Why can't humans do it too?

'But unfortunately, your master can no longer write down any more information for you.'

Thinking such malicious thoughts, Suer even watched with great interest as the little monkey leaped around on the other side of the hillside, scratching its mouth and cheeks anxiously. One second it seemed to want to rush over and attack Suer to avenge its master, but the next second it jumped back as if it had frightened itself.

For some reason, Suer seemed to feel the same way that the orcs, or even other races, had viewed humans... Perhaps to them, humans were just acting in such a futile and contradictory way?

Suer suddenly raised his hand, trying to recreate that feeling from before—the feeling of controlling the little monkey as if he were extending a part of his own body—but nothing happened.

The only one who reacted was the monkey itself. Having witnessed everything that had happened, it was frightened by Suer's sudden raised hand and fearfully raised its arms to cover its head. After nothing happened for a long time, it cautiously peeked at Suer from between its arms.

Ignoring the bewilderment of such a real beast, Sull simply stared blankly at his raised left hand.

Why didn't that strange feeling I had just experienced occur?

Could it be that everything just now was just his hallucination?

Or is there some kind-hearted but extremely perverse superior race that happened to pass by nearby?

Suer stared blankly as he looked around at everything around him—nothing appeared.

No new characters emerged, laughing and saying anything, nor did any new omens appear.

What exactly did he miss?

Chapter Twenty-Five: Panic

No way to know.

Having personally experienced that extraordinary feeling, Asano Shirasu was now unable to sit down and properly discuss his feelings with Suer, as he had become perfectly integrated with the environment.

There was no sudden surge of strength; the pain in his shoulder remained, and the lingering weakness persisted throughout his body. Everything seemed no different from before—too normal, so normal that Suer even began to wonder if he was under some kind of illusionary spell.

However, Asano Shirasu's final performance was indeed visibly abnormal.

Unaware of what Suer was thinking, Asano Shirasu's monkey named Tama was still scratching its ears and squeaking incoherently. Suer's strange and abnormal behavior added fuel to the fire of fear that the little monkey was already filled with because it had witnessed the terrible death of its master.

Even though nothing extraordinary happened after Suer raised his hand, the monkey seemed to have collapsed, leaping and running frantically until it reached the spot where Asano Shirasu had just been sitting—and then picked up a round piece of cloth that was stained blood red…?!

But Suer's expression suddenly changed, and he rushed towards the monkey without hesitation—but it was too late. The monkey nimbly leaped and ran on all fours, and in less than a few seconds it had already rushed up the hillside.

Whoosh!!

That was the sound of a dagger being thrown out in a hurry, cutting through the air.

The monkey named Xiaoyu was clearly specially trained. With a light dodge, it dodged the dagger thrown by Suer and wildly waved the things it had just picked up from the ground. The monkey shouted loudly in a language that humans could not understand, and then, before Suer could rush over, it flipped over and escaped along the rock wall at the bottom of the hillside.

Even though Suer rushed up the slope the next second, he could only helplessly watch as the small figure nimbly leaped and darted through the gaps, disappearing completely in just a few breaths, leaving Suer standing there like a lifeless statue.

It felt like falling into an ice cave.

--------------

Suer deliberately endured the icy river water and walked a long way across it before getting back ashore, hoping that such a small detail would help him avoid some potential trouble, such as being chased by orcs who came to inspect the battlefield later.

In fact, although the return journey was long and lasted for several days, good luck seemed to have finally smiled upon Suer. He did not encounter any trouble on the way, but even so, a heavy boulder was always weighing on his heart.

The piece of cloth that the monkey picked up was a piece of cloth from Su'er's clothes. When Asano Shirasu suddenly pounced, he bit off not only a small piece of flesh from Su'er's shoulder, but also the area of ​​clothing on that shoulder—which was covered in Su'er's blood... and of course, there was also Asano Shirasu's blood and saliva.

Suer didn't know how the orc leaders would interpret this information, which was mixed together and taken back by the monkey, but that didn't stop him from making many serious assumptions about it.

It's like a model citizen who has lived for over a decade without ever breaking the law, but accidentally brings someone else's belongings home. The panic he feels when he discovers this is like this: Will someone call the police? What will his friends think of him if word gets out? Will it even make a difference if I explain and apologize?

