Going Home

Willy followed Braun, who led the way across the field of corpses. The fishy smell pierced the nose even though it was raining heavily. Braun's eyes focused on looking around their surroundings.The man made sure there were no elven warriors. Meanwhile, Willy braced himself for the sight before his eyes.

After ten minutes of walking eastward, they finally entered the forest.

The sound of insects chirped everywhere. Large and tall trees lined as far as the eye could see. There were wild ferns at every step. The leaves and twigs rubbed together and made a distinctive sound as the wind swept them.

The air in the forest wasn't much different from when they were in the meadow.After the two of them walked for a while, they came across a very large tree. There was a hole between the roots big enough for two people to enter. Braun decided to rest inside there.

"We'd better get some rest, Willy, it's still raining. Maybe it will be light in the morning."

Willy was tired and hungry, but in his heart, he felt the urge to get out of Alfheim.

"You said the forest is still under the dominion of the elves. After we leave, we will be safe. Wouldn't it be better if we kept walking until we got out of the forest? What if they are still on patrol," Willy said.

"Look at yourself, Willy."

Willy's body shivered and trembled. When he looked down at his hands, his fingers were wrinkled, and his teeth chattered uncontrollably. Willy was cold all the way to his bones, and Braun realized that.

"I don't want to be held responsible if you freeze to death in the middle of our escape," Braun quipped.

"Okay." Willy finally agreed with Braun.

Braun told Willy to rest first under the tree roots. Meanwhile, Braun wanted to find something to warm him up.

"You're not planning on leaving me alone, are you?" Willy asked suspiciously.

Braun snorted at Willy's question.

"Hey, kid. I'm an asshole, but I still know how to pay back my debt. Shut your mouth and go to sleep. We'll wake up early tomorrow."

Braun left Willy in the root hole under the tree.

Now, Willy was alone. He laid down and tried to sleep on the moss-covered dirt and rock. Willy closed his eyes, but his clothes were wet, and the ground was damp which made it difficult for him to fall asleep. Willy shifted positions and hoped g to find a comfortable position to sleep in. But instead, his mind started racing. His brain started to think about various things.

He thought about what steps he should take next. About what he should do if he faced the elven warriors. He thought about how to find the Prophet and what he needed to do in order to survive in a world full of fiction. There were too many foreign things that he didn't understand.

'If only this world was the same as mine. It might feel easier.'

Soon the memory of his home started to flash through his head.

That old spring bed that had started to break down. Smelly pillows that had never been washed due to busyness. The hard red sofa in front of the television. The cup of instant coffee that usually accompanied him while studying. Willy missed every little thing in his house. Now he realized how luxurious the things he often overlooked were.

'I want to go home.'

His body was tired. His brain hurt so much and he was broken-hearted. After everything that happened today, Willy reached his limit tonight. His eyes felt heavy after such a gruesome and wearisome day.

