Warm sunlight shone across the open plains.
Aiden Valen stood still for a long moment, allowing the gentle breeze to brush against his face.
It felt different.
Inside the Forbidden Forest, the air had always been heavy, carrying the scent of blood, damp earth, and monsters.
Outside…
The wind carried the smell of grass.
Flowers.
Life.
For the first time in nearly three months…
Aiden smiled.
It was small.
Almost impossible to notice.
But it was genuine.
He had survived.
Not because someone rescued him.
Not because fate showed him mercy.
He survived through his own determination.
Without another glance at the forest behind him, Aiden began walking.
The road ahead stretched across endless green fields.
Unlike the dangerous paths inside the forest, this road showed signs of human travel.
Cart tracks.
Horse footprints.
Even broken wagon wheels left behind long ago.
Someone used this road regularly.
Aiden followed it quietly.
He kept his hood low, avoiding unnecessary attention whenever travelers appeared in the distance.
He was still unsure where he was.
More importantly…
He had no intention of revealing who he really was.
‘A summoned hero.’
Those words carried too many questions.
Questions he wasn’t ready to answer.
So if anyone asked…
He had already decided.
He was simply a traveler.
Nothing more.
Several days passed.
Aiden avoided large groups of people.
Whenever merchants or travelers appeared on the road, he quietly stepped off the path and waited until they passed.
Instead, he hunted small monsters living near the plains.
His supplies continued to grow.
Monster hides.
Sharp fangs.
Beast horns.
Mana cores.
Everything disappeared into his Space Storage.
One afternoon, he climbed a gentle hill.
As he reached the top…
His footsteps stopped.
Far in the distance…
He saw smoke rising into the sky.
Not from battle.
Not from fire.
His heartbeat quickened.
“A village…”
Real people.
The first settlement he had seen since arriving in this world.
Aiden remained where he stood for several minutes.
He wasn’t afraid of monsters anymore.
But people…
People were different.
Monsters attacked openly.
Humans judged first.
He looked down at himself.
His clothes were nothing more than stitched-together scraps from months of survival.
His boots were worn.
His long black hair reached past his shoulders.
Small scars covered his hands and arms.
Anyone seeing him would immediately become suspicious.
Still…
He needed information.
Food.
A place to rest.
Taking a deep breath, Aiden walked toward the village.
The wooden walls surrounding the settlement gradually came into view.
It wasn’t a large village.
Perhaps only a few hundred people lived there.
Farm fields surrounded the outer walls.
Children could be seen running between houses.
Farmers worked the fields under the afternoon sun.
It looked peaceful.
Peaceful enough that Aiden almost forgot how dangerous this world truly was.
Then…
A guard standing near the entrance noticed him.
His expression changed instantly.
“Who’s there?!”
The shout echoed across the gate.
Within seconds, several more guards grabbed their weapons.
Villagers stopped what they were doing.
Some hurried to gather their children.
Others stared at the mysterious young man approaching from the direction of the Forbidden Forest.
Whispers spread quickly.
“Look at his clothes…”
“Is he even human?”
“Did he come from the forest?”
“No one survives that place…”
“Could he be a demon pretending to be human?”
Aiden stopped several meters from the gate.
He slowly raised both hands.
“I’m unarmed.”
The guards didn’t lower their weapons.
The captain narrowed his eyes.
“State your name.”
“Aiden.”
“Family name?”
Aiden hesitated for only a moment.
“Valen.”
The captain continued staring.
Aiden had expected that question.
He answered calmly.
“I was traveling.”
“My caravan was attacked by monsters.”
“I became separated from everyone else.”
“I wandered for a long time trying to survive.”
None of those words directly mentioned the summoning.
None of them mentioned the kingdom.
They weren’t entirely lies.
Just…
incomplete truths.
The guards exchanged uncertain looks.
One of them frowned.
“You expect us to believe you survived alone?”
Aiden simply nodded.
“I was lucky.”
Luck.
That was easier to believe than Nothingness.
The captain studied him for several more seconds.
Then his gaze shifted toward the scars covering Aiden’s arms.
Those scars weren’t fake.
They were proof of countless battles.
Before the captain could speak again…
A small voice came from behind the crowd.
“He’s bleeding…”
Everyone turned.
A little girl, no older than seven, was staring at Aiden.
She wasn’t looking at his torn clothes.
Or his long hair.
Or the frightening scars.
She was looking at the fresh wound on his forearm.
“He needs help…”
The village suddenly became quiet.
Aiden looked at the little girl in surprise.
Since arriving in this world…
Everyone who had looked at him saw either a weapon…
Or someone worthless.
She was the first person who simply saw someone who was hurt.
The village elder slowly stepped forward.
An old man with kind eyes and a wooden cane.
He looked at Aiden for a long moment.
Then he sighed softly.
“Whether your story is true or not…”
“…you don’t look like a man who came here to start a fight.”
He turned toward the guards.
“Lower your weapons.”
The guards hesitated.
Then, one by one…
Their swords were lowered.
For the first time since being summoned into another world…
Aiden was welcomed through a gate.
Not as a hero.
Not as a chosen one.
Simply…
As a tired traveler looking for a place to rest.