No Longer Just Surviving
When I opened my eyes, the bell still hadn't rung.
The light seeping through the gap in the window was faint—still dawn.
I stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment, then the bell tolled with a deep, resonant dong—.
Ah. Woke up early.
I squirmed around on the bed for a while before finally hauling myself upright.
When I stepped out into the corridor to wash my face, Ren was carrying a water bucket across the way. Behind him, Riena came walking along with a small basket in her arms.
Ren spotted me first and spoke.
"You're up early."
"Oh, Ren. Sleep well?"
"Yes, I did. How about you, hyung?"
"Slept fine. Lately my eyes open before the bell even rings."
"Looks like you're completely used to it now."
Riena laughed softly from behind him.
"When you first arrived, you looked completely exhausted..."
"I'm still pretty tired, honestly."
They both laughed when I said it straight.
Riena tilted her head slightly, still holding the laundry basket.
"Training again today?"
"Yeah. If I skip, things could get ugly..."
Ren snorted.
"That might actually be true."
"Well then, have a good day. You too, Ren. You too, Riena."
"You too, hyung."
"Come back safe."
We exchanged brief goodbyes, and I washed my face with cold water at the wash basin. The chill ran down my cheeks and drove off what little drowsiness remained.
When I opened the door of the Healing Sanctuary, the dawn air came rushing in first.
Behind the guild, Garen stood motionless in the middle of the training ground.
After a short greeting I picked up a wooden sword. Garen said nothing—just gestured.
"Come."
Today was different from usual.
Tak— the wooden blades cracked together.
I immediately stepped in and swung, but Garen deflected the attack with the bare minimum of movement.
Before I could even catch my breath, the counter came. The moment I thought I'd managed to block it, another strike came in from an unexpected angle.
"More precisely."
Thud!
The tip of the wooden sword slammed into my shoulder. I clenched my teeth.
I planted my feet firmly into the ground, put just the right amount of strength into my wrist, and held the tip of the sword steady so it wouldn't waver.
I deflected Garen's blade and counterattacked, only for a far stronger force than expected to knock my sword aside.
Tak!
His low voice dropped.
"Didn't you want to learn Aura."
Yesterday's promise came back to me. I knew instinctively that Garen was deliberately pushing harder.
"Of course... I want to learn it."
"Then faster."
Tak!
"More precisely."
Tak!
"Don't waver. Drive it all the way through."
This time I barely managed to hold one exchange.
I deflected the descending blade, dropped low, and countered. For a fraction of a second I saw Garen's eyes half-close.
"Remember that feeling just now."
Even with my breath burning all the way up to my throat, those words made me feel good.
But the next exchange got even harder.
By the time training ended, my entire body was soaked through with sweat. I planted the tip of the wooden sword against the ground and dragged in rough breaths while Garen set down a water bottle and spoke.
"Tomorrow I'll push you harder."
"Hah—bring it on. I know you're doing it all for my sake!"
"...Think whatever you want."
Garen's voice was a little less cold than before.
"Thank you for today!"
"......"
I smiled a little and left the training ground.
When I reached the front of the guild, Mari and Kaya were already waiting for me. Mari stood with her arms crossed; Kaya looked my way and raised one eyebrow slightly.
Mari spoke first.
"You look even more wrecked than usual."
"Garen hyung-nim put me through the wringer."
"Garen did...?"
"Yeah. No mercy whatsoever..."
Kaya looked over my shoulders and arms, then asked,
"Any serious injuries?"
"Mmm~ shoulders and arms are a bit... ah, and my legs too... but I'm fine."
"That is very clearly not fine."
"Haha..."
Mari snorted a laugh.
Kaya let out a short breath that was almost a sigh and rested her hand on my shoulder.
The moment her golden Holy Power touched my skin, the throbbing in my shoulder began to settle, and the heavy ache that had spread through my arm loosened gently. When she pressed along my thigh, the dull catch that had been sitting there peeled away layer by layer.
"You can handle this much, right?"
I rolled my shoulder once.
"Whoa... that's way better."
"So don't overdo it."
"You'll have to tell Garen hyung-nim that."
Kaya shot me a look.
"Thank you. For healing me."
Kaya smiled briefly, as if she had no choice.
"As long as you know. Let's go in."
"Yes, ma'am."
The three of us went into the guild together.
I didn't need to look around anymore. My feet already knew the familiar direction on their own.
Today's request was the same as always—intercepting goblin scouting parties at the edge of the northern forest.
"This one?"
I said, looking at the board. Mari nodded.
"Goblins? Easy enough."
We pulled the request slip and headed for the settlement counter.
Luce saw us and smiled first.
"You're here."
"Good morning, Luce."
"Yes, good morning."
Our eyes met for a moment, then Luce looked down first.
"Goblin subjugation again today. Confirmed."
With practiced hands she organized the request form and held it out.
"Lately the three of you come in at almost the same time."
