After the Orc camp was destroyed by the roaring flames, the sky became miraculously calm. The thick black clouds vanished instantly, as if some mysterious power had brushed them away. It was as if they had never existed at all.
Even stood frozen, watching this incredible display of nature from a distance. The wind carried the horrific screams of the Orcs toward him. In those screams, there was something more than just physical pain; there was a deep, primal terror. It felt as if they weren't just burning to death, but were facing some other unspeakable horror.
Even turned toward Baron to say the words—'Come on, let's run now.' But the words stayed stuck in his throat. Looking at Baron's face, Even realized the plan had changed significantly.
Baron said in a low voice, "Let's go back toward the Orc camp."
"What do you mean!?" Even shouted. "Everything is burning to ashes, and you want to go back to that hell?"
"Yes. I have a feeling my companions have come to save me," Baron said with strange confidence.
Even's face was full of shock. He organized his thoughts and said, "Your companions... after all this time!?"
"Yes, I'm a bit surprised too. When I got separated from them this afternoon, I thought they would surely find me. Maybe something delayed them. I want to go and ask them directly," Baron said, making a weak attempt to lighten the mood.
Inside, Even was completely against the idea. He just wanted to take his heavy, fat body as far away as possible. He knew his luck never gave him an easy escape. Going back to that camp felt like inviting a new disaster. A big doubt grew in his mind—how could the team of a 'D-Rank' adventurer like Baron be so powerful that they could shoot flaming arrows and call down lightning from the sky?
A seed of suspicion took root in Even's mind.
Baron realized that Even didn't want to step toward the Orc camp at all. But Baron didn't force him. He started running toward the camp himself. As he ran, he turned back and shouted, "Next time we meet, we'll surely be good friends! You escape through the forest for now; I'll meet you directly in the city!"
Baron's voice grew faint as he moved further away.
Even was stuck in a massive internal struggle. Should he follow Baron toward the ruins?
Or should he run through the forest and find his own way?
Finally, he decided to run through the forest. He had no bravery left in him. The mental strength he used to lie his way through situations was empty. He just wanted to live and breathe normally.
But as soon as he stepped into the boundary of the forest, a deep, ancient darkness swallowed him. This forest wasn't just a collection of trees; it was a living nightmare. The branches of the ancient trees swayed in the dark like skeletal hands. The whistling wind carried the growls of unknown beasts and the rustling of the bushes. Even felt thousands of invisible eyes watching him from the shadows—as if he were a delicious prey who had walked into a death trap. Every shadow looked like a lurking monster.
Besides the terror of the forest, another thought ate at him. If he somehow crossed the woods and reached the city, how would he survive alone in this unknown world?
To understand this strange world, he desperately needed an experienced companion like Baron.
Even tried to tell himself that he was returning for Baron's safety—that he was worried about his first friend in this world. But deep down, the truth was different. He was terrified of the dark forest, and the uncertainty of his future in the city scared him even more. Staying with Baron felt safer than running alone.
Making a vain attempt to look brave, he turned around. He started running toward the glow of the Orc camp, following Baron.
…
Baron reached the center of the roaring flames—where the darkness had retreated in defeat. Looking ahead from a distance, a small smile of relief appeared on Baron's face.
Yes, it was exactly as he thought! These were indeed his companions.
Before Baron's eyes was the brave yet shy swordsman of his team—Sienna. With her massive, sharp sword, she was effortlessly slicing through every Orc in her path. The firelight reflected off her armor, making her look like an invincible goddess.
Just then, something terrible almost happened. Hidden in the shadows, a giant Orc was sneaking up with a massive rock. Sienna was so busy killing the enemies in front of her that she didn't notice the certain death coming from behind. But Baron's eyes caught it. In an instant, Baron pulled out his last trump card—his gun. Without hesitation, he took a perfect headshot. The speed and heat of the bullet pierced through the Orc's skull.
