[The gentle breeze of dawn]
[The distant clatter of iron utensils]
[The growing activity within the camp]
When Arjun opened his eyes the next morning, the camp was already far more active than before.
At night, the place had seemed like nothing more than a temporary shelter.
But beneath the morning light, it had transformed into a world filled with work, tension, and constant worry.
People were rushing about.
Some were tying weapons to their waists.
Others were preparing food.
Some were counting sacks, while others scanned their surroundings with eyes that seemed determined to remember every face, every movement, and every breath.
Arjun quietly got up.
He grabbed his bag.
He adjusted the black iron spike near his thigh.
Then he lightly sensed the presence of the Blue Jade Stone within him.
It had already become a part of him.
No longer something external.
It was now a hidden secret buried deep within his body.
[The rustling of cloth]
Aarav was already awake.
He was sitting on a broken barrel nearby, casually spinning a small wooden stick between his fingers.
“You’re up early,” Aarav said.
Arjun calmly replied, “There isn’t much time for sleeping late here.”
Aarav gave a small laugh.
“That’s the right attitude if you want to survive here.”
He stood up and began walking alongside Arjun.
The two headed toward the storage area, where Nandan was already waiting.
Several sacks, ropes, strips of dried meat, bundles of herbs, and small water containers were arranged in front of him.
The moment Nandan saw Arjun, he said,
“So, the new guy finally arrived.”
Arjun said nothing.
Nandan lowered the list in his hand and pointed toward the sacks.
“Today is your first real job.”
He paused.
“A supply run.”
Aarav immediately asked, “Which route?”
Nandan spread out a rough map.
It contained several crude lines, markings, and one section shaded in deep black.
“A little beyond the eastern boundary,” Nandan explained.
“There’s an old supply depot there.
We need to bring back several sacks from there.
There are some medicines as well.”
He looked at them seriously.
“And yes—the route isn’t exactly safe.”
Arjun looked down at the map.
The eastern boundary.
Close to the direction of the Black Forest.
A faint sense of alertness awakened inside him.
Nandan noticed the change in his eyes.
“Don’t be afraid.
This isn’t a hunting mission.
It’s just a delivery.”
Aarav interrupted,
“And if we happen to find something along the way, maybe it’ll turn into a hunt too.”
Nandan glared at him.
“Talk less.
Carry more.”
[The sound of sacks being lifted]
Arjun and Aarav picked up two or three heavy sacks.
They contained dried food, herbs, and several iron tools.
They would be traveling with a small group consisting of two other hunters and an elderly woman responsible for the medicinal inventory.
Arjun did not know her name yet.
But her face was stern.
Her steps were not slow.
And her eyes were sharper than those of most young hunters.
“Who is this work for?” Arjun asked quietly.
Aarav hoisted a sack onto his shoulder.
“Small groups outside the camp.
And some people inside the camp too.”
He gave a faint smile.
“Everything moves around here—supplies, information, people…”
He paused.
“And sometimes, corpses.”
Arjun listened without reacting.
[The open wind]
[The faint growl of animals in the distance]
The moment they left the camp behind, the world changed.
Behind them were voices, movement, the smell of food, and the sounds of people working.
Ahead lay only dry earth, stones, and a rough stretch of open land.
Arjun looked around.
This path no longer felt as confined as the caves and ruins he had once traveled through.
It was vast.
Open.
And filled with hidden dangers.
The group continued forward.
Along the way, they passed through the remains of old ruins.
Some walls were half-standing.
Others had collapsed completely.
In certain places, pieces of rusted iron protruded halfway from the ground.
It was an ancient road.
Perhaps it had once been part of a city.
Aarav suddenly pointed ahead.
“Look over there.”
Arjun followed his gaze.
At the edge of the distant field stood a blurry black tree.
“Is that where the forest begins?” Arjun asked.
Aarav nodded.
“Going in that direction right now would be foolish.
Fortunately, our route doesn’t take us through it.”
He glanced toward the distant tree.
“But we’re not exactly far from it either.”
Arjun said nothing.
His attention remained focused on the surrounding signs.
Claw marks on a stone.
