I'm Trying To Go Broke, So Why Do I Keep Getting Richer?!-Chapter 223: Intentional trail

There was only one option. He had to take the guard down. Swiftly. Silently.

Leo lowered his center of gravity, ignoring the white-hot flare of pain in his calf. He waited until a heavy merchant cart rattled down a nearby street, the clattering of wooden wheels masking his footsteps.

With a rush of adrenaline, Leo pushed off his good leg and lunged out of the shadows.

He crossed the ten feet of open ground in a fraction of a second. The goblin’s large, pointed ears twitched. It started to turn, its yellow eyes widening, its mouth opening to raise an alarm.

Leo didn’t hesitate. He slammed his left hand clamped completely over the goblin’s mouth, the coarse, leathery skin scraping his palm.

At the exact same moment, his right hand shot out, grabbing the wooden shaft of the spear just below the blade, preventing the guard from bringing the weapon to bear.

The goblin’s eyes flared with murderous rage. It was terrifyingly strong. Even caught off guard, the creature’s muscles bunched like coiled steel wire. It drove its elbow backward, slamming into Leo’s ribs with the force of a battering ram.

Leo’s breath left him momentarily as he was struck, but he didn’t let go. If the goblin made a single sound, Leo was dead.

Using his momentum, Leo drove his full body weight forward, slamming the goblin back against the rough stone of the archway.

The impact rattled the creature, but it didn’t drop the spear. Instead, the goblin twisted violently, its sharp claws digging into Leo’s wrist, drawing hot streams of blood.

The spear shaft trembled between them as the goblin tried to wrench it free to impale him. Leo’s injured leg buckled slightly under the intense physical struggle. He was losing the contest of strength.

Desperation took over. Releasing his grip on the spear shaft, Leo snaked his right arm around the front of the goblin’s neck, sinking the crook of his elbow deeply into its throat to crush its windpipe.

His left hand remained over the creature’s mouth, smothering its frantic, muffled groans.

The goblin dropped the spear. It clattered against the stone wall. Freeing its hands, the creature reached back, clawing desperately at Leo’s face, tearing into his cheek and shoulder.

Leo squeezed his arm with everything he had, cutting off the blood flow and air completely. He leaned his weight backward, dragging the thrashing goblin down to the cobblestones to keep them out of the dim light.

The creature bucked wildly, its boots scraping against the ground, fighting with a terrifying ferocity. Leo shut his eyes, ignoring the pain of the claws tearing his skin, ignoring the burning in his own lungs, and just squeezed.

Ten seconds. Twenty. The struggle felt like an eternity.

Slowly, the frantic thrashing began to weaken. The goblin’s claws slipped from Leo’s shoulders, its hands dropping uselessly to the dirt. A final, violent tremble racked its body, and then the sentry went entirely limp.

Leo held the choke for another full minute, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. Only when he was absolutely certain the goblin was unconscious, or dead, he didn’t care to check, did he finally let go.

He collapsed onto his back in the shadows, gasping for air, his chest heaving. His arm was bleeding, his ribs ached profoundly, and his leg was on fire.

But he was alive. And he had won.

Pushing himself up with a groan, Leo glanced at the spear on the ground. He snatched it up. The smooth wood and heavy steel felt reassuring in his bloodied hands.

Just to be sure, he stabbed the spear in the goblin’s chest to ensure that he had died.

Without looking back at the sprawling, hostile city of demihumans, Leo slipped through the gates and vanished into the dark, welcoming cover of the forest.

This time, he didn’t stop anywhere. He didn’t search for water, at least not feeling as thirsty as the time he had left the dungeon.

He wasn’t sure how far away it was from the dungeon, but he really hoped that he was at least walking in the right direction.

At first, he thought that he would take help from the people of this world to find his way back, but now it had become clear that he was probably at the bottom of the food chain in this world.

If he wanted to find a way back, he had to rely on himself. Moreover, he had to use that dungeon.

Even his initial plan of waiting for rescue by his people didn’t appear as good as before. He wasn’t even certain if he could survive that long.

After walking for what felt like eternity in search for the dungeon, he suddenly stopped, his eyes widening in pleasant surprise.

There was a lake before him, with clear water that looked like it was drinkable.

"Talk about luck. When I was looking for it, I couldn’t find it anywhere. But when I’m not looking for it, it’s right here."

He shook his head lightly as he stepped forward. After reaching the edge of the lake, he cupped his hands and took some water.

Before the water could spill out of his hand, he took a sip. The sensation was truly heavenly, especially since he didn’t know how long it had been since he drank water.

Even though the people at the mansion might have made him drink some water while he was passed out, that couldn’t compare with drinking himself.

"Hah... If I wasn’t in a hurry to return, or if I could really afford to wait, this place might not be half bad to set up a camp."

After drinking as much water as he could, he stood up. With a look of longing, he turned his back on the lake.

He wasn’t certain how long it was going to be. It was only a matter of time before the city found the body of the goblin, making them realize the direction he had taken.

Even if they were fools, they would certainly realize it was towards the forest where they had first found him. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

So why didn’t he hide or destroy the corpse? It was intentional. He wanted them to follow him, and the larger their numbers, the better.

The only thing was that he didn’t want them to follow him too fast, so he couldn’t stay at one place.

It was also why he was intentionally leaving a trail, at times but even clearing his footsteps.