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Surviving in a F*cked-Up Fantasy World Chapter 5

Intrusion

“Approach without breaking.”

 

The voices from outside crept closer, crossing the courtyard with caution, until they were right before me.

 

“I sense something unusual.”
“Let’s deal with it quietly and move on.”

 

These cold-blooded intruders.
Were they planning to kill even the guard dog?

 

Unfortunately for them, I’m no dog.

 

I took a moment to steady my breathing, preparing to spring out in a single motion.

 

“Take care of it…”

 

At that moment, as the nearest shadow emerged—

 

Kwak-!

 

“Guh…!”

 

I lunged, sinking my teeth into their neck in an instant.

 

And then—

 

Snap—

 

With a sharp twist, I broke it.

The familiar sensation of ending a life returned, but after spending so much time in peace, it left an unsettling taste.

Scanning my surroundings, I took stock of the situation.

 

“Someone’s here!”
“Take them down!”

 

My eyes locked onto masked figures—clearly assassins or kidnappers judging by their appearance.

 

…Quite a few of them.

Dealing with scum like this is a peculiar change after facing those proud, brawny gladiators who’d openly challenge me in the Colosseum.

 

Still, my instincts told me there wasn’t anyone among them with exceptional skill.

 

Of course, this situation wasn’t ideal—one against many, without the use of Aura.

 

But that only made the rush more intoxicating.

 

In the Colosseum, I hated the eyes and cheers of the spectators.

 

Whoosh—!

 

“They’re coming!”
“Take him down all at once!”

 

But the brutal fights for survival… those were seared into my brain as a primal thrill.

 

Crunch.

I grabbed one masked figure by the head with an open hand.

 

Then, using a dagger I had taken from the first one I killed, I stabbed them in the neck.

 

“Guh!”

 

Good, that’s two down.

 

Whoosh!

I narrowly dodged another dagger slicing through the air.

 

Then—

 

Thud—

 

“Monster…!”

 

I hurled the corpse I had just dispatched to create confusion, then charged at the nearest masked figure.

 

There were too many of them. I needed to stay in constant motion.

 

Of course, I could just scream and alert everyone here, ending this immediately.

But that would mean fewer spoils for me, wouldn’t it?

 

In the Colosseum, killing more monsters during group battles earned extra rewards.

 

And here, this is the residence a noble lady said to be the kingdom’s finest.

 

Even a slave might gain some sort of reward for this, right?

 

Thwack—

 

The sound of a sharp dagger piercing my abdomen reached my ears.

It was a surprise attack by someone who appeared to be their leader.

 

Hah…”

 

Smack!

 

I suppressed the pain with a breath and struck the masked leader with my elbow.

 

A paralytic poison, huh?
My limbs tingled faintly.

 

“Now we finish this.”
“…Sorry to disappoint.”

 

It’s a shame, but poisons don’t work well on me.

Perhaps it’s a side effect of the drugs I was fed, or maybe it’s just my natural constitution.

 

Even the poisons used by the monsters in the Colosseum never fazed me.

 

And pain? I’m just as used to that.

 

Crack!

I smashed the head of another charging masked figure, shattering it completely.

 

“This monster…!”
“There’s no time! Everyone, attack!”

 

The one consolation was that they were the desperate ones.

If they had taken their time hunting me, things might have gotten annoying.

 

And so—

 

The dark garden became my makeshift arena for a blood-soaked battle.

 

*

 

A while later.

 

“Guh… cough! You monster…!”

 

The last remaining masked leader collapsed, blood pouring from his mouth.

 

Hahhah…”

 

Fighting again after so long really drained me.

 

Thud.

 

I sat down on the blood-stained ground, thinking I’d better stop the bleeding from the many holes puncturing my body.

 

But.

 

Clap. Clap. Clap.

 

A slow clap echoed from the darkness.

 

“Well done.”

 

“…Seems like I had an audience.”

 

Emerging from the shadows was none other than the butler of this mansion.

What was his name again?

Oh, right.

 

“Lowell, isn’t it?”
“So, the young lady even shared my name with you. More importantly, why didn’t you call for help?”

 

…Had he already figured out what was happening?
Of course, that old man wouldn’t miss something like this.

 

“Well, making a fuss would have woken the young lady, wouldn’t it?”

 

As I spoke, I tore strips from my ruined clothes to wrap around my wounds.
Pity—these were expensive-looking clothes, but they were full of holes anyway.

 

“And the real reason?”
“If you’re not going to believe me, why ask? I just figured someone might toss me a blanket or something.”

 

The ground is uncomfortably hard, after all.
Come to think of it, don’t dogs usually get cushions or mats to lie on?

 

The young lady’s kindness was genuine, but her youthful inexperience left certain gaps in her care.

 

“Well, I suppose that’s wise. The Boyd family is very particular about rewards and punishments.”
“…If that’s the case, I’m glad.”

 

Good to know. If Lowell vouched for it, I could trust him.

 

“I’ll take you to get treated. Follow me.”
“Understood.”

 

The blood loss was worse than I’d thought, and the poison was starting to make my hands and feet go numb.

 

 

“This is…”
“There was an intruder.”
“Ah.”

 

The mansion, being both vast and well-staffed, had a basic medical facility.
There, I stripped off my tattered clothes and sat in front of a healer.

 

“What on earth… all these scars…”
“Yeah, well…”

 

My body, except for my face, was covered in scars from head to toe.