Dry bones scattered across the ground.
And near one side of the road, the unmistakable trail left by something large being dragged across the earth.
Arjun quietly asked,
“Has something happened along this route recently?”
One of the other hunters answered.
“Never relax here.”
His voice carried obvious tension.
“Something happens every single day in this place.”
After walking for a while longer, they spotted a broken hut-like structure.
That was where they were supposed to collect the supplies.
The group entered.
Arjun immediately noticed something strange.
There were old bloodstains across the walls.
And deep dragging marks covered portions of the floor.
Aarav whispered,
“This place probably wasn’t safe before.”
Arjun looked at him.
“And now?”
Aarav gave a dry laugh.
“It still isn’t.”
The group began unloading the sacks.
Then Arjun’s eyes suddenly shifted toward a crack in the ceiling.
Something had moved.
Barely.
But Arjun’s gaze locked onto it immediately.
[A faint, subtle rattling sound]
He nudged Aarav with his elbow.
“Look up.”
Aarav looked.
His expression immediately changed.
A thin, filthy creature—perhaps some mutated rat or small Beast—was hiding along the edge of the ceiling.
Its eyes glowed faintly.
It was slowly moving toward the rope of one of the sacks.
“Don’t let it move,” Arjun whispered.
Aarav reached toward it.
But he was too late.
The creature suddenly leaped.
[The sound of a swift leap]
[The sound of rope tearing]
It bit through the rope of one of the sacks.
One of Nandan’s men shouted angrily,
“Hey!
Catch it!”
Arjun moved without hesitation.
He pulled out the black iron spike and threw it directly into the creature’s path.
[The sharp clang of metal]
The spike struck the ground.
The creature leaped to avoid it, lost its balance, and slammed into the wall.
At that exact moment, Aarav grabbed a piece of wood and pinned it down.
[The creature’s shriek]
Everything went silent for a moment.
Nandan’s man rushed over.
“Good job,” he said.
But the tension in his voice had not disappeared.
Arjun simply looked toward the sack.
The supplies were safe.
But there was now one thing everyone understood clearly—
Even this route was not safe.
[The wind howling through the ruins]
On the way back, the sky began to darken.
Clouds gathered overhead.
Far in the distance, the first drops of rain began striking the ground.
Aarav looked up.
“If the rain gets heavier, getting back will be difficult.”
Arjun replied quietly,
“Then we should hurry.”
And they did.
The group increased their pace.
As they walked back toward the camp, Arjun realized something.
He was no longer carrying only a burden.
He had become useful.
He had passed the trials.
He had carried supplies.
And when danger appeared without warning, he had reacted at exactly the right moment.
When they finally returned to the camp, Nandan checked the supplies.
He turned one of the sacks over and inspected it carefully.
Then he looked toward Arjun.
“That was a good reaction.”
His expression remained stern.
“If you keep working like this, you’ll earn yourself a place here.”
Arjun simply nodded.
He had never been hungry for praise.
But every small sign of recognition mattered.
Even if he did not show it.
Evening slowly descended.
The familiar activity returned to the camp.
The same campfires.
The same voices.
The same quiet politics.
Arjun sat in his corner, but his thoughts remained fixed on the eastern boundary.
The strange movement of that small Beast.
The ancient ruins.
The bloodstains on the walls.
And most of all—
The strange silence spreading near the forest.
He had a feeling that this land was still hiding far more than he had seen.
Arjun closed his eyes and sensed the faint warmth of the Blue Jade Stone within him.
For the first time, he clearly understood something.
This journey was not simply about surviving inside the camp.
It was also about learning to read the world outside it.
And perhaps…
Learning to understand himself.
[The distant sound of wind]
[The soft crackling of the campfire]
Arjun slowly closed his eyes.
His first supply run was over.
But a new question had already awakened inside him.
What lay beyond the eastern boundary?
Chapter CliffhangerWhat kind of clue will Arjun discover beyond the eastern boundary?
Will Arjun’s usefulness within the camp continue to grow?
Was that small mutated Beast really alone—or was it part of a much greater threat?
And in which direction will the Blue Jade Stone pull Arjun on the next night?