Only You

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When I was young.

I was called the prodigy of the Moon Rabbit tribe.

Because among the children of the Moon Rabbit tribe, I was the fastest.

“Hehe! Got you!”

“Aw! Caught again!”

“Luna is super fast!”

“Yes! I’m fast!”

Even during tag, I could catch my friends the fastest.

Being faster than any child my age was a proud and joyful thing for me.

“Luna.”

“Ah, Chief!”

So it was perhaps natural that the Chief took notice of me.

“You will be the next Moon Priestess. I will teach you the dance that has been passed down in our village.”

The Moon Priestess.

A prestigious position that can only be held by the fastest and most agile member of the Moon Rabbit tribe throughout generations.

At that time, I was too young to understand what becoming the Moon Priestess meant.

But I was happy that the Chief would teach me something, so I nodded cheerfully.

As time passed, I came to understand what the Moon Priestess was.

I was delighted to have been chosen as someone special, so I worked even harder to learn the Chief’s teachings.

What I learned from the Chief were the basic dance steps and.

Techniques based on those dance steps.

Techniques that were essentially the secret skills of the Moon Rabbit tribe, who pursued speed.

I worked hard, worked hard, and worked hard again.

Because I wanted to please the Chief who had chosen me.

I focused on moving quickly, quickly, even more quickly.

But.

“Heuk… Heok! Heok!”

As I grew.

As my speed increased.

A flaw that no one could have known about was revealed.

Lack of stamina.

After mastering the Dance of the Moon Rabbit.

After pursuing even greater speed, the truth came to light.

When the Dance of the Moon Rabbit was still incomplete.

Until then, my stamina could endure the still slower speed.

But as I pursued even greater speed.

When I finally surpassed even the Chief’s speed.

“Haak! Haak! Haak!”

“Luna…”

“Huh? Wh… why?”

My stamina was depleted after using just one technique.

After pursuing the extreme limits of speed, what I discovered was a fatal flaw.

At first, both the Chief and I.

Just thought that my body couldn’t keep up with the unfamiliar speed.

But no matter how much I trained my stamina.

No matter what training I underwent.

My stamina couldn’t handle my techniques.

“Luna.”

The Chief, who had always kindly taught me techniques and encouraged me that I would surely become the Moon Priestess.

“You… cannot become the Moon Priestess.”

“Ah, aah…!”

Made the most cruel judgment for me at that time.

It felt like all my efforts up until then had been in vain.

I thought I had trampled on the expectations the Chief had for me since I was young.

I couldn’t accept that fact.

I wanted to prove that I could properly perform the Dance of the Moon Rabbit.

So I left the village.

I wanted to build proper achievements and reputation outside, gain various experiences to increase my stamina more.

I wanted to be acknowledged by the Chief.

I wanted to tell the Chief who had chosen me that they weren’t wrong.

So I arrived in Kellion.

I thought I would start in Kellion, known as the city of beginners, and build up a lot of reputation.

Everything was unfamiliar to me, having lived only in the Moon Rabbit tribe’s village.

But I progressed step by step, gradually raising my rank.

I gathered herbs, subjugated monsters for the first time, and gained companions.

It seemed like everything was going smoothly… like I would reach my goal.

But reality wasn’t so kind.

“Heuk…! Haa! Haa! Haa!”

“L-Luna, are you okay?”

“What’s wrong?”

“I-I’m… fine. Heuk! Heuk!”

When I first took on a D-rank monster subjugation.

I used my technique to help a companion who seemed to be struggling.

The result was the same as when I was in the village.

After using it once, my stamina was depleted.

Even though I had consistently trained my stamina since starting my adventurer life.

My stamina couldn’t withstand my techniques.

Such incidents happened multiple times.

When in danger or when facing a monster that was a bit overwhelming.

I used techniques to save my companions.

At first, everyone was grateful.

They said I was amazing.

After my stamina dropped, they said they would help me.

But even that had its limits.

As time passed, my companions grew.

Even monsters that initially required my techniques were handled skillfully.

Only I failed to grow.

While everyone became stronger.

Only I remained stagnant.

I was anxious about falling behind my companions.

But still, because they were companions.

Because they were companions who had overcome crises with me many times.

Because they were companions who helped in difficult times.

I comforted myself with such thoughts, but.

“…I’m sorry, Luna.”

Just like when the Chief made that cruel judgment.

“Our party… ends here.”

My companions also made a cruel decision for me.

“Wh-why… why!”

“You know too, Luna. We’re going to fight even stronger monsters. But if we’re with you, who loses stamina after using just one technique… our lives will be in danger too.”

“I! I’ll b-build more stamina! I’ll try harder! So…!”

