Traveling with Rogan's party slowly became… normal.
At first, I was just the injured stranger they picked up in the forest.
But after a few days, things started to change.
Torren still liked to complain.
"You're still slow."
But now he said it while handing me another trap rope.
Hector started teaching me small tricks.
"Always check the wind before approaching monsters."
"If they smell you first, you're already dead."
Bale rarely talked, but whenever he did, his advice was simple and precise.
"Don't waste movement."
"Every step matters."
Even Lena, who looked the laziest out of everyone, sometimes helped me treat smaller wounds.
"That herb reduces swelling."
She tossed a few leaves toward me.
"Don't eat it though."
"Why?"
"You'll start hallucinating."
"...Good to know."
After several days, the forest no longer felt like an endless nightmare.
It became something else.
A place I was slowly learning to survive in.
---
One evening, we sat around the campfire again.
The sky above us was clear.
Stars filled the dark horizon.
Torren was roasting meat over the fire.
"You know," he said while turning the stick, "you're not completely useless anymore."
I raised an eyebrow.
"That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."
Hector laughed.
"That's basically a compliment coming from him."
Torren grunted.
"Don't get used to it."
Rogan sat quietly for a moment before speaking.
"We're close to the northern road."
My head lifted.
"The road?"
Rogan nodded.
"If we follow it for a few hours tomorrow, we'll leave the southern forest."
My chest tightened slightly.
That meant something important.
The agreement.
When I first met them, Rogan made it clear.
I could travel with them **until we left the forest**.
After that…
I was on my own.
Lena glanced at me.
"What are you planning to do after that?"
I stared into the fire.
"...I'm going back."
Torren frowned.
"Back where?"
"The village."
The flames crackled softly.
Hector looked surprised.
"The one in the southern forest?"
I nodded.
Rogan leaned back slightly.
"That place is dangerous."
"I know."
Torren scratched his beard.
"You nearly died there once already."
"Yeah."
I looked up at the night sky.
"But someone there helped me."
Robert.
The old man who dragged my half-dead body back to the village.
I couldn't just disappear without letting him know I was alive.
Rogan studied me for a moment.
Then he nodded.
"Fair enough."
---
The next morning, we continued moving north.
The forest gradually became less dense.
The trees were thinner.
The ground easier to walk on.
Eventually, sunlight broke through the leaves in long golden rays.
Then we saw it.
A wide dirt road cutting through the forest.
Hector smiled.
"That's the trade road."
Torren stretched his arms.
"Finally."
"We're out of that damn forest."
I stood there quietly for a moment.
This was it.
The edge of the southern forest.
Rogan walked toward me.
"Well."
"This is where our agreement ends."
I nodded slowly.
"Thank you."
Torren crossed his arms.
"You survived longer than I expected."
Hector grinned.
"Don't die immediately after we leave."
Lena walked closer and handed me a small pouch.
"Medicinal herbs."
"In case your wound opens again."
I blinked.
"You didn't have to—"
"Just take it."
Then Rogan stepped forward.
He looked directly into my eyes.
"You've got potential, kid."
"But the world outside the forest is worse than the monsters inside it."
He pointed north.
"If you ever reach the frontier city of **Grendhal**, look for our party."
Torren smirked.
"We might even buy you a drink."
I smiled slightly.
"I'll remember that."
After a short silence, we turned in opposite directions.
They walked north.
Toward civilization.
And I walked south.
Back into the forest.
Back to Ravenwood.
---
It took nearly two days.
But eventually, I saw something familiar.
The wooden fences.
The small houses.
The fields near the forest.
Ravenwood Village.
My chest tightened.
I walked toward the village entrance.
A few villagers noticed me immediately.
One of them froze.
"W-Wait..."
Another man dropped the bucket he was holding.
"Is that—"
"Kazu?!"
Within seconds, people began gathering around me.
"You're alive?!"
"We heard you died!"
"Robert said you were missing!"
My head spun slightly from the sudden attention.
"I'm fine."
Well.
Not exactly fine.
But alive.
Then I heard a voice I recognized.
"KAZU?!"
Robert pushed through the crowd.
For a moment, he simply stared at me.
Like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Then he grabbed my shoulders.
"You stupid kid!"
"You were supposed to be dead!"
I scratched my head awkwardly.
"...I tried not to be."
Robert looked like he wanted to yell.
Instead, he laughed.
A rough, relieved laugh.
"You really are a stubborn brat."
But not everyone looked happy.
Standing near the village gate were several armored figures.
A new adventurer squad.
One of them stepped forward slowly.
He stared at me carefully.
Then he frowned.
"...That's impossible."
Another member looked confused.
"What is it?"
The man crossed his arms.
"I received a report."
"From the previous squad."
His eyes narrowed.
"They said this boy died fighting the Crimson Goliath."
The villagers went silent.
Robert's expression darkened.
The adventurer looked directly at me.
"...So tell me something, kid."
"Why are you still alive?"