It was this feeling of panic and fear that made Su'er feel uneasy, but Su'er's feelings at this moment were even greater. After all, taking someone else's things unintentionally wouldn't kill you, but what the monkey brought back could very well kill Su'er... and even the lives of everyone in the entire village.

Using a special wooden stick to hold a prepared piece of ore, and placing this simple light source into the dark river flowing outward beside him, Suer quietly watched the small ore shimmer and gradually emit a stable orange-yellow light.

Even though it was faint, it was enough to illuminate the darkness around him and show the way forward.

He is home.

With stiff, mechanical steps, Suer continued walking deeper into the cave. He could barely feel his limbs anymore, as if a cold storm was sweeping through his heart, taking away his light and warmth every second.

He even forgot how much further he had to go until he heard those familiar voices.

"It's Sur?!"

"Sul is back! Hey! Go tell Ke'er quickly! Hurry!"

Several people who stayed behind in the settlement to guard the road discovered Suer's appearance, and quickly lifted the fence that could only be used to prevent ordinary wild animals from rushing in, and opened the gate and cheered.

When Leni and the others, who had already returned safely, told them that Sul had stubbornly stayed in the area where the orcs were fighting the Orks, everyone in the settlement was worried about Sul, who had not yet returned. After all, just from Leni's weak appearance due to excessive blood loss and the huge, bloodless dent on his arm, it was clear how dangerous the situation had been.

So much so that, apart from doing some necessary work, the camp's head steward, Ke'er, spent all her time guarding the gate, occasionally glancing out as if sensing something. Whenever a light appeared in the passage, she would eagerly open her eyes and go to greet it, only to find that it was just the other people who had set off on the expedition returning. Although she wasn't disappointed, Ke'er was genuinely glad to see her companions return safely, but what Ke'er really wanted to see was the person who knew for sure that he was in deep danger return safely.

Not long after, Ke'er, who had just left the gate to take a short nap, was called over. She saw the man, a boy, standing silently at the gate surrounded by excited people.

His dark gray robe was full of holes, and the hood on his head had been taken off. His platinum blonde hair, which should have shone brightly under the lights, was now gray and dull. His face was full of fatigue. Although he was smiling and talking to the people surrounding him, Ke'er inexplicably felt an indescribable sense of despair from the boy.

Even though they had grown taller over the years, far exceeding Cole's height, in Cole's eyes, both Sull and Riku still looked the same as before.

Two tiny little radish heads, who, when they get stubborn, will purse their lips and raise their heads with a blank expression.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Sur

When he first came into this world, Suer always liked to reminisce about the past.

After all, in a world where life is constantly in danger, and the food consists of coarse food made from the roots and stems of plants dug from barren land, with no regard for nutritional balance, coldness and emptiness are constant companions to the body. The only thing that can make you feel warm is the beautiful memories of the past.

A soft and silky bed, a variety of delicious foods that go beyond just nutrition and are rich in oils and sugars, and all sorts of games designed to make people happier and more relaxed... The world revolves around people.

Suer always liked to reminisce about these things.

But every day when I wake up from my sleep, the first thing I touch is the cold wooden bed with a layer of animal hide under me. When I go outside, I can't see the blue sky, only the blood-red color that never ends. And the huge beam of light that suddenly appears in the distance and sweeps across the hills, leaving only a deep groove and the smoke rising from the earth after it has been evaporated.

Suer hated this world and resented himself for coming to it.

She had a job that provided enough for her basic needs, her parents were healthy, and she was preparing to get married when she was transported to this cruel world during an ordinary afternoon nap... When she opened her eyes that afternoon, everything had changed drastically.

Silent and out of place with everything around him—after all, he had to learn the writing and language of the humans around him who had similar appearances to him from scratch. Suer was like the purest infant, stumbling in this strange world.

The only thing that could accompany him was his own past memories.

Until the day when the orcs who suddenly appeared in the settlement began to kill.

For the first time, Suer clearly realized this fact, even though the others in the settlement had told him countless times, but he still didn't feel it at all—in this world, humans didn't even have the right to be taken seriously, and were merely regarded as wild beasts to be hunted.

Then he met Riku.

The day after Leni carried him away from that past settlement destroyed by the orcs, he miraculously awoke from a feverish coma following infection and regained the strength to stand up.

Suer stared intently at the white-haired boy standing opposite him, the leader of the current settlement—the boy looked to be about the same age as Suer, but his eyes were calm… calm to the point of being cold.

