“How long do we need to go?” I asked, when we returned to the road. After eating the food that the old lady gave us, we went to find the place where goblins were camping.

Or that’s what Mikori has told me.

“Don’t worry Ryan, it’s near.” she said, and continued walking before me. For some reason she was still playing with her shovel.

We walked like this for another ten minutes, and after that we turned right. As we walked among the trees in the forest, I heard some weird noises.

“Bu, Bu Argh!” someone said in a squeaky way. It sounded weird, like a male voice put through some program.

“Shh Ryan, don’t make too much noise. They are here.” Mikori said, and pointed at small figures that were dancing among the trees. They were maybe two hundred meters before us.

Small, green figures, with ugly faces, big bellies, and small, black eyes. I couldn’t count how many of them were there.

“They are pretty small.” I said, and the girl looked at me.

“They are, but don’t be deceived. Those little devils have beaten me many times.”

Beaten?

“Anyway Ryan, we need to find my hidden stash of spikes. After that we will dig a hole near it.” she said, and we moved away from the goblins, making sure that they don’t hear us.

“Now that I saw them, they are really ugly aren’t they?”

“You see?! I hate them. They look weird, they stink, and when they hit you with their little sticks, it really hurts. I hate them so much.” Mikori replied, with a weird passion.

I decided not to continue this topic, and I just followed her. We were walking for some time, and we finally approached a small clearing. There, on the ground were carved wooden spikes, maybe half a meter long each.

“Do we need that many?” I asked, as I looked at the twenty wooden spikes that were laying there. Each one of them was thick, and well done.

“Dunno.” was the only response. She really had too much time.

“Anyway Mikori, do we really need to do that? I know that I told you, that I will help you, but our work isn’t that bad, is it? I mean, I haven’t even worked for one day, but we are paid a normal amount of money. There is no reason to risk getting bruises.” I said, and she looked at me.

“Ryan, this isn’t about the money. This is about my honor as an adventurer. I’m here to show them, that I’m no longer scared of them, and you said that you will help me.”

Ehhh…

“So… Let’s start digging?” I asked, and she nodded vigorously.

I put the basket on the ground, and grabbed the shovel with both of my hands. After that I approached the place she pointed, and started digging. The ground was a little wetter there, so it was easier to dig, but it was still tiresome. Of course, Mikori didn’t wait much, and she started helping me.

As I worked, I noticed that this was harder than being a slave for Eri. Did I make a good choice? Am I really just a big idiot? How big is this hole even supposed to be?

“Hey, Mikori. I have one question.” I asked after ten minutes of digging.

“W-What is it Ryan?” she said with a tired voice, as she raised a shovel full of earth.

“How big is this hole supposed to be?”

“It’s supposed to be big. Don’t stop till I say something.”

Can’t she be more precise? I see that the spikes are half a meter long each, so the hole is probably going to be meter deep, but how long is it going to be? How wide?

I raised another shovel. After that I raised another one, and another one. It was probably the worst thing I have even been doing. How much strength do I have again? Three? Oh man, this is just the work for me. I always wanted to work like that!

“M-Mikori… Let’s stop for today…” I said with tired voice, after an hour of digging.

“N-No! We need to do it today! I need to have me revenge!”

Are you even a teenage girl? You shouldn’t speak about revenge so slightly. Revenge is when you get to bully someone, that sent you to a new world with a glass of water. With a glass of water…

Wait! With a glass of water?!

“Mikori! We didn’t take anything to drink did we?!” I shouted, and her hands trembled.

“A-And what? Are you thirsty? Y-You will drink when we come back.”

“No, no, no! I’m thirsty Mikori! I want to drink some water! I want to have a glass of…” I decided not end this sentence. The last time I have said it, I was cheated by a very bad woman.

“Ryan… If you… don’t shut up… then I will tell the old lady… that you... “ oh no, did she heard our conversation back then? Is she going to blackmail me? Is she going to tell the old lady, that I wanted to do something really creepy to her?! “bullied me…” she said, and took a deep breath.

Okay, never mind.

“But Mikori, what do you want me to do? I’m thirsty!”

“Just dig! I’m thirsty too!”

“But that was your idea Mikori! You are supposed to…” I stopped speaking, because she looked at me with angry eyes. A shovel in her hands looked now really scary.

“You will pay for this.” I thought to myself, as I thrusted mine into the ground.

Someone is going to pay for this. If not this goddess that sent me here, then those goblins. Yeah, it’s all because of those goblins! Wait… I speak like this one girl that is now working beside me. Am I going crazy?

