TEOCH 24

The night in the temporary shelter was eerily still, without a hint of a breeze. The magical campfire, conjured by spell, burned quietly without so much as a crackle of sparks. Even Damian, the master of the magic, remained silent, adding to the heavy atmosphere that seemed to drown the tent in suffocating quiet.

Rehas hesitated for a moment before realizing that he was the only one who could break the silence in this situation. He spoke up.

“They’re not coming.”

“They’re not coming, are they?”

Silence returned, and Rehas let out a frustrated cough. But that didn’t make Damian any more talkative. Damian glanced at the tent’s entrance with a worried expression, then let out a soft sigh, closed his eyes, and began meditating. It was an effort to recover his mana, but to an onlooker, it was no different from sleeping.

Rehas lowered his head silently and focused on his task. The wriggling sensation of the parasite in his hand no longer felt repulsive. He twisted several parasites together, as if braiding a rope, and the creatures, writhing in pain, soon melted into a soft, mushy mass.

The melted parasites squirmed on the ground for a while before starting to take shape. Moments later, Rehas picked up a parasite about a finger’s length longer than the others. With a sharp screech, the revitalized parasite thrashed in his hand. Damian, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, spoke up.

“What came up?”

“Increased health recovery speed and immunity to suffocation. Not bad.”

“Rohan will be pleased when he returns.”

“Probably. If he ever comes back.”

Damian opened his eyes and looked at Rehas. Seeing the clear tension on Rehas’s face, Damian could only let out a long sigh.

It seemed Rehas was searching for a way to ease his anxiety. His constant fiddling with the parasites and his repeated attempts to engage Damian in conversation were telling signs. Finally, Damian decided he needed to reassure Rehas a little.

“They’ll come back safely.”

“Really?”

“Of course. There were no significant dangers during yesterday’s exploration. There weren’t many demon beasts, and the terrain wasn’t particularly treacherous. There’s no reason for Rohan to be in danger.”

“But they’re not back yet.”

“I understand you’re anxious. But calm down, Mr. Rehas. Worrying won’t solve anything right now.”

Instead of responding, Rehas examined the synthesized parasite closely. He had learned the technique of synthesizing parasites from Rohan. It was the only way to identify the properties of unknown parasites, but the downside was that combining parasites with incompatible abilities could make them difficult to use.

Still, this one wasn’t bad. Rehas stood up silently and began rummaging through the pile of supplies stacked in the corner of the tent. Damian gave him a puzzled look, but Rehas paid him no mind. After digging through the supplies for a while, he finally found what he was looking for: a helmet designed to cover most of the face.

“Really?”

“…What?”

“Are we really just going to wait here and expect everything to be resolved?”

Rehas spoke as he infused the synthesized parasite into the helmet. Damian hesitated. He knew better than anyone that it wasn’t true.

Rohan had warned them that the demon realm’s nights were dangerous and that they should never wander outside at night, no matter what. Yet here he was, not back by this hour. Something had clearly gone wrong with Rohan’s group.

Damian looked up at the sky with anxious eyes. Just a few days ago, the sky above the safe zone had been quite expansive, but it was noticeably smaller now. The sky’s wound was closing.

For now, they could manage without Rohan, but in two more days, the sky would close completely, and the demon realm’s toxic atmosphere would invade. If Rohan didn’t return by then, those without purification abilities would suffocate and die without a chance to resist.

The helmet, wriggling as it transformed, finally took its final shape. Rehas tried it on. It fit reasonably well, but Damian only tilted his head.

“The helmet’s suffocation immunity isn’t perfect. It’ll only last about five hours.”

“I know.”

“Of course, it’ll help. If Rohan returns within those five hours, we’ll survive. But…”

“If he doesn’t come back, we die too. I know.”

“…”

“I’ve got one for you too. Want to try it on?”

Damian frowned slightly. He didn’t want to dwell on depressing topics if he could help it. After all, Rohan, their guide, would make all the decisions, and all he could do was follow those orders and pray things turned out well.

He couldn’t bear to think otherwise. But this hunter…

“How much mana have you recovered?”

“Almost fully recovered. If I keep meditating until dawn, it’ll be completely restored.”

“How many hours exactly?”

“Three hours. But what’s the point? If Rohan doesn’t come back…”

“No, it’s useful.”

Rehas’s sudden declaration made Damian’s eyes widen. Rehas still looked anxious. His relentless rummaging through the supplies and constant checking of the sky and time didn’t paint a picture of someone in good condition.

Damian wished Rehas would calm down, watching him with a nervous heart. But then…

‘…Huh?’

In that moment, Damian realized something. Though Rehas’s face was filled with tension and anxiety, his eyes were somehow gleaming with sharp determination.

“Let’s go find them.”

“What?”

“You and I, let’s go find them.”

“What?! Wait, what are you talking about?! We don’t have the ability to fight demon beasts!”

“When did we ever fight demon beasts? Don’t you remember we’ve always just run?”

Rehas grinned as he rummaged through the supplies. Five arrows made by Rohan, dozens more crafted by Rehas himself, leather shoes infused with a stealth parasite, and enough food and water for two. It dawned on Damian that Rehas was packing for a scouting mission. He stared at Rehas, dumbfounded.

“Are you serious?”

“Do you think I’d joke about this? If you tweak your detection magic, you could track Rohan’s presence. You’re a great mage; you can do that much, right?”

“…I can, but can we really find them? We only have five hours outside the safe zone.”

“That’s why we start searching tomorrow. We scout for three to four hours, and if it seems like we won’t find Rohan, we come back to breathe the safe zone’s air. If we move like that, we won’t have to worry about suffocating.”

“B-but…”

“If we lose Rohan, we’re done for anyway. We won’t even have time to cry over our guide’s death before we’re poisoned and die ourselves. Then we’ll just end up as lonely meals for the demon beasts, digested away.”

Though if you and I get eaten by the same beast, it might not be so lonely, Rehas added with a playful laugh. It looked like a forced smile to suppress his tension, but Damian found comfort in it.

He wasn’t sure if it would work, but on second thought, Rehas’s plan had merit. It was worth a try.

“Want me to pack your stuff too? I can handle most of it while you meditate.”

“Thank you. A robe should be enough for me.”

Rehas nodded calmly and began searching for a suitable cloth for a robe. Damian closed his eyes again and resumed meditating. He kept rubbing the gem of confusion at the tip of his staff, trying to calm his nerves.