RHFTY chapter 6

Meanwhile, unaware of anything, Chaeyi returned home that evening after finishing his day as usual.

“Hm?”

Normally, Leonard would come running to greet his as soon as the door opened, but today, he remained silent.

As he removed his shoes and looked around, he saw Leonard sitting quietly, hugging his knees.

“Leo? Why are you sitting like that?”

Chaeyi asked, concerned. But even after turning to look at his, Leonard didn’t show much reaction. It was unusual.

‘Did something happen in the village?’

Just then, he noticed an envelope and wallet on the table. It seemed he had completed his errand successfully.

“How was running the errand?”

“…It was okay.”

“Wow, really? Leo, you’ve never done anything like this before, but you did great. Thanks for your help.”

“…Yeah.”

His response was weak. It definitely seemed like something had happened.

‘Should I wait for him to tell me on his own again?’

Chaeyi, keeping Leonard in mind, headed to the kitchen. As he began preparing dinner a bit earlier than usual, Leonard climbed onto a chair at the table.

Chaeyi tried to keep the mood brighter than usual and engage in conversation, but Leonard, though responding quietly, still seemed down.

The most telling sign was that Leonard, who usually insisted on sleeping beside him, declared that he would sleep alone today.

“I’m going to sleep in the living room tonight.”

“…Alright. I’ll light the stove so you don’t catch a cold. Make sure you cover yourself with a blanket.”

Leonard just nodded slightly and buried himself under the blanket. The child who used to cling to him like a cicada on an old tree… had changed so much in just one day, leaving Chaeyi bewildered.

‘It doesn’t seem like he’s sick…’

The only suspicious thing was that he had gone to the village alone.

But since he wasn’t telling him exactly what had happened, he had no way of knowing.

In the end, Chaeyi could only think that maybe he was just tired from being more worried than usual.

A restless night passed.

The next morning, Chaeyi, who woke up early as usual, went straight to the living room to check on Leonard.

Worried that he might be cold, he was relieved to see that he had wrapped himself tightly in a thick blanket made of animal fur throughout the night.

The stove had also been lit, so he seemed to be in good condition.

‘I’m glad the living conditions aren’t too bad, thanks to the money we’ve saved up.’

Most of the money was earned by ‘Chaeyi from the novel’ through nefarious means, but… Chaeyi pulled the blanket up to cover Leonard’s neck.

Then, in a soft voice, he whispered to Leonard, who was stirring slightly and peeking out from under the blanket.

“I’m off. Make sure to rest well today.”

Leonard wriggled under the blanket and nodded. After feeling somewhat relieved, Chaeyi prepared to leave.

‘Is it going to snow today?’

As he stepped out of the house and looked up at the sky, thick and dull clouds covered it.

If it started snowing heavily, visibility would be greatly hindered, so he figured he needed to move quickly. Chaeyi hurriedly made his way to the forest.

A few minutes later…

Crunch.

Leonard began secretly following his. His eyes, which had seemed drowsy just a moment ago, now gleamed with a sharp light.

However, Chaeyi, who never imagined that the child who had seemed half-asleep until just now would be tailing his, continued walking into the forest, completely unaware.

‘Why did Chaeyi insist so strongly that I shouldn’t go near the forest?’

Could it be that she’s hiding something in the forest?

Now, everything seems suspicious.

Even so, Leonard still wanted to trust Chaeyi.

That’s why he wanted to see the truth with his own eyes.

‘No. I must confirm it.’

Chaeyi had only been concerned about the danger posed by monsters, but there was no way for Leonard to know that.

Unaware that Leonard was tailing him, Chaeyi stepped boldly into the forest.

‘Oh. There it is.’

It wasn’t long before Chaeyi reached deep inside the forest and looked around. Under a large tree, he found some herbs with shining leaves.

‘That’s chabgwui.’

It’s an herb with a round, dome-shaped white flower that looks like snow has settled on it.

‘And that’s an osae-gome flower.’

It’s a small herb with claw-shaped leaves and downward-curved flowers that resemble bells.

This place seemed to be mainly a breeding ground for chabgwui and osae-gome flowers.

Chaeyi carefully picked the herbs and began putting them into the herb basket he had brought. If he could gather all the herbs in this area, he might be able to earn a decent amount of money today.

He was focused for some time.

Grrrr.

A low growl came from somewhere.

“……”

Chaeyi froze, narrowing his eyes and straining to listen.

‘That’s no ordinary wild animal.’