What am I even going to do, after we will dig this hole? Am I really going to run away from goblins, to lure them here? Is it a good plan? Am I going to be beaten?

As I was thinking about those things, the hole was getting bigger, and the day was coming to an end. Finally, the sun almost disappeared from the sky, and we were only illuminated by its weak, red light, as it was setting.

“Woah… hoo… It’s r-ready…” she said, as she looked at the hole. It was meter deep, and two meters wide, and long.

“Y-Yeah…” I just replied, trying to take a breath. It took us too much time, and I don’t even think that twenty spikes will fit in there.

I looked at the hole. For some reason I felt proud. Have I become that stupid? Being proud because of a hole? Are those the feelings of a proud father? Am I a father?

“I will take care of our child Mikori…” I said, and she looked at me disgusted “Anyway, we aren’t going to lure the goblins today, aren’t we? It’s late, and it would be dangerous to leave a hole full of spikes alone.” when I stopped speaking, she looked at me.

“Yeah, you are probably right. Let’s leave it for now, and we will come back some other day. Then I will have my vengeance.” she said, and she grabbed her shovel stronger.

I don’t want to know what those goblins did to you. Anyway, it’s good that we can come back now. I’m thirsty, tired, and hungry. I just want to rest, and…

“Bu, Bu Argh!”

No. No way. It’s not happening.

“Bu, Bu Argh! Argh! Ru! Arara!”

It can’t be happening.

“Look Ryan! They came to us! Grab your shovel, and fight for your life.” Mikori said, and smiled.

Fight for your life? Are you serious? If you are, then why are you smiling? Is it the good moment to be so smug? Weren’t you scared of them anyway?

“Listen to me Mikori! It’s late now, so they might not see the hole! Just go after me!” I shouted, and ran towards the edge of our child.

“O-Okay…” she just replied disappointed, and went after me.

The goblins came from the forest. There were maybe eight of them. Small, ugly goblins. They smelled like rotten food, and they bellies were weirdly big. When they looked at us, they started screaming.

“Bu! Bu! Argh! Ara! Uru!”

In their hands only small sticks. In their eyes lust for blood. Are we even going to survive?

“Bu! Argh! Ara! Uru!” one of them shouted, and ran towards us. We didn’t cover the hole or anything, so we just decided to trust in their stupidity. If they were smart, then we were going to be beaten.

It’s good that they were stupid.

“Bu?! Argh! Ara?! Urur?!” they shouted, as each one of them started falling into our hole.

“Bu! Argh! Ara!!”

Well, they are really angry. But they are too small, to get out from it. Their thin hands couldn't even rise their bodies out of this hole. I looked at them and smiled.

It’s good, when something finally goes as you planned it. Even if they were throwing their sticks at us now.

“No! We didn’t put any spikes in it! It’s too early!” Mikori shouted, as she looked at the goblins that were now screaming at us.

When I thought about her words, I could only think about one thing.

Is she stupid?

I approached one of the spikes that she made, and I grabbed it. After that I walked towards the hole, where goblins were still shouting with anger. I looked one of them in the eyes, and after that I pierced him.

Oh no! Don’t think that I am a bad person. Those are just monsters, and they wanted to beat me. I wouldn’t do anything like that to another human being. I need every point of experience in this world that I was sent to, and it's all because of some girl that gave me only a glass of water.

When Mikori saw what I was doing, she smiled and grabbed one spike for herself. For some reason, goblins weren’t screaming with anger now, but they were rather cowering in fear.

“Haha! Look Ryan! I told you that I will have my revenge! Didn’t I?!” she said, as she pierced another one.

Is she a psychopath or something?

Anyway, when the goblin was killed, he would turn into a small, white crystal. This crystal wasn’t bigger than a small rock, and you could grab ten of them with one hand, without any problems.

It didn’t take us long to take care of every goblin that we catched, and after that we gathered the crystals that were inside the hole.

“What are those things?” I asked, and she looked at me puzzled.

“They are the proof that you killed a monster. What did you think? That we were going to take their heads to the guild?” Mikori replied and laughed.

Well, I had a thought like this.

“Anyway, I’m going home, and I don’t care what you are going to say. We did what we were supposed to do, and I want to sleep.” I said, and she looked at me.

“Yeah, you are probably right. Anyway, I’m glad you helped me. I thought that I will never become a true adventurer.” she said with a big smile.

“Yeah, yeah… I don’t care.” I replied, and sighed. Is it considered being a real adventurer? Is killing helpless goblins in a hole, using a wooden spike, considered being a real adventurer.

“Anyway, how much is a crystal like this worth?” I asked, and her response was as I expected.

“Dunno.”