Ethan was chasing after Borys.
"Stop, you bastard! You can't lose me!"
"Want to bet?"
Borys suddenly vanished once again.
Ethan came to an abrupt stop.
Again... he has a skill that lets him disappear!
He carefully scanned every corner ahead of him, but there was no sign of his enemy.
Then he instinctively turned around, realizing Borys was behind him, and swung one of his sickles.
Borys ducked under the attack and drove a punch into Ethan's stomach.
"Got you!" Borys exclaimed.
But Ethan retaliated immediately with a punch of his own, sending him flying a couple of meters backward.
The two stared each other down, both exhausted.
"What level do you have to be to possess that kind of strength?" Borys asked.
"My level is none of your business. You should be thinking about how to survive, because you're not walking away alive from a fight with me!"
Borys laughed upon hearing those words.
"I know... that's why I have to leave it to luck!"
Borys took a deep breath.
"Help! Somebody help me!"
His desperate cries left Ethan stunned, and he instinctively looked around.
After waiting a couple of moments, he let out a chuckle.
"Nice try, but it didn't work."
Ethan launched one end of his chain toward him.
But suddenly, another chain with a sickle wrapped itself around his own.
"Seriously!?" Ethan blurted out.
Borys immediately looked relieved.
What luck!
"Let him go!" a boy shouted.
"No, I didn't—" Ethan tried to explain, but he noticed the boy backing away.
"Stop!"
Borys pretended to be frightened.
Ethan tried to free his chain from the rescuer's weapon, but a powerful pull suddenly yanked him forward.
"Nice catch, Eric!" another boy shouted as he emerged from the darkness between the trees.
The two rescuers were Eric and Sergei.
"I've finally gotten used to this weapon!" Eric said proudly.
"Don't get in my way!"
Ethan grabbed his chain firmly and started pulling.
"Huh!?"
Eric's eyes widened in surprise as Ethan began dragging the chain toward himself.
His strength was so overwhelming that Eric couldn't resist and was nearly pulled off balance.
"Sergei, how about... a little help?"
Sergei looked at Eric with a mocking grin.
"Ohh... you're so weak!"
Eric immediately got annoyed.
"Idiot, move!"
Eric glanced at Sergei for a moment, losing concentration and nearly getting dragged away before recovering his footing.
Did he just increase the strength he's using!?
Eric focused on Ethan and noticed a faint reddish aura surrounding him.
"He's using a skill to boost his strength!"
[Unique Skill Activated: Warrior's Will]
Seeing the situation, Sergei finally grabbed the chain as well and started pulling.
The result was exactly the same.
"Are you actually putting any strength into this, or is all that effort just for show?" Eric asked irritably.
"Why? Doesn't it look obvious?" Sergei replied, his face showing the maximum amount of strain.
The three of them began shouting from the effort, until Riccardo suddenly appeared beside the point where the two chains had become tangled.
Using his sword, he lifted Eric's sickle just enough to take advantage of the force being exerted from both sides and untangle the chains.
The moment they came loose, inertia did the rest.
All three of them fell to the ground.
"Who are you? One of his teammates?" Eric asked irritably.
Riccardo looked at Eric and Sergei.
"No. But I have to help him because a very desperate girl asked me to. So, if you want to challenge me, I have no problem with that. Though I'm not sure it's worth the risk for a complete stranger..."
Then Riccardo glanced around.
"Besides, he's already gone."
Eric looked at Riccardo, trying to figure out what he was capable of.
Sergei, however, placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Let's go... we've done our part."
Understanding the situation, Eric left together with Sergei.
"They only wasted my time!"
Ethan looked ready to resume his pursuit of Borys.
"And so you're leaving again..."
Riccardo's words stopped him in his tracks.
"I can't let him get away!"
"So you're going to leave your friend alone with a group of strangers."
Frustrated, Ethan tightened his grip on the chain.
"Your friend was just injured. In situations like this, I think it's better to stay by her side, don't you?"
Ethan clenched his teeth.
"That asshole could come back—"
"Then answer me this: even if I let you go, and you managed to kill him, who's to say your friend would still be waiting? She might abandon you, just as you're about to abandon her."
Ethan couldn't come up with an answer.
"You're right..." he said, loosening his grip on the chain.
Silently, with his head lowered, Ethan started walking back.
Riccardo watched him pass by.
Then he followed a few steps behind him.
[The sun was beginning to set]
Followed by Riccardo, Ethan returned to the others.
As soon as he arrived, he noticed Amina resting beside the campfire.
Then, right next to her, he saw the others preparing food.
Dana walked over to Riccardo, who had leaned against a tree.
"How did it go?" Dana asked, resting against the tree as well.
"Apparently, the attacker managed to escape thanks to the intervention of two other boys."
