Evan tried moving his legs, taking a few small hops, and was surprised to find it much easier than usual. He then tried doing a squat and felt it was effortless.
On top of that, his hearing seemed to have improved. The sound of leaves rustling in the wind, birds chirping in the distance, even the faint noise of tiny insects in the grass—all of it was clearer than before.
This surprised Evan. Helena had told him that eating monster meat would help improve one's strength through training, but he had just eaten and the results were already noticeable.
"So… what's going on now?" Evan whispered in his heart. "There's nothing wrong with Helena's information, so the issue must be with me… or with that rabbit," he thought for a moment before dismissing the matter.
"Forget it. I'll figure it out in time. For now, the priority is to hunt as many low-level monsters as I can and prove myself to Mom and Reyna so they won't worry anymore."
He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to feel every part of his body. This newfound strength wasn't much, but it was enough to boost his confidence for the next hunt. His heart was filled with fighting spirit, and he continued his hunt.
..........
By around five in the afternoon, Evan stepped out of the guild's collection point. Here, the guild bought the spoils of adventurers' hunts at prices slightly lower than the market.
Even so, adventurers still preferred to sell here instead of at other shops—because these transactions were recorded in their adventurer achievements. Such achievements were useful for raising one's adventurer rank when their strength improved.
Evan had managed to hunt four horned rabbits and two moss turtles. He decided to take one horned rabbit and one moss turtle home for his family to eat, while selling the rest—two horned rabbits and one turtle—for a total of 78 copper coins, or 7 silver and 8 copper. This amount was nearly equal to his mother's weekly wage, proving that being an adventurer could indeed be profitable.
Thinking about this put Evan in a good mood as he headed home.
...........
On his way back, Evan took a detour because he wanted to buy some whetstones. Yesterday, he hadn't thought of it at all, but after fighting monsters, he realized just how quickly a weapon could lose its sharpness.
After buying several whetstones from a small stall in the market, he was about to head home when his steps halted. He spotted a familiar figure at the far end of the market, near a vegetable vendor.
Helena—the guild receptionist—was inspecting a bundle of fresh herbs. Her blonde hair swayed slightly in the breeze. But Evan's attention wasn't solely on Helena—it was also on the tall man standing beside her, far too close, with a confident smile plastered on his face.
From this distance, Evan could catch snippets of their conversation.
"Come on, Helena," the man said, leaning in slightly. "You've been working at the guild for years. Isn't it about time you found someone strong to rely on? Someone like me?" His tone carried the certainty that her answer should be "yes."
Helena sighed and stepped back slightly to put some space between them. With a weary tone, she said, "I told you, I'm not interested. Please, don't bother me while I'm shopping."
The man ignored her words, chuckling as he moved to block her path when she tried to leave. "You're just shy. How about dinner with me? My treat. You won't regret it."
Evan frowned and walked closer. When only a few steps away, he called out in a friendly tone,
"Helena? Wow, what a coincidence to see you here."
Helena turned toward him, her expression instantly changing to relief. "Evan!" she exclaimed, as if she'd just found a savior.
The man blocking her looked Evan up and down with a measuring gaze. "Your friend?" he asked with an unfriendly tone.
Evan gave a thin smile and stood beside Helena. "You could say that. We see each other often at the guild." Then he turned to Helena. "Are you done shopping? If so, I can walk you home."
Understanding his intent, Helena nodded. "Yes, I'm done. Thank you." She started walking, and Evan casually fell into step beside her.
The man seemed like he wanted to say something but ended up just clicking his tongue before turning away, leaving them.
Once they were far enough, Helena let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Evan. I almost couldn't get rid of him. He's been chasing me like that several times already."
Evan glanced at her with a light smile. "Well, it's only natural that you'd have plenty of admirers. But if he's too persistent, can't you report him to the guild?" he asked with curiosity.
Helena smiled faintly at the compliment, then said with a groan, "The problem is, he hasn't done anything extreme… he's just really annoying."
They continued walking while chatting lightly, the tense atmosphere now replaced with something calmer.
.......
After seeing Helena home, Evan returned to the inn. As he got closer, he spotted his little sister standing at the entrance. Clearly, she had been waiting for him.
Evan felt a bit of warmth in his chest and quickened his pace. Before he could say anything, Reyna ran to him, circling around him to check if he was hurt.
"Brother, you're back so late! Mom and I have been waiting for ages. I thought something happened to you," she said, her voice trembling, her eyes slightly red and misty.
Evan gently ruffled her hair in reassurance, then said, "It wasn't as dangerous as you think. I just stopped by the market to buy something."
Just as he finished speaking, his mother appeared from inside the inn, relief written on her face. "You're back. Do you want to eat now?" she asked softly.
Seeing his mother, Evan handed over his bag. "Alright, Mom. I brought back some game for us to eat."
Little Reyna quickly took the bag and peeked inside. When she saw what was in it, she jumped in excitement. "Yay! We're going to eat lots of meat today!"
"Alright, eat as much as you can," Evan said, pinching her cheek.
The family went inside, and Catherine headed to the kitchen to cook the horned rabbit and moss turtle meat. That night, the family of three enjoyed a hearty meal and talked about Evan's experiences in the forest.