He was deep inside the forest. And not just wild animals, but monsters also inhabited this area. Fortunately, he had yet to encounter any monsters classified as Grade 4 or higher, which he couldn’t defeat with his current strength… but it was always necessary to be prepared for any eventuality.

Rustle.

Soon, the creature revealed itself, pushing through the bushes. It was undoubtedly a monster.

However…

The tension that had built up in Chaeyi quickly drained from his body.

‘What? It’s a Kirug.’

It was a Grade 6 monster, the weakest among monsters.

According to the memories of ‘Chaeyi from the novel,’ who had extensive knowledge of monsters, a well-tamed Kirug was even traded as a pet.

But that didn’t mean he could afford to let his guard down.

While it might look like nothing more than a small, black, fluffy ball when calm, it could become extremely aggressive toward any ‘enemy’ that invaded its territory.

[Screeech!]

The Kirug, now highly agitated at the sight of Chaeyi, began to puff up its small, round body. Its fur stood on end like spikes.

As the Kirug started rolling toward his, Chaeyi dodged to the side and began to run.

This forest, with its many trees, was relatively disadvantageous for an excited Kirug. Its intelligence wasn’t high, so it was more efficient to let it get caught in its own trap.

[Screech! Screech!]

Before long, just as he intended, the Kirug’s spikes got stuck between the trees. As a result, the Kirug could no longer chase Chaeyi and was left struggling.

‘I did bring my self-defense dagger, but it’s probably not long enough…’

Chaeyi looked around briefly and then snapped off a thick tree branch. This would do just fine as a weapon.

Holding it like a spear, Chaeyi aimed precisely at the center of the monster…

Thunk!

She put all his strength into his arm and thrust the branch like a spear into the Kirug’s center, targeting the vital spot where its life core was located.

[Squeal!]

The branch pierced deeply into the core.

Normally, Kirug’s skin is tough and difficult to penetrate, but Chaeyi, who was trained and knew how to deliver a fatal blow with minimal effort, managed to do it.

The large, trembling mass of fur gradually began to shrink.

[……]

The Kirug seemed to have completely stopped breathing.

Only then did Chaeyi let out a light sigh. his shoulders, which had unconsciously tensed up, slowly relaxed.

At that moment.

‘Huh?’

Something cold touched his cheek and then disappeared. he looked up. Snow had started to fall.

‘Guess that’s enough for today.’

Fortunately, the herb basket had a lid, so the herbs were safe inside.

The amount he had collected was quite satisfactory. Feeling somewhat proud, Chaeyi turned to leave.

Whoosh…

A gust of wind swept through the forest.

Was it just his imagination?

Riding the wind, it sounded like someone screamed. And it came from the direction of the cabin.

“……”

Chaeyi, who had been holding his breath, slowly started to move.

Her pace gradually quickened until he was running.

‘Leo.’

There was a strange sense of unease.

Although he didn’t want to worry prematurely, Leonard’s face kept appearing in his mind.

‘It can’t be… No, it won’t be.’

Chaeyi was repeatedly denying it to himself as he made his way down the forest.

Just then, he heard the cry of an agitated beast nearby and instinctively looked ahead.

Blocking the path in front of his was a massive wolf-like creature.

A black pelt and four red eyes—it was an Illugan, a rank 5 monster. And in front of it, there was someone.

The small figure was slowly backing away, clutching their arm as if they had already been attacked.

‘No way.’

Thump. Thump. Chaeyi’s heart began to pound wildly, as if it would leap out of his chest.

‘It can’t be.’

The monster’s massive body blocked the view, preventing his from seeing the person’s face.

Chaeyi, half-losing his sanity, became obsessed with confirming that face.

The distance between them shortened.

[Gruk?]

As he got close enough to see clearly, the Illugan’s attention shifted to Chaeyi for a moment.

“……!”

Chaeyi met its gaze. Suddenly, everything before his went black. he had prayed it wouldn’t be Leonard… but to his despair, it was indeed Leonard.

‘Why?’

There was no time to wonder why he was deep inside this forest.

‘I have to save him.’

The ravenous monster was poised right in front of Leonard. Moreover, this monster was a rank 5, one level more dangerous than the one before.

Chaeyi himself struggled against it—there was no way Leonard, still young and powerless without his abilities awakened, could stand a chance against an Illugan.

“That way is…!”

It’s dangerous, Chaeyi!

Just as Leonard was about to motion for Chaeyi not to come closer, the starving Illugan, drooling heavily, opened its jaws toward Leonard.

“Leo!”

Before he could think, Chaeyi’s body had already sprung into action.