He decided to hide and carefully sneak toward the source of the sound, staying alert to his surroundings.
He took extra care to avoid stepping on any stray branches or anything that might give away his position—determined not to fall into the clichéd mistakes he'd read about in countless stories.
He knew that remaining unseen was crucial and understood the advantage of being the hunter rather than the hunted.
Remaining hidden gave him the chance to control the situation, letting him observe first and even plan a sneak attack if it came down to it. Considering he might really be in another world, Ephraim set aside any naive thoughts of immediately befriending the first creatures he came across.
As someone who worked a regular office job, Ephraim knew he might panic if suddenly attacked; he was well aware of his own limits. He didn't harbor any delusions of being a hero like in the novels he'd read.
Just because he was transported to another world didn't mean he was suddenly capable of handling whatever came his way.
Returning his focus to the present, Ephraim crept slowly toward the source of the sound. As he drew close enough to see them, he was taken aback by what he found.
The creatures were small, standing only about chest-high, with green skin just like the goblins he'd read about, and their bodies were covered in tribal-looking tattoos. They wore small scraps of animal hide around their waists, leaving the rest of their skin bare. "Goblins?" he wondered silently, taking in their appearance.
There were three goblins in total. Two gripped crude clubs, while the tallest of the trio held a short, jagged blade. They had cornered a dark, rodent-like creature, though Ephraim couldn't quite tell if it resembled a mouse, a hamster, or perhaps a rat. He raised an eyebrow. "Are they really so hungry that they're surrounding a tiny rodent?" he muttered to himself, the scene both unsettling and oddly amusing.
The two with clubs looked smaller and weaker than the goblin wielding the blade; perhaps they were his lackeys. What stood out to Ephraim was how frail they all looked—practically malnourished, their ribs visible beneath green skin stretched taut. It made sense, then, that they would target even a small creature like this one. "Guess a bit of meat is still meat, no matter the size," he thought, a mix of curiosity and pity bubbling up as he watched them.
The small rodent in the center of the goblins' circle looked anything but afraid. Its tiny face twisted into what could almost be described as an indignant glare, as if it were thinking, "Really? I'm hardly a mouthful, and you three think it's worth the effort to gang up on me?"
Despite being alone and clearly outnumbered, the rodent held its ground with a fierce determination, its tiny body tense and braced, ready to fight for its life. Even in the face of overwhelming odds, it seemed prepared to go down swinging, defiance flashing in its small, fiery eyes.
Seeing the fierce look in the rodent's eyes, Ephraim recalled the saying, "A cornered animal is almost as dangerous as a wounded one." When an animal has no way to escape, it's far more likely to lash out aggressively, driven by pure survival instinct.
The situation was unpredictable. On one side, three malnourished goblins were poised to attack, desperate enough to go after a tiny rodent. On the other, a cornered animal ready to fight for its life, its desperation possibly giving it the edge to fend them off.
After considering his options, Ephraim decided to wait until the fight began before making his move. In the chaos, he'd have a better chance to act unnoticed, giving him the advantage he needed to stay safe.
Cautiously, he scanned his surroundings, wary of any hidden threats. Although he didn't trust his observation skills to spot anything too well-concealed, he knew that keeping an eye on the situation was better than rushing in unprepared.
After carefully scanning his surroundings and seeing nothing out of place, he didn't let himself relax. Instead, he refocused his attention on the scene unfolding in front of him, keeping his guard up for any surprises.
The tension was thick, and Ephraim's instincts told him that in an unknown place like this, vigilance was his best defense. He took a steadying breath and concentrated fully on the battle about to erupt ahead.