Chapter 301

“…That happened.”

I finished the story with a gloomy voice.

Thinking about the past after so long, my mood sank more than I expected.

I thought I had overcome it all, but maybe it’s not something I can completely shake off.

“Sniff… Sob… It’s so sad!!”

“Ugh…! To think Kurt had such a painful past…!”

“Waaah…! We had no idea!”

Before I knew it, my companions had turned into a sea of tears.

…They’re grieving as if it were their own story.

I’m grateful they care so much, but isn’t this a bit too much?

“Hey, no need to be so sad. It’s a story from over 10 years ago. I’ve already made peace with it.”

“How can you say that! It’s so sad!”

“Anyway, what I’m saying is, I don’t want that kid to go through the same regrets I did. Though my situation was a bit different.”

“At first, I didn’t understand why Kurt wanted to take the child to such a dangerous place, but now I get it.”

“Right. For those left behind, it can become a lifelong regret. We were only thinking about personal safety and didn’t consider how those left behind might also be hurt.”

“Thanks for understanding. Let’s stop being sad and stay vigilant. After all, this is a monster-infested area.”

With that, I deliberately lightened the mood, speaking in a casual tone to the group who had listened to my story.

It’s touching that they empathize with my sorrow, but even so, it feels a bit awkward to have them grieve so deeply over something that happened over a decade ago.

“It’s fine. We’ve already taken down all the monsters… Sniff!”

“True. Sniff. With this many of their kind defeated, ordinary monsters wouldn’t dare approach.”

“With so many monster corpses around, what foolhardy monster would even think of attacking us? Unless it’s an Awakening Species, maybe.”

“Wait. Stop saying that. Whenever you say stuff like that, monsters always show up…”

*Rustle*

“Hold on.”

Suddenly, my ears caught the faint sound of sand shifting.

I stopped myself from lightly scolding the two for their ominous words and immediately straightened up with a serious expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“Quiet. Something’s here.”

*Ssshhh*

Oh no.

Did we let our guard down while talking?

Tilting my head, I noticed the faint but unmistakable sound of sand shifting around us.

Even if we were careless, how could I have missed something approaching?

No. It wasn’t just my carelessness.

Because, even after I started being vigilant, I still couldn’t see any sign of the monster.

“There’s nothing around…”

*Ssshhh*

Again, the sound of sand being swept away.

At that sound, Mari, who had been skeptical, immediately tensed up and began scanning the surroundings. The other two also heard it and prepared for combat.

“I hear it…”

“But I don’t see the monster. What’s going on?”

The sandy beach looked as peaceful as ever, with no sign of any monster—just the scattered corpses of Man-eating Crabs.

But my hunter instincts were screaming at me.

That sound wasn’t the wind sweeping sand. It was the sound of something massive moving across the sand.

We continued to stay alert for the invisible attacker.

*Tap*

A tiny sound.

It was so faint, like dropping a piece of dry bread into a thin cream stew.

But the moment I heard it, I turned my gaze toward the source.

And in that instant, I saw it.

Near Mari, within arm’s reach, lay the corpse of a Man-eating Crab.

More precisely, a part of the pool of fluid from the corpse was unnaturally empty.

Yes.

As if something invisible was occupying that space.

The moment that thought crossed my mind, I lunged forward.

“Get back!”

*Splash!*

────!!

At the same time, the Man-eating Crab, which had been invisible until now, revealed itself and thrust its claw forward.

*Clang!*

The sound of my hastily made wooden spear clashing with the crab’s claw echoed sharply across the beach.

“What the! This monster!”

“Th-there was nothing there a second ago…!”

“It’s like a ghost just appeared out of thin air!”

Even though we were on guard, the sudden ambush caught us off guard.

We all gasped in shock, and Serena quickly identified the monster.

“I’ve heard of this from the Adventurer Guild in Leila! That’s an Awakening Species of the Man-eating Crab! It has the ability to turn invisible and has ambushed countless adventurers!”

“What?!”

As she said, the monster, after I blocked its attack, immediately retreated and began to fade from view.

“I remember! That ability to turn invisible, appearing like a ghost and disappearing like one, earned it the nickname ‘Ghost Crab’!”

“Exactly! Its physical abilities are no different from a regular Man-eating Crab, but its ability to completely hide itself makes it a nightmare to deal with. The Adventurer Guild in Leila has given it the highest rank for extermination! There’s even talk of upgrading its rank to gold due to the increasing damage it’s causing!”

“What?! A gold-rank extermination?!”

—

*Thud*

Back at the inn, I immediately set down the body of the Ghost Crab we had just hunted.

“Sniff…! Sniff. Thank you so much today. For taking me to the coast and protecting me from the monster attack.”

As we returned to the inn, Lito thanked us again, who knows how many times he’s done so today.

Whether it was from crying or the cold sea breeze, his nose was red, and he was sniffling, but his face looked relieved.

“Don’t worry about it. Since we took you with us, it’s our responsibility.”

“Right. We did it because we wanted to, so don’t stress over it.”

“Mari’s right. Relying on adults is a child’s privilege.”

But despite our reassurances, Lito still looked uneasy, cautiously glancing at us.

“But… Are you sure you don’t want any reward?”

“It’s fine. We’ve already earned plenty from hunting the Man-eating Crabs. Plus, we got a special reward for taking down the Awakening Species.”

It wasn’t like we took the request expecting monetary compensation in the first place.

As I said that, I pointed to the Ghost Crab’s corpse.

The number of Man-eating Crabs we hunted today was staggering, considering the short time we spent, and the reward money was equally massive.

Not to mention, the special reward for the Awakening Species meant we earned more in a single day than we had during our entire expedition to Leila.

“See? This is what they mean by ‘good deeds bring good fortune’!”

“Hehe. I came to Leila hoping to make a big profit, but I didn’t expect this much.”

“…Thank you so much. I’ll never forget this kindness and will repay it someday.”

“We did it because we wanted to, so don’t worry about it. It wasn’t even an official guild request.”

“I still want to repay the favor.”

“See? When adults show kindness, kids should just accept it. Kid.”

“What? You’re not that much older than me.”

“Hey! I’m an adult!”

“Liar. What kind of adult are you?”

“Y-you…!”

And just like that, the conversation about repaying favors turned into Serena trying to prove she was an adult while Lito doubted her.

Lito’s bright expression, arguing with Serena, was exactly what a child his age should look like.

Probably because he had finally lifted a huge burden from his heart.

Yes. A child should have a bright face, free from worries.

*Grrr*

As Lito and Serena argued, his stomach growled, breaking the tension.

“Hungry?”

“N-no. It’s just…”

Lito blushed and stammered at my question.

“Don’t be embarrassed. Being hungry isn’t something to be ashamed of.”

“…Yeah. I’m a little hungry.”

“Is that so? Then wait a bit. I’ll make something.”

“Huh? Oh, no! I didn’t mean it like that…!”

“Kid, be quiet! I told you, when adults show kindness, kids should just accept it!”

“What? You’re not that much older than me!”

“I’m an adult!!”

With that, I left Serena, desperately trying to prove she was an adult, and Lito, who didn’t believe her, and headed to the kitchen.

Feeling hungry is a good thing.

It means you still have the will to live.

With that thought, I walked to the kitchen, pondering what to cook for lunch.