Some gladiators considered them marks of honor, but to me, they were just unsightly blemishes.

 

“Let’s clean the wounds first…”

 

The healer pressed a hot towel to my injuries, applied some mysterious ointments, then stitched and bandaged me up.

 

Far better than that quack in the Colosseum.

 

“Don’t you want to know why the intruders came?”

 

Lowell asked as I sat there calmly receiving treatment.

 

“…Does a guard dog need to know that?”

 

He stared at me for a moment, his gaze unwavering.

 

Then, with a faint smile, he remarked.

 

“Loyal, aren’t you?”

 

With those cryptic words, he turned and started to leave.

 

“I’ll go assist with the cleanup.”

 

Cleanup, huh?
…So he’d already called for reinforcements before coming here.

 

It made sense—there was no way he’d just leave the scene unattended and follow me without any precautions.

 

“Oh, by the way, the leader of the masked intruders is still alive.”
“Oh? Really?”
“Yeah. He won’t be waking up anytime soon, though.”

 

I wasn’t exactly skilled at holding back, but at least this time, I hadn’t killed him. P

robably.

 

“Well then, rest up.”

 

With that, Lowell left, his gaze lingering on me with a subtle shift in perception.

 

Hah…”

“W-Wait, don’t fall asleep!”

 

The exhaustion from the fight caught up to me, and before I knew it, I had passed out mid-treatment.

 

*

 

…When I opened my eyes, I found myself staring at a familiar ceiling.

The ceiling of my usual doghouse.

 

“Ugh…”

 

So they’d treated me and brought me back here.
They even dressed me properly over the bandages.

 

But then—

 

“Oh…”

 

The floor beneath me felt soft.
Looking down, I realized a large cushion had been placed inside the kennel.

 

…Talk about quick feedback.
Lowell truly was efficient.

 

My opinion of him rose a notch.

 

“Puppy!”

 

A familiar voice called out from outside the kennel.

 

The young lady had arrived.

 

Like the obedient “puppy” I was supposed to be, I stepped out to greet her.

 

“You’re here, young lady.”

“I heard you caught the thieves!”
“…I suppose I did.”

 

Thieves? Oh, right.
They were thieves, though what they were stealing was people, not possessions.

 

“Well done!”

 

Pat Pat.

 

Unaware of the intruders’ true intentions, the young lady beamed, her face bright with genuine joy as she ruffled my hair.

 

The young lady patted my head with a bright face.

 

…It felt odd. This child, younger than me, treating me as if I were an exceptionally clever pet.

 

“My lady, shouldn’t he be rewarded for his efforts?”

 

Lowell, standing beside her, suggested smoothly.

 

“You’re right! We should give him a reward!”

 

‘Nice.’

 

As expected of the old man—he always followed through on his promises.

 

“Puppy, is there anything you want?”

 

Something I want…?

There’s too much to even begin listing.

 

Training gear, perhaps, or at the very least, removing this collar for three hours a day.
After all, I’d taken a beating, with daggers piercing me left and right. Shouldn’t I ask for something substantial for my efforts?

 

“Well, I’d like—”

 

But before I could voice my request, an unsettling sensation washed over me.

Something felt off.

 

What was this sudden feeling?

 

I glanced at the young lady standing before me.

The same innocent demeanor as always, her crimson—

 

“…Just give me snacks more often.”

 

—Eyes.

 

Yes.

Those ruby-like eyes.

 

They glowed faintly, just as they had when she first approached me with her proposition.

 

“Snacks? Sure!”

 

Right.
What else would a “puppy” ask for but walks or treats?

 

Things like wooden swords, extra training time, or anything beyond the simple desires of a dog…

 

Puppy doesn’t want that.

 

Lowell, standing nearby, gave me a curious look, as if questioning my choice.
But my instincts screamed that this was the correct answer.

 

The same instincts that had saved my life countless times in the Colosseum.

 

“Then I’ll go get some snacks!”

 

Excitedly, the young lady dashed off, her footsteps light and cheerful.

 

“Go slowly, young lady!”

 

The servants in the mansion followed her.

 

But…

 

“…Aren’t you going with her?”

 

The old man, who always shadowed her, remained where he was, watching me with an unreadable expression.

 

“Why did you refuse a proper reward like that?”

 

Clearly, my decision puzzled him.

I couldn’t fully explain it myself, but—

 

“…I just had the feeling that anything else would upset the young lady.”

 

That was the best explanation I could offer for my gut instinct.

 

Lowell stared at me as if he didn’t quite believe my reasoning.

 

“Well, if you say so.”

 

Whoosh.

Then, with a quick motion, he tossed something at me.

 

I caught it—it was a key.
The exact kind that could unlock the collar around my neck.

 

“When the young lady isn’t around, you may remove that collar.”
“What?”
“And starting tomorrow, come to me during the young lady’s lesson hours.”

 

His words left me blinking in confusion.
What did he mean by that?

 

“Boredom can be suffocating, don’t you think? I’ll give you something to do to stretch those muscles.”

 

Unexpectedly, it was exactly what I had hoped to hear.

 

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Surviving in a F*cked-Up Fantasy World

Surviving in a F*cked-Up Fantasy World

Surviving in a Damned Fantasy World, 망할 판타지 세상에서 살아남기
Score 7
Status: Ongoing Type: Author: Released: 2024 Native Language: Korean
The world I was reincarnated in was too f*cked up to be a fantasy world.

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