Ch.214214. Probation (4)

Within the hazy consciousness, a firm sense of self—my existence—begins to be recognized clearly once again. The endless floating sensation finally disappears quietly, and fatigue gradually sets in. At last, consciousness returns.

Like someone drunk with sleep, my body hasn’t yet achieved complete awakening. Through my mind, which awakened earlier than my body that still wouldn’t move easily, I hurriedly reviewed the situation.

‘So I…’

I fought like crazy with that damned half-Demonkin, and eventually cut off its head.

But I also got a large hole blown through my leg… and lost consciousness due to overexertion.

Still, the fact that I’m thinking properly like this means I somehow managed to survive—

‘…what a mess.’

Already my worries are piling up like mountains.

My body hasn’t fully awakened yet, so I can’t feel deep sensations, but…

Not only is there a large hole, but the Magia that would have deeply penetrated the cross-section of the wound is another problem. Continuing to fight in the middle of that crazy forest crawling with monsters while limping on one leg would be quite a sight.

And most importantly.

Twitch—

My body awakens starting from my fingertips. Even wiggling my fingers feels like an enormous weight is pressing down on my body.

‘Just how long was I unconscious?’

Worry rises about how long I’ve been sprawled out in this thin-ice-like eastern forest.

Did the elves succeed in killing the remaining half-Demonkin?

Are Sione and Diolia still alive?

And especially, whether Ianet, who had been showing suspicious movements, might have caused trouble. In a unit like this, internal division is more dangerous than the enemy. Ianet, who showed difficulty mixing with others until the end, was concerning.

‘Anyway.’

Worries only multiply the more you dwell on them.

Nothing will change just by thinking alone.

Rather than indulging in contemplation and letting my thoughts wander, it would be much more valuable to wake my body as quickly as possible so I can assess the situation with my own eyes.

‘Move, move.’

Starting with touch, then hearing, smell, and so on. My senses gradually begin to return.

Not satisfied with this, I began to put vitality into my body by wiggling as much as possible the only part I could currently move—my fingertips.

Twitch—

The wave of movement that started at the fingertips gradually spread.

My hand moved. Then my arm vibrated, and according to the hot blood flow scattered by my increasingly strong heartbeat, my cold, stiff body slowly melted and moved more flexibly.

My heavy eyelids slowly began to lift. Light gradually entered my previously dark vision.

“Ah—”

A cracked voice. Feeling a burning thirst, I looked around.

It was the time when the sun was beginning to set. This place was in the middle of a sea of trees.

‘Seems I’m still in the eastern forest. They must have made this a temporary base.’

The ground was evenly trimmed, and remnants of supplies were piled in one place.

The area around me was discreetly concealed to prevent easy detection by others, and even just around here, there were strong traces of people having come and gone until a few hours ago.

“Mmm…”

I raised my upper body to check my surroundings more carefully.

In one corner of the space lay armor full of wounds, a sword, and a bow. Someone must have taken care of them, as there wasn’t a single bloodstain left. No dust had settled on them.

‘First, let me accurately assess my current physical condition.’

My Mana was fully charged. There was no shortage.

My leg… is fine. Visibly, not a single wound could be found. Not just wounds. No Magia remained either.

Though potions alone might not have been enough for complete healing, and I might have trouble moving right away because my strength isn’t properly entering my limbs, if I use Mana to guide my legs, it would be strenuous but not to the point where I couldn’t walk or run.

With time, it would probably heal completely without aftereffects, like my arm where a hole had been punctured.

‘Let me try moving a bit.’

The fact that I was lying here alone meant that this area was judged to be safe enough. Even in my current state, it wouldn’t be bad to carefully walk around this area.

What else would I do just sitting still?

I don’t sense any presence nearby, and my throat is too parched to call out loudly. Intending to find some water while looking around, I raised my body.

No, at the moment I tried to raise this long body of mine that’s as thin as a lifeline—

“Quickly…!”

