The dust storm had not yet fully settled, but the situation on the battlefield was shifting rapidly. Although the duel between Alfred and the bandit leader had paused for a moment, the rest of the bandits were not sitting idle. At the leader's signal, a massive group of twenty to twenty-five bandits surrounded the adventure party from all sides. Their goal was clear—seize Merchant Henderson and his valuable goods, and eliminate anyone in their way.
Even was still lying on the ground, his heart pounding. The agility with which he had lunged to save Henderson felt unbelievable even to himself. Although the numbness in his body had faded, he was still very weak from the effects of the poison. However, a strange sensation was taking over his entire existence. The soil of this new world, the air, and even his own body felt strangely light. As he tried to push himself up with his hands, he felt that with just a little strength, he was rising significantly high off the ground.
"Gravity... the gravity of this world is low!" Even remembered the System's words. In his own world, he had been very obese and would get out of breath just by moving. But here, due to the low gravity, his weak body was acting like a powerful spring.
Meanwhile, the battlefield had caught fire. Alfred shouted instructions, "Sara, handle the left! Thorgrim, hold the bandits on the right! Eldric, give us cover!"
The archer Sara instantly notched an arrow in her massive bow. Arrows flew from her fingers with the speed of lightning, striking the bandit ranks. Every arrow hit its mark perfectly, and at least four or five bandits collapsed to the ground screaming. But the bandits were too many; they kept advancing, ignoring the arrow wounds.
The dwarf Thorgrim roared and lunged into the crowd of bandits, swinging his massive axe. With every stroke of his axe, the bandits' armor and bones were crushed to pieces. "Come, taste death!" Thorgrim's shout shook the surroundings. His short body moved like a devastating storm among the bandits.
The mysterious sorcerer Eldric used his magical powers to create an invisible protective shield around the adventure party. The arrows and axe blows thrown by the bandits bounced off that shield. At the same time, he turned the ground under the bandits' feet into mud to slow them down.
But the bandit leader was very cunning. He saw that the adventure party was highly skilled and would be hard to defeat in a direct fight. He signaled something to his assistant. In an instant, a group of bandits rushed toward Henderson and Even, who were somewhat isolated from the main fight.
Seeing this, Alfred shouted, "Mr. Henderson! Look out!" He wanted to leave the leader to save Henderson, but the leader blocked his path. "Where are you going, warrior? Our fight isn't over yet!" The leader's cruel smile made Alfred even more furious.
Three or four bandits, holding sharp swords and heavy clubs, advanced toward Henderson. Henderson was trembling with fear, the terror of death clear on his face. "Save me! Someone save me!" he screamed.
Even saw the bandits getting very close to Henderson. His own body was still shaking, and the weakness from the poison hadn't fully gone. But suddenly, old memories flooded his brain.
He remembered his younger brother, Vasco. Vasco was a boxing champion. A large room in their luxurious villa was filled with the trophies and medals Vasco had won. And at the hands of that Vasco, Even had been beaten day after day. Because he was fat, he couldn't run or defend himself. Vasco used him as a punching bag.
But by getting beaten day after day, Even had learned one thing—how to endure pain. He would groan in pain and fall to the ground from the punches of a champion like Vasco, but he didn't die. His body had become accustomed to enduring intense agony. Unknowingly, Vasco's cruelty had given Even a type of training—how to take a hit and how to keep standing by ignoring the pain.
Today, in this new world, as death stood before him, those old memories gave Even new strength. He thought, "Was I born only to be beaten? If Vasco's punches couldn't kill me, what will these bandits' swords do to me?"
A strange stubbornness suddenly took over his weak body. He stood in front of Henderson. Instead of fear, there was now a steady resolve in his eyes.
The bandits burst out laughing when they saw Even. "Who is this half-dead kid? You want to save this old man? Go away, get lost!" One bandit pushed Even with his club.
The push hit Even's chest. In his own world, he might have been sent flying. But here, due to the low gravity, he remained standing despite a slight stagger. It hurt, but it was nothing compared to Vasco's punches.
Even saw Henderson looking at him in surprise. He turned to Henderson and said in a calm voice, "Mr. Henderson, I can save you. Only on one condition."
Henderson, stunned, said, "A condition? You? How will you save me?"
The bandits laughed even louder. "Listen, old man, this crazy kid says he'll save you!"
Ignoring the bandits' laughter, Even kept looking at Henderson. "Trust me. give me something to eat. I am very hungry."
Henderson looked into Even's eyes. In those eyes, he saw a strange self-confidence that did not match the weak body at all. Facing death, Henderson had no other choice. He nodded in agreement, "Alright, I agree. If you can save me now, I will give you a full meal."