"Right? Doesn't it feel like a fixed party now?"
When I said it with a smile, Mari jabbed from the side.
"Watch your mouth. It's temporary."
"Aww, but I'm doing pretty well, aren't I?"
Kaya spoke from beside us.
"Yeah. You are."
Kaya smiled quietly, and Luce smiled with her.
"A lot of northern forest requests have been coming in lately. Be careful."
It was the kind of thing she said for work, but her gaze touched me one more time before the words came out.
"Yes, thank you. Have a good day, Luce."
"Yes. Come back safe."
Luce smiled briefly and closed the ledger. It felt like she might have had something more to say, but she just smiled and left it there.
...Cute.
I smiled a little and stepped out through the guild doors.
Mari and Kaya followed, and the three of us headed for the village gate.
Today Bron Hendrick and Owen Hartwell were on duty.
Owen raised a hand first.
"Heading out again today."
"Yeah... gotta make money to eat."
Bron looked me over once and said shortly,
"Took an even worse beating today."
"You can tell?"
"How could I not."
While I was laughing, Owen said,
"Be back before sundown. Northern forest's been a bit restless lately, I hear."
"Appreciate the concern. We'll be back."
"Yes, sir. Safe travels."
Owen waved; Bron said shortly,
"Come back."
At first I'd just been some nameless outsider. Not anymore. All that work putting my face out there had paid off.
Then Mari spoke up beside me.
"Anyone watching would think you've lived here forever."
"I do live here, you know."
"Whatever."
"Heh."
Kaya opened her mouth.
"Still, it's nice seeing you get along with them."
"Haha. That's just social skills."
"Sure, sure."
Before long we were in a fight deeper in the northern forest.
Four ordinary goblins.
Mari raised her hand first.
Whoosh—boom!
Two fireballs burst one after another, and the ground under the goblins flared up. The moment they all flinched and lifted their feet—
I didn't waste the opening.
I closed on the first one on the right. My sword cut across its neck and the head and body fell separately.
I pivoted immediately toward the second. It swung its club in a big arc, but I deflected it with the blade and used the rebound to carve deep into its side.
Slash!
Before I could even look back, Mari's voice cut in.
"Move."
The instant I stepped sideways, a thick column of flame shot past and swallowed the remaining two at once.
Boom!
"Done."
Mari lowered her hand and said shortly.
Kaya looked my way and gave a small nod.
"You're getting good even without being told."
"Learning little by little."
Mari snorted a laugh.
"Pretty fast for 'little by little.'"
Those words stuck with me for a long time. I already knew it myself.
Compared to when I first arrived in this world, my body now was like someone else's entirely. Nothing like the days when a single goblin left me cold with sweat.
We fought a few more battles and returned to the guild.
Lunch was at Sunset Hearth.
Mari casually mentioned that one of the scout types in today's fight had moved faster than expected, and Kaya added briefly that the positioning had gone well.
These short conversations while the three of us sat and ate had become one of the most comfortable parts of the day.
In the afternoon we went back through the forest. It was lighter than the morning, but one Ironfang mixed in made us sweat a little more. Still, the flow never fell apart.
After settling up, I got a "good work" from Luce. The feeling of coins stacking in my hand had grown pretty familiar by now.
We ate a solid dinner at Sunset Hearth again and washed up at the public bathhouse. Sinking into the hot water made the whole day's fatigue settle all at once.
Back at the Healing Sanctuary, I stopped by Roy's room for a moment.
Roy was sitting propped up against the head of the bed. His color looked much better than before, and he seemed less short of breath when he spoke.
"You're here."
"Hyung, you actually look really good today."
"That so."
"Yeah. You could jump right back into the party and run with us."
Roy laughed low. Even that alone made it clear how much better he was.
"How was today."
"Call me the Goblin Slayer. Our party coordination is getting pretty solid."
"So Mari and Kaya recognized it, huh."
"Right? I may not look it, but I'm working really hard."
Roy looked at me for a moment, then said,
"You adapted faster than I expected. Good."
Those words settled strangely in my chest. I held onto them in my head for a second, then shrugged.
"That's just how I am. When I set my mind to it, I get it done! Haha!"
"Yeah. Go rest."
"Yes, sir. Sleep well."
"You too."
I left Roy's room and returned to mine.
I closed the door and carefully took out all the money I'd gathered so far, setting it on the table.
Twelve silver coins and two copper.
I'd already passed the ten-silver goal I'd set. All that remained was the five-silver debt on the iron sword. Once that was cleared, I could truly live without any debt weighing on me.
Not much left.
My body was heavy after washing, but my heart felt light.
I still wasn't completely strong. I hadn't even touched Aura yet. I was still lacking in so many ways...
But at least one thing was clear.
I was no longer just enduring each day in this world.
I was living in it.
With that thought, I rubbed the calluses that had formed on my palm. The throbbing, hard sensation felt strangely vivid.
Little by little—but unmistakably—
I was moving forward.