Without another word, Yamika pushed herself up to her feet, stretching her arms as she did a light warm-up before picking up her axe from the ground and looking straight at Haruki.
"Let's go."
Haruki's face lit up completely, and in an instant, he jumped to stand beside her. The two of them then started moving away through the forest.
Noroi tilted his head slightly to the side, puzzled by their actions, and called out before they could get too far from the circle of light.
"Where are you two going?"
Yamika glanced back at him over her shoulder, her expression practically saying: Isn't it obvious? Yet she replied with a single word.
"Alabassandra."
Noroi's mouth opened slightly in surprise at the confidence of those two, believing they could reach Alabasandria and defeat its monsters. He shook his head to snap out of it, then picked up a round pebble from beside him and hurled it at them.
The small stone shot through the air, striking Yamika's forehead first before bouncing off to hit the back of Haruki's head, as if it knew exactly where it should go.
Haruki let out a cry of pain and surprise, raising both hands to cover the spot as he squirmed in place, while Yamika grimaced from the sting and rubbed the red mark forming in the center of her forehead.
Before either of them could protest, Noroi spoke first in a firm tone that left no room for argument.
"No."
Annoyance spread across their faces as they moved together back to their spots around the fire, crossing their arms like two sulking children. But Noroi paid them no mind.
Haruki couldn't stay silent any longer; he unclasped his hands and protested Noroi's decision.
"Why??"
"Haruki, you literally almost died from a simple centaur that was about to trample you with its hoof. How do you expect to face the mysterious creatures there that are a hundred times stronger than that centaur?"
Haruki's arguments died in his throat in the face of Noroi's logic, leaving him frustrated at his own weakness against the creatures of this world. His gaze drifted sideways with a saddened expression, muttering softly.
"Alright…"
Noroi nodded in approval at Haruki and began explaining the nature of the monsters in the area and what he had managed to learn.
"Each region has different monsters, ranked across several levels from one to five. The monsters we encountered in the market are classified as Level Five, with the strongest among them being Level Four. Level Three consists of guards and soldiers. As the levels rise, the number of monsters in each level decreases. The creatures inhabiting caves and isolated areas are Level Two, while the King at Level One is our target, as he possesses one of the six pieces we need to escape this world."
He continued speaking while Haruki and Yamika listened intently, trying to understand what they must do to survive. From some unknown source to the two, Haruki was simply too naïve to doubt his "friend"; to him, Noroi was like an old wise guide in games, a mentor whose sources were unquestionable.
Noroi concluded his explanation.
"And let's not forget that each region has its own unique style, its own monsters, and its own way of life."
Haruki raised his hands to his hair, running them through in frustration at the sheer amount of information he had just received from Noroi, before shouting in exasperation.
"And how are we supposed to survive all of this?!"
He flopped backward, landing on the green grass, and gazed up at the sky above him.
Noroi watched Haruki's collapsing state with a tired expression, weary of the boy's occasional foolishness, and sighed before responding to Haruki's dramatic question.
"You know you can avoid engaging with the Level Four monsters."
Haruki immediately gathered all his energy and hope as Noroi's words reached his ears. His smile lit up his eyes, and he asked excitedly.
"And how is that?!"
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Thank you for reading! If this moment touched you even a little , please consider adding it to your library.💐