5 — Chapter 5

There was no warp system, no convenient way to travel in Eternal Tale. Every region had to be reached on foot. That was why regular ferries, stagecoaches, and airships existed, along with personal mounts—basic horses and other various means of transport.

Theo had planned to ride a horse to Lucilvania, but he happened to spot a stagecoach waiting at the station outside the village. Peeking inside, he saw it was completely empty. No players seemed to be waiting for it, either. Without hesitation, Theo climbed aboard.

Public transportation was slower than personal mounts. Because of that, it wasn’t particularly popular among players. But Theo liked it—especially when he was alone. He enjoyed riding in a slow-moving carriage or boat, spacing out as the scenery drifted by.

He thought he’d get off if another player boarded, but a moment later the stagecoach jolted forward and began to move. Luckily, no one else got on. Relaxing, Theo leaned his chin on the windowsill and calmly watched the scenery roll past.

The distance between Rateon and Lucilvania wasn’t far. His solitary amusement would be short-lived, but he was satisfied enough. After passing through the farmland surrounding the village and heading deeper into the forest path, the peaceful atmosphere vanished as though it had never existed.

As they entered further, Theo could feel monsters lurking between the shadows of the trees, their eyes fixed on the stagecoach. The Jain Forest—lying between the two villages—was notorious even among players.

The moment one stepped inside, they would be dropped at a random location within the forest. The minimap was disabled, pain filters were locked at the highest level, and logging out or returning was impossible. To make things worse, aggressive monsters prowled everywhere. Even skilled hunters often avoided this place.

The forest didn’t even offer decent loot or good experience. It was a forsaken hunting ground, used more as a test of courage for a few thrill-seekers.

Shaking off his wandering thoughts, Theo pondered how best to use the Eternal Fog, when he spotted three mounted players up ahead. They were laughing loudly, cracking jokes as if they had nothing to worry about.

Normally, groups would use party chat rather than public chat, but these three were chatting openly. Red hair, green hair, orange hair—visible even from a distance. They looked like a walking traffic light.

“Fuck, that was satisfying. They’re gonna have a hell of a time getting out.”

The redhead laughed, looking like he’d just downed a soda.

“Puhaha, should’ve done this from the start. What kind of bastard pretends to be human and tries to join a guild? Hey, that thing’s still calling us. Hurry up and kick it out already.”

The orange-haired one egged him on.

“Exactly. After fooling us all this time, it deserves to get wrecked. Make sure it never shows its face again.”

The green-haired one spat on the ground. Judging from their expressions and tone, whoever they’d dealt with was someone they despised. Seeing that, the orange-haired player snickered and said he should’ve brought salt, then glanced back with a face still full of excitement.

“But hey, they say those things are sensitive to pain filters. Won’t it cause a problem?”

At first glance it sounded like concern for the victim, but really it was fear of being dragged into trouble themselves. The redhead waved it off with a scoff.

“Man, those things aren’t even people. What are you worrying about them for?”

The three of them chuckled as they passed by Theo’s stagecoach. Leaning against the window, Theo locked eyes with the redhead. The bastard winked at him, grinning as if he were on top of the world.

Theo’s face twisted immediately.

“Should gouge that eye out…”

Disgust churned in him. Who the hell winks like that at a stranger? Scowling, he replayed their conversation in his head. From the sound of it, they had abandoned something—or someone—inside the Jain Forest. Someone vulnerable to the pain filter, and liable to suffer badly there. Probably not high-tier. And if he went by their words, not even considered a person…

Theo silently shifted his gaze. The forest stretched endlessly to the side of the road, a suffocating mass of dark green swallowing everything in sight.

“Shit…”

Scratching his head in frustration, Theo abruptly leapt from the moving carriage and headed straight into the forest.

He wanted to ignore it, but hearing something like that right in front of him made it impossible to sit still. Maybe it was pointless meddling, but leaving that sour feeling behind was worse.

He pressed deeper into the forest, moving quickly. If someone was there, the area should already be in chaos. After all, a few steps in were enough to draw swarms of monsters. Just like now.

He calmly used his Actions to clear the way as he advanced. For him, the Jain Forest wasn’t all that difficult. He had no reason to come here—nothing to gain, nothing to farm. That was why he avoided it. Unlike those traffic-light clowns, though, he could handle it just fine.

As expected, it didn’t take long to find the commotion. Between the dense trees, a man was frantically fleeing from a swarm of monsters. Every now and then he threw out a weak magic spell, but it was nowhere near enough to take down the creatures of the Jain Forest.

His desperate face and movements spoke volumes. And each time he was struck, he cried out in pain with raw, unfiltered screams. It shouldn’t have been possible in a mere game, yet his panic looked no different from someone whose very life was at risk.

