Return

Ju woke up in bed early in the morning.

The cold air made him feel uncomfortable, and he could even feel the gradually cooling environment inside the blankets.

"Ah..."

He yawned, feeling drowsy, but couldn't fall asleep.

As a result of Linsey often waking him up early in the morning to exercise together, he now also tends to wake up early very easily.

Was this a gain, or a loss of a good night's sleep? Thinking this, Ju turned his gaze to another bed in the room, preparing to wake his mother.

As a result, Dan's bed was already empty.

"Mom... she went out too..."

Ju was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening.

Today wasn't a day for hunting, so his mother should probably still be in bed.

But just a week ago.

A group of spider Devil Beast suddenly appeared in the forest and attacked the Farmland south of the town. Although they were repelled in time by the awakened people in the town, four farmers still died from the spiders' venomous fangs.

Because he lived on the south side of the town, Ju had seen it with his own eyes.

The sight of a body completely dissolved by venom, with only the skin serving as a pocket, is still chilling to think about.

It was thanks to this incident that...

The town's supposed Harvest Day celebration was completely ruined.

Even when it's not hunting season, Dan would voluntarily carry weapons and patrol the Farmland to ensure the town wouldn't be attacked again.

"..."

Ju rubbed his eyes, got out of bed, and changed his clothes.

As instructed by his mother, he practiced his skills every day by manipulating the water in the basin, which also served as a way to clean himself up in the morning.

He then went to the center of the room.

At the edge of the now-extinguished pit, Torch found two flatbreads still warm from the campfire, cut them open, and stuffed them with charred roasted meat to tide him over.

This will be today's breakfast.

"Hmm... I really should find some time to learn how to cook from Brother Lin. Mom is being too casual."

Ju muttered about the unpleasant things that happened this morning.

He then shook his head and walked out, inspected the leather drying in the yard, and, confirming there was nothing to do, left the house.

Perhaps due to the lingering effects of the previous Devil Beast attack, Ju first went to check on the Farmland to the south.

It's late autumn now, and there aren't many people around in the Farmland early in the morning.

However, he still found his mother's figure at the edge of the woods in the distance.

The Female Hunter was sitting on a branch of an oak tree, probably too sleepy, leaning against the trunk with her eyes slightly closed.

"Aren't you afraid of catching a cold now...?"

Ju shook his head, thinking of going back inside to get a cloak for his mother.

Before he could turn back, he saw the Female Hunter jump down from the oak tree and wave in his direction.

... This is a greeting.

The Female Hunter was only pretending to sleep and rest; she was still paying close attention to the outside world, fully living up to her task of guarding the Farmland.

"Hey!"

Ju jumped up and waved to his mother.

He saw Dan smile with satisfaction, then nimbly climb back up the oak tree, reverting to his previous dozing posture.

He confirmed that the Female Hunter didn't need his help with anything.

Torch turned back and on his short return journey, he saw Qiao Er hurrying by. "Qiao Er, so early? Have you eaten?"

"Have eaten!"

"Why did you come to the south side of town?"

"Isn't it all for Linsey to take care of those precious plants?"

The two greeted each other and then passed each other.

Qiao Er hurried to Finn's cabin to begin his day's work tending to the plants.

But after taking two steps, Ju had some new ideas.

It's been eleven days!

Linsey and Anrui set off together more than ten days ago.

From his mother and other awakened beings, Torch learned that the two had gone to the Black Mountain World to investigate the reasons for the changes around the Hidden Borderlands.

Thinking of this, Ju lowered her head and bit her lip.

He was somewhat envious.

Having grown up listening to his father and mother's adventure stories, his greatest wish was to break through the blockade of the Black Mountain.

But the reality is that he doesn't even know what the World's Edge looks like.

Linsey, who had been learning and growing alongside him, now had the opportunity to step into the Black Mountain World with Anrui.

Even if the two of them weren't going to challenge the Dragon Beast.

But this difference in reality still stirred something within Ju.

If he could also...

"Oh, by the way, Brother Lin has been gone for more than ten days!"

"Red Moon Lady is all alone in the church. She probably needs some help from the younger generation, right?"

Ju was essentially a kind child. He didn't become jealous because of this feeling, but instead noticed Red Moon who was all alone.

This concern is no joke!

He recalled that two years ago, he had the privilege of visiting the cemetery fence that Linsey and Red Moon had built together.

How to describe it...

It's not that it's completely unusable, but there's a feeling that it might not be of much use.

Linsey's technique has improved considerably in the last two years.

But with only Red Moon left behind and winter approaching, this is hardly something to be optimistic about.

With that thought in mind, Ju went back inside, grabbed some simple tools, and headed toward the church.

Red Moon Lady still guards the chapel.

Upon hearing Ju's purpose, she immediately thanked the young man in front of her and offered to pay him.

How could Torch possibly accept money from Red Moon? After talking with this Nun from the School of Death for a full hour, he finally decided to stay and have lunch as payment.

Then they brought nails and planks.

Torch ran to the area around the cemetery and began inspecting the fences that needed repair.

This task is quite tedious.

The church is located in the corner at the very edge of town. Although it is usually not bothered by any Devil Beast, wild animals that suddenly appear can often make the place a mess.

Not long after, Ju found the part that needed repair and began to work on it.

Then, while searching for nails again, he saw two figures appear in the distance. "Brother Lin, Anrui... Ah?"

The torch went silent instantly.

Seeing that Anrui's left arm was empty, he immediately dropped the hammer and nails he was holding and rushed over in a panic. "Lord Anrui, what happened to you!"

Anrui shook his head indifferently:

"It was just a bit of a dangerous situation, nothing serious."

Ju looked at Anrui's empty left shoulder:

"But, but your hand!"

Anrui sighed and replied frankly, "This is my own fault. I'm only alive because of Linsey's help."

Ju then turned his questioning gaze to Linsey, who was standing to the side.

Linsey gave a mixed smile, but first pointed to the church ahead:

"We'll discuss the specifics later."

"I just got back. I'll go check on Nun first."

After handing Anrui over to Ju, Linsey rushed back to the church and immediately saw Red Moon sitting in the chapel.

At that moment, Linsey inexplicably felt much more at ease. "Nun, I'm back."

Red Moon nodded calmly. "It's good that you're back safe and sound."

Next, Linsey told Red Moon about what she had experienced in the past few days.

After explaining the situation to his Godmother, he planned to go out and continue talking with Ju.

As soon as they stepped out of the chapel...

Linsey heard Ju describe it to Anrui like this:

"A few days ago, a group of spider-shaped Devil Beast appeared and attacked the Farmland south of the town..."

Who am I? Where am I? What was I supposed to write again...?