“…We know you’ve been working hard to build your stamina. We’ve been watching… and we also know that effort is useless.”

“Ah, aah! P-please! Please…!”

“This is the money we’ve all collected together. It’s because we’ve had our lives saved by you many times. We’re really sorry. And… thank you, Luna.”

My first companions left Kellion like that.

“Heu, uek, huaaaaaaaaang!”

The tears wouldn’t stop.

The sadness wouldn’t stop.

Once again because of my stamina.

Just like with the Chief.

This time I realized I had been abandoned by my companions.

In the end, I couldn’t become either the Moon Priestess.

Or the adventurer my companions wanted.

But even so, I couldn’t return to the village.

Partly because I couldn’t face the Chief.

I had come to know pleasant memories.

I had come to know the joy of being with companions.

I had come to know how painful loneliness is.

That’s why I wanted to feel the warmth of companions.

The warmth of bonds again.

Stupidly.

Stubbornly.

I was looking for companions to be with again.

More than raising my reputation.

I was looking for companions.

And as time passed, I found other companions.

Some were just beginning adventurers.

Some were adventurers with some experience.

Some were adventurers who had hit a wall and couldn’t grow.

It was fun being with all of them.

We had fun conversations, overcame crises, and shared stories about our dreams.

But all the same…

In the end, I was abandoned.

“I’m sorry, Luna…”

“I’m sorry about this, Luna.”

“It’s thanks to you that I overcame the wall. But… sorry, Luna.”

Everyone left a sum of money they had saved bit by bit as an apology and abandoned me.

The money that came into my hands increased over time.

But it couldn’t fill the growing pain with each farewell.

With each repeated parting, my heart shrank, and at some point, I started stuttering.

I felt that I was reaching a mental limit.

It was then.

A B-rank adventurer employed by the Adventurer’s Guild.

Samurth gave me advice.

“Hey, Luna.”

“S-Samurth? Wh-what is it?”

“…If you’re going to keep being sad like that, quit being an adventurer and go back to your hometown.”

“Ah… but. I… I…”

“Well, that’s your freedom. But I’ll give you sincere advice. If you keep being stubborn like this, your heart will die.”

Samurth’s advice was sound.

With each farewell.

Each time I was abandoned, I felt so sad, so sad, so sad that I thought I would go crazy.

I thought about it too.

That it would be better to just go back to the village.

That I should just quit being an adventurer, but.

Still, stupidly, after crying a lot and sniffling for days, I… wanted companions again.

And I… met Cal and Rien.

A pair of childhood friends who were beginner adventurers.

Kids who called me noona.

Kids who called me unni and followed me.

Even though I was already thinking somewhere deep down that I would be abandoned.

Maybe these two… would continue to form a party with me.

I found myself harboring such expectations again.

But.

“I’m sorry, noona.”

“I’m sorry, unni.”

Reality never changed.

The cruel reality that repeated many times remained the same.

“C-Cal…? R-Rien…? Wh-why, why, why, d-do you say that? H-huh? W-we’re a p-party. We’re c-companions, right? Right?”

I wanted to deny it.

“This is the money we’ve collected.”

“It’s a token of thanks and… apology for being together until now.”

“I-I don’t need th-this! I! I just w-want to be with y-you! We’re c-companions… w-we’re in the same party…!”

“We also wanted to continue the party with Luna-noona if possible.”

“But if we go to the next city together… Luna-unni certainly won’t be able to endure. We won’t just be subjugating C-rank monsters.”

“We’ll face more dangerous monsters with higher rewards.”

“I! I’ll t-try harder! I w-won’t be a h-hindrance!”

“…I’m sorry. Cal and I. We don’t want to put Luna-unni in danger just because of our stubbornness to be with her. I’m sorry.”

And Cal and Rien left.

“Ah, ah, aah…”

I heard a crack in my heart.

Again… because I was weak.

Because my stamina was insufficient.

Because I couldn’t keep up with everyone.

I was abandoned again.

“Aha, ahaha, haha… ha. Heu, heuk! Euk…! Huaaaaaaaaang!”

Yet another farewell that I didn’t even want to count how many times it had been.

But this time was different.

I wanted to give up everything.

I didn’t want to think about anything.

Yet again, I stubbornly.

Wished that anyone would stay by my side.

Wished that anyone would always be with me.

Anyone would do.

Please don’t abandon me.

Anyone would do.

Please don’t leave me.

In this sadness and loneliness, this stupid and stubborn me…

I heard the cracks in my heart spreading with a crackling sound.

I heard the sound of something precious in my heart, which had somehow endured until now, starting to break.

It was then.

“Luna.”

When no one else approached me.

When I wished for anyone to be by my side.

Only Jin-sang came to me.