Dana woke up leaning against the cave wall.
On the ground lay the remains of a campfire that had long gone out.
Still dazed, Dana looked around.
"Good morning, Dana!"
Hearing her name, she sleepily glanced around and noticed Dalai outside the cave, preparing something to eat.
"Morning..." she replied, still half-asleep.
She stood up and walked outside.
"Oh! Good morning!"
Dana looked up and noticed Estrella sitting on a tree branch.
"Good morning. Still acting as lookout?"
"Yeah, it's pretty comfortable up here... compared to the cave's stone bed..." Estrella said sarcastically.
"Fair point..."
Dana walked over to retrieve her sword near the cave entrance.
"You don't want to eat something before leaving?" Dalai asked.
"No, I'm not that hungry. Better save food for when we really need it."
"I understand, but you need to be careful with your nutrition."
"Yeah, I will! For now, I'm going exploring."
"Alright. If you spot any potential danger, come back immediately."
"Got it."
Dana started walking away.
"Dana, be careful out there!" Estrella shouted as she watched her companion leave.
Dana walked through the dense forest with a thoughtful expression.
It's been five days since all of this began... there have definitely been improvements.
She checked one of the animal traps.
[Two days earlier]
Dana and Estrella watched Dalai crouching beside a tree.
"What are you doing?" Estrella asked.
"I'm setting up a trap for small animals using these vine-like plants hanging from the trees."
Dana picked up one of the vines and examined it.
"And why would you even know how to make a trap back on Earth?" she asked, confused.
"For nothing really. I just got interested after watching some videos about it..."
"Let me guess: you're one of those people who leaves videos playing until they fall asleep?" Estrella said with amusement.
"When you put it like that..."
Dana crouched down to get a better look at Dalai's work.
"We should leave some kind of mark nearby so we remember there's a trap here."
"Yeah, a mark on a tree is enough."
Dana stood up and carved a symbol into the trunk with her sword.
[Today]
Dana found the mark on the tree, but saw that the trap still hadn't caught anything.
"Nothing..."
Discouraged, she stood back up and resumed walking.
In these five days, we've figured out a few things... not only do other subordinates and mythological creatures give points to level up, but animals hunted for food do too, even if they probably give very few points.
Dana opened her status screen.
[Level 4]
Still, this allowed us to level up without fighting people or absurd monsters... but how long can that last?
She kept walking until she noticed another mark carved into a tree.
"We haven't explored beyond this point yet..."
She seemed to think for a moment.
"I'll just go take a quick look..."
[Several minutes later]
"Strangely enough, everything's quiet... I can't even see any creatures around..."
Dana looked up at the sky to check the sun, but noticed smoke rising through the trees.
"Am I near a camp? Maybe I should leave..."
"Leave us alone!" someone suddenly shouted, making Dana flinch.
"That came from the camp..."
"Help!"
The second scream made Dana react instantly, and she ran toward the noise.
Before long, she found a group of boys beating several subordinates tied to trees.
Dana froze in shock.
"What..."
She looked at the prisoners' injuries.
"Pleas—"
The boy was interrupted by a punch to the stomach.
"Stop asking for help, Lars! You're annoying!"
Another boy approached Lars and yanked him by the hair.
"This is a fair punishment. You're weak, and we almost died because of you."
"You people are insane..." said a blond-haired boy, his face covered in blood.
"What!?"
The blond boy took a knee straight to the face, smashing the back of his head against the tree trunk as well.
"You seriously want to tell us that's not true? You're the trash of humanity. To us, you're nothing but dead weight... so it's better to get rid of you. Don't you think so too, John?" said a boy with short hair and a black jacket.
The boy violently punched John in the face.
Dana realized the situation was spiraling out of control, so she decided to intervene, but before she could reveal herself, someone suddenly pulled her behind a tree by her right arm.
"Let go—"
Dana was interrupted by a hand covering her mouth.
"Wait..." a male voice whispered quietly.
"Look..."
He pointed toward a boy armed with a bow, hidden atop a tree while watching over the area.
Dana was stunned.
Where the hell did he come from!?
Suddenly, a noise drew her attention.
She watched as John, already badly beaten, was struck repeatedly in the head until the attacker finally stopped after realizing the boy was dead.
"The first piece of trash is gone... onto the next one!"
The others immediately started beating Lars as well, while the remaining boys tied to the trees watched in terror.
Dana, meanwhile, was furious and tried to break free from the boy's grip, but couldn't.
"Why?" Dana asked with a frustrated look. Her voice came out shaky.
At last, she looked into the boy's eyes, revealing him to be Riccardo Aliberti.
From Riccardo's gaze, Dana understood that he didn't accept the situation either... and yet he didn't even flinch in front of innocent people dying.
"If you go like this, you'll just die too. And then who's going to save them?"
"But if I don't intervene, more people will die... so let me go!"
"You can't go in like this, not in this situation. There are four guys ready to kill, and it's obvious they're all skilled and high-level. But if you still want to go, then I suggest you turn around and go back where you came from, because you still haven't understood what kind of game we're playing here."
