The sun gradually sank behind the distant mountains, painting the sky with a blazing shade of orange before its light faded away.
Ren let out a quiet sigh, slowly sitting down on a large rock. Guiding Nautilus and Yuna while moving forward had proven to be more difficult than he had expected.
'I thought just teaching them the basics would be enough… but it turns out it's not that simple.'
His mind wandered back to his time in Klein's group. Back then, he had nothing, no skills, no experience, not even the courage to hold a weapon properly.
And yet, they had never abandoned him.
Klein, Dynamm, Issin, Dale, they had all been patient, always ready to support him no matter how clumsy he was.
Now, the roles were reversed.
Ren wasn't good at teaching, nor did he have Klein's patience.
But when he looked at the two beside him, still struggling with themselves, he knew, he couldn't just stand by and watch.
Ren opened his system menu and glanced at the clock displayed in the corner of his screen… 18:33.
The night was falling.
If they returned to the Starting Town now, they would never make it back before darkness fully took over.
But continuing through the night wasn't a wise choice either, especially when Yuna and Nautilus were still inexperienced in battle.
Once night fell, visibility would be limited, and the monsters would become even more dangerous. A single mistake could lead to dire consequences.
Ren glanced at his two companions. Under the deep red glow of the sunset, Yuna and Nautilus were still struggling with their swords.
Their footing was unsteady, their swings clumsy. Their breaths were growing heavier after an entire day of training.
Setting up camp was the best option.
Without hesitation, Ren began surveying the area. They had passed through the grassy fields and skirted the edge of a forest near the Starting Town. Now, they stood in a sunken area, surrounded by scattered boulders.
His eyes scanned each rock, each uneven patch of ground, until something struck him.
This place reminded him of somewhere.
The Sunken Rock Zone.
It was where he had once faced the giant six-eyed monster. Back then, fear had nearly consumed him.
For the first time, he had no teammates, no plan, no combat skills strong enough to guarantee victory.
Yet, somehow, he had survived. He was still here, still holding this sword.
And the second time… that monster had died by his blade. That, however, had been nothing more than sheer luck, luck that Ren didn't dare to count on again.
Gripping the hilt of his sword, Ren took a deep breath before continuing his search for a suitable campsite.
It didn't take long for him to find it, a flat clearing surrounded by natural rock walls.
The towering boulders would serve as a barrier against the night wind, while the open space in the center was large enough for them to rest without worrying about surprise attacks.
A perfect spot for camp.
Ren turned back to his companions. A gentle breeze swept through, lifting strands of Yuna's hair.
She looked exhausted, yet she bit her lip and pressed on. Nautilus stood nearby, fingers tightening around his sword hilt, his gaze thoughtful.
Without hesitation, Ren spoke.
"We're setting up camp here."
His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear and firm.
In that moment, something felt slightly strange.
He had never made decisions for others before. He had never been the one to lead a group.
Until now, Ren had always followed Klein's guidance, silently trailing behind without ever truly speaking up.
But now, he was the one choosing their resting place for the night.
He didn't know if he was making the right decision. But even so…
When he met Yuna and Nautilus's eyes, there was no hesitation. No questions, no objections.
They simply nodded.
And that made Ren more aware of the invisible weight slowly settling on his shoulders.
Nautilus and Yuna watched in silence as Ren retrieved items from his inventory, dry firewood he had gathered near the forest's edge, fire-starting stones he had bought in town, and simple provisions to last through the night.
His movements were swift, precise.
No hesitation, no wasted actions. His fingers worked quickly, arranging each item as if he had done this dozens, hundreds of times before.
Meanwhile, Nautilus and Yuna exchanged glances, both looking slightly lost.
"…You already had everything prepared?" Nautilus asked, unable to hide the surprise in his voice.
Ren didn't stop. He simply cast him a brief glance before continuing to strike the fire-starting stone.
"You think I came out here without a plan?"
A small flame flickered to life as the sparks caught on the dry twigs.
Ren nudged the fire gently with the tip of his sword, his voice dropping as if he were speaking to himself.
"There's no going back to town now, anyway."
He shifted some of the embers aside, creating a small space to cook.
Pulling out a wooden skewer, he threaded pieces of bread and dried meat onto it, the provisions the innkeeper had given him before he left, then placed them over the glowing coals.
