A few days passed.
I was back in the forest, hunting monsters again.
Four kobolds surrounded me, their sharp teeth showing as they hissed.
One rushed first.
I stepped to the side and cut its neck in one clean strike. The second tried to stab me with a rusty dagger, but I kicked it away and pierced its chest.
The last two attacked together.
I blocked one claw with my sword and elbowed the other in the face before finishing them both.
In a few seconds, it was over.
I crouched down and pulled out the cores from inside their bodies, wiping my blade on the grass.
Before I could move again, I noticed figures in the distance.
"T-those are humans…" I muttered when I saw them clearly.
Three people were running through the trees.
"Wait… why are they acting like that?"
Then I saw it.
A large bear monster was chasing them, its heavy footsteps shaking the ground as it followed closely behind.
"What should I do…? Should I help them?"
I hesitated for a second.
This wasn't my fight.
But…
"No. I need to save them."
I dashed forward at full speed.
"Help us!" one of them—a wounded woman—shouted while running.
The bear raised its massive arm to strike them.
I jumped in front and blocked the attack with my sword, the force pushing me a step back.
"Hurry! I'll block it!" I shouted.
"What about you?!" one of the men yelled.
"We'll help him!" the other said.
I stepped back and slashed at the bear's arm.
My blade cut deep.
The bear roared in pain as blood splashed onto the ground.
"This is our chance! Attack together!" the man shouted.
The two men rushed forward and struck its legs and side.
The wounded woman stepped back and began chanting an incantation.
Her voice grew louder.
"Fireball!"
A ball of fire formed above her weapon and shot forward, hitting the bear's chest.
Flames spread across its fur as it roared in agony.
I took a deep breath.
Now.
I jumped high into the air and swung my sword down with all my strength.
The blade cut through its neck.
The bear's head fell to the ground, followed by its heavy body collapsing with a loud thud.
"W-we did it!" they shouted.
They walked closer to me, breathing heavily.
"Thank you for saving us, young man. You're strong. I'm amazed," one of the men said.
"By the way, we're D-rank adventurers. My name is Raven, and these two are my party members."
"I'm Renji," I replied.
They bowed deeply.
"Thank you again for saving our lives. If it wasn't for you, we don't know what would have happened to us."
"Don't worry about it. I just did what I thought was right," I said.
Raven nodded. "How about this? We'll take the body, and you can keep the core."
"Really?" I asked. "If that's okay with you, then I'll take it."
"Of course. You saved us, and you're the one who killed it," Raven said firmly.
"You're wounded," I pointed out, looking at them.
"It's okay. We have potions," the woman replied with a small smile.
"If that's all, I'll excuse myself," I said.
One of them pulled out the bear core and handed it to me.
"Thank you for this," I said. "Be careful on your way."
"Alright. You too. See you next time!" they said.
They waved at me.
I gave them a small nod before turning around and walking deeper into the forest once more.
A while later, I stopped near a quiet part of the forest.
I took out the bear's core from my bag.
It was bigger than the other monster cores I had collected before. Dark brown, almost black, and heavy in my palm. I could feel a strong energy coming from it.
"This one is larger than the others…" I muttered.
If I absorb this, I might gain that beast's strength.
I stared at it for a moment.
"Alright."
I tightened my grip and activated my ability.
The core began to glow faintly. A thin stream of energy flowed out of it, like smoke being pulled into my body.
It entered through my hand.
At first, it felt warm.
Then hot.
The energy spread through my arm, moving to my chest, then throughout my entire body. My muscles tightened. My heartbeat grew louder in my ears.
The core in my hand slowly cracked… then turned into dust.
I exhaled sharply.
"This is amazing… I can feel my strength increasing again," I said under my breath.
My body felt heavier—but not in a bad way.
It felt solid. Powerful.
"Should I try it?"
I looked at a thick tree nearby. Its trunk was wide and sturdy, something that would normally take several sword strikes to cut down.
I walked toward it and rolled my shoulder once.
"Haaa—!"
I pulled my arm back and threw a punch straight into the trunk.
A loud cracking sound echoed through the forest.
The tree shook violently.
Deep cracks spread from the spot where my fist landed, splitting across the bark. Pieces of wood broke off and fell to the ground.
The trunk bent slightly from the impact.
I slowly pulled my fist back.
There was no pain.
"A-amazing…" I whispered, staring at the damage.
That single punch… was far stronger than before.
A small smile formed on my face.
If this is just from one core…
How much stronger can I become if i absorb more?
I continued moving forward.
As I walked deeper into the forest, the air became quieter. The sounds of birds slowly faded, replaced by the soft rustling of leaves.
Should I go deeper?
It was already afternoon. The sky above the trees was slowly turning orange. It would get dark soon.
Just as I was thinking of turning back, I noticed something unusual ahead.
A faint mist was rising between the trees.
"…What is that?"
I walked closer, careful with each step.
The smell changed. It was fresh… and slightly warm.
Then the trees opened up, and I finally saw it clearly.
A natural hot spring rested in the middle of the forest.
Steam slowly rose from the surface, drifting gently into the air. The water shimmered under the fading sunlight, reflecting soft gold and orange colors.
It looked untouched. Peaceful.
I stepped closer and crouched down near the edge.
When I looked into the water, I could see the bottom clearly. Smooth stones. Clean and pure.
"W-wow… this must be the hot spring they were talking about," I said in amazement.
I reached out and dipped my fingers into the water.
"It's warm…"
The warmth spread through my fingers instantly.
Should I wash here?
I looked around carefully. The area was quiet. No signs of monsters. No people.
"…I'll only stay for a few minutes."
I stood up and slowly removed my outer clothes, folding them neatly on a dry rock. Only my underwear remained.
The cool forest air brushed against my skin, but the steam from the spring made it comfortable.
I stepped into the water slowly.
The warmth wrapped around my feet first.
Then my calves.
I let out a small breath as I moved deeper until the water reached just above my knees.
I slowly lowered myself down.
The water rose to my waist… then up to my chest as I sat carefully on the smooth stones beneath.
A soft sigh escaped my lips.
"…This feels amazing."
The warmth spread across my entire body. The tension in my muscles melted away. The fatigue from hunting, fighting, and walking all day slowly disappeared.
My shoulders relaxed. My breathing became steady.
"It's so warm… and calming…" I murmured.
The steam gently touched my face. The quiet forest, the sound of softly moving water, the fading light of the afternoon—it all felt peaceful.
For the first time in days, I wasn't thinking about monsters, money, or getting stronger.
I just closed my eyes and leaned back slightly.
"…I feel like i could stay here forever."