Sull listened attentively as Riku explained the rules he had set, the rule that even if one person had to be sacrificed, the others would have to survive. After Riku finished explaining the settlement's main goals and work, he patiently asked Sull if there was anything he didn't understand.

Suer had no doubts; he had accepted it all.

Afterwards, Sull also learned Riku's age from Lennie—fifteen years old, only one year older than the age of Sull's body.

From that moment on, Suer gave up reminiscing about the past.

Dwelling too much on sweet dreams makes one weak, and the weak die the fastest of all, because they hesitate, are indecisive, and miss their chance to escape because of this weakness.

Suer didn't want to die, even though he had fantasized countless times about that scene—removing the dust mask covering his head, then the fur armor protecting him from the cold, lying in the black ash on the ground outside in such a vulnerable and defenseless state, and the death wind blowing across the world would carry him into a blissful world of tranquility.

Even though he had fantasized countless times about the bliss of entering paradise, in the end, Suer still gave up on such a plan.

Even he himself didn't know why he had to give up, and couldn't find the reason... He just wanted to live, simply to live.

I don't want to die like this.

They never even found the meaning of living or dying.

Sull began to imitate Riku, a child who was theoretically much younger than himself.

Imitating Riku's taciturn nature and his approach to handling matters, Sull only recalled useful or valuable knowledge from his own memory. Following his memories, he found methods for cultivating edible mushrooms, common sense for treating common diseases under simple conditions, and so on. He worked hard to increase his value in the village and improve his status, eventually obtaining the position of elder as he wished.

And the last one—

When danger arises, a ladder is formed according to the value of each person, and the person at the bottom of the ladder is ordered to use their own life to draw the danger away.

That was the beginning of Suer's nightmare.

After the first victim died under his orders, even though none of his comrades said a word of blame, from that moment on, Sull could no longer fall asleep in an environment without lights.

It was as if, if he lost this light, an invisible hand would reach out from the darkness and strangle him, making it impossible for him to breathe again, simply because of his impurity.

Yes, as Suer knew, compared to the simple and kind people in the settlement, he, who had impure motives from the beginning, was like a rotten sludge, devouring the lives of innocent people.

All his efforts, his relentless climb upwards, his desperate quest to become one of the camp's managers all stemmed from one reason—he never wanted to hear anyone say to him:

【Sur, I command you—die here.】

This is the root of everything, and it is what Sull fears most.

This is also why he is now curled up in this cave, unable to warm his body from the cold even though he is wrapped in several thick blankets.

He could even vaguely hear Riku's calm voice speaking to him, and even Riku's voice was reproduced perfectly.

【Sur, for the sake of the entire settlement... you should leave.】

Unable to resist, Suer gripped the blanket covering her head even tighter, curling up into a ball.

Ever since he returned to the village, the image of the monkey waving its blood-soaked, bitten-off pieces of clothing and squeaking as it fled from him has been constantly flashing through his mind, whether his eyes are open or closed, accompanied by all sorts of the most horrible fantasies.

Fantasies about all possible scenarios—the fantasy of the orcs searching for and pursuing them slaughtering everyone in the settlement; the fantasy of everyone being forced to relocate the settlement because of him dying in large numbers in front of the orcs who have increased the threat to humanity; the fantasy of Riku ordering him to leave the settlement after learning the truth...

Liku, who was also on a expedition, has not yet returned.

Suer was like a condemned prisoner awaiting sentencing.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Ke'er Seems to Know Something

A long beam of light finally pierced through the pitch-black cave. Suer's door was opened a crack, and someone was carefully observing the situation inside the cave by the light they were holding up.

“…Sul? Let’s eat something first.” Gently pushing open the door, Ke’er squeezed in sideways and placed the food she was carrying on a tray on the wooden table next to her.

Suddenly sitting up in bed as if startled, Su'er pulled the blanket off her head but remained motionless, staring blankly at Ke'er standing at the doorway. Her throat moved slightly, but no sound came out.

For a fleeting moment, he really wanted to call out Ke'er's name, immediately, just like the big hug Ke'er gave him when he first returned to the village—he needed that kind of comfort, that kind of warmth.

Suddenly, Credor's words came to mind—the words the child spoke while holding his hand tightly, even in his feverish, near-conscious state…

Suddenly, Suer found herself wanting to say the same thing, to shout those words to Ke'er: "Don't give up on me."