“Nameless, you need to learn how to walk using aura,” Noctis said.
I tilted my head curiously.
“What exactly is aura?”
“Close your eyes,” he replied.
“Then try to feel the things around you.”
“All right.”
I closed my eyes and concentrated.
At first, I felt nothing.
I tried again and again, carefully searching for something beyond my ordinary senses.
The world around me remained silent, and I couldn’t detect anything unusual.
Nearly thirty minutes passed before I finally felt something faint.
“I can sense something,” I said.
“But I still can’t properly perceive the aura around me.”
Noctis smiled.
“That’s fine.
Don’t rush it.
Learning to sense aura takes time.
The more you practice, the easier it will become.”
I nodded.
“Then let’s start today.”
“Sounds good!” Noctis replied cheerfully.
“Let’s get moving!”
“Which direction should we take?” he asked.
I considered the question for a moment.
“East.”
“Why east?”
I looked at him as though he had asked something ridiculous.
“What business do I have going in any other direction?”
Noctis stared at me for a moment before breaking into a smile.
“Fair enough.
East it is!”
Before leaving, we gathered our remaining food and water.
We hadn’t departed earlier because we lacked a proper way to carry our supplies.
Fortunately, Noctis possessed something that solved that problem.
A Space Ring.
I glanced at the ring on his finger.
“What does that ring do?”
“It stores items and equipment.
Nothing too complicated.”
“That’s useful.”
“Very useful!”
I continued staring at the ring for a moment.
Space-related abilities and equipment were genuinely convenient.
Carrying everything on our backs would have made our journey much more difficult.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have anything like that.
Not yet, anyway.
After checking our supplies one final time, we finally left the desert behind us.
Or at least, we began trying to.
We traveled for several days.
Throughout the journey, Noctis continued teaching me how to sense aura.
Whenever we stopped to rest, he made me close my eyes and focus on the energy surrounding me.
Gradually, I improved.
At first, I could barely detect anything beyond a vague sensation.
Eventually, however, I learned to perceive my surroundings without relying entirely on my eyes.
I could sense nearby objects, movements, and even the presence of living creatures if I concentrated enough.
Walking became much easier.
Unfortunately, my progress wasn’t perfect.
During combat, I still struggled to fight effectively with my eyes closed.
Sensing an opponent was one thing; accurately judging their movements and striking them was another.
Noctis also taught me several basic combat techniques.
I practiced them repeatedly until my movements became more natural.
Combined with the experience I had gained from fighting monsters in the desert, these lessons significantly improved my abilities.
We had already fought hundreds of monsters.
Most of them weren’t particularly strong, but every battle had taught me something.
How to recognize an opening.
How to avoid unnecessary injuries.
How to conserve my strength.
And, most importantly, how to survive when facing something stronger than myself.
I was no longer the helpless person who had struggled to kill a single wounded monster.
I had become stronger.
I had gained experience.
And for the first time since entering this world, I felt a little confidence in my own abilities.
As long as Noctis was beside me, I also felt that I could handle whatever trouble came our way.
I still didn’t know the true extent of his strength.
He had never given me a clear answer.
But I had seen enough to understand one thing.
Noctis was terrifyingly powerful.
Several days later, we finally spotted people in the distance.
Beyond them stood a massive settlement surrounded by enormous walls.
Noctis immediately became excited.
“Look, Nameless!
There’s a city ahead!”
He pointed toward it as though he had discovered a hidden treasure.
“Let’s go!”
I stopped him before he could take another step.
“Wait.”
He turned toward me.
“What is it?”
“Think before entering.
What if there’s something dangerous inside?”
Noctis smiled confidently.
“As long as I’m with you, you don’t need to worry.”
He patted his chest.
“I’m very strong, remember?
Nothing bad will happen!”
I stared at him silently.
This idiot.
I had known him long enough to understand that arguing with him was often pointless.
Besides, despite his ridiculous personality, his strength was undeniable.
If he said we would be fine, I had no particular reason to doubt him.
“Fine,” I said.
“Let’s go.”
Noctis grinned.
“That’s what I like to hear!”
When we reached the settlement, we began searching for its entrance.
Strangely, we couldn’t find a proper gate anywhere.
The walls stretched far in both directions, leaving no obvious way inside.
“Where’s the entrance?” Noctis muttered.
I examined the wall carefully.
Before either of us could figure anything out, a voice suddenly came from behind us.
“Who are you?”
Both of us turned around.