At those cold words, Dana clenched her free fist tightly.
"And who are you to tell me what to do?"
"Someone who isn't dying today."
Dana scoffed, then looked toward Lars, now exhausted from the beating.
"So you're willing to let them die?"
"I don't want to, but the situation is bad. I think even you understood that from the start, didn't you?"
"Yes, I understood it immediately... but I'm going anyway!"
Dana broke free from Riccardo's grip, slightly surprising him.
She was about to step out with her sword in hand.
"Wait."
Dana stopped and looked at Riccardo.
"What?"
"I'll help you, but I'm not going to throw my life away without any chance of success."
"You mean you actually have some kind of plan?"
He stepped closer with a faint smirk.
"Something like that... I'll act as bait, and meanwhile you'll try to sneak closer to the guy in the tree."
Dana looked at him disapprovingly.
"Acting as bait sounds exactly like throwing your life away."
"True, but I think that guy is the first one we need to eliminate."
"Why? How could he have learned to use a bow in less than a week?"
"I think he already used one before all this... but there's no time to explain. They're about to move on to the next person."
Dana noticed with anger that Lars had also died.
"Are you okay with this plan or not?"
"Yes... fine."
"Good. Then go, and try not to get noticed."
The two were about to split up, but Dana suddenly thought of something.
"Before you go, I want to know your name."
Riccardo stopped and looked at her.
"My name is Riccardo. Yours?"
"Dana."
"Alright, Dana... I'm counting on you."
Riccardo gave her a sincere and reassuring smile, catching his new ally by surprise.
"I'll do the same with you..."
The two separated to carry out their roles.
Riccardo hid behind a bush.
The boy with the bow was watching his companions massacre another hostage until he noticed Riccardo's head emerging from the bush.
"Hey, you there! Come out!" the boy shouted, preparing to fire an arrow.
The warning immediately alerted the others, who stopped the beating and grabbed their weapons, focusing on the threat.
A moment later, Riccardo stepped out into the open and slowly approached with his hands raised.
"Relax, I'm not your enemy."
He kept advancing, but suddenly an arrow embedded itself in the ground just centimeters away from him, stopping his march.
Riccardo stared at the arrow, then looked at the archer with the expression of someone who had expected it.
"Don't come any closer, or the next arrow won't miss!"
Riccardo immediately spotted Dana, who still hadn't reached the tree where the archer was hiding.
"I see you have a weapon. Drop it on the ground!" said a boy armed with an axe.
Riccardo looked at him and slowly unsheathed his sword, wasting as much time as possible.
One of them seemed to grow irritated by how long he was taking.
"Come on, hurry up!"
"Don't panic, Tenzin," said the boy in the black jacket, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Those words seemed to calm him down.
"Yeah, you're right, Ardit."
"Sorry, I'm about to drop the sword."
Riccardo let the weapon fall to the ground.
"Good."
The boys noticed Riccardo staring at them intensely, though without revealing what he was thinking.
"What are you staring at!?" Tenzin asked irritably.
"No, nothing. I was just thinking about how full of yourselves you must be to do this to those guys while believing you're superior," Riccardo said provocatively.
At those words, an arrow passed just centimeters from his right cheek.
"I think you're getting carried away with your words. We're the ones in charge here!"
"Calm down too, Thomas! He's obviously just trying to provoke us!" Ardit said.
"Besides, we have nothing to worry about... we're all above level 10!"
Hearing those words, Dana was shocked.
How are they such high levels!? How many people have they killed?
"Your leader is right. Apparently he's the only one here using his brain," Riccardo said sarcastically.
"As you said, we think we're superior... but you're wrong. We are superior! And we won't stoop to your provocations!" Ardit declared.
Riccardo stared at him for a few moments, then smiled directly at him.
"Really? Because I think I could beat all four of you."
"You don't even know how to count. There are five of us," Ardit replied mockingly.
"I know... but I already consider one of you dead."
"Oh, is that so!? Then come at me!" Tenzin shoved Ardit's hand away and charged toward Riccardo.
Riccardo watched him, then raised his gaze.
"Thomas, shoot him with an arrow! He's just causing us trouble!" Ardit ordered.
But nobody answered.
"Thomas, did you hear me!?"
Ardit turned toward the tree where Thomas had been positioned, only to see him falling to the ground together with Dana, who had stabbed him through the chest with her sword.
Dana managed to soften the fall by landing on the archer's body.
She stared at Thomas' lifeless corpse.
I killed someone...
Ardit was stunned.
"It was a trap... that's why he said four. They were targeting Thomas..."
Dana didn't even have time to stand back up before another boy tried to strike her with a spear.
I can't dodge in time!
But suddenly, an axe pierced the attacker's head from behind, shocking Dana.
"What!?" she exclaimed in confusion.
"Simeon!" Ardit shouted.
He looked at the axe, then immediately understood.
That axe belongs to Tenzin!