The Orc hit the ground with a thud, and Sienna turned around in shock. She gasped, seeing death had been standing right at her feet. But then, seeing Baron's familiar face, she couldn't hold back her emotions. She burst into tears and cried out, "Are you... are you alright?"
By then, Even had arrived, gasping for breath. An unbelievable scene was before him. Standing in front of a pile of Orc corpses was a stunningly beautiful woman with hair as red as fire. The flames and the red of her hair blended together. When Sienna's voice reached Even's ears, it hit him deep inside. Sienna uttered the last word with total devotion and respect…
"...Lord Baron."
Even's head snapped toward Baron. 'Lord Baron'!? Even felt like he was losing his mind; he couldn't believe his own ears.
Suspicion grew rapidly in his mind. He wondered—was it possible to use the System to see this beautiful woman's Rank? This doubt was eating him up. Was Baron really just a common D-Rank adventurer?
In his mind, he called out to the System. At first, there was no reply. Even was stubborn; he screamed for it in his head several times until the System replied with total annoyance. Even asked, 'Can I see their ranks?'
The System replied with disdain, [Yes, it is possible. It's better to help you with information than to give you fighting power; at least you might stay alive.]
Even first applied the scanning power on Baron. On the System screen, it appeared:
[Rank: D]
No more, no less. Exactly what he had said. But as soon as he checked the rank of the beautiful Sienna standing in front of him, Even felt the ground slip from beneath his feet.
The blue letters of the System showed:
[Rank: AA]
An 'AA-Rank' warrior, who could wipe out a dozen Orcs alone, was calling a low-ranked person 'Lord' with such respect! Even's cunning brain couldn't solve this math. Why would a lion call a cat 'Lord'?
As Sienna rushed toward Baron, Even thought she was going to talk about some danger. But no! As soon as she saw Baron, she pulled him into a deep, warm hug against her full chest. Baron's face was instantly buried in a soft, heavenly comfort. Even stared with his mouth open; he felt like he was watching a 'lucky protagonist' from a web novel. But Baron's reaction was calm, as if this heavenly hug was a daily thing for him!
'Normal?! This is normal to him?!' Even screamed in his head. 'I should have been the one there! At least this much comfort is deserved for this fat body!'
Sienna cried out, "Forgive me, Lord Baron! We were so late in finding you. we attacked every monster camp on the way hoping to find you. Every time we didn't find you, we became more terrified."
While Baron was looking from between those breasts toward Even's open mouth like a guilty man, a remaining group of five Orcs charged at them with heavy weapons. But before they could take a few steps, several flaming arrows shot down from the sky. With perfect aim, the arrows pierced the Orcs' throats, burning their heads from the inside out.
The three of them looked toward the source. Sitting on a high branch of a tree like a nimble monkey was a young girl. She was younger than Sienna, but her eyes were sharp like an eagle's. She had a stubborn and angry look on her face. She pulled her bow again; a wooden arrow was created from the void by magic, and it instantly caught fire.
As soon as Lyna released the string, the flaming arrow cut through the air. With perfect aim, it entered the last Orc's brain through the eye socket. Instantly, the monster's whole face burned like hellfire.
"Lyna... you're here!" Baron said with a sigh of relief.
Even didn't waste time and ran his scanner on this newcomer. In the blink of an eye, the screen showed:
[Rank: A]
Even's heart skipped a beat. Having one 'A-Rank' warrior is a matter of luck, but this 'chicken' Baron had two beautiful A-Rank women in his team! The man Even thought was a common adventurer had actually built himself a whole 'harem.'
Lyna climbed down the tree with slow, silent steps like a hunting cat. She walked up to Sienna and, without a word, snatched Baron from Sienna's arms and pulled him into her own tight boobs hug.
While Even was burning with jealousy, the robotic but poisonous voice of the System whispered in his ear— [You should die!]
Even lost his mind with rage and tried to slap the System. But his fat hand only swung through the air.
"SHUT UP!!" he hissed through clenched teeth.