“Haaaah… shit! There’s no end to them!”

Tightening his grip on the sword, Kaem swung towards the snarling wolves to ward them off. However, that was all he could do. As the son of a farmer, he had no prior experience nor training in fighting—much less against multiple monsters who were much more agile than he was. The closest he came to battling monsters were against wild boars and rather large birds.

“Faya! How is he!?”

“I-I don’t know! I’m doing my best, but… he’s bleeding so much!”

“A-alright, just keep at it! Don’t you worry, I’ll protect you both. I promise!”

Hearing several growls, Kaem’s head swerved back to the wolves who were creeping closer to them while his back was turned. It was no time to be faltering. Garred was down and Faya was desperately trying to treat him. His childhood friends were counting on him for protection as the only person who could move. However, even he himself knew he was simply putting up a futile struggle. Two of the wolves started moving forward while the others began moving to the sides, encircling them. Kaem swung the sword once more at the approaching wolves, prompting them to jump back upon noticing him. However, in doing so, he failed to notice one of the wolves was already beside him.

“Kaem!”

“Arrrgh!!”

The wolf’s fangs viciously sunk in his arm, making him cry out in pain. Kaem attempted to move the hand which held the sword and stab the wolf clamping down on his arm. But before he could do so, he suddenly felt his balance shift, making him fall to the ground instead. Feeling a similar pain, his eyes went towards his leg as he noticed yet another wolf biting down on him. Struggling to ignore the pain, Kaem willed his hand to rise once again. It was his fault they were in their current crisis. If only he hadn’t been so reckless as to attempt the quest without their guide, they would not have been lost in the forest. Thinking about it now was pointless, however. All that mattered now was that he needed to protect them, even at the cost of his life. As if to step all over his determination, Kaem felt yet another force pinning his hand back on the ground. Beside, he could feel the quickening breath of the wolf that held his arm down. Kaem shut his eyes tightly as he braced himself for the inevitable.

*Thwack!*

Kaem flinched as he heard a dull sound beside him. Curious as to why the wolf had yet to make a gruesome mess of his face, Kaem slowly opened his eyes. To his confusion, the wolf had backed away from him, whining as it scratched its head.

*Whoosh!*

Kaem felt something pass by him with extraordinary speed. Shortly after, the wolf on his leg loosened its bite on him as it whimpered backwards. The wolf biting his arm retreated upon witnessing the curious turn of events. Though he could not understand what was happening, he was relieved as the pack had stopped attacking them for the time being.

“Thought so.”

A person-- a boy, who seemed to be in his teens, emerged from the thicket with stones on his left hand. For some reason, his face was concealed with a mask depicting a jolly person with rosy cheeks and snow white skin [1]. The type of mask one could get from a certain travelling caravan. The unknown boy glanced at Kaem and retrieved a bottle containing a dull reddish liquid inside, tossing it to his lap.

“Do you know how to use it?”

“Y-yes.”

Upon hearing his reply, the boy nodded before facing the beasts. The leader of the pack, the one who bit Kaem’s arm, slowly approached the boy, growling much more fiercely than before after finally laying eyes on the hidden assailant. The wolf lifted one of its paws, seemingly to place it forward. However, before it could bring the paw down, a stone suddenly cut through the air, bouncing off the ground and making the wolf move further backwards.

“Leave.”

Beneath the mask, a pair of steely eyes stared the alpha wolf down. The new human that arrived was nothing like the ones they pursued. Though it possessed a smaller stature compared to its companions, the pressure it exuded simply by standing indicated that it was anything but prey. Though the alpha was unable to comprehend human language, it seemed adequate enough to understand the boy’s intent. Immediately, the alpha howled, signaling for its packmates to retreat. Upon confirming that it was the only one left, the alpha turned its back from them and disappeared into the forest.

“Are you… not going to use the potion?”

“P-please! Would it be alright to use it on my friend first!? He’s in a worse state than I am!”

“What happened to him?”

“H-He was swarmed by the wolves and hit his head...”

“I see. Then that may be for the best.”

Kaem cradled the potion securely as he hurried to his unconscious friend who lay on the ground. Without skipping a beat, the two applied the potion on the bites and gashes strewn across their friend’s body.

“Unnhh… Wh-- Oww, oww, oww! That burns!”

“Garred!”

The two cried out in joy upon seeing their friend arise with a jolt.

“Ugh… What happened?”

“We got attacked by a pack of wolves. But it’s alright now! They’re gone!”

“Right... we got ambushed, and then I… stumbled on something. Did you drive them away?”

“No, no, not me! It was this young boy who saved us!”

Kaem gestured behind him, allowing Garred to catch a glimpse of their savior. It was just a boy, probably no older than his little brother. Though he was reluctant to believe that the boy had chased away the wolves he himself had trouble fighting against, the fact is, they were nowhere to be seen.

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“Thank you very much for saving us!”

Garred stood up and bowed to the boy. The two people behind him hastily stood up and bowed as well, expressing their gratitude as one.

“Don’t mind it. Here.”

Without looking back, the boy tossed another potion bottle towards Kaem who panicked as he attempted to catch the bottle as gently as possible. The unknown boy began to walk, possibly to delve deeper into the forest.

“W-wait!”

“...Yes?”

“Is… is this really fine? I was so desperate to save my friend earlier that I didn’t hesitate, but… is this not too precious to be used for someone like me?”

Though he wanted nothing more than to get rid of the throbbing pain from his wounds, Kaem hesitated due to the potion’s quality. Potions that resemble blood are highly regarded due to their high efficacy in treating not only wounds but even curable diseases. Kaem has had the pleasure of seeing it in action twice now; Today and when he was a child. A traveling female adventurer once saved a dying mage who had been wounded terribly with one such potion. After taking shelter in their village, the female adventurer poured the entirety of the glistening crimson liquid on the mage’s chest. In a few moments, the wound had closed up as if nothing happened. It was truly a wondrous moment, but what touched Kaem the most was the adventurer’s tears of relief upon being assured of the mage’s recovery.