A man stood a short distance away. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Neither Noctis nor I had noticed him approaching.
I quietly examined him.
His aura was extremely weak.
Too weak.
Or perhaps he was deliberately suppressing it, concealing his true presence within his body.
I couldn’t be certain.
Noctis, meanwhile, smiled and raised his hands slightly.
“We mean no harm.
We were trapped in the desert and saw this city from a distance, so we decided to come here.”
The man regarded us coldly.
“We help people who have nowhere else to go.
When we find travelers lost in the desert, we bring them here and give them a place to stay.”
He turned toward the wall.
“Follow me.”
Without waiting for a response, he began walking.
Noctis and I exchanged a glance before following him.
After walking for a short distance, the man suddenly stopped in front of the enormous wall.
I frowned.
We had already examined this area, and there hadn’t appeared to be any entrance.
Then I noticed something unusual.
There was a small opening concealed within the wall.
I reached out and touched its surface.
The entrance had been deliberately hidden.
From a distance, it was almost impossible to distinguish it from the surrounding structure.
Noctis stared at the opening.
Then he burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha!
Such a tiny gate in a wall this enormous!”
He looked up at the towering structure.
“Honestly, I expected a gigantic entrance.
Something worthy of a wall this big!”
He continued laughing before turning toward the man.
“Hey, what’s this guy’s problem?”
The man’s expression darkened.
Noctis immediately raised both hands.
“Brother, don’t be upset!
I was only making a joke!”
The man ignored him.
Without saying another word, he opened the concealed entrance and led us inside.
I followed silently.
Judging by the man’s reaction, making fun of the city’s entrance probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do.
Unfortunately, Noctis didn’t seem particularly concerned.
Once we entered the city, the man began explaining how things worked.
“If you can’t fight, you’ll have to contribute in other ways.
You might be assigned to carry equipment, gather supplies, or assist the people living here.”
He paused before continuing.
“However, if you can fight, you’ll be expected to join the beast hunters.
They hunt monster beasts to provide food for the city.”
Noctis’s eyes immediately lit up.
“Where can we find these monster beasts?”
The man looked him up and down before laughing.
“Looking at you, I doubt you could hunt a beast.”
Then he glanced at me.
“And your friend doesn’t exactly look like a hunter either.
You would both be better off doing small jobs.”
Noctis shook his head firmly.
“No!”
The man raised an eyebrow.
“Why not?”
“Because that would be an insult to my honor!”
Noctis crossed his arms dramatically.
“I’ll hunt!”
Then he pointed toward me.
“And it’s not as if my friend is completely helpless!”
I stared at him.
Why did he have to make everything sound so dramatic?
The man looked between us as though he were trying to determine whether we were serious or simply idiots.
“Think carefully before making your decision,” he warned.
“Hunting monster beasts isn’t a game.
One mistake can cost you your life.”
Noctis smiled brightly.
“Thank you for worrying about us!”
The man’s expression twitched.
“But I’m still going to hunt!”
He sighed heavily before turning toward me.
“And you?
What are you going to do?”
“I’ll join the hunters too,” I answered.
The man stared at me in disbelief.
“You too?”
“Yes.”
He looked as though he wanted to say something else, but eventually gave up.
“Fine.
Do whatever you want.”
Noctis grinned triumphantly.
I simply followed the man.
After all, we hadn’t spent all those days wandering through the desert for nothing.
We had fought hundreds of monsters.
We had trained our bodies.
We had sharpened our combat techniques.
And I had learned how to survive in an environment where one mistake could mean death.
I wasn’t going to waste that experience by accepting some meaningless job when I could become stronger through hunting.
Besides, I needed to learn more about this world.
And the best way to do that was to put myself in situations where I could gain something.
The man led us through the city before finally bringing us to a large camp.
Several groups of hunters were gathered there.
Some were sharpening their weapons, while others were checking their equipment or discussing their next hunt.
The atmosphere was lively, but I could sense an underlying tension.
These people weren’t ordinary civilians.
They were accustomed to fighting for survival.
The man introduced us to the people in charge and explained that we wanted to join the hunters.
After a brief discussion, we were assigned to a team.
Since we were newcomers, several experienced hunters would accompany us.
One of them approached Noctis.
“Is your name Noctis?”
Noctis smiled.
“Yes!
I’m Noctis.”
Then he pointed toward me.
“And this is my friend, Nucky.”
I remained silent.
Nucky?
I glanced at him.
Unfortunately, correcting him in front of everyone would only invite more unnecessary questions.
