Surrounded

He soon took an interest in a flock of sheep a father and son were selling. Though he knew nothing about market prices, he had no intention of bothering to haggle.

As it happened, he needed these sheep to placate the three dragons, so the moment the father and son named their price, Redd agreed.

At the prospect of receiving a few Gold Dragons, they practically treated Redd like their own father, even enthusiastically pressing two sturdy, handsome long whips into his hands.

Redd counted out five Gold Dragons and set them on the stall. The father and son stared, thanking him over and over.

They taught him how to herd the sheep and gave him directions, afraid of slighting this generous "benefactor."

Redd had acquired over a hundred fat, sturdy sheep, a substantial addition to the three dragons' food supply for the days ahead.

He casually picked up one of the long whips, felt the resilience of its lash, and flicked it with a sharp crack.

He began driving the incessantly bleating flock toward the city gates.

These sheep would feed the three dragons for a while.

He herded them toward the dense forest where the dragons had landed earlier.

At first, the fresh woodland air, birdsong, and clean scent of pine resin allowed Redd's taut nerves to relax a little.

But the deeper he went into the forest, the dimmer the light became. His surroundings grew frighteningly quiet, and even the birdsong disappeared.

Suddenly, Redd felt his movements slowing, as though a slow-motion player had been installed inside his body. Everything around him became blurred and distant.

He stopped abruptly and looked around, discovering that at least several dozen burly men armed with swords, blades, and spears had surrounded him!

Their fleshy faces twitched, their eyes vicious, their expressions practically shouting "don't mess with me" as they encircled Redd and the panicking sheep.

Redd's heart sank, and a chill instantly shot through his entire body.

He could hardly believe how slow he had been!

These men had clearly been following him for quite some time. Even as he entered the market, bought the sheep, and left the city, they had been silently trailing behind him.

Yet he had only noticed now, after they had completely surrounded him!

It felt awful. He felt like a complete fool!

He forced himself to calm down and tightened his grip on the long whip.

His sharp gaze swept over these men, who were clearly mercenaries or bandits, as he prepared for the trouble ahead.

Surrounded by these several dozen men who had suddenly appeared, Redd would have been lying if he said he was not nervous.

Cold sweat instantly soaked his back. Even the air around him seemed to have frozen, carrying a suffocating pressure.

But he was certainly not the sort to panic the moment something happened, especially after the brutal battles he had fought against those cursed creatures.

He had long since learned to remain calm in the most dangerous situations.

Slowly and steadily, he took the heavy shield off his back, then drew the longsword at his waist.

He gripped the two weapons tightly, one in each hand, his knuckles whitening slightly with the force.

His eyes were sharp as a hawk's as he scanned every person in the encirclement, without the slightest sign of retreat.

The mercenaries or bandits might previously have looked down on Redd for his youth and ragged clothing.

But after witnessing his astonishing strength when he lifted that heavy pack one-handed in the tavern, none of them dared be careless now.

The leader who had noticed how he paid his bill in the tavern was especially wary.

They tightened their grips on their swords, blades, and spears. Their edges reflected a cold, dangerous gleam in the dim light filtering through the gaps in the trees.

The burly older man at their head, whose beard was streaked with gray, strode forward a few steps on thick legs. Keeping some distance from Redd, he barked:

"Young man! Leave all your Gold Dragons, your weapons, and these damned cattle and sheep!

We guarantee you'll leave here unharmed!"

At this, a trace of cold mockery appeared on Redd's face, and he retorted:

"Leave my weapons? If you go back on your word, I won't have any way to fight back.

I may be young, but I'm not that stupid."

Redd's words made the burly older man's face turn livid. A vicious glint flashed in his eyes. Clearly displeased by Redd's defiance, he answered savagely:

"Enough nonsense, boy! Do as you're told! That's what you ought to do!

Otherwise, you'll die a horrible death! We won't mind killing one more brat like you!"

His words were full of menace. The atmosphere instantly grew even more tense, and the air itself seemed about to catch fire.

Redd knew these men had clearly set their sights on the wealth and strength he had displayed earlier, especially those Gold Dragons.

For men like them, who lived on the edge of a blade, the temptation was simply too great.

A clash seemed inevitable.

From that brief exchange, and especially the undisguised viciousness in the burly older man's reply, Redd immediately reached a judgment:

These men had never intended to let him leave.

Their earlier promise to "leave your things and we'll let you go" had merely been a lie meant to lull him into letting down his guard and make it easier for them to strike.

He watched coldly as they slowly tightened their encirclement, while also noticing that they were deliberately blocking the sheep.

They would not let him approach the perimeter. Their intent was obvious-to trap him in the middle of hundreds of panicked, milling sheep and strip him of any chance of breaking out.

The sheep would hamper his steps, making every movement slow and difficult, let alone allowing him to break through quickly.

Redd swiftly looked around, carefully examining their equipment.

Fortunately, he saw no sign of bows or crossbows. That was good news, at least: for now, he would not have to worry about a deadly arrow suddenly flying at him from behind.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm, while issuing a command to the system in his mind.

He activated the medical repair function and set it to automatic mode, ready to repair any injuries that might occur.

A fight was probably unavoidable.

His gaze fixed on the burly older man-the leader of these men, and the person he judged most likely to make the final decisions.

The best way to deal with someone like that was to cut the ground out from under them by taking his head directly!

Redd's gaze hardened, and he made his decision.

Without further hesitation, he drew a sudden, deep breath, then, like a cheetah poised to spring,

he charged straight at the nearest sheep, slamming his shoulder hard into the fat animals blocking his path.

By sheer force, he battered a narrow passage through the chaotic flock.

His target was clear-the burly older man!

With his current strength, Redd could absolutely overpower an ordinary burly man.

He believed that if he launched a surprise attack at his greatest speed and caught their leader off guard, killing him,

the resulting chaos would surely buy him a chance to survive, or even an opportunity to turn defeat into victory.