Even took a deep breath. Hunger was burning in his stomach, but that fire began to turn into his strength. He turned and looked at the bandits. A cruel smile appeared on his face.
"Now let's see how much Vasco's training works in this world," Even said to himself.
The first bandit came to slash Even with his sword. Even stood still, not moving. The sword strike hit his shoulder. Without armor, the skin was cut, and blood came out. There was intense pain, but Even did not scream. He felt the pain and let it flow through his body.
The bandit was surprised. "What's the matter? Are you a stone?"
Even didn't answer. He thought of his own world, where he couldn't move. Here, he felt how light his body was. He kicked the bandit in the stomach with all his strength.
Due to the low gravity, that kick was much more powerful than a normal one. The bandit screamed and was thrown at least feet away, groaning on the ground.
The rest of the bandits were stunned. Where did this weak kid get such strength?
The second bandit came to hit Even on the head with his club. Even moved his head aside this time. His speed was incredibly fast. Because of the low gravity, he easily dodged the bandit's attack.
When Vasco used to punch him, Even noticed how Vasco moved his hands and how he shifted his body weight. Unknowingly, he had picked up some boxing moves. Today, he started using those moves.
He grabbed the hand holding the bandit's club and used his body weight to slam the bandit onto the ground. The bandit fell and lost consciousness.
The third bandit got scared and tried to back away, but Even didn't let him go. He jumped and stood in front of the bandit. His jump was beyond a normal human's imagination, at least five or six feet high.
He slapped the bandit hard on the cheek. That slap, mixed with low gravity and Even's internal hunger, broke the bandit's teeth and left him bleeding. He spun his head like a horse and fell to the ground.
Henderson stared at Even with his mouth open. He couldn't believe that this weak boy could cause such havoc. This scene was flipping all the calculations of his business mind.
But that havoc was short-lived. After taking down the last bandit, a terrible emptiness formed inside Even's body. Instantly, his nerves began to rebel. The adrenaline and gravity tricks that made him feel strong seemed to vanish like smoke. His hands and legs started trembling violently, and darkness clouded his vision. The intense hunger he had forgotten in the excitement was now biting his stomach like fire.
Even's body gave up. He lost his balance and leaned forward. Just as he was about to crash onto the stony ground, a strong and rough hand caught him.
Alfred straightened him up, letting him lean on his own body. Alfred's grave voice drifted into Even's ears, but his consciousness was hazy. He couldn't quite put the words together.
"You might not be just some ordinary kid found on the road," Alfred whispered. Instead of suspicion, there was now a type of curiosity in his eyes.
Even turned his gaze slightly and saw the bandit leader sitting on his knees a few feet away. There was a massive wound in his chest armor, from which blood was pouring. Fresh blood was dripping from the tip of Alfred's sword onto the ground.
Alfred then let out a terrifying roar. That raspy sound echoed across the entire battlefield.
"Enough games!" Alfred turned directly toward Merchant Henderson. There was now a hard business look in his eyes. "Mr. Henderson, the situation is out of hand. If you agree to give us a good bonus, only then will I wipe out the existence of this entire bandit group right now."
Henderson was still trembling. Gasping for breath, he asked, "What... what do you want?"
"Fifty percent of the proceeds from the Red Viper hide sale must go to our party," Alfred proposed. "Only if the money is paid will there be a real fight here. Otherwise, according to our security contract, we can retreat with you, but we have no obligation to finish off these bandits."
Merchant Henderson realized that to save his life, he had to give up his greed for wealth. He quickly nodded and shouted, "I agree! Fifty percent it is! Just finish these animals!"
As soon as the deal was finalized, a demonic smile appeared on the faces of the adventure party. Until now, they were only protecting themselves, but now they were on the hunt.
Alfred moved Even aside and left him in Henderson's care. Then, swinging his sword, he advanced toward the bandit group. Sara and Thorgrim also lunged with their full power.
The next few minutes were nothing but one-sided destruction. With every strike of Alfred's sword, the bandits' limbs were severed. Each arrow from Sara's bow pierced through two or three bandits at once. Thorgrim's axe crushed the surrounding trees and the bandits' heads equally. Sorcerer Eldric raised his staff and began throwing fireballs, which blocked the bandits' escape routes.
The entire bandit group was wiped out within minutes. The leader, who thought himself invincible, had his head severed from his body and thrown far away by Alfred's final blow.
Now, there was only the smell of blood and silence in the field. Even was panting, sitting on a broken piece of wood from Henderson's carriage. Not a single drop of energy remained in his body.