Reborn as a side character with a system

heroes trapped

Chapter 13

The five large goblins stared down at the dead bodies of their kin, their yellow eyes narrow and cold. For a long moment, none of them moved. Then, without a word, they split up, one heading east, one west, one north passing by Nolan without notice and the last south.

Nolan pressed his back harder against the tree, his heart pounding so hard he thought it might crack his ribs. His breath came in short, silent gasps. Every instinct screamed at him to run.

"All those goblins are warrior types with their levels over thirty..." he thought, his mind racing. "Am I going to survive even if I attack one at a time?"

The goblins vanished into the trees, but Nolan didn't move. His legs felt like water. His hands shook against the bark.

"Even if I use all the tokens I have now to boost my stats, matching one of those beasts would be death for me," he muttered, sliding down until he sat on the damp earth. He ran his hands through his hair, pulling at the strands. "I need a strategy. Now."

---

Elsewhere in the forest, a group of five young adults about Nolan's age moved through the undergrowth with the confidence of people who had never truly lost.

They wore armor that gleamed even in the shadows, plates of polished steel etched with gold, enchanted leather that shimmered with protective runes, cloaks lined with silver thread. The armor of heroes.

At the front walked a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes, his face lean and handsome. A golden sun emblem blazed across his chest plate the mark of the Hero Knight.

"Are you sure we're meant to be in this forest?" asked a woman behind him, her mage's robes flowing like liquid silk. She carried a long staff of carved ivory, its tip pulsing with soft light. Her black hair fell past her shoulders, and her green eyes scanned the trees with practiced caution.

"That's right," the Hero Knight replied, his voice smooth and certain. "This is where the last trail of the goblins ended."

They walked for nearly an hour before stopping.

In front of them lay the corpses of the five goblins Nolan had fought. Blood had dried black against the leaves. The air still smelled of death.

Behind his tree, Nolan froze mid-thought. Voices. Human voices.

"Who in the great nation has done this?" another woman spoke. She wore light leather armor — an archer — with her bow slung across her back and a quiver of arrows at her hip. Her short blue hair framed sharp pink eyes that widened at the carnage.

Nolan peeked around the trunk, his breath catching.

Five of them. All in pristine armor. All carrying themselves like they owned the world.

He watched as they moved among the dead goblins, prying crystal shards from the corpses' chests with casual efficiency. His eyes locked onto the golden sun emblem on the knight's breastplate.

"Wait..." Nolan's heart skipped. "That symbol... It's a hero's symbol."

His eyes widened in realization. He pulled back behind the tree, pressing both hands against the bark, his heart now hammering triple-time.

"What are they doing here?"

He glanced up. The sun was sinking fast, painting the sky in shades of blood and bruised purple. Night would fall soon. And night in this forest belonged to the monsters.

"Okay..." Nolan closed his eyes, forcing his breathing to slow. "Make sense of it all. What could they truly want here?"

Then it clicked.

In the novel, the story he knew from his old life – their first mission was to hunt goblins who had captured an important noble's daughter. The mission was supposed to go well. Easy. A simple hero's tale.

Until the five elite goblins got involved.

Until one of their own died.

Nolan's fear melted into something else. Something sharp and warm in his chest.

A smirk tugged at his lips.

"Sorry, heroes," he whispered, so quiet the wind barely carried it. "But I'm stealing your spotlight... I'm going to be her hero not you guys."

He raised his hand, palm facing the group, and focused. Mana stirred in his chest. Slowly, carefully, he sent five thin streams of wind gashes outward. They didn't cut. They didn't attack. They simply flowed, brushing through the grass in five different directions, subtle as breath.

The heroes noticed. Heads turned. Eyes narrowed.

"What was that?" a male tank asked, his shield already raised, his body dropping into a fighting stance. He was broad and thick, built like a wall.

"No..." the female mage knelt, her fingers brushing the grass where the wind had passed. She watched the air currents flow through the blades without cutting them. Her brow furrowed. "This isn't an attack. It's... directing."

She was right.

Deep in the far forest, the wind streams reached their targets. Each of the five large goblins. The Level 30+ warriors. Each turned their heads as one. The wind had touched them, carried the scent of the dead, of humans, of opportunity.

Without another thought, they rushed back.

"A direction to where?" asked the fifth member, a spearman with styled blonde hair and charming features that seemed sculpted for admiration. He spun his weapon with practiced ease. "And even if it's a direction... are we the ones being led, or is something being led to us?"

"Hold on..." The Hero Knight raised a hand, his head tilting. His blue eyes sharpened. "Do you hear that?"

The group fell silent. The mage strained her ears. The archer held her breath. The tank and spearman exchanged glances.

Nothing.

Except the Hero Knight heard it... footsteps. Heavy. Fast. Multiple. Coming from every direction.

Behind his tree, Nolan smiled.

"It's about to begin."

"It's a trap!" the Hero Knight roared, his sword flashing free of its scabbard. "All of you, get ready! Prepare for battle!"

They formed a circle, backs to each other, weapons raised. The spearman laughed, a sharp, arrogant sound.

"Who would dare head at us?" he mocked, his voice dripping with contempt. "We are the hero class, best of the best in the capital. And this is what you suggest? Cover each other's backs like we're about to be attacked by high-class beasts?"

His face flushed with anger. "Ridiculous."

The footsteps stopped.

Silence swallowed the forest.

Then the giant goblins emerged, from the east, the west, the north, the south, and from behind. Five hulking figures with fangs like daggers and muscles like iron. Their yellow eyes glowed in the dying light.

The hero class tightened their circle, covering each other's backs for real now.

Nolan watched from behind the tree, his smirk deepening.

"You don't know it yet, kiddo," he thought, his eyes tracking the goblins as they closed in. "But those beasts are going to be your downfall."