“Move this way!”

Commotion arrived in what had been a quiet space.

The busy voices of women. Not the murky, cracked voices of cultists, but clear voices that couldn’t be hidden even amidst urgency.

It seemed the elves had returned to this place.

And with a very urgent situation.

‘…What happened?’

A blank in my memory of the past time period. Moreover, I couldn’t even guess how much time had passed, making it difficult to predict the current situation of allies and enemies.

Curiosity about the situation began to surge.

Soon the commotion spread from beyond to here, and familiar faces appeared before me.

The first to appear was Orna, the cute wind spirit whose greatest pride was her fluffy white fur.

—…Myaang?

Had she rolled around in the dirt? Unlike before, Orna, looking disheveled, tilted her head when our eyes met.

“……”

—……

A subtle silence hung in the air.

Feeling somewhat awkward, I waved my hand slightly, and Orna’s fur puffed up.

—Myaang! Myaang! Myaang!

As I caught Orna, who charged into my arms without hesitation while screaming loudly.

Then another voice began to be heard.

“Why, why…! Did something happen—!”

A woman appeared before me with an urgent voice, startled by Orna’s excited crying.

Her hair, which originally shone beautifully silver, was already disheveled, without a trace of nobility’s dignity.

Her appearance was more like a mercenary who enjoyed dog fights than a knight, filthy beyond measure, with dried red bloodstains twisted on her front.

Holding a short sword with a broken blade—half the blade missing—with a fierce energy, as if she had been striking down who knows what.

“Ray…?”

Sione stared down at me blankly, doubting her own eyes.

What on earth had happened for her to break her sword and make such a blood-drunk, maniacal entrance?

Just as I was pondering this thought.

“Lady Sione, hurry and prepare to move—!”

Seeing Diolia, who appeared even more deranged than Sione, as if she had showered in blood.

I had no choice but to ask them, even with my cracked voice.

“…No, what on earth happened?”

* * *

Days of fierce battles and fatigue. Encounters with Demons, and now supplies showing their complete bottom.

And then… everyone seemed a bit busy, so I couldn’t hear in depth, but just now, they had suffered great damage along with the battle against the last remaining half-Demonkin, and so on.

Sione was willing to explain the situation to me, but due to the lack of time, she quickly left with Diolia. They said they needed to hurry and heal those who were injured with the last remaining potions and retreat.

“Sigh…”

It was a mess.

Even now, as this temporary base could be hit at any time.

They said we needed to quickly regroup and escape this place—hadn’t Sione, who was wagging her tail with joy, and Diolia, who expressed relief and welcome, soon left their places again?

While the severely injured elves were finishing simple first aid, I limped around the area. I needed to adapt to my dulled body and figure out how much Mana I needed to use to show more natural movement with my damaged leg.

After moving around for a while, when I had a decent grasp and finished my thoughts, I summoned Tania without hesitation using Mana.

Whoosh—!

A warm breeze blowing, small flames rising.

Tania was summoned from within the flames, blinking and staring at me intently.

“Park Shinwoo, don’t you have anything to say to me?”

After the question, the spirit stared at me quietly with her two bright eyes.

Not avoiding her gaze but meeting it, I spoke calmly.

“Tania. I’ve been thinking—”

“Mm-hmm.”

“That thing you mentioned before about forcibly summoning Elvis here, can you do it?”

“Ah…”

Tania looked at me lifelessly with a coldly frozen expression.

“Hey, Park Shinwoo. You contractor with no loyalty.”

With a desolately irritated tone, the will-o’-the-wisp Tania created floated in the air.

“I even self-destructed to save your life… and the first thing you say when you see me isn’t ‘thank you,’ but asking about Elvis…”

Tania let out a hollow laugh and crossed her arms.

While floating leisurely in the air and snorting, the will-o’-the-wisp she created emitted an even more eerie atmosphere, creating a dark mood.

“You really need to die once to come to your senses, don’t you?”