Morning came faster than I expected.
I barely slept.
Not because of discomfort.
But because of something else.
A thought that kept repeating in my head.
Start moving.
I sat up slowly, stretching my sore body.
The hut creaked slightly.
"...Alright."
No more wasting time.
I stepped outside.
The village was already awake.
People moving.
Working.
Surviving.
Eron was leaning near a fence, sharpening a blade.
"You're up early."
"I didn't sleep much."
He smirked.
"Good."
He stood up and tossed me a small rope.
"Then you're coming with me."
I caught it.
"...Where?"
"Hunting."
The forest felt different today.
Not like before.
Not like when I was just trying to survive.
This time—
I had a purpose.
Eron moved ahead, scanning the surroundings.
"Listen carefully."
His voice was lower now.
Focused.
"We're not just killing anything we see."
"We hunt what we can sell."
I nodded.
"What sells?"
"Meat. Fur. Bones."
He pointed at the ground.
"And plants."
I frowned slightly.
"Plants?"
"Medicine plants."
"Some are worth more than meat."
That caught my attention.
"...Got it."
We moved deeper into the forest.
Eron stopped occasionally, pointing things out.
"This one—don't touch it."
"Poison."
"This one—good for wounds."
He picked a small leaf and handed it to me.
I studied it carefully.
"...So I just pick these?"
"If you want money, yeah."
After about an hour—
We found our first target.
A small forest deer.
Eron raised his hand.
"Quiet."
I crouched.
My grip tightened around the knife.
The deer was grazing peacefully.
Eron glanced at me.
"Your turn."
I blinked.
"...What?"
"You want to make money, right?"
He stepped back slightly.
"Go."
My heart started beating faster.
"...Alright."
I moved slowly.
Step by step.
Careful.
Silent.
Just like before.
The deer lifted its head slightly.
I froze.
Waited.
Then—
I moved.
Fast.
The knife flew from my hand.
A clean hit.
The deer stumbled.
Eron immediately rushed in and finished it.
Silence.
Then—
He looked at me.
"...Not bad."
I exhaled slowly.
"...Lucky."
He shook his head.
"No."
"That was skill."
For some reason…
That felt good.
We didn't stop there.
As the day went on—
We found more.
I managed to catch two forest chickens.
Collected several medicinal plants.
And then—
Something unexpected happened.
A low growl echoed from the bushes.
Eron immediately tensed.
"...Back."
But I already saw it.
A wolf-like creature.
Larger than normal.
Sharp fangs.
Dark fur.
"...Monster."
Eron narrowed his eyes.
"Rank D."
My grip tightened.
"...Can we take it?"
He glanced at me.
"Normally? No."
Then he smirked slightly.
"But today… we try."
The monster lunged.
Fast.
Too fast.
I barely dodged.
Its claws scraped my arm.
Pain shot through my body.
"Focus!" Eron shouted.
I gritted my teeth.
The monster came again.
This time—
I didn't run.
I stepped forward.
Low.
Close.
My knife stabbed into its side.
The beast roared.
Eron followed immediately.
His blade cut across its neck.
Blood sprayed.
The monster staggered—
Then collapsed.
Silence.
Heavy breathing filled the air.
I stared at the body.
"...We actually did it."
Eron laughed.
"Yeah."
Then he looked at me.
"And you didn't run."
I wiped the blood from my face.
"...I can't afford to."
By the time we returned to the village—
The sun was already going down.
We didn't stop.
"Pack everything."
Eron said.
"We leave now."
"...Now?"
"Yeah."
"If we go early, we reach the trading village by tomorrow."
So we moved again.
Carrying everything we hunted.
The journey was long.
But manageable.
The next day—
I saw it.
The trading village.
No—
This wasn't just a village.
It was…
A small city.
Wooden walls surrounded the area.
People moved in and out constantly.
Merchants.
Adventurers.
Travelers.
The noise hit me immediately.
Voices.
Shouting.
Laughter.
For the first time in a while—
It felt like a real world.
"...This is big."
Eron smirked.
"Told you."
We entered.
Stalls lined the streets.
Food.
Weapons.
Clothes.
Everything.
I almost forgot where I was for a second.
Then Eron nudged me.
"Focus."
"Right."
We moved toward a building.
Larger than the others.
A sign hung above it.
Adventurer Guild.
My steps slowed slightly.
"...So this is another one."
"Yeah."
We entered.
The atmosphere inside was familiar.
Tables.
Adventurers.
Noise.
But something felt different.
Less strict.
Less… controlled.
Eron walked to the counter.
"Sell these."
We placed everything down.
The staff began checking.
Meat.
Fur.
Plants.
Then—
The monster.
Their eyes widened slightly.
"Rank D?"
Eron nodded.
"We hunted it together."
They calculated quickly.
After a moment—
They pushed a small pouch toward us.
"Payment."
I opened it slightly.
Coins.
Real coins.
My chest tightened.
"...This is my first money."
Eron grinned.
"Don't spend it all at once."
I nodded slowly.
"...I won't."
After that—
I stepped forward again.
"I want to register."
The staff looked at me.
Their eyes moved to my neck.
The mark.
For a moment—
Silence.
Then they looked away.
"...Name?"
"Kazu."
They wrote it down.
No questions.
No reaction.
Like it didn't matter.
"...Rank F."
They handed me a small plate.
Lowest rank.
The bottom.
I stared at it.
"...Figures."
"You can take basic jobs."
"Gathering. Carrying. Cleaning."
I nodded.
"...That's fine."
Because right now—
I had nothing else.
When we left the guild—
The sun was already starting to set again.
We didn't stay long.
Just enough.
Then we headed back.
The road felt different this time.
Lighter.
Because now—
I had something.
Money.
A rank.
A starting point.
Back at the hut, I sat down slowly.
Looking at the small pouch in my hand.
"...So this is it."
Eron leaned on the wall.
"Your first step."
I nodded.
"...Yeah."
I closed my eyes for a moment.
Then opened them again.
Clear.
Focused.
"Starting tomorrow…"
I stood up.
My voice steady.
"...I won't mess around anymore."
No more drifting.
No more hesitation.
This time—
I move forward.
No matter what.