Why can't humans do it too?

That's all.

The rest is up to fate—if there really is a heaven.

That's all he can do right now.

Even the few medicinal herbs that could treat colds that were preserved in the village were used up the day before yesterday.

Snapped.

Sul slammed his forehead hard, clearing the clutter from his mind. But unsurprisingly, this inexplicable and strange behavior drew a reproachful look from Ke'er beside him.

“…Let’s not talk about this.” To avoid being called an idiot or a fool by the girl next to him, Suer immediately stood up nonchalantly and dusted off non-existent dust from his clothes. “Is there something important that you came here all of a sudden? I remember I told you before that you shouldn’t come near this cave unless it’s absolutely necessary?”

As he finished speaking, the man's tone became increasingly serious, and his sharp eyes stared directly at Ke'er, who was sitting there.

“Ah…indeed,” Cole’s gaze darted around, revealing her reluctance, but she couldn’t meet Suer’s eyes and could only lower her head and answer softly, “Riku and Lennie are ready…waiting for you to come over.”

The hand brushing off the dust suddenly paused for a second.

"Really? It's already this late?" Su Er sighed inexplicably. To be honest, he had almost lost track of time in this dark cave. All that could be heard in his mind was the sound of water dripping endlessly.

Just like this foolish world, it can drive any normal person insane.

Chapter Three: Flames

Although he said he took a break while the lights were off, to be honest, Suer was still a little tired. This tiredness came not only from having to change the hot cloth on Credo's forehead from time to time and constantly wipe his armpits to cool him down, but also from something indescribable.

It was as if something was indeed hidden in the darkness.

However, this slight fatigue vanished quickly upon hearing the news brought by Ke'er—or rather, he couldn't be more energetic now.

Leaving Credo in the care of Kor for the time being, Sul quickly changed into another robe and took off the mask covering his face, soaking it in a basin of water. Kor would then wash it with boiling water. Although it was simple, it was the best way to prevent the spread of the virus at the moment.

Holding the lantern, they walked a long way before reaching the center of the settlement. There were already many people standing in the open space, each wearing the same style of robe as Suer. But what attracted Suer's attention more than these familiar companions was something he had seen countless times before—a stone pillar illuminated by the lantern.

Besides the blue fluorescent leaves that grow windingly around the stone pillars in the caves, what is even more eye-catching are the colorful pebbles collected by the children and strung together with rope. They are polished into regular shapes and jingle in the air as the rope swings.

This is a stone pillar that has been erected here since the establishment of this human settlement. Even though Suer had seen it countless times and could even describe its familiar appearance in his mind with his eyes closed, it was as if he was seeing it for the first time, and he couldn't take his eyes off it.

I heard deliberately loud footsteps behind me.

"...Don't worry, Credor will definitely not go up there."

Feeling a pat on the shoulder, Suer turned around and saw a familiar face and a slightly older-sounding voice, but in reality, he was just a young man in his twenties with dark brown hair, who was grinning foolishly and patting Suer's shoulder harder and harder.

“…Hmm,” Sull nodded in agreement, then forcefully slapped away the guy’s hand, which was seemingly comforting him but was actually a sneaky act of revenge. He then walked towards the crowd. “I’m just a little worried. Don’t overthink it, Lennie.”

"Well, everyone's worried, both about Credo and you," Lennie said playfully, sticking out his tongue despite being one of the oldest people present, having been caught in his little prank. "After all, you've been by Credo's side ever since he got sick. There's no need for a replacement. It would be terrible if you fell ill too..."

Following behind Sull, he kept talking incessantly. Although it sounded very long-winded, the concern in Lennie's words was genuine.

“…There’s nothing we can do. After all, there aren’t many people left who came out of that place together.” Su’er suddenly stopped and her voice became increasingly bitter.

Lenny, who had been talking non-stop, suddenly fell silent. The two looked at each other as if they wanted to say something more, but in the end, no sound came out.

"Let's go."

"Ah."

Just as Ke'er relayed in the cave, the rest of the people had been waiting for a long time, and they were only waiting for Su'er to arrive so that they could begin this great expedition.

"How is the situation?" This question, which could be described as rational to the point of being cold, was posed to Suer by the current leader of this settlement, Liku, immediately after their meeting.

