They didn't stop after the fight.
Three bodies.
Still warm.
Ryn wiped his blade on one of them.
"Alright… I'm starting to like this."
Yuto glanced at him.
"?"
Ryn smirked.
"Fighting. Moving. Not carrying wood all day."
"…I see."
Yuto looked down at the corpses.
The pressure inside him—
steady.
No pull.
Different from before.
"…You're not taking anything?"
Ryn followed his gaze.
"From those?"
He shook his head.
"Not worth it."
"…Value?"
"Low."
Ryn crouched, checking one quickly.
"No usable parts. No core either."
Core?
Yuto stored the word in his head.
"?"
Ryn stood back up.
"You really don't know anything, do you?"
"…No."
Ryn scratched his head.
"Alright, simple explanation."
"Some monsters have cores."
"They're basically… condensed mana."
He tapped his chest.
"People use them. Sell them. Or use them to get stronger."
Yuto's eyes shifted slightly.
Condensed.
Stored.
"…Efficient."
Ryn grinned.
"Yeah. Exactly."
They kept moving.
The terrain grew worse.
Not just cracks now.
Uneven ground.
Sharp rises.
Places where one wrong step—
meant falling.
Yuto adjusted instantly.
Foot placement.
Balance.
Perfect.
Ryn slipped once.
"—shit."
He caught himself.
Yuto watched.
"…Your control is inconsistent."
Ryn laughed.
"Yeah, no kidding."
They climbed a short ridge.
And stopped.
Not by agreement.
Both of them—
just stopped.
"…That's something new."
Ryn narrowed his eyes.
Ahead—
A figure.
Standing.
Not a creature.
Human.
Wearing something different.
Long coat.
Light armor underneath.
And—
a faint glow.
Around his hand.
"…Magic."
Ryn whispered it.
The man moved his hand—
The glow shifted.
Formed.
Then—
released.
A small burst of light shot forward—
And struck something out of sight.
A distant impact.
Then silence.
Ryn grinned.
"…That's what I'm talking about."
Yuto watched.
The energy—
was external.
Not flowing through the body.
Shaped.
Directed.
Released.
Different.
"…I see."
"Yeah?"
Ryn glanced at him.
"That's magic."
"…I understand the distinction."
Ryn blinked.
"…Already?"
Yuto didn't answer.
The man ahead turned.
He noticed them.
A pause.
Then—
he walked closer.
Not cautious.
Not aggressive.
Measured.
"You two aren't from around here, are u?"
Ryn straightened.
"Yeah. Just left a village."
The man's eyes shifted to Yuto.
Studying.
Longer than normal.
"…You."
Yuto met his gaze.
"…Yes."
"…You're strange."
Ryn snorted.
"Yeah, I've been saying that."
The man didn't react.
"Your presence is wrong."
Silence.
Yuto didn't respond.
Ryn stepped in slightly.
"Hey, we're not looking for trouble."
"I didn't say you were."
The man's hand lifted slightly.
That same glow—
formed again.
Subtle.
Controlled.
Yuto's internal flow shifted.
Not reacting.
But—
focused.
"…What are you?"
The man asked.
Direct.
Ryn frowned.
"Dude, what kind of question is that?"
Yuto answered.
"…Human."
The man's gaze didn't change.
"…No."
Silence.
The air tightened slightly.
Then—
Ryn stepped forward.
"Alright, that's enough."
"We're just passing through."
A pause.
The man exhaled.
The glow faded.
"…Fine."
"But be careful."
He looked at Yuto again.
"If you don't understand what you are…
something else will."
Then—
he turned.
And left.
Silence stayed behind.
Ryn let out a breath.
"…Well. That was weird."
Yuto didn't move.
Inside—
the pressure remained steady.
Unchanged.
"…He uses mana inefficiently."
Ryn blinked.
"…What?"
"…Externalization creates loss."
Ryn stared at him.
"…You just saw magic for the first time in your life, no?"
"…Yes."
"And that's your conclusion?"
"…Yes."
Ryn laughed.
"…You're insane."
Yuto didn't deny it.
They moved again.
But slower now.
More aware.
"…That guy was strong."
Ryn said after a while.
"…Yes."
"…Stronger than us."
Yuto paused.
A moment.
Then—
"…Not necessarily."
Ryn looked at him.
"…You're serious?"
"…Yes."
Ryn grinned.
"…Good."
He adjusted his grip.
"Then we'll just get stronger faster."
Yuto looked ahead.
The world stretched outward.
Wider.
More complex.
Humans.
Magic.
Monsters.
Systems.
"…Understood."
They kept walking.
This time—
not just toward growth.
But toward something else.
Understanding.