"Tell me."
"No."
"Hah… I won't kill you if you tell me."
"Why should I believe you?"
Sam gritted his teeth and looked straight into his eyes. "I swear I won't."
"A swear? And I'm supposed to trust you now? Just because you swear?"
Sam crossed his arms and nodded calmly. "First of all, I never break a promise. Second—I saved your life. And even if you die, I'll find my way back eventually."
The white-haired young man clenched his jaw, glancing nervously through the forest as his legs shifted in place.
"Ah! Screw it!"
He stepped forward and reached out his hand, meeting Sam's chocolate-brown eyes.
"My name is Raymond Kaelvire, and I promise to lead you back to civilization."
Sam considered him for a brief moment before nodding and taking his hand.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Samuel, and I promise not to kill you—as long as you don't break your promise."
Raymond let out a strained laugh. "Haha… nice."
They released their handshake and looked around at their surroundings, towering trunks rising like pillars into the dim canopy above.
"So," Raymond began, squinting upward, "which direction does the sun set?"
"West."
"…."
Raymond slowly tilted his head and placed his hands on his hips.
"You think I don't know that? You think I'm stupid? I'm asking which direction west is."
Samuel stared at him for a long second. Then he slowly lifted his arm and pointed.
"That way."
Raymond followed the direction of his finger, squinting through the massive pillars of bark and the dim green haze beneath the canopy.
"All I see are trees."
"That's because there are only trees."
Raymond exhaled sharply through his nose. "Incredible. I get teleported into some nightmare forest, almost eaten by oversized ants, rescued by a muscle-brained psychopath—and now I'm stuck with a human compass who doesn't understand context."
Samuel lowered his arm.
"I understand context. You asked for west. I gave you west."
Raymond stared at him.
"…You're serious."
"Yes."
Raymond dragged a hand down his face and muttered something under his breath before stepping forward, turning slowly in a circle.
"Alright… alright. Calm down. Think." He pointed vaguely upward. "If that's west…"
He turned again.
Samuel watched in silence.
Within his five-meter domain, insects crawled beneath bark, mana streamed upward along the trunks in vertical rivers, and Raymond's heartbeat thumped irregularly—still unstable from mana exhaustion.
"You're lost, aren't you?" Samuel asked flatly.
Raymond froze mid-turn.
"…No."
"You are."
"I am not."
"You don't know the direction."
"I said I do!"
"Then walk."
Raymond opened his mouth—then closed it again.
Silence stretched between them.
Raymond swallowed; "…Okay," he muttered. "Also, I know from the maps that there are mountains in the west—and behind them are the kingdoms."
Samuel raised an eyebrow.
"So… I know the general direction," Raymond corrected himself quickly. "I was teleported right after the exam—just as I tried to teleport home. Some kind of scheme… I knew it was too good to be true. Free teleportation? Of course it was a trap."
Samuel tilted his head slightly.
"Exam?"
"Magic Academy," Raymond replied automatically, then stiffened. "You don't know about the academies? The magic academy of Lyrania?"
"No. I think not."
Raymond blinked.
"You're joking."
Samuel said nothing.
Raymond stared at him for several seconds before realization slowly dawned on his face.
"…You're not from any of the kingdoms, are you?"
Samuel's gaze didn't change.
"I don't know any of the… what you call kingdoms."
Raymond's expression shifted—from disbelief to confusion, then to something sharper.
"…Where did you grow up?"
"Tarakan. Then Monster Land."
The wind moved through the canopy again, leaves whispering far above.
Raymond let out a weak laugh; "You keep saying that like it's an official name."
"It is."
"…Right."
Raymond looked away, thinking fast, and ran both hands through his dirt-streaked white hair; "That explains so much."
Samuel stepped past him.
"Walk."
Raymond blinked. "What?"
"You said west. And like you said, there are mountains in the west." Samuel pointed again. "So walk."
Raymond hesitated only a second before hurrying to catch up; "Nice! I knew it! After reaching the mountains, we just need to head north or south! So everything's easy!"
Sam stopped and looked at him.
"The mountains are deadly. And at your pace, they are more than two years away." Then he continued walking.
Raymond froze.
"What? Say that again? Two years?" he shouted, then hurried after him.
"Stop screaming."
Raymond instantly covered his mouth and nodded. As they moved between the colossal roots, the forest seemed to deepen around them. The light dimmed further, beams of gold thinning into pale strands.
After several minutes, Raymond spoke again, quieter this time.
"How long have you been here?"
"In this forest?"
"In the Monster Land."
Samuel considered; "…Since… I think seven years ago. I ran from Tarakan."
Raymond's steps faltered.
"Tarakan?" he repeated carefully. "Isn't that the past abandoned adventurer fortress?"
"Yes."
"Amazing!" he answered while ducking under a root, its bark thick and sturdy, scraping against his torn clothes. "Do you know Henry Tarakan? The pioneer in regeneration skills and healing magic?"
Samuel didn't respond. His muscles tightened and a thick wave of killing intent spread outward without warning.
Raymond gasped and collapsed, his body slamming against the forest floor as if crushed by invisible weight. His limbs trembled violently, his chest unable to rise properly.
"…Sam," he choked, struggling for air, his body pressed into the dirt. He spat blood onto the leaves.
Samuel turned around.
His eyes relaxed slightly.
"Oh."
The deadly aura vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, and he resumed walking.
Raymond lay there for several seconds, dragging in desperate breaths before finally pushing himself upright and stumbling after him with uneven steps.
He stared at Samuel's broad back, at the scars crossing his shoulders and spine, at the dried blood still clinging to his skin.
"…Just how strong are you?" Raymond asked under his breath.
Samuel didn't slow down.
"Strong enough, not to be killed the moment I meet a monster."