Finally, Willy fell asleep.

~~~

The rain eventually stopped. A thick fog clouded the air, and cold dew hung on the tips of the leaves. The raindrops that were still stuck to the trees fell. The sky was still dark, but the stars still seemed to be shining.

Something woke Willy.

Willy woke up alone in a tree root hole. Braun, who had excused himself in search of something to warm them, had not yet returned.

'That person hasn't come back yet. Did he leave me?'

He was suddenly alerted by the sound of a twig snapping close to his area. Instantly Willy's heart raced and his stomach churned. Anxiety and horror spread throughout his body.

'What was that sound just now? Braun? Elf warrior? But the steps are too heavy.'

Willy ventured to peek outside. His whole body shook with fear, he wanted so badly to run. But running didn't necessarily secure his life. It could be the other way around.

When Willy looked outside, his eyes went wide. It was not Braun or any elven warrior, but a white stag with golden antlers. When he saw the deer, it chased away the feeling of dread in Willy's chest. The deer stood in the distance. It was as if he was just keeping an eye on Willy.

Their eyes locked at each other. After a while, the white deer turned and ran. Willy spontaneously ran after it. For some reason, Willy had a hunch telling him to follow the deer. Or rather, the deer wanted Willy to follow it.

Willy ran as hard as he could, nevermind that he crashed into anything that got in his way. His eyes were only fixed on the white deer in front of him. The white deer ran very fast, but Willy felt he could catch up to it.

Gradually they grew closer and he just needed to exert some more effort. Willy's hand reached for it. Unfortunately, when they got close to one another, and Willy's finger made contact with the fur, it was like something was pulling them apart.

An energy that pushed him away, but Willy didn't stop.

'Almost! A little bit more!'

Willy really wanted to catch it, but suddenly , something caught his ankle and he collapsed into the forest floor.

Thud.

"Woah!"

Willy woke up. His entire body was covered in sweat. The sound of rain could still be heard. But he felt warm. His eyes rolled around as he tried to awaken himself. The tree root hole was covered by fern bushes. But next to it was the bonfire, and Braun was sitting quietly, watching Willy. It turned out that Willy was still in the hole under the tree's roots.

It was all just a dream!

'Unlucky! What was that dream just now?'

"Nightmare, kid?" asked Braun. His mouth seemed to be chewing something as he spoke.

"No, not a bad dream. Just a weird dream. Very strange," Willy replied. "Have you been here long?"

"Not too long." Braun handed Willy the grilled mushrooms. "Eat first. It's hard to sleep on an empty stomach."

Willy accepted Braun's offer. Four mushrooms pierced with twigs were in Willy's hands. He was a bit hesitant to bite it.

"Thanks, Braun. But you know what? Sometimes some mushrooms are safe to eat, and those that aren't. According to--"

"It's safe," said Braun. He spoke while chewing grilled mushrooms.

When he heard Braun's steady words, Willy decided to take a bite. After all, the man seemed fine. Once he took a bite, he realized that the taste of the grilled mushroom was terrible. Burnt, bitter, and dry gathered together in Willy's mouth. Willy wanted to throw the grilled mushroom away, but his stomach needed to be fed.

"How are my cooking skills? It's delicious, isn't it?" asked Braun teasingly.

"It tastes more like trash."

Braun laughed loudly at Willy's answer.

"It does taste like trash. But you'll get used to it after a while. I ate these mushrooms for a whole week when I was young."

Willy wasn't surprised by Braun's boast. Instead, he was silent and focused on swallowing the food in his mouth. Even though it was terrible, he savored every bite.

Soon after, that entire night Braun kept him and told him stories. His mouth didn't stop muttering at all whereas Willy just acknowledged him by saying yes when he needed to. Willy was used to dealing with parents, especially those who like to brag.

"Hahaha, so that's how it is."

Willy, who was getting tired of listening to Braun's words, then changed the topic.

"By the way, it's raining outside. Everything must be wet. How can you make a fire?"

"That's easy. Look at this." Braun's hand gave off a thin veil of blue light.

"That..." Willy remembered what happened on the battlefield. When Willy hid under the corpse, Braun let out blue light and deflected all the arrows raining down on him.

Braun was taken aback by Willy's reaction.

"You really don't know? If you're a soldier, you should know. Could it be that you're an amateur? It is surprising how you're still alive today." Braun shook his head.

"What is it? Magic?"

"People like us can't learn magic. Besides, to be able to learn magic, you have to be really talented. To compete with them, use this instead."

Braun's hand gave off another blue light.

"<Aura>. The accumulated Mana that comes out of our bodies. You can channel it into weapons, so it can cut anything. Besides, Aura generates heat. So it can be made to make fire. Hehe."

"How strong is it?" Willy asked curiously.

"Depends on how strong you are. I've seen a swordsman cleave a large rock with one slash. Haven't you heard of <Aura> at all?"

Willy shook his head then looked at Braun seriously

"Can you teach me?" Willy asked.

In a cruel world full of nonsense and without any laws to protect anyone, strength was the key to survival.

"Hahaha. <Aura> isn't something that can be obtained overnight, kid. You need to understand and experience it for yourself. When the body is fused with the weapon, Aura will be born. You have to really train hard to get it."

'Ah.'

Willy suddenly remembered the transparent panel screen he had seen in the previous battle.

"If I maximize the <Basic Swordsmanship> level, can I get <Aura>?"

'Levels?' Braun's face was full of question marks.

Braun, who was still silent, tried to think of an answer for Willy, but he was shot with another question.

"And what is AP? How much do you have?"

"AP?" Now, a large question mark was clearly visible on Braun's forehead.