White hair, white eyebrows—he was only a year older than Suer, yet he had become a leader whom everyone trusted… For five whole years, he had been a man with sharp, empty eyes, a man who lived only for his goal.

That was all Suer could say about this man.

He admired him, but never wanted to become him, yet he couldn't help but get closer to him, in his words and actions.

“Things have improved, but to prevent a sudden deterioration and as a medicine reserve, we must find new herbs on this expedition,” Sull said after giving Riku a brief report on Credor’s situation and the new difficulties.

Although the two had a good relationship in private, he had to maintain a rational and absolutely dignified image for Riku when there were many people around.

Being quiet is a good approach.

“Very good, then let’s proceed according to the previous plan. We’ll set off after a short rest.” After saying this, Liku gestured for Suer to go and organize his equipment and communicate with the team members.

They inspected their weapons and sharpened their blades, but their purpose was definitely not to charge into those inhuman and terrifying races. Apart from clearing obstacles on the road and gathering certain herbs or cutting food, the greatest use of this small dagger was to preserve one's last dignity when one was about to suffer immense pain.

The dry rations and water we carried, the map we had checked countless times beforehand, and the safety of the expedition route, the potential dangers, and the countermeasures we had repeatedly considered...

"Hey! Surgo!"

When Suer, who was buried in his small bag, looked up in a daze, he saw a ball of blue-purple fur blocking his view—and then he realized what was happening.

"It's Nona." Even the coldest person can't keep a cold face when faced with such a cute little girl, let alone see such a smile in this world—it's incredibly therapeutic. Suer couldn't help but smile and pat the little girl's head. "Did you study your characters well today?"

"Of course! Nona is already learning how to write her own name!" Nona's little face was full of pride, and although she was praising herself, it didn't make anyone feel disgusted.

"Haha, that's really impressive," Su'er chuckled, ruffling the little girl's hair even more. "When I get back, Nona, you'll have to write it down for me, okay?"

"Okay! It's a promise!" Nona shook her head in Suer's arms but couldn't get rid of the big hand that was ruffling her hair. When she heard Suer's words, she looked up and showed an even brighter smile.

Children... are hope...

Sull suddenly became somewhat dazed—until he heard Lennie's shout.

"immediately!"

Finally, after giving Nona's hair a final, forceful ruffle, Suer turned around and called out.

Chapter Four: Necessary Caution

"Honestly, Nona, don't add to Sul's troubles during such a busy time," Nona's mother, also drawn by Lennie's shout, came over from her husband's side and scolded him repeatedly. Her husband was also among the people going on this expedition, but in Liku's squad instead of Sul's.

“It’s alright, Maruda,” Suer said, amused, as she looked at Nona’s puffed-up cheeks from her mother’s scolding. “I’ve finished tidying up here too, there’s nothing to cause any trouble.”

"Huh? Is that so?" After pausing for a moment, Maruda hugged Nona and said hesitantly, "Please be careful while you're out there, and... thank you for your hard work this time too."

These words were not only a blessing for Sul, but also for everyone on this expedition, not just Maruda. When Sul looked around, he saw everyone who remained in the settlement silently bowing and praying in his direction.

The almost fixed ritualistic prayers that preceded each expedition, even though those praying didn't even know to whom they should pray—after all, humans are the only ones in this world without their own gods…

Thinking of this, Suer couldn't help but smile wryly. After nodding to Maruda to indicate that he understood, he pulled up his mask and turned around.

"Surgo!"

Nona's voice suddenly rang out from behind, her childish voice sounding even a little shrill when she shouted loudly.

"Dad, Sulgo, and Riku, you are all heroes! You are the best!!"

The little girl raised her hands high, smiling brightly, and stretched out her index and middle fingers—a gesture that Suer had taught her, representing victory.

Without a reply, Suer, who had pulled up his mask, seemed to become a different person. He silently turned halfway around, calmly extended his clenched fist, and then raised his thumb.

Nona knew what that meant.

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

hero.

A name that is adorned with gold and shines with dazzling brilliance at all times.

Even in the books and oral traditions preserved by humans struggling to survive in this great war that belonged only to the superior races, a war that began and will end at an unknown time, the word and its meaning are still preserved.

“…If all heroes look like us, then it’s truly hideous,” Lennie said suddenly as he slowly slid down from the highest point, looking at his companions who were disguised like dead trees.