A faint, warm aroma began to rise, mixing with the cool night air.
Even without looking, he could feel their eyes on him, surprised, watching his every move.
"What are you two just standing there for?" Ren asked, his voice steady as he turned the skewer over the fire. Then, he glanced up slightly, the corner of his lips lifting into a faint smile as he motioned toward them.
"Come sit and rest."
...
"You seem really good at this. Did you go camping a lot in the real world?" Yuna asked, cupping a warm piece of bread in her hands to chase away the night's chill.
Her eyes gleamed with curiosity as she looked at Ren.
Nautilus didn't say anything, simply eating his meal in silence. But the way he watched Ren spoke volumes.
Ren hesitated, his gaze lowering for a moment.
"…Well, not… not exactly."
He avoided Yuna's bright eyes and Nautilus's quiet observation.
They were expecting a simple answer...perhaps a fun memory. A trip with friends, a family camping adventure.
But the memories surfacing in Ren's mind were something else entirely.
Lighting a fire in the freezing night, not to warm up after a day of fun, but to survive the bitter cold.
Abandoned construction sites, dark corners where no one dared to step, places where a small fire was the only thing keeping him from the cold and the darkness.
And food? There was no warm, fragrant bread or juicy roasted meat. Only scraps of near-spoiled food, scavenged from places no one else would bother with.
'Do those… count as experience?'
Ren clenched the hand resting on his knee, but just as quickly, he loosened his grip.
"…I just have a little experience," he said, trying to keep his tone neutral, his gaze fixed on the flickering fire before him. "It's nothing special."
Yuna continued watching him, but in the end, she simply smiled and nodded.
"Well, I still think you're amazing," she said, taking a bite of her bread. The warmth spread across her tongue.
Nautilus said nothing, only continued eating his portion, but the way he looked at Ren, his gaze, which had been watching him this whole time, seemed just a little deeper.
The conversation shifted to another topic.
Once again, Yuna and Nautilus marveled at Ren's skill, not just in combat, but in everything he did. From preparing tools, lighting fires, to staying calm and guiding them throughout the day.
Neither of them said it out loud, but they shared the same thought: Ren seemed like someone who had been surviving in this world for a long time.
"You're really incredible," Yuna blurted out, admiration gleaming in her eyes.
She turned the warm bread in her hands, the firelight reflecting in her gaze like tiny, flickering stars. "Whether it's fighting or just things like this, you do everything so effortlessly."
Nautilus didn't say anything, but he nodded in agreement. His greenish-brown eyes remained locked onto Ren, as if trying to see through him.
Ren blinked, then let out a small chuckle.
"…No, I'm not." He shook his head, his gaze settling on the dancing flames. Tiny, fragile, swaying in the night, always on the verge of being snuffed out.
"When I first started, I was worse than both of you."
Yuna and Nautilus froze.
"Really?" Nautilus looked down at the fire, then back at Ren, eyes filled with doubt.
It was hard to imagine Ren, who had led them all day, ever being clumsy.
Ren nodded, distant memories surfacing like scattered fragments in the dark. Those first days in this world… He had nothing.
No strength, no skills, no purpose. A lost kid, holding a weapon he didn't even know how to use…
He couldn't even hold it properly.
A weakling, so powerless that he couldn't even take down a low-level monster.
If it weren't for Klein and the others, he probably wouldn't be sitting here, talking to them now.
"Back then, every time I swung a weapon, I worried whether I'd even hit my target." Ren smiled faintly, but there was something quiet in his voice. "Or rather, I just prayed I wouldn't drop my weapon."
Yuna covered her mouth, giggling softly, but her eyes were gentle.
"…Then how did you get to where you are now?" Nautilus asked, curiosity in his voice.
Ren fell silent for a moment, his fingers tightening around the sword resting beside him.
Images flashed through his mind, sleepless nights, wounds, moments brushing against death.
It hadn't been long. In fact, it had been painfully short. But in that time, he had gone through more than he had in sixteen years of life.
More than all the events in his past combined, in just a little over a week in this world, everything had changed.
He had met kind companions, new friends, moments of danger, moments of safety, moments of joy…
Then, slowly, he answered:
"…I just never let myself stop."