Ren barely had time to catch his breath before a rough hand grabbed his collar and yanked him backward with force.
Before he could react, he was dragged across the ground, then shoved violently, sending him stumbling back.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"
Dynamm's voice thundered, sharp and filled with raw fury.
Ren froze, his legs unsteady as he nearly lost his balance. A sharp pain shot through his shoulder from the push, but it was nothing compared to the rage burning in the eyes before him.
Dynamm no longer wore his usual teasing smirk, nor did he throw out his usual lighthearted remarks. Instead, his face was taut, his jaw clenched, his eyes ablaze as if they could set Ren on fire.
"Hunting alone at night?" Dynamm spat out each word, his voice stretched so tight it felt like it could snap at any moment. "Just to earn a little more money and experience? DO YOU EVEN REALIZE YOU PUT ALL OF US IN DANGER?!"
Each word slammed into Ren's chest like a hammer blow.
For the first time…
He saw Dynamm, the one who always joked around, the one who kept the group's mood light,
truly angry. Not just annoyed, but enraged from a place of genuine fear.
Fear that, because of Ren's recklessness, the entire group could have died.
Ren opened his mouth, but no words came out. His mind was still reeling from the escape, but Dynamm's accusations drowned out everything else.
"We had to RISK OUR LIVES to save you!" Dynamm continued, his voice almost breaking. "Who do you think you are? Some lone hero? Or just a selfish idiot who doesn't care about his teammates?!"
The air seemed to freeze.
Ren clenched his fists.
"I just…"
He wanted to say something, to explain that he never meant to put anyone in danger. That he just wanted to get stronger. That he didn't want to be a burden. But all those reasons sounded so weak.
A sigh came from behind.
Klein hesitated, stepping forward slightly, but a hand landed on his shoulder.
It was Dale.
He shook his head, his eyes calm but chillingly indifferent.
"Let him face this on his own."
The words cut through Ren like a knife.
No more protection. No more shelter.
He turned to Issin, looking for something...anything...from the quietest member of the group. A sign of support. A word. Anything.
But Issin merely folded his arms, his expression unreadable.
A complete and utter indifference.
Ren felt his chest tighten.
If they were still angry like Dynamm, at least it would mean they still cared.
But now… they looked at him like a stranger.
A cold wind blew through, ruffling his hair. He felt himself trembling, but he didn't know if it was from the night air… or the emptiness gnawing at him inside.
"You're not part of the group anymore."
Dynamm's words rang out, final, like a death sentence.
Ren stiffened.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, an apology, a defense, anything to hold onto the last thread of connection.
But no words came out.
Because… he knew.
Dynamm was right.
When he chose to act alone, he had severed the ties between them.
Klein bit his lip, his hand tightening around the hilt of his sword. He looked at Ren, conflict clear in his eyes. But in the end, he said nothing.
No one said anything.
No one stopped him.
No one told him to stay.
The night wind swept through, carrying a heavy silence over the group.
Ren lowered his head. A bitter taste filled his mouth.
Then, without another word, he turned and walked away, his small figure swallowed by the darkness of the town.
Behind him, the people who were once his teammates simply watched in silence.
—
Ren walked in silence.
His steps were slow, aimless, as if his body moved on its own while his mind remained empty.
The sound of his footsteps echoed, lonely in the quiet night.
The stone-paved streets beneath his feet were cold, reflecting the pale glow of scattered streetlights.
The town still held traces of life at this hour, laughter from small groups of players, dim lights shining from the old windows of taverns, the clinking of blacksmiths working late.
But all those sounds felt distant, muffled, as if they no longer had anything to do with him.
Ren kept walking until his legs carried him to a secluded corner of town, a small wooden bench beneath an old streetlamp.
A pool of soft yellow light formed around it, a tiny island of warmth in the surrounding darkness.
He sat down.
The cold wood seeped through his clothes, but he didn't care. He simply sat there, motionless, letting the light cast shadows over his pale face.
Everything had happened too fast.
His group.
No… they weren't his group anymore.
Dynamm's words still echoed in his head, sharp as blades cutting into his skin.
