There aren’t many things a person needs to live. Clothes to wear or cover themselves with. Food to supply energy to the body. And a place to live. Simply put, clothing, food, and shelter are enough. At least, one could survive without anything else. Having hobbies is something you do when you have leisure. In my past life, I was somewhat affluent, so I could afford to be a “bunny princess” in Hunter Land. But now, the situation is different. Struggling to survive here, I had no hobbies like decorating or owning things.
At best, I could only stack towers with the bones left after eating meat. Above all, my dwelling was a cave. It was an embarrassing house to show to people I’d just met. When I woke up, my back ached from the stone floor, and the damp, moist air was particularly unpleasant. The atmosphere was eerie.
It seemed like everyone was so impressed by the camping-site level that they couldn’t say anything. I felt sorry… But making a simple tent out of wood or something would take too long and be bothersome.
I didn’t want to put in that much effort in a place I might leave at any time.
“…So you’ve been living in a place like this?”
“Yeah…”
I couldn’t help but feel intimidated by the chilly atmosphere. Still, when I thought about it, living in a cave wasn’t all bad. For one, it was a safe zone I had carefully chosen—an area outside the monsters’ range of activity. I could avoid the rain and lose myself watching the campfire. Of course, being alone made me lonely at times.
Then, I would swing my greatsword inside the cave to organize my thoughts. Swinging the sword to control my complicated feelings and sweating it out quickly calmed me down. The damp atmosphere wasn’t absolutely filthy. During the day, sunlight came in, so it wasn’t that dark.
I could hear the chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves rubbing against each other in the wind, immersing myself in nature. The occasional roars of monsters had become almost like background music by now. …I tried to think positively about the cave in any way I could, but it was no different from being stubborn. I want to get out of this trashy place as soon as possible.
“Let’s unpack first. …It’s just for one day, but we should tidy up a bit. And we need to eat too.”
At Noah’s words, everyone moved in unison. So, Noah must be the party leader. I sat on the monster hide I’d laid on the floor instead of a carpet and watched what the hunters were doing. All sorts of luggage poured out of their bags, and as they started piling them up in the cave one by one, the unique emptiness of the cave began to disappear.
It became a scene that could no longer be called a cave. The entrance was blocked by nailing a cloth to keep the inside hidden. Instead of sunlight, a lamp illuminated the dim interior. They attached hammocks to the cave walls and placed bags on them. They carefully took off their equipment, organized it, and lined up their weapons in a row.
I casually placed my greatsword there too. Its blade was all worn out from fighting the tough-skinned Lugarak.
“I’ll go get some usable wood.”
“Me too.”
“I… need to rest for a bit.”
Two hunters went out to gather wood, while Noah and the injured one stayed in the cave. The hunter with a large abdominal wound was groaning, leaning against the wall.
“Lie down here.”
“…Thank you.”
I made space for the injured one to lie down. Well, I could sit on the rock instead. He slightly bowed his head to me in greeting, then slowly lay down on the ground. It was pitiful to see him groaning with his eyes closed. I poked at the extinguished campfire with a branch.
Then, Noah plopped down beside me. She held her weapon and a whetstone and slowly began sharpening the blade next to me. Scrape, scrape. The dulled sword blade started to regain its edge.
“So, Alice, what were you looking for here?”
“Huh?”
Perhaps she was bored just sharpening the blade, Noah struck up a conversation.
“Were you on some kind of quest?”
“No.”
“…Or were you just killing monsters?”
“No.”
I rolled up the sleeve that covered my hand.
“I just opened my eyes, and I was here. All I have is this greatsword.”
“So, you have no memory?”
Well, I do have memories, but none of this body’s. It’s just the character I created. I didn’t have the confidence to explain it in detail. It was best to just say I’d lost my memory. Instead of answering, I nodded.
“…I’m sorry.”
Noah apologized in a rather calm voice.
“It’s okay.”
There was no reason for her to be sorry. Rather, I was flustered and gestured to Noah.
“I’m really fine.”
“Yeah…”
Even after my words, Noah didn’t regain her spirits. Was losing memory such a big deal? I was at a loss for words and poked the campfire with the branch again. The still-smoldering embers flickered.
—
The hunters prepared a meal. They built a large fire with the wood they brought and made a stand. A small pot stuffed with ingredients bubbled over the campfire. Until the cooking was done, we each maintained our weapons. I was sharpening my greatsword with a whetstone but glanced at the hunters. The woman with a sword and shield was Noah.
The injured male hunter was Nav. The burly man inspecting his spear was Scudo. The remaining one, a slender man clashing his dual swords together, was… Chailer. Their names are hard to remember. I shrugged and tended to my greatsword. After silently grinding it with the whetstone for a while, the blade started to come back to life.
“Phew, I’m done.”
“Mine’s overall quite damaged. I need to get a new one.”
“The hide is so tough.”
What, they’re already done? I still had a ways to go, but they all finished their maintenance and put down their weapons. Then they watched me laboriously moving my arms. I felt like an animal performing tricks. It was unfair because my greatsword had a large, long blade.
“Alice, is it tough? Shall I do it for you?”
“It’s okay.”
It wasn’t tough. It was just boring doing repetitive labor. Still, it was much more enjoyable than when I was alone. Indeed, humans are social animals. I hadn’t had much conversation, but just having people around made me feel at ease. After finishing their maintenance, they seemed bored waiting for the food, so they chatted. It was about things I didn’t know. I just listened, like it was the radio. The always-lonely cave was now filled with sound, stirring mixed emotions in me. But that didn’t make me talkative. The four of them knew each other, and I was the only outsider. It felt like there was a barrier. Joining the conversation in this situation wasn’t easy. Even without forcing myself in, the atmosphere was nice. My mouth stayed shut, but my hands were busy sharpening the sword.
