parted ways.

After a short trek in the dark, they found a broken shack, similar to the ones back at the slave camp, which seemed safe enough to camp. After setting up their sleeping place, Stick took a moment to examine his Status screen.

His name was Page Stick Arslan. He was [LVL] 5 and had 590/590 [Life Points] and 100% [Mana]. More importantly, he was [Unbound] and his [Origin] was still unknown. His stats were as follows:

Strength: 9

Intelligence: 9

Regeneration: 9

Armor: 9

Resistance: 9

Constitution: 9

Aren't these supposed to vary? That's weird.

But what hasn't been in the last months? Stick closed the menu and turned to his side. It was a cold night without a fire. They warmed up in the morning by burning the hut's remains. They had a wordless breakfast, each of them enjoying the morning sun in peace.

The time came to leave, and when Stick packed his stuff into his Inventory, he came across the Letter of Initiation.

The others, already packed and ready to go, called out to him.

"Come on!" Hirohiro said. "We'll leave without you."

"One moment," Stick said.

He took out the Letter of Initiation from his Inventory and burned it in the embers of the fire. The paper blackened fast.

"We've got a long way to go," Big Man yelled. "Let's move!"

That must have been the loudest I've ever heard from him.

Stick glanced back at the paper. Each word curled into ash like the servant's shanties back then. He watched the letter until it completely burned to smithereens—the promise of captivity, erased. Then he checked that his new boots didn't slip and ran to Hirohiro and Big Man, who were already some meters away on the road. Big Man is right.

It was a long way to reach LVL 50. He took in the fresh air of the countryside, the snow crunching under his hard-earned armor and the soothing warmth of the winter sun. It all felt so real. How could anyone believe that it isn't?

This world he was put in with no past, no memories, with all its history and rules and factions and fighting was mostly still a big mystery that eluded him. It is a long way to go from here.

But for now, as he caught up with his new friends, the former slave had only one thought in mind: I am finally able to start the game.