---

In the midst of a hazy consciousness, my solid self began to reappear. The endless feeling of floating finally started to quietly fade, and fatigue gradually set in. Consciousness had returned at last.

Like someone intoxicated by sleep, my body had yet to fully awaken. I hurried to retrace the situation through a mental faculty that was already more alert than my sluggish physical form.

‘So, I…’

I fought tooth and nail with that damn half-demon and eventually severed its neck.

But I ended up with a big hole in my leg… and lost consciousness due to the strain.

Still, it seems like I’ve managed to survive since I’m able to think this clearly—

‘…What a mess.’

Already, I had a mountain of worries piling up.

My body hadn’t fully awakened yet so I couldn’t feel much, but…

Not only was there a large hole, there was also the magic that must have seeped deep into the wound. How was I supposed to deal with that? It would be quite a sight to see me limping while continuing to fight in that mad forest crawling with monsters.

And most importantly—

I flinched—

My body stirred awake from my fingertips. Even moving my fingers felt like I was being crushed under an enormous weight.

‘Just how long was I out cold?’

Anxiety surged within me about how long I had been sprawled out in this icy-cold eastern forest.

I wondered if the elven folks had managed to finish off the remaining half-demon.

Were Shione and Diolia doing well?

And especially, I started worrying if Ianette, who had continued to act suspiciously, hadn’t caused any trouble. Disunity within a force is often more dangerous than the enemy. Ianette, who hadn’t blended easily with the others until the end, was now a source of concern.

‘Anyway…’

The more I worried, the more my concerns multiplied.

Nothing would change by just sitting here lost in thoughts.

Rather than musing endlessly, it would be far more valuable to wake my body up as quickly as possible to check the situation with my own eyes.

‘Move, move.’

Starting with touch, then hearing, and smell. My senses were slowly coming back.

Not satisfied with just that, I began to wiggle the only part of me that I could currently move—my fingertips, to infuse my body with energy.

I flinched—

The wave of motion that began from the tips of my fingers gradually spread outward.

My hands moved. After that, my arms began to tremble, and with the increasing heartbeat pumping warm blood through my body, my cold, stiff form began to melt and move more fluidly.

My heavy eyelids started to slowly lift. Light gradually seeped into my dim vision.

“Ah—”

A cracked voice escaped me. I felt a burning thirst as I looked around.

It was the time when the sun began to set. I was in the heart of the flood forest.

‘Seems like I’m still in the eastern forest. Did they choose this place as a temporary stronghold?’

The ground was neatly leveled, and remnants of supplies were stacked in one place.

The area around where I lay was cleverly concealed to avoid detection by others, and just hours ago, there were definitely signs of people having passed through here.

“Ugh……”

I propped myself up to get a better look around.

In a corner of the space, armor and swords filled with wounds, along with a bow, were lying around. Someone must have taken care of them, since there wasn’t a single trace of blood, nor was there any dust settled.

‘First, let’s ascertain the status of my body.’

My mana was completely restored. I lacked nothing.

My legs… seemed fine. I couldn’t spot any wounds on the surface. Not just wounds, there was no trace of mana left at all.

Maybe just potions wouldn’t be enough to heal completely, and it might be difficult to move right now, but if I used my mana to guide my legs, I could take some steps, albeit not too far. I probably wouldn’t be unable to walk or run.

With time, my arms would heal completely without aftereffects, just like my leg with the hole.

‘Shall I move a little?’

The fact that I was lying here alone signified that it must be safe enough around here. With my current state, it wouldn’t be bad to cautiously explore the area.

What could I do just sitting still?

Since I couldn’t scream out due to my burning throat, I decided to get up and look for some water.

No, the moment I tried to lift this body of mine, which seemed to cling to life, that’s when—

“Quickly…!”

“Move this way!”

Disruption had intruded into the quiet space.

The hurried voices of women. Not the muffled, raspy voices of cultists, but unmistakable melodious voices that couldn’t be concealed amid the urgency.

It seems like the elves had returned to this place.

And it must have been in a very precarious situation.

‘…What happened?’

A gap in my memory about the past few hours, compounded by the sheer vagueness of how much time had passed, made it difficult to figure out the current state of both allies and enemies.

Curiosity about the situation began to boil over within me.

Soon, the disturbance spread beyond where I was, and familiar faces appeared before me.

The first to come into view was the cute wind spirit, Orna, whose greatest pride had always been her fluffy white fur.

─…Myaang?

Had she rolled around in the dirt? When she looked at me with her disheveled appearance, Orna tilted her head in confusion.

“…”

─…..

An awkward silence lingered.

Feeling a bit out of place, I waved my hand slightly, causing Orna’s fur to fluff up.

─Myaang! Myaang! Myaang!

As I caught Orna rushing towards me without hesitation, I soon began to hear another voice.

“Why, why…! Did something happen—!”

A woman, flustered by Orna’s excited cries, appeared before me urgently.

Gone was her formerly beautiful silver hair, now tousled to the extent that it bore no resemblance to the elegance of a noble.

Her attire was less that of a knight and more like a muddy mercenary enjoying a brawl. She came bearing a small sword with a blade cracked and half of it missing, held with ferocity and stained with red blood.

“Ray…?”

Shione stared dumbfoundedly down at me, questioning her own eyes.

What on earth had happened for her to show up like a raving lunatic covered in blood with a broken sword?

At that moment of thought—

“Princess Shione, hurry and prepare to move—!”

Then I saw Diolia, appearing even more deranged, practically drenched in blood.

With my cracking voice, I couldn’t help but ask them.

“…No, what in the world happened?”

*

Days of strife and fatigue. Encounters with demons, and now supplies running low.

Moreover… everyone seemed a bit busy, so I didn’t hear much, but it seemed that just moments ago, they had suffered significant damage during the battle with the last remaining half-demon.

Shione was eager to explain the situation to me, but due to a lack of time, she quickly headed off with Diolia. They needed to heal the injured with the last remaining potions and retreat.

“Ugh…”

What a disaster.

Even now, I could never predict when this temporary stronghold might be attacked.

After hastily reorganizing, we needed to escape from this place; even Shione, who had been wagging her tail in joy, and Diolia, who had shown relief, soon disappeared from their spots.

While I waited for the injured elves to finish their basic first aid, I limped around the area. I needed to get accustomed to my sluggish body and figure out how much mana I needed to exert to move smoothly on my injured leg.

After moving about for a while and finally getting a feel for it, I summoned Tania without hesitation.

Whoosh—

Warm winds blew, and little flames danced in the air.

Before long, Tania materialized amidst the flames, blinking her eyes as she stared straight at me.

“Park Shin-woo, don’t you have something to say to me?”

After her question, her two bright eyes focused intently on me.

I met her gaze without looking away and calmly replied.

“Tania, I’ve been thinking—”

“Uh-huh.”

“Is it possible to forcibly summon Elvis over here like you mentioned before?”

“Ah…”

Tania stared at me with a frostbitten expression.

“Hey, Park Shin-woo. You ungrateful contractor.”

With an air of irritation, Tania conjured a will-o’-the-wisp that floated in the air.

“I nearly killed myself to save you… and your first words are about finding Changsik instead of thanking me….”

Tania let out a derisive chuckle, crossing her arms.

Even while she floated gracefully in the air, she scoffed, producing an even more ominous aura from the will-o’-the-wisp that darkened the surroundings.

“You seriously need to die once to get your wits about you, don’t you?”

 

---