“I think it’s about done.”
Chailer said while stirring with a ladle. As he said, a delicious smell wafted from the pot. Saliva reflexively gathered in my mouth, which hadn’t moved for a while. Since ending up here, I hadn’t had a proper meal—just crude things that could hardly be called cooking. Growl. Today’s meal was just fruits and grass. It was natural for my stomach to cry out for real food. Perhaps it wasn’t the same for others, but everyone laughed at my stomach’s scream.
“Hehe, you must be hungry. We made plenty, so you can eat a lot, right?”
“Yeah. It looks delicious.”
“Of course.”
Chailer said. He looked slender and had a light tone of voice. He was proud of his cooking, and everyone seemed to acknowledge it without objection. Since no one disagreed, it must be true. Noah leaned toward me and whispered, “Even though Chailer looks like that, he’s in charge of cooking.”
“What’s wrong with me?”
Scudo, who had been quiet, nodded.
“It’s definitely unexpected.”
“What’s wrong with me!”
His low, bass voice agreed with Noah’s words.
“Indeed…”
“You, just shut up.”
Nav, lying injured, chimed in. Chailer shook his head while looking at Nav’s condition. The four of them were really harmonious. Are other parties like this too? Or is this party particularly close? They had a lot of ease, probably because they trusted each other. It was very romantic. Chailer scooped a ladle of well-made soup and distributed it to each person. It had been a long time since I’d eaten food from a bowl. I stirred the soup with a spoon and tasted it. It had a sweet flavor—one that made my eyes widen, especially since I was hungry.
“How is it? Is it okay?”
Chailer asked. I nodded. There was a reason for his confidence; the cooking was that good. Before I knew it, I’d emptied the bowl in an instant. Wondering if I could have more, I peeked at the pot. Fortunately, there was plenty, and I refilled my bowl to finish the meal with a full stomach. Ah, this is life. For the first time in a while, my stomach was full, and the cave was warm. Drowsiness quickly set in. But everyone else, except me, still looked energetic.
—
The Floodlands at night were more dangerous than during the day. When night fell, it became a demonic realm. Noah thought to herself: Alice had been alone in such a place. Wasn’t she scared? The roars of various monsters echoed, and sometimes footsteps could be heard. It was hard to feel safe inside the cave.
“Hmm…”
Unlike the hunters, who still couldn’t let go of their tension, Alice was dozing off in such a place. She was used to it. Being in this situation—pushed to the edge—didn’t bother her. Seeing Alice starting to nod off while sitting on the rock surprised Noah, but a sense of pity settled in her heart. Why had she lost her memory? Perhaps she’d wanted to forget something, turning away from the world here, losing all memory and purpose, and killing monsters.
“Alice, are you sleepy?”
“Yeah…”
“Do you want to go sleep?”
“I think I should. Sorry…”
“It’s okay.”
Alice quickly fell asleep, breathing softly, comfortably closing her eyes on the hide as if it weren’t uncomfortable. After confirming she was asleep, Noah returned to her seat. Four hunters still couldn’t sleep. Meeting each other’s eyes, they began to speak one by one—quietly, so as not to wake Alice.
“…She doesn’t seem to be a hunter, does she?”
Scudo spoke first. Everyone nodded. While organizing things, they’d checked with their eyes, but there was nothing in the cave that could be called Alice’s belongings—no basics, not even a card proving she was a hunter, no tools for hunting. All she had was a crude greatsword. Chailer took a deep breath.
“That’s dangerous…”
Hunting monsters is only possible through quests, and the prerequisite is being a hunter. Without both—being a hunter and having a quest—hunting is restricted. Alice had neither.
She wasn’t a hunter, yet she’d hunted monsters. For a non-hunter to kill monsters is forbidden unless it’s for survival. Even if Alice had done it to survive, it wasn’t a valid excuse. In a way, she’d entered the Floodlands of her own accord, suggesting intent. If the Guild noticed, she’d face immediate sanctions. If it was serious…
“She’ll die if this continues.”
“Yeah.”
Noah muttered. If Alice stayed in the Floodlands, two outcomes were certain: she’d either fight recklessly and die or be pursued by the Guild for illegal hunting. Neither was a good ending. They couldn’t leave it like that. Alice was their benefactor. She’d saved the four of them from the One-Eyed Lugarak single-handedly.
She might not realize it, but hunting a monster alone was an incredible feat. They didn’t want to see such a skilled person, their savior, die for absurd reasons. That’s how they felt, but bringing it up wasn’t easy.
“When we leave tomorrow, let’s ask her to come with us.”
Nav, wrapping a new bandage around his abdomen, spoke.
“Alice saved me. I don’t want to just leave like this.”
“What if she says she doesn’t want to go?”
Noah asked, rubbing her face. They could just take her, one might think, but Noah considered Alice’s situation. She was sleeping like an angel now, but when she fought the Lugarak, she was a berserker. The anger and hatred she’d shown, burning herself to kill the monster, were extraordinary. She might refuse.
“…We’ll have to take her even by force.”
But Nav was firm. He glanced at Alice, sleeping curled up in the corner. In a fight she could’ve fled, she hadn’t turned her back, saving them and offering her campsite.
“I can’t let such a kind girl die in a place like this.”
At Nav’s words, Noah eventually nodded.
—
Translation Notes
– ”수해” (Floodlands)
– ”헌터 랜드” (Hunter Land)
– ”대검” (Greatsword)
– Names: “노아” (Noah), “나브” (Nav), “스쿠도” (Scudo), “체일러” (Chailer).
– ”마경” (Demonic Realm): Rendered as “demonic realm” to capture the nighttime danger of the Floodlands.
