The forest had grown quieter lately.
No monsters, no screams just the rustle of leaves and the slow rhythm of breathing that echoed softly inside the cave.
Days had passed since Haneul found the girl and brought her here.
The place had started to look less like a hideout and more like a home.
The cave's entrance was now draped with woven vines to block the wind. A small water basin carved from rock sat near the back, collecting the constant drip from the ceiling. The faint smell of roasted meat lingered in the air, mixed with the earthy scent of moss and smoke.
Haneul sat cross-legged near the fire, his ten orbs hovering before him his Gen 1s, as he had decided to call them.
They pulsed steadily, each a soft, warm light that filled the cave like a constellation trapped in stone.
He extended his hand.
Mana flowed slow, deliberate. The air shimmered faintly.
A faint spark appeared before him, smaller than his fingertip, unstable. He focused, compressing it with will alone. His veins burned with pressure as he guided the energy, shaping it, twisting it then
Fwoosh!
A burst of flame erupted from the center, dancing above his palm. It flickered once, then stabilized, glowing like a tiny ember star.
He stared at it, sweat dripping down his neck. "…Fire."
The flame trembled, feeding on the mana he supplied. Carefully, he wove the same orbit pattern as his Gen 1s, letting it circle once before releasing it.
The flame didn't disperse. It hovered.
His lips curled into a small, satisfied smile. "A success."
He tried again, using wind this time then lightning, earth, and water. It took hours, and more than once the orb shattered mid-formation, nearly burning his hand. But by the time the fire died down and night fell again, five new orbs floated before him smaller than the first generation but alive with elemental energy.
He stared at them a soft, childlike pride gleaming in his eyes.
"Generation Two," he whispered. "You're different."
The Gen 1s circled lazily behind him, steady and obedient, while the Gen 2s sparked and hissed, wild and unpredictable like newborn beasts.
He reached out, letting one of the flame orbs drift near his hand. It warmed his skin pleasantly.
"Now I just need to find a way to feed you without burning myself out."
"Hey," a soft voice broke the silence.
He turned.
The girl still pale, but awake sat up from her bed of leaves and cloth. Her hair was messy, her clothes torn but washed. The light from the orbs painted gold on her cheeks.
"You're awake early," Haneul said.
She nodded slowly, watching the orbs with wide eyes. "You made more…"
"Experimenting," he said simply. "Mana behaves differently when condensed around an element. The core structure changes."
Her lips curved into a small smile. "You sound like a professor."
He snorted lightly. "And you sound like someone who should still be resting."
She chuckled faintly, wincing as she adjusted her leg. "It doesn't hurt that much anymore."
Then, after a pause, "Thank you… for saving me."
He didn't respond at first. The fire crackled softly between them.
Then he said, "You already thanked me."
"I mean it this time."
He glanced up, studying her expression shy, sincere, still uncertain.
Something softened behind his eyes. "…You're welcome."
As days passed, a routine formed.
Every morning, Haneul went out to check the traps, sometimes bringing her along when her leg had healed enough. They gathered fruit, hunted small animals, and once even found a stream full of fish.
In the afternoons, he practiced magic shaping, refining, exhausting his mana until his head spun while she prepared the fire or cleaned the cave.
She wasn't useless either. One day, when he returned from hunting, he found that she'd made something resembling soup from forest herbs and dried meat. It actually tasted good.
It was quiet, simple and for the first time since arriving here, peaceful.
One night, under the faint glow of the orbs, she finally spoke.
"My name's Eunha."
Haneul blinked, surprised. "You're just telling me now?"
"I didn't think it mattered before," she said, shrugging slightly. "But… I guess it does now."
He stared at the fire, thoughtful. "Eunha, huh. Pretty name."
She smiled faintly. "And you?"
"Lee Haneul."
Her smile widened just a little. "Sky and galaxy… Haneul and Eunha. That's kind of poetic."
He looked at her with mild amusement. "Only if we don't die first."
She laughed really laughed and the sound filled the cave like sunlight piercing through clouds.
For the first time, he didn't mind the company.
[Level: 4]
[EXP: 560 / 1000]
[New Skill: Elemental Manifestation (Tier I)]
[Mana Efficiency: +5%]
The blue text flashed faintly in his vision as he sat by the fire that night. He didn't smile, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly upward.
"Level four," he murmured, glancing at his glowing hands. "Not bad for a guy who can't even lift a sword."
The Gen 2 orbs circled around him, leaving trails of multicolored light in the air. He directed them lazily fire and wind weaving together, forming a spiral of shimmering flame.
Eunha watched in awe. "You make it look easy."
"It's not," he replied. "But it's easier than trusting people."
She glanced at him then, the faintest shadow crossing her face. But she said nothing.
When he finally lay back to rest, the orbs dimmed slightly, hanging above him like stars. Eunha slept a few steps away, her breathing soft and even.
He stared at the cave ceiling for a long time, thoughts drifting.
About survival. About the next world. About the strange peace that shouldn't have existed in a place like this.
"...Maybe this isn't so bad," he whispered.
The fire crackled, the orbs pulsed gently, and for the first time since the portal, he allowed himself to sleep without fear.
[Zone: 07 — Day 13]
[Remaining Survivors: 545]
The faint system notification echoed somewhere distant, unheard by either of them.
For now, they had carved out a fragile corner of warmth in a world built for death.
And though both of them knew it wouldn't last neither spoke it aloud.
The stars burned quietly inside the cave.
Haneul's orbs shimmered, reflections of the countless worlds that awaited him beyond the forest.