“I’ve already given it to you. Whether you use it to treat your wounds or let it fester with infection, the choice is yours. Farewell.”

The boy continued on his path, vanishing in the mass of greenery. Before long, Kaem finally made up his mind and poured a small amount of the liquid on his wounds. The potion immediately took effect upon coming in contact with his skin, making him grimace from the stinging sensation brought about by the healing process. Kaem watched his wounds close as it was covered by his forming skin. The process took no more than a few seconds, and by the time it was done, he felt no more lingering pain—nor were there any complications when he moved his arm and leg.

“Can you stand?”

“Yeah, I’m alright now.”

Kaem took Garred’s hand, supporting him as he stood up.

“Was it really fine for us to let him go deeper in the forest?”

“Who knows? He sure seemed able enough compared to us though.”

“Agreed. I think he’ll be fine, Faya.”

“I hope so.”

“What should we do now?”

“I think it’s best if we head back to the guild for now.”

“You think we should tell them what happened?”

“I’d rather not. Being scolded after a life-threatening situation would really suck.”

“Yeah, you’re right. This will just have to be one of those valuable life experiences, right, Kaem?”

Kaem nodded vigorously to the two, apologizing profusely as they set out opposite to the boy’s direction. Towards the warmth and safety of civilization.

**

“I told you I heard voices.”

“Hmph. If they could not handle the beasts, then they never should have entered in the first place.”

“I guess you’re right. Still, I’m glad I got there in time.”

“Fool, you’re not as strong as you believe yourself to be yet. Recklessly rushing to the aid of every single voice you hear would only do more harm. They were fully aware of the danger, so they should have been ready for the consequences of their actions.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know.”

“Keh. If you want to help people, do so once you’ve gained enough strength. Otherwise, it’ll all be for naught.”

(“So fussy… but everything he said was right.”)

It was not as if he did not understand what Frenzy meant. Jenyx simply could not ignore the desperate voices which echoed faintly in the part of the forest he was in. There was no merit to be had in helping them, nor did he have any responsibility to do so, yet before he could even think about it, he found himself running towards the voices.

(“Still, I don’t really regret it.”)

When he reached them, Jenyx found the sight of the lone standing man’s trembling back pitiful. He was afraid, and it was clear that he didn’t know how to use the sword in his hand with just a glance. But it was also awe-inspiring. To see a person lay down their own life, regardless of their fears, took great strength. There was no way he would let a person who valued their friends so dearly die without doing anything about it. However, Jenyx did make a mental reminder to heed Frenzy’s advice from time to time and limit his imprudent actions in the future.

“Oh? I finally found it.”

Near a stream, fully-bloomed white roses with indigo streaks on its petals, hid amongst the tall, wild grass. Having spotted the flowers, Jenyx leisurely made his way down to the stream while maintaining his gaze on the surroundings.

“You know… hunting for flowers wasn’t exactly what I had in mind for training.”

“Stuff your complaints. Harvest those flowers and get to the apothecary.”

“It wasn’t a complaint. I was just hoping for something a little more… you know, the strengthening kind? Besides, if it was just about money, I could’ve just worked at my parents’ restaurant, you know?”

“Just take the flowers.”

Jenyx sighed audibly. It’s been a week since he had accepted Frenzy’s offer and began ‘training’ to fully utilize Eternity. However, all he had been doing ever since was touring the forest and locating flowers. He did come across a few wild animals and monsters during his tours, but Frenzy forbade him from engaging any of them, not that Jenyx wanted to, without preparations at least.

As Jenyx collected a few of the flowers with his pocket knife, his body instantly swerved to the right as his ear picked up the slight sound of rustling grass.

“Good reaction…”

Before his eyes, a noticeably large and rather hostile wolf, bared its fangs upon noticing his presence. The wolf in front of him was vastly different from the others he encountered earlier. It had snow-white fur with a pale light blue hue on the tip of its upright tail, two small protruding glacial horns, and the mist expelled by its snarling breath froze the grass on its path.

“Keep your eyes on it. Don’t blink, don’t make any sudden movements.”

He had no time to argue with Frenzy’s judgment. Truthfully, he wanted to run away as fast as he could—but the voice in his head somehow took over his actions. Had Frenzy not said anything, Jenyx would’ve bolted then and there.

“Calm your mind. Focus every fiber of your being on your eyes and legs. Watch its mouth and if it takes a step, match the step backwards.

Faithful to Frenzy’s instructions, Jenyx paced his breath, taking the opportunity to channel every bit of concentration on his eyes as he watched the monster before him, and on his legs should the monster make a move. Though he was undoubtedly terrified, he could not let it grip his actions and slow him down, else it would mean death. He had no choice but to overcome his fear, right there, right then.

*Fwooosh!*

Owing mostly to his newfound concentration, but also because it came from behind the white wolf, Jenyx moved faster out of harm’s way as the unknown object, clad in flames, struck the ground dangerously near the wolf. Due to the suddenness and its attention being committed to Jenyx, the white wolf stumbled back before shackles of flame appeared from both sides, effectively restraining it.

“Good. Now make it tame!”

A bald man with a hulking physique descended the trees, picking up the spear which was embedded into the ground. The white wolf growled in pain as the flaming shackles burned even fiercer in accordance to the mysterious man’s orders. Eventually, the white wolf lost its will to fight back and slumped down, defeated.

“Hm? Oi, kid! What are you still doing here, ah!?”

Jenyx, who was too curious for his own good, once again found himself in another dilemma as his feet refused to simply flee the scene.