I Only Want To Kill-Chapter 144: The River

Blaze treads onward, aiming for the village. It is the shortest path from where Blaze is to get to the Undercity. There are a few more interesting locations marked on the map, but Blaze has no intention of visiting them. There is no related mission, so Blaze has no reason to explore. He just wants to get home as early as possible.

Blaze doesn’t encounter any other Wood Revenant on the way there. All the trees are normal, leaning in the wind with their branches waving.

This place is cold even during the day, and there is always that irritating stench, the smell of death and rot. The wind is dry and without humidity, making any traveler feel way more exhausted than they need to be.

This ordinary challenge can’t stop Blaze, however.

After half a day, Blaze finally reaches where he wants to be, a small village that separates itself from the other side by a vast river. Blaze is on the other side, and he needs to get across.

He doesn’t hesitate and walks to the river, intending to jump into the water.

"I wouldn’t do that if I were you, friend." A voice catches Blaze off guard. He takes a look at its direction.

A dwarf not so far away is wearing a straw hat and holding a fishing rod in his hand.

Blaze approaches the short man.

"You don’t seem to be afraid of how I look." Blaze says.

He is still wearing the Shadow Tattered Cloak. His appearance should scare all people away. At least, it should also make people wary of him. But the dwarf doesn’t have even a tiny bit of hesitation.

"Ah... I used to overreact all the time when I was younger. But then, you know, living in this place for too long, and you will be desensitized to everything.

From the way you’re speaking, I guess you just came here, right?"

Blaze nods. "That’s right. And I’m trying to find my way home."

The dwarf burst out in laughter. "Ha! You still haven’t lost hope yet. That’s adorable."

"If there isn’t anything you want to say to me, I will be going now." Blaze doesn’t seem to mind the dwarf’s reaction. He answers plainly and turns his back away.

"Wait! You don’t want to go into that water."

The dwarf stands up and puts his rod to the side. He is rummaging in his backpack, trying to find something.

"Why is that? The water seems fine to me." Blaze says.

The river has a gentle wave that pushes the water to the riverside where Blaze is. His feet have been touching the water for a while now, but nothing out of the ordinary has happened.

"It isn’t the water itself, the problem is the river. See this piece of meat? Watch."

The dwarf takes out a piece of rotten meat from his backpack and throws it into the river. The second the meat touches the water surface, the water suddenly rises up. It is as if the river formed a mouth by using the water and swallowing the piece of meat whole, leaving nothing behind.

The water surface returns to its peaceful state right after. It is as if everything that just happened is only an illusion. But the piece of meat has forever rested in the bottom of the river, or wherever else it may be.

"The river..." Blaze mumbles.

"It’s alive. One important rule in the Dream Layer, kid. Everything here can kill you. Literally."

"You think I’m a kid?"

The dwarf burst out laughing again.

"Ha! A kid with a troubling past for sure. That makes your demeanor a bit misleading, but you can’t hide from my eyes."

"You are wise, dwarf. I thank you for your kindness."

"Huh? Why are you so formal?" The dwarf has a concerned look, rolling his eyes around.

"We are strangers. But you decided to help me."

"Forget about it. It’s no big deal."

Blaze doesn’t refute the dwarf’s saying. Whether or not he is in debt is decided by him, it is not necessary to convince the dwarf. If he needs to repay his debt, Blaze will do it one way or another.

"I am the Wraith."

"I am the Dwarf."

"Seriously?"

"Yes."

"So how do we cross the river?" Blaze looks back at the calm water surface again. He isn’t afraid of it, but his goal right now is to leave this place. It isn’t necessary to pick a fight that brings no purpose.

"By what our ancestors used to cross rivers. That." The Dwarf points at a wooden canoe parked on the riverside. "As long as you don’t let your flesh touch the water while on the boat, it should be good."

"I see. How much for the boat?"

"It’s not mine; take it if you want."

"I see. Are you from here, or are you from the outside like I am?" Blaze says.

The Dwarf raises one side of his eyebrows. "No one is from here, kid. Everyone was snatched in their dream."

"Why didn’t you leave then?"

"It’s not that easy, kid."

Blaze takes out the picture of the train and gives it to the Dwarf.

"The Train Home. Ah... You want to go to the Undercity."

"Does this train not take you out of the Void?"

"I don’t know. I have never been there. Maybe it will take you home. Maybe it will only lead you deeper into this Layer. The only way to know for sure is to ride the train."

"Then that is exactly what I’m going to do."

"All the best to you then, Wraith."

Blaze takes back the picture from the Dwarf and leaves him alone. The Dwarf sits down at his original position and continues fishing.

When Blaze is far away, he turns his head and looks back to where the Dwarf is but he is no longer there.

The Dwarf has a soul, different from the pale man that Blaze encountered in the ruined house before. However, a soul is the only thing that he has. He doesn’t have a physical body.

But for some reason, Blaze was able to interact with him. When he gave the Dwarf the picture, their hands collided slightly.

"This world is very different from the real world..."

That is what Blaze concludes. The Mirror Layer was no different from the real world, the difference was everything was flipped. The Dream Layer operates on a completely different set of rules.

Blaze takes the boat and uses it to cross the river. He cuts down a branch of a normal tree to use as a makeshift paddle. The Moonlight Karambit works perfectly as a carving tool.

It is a pity that the river is a bit too wide. If it’s narrow enough, Blaze will be able to use the Grappling Hook to get through.

He reached the other side without any trouble. The Dwarf from before is now visible again. He sits in the same place and waves his hand at Blaze.

Blaze waves back, having no idea what is going on.

He treads forward to the village.

In front of the village is a shabby wooden gate that looks like it can fall down at any time. A rotten pig head hangs right on top of the gate, dripping black blood downward at every second.

Blaze circles around the gate to walk into the village.

"Stop! Stop right there! Intruder! Intruder!"

A middle-aged man pops his head up from under a wheat field not far from the gate. He points his hand at Blaze and screams with every fiber of his being.

His loud mouth attracts a lot of the villagers.

"Intruder! Intruder!"

"You must pass under the gate!"

"Go through the gate!"

"Don’t you dare enter our village!"

Blaze tilts his head slightly, observing all the villagers. They look completely normal to him. But they aren’t normal. There is some kind of manic behavior in every single one of them.

It is hard to explain, but Blaze feels like they are inhuman.

He raises Irony and fires a bullet in the sky. The thunderous gunshot caused every villager to shut the hell up.

"I only need to pass your village. Leave me alone, and I will leave you alone!"

The man from the beginning stretches his mouth to the widest, his teeth are all showing.

"He is threatening us! An outsider is threatening us! Unacceptable! Unspeakable! Unforgivable!"

The other villagers pick up any tools nearby. Pitchfork, torch, scythe... anything that can be used as a weapon.

Blaze walks backward and stands outside the border of their village. He wants to see if they will lose their aggression if Blaze exits the premises of the village.

The answer is no. The villagers all run at him with weapons in their hands. Their eyes filled with unexplainable bloodlust, and their faces are maniacal.

"Stop where you are, or I will kill you." Blaze aims Irony toward the villagers.

And BANG.