Chapter 4
Aldin woke up to the smell of medicine.
And the steady beep… beep… beep… of something keeping track of whether he was still alive.
"…He's awake," a voice said.
Aldin blinked slowly, ceiling coming into focus. White. Clean. Too clean.
A hospital…?
"H-how…?" His throat felt like sandpaper.
A doctor leaned into view, an older man with dark circles under his eyes and an expression somewhere between impressed and irritated. A floating metal machine in the shape of a ball continued to beep in the background while it monitored Aldin's heartbeat, he could tell it was being powered by the doctor's mana.
"You clearly overexerted yourself," the doctor said bluntly. "Massive mana depletion. Organ shock. Honestly, the amount of mana you burned throughout there is ridiculous."
Aldin swallowed.
"You should be dead," the doctor continued flatly. "If whoever dragged you here hadn't done so when they did, you very well could have been."
"…Someone brought me here?" Aldin asked.
"Yes. Dropped you off at the front doors and vanished," the doctor said while scribbling on a clipboard. "No name. No explanation. Extremely irresponsible."
Lucky, Aldin thought faintly.
Not that he was happy about the doctor's frustration but the fact that someone had helped him in his time of need was quite the relief.
"How are you feeling now?" The doctor asked with a raised eyebrow, reeling him back into reality.
"Oh, I'm fine. I actually feel better than before when I first entered the dungeon."
Aldin realized the weight of his words a second too late as before he could explain, he was already greeted with the judging gaze of the doctor looming over him. As if his eyes were telling him he could not have been more of a fool. It looked like he'd challenged a dungeon alone, as a F ranker.
"...Typical story of a new adventurer. Listen kid, going into dungeons alone is a recipe for disaster. You better smarten up before a dungeon takes you out for good. I have no idea how you even got access into a place like that anyway. The guilds must not be careful enough nowadays."
"Wait it's not what you think-" Aldin tried to explain but the doctor cut him off, as though he had heard excuses like this several times.
The doctor huffed. "Just focus on getting rest. I'm filing paperwork."
He left, leaving Aldin alone with the quiet hum of the room.
Before he knew it, the door shut and Aldin sighed of defeat.
****
Before long the silence returned—and with it, memory.
The dungeon.
The betrayal.
The god-thing.
The river.
And then—
That screen.
"…There's no way," Aldin murmured.
An SSS-rank class? Monster Devourer?
It sounded insane.
But the feeling hadn't vanished.
He focused.
Status.
Light bloomed.
A translucent screen unfolded in front of him as easily as breathing.
Aldin froze.
"…It's real."
His heart began to race—not with fear this time, but disbelief. He lifted his hand, waved it through the projection.
Still there.
A shaky laugh escaped him. "I'm not crazy…"
The door creaked open.
"Oh. Good," the doctor said. "You're conscious—"
He stopped dead.
"…Why are you staring at the air like that?"
Aldin flinched and snapped his focus away. The screen vanished.
"N-nothing!" he said way too fast.
The doctor narrowed his eyes. "…Right. Well. About that."
He stepped aside.
Someone else entered the room.
She was about Aldin's age, wearing battered adventurer's gear held together by optimism and bad stitching. Her brown hair was tied messily behind her head, and a spear rested casually against her shoulder.
She raised a hand. "Oh. Hey. You're alive."
Aldin stared. "…You're the one who saved me?"
"Yep," she said brightly. "Found you unconscious outside the dungeon. You were glowing a little. Figured that was bad."
"Ki," the doctor said. "This is the patient."
"Nice to officially meet the guy who almost died harder than anyone I've ever seen." Ki said.
"…Thanks?"
The doctor clapped his hands once. "Wonderful. Now—about payment."
Both Aldin and Ki stiffened.
"Hospital fees aren't cheap," the doctor said calmly. "And since someone dumped you here without coin—"
Ki slowly leaned back. "Ah."
"…You don't have money," Aldin guessed.
Ki coughed. "Define… money."
The doctor sighed the sigh of a man who'd heard this many times. "You're broke."
"Temporarily financially disadvantaged," Ki corrected.
The doctor pointed at Aldin. "And you?"
"…Also broke," Aldin admitted automatically.
The doctor pinched the bridge of his nose. "I hate adventurers."
Ki smiled sheepishly. "So. Uh. Any chance we can do the thing?"
Aldin blinked. "The… thing?"
"Mission tab," she said. "Quick job. Get money. Pay hospital. Everyone lives."
