The warmth from the healing magic slowly faded.
But the pain in my body was already much lighter than before.
I looked down at my stomach.
The deep wound that should have killed me was now only a dull ache under the bandages.
The woman who cast the spell stepped back and stretched her arms.
"That should keep you alive."
Her voice sounded casual, almost bored.
Still, I bowed my head slightly.
"Thank you."
She waved her hand dismissively.
"Don't thank me yet."
One of the men sitting near the fire laughed loudly.
"Yeah, kid. Healing magic isn't free."
The campfire crackled softly as the group studied me.
Five pairs of eyes.
Some curious.
Some amused.
Some completely uninterested.
The tall man with silver hair finally spoke.
"Let's start with introductions."
He pointed at himself.
"I'm **Rogan**. Leader of this party."
His voice was calm but carried authority.
He then gestured toward the others.
"The healer who just patched you up is **Lena**."
Lena gave a lazy wave.
The man leaning on a long spear snorted.
"Torren."
His eyes looked sharp, almost constantly irritated.
A quiet man sharpening his sword nodded slightly.
"Bale."
Finally, the man cleaning a bowstring raised his hand.
"Hector."
I straightened my posture slightly.
"Kazu."
Torren looked me up and down.
"You look like a corpse that crawled out of a grave."
I shrugged weakly.
"That's not too far from the truth."
Hector chuckled.
"At least he's honest."
Rogan crossed his arms.
"So, Kazu."
"How exactly did you end up half-dead in the middle of the southern forest?"
The firelight flickered between us.
For a moment, I hesitated.
But hiding it didn't seem useful.
"I was hunting with another party."
Torren immediately snorted.
"Let me guess."
"They ran away?"
"...They left me."
The camp fell quiet.
Hector frowned.
"They abandoned you?"
I nodded.
"During a fight with a monster."
"What rank?" Rogan asked.
"A-rank."
Torren nearly choked on his drink.
"You fought an A-rank monster?"
"I didn't fight it."
"I survived it."
That earned a few surprised looks.
Even Bale stopped sharpening his sword.
Rogan leaned forward slightly.
"What monster?"
"Crimson Goliath."
The reaction this time was very different.
Torren whistled.
"That's a nasty one."
Lena rested her chin on her hand.
"And you lived?"
"Barely."
Rogan stared at me for several seconds.
Then he nodded slowly.
"Interesting."
Torren laughed.
"You know what this means, right?"
Hector grinned.
"Yeah."
"He's either incredibly lucky…"
"...or incredibly stubborn."
I looked down at the ground.
Maybe both.
Rogan finally stood up.
"Alright."
He stretched his arms and looked at the dark forest around us.
"We'll let the kid stay with us for now."
Torren raised an eyebrow.
"Seriously?"
Rogan nodded.
"For a few days."
Then he looked at me.
"But understand something."
"This is a **Rank C hunting party**."
"We don't protect weak people."
I met his gaze.
"I don't need protection."
Torren smirked.
"That's a bold statement for someone who almost died."
I shrugged.
"I'm still standing."
For a moment, Rogan simply stared at me.
Then a small smile appeared on his face.
"Fair enough."
He pointed at the fire.
"Sleep there."
"You start working tomorrow."
---
The next morning came quickly.
I woke up to the sound of metal being sharpened.
Bale was already awake, polishing his sword with quiet precision.
The forest air was cold.
My body still hurt, but the healing magic had done more than I expected.
I slowly stood up.
Rogan noticed immediately.
"Good."
"You can still move."
Torren tossed something toward me.
I barely caught it.
A small knife.
"For cutting traps."
I blinked.
"Traps?"
Hector walked over and handed me a bundle of rope.
"We're setting monster traps today."
Lena yawned loudly.
"Try not to bleed everywhere while working."
The group began moving deeper into the forest.
This time, I wasn't walking alone.
As we traveled, Hector pointed to the ground.
"See that?"
I leaned closer.
A faint mark in the dirt.
"Footprint."
"Monster?"
Hector nodded.
"C-rank lizard."
Bale added quietly.
"They come here to drink from the river."
Torren planted a trap between two trees.
"You'll learn something important today, kid."
I looked at him.
"What?"
He grinned.
"Hunting isn't just about fighting."
"It's about patience."
The group finished setting several traps along a narrow forest path.
Then we waited.
Minutes passed.
Then an hour.
The forest remained quiet.
Just when I thought nothing would happen—
SNAP.
One of the traps triggered.
A loud roar followed.
Rogan immediately stood up.
"That's our target."
We rushed toward the sound.
A large reptilian monster struggled in the trap, its leg caught between iron jaws.
The **Stoneback Lizard**.
Rank C.
Torren grinned.
"Easy hunt."
But the monster was stronger than expected.
It snapped the chain holding the trap and lunged toward us.
Rogan shouted.
"Positions!"
The fight lasted only a few minutes.
But it was enough for my heart to start pounding again.
When the monster finally collapsed, Hector laughed.
"Not bad."
Torren looked at me.
"You didn't run."
I wiped blood from my knife.
"I've already run once."
Rogan stepped closer and studied me.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he nodded.
"...You can stay."
Those three words felt strangely heavy.
For the first time since being abandoned in the forest…
I felt like maybe—
Just maybe—
I had found a temporary place in this world.