For now, I let it go.
There were four other people in our group: three men and one woman.
Noctis looked around at them enthusiastically.
“I’m looking forward to working with everyone!”
The others exchanged glances before introducing themselves.
The three men were Alex, Quinn, and Nero.
The woman’s name was Heli.
And just like that, we had officially become members of the hunting team.
That evening, we gathered at a local restaurant to get to know one another.
The atmosphere was surprisingly relaxed.
Alex seemed friendly, Quinn was talkative, and Nero appeared more reserved.
Heli, meanwhile, listened more than she spoke.
Noctis adapted to the group almost immediately.
Within minutes, he was joking with everyone as though they had been friends for years.
I couldn’t help wondering how he managed to do that.
Personally, I preferred keeping my distance from strangers until I understood what kind of people they were.
Trust was a luxury.
And I had learned long ago that giving it away too easily could be dangerous.
Eventually, Alex turned toward me.
“So, Nucky, tell us something about yourself.”
I considered his request for a moment.
“There isn’t much to tell.”
“Come on,” Alex insisted.
“Everyone has a story.”
I sighed quietly.
“I grew up in a slum.
My parents died when I was young, and after that, I had to survive on my own.”
I paused.
“That’s pretty much it.”
Alex’s expression changed immediately.
“Oh…”
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“Sorry.
I shouldn’t have asked.”
“It’s fine,” I replied.
I wasn’t particularly interested in discussing my past, but I didn’t feel the need to make a scene over it.
Then Heli tilted her head and looked at me curiously.
“But if you can’t see properly, how did you survive in the slums?”
Before I could answer, Noctis suddenly leaned forward.
“Oh, that!”
Everyone turned toward him.
“I blindfolded him!”
The table fell silent.
Nero frowned.
“Why can’t he see?”
Noctis immediately burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha!
Because Nucky is shameless!”
I slowly turned my head toward him.
What are you talking about now?
Noctis continued without noticing my murderous expression.
“One day, he saw me without my clothes on!
And then he refused to take responsibility for what happened!”
He dramatically shook his head.
“So I had no choice but to blindfold him!”
Nero stared at him.
“I think I understand now.”
Noctis grinned.
“Don’t try to understand.
You’ll only hurt your brain!”
I silently considered whether killing him would count as self-defense.
Meanwhile, Heli’s cheeks turned bright red.
Without saying another word, she stood up and hurried out of the restaurant.
Quinn burst into laughter.
Alex tried to cover his mouth, while Nero shook his head in disbelief.
Noctis, of course, laughed louder than everyone else.
I remained silent, wondering how I had ended up traveling with such a troublesome person.
Still, I couldn’t deny one thing.
Noctis had somehow managed to blend into the group as though he had known everyone for years.
And despite all his nonsense, the atmosphere around the table had become warmer.
Perhaps that was one of his strange talents.
Making people feel comfortable around him.
Even when he was being completely ridiculous.
As the evening grew late, Alex finally suggested that we return to the camp.
“You two should stay here tonight.
We’ll meet again tomorrow morning.”
Noctis nodded enthusiastically.
“Sounds good!
See you tomorrow!”
With that, we returned to the camp assigned to us.
The moment we entered, Noctis turned toward me with a familiar smile.
“All right, Nameless.
Time for you to sleep!”
I immediately shook my head.
“Not tonight.”
He blinked.
“What?”
“I’ll keep watch over the camp.”
Noctis studied me for a moment.
Perhaps he understood that I didn’t want him knocking me unconscious again.
Eventually, he shrugged.
“Fine.
Suit yourself.”
He lay down on his bedroll.
Within moments, his breathing became slow and steady.
He was asleep.
I stared at him for a while before quietly leaving the sleeping area and taking up a position where I could watch the surroundings.
The night was peaceful.
The city remained quiet, and the camp was filled with the soft sounds of sleeping hunters.
I listened carefully, keeping my senses alert.
My aura perception wasn’t perfect yet, but it was enough to help me notice movements nearby.
Time passed slowly.
Yet strangely, I didn’t feel tired.
I had spent countless nights unable to sleep, even when exhaustion threatened to overwhelm me.
But tonight, as I sat alone in the darkness, I finally understood something.
As long as I didn’t sleep, I didn’t need rest.
At least, that’s what I believed.
And in a world like this, even a strange advantage was worth keeping.
I lowered my head slightly and continued watching the camp.
Tomorrow, we would begin hunting.
And I intended to make the most of it.