He quickly turned around, now panicking.
He saw Riccardo standing beside Tenzin's corpse.
"Tenzin... impossible. He was level 7!"
Riccardo picked up his sword from the ground and began walking toward Ardit with calm steps and an icy gaze.
"Who... who the hell are you people!?"
Ardit's last ally charged at Riccardo while brandishing his sword.
He swung sideways, but Riccardo dodged by lowering himself.
The boy was stunned.
He's insanely fast...
With a single slash, Riccardo cut through his legs.
The boy collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony and screaming in pain.
"AAAAGH! Help—"
Without hesitation, Riccardo drove his blade through the boy's head, silencing the screams instantly.
A notification appeared before his eyes, and he gave a slight nod.
"Just in time..."
Ardit was trembling in fear.
"Go away! Don't kill me!"
Riccardo listened to the pleas, but looked at him coldly.
"Doesn't seem like you stopped when others were begging for mercy."
Ardit swallowed nervously, terrified.
Then he blinked.
When he opened his eyes again, Riccardo was no longer standing in front of him.
Where did he go...?
He didn't even have time to finish the thought.
His head fell to the ground.
Riccardo had decapitated him in an instant, closing the distance with monstrous speed.
Dana was stunned.
What was that speed... some kind of skill...?
All the hostages stared at Riccardo in fear as he walked past them.
Dana tried to stand up, but the moment she saw Thomas' body, she collapsed back onto the ground, exhausted.
"You alright?"
"Y-Yeah... I'm fine..."
Dana looked up and saw Riccardo holding out his hand toward her.
"Here, let me help you up."
She stared at him for a moment, almost captivated by his calm gaze, despite the fact that he had just killed four boys.
How can he stay this calm? He must've killed before... though, considering his strength, that would make sense.
In the end, she accepted his help and got back on her feet.
"Thanks..."
The two heard footsteps behind them.
Turning around, they noticed the freed hostages running away into the forest.
"Looks like they freed themselves."
"Yeah."
Dana looked around at the scene, especially at the lifeless bodies of both the hostages and the boys she and Riccardo had killed.
A troubled expression appeared on her face.
"I never asked... you'd never killed another human before today, right?"
"Right... it's a horrible feeling..." Dana said, clutching a hand against her chest.
"Of course it is. That's exactly how it should feel. But in a situation like this, some things become unavoidable... there's nothing we can do about it," Riccardo replied, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"True... do you think the people we saved will survive?"
"I don't know... but one thing I do know is that we did a great job. We couldn't have done more."
Dana smiled brightly at Riccardo's words.
"Yeah, you're right!"
Riccardo looked at her in surprise, then after a few seconds returned the smile and prepared to leave.
"Alright then, see you around."
Dana watched him walk away.
"Wait!"
Riccardo stopped, thoughtful.
Why does someone stop me every single time I'm about to leave? Even that Riku guy stopped me three times the first time we met...
He turned toward the girl.
"Yes?"
"I still hadn't thanked you properly... and I wanted to repay you somehow."
"Thank you, but I don't want thanks or rewards for killing people."
"I see..." Dana looked disappointed by his answer.
Riccardo seemed ready to continue on his way.
"Like I said before, see yo—"
The growl of his stomach completely ruined the atmosphere.
After a few seconds of silence, Dana tried to hold back her laughter... but failed miserably.
"What are you laughing at!?"
"Well, you had created the perfect dramatic exit scene..." Dana said before bursting into laughter again.
Riccardo looked at her, puzzled.
"You really don't waste time getting comfortable with people, huh..."
Eventually Dana managed to calm down and walked closer to him.
"Yeah, you're right. But it looks like we found a way for me to repay you after all."
"I told you, I don't want rewards."
"Exactly, it's not a reward. Let's call it a gesture of friendship!"
"A gesture of friendship..."
Riccardo thought about the proposal for a moment while Dana slowly began losing patience.
"If you don't want to—"
"I accept! I accept your gesture of friendship."
Dana's face lit up the moment Riccardo accepted.
"Great! Then let's go!"
Riccardo smiled faintly at her reaction.
She started walking, with him following behind.
"I'm sure the others will like you!"
"I hope so."
Riccardo reflected on Dana's words, then realized something.
"The others?"
"Yeah. They're the reason I survived this long. You can trust them, believe me."
"Sure..." Riccardo replied with a hint of uncertainty.
"By the way, how did you know that guy with the bow was skilled?"
"I didn't."
Dana looked confused by the answer.
"But you sounded convinced."
"I wasn't. It was just a guess."
"A guess based on what?"
"On the fact that he was positioned in that tree. Taking on a responsibility like that—keeping your companions safe—means having confidence in yourself, doesn't it?"
"Maybe... but just because of that?"
"In a world like this, we can't rule anything out, not even simple assumptions. It's the only way to stay one step ahead of everyone else," Riccardo said with a determined gaze.
Dana secretly observed him and, smiling faintly, seemed to agree with his words.
"True."