Raymond could barely hold the heavy sword in his bleeding right hand as he searched for a way to deal with the last three goblins chasing him. But no brilliant idea came to mind. In his current condition, turning around and engaging them in open combat with his sword was far too dangerous—his injury had drained all strength from his wrist, and the weapon trembled as if it would slip from his grasp at any moment.
The person running beside him was also completely exhausted. The more blood he lost, the slower his movements became, and his legs increasingly tangled with one another.
"Damn it! If I don't think of something fast, both of us will end up as monster food and die in this dark forest," Raymond thought, feeling tremendous pressure.
At that very moment of despair, his eyes landed on a suspicious pile of leaves near an old tree ahead on the path. The sight looked very familiar—it was the exact same cunning two-layer trap he had fallen into earlier and barely escaped from! Seeing that the goblins were intelligent enough to set territorial traps even in this part of the forest, a cold smile appeared on Raymond's face.
He instantly knew what to do and urgently spoke to the person beside him:
"Do you see that pile of leaves ahead? We're heading straight there! When I shout 'Jump,' leap as high as you can from the left side of that spot, understand?"
"Okay..." the other person replied, nodding with all the strength he had left. At this point, he had completely entrusted himself to Raymond.
The distance closed within seconds.
They were almost at the hidden danger zone. One more step and they would reach the edge of the narrow pit concealed beneath grass and dry leaves.
"JUMP!!!" Raymond shouted at the top of his lungs.
Raymond and his companion simultaneously leaped to the right side of the trap with all their strength. The three goblins chasing them had focused solely on how close their prey was and noticed the unexpected obstacle and sudden jump far too late.
The next events unfolded so quickly that all three goblins fell straight into their own trap with a loud crash.
After reaching safety, Raymond and his companion staggered forward a few more steps before stopping to catch their breath. When they looked back, the forest seemed strangely peaceful, as if the frantic chase had never happened. Only a large hole remained where the pile of leaves had been.
Carefully approaching the edge of the pit, Raymond peered inside.
The trapped goblins were climbing over one another, screeching furiously and clawing desperately in an attempt to escape. However, the pit was both narrow and deep—reaching up to Raymond's shoulder—and even by standing on each other's shoulders, they couldn't climb out easily.
Looking down, Raymond gritted his teeth from pain but smirked mockingly.
"Stupid monsters... you fell into your own trap," he said quietly.
He didn't leave things at that.
Scanning the area, Raymond found several long, sturdy pieces of wood nearby. He laid them across the pit and then covered them with dry leaves.
"Goodbye."
After tossing the last branches on top, he spread dirt over the surface until it looked as though no pit had ever existed there.
The trap had now become the goblins' grave.
From below came only their furious and helpless screams.
Holding his injured right arm tightly, Raymond walked over and sat beside his exhausted companion, who was resting against the base of a tree.
To stabilize his condition, he immediately opened the System interface.
After the recent battle and level-up, he had accumulated a total of seventeen coins. Without wasting any time, Raymond entered the System Shop and spent two coins on two fast-acting healing elixirs.
"Here, drink this. Your wounds will heal quickly. But I'll warn you—the pain when the medicine takes effect is unbelievably intense," he said while handing over one of the bottles.
The two of them drank their healing potions simultaneously.
Moments later, the elixir began working.
A massive swelling appeared on Raymond's right arm, and agonizing pain surged through it as if his flesh were being burned alive. He clenched his jaw and gritted his teeth, barely enduring the torment.
Finally, after several seconds, the pain vanished completely.
The wound closed without leaving even a scar, and his skin returned to normal.
His companion appeared to have endured the same suffering. Tears formed in his eyes as he groaned in pain.
When the agony ended, the deep wound on his abdomen had completely healed as well.
However, the crimson bloodstains covering his clothes remained as grim evidence of the fierce battle.
Once the situation calmed down, Raymond decided to ask a question that had been bothering him.
"Miss, if it's not a secret, may I know your name?" he asked softly.
The beautiful person sitting opposite him stared at Raymond in utter confusion, as though she had heard something incomprehensible.
"My name is Miguel. And why have you been calling me 'Miss' this whole time? The situation was too dangerous earlier, and we were facing death, so I didn't bother bringing it up."
"M-Miguel?" Raymond froze in shock, his eyes widening. "But... but you're a woman. That's why I called you Miss. Though your name is strange—Miguel is definitely a man's name..." he said, biting his lip to suppress his laughter.
"Who said I'm a woman?! Just because I have long black hair, you assumed that? I'm actually a man! I simply like growing my hair long!" Miguel replied angrily, trying to appear masculine.
In an instant, everything became clear in Raymond's mind.
This was either another cruel joke by the System or some sort of error. Both of them had lost many things when they arrived in this world.
"Then... could you lend me that shield you're holding?" Raymond asked, his face reddening as he struggled to contain his amusement.
Miguel looked puzzled but handed over the iron shield.
Raymond took it and raised its smooth, polished surface toward Miguel's face like a mirror.
"See for yourself."
The moment Miguel saw his reflection, his entire body froze.
He couldn't believe his eyes.
With trembling delicate hands, he touched his soft cheeks and facial features.
But the reflection staring back at him was undeniably that of an extraordinarily beautiful and refined woman.
"What happened to me?! Why... why do I look like a woman?!" he shouted, only now realizing how high-pitched and melodious his own voice sounded.
"This is a game world. If you remember, there was a character selection process before we entered. It happened automatically. I think that's why your gender changed," Raymond explained.
Miguel was struck by yet another wave of shock.
His expression darkened immediately.
"Yeah... I remember. The System said something before we entered, but I thought it was just an ordinary game, so I didn't pay much attention..." he replied, his voice trembling.
At that exact moment, Miguel's eyes suddenly widened once more.
A horrifying realization struck him.
His body turned cold as he slowly reached between his legs to check.
There was nothing there.
Not a trace remained of the male anatomy he had always possessed.
Overwhelmed with panic, Miguel began opening his clothes to verify what he was feeling.
Seeing this, Raymond's face turned bright red with embarrassment, and he quickly turned away.
"Hey! What are you doing?! Aren't you ashamed?!" Raymond shouted while facing the opposite direction.
"I told you already—I'm a man!" Miguel yelled defensively. "W-Where did the most important part of me go?!" he cried out, his voice echoing through the forest. "Back then, we ran into goblins immediately, and I was so busy trying to survive that I never even noticed... How am I supposed to return to normal now? Tell me, how?!"
Miguel looked at Raymond with desperate hope.
"How should I know? Ask the System, not me," Raymond replied, finally managing to stop himself from laughing and attempting to sound serious.
"What System?" Miguel asked, staring at him in confusion.
In his current state, Miguel looked incredibly beautiful and delicate. Even his angry frown seemed strangely charming.
But Raymond knew who Miguel truly was inside—a man.
Because of that, he paid no attention to Miguel's appearance.
The only thing he felt toward his companion was sympathy.
"The System is a virtual interface that assists every player by providing quests, levels, and various functions. To open it, simply imagine the System panel appearing in your mind or issue the command mentally," Raymond explained.