“Haa…”

Exhaling a short sigh, Theo nocked three arrows at once and triggered a tiered Action. Skipping the radiant effect, he fired upward, the arrows streaking past the man before breaking apart, raining down in a deadly shower.

Startled by the sudden downpour around him, the man curled up in despair, assuming it was yet another monster attack.

Theo’s strike cleared every monster in the area, but the man still crouched in fear. With an awkward blink, he walked closer.

“You okay?”

He lightly tapped the man’s shoulder. The man flinched, jerking his head up—and he nearly let out a gasp.

Jet-black hair, golden eyes. Sharp and smooth features, so handsome it was breathtaking. Ah… maybe this was what the traffic-light trio had meant by “not human.”

The man stared at Theo with teary eyes before scanning the area. When he confirmed not a single monster remained, his tense expression collapsed into relief. His body trembled violently, shaken by fear and shock.

“Can you stand?”

Theo offered a hand. The man grabbed it without hesitation and scrambled to his feet, sticking close to Theo with eyes brimming with tears.

“The Jain Forest doesn’t seem like the kind of place you should be in. Why are you here?”

He asked pointedly, almost as if probing. The man’s face darkened. He glanced warily at Theo, as though hiding something.

He didn’t press. Getting involved this far was already meddling enough. He had no intention of digging deeper. Without hesitation, he turned, pushing aside the underbrush with his bow.

“You don’t have anything else to do here, right? I’ve got places to be.”

It was his way of saying follow me if you’re done. But the man urgently grabbed his arm.

“Um…! I don’t know how to get out of the forest…”

He must have thought Theo intended to abandon him. He was about to reassure him when a monster lunged from the brush and knocked the man down.

“!”

There was no time to prepare. Theo couldn’t even draw an arrow. In haste, he swung the bow itself, smacking the monster aside. It registered minor damage, but it worked. And in that moment, something struck him. He stared blankly at the weapon in his hand.

Right. A bow didn’t have to only shoot arrows.

The thought tangled with others in his head. He was distracted, and from behind came a desperate cry,

“Watch out!”

Snapping his head up, he saw the monster charge again. Theo struck it back once more with the bow and finished it off with an Action.

It was impossible to focus here. He stared at the vanishing corpse that left behind no loot, then turned to the man.

“You want to leave the forest, right?”

“Eh? Ah, yes.”

“I’m heading out too. Stay close.”

Theo strode off without waiting. The man hurried after him, terrified of being left behind.

Two hours later, they finally emerged from the Jain Forest.

Unlike Theo, the man was utterly worn out, swaying as he tried to steady himself. Glancing at him without much concern, Theo turned toward Lucilvania and asked,

“I’m going to Lucilvania. Where are you headed? Rateon’s the other way.”

It was a roundabout way of saying let’s split up. But the man’s face blanched, and he quickly stepped closer.

“I-I’m going to Lucilvania too…”

Ah. So he’s clueless, huh.

“…Then we’ll go together.”

Since their destination was the same, Theo couldn’t exactly suggest parting ways. Besides, neither of them had any means of transportation. The two simply walked side by side toward Lucilvania.

All the way there, the man remained silent. That suited Theo just fine—it gave him time to think. He walked briskly, lost in constant thoughts about his bow and the Eternal Fog.

After a long trek, the gates of Lucilvania finally came into view. The moment they entered the town, Theo waved at the man as if in a rush.

“We’re here. Well then, take care.”

“Eh? Ah, wait—!”

Before the man could reach him, Theo was already gone without a backward glance. The man stretched out a hand in confusion, but failed to stop him. Staring blankly at the path Theo disappeared down, he muttered with his hand still frozen in the air.

“I wanted to thank him…”

That strange person who had appeared like a miracle in the Jain Forest, reaching out a hand to save him.

“Ah… I didn’t even ask his name…”

‘If we meet again, I’ll make sure to thank him properly.’

With that thought, the man replayed Theo’s appearance in his mind. The tight black outfit that clearly outlined his physique. The half-harness strapped around his right shoulder and arm, the hip pouch at his waist, the long boots that climbed up his thighs. All-black clothing contrasted with flowing honey-blonde hair and green eyes.

Excited at the thought of seeing him again, the man’s face soon stiffened. Slowly, his head dropped.

‘Would he still have saved me if he knew who I really was?’

The doubt consumed his heart. The curses once hurled at him by people who had once been kind. The empty friends list. The vanished guild window.

The man—Blaine—squeezed his eyes shut against the sting of tears. When he opened them again, his face was hollow, as if he had already lost and given up on so much. Then he disappeared into the streets of Lucilvania.