It seems that he heard what Nona said at the end, but his response was a fierce glare from Suer.

Without any verbal communication, Sull simply gestured for Lennie to come closer, and then had another person climb to the top to keep watch.

No more joking around. Lennie's lips were close to Sul's ear, and he quickly, quietly, and briefly reported everything he had seen from the high place. This seemingly ambiguous action was actually a necessary measure, simply because of the presence of predators in this large area—orcs.

A race that is completely close to the physical limits of the human body, and even has some special cases that completely surpass the physical limits. When Suer first engraved the information about the orc race into his mind, what he saw made him almost unable to believe that such an outrageous race could exist.

Running 100 meters takes only two steps, not even measured in time. If there are no obstacles, their sharp eyes can even see things 30 kilometers away. Their five senses are so acute that it's unrealistic. There is currently no way to know any more information, because all the humans who have encountered the beastmen are dead, and even if they happen to notice them, they cannot record it.

However, even such an absurd race, which has left the fragile human body in the dust, is nothing more than a race struggling to survive on this continent. They can only maintain their tribes by hunting and gathering, and they don't even deserve to think about settling down and farming.

It was precisely because he knew how terrifying this race was that Suer was furious at Lennie's loud voice earlier—after all, orcs are on high alert during hunts, and if they heard Lennie's voice from outside the range of a few people's attention...

Sul clenched his fist and waved it in front of Lennie as a warning. He then took out a map from his pocket and marked it. Fortunately, the terrain of the wasteland had not changed much, so at least the group did not have to immediately start mapping again. But that was the problem.

This place is still a wasteland, or more accurately, a flat terrain that has been bombarded by some race unknown to the Sur. There are no obstacles on it, which makes the figures of several people trying to cross it particularly conspicuous.

[Go around this area along the seam at the edge, and remain silent until then.]

After a moment's thought, he made a decision. Sull used sign language to convey this message to his team members. Although taking a detour here would shorten the time it would take for the supplies they carried to last, Sull didn't want to take that unnecessary risk. His final words of advice were specifically emphasized to one particular guy.

The group of people were like silent ants, communicating briefly with each other only through silent gestures, constantly climbing and moving along the edge of this piece of land that seemed to be raised up. Apart from short meals and rests, they never stayed in one place for too long.

Although it sounded like a tough journey, it wasn't actually that tiring. The intense running and a lot of exercise caused them to sweat, which in turn increased their body odor. So, the group even felt a sense of calm during their trip – aside from everyone being on edge, this was a characteristic of venturing into areas frequented by orcs.

Suer once thought he would never return to this area, but shortly after that thought crossed his mind, he broke it, simply because he was more familiar with the place than the others in the settlement, and the resources in this area were indeed richer than in other places. But it was precisely because of this that those orcs had appeared here in the first place...

Standing at the entrance of this stone cave, Suer gazed quietly into the distance, even though he couldn't see what was there.

Chapter Five: The Cruel Environment

It's a pale yellow color, and each bite is filled with cream. The cake is crisp, sweet, and refreshing, soft and chewy, and the satisfaction brought by the sugar is clearly etched in my memory.

The endless black ash, blown up and falling back down, seemed to possess a kind of hypnotic magic, causing Suer, who was keeping watch at the door, to become dazed. The threads of memory involuntarily stretched towards the past, until they reached that dreamlike world...

'I really want to eat cream puffs...'

He shuddered as if he had been electrocuted. When he suddenly realized that such a thought had floated into his mind, Suer subconsciously pinched his thigh hard, an action that had long been a conditioned reflex.

Recalling the past is forbidden.

There was nothing there; everything outside the cave entrance remained dark and gloomy, both the sky and the ground.

"...It's been almost three years..."

Like a whisper, Suer felt a gentle pat on his shoulder.

Meeting Sull's gaze, Lennie shrugged, running his finger across his lips, promising he would never say anything out of line again.

With no intention of continuing the conversation with Lennie, Sue simply handed over the watch to Lennie and then went deep into the cave, where he curled up and lay down.

Yes, Suer, who had become completely adapted to life in this world, was an outsider to this world, a world that was as beautiful as paradise compared to this hellish world.

Before a campfire was lit, Suer gradually drifted off to sleep, resting his head on the stone that still exuded a chill even with a robe on it.