"Were they his allies?"
"I don't know. They were already there when I arrived. But I heard someone shouting while I was on my way. He probably raised the alarm and simply attracted them."
"I see... the important thing is that you're alright."
Ethan knelt beside Amina and noticed the bandage wrapped around her waist.
"Ethan, right?" Estrella asked as she approached him.
"Yeah..."
"I can tell you that she'll be fine. Even though she has a bit of a fever right now, that's completely normal."
"Are you sure?" he asked hesitantly.
"Don't worry. I was studying medicine before all of this happened."
"Oh... good."
Ethan lowered his gaze and fell silent.
"Well... we'll be done preparing food soon. I'll bring you something if you don't want to sit with us."
Estrella walked away.
"Estrella, can you get the meat from the bag?" Dalai asked.
"Sure!"
Estrella walked over to a bag made from animal hide and sewn together with what looked like forest vines.
Ethan noticed it.
Those are the vines from the trees in this forest...
He took a moment to think before suddenly standing up.
"Thank you!"
The others looked surprised by Ethan's initiative.
"So you do know words besides insults and death threats. Since we met, that's pretty much all I've heard from you," Dalai said sarcastically, making Ethan blush with embarrassment.
"Sorry. I'm not always like this."
"You don't need to apologize. We can understand the situation," Dana replied reassuringly.
Ethan nodded.
Estrella seemed to be searching for something.
"Guys, do you know where the bowls went?"
"They should be in my backpack!" Dalai replied.
"Alright!"
Estrella headed toward Dalai's backpack, while Ethan watched.
"Bowls?" Ethan muttered in confusion.
"We found them in an abandoned campsite," Riccardo said as he approached him.
"They were probably made by someone using an axe or a similar weapon to cut down a tree and carve the wood into bowls."
Ethan looked at the bowls in Estrella's hands.
"That takes real skill. An ordinary person wouldn't be able to make those."
"Whoever made them was probably an apprentice carpenter. Either way, we were lucky to find them."
Hearing what Riccardo had said, Ethan watched Dalai, Estrella, and Dana chatting amicably while they cooked.
"You're a good team..."
"Thank you. The two of you are as well."
Riccardo glanced at Amina.
"It's obvious that you care a lot about each other."
Ethan reflected on Riccardo's words.
"The first time I met her, I put her in danger almost immediately, even though she trusted me. That's why I'm determined to repay that trust by keeping her safe."
Ethan clenched his fists.
Riccarddo also noticed the disappointment on Ethan's face.
"Don't blame yourself. Some things can't be predicted."
"This one could have been avoided... I just needed to be more firm."
"Maybe you're right. But what happened should strengthen your bond. In the end, overcoming difficult situations is meant to do exactly that, isn't it? To help us grow."
Ethan seemed to think about it and fell silent, while Riccardo showed a faint smile.
"You know, the first thing she thought about after waking up was you."
Riccardo's words immediately embarrassed Ethan.
"What!?"
"Yeah. She even had the nerve to ask us to help you."
Ethan blushed even more.
"Why are you telling me this!? Are you trying to embarrass me on purpose?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. At least this way you'll get rid of that gloomy expression."
Ethan thought back to the moment Riccardo had convinced him to stop chasing Borys.
"You're really good with words..."
"Thank you. I kind of think so too... although it's not my greatest strength."
"Riccardo, can you come give us a hand?" Dana called out.
"Yeah, I'm coming."
Riccardo walked away.
"If you want to join us for dinner, feel free."
"Yeah, thanks."
Ethan watched the group.
They seemed strong. All of them looked confident and at ease.
But the real reason for that...
His gaze fell on Riccardo.
The real reason is him. He's intelligent, handles every situation incredibly well, and makes everyone else feel secure enough to do what they want. He's a great leader.
Estrella approached Ethan.
"Excuse me, Ethan. If you don't mind, I'd like to suggest that you stay with us for at least a couple of days."
"What!?" Ethan replied in surprise.
"Well, I'd like to keep an eye on Amina. And obviously, if she's not in front of me, I can't do that."
Ethan placed a hand on his head in resignation.
"Yeah, that makes sense..."
He extended a hand toward Estrella.
"Estrella, right? Then I'm entrusting Amina's care to you."
Estrella was shocked by Ethan's sudden change in attitude.
"Yes, don't worry. I'll get her back on her feet."
She shook Ethan's hand.
"You two, dinner's ready!" Dalai called out.
"Do you want me to bring your food over here?" Estrella asked.
"No, I'll eat with you."
That answer surprised Estrella once again.
"Good! Then let's go!"
The two walked over to the others and began eating together.
I'll use this opportunity to figure out what kind of person this Riccardo really is...