"You're not part of the group anymore."
They had left him behind. Without a single word of defense. Without a moment's hesitation.
Ren clenched his fists on his knees.
He knew he had been reckless. He knew his actions had put them in danger.
But… didn't he deserve even a single chance to be forgiven?
He had tried. He just wanted to be stronger. He just wanted to be able to protect himself…
And yet....
A cold gust of wind swept through, making Ren shiver.
He lifted a hand to touch his collar, the spot where Dynamm had grabbed him earlier. The feeling still lingered… the fury in his voice, the disappointment in his eyes, the merciless shove.
His heart twisted.
This feeling… it wasn't just being scolded.
It was the feeling of being abandoned.
Of being discarded.
Ren lowered his head, his dark hair falling over his eyes. He didn't cry, not because he didn't want to, but because he no longer had the strength to.
There was only emptiness, and the darkness stretching endlessly before him.
He sat there, beneath the dim streetlight, as still as a stone statue in the silent town.
The night wind passed by, carrying a chill that seeped through his thin clothes.
And yet, he didn't move.
Warm, delicious food… perhaps even that wouldn't make him feel any better right now.
Inside him was a void, an overwhelming emptiness that made it hard to breathe. Not pain, not anger.
Ren didn't blame Dynamm or the others… they were completely right to do what they did.
After all… who was he?
Just… an empty shell.
He had once thought that he belonged nowhere.
He had once believed he would always be alone.
And yet, when Klein reached out to him, when Dale, Issin, and Dynamm accepted him into their group…
He had started to believe that maybe, this time, things would be different. That he wasn't alone anymore.
But in just one night, everything crumbled.
He lifted his hand, opening his palm before his eyes. It was still the same hand, still the same him… and yet, why did it feel so unfamiliar?
He was no longer part of the group.
Dynamm's words had been cold and decisive, like a sharp blade cutting through the fragile thread that had tied him to them.
Ren exhaled softly, his breath vanishing into the wind. He leaned his head back, gazing up at the night sky.
Thousands of stars glittered against the vast darkness. Beautiful, yet distant.
Just like how he saw his former group, once so close, now beyond his reach.
A dull ache twisted in his chest, but there was nothing he could do except sit there and let it slowly consume him.
Faint footsteps echoed somewhere in the town. Players continued on with their lives, taking on quests, hunting monsters, laughing with their teammates.
And him?
No party. No one to rely on.
Only himself.
Ren closed his eyes.
Once again, he was back where he started. Once again, he was alone in this vast world.
As if nothing had ever changed.
He remained seated, letting time slip by. He didn't know how long he had been there, ten minutes? An hour? Maybe even longer?
The night's cold gradually seeped into his skin, but he couldn't be bothered to move.
What do I do now?
The question lingered in his mind, but no answer came.
He was used to being abandoned. Used to belonging nowhere. But this time, something felt different.
Something hollow, something heavy, as if a part of him had been carved away.
He raised a hand, clutching the fabric over his chest.
What was this feeling?
Regret?
Loneliness?
Or just… a dull, nameless ache?
Laughter rang out from a nearby tavern. A group of players had just finished a quest, raising their mugs in celebration.
Ren glanced at them… the warmth in their eyes, the familiarity they shared, it only made the tightness in his chest worse.
He recalled his early days with Klein's group. Back then, he never truly believed he could fit in.
But over time, the conversations over warm meals, the battles fought side by side, the moments when someone shielded him from a fatal strike…
All of it had made him forget one truth, he had never really belonged.
Or rather, he had never been worthy of belonging.
Ren let out a quiet, lifeless chuckle.
His fingers brushed against the hilt of his steel sword, tracing its cold surface.
If he had been stronger… if he weren't so weak, would things have been different?
No.
He couldn't blame strength or weakness.
It was his own foolishness, his own selfishness. He had pushed himself away from the group, and now he was paying the price.
Ren lowered his head, his eyes hidden beneath the shadows.
There was no one left to watch his back.
No one left to return to.
He was alone.
…
The night wind blew past....cold and empty.