The doctor considered for a long moment.
"…Fine," he said reluctantly. "One low-risk request. You come straight back. No heroics."
Ki pumped her fist. "Yes!"
As the doctor left to retrieve the mission slate, Ki glanced at Aldin.
"You're walking," she said. "So you're good enough."
Aldin looked down at his hands.
At the place where the screen had been.
"…Yeah," he said quietly.
I want to test it.
Not to prove it to others.
But to prove it to himself.
When the doctor returned, slate in hand, Aldin straightened.
"If we're doing this," he said, voice steadier than he felt, "then this is perfect."
Ki raised an eyebrow. "For what?"
Aldin smiled—small, uncertain, but real.
"For starting over."
And somewhere deep inside him—
Something hungry stirred.
The doctor returned holding a weathered quest slip instead of the usual guild-stamped parchment.
"Well," he said, adjusting his glasses, "this was going to be sent to the Adventurers Guild anyway. Since you're both standing here and owe me money, you'll do."
Ki leaned forward immediately. "What is it?"
"Simple gathering request," the doctor replied. "Go to Walenduv Forest."
Aldin stiffened slightly.
"Gather at least fifty Wonder Weeds. Roots intact. We use them for medicine."
Ki's eyes sparkled. "That's it?"
"That's it," the doctor said. Then his expression darkened. "However. Do not stay long."
He tapped the paper once for emphasis.
"There's a Fier Wolf in the area."
Aldin's spine went cold.
"A high-threat monster," the doctor continued. "Extremely aggressive. It can cause flames to burst out of thin air at devastating temperatures. Don't even think about approaching it. Kill only low-level slimes if necessary, grab the roots, and come back."
Ki saluted cheerfully. "Got it!"
Aldin nodded quickly. "Understood."
"Good," the doctor said. "I prefer my patients alive."
****
Walenduv Forest was ever blooming.
Towering silver-barked trees filtered soft green light through layered leaves, the air fragrant with moss and damp earth. Small motes of mana drifted lazily between branches, glowing faintly like fireflies.
Ki walked ahead, humming some unfamiliar tune and skipping over exposed roots as if this were a stroll through a park.
Aldin walked behind her, pack slung over his shoulder.
No one has said a word since we left…I should probably break the silence.
He cleared his throat.
"Uh—Ki?"
She startled like a cat. "Ah—! Oh. You talk!"
"…Yes," Aldin said flatly. "I just wanted to say thanks. For saving me."
She blinked once—then waved a hand dismissively. "Oh. That."
"That was just basic decency," she said. "Anyone with a conscience would've done it."
Aldin smiled faintly. "Still. Thank you."
She shrugged. "If anything, thank the doctor. He didn't have to keep you overnight. I checked on you the next day because I was worried."
Aldin felt something warm settle in his chest.
I really am lucky, he thought. She's thoughtful. Responsible.
Ki glanced over her shoulder at him, studying his face.
"You know," she said casually, "I felt like I had to save you…because we're the same."
Aldin blinked. "The… same?"
She grinned. "Yeah! You've got guts."
"…Guts?"
"You went into dangerous woods hunting the Fier Wolf even though you're only F-rank," she said proudly.
Aldin nearly tripped. "W-wait—no—that's not—"
He flailed verbally, words tangling together. "I wasn't hunting it—I mean, I didn't even know it was there—I—"
She didn't hear a word.
"It's okay! You don't have to hide it!" Ki said brightly. "I was doing the same thing!"
She stopped suddenly and turned, holding something up.
An iron adventurer tag.
F-rank.
Aldin stared.
"You too…?"
"Yep," she said. "That wolf's been spotted for weeks, and nobody strong wants the risk unless the payout's high. So I figured—why not me?"
Aldin opened his mouth. Closed it. Then tried again.
"Ki," he said carefully, "the Fier Wolf is extremely dangerous. It can ignite air itself. Entire parties have—"
"Oh, I know!" she said cheerfully, resuming her walk. "Super scary."
"…Then why—"
"Because if I beat it," she continued, "I won't be F-rank anymore."
Aldin stopped walking.
She looked back at him, tilting her head. "You're hunting it too, right? That's why I knew you'd take this job."
Aldin's soul left his body.
"I thought if we teamed up," Ki went on, oblivious, "we'd definitely catch that fox."
Fox…? Aldin thought weakly.
He rubbed his face.
I take it back.
She's not prudent at all.
He'd run into—
…an extremely reckless person!