Dawn arrived quietly.
The smoke that had covered Ashwood through the night drifted into the pale morning sky.
The battle was over.
But its scars remained.
Collapsed cottages lined the eastern road.
The wooden gate had been reduced to splintered beams.
Villagers moved silently through the ruins, clearing debris and searching for anything that could still be saved.
There were no songs this morning.
Only the steady rhythm of rebuilding.
I stood in the center of the village, staring at the place where the Corrupted Alpha had vanished.
Not even a trace remained.
Only a shallow crater.
The Origin Core appeared before my eyes.
Main Quest Updated
Current Objective: Reach Riverstone City
Time Limit: Before the Autumn Caravan Departs (3 Days)
Sub-Objective: Prepare for Departure
Three days.
That was all the time I had left in Ashwood.
A strange ache settled in my chest.
Only a few months ago, this village had been nothing more than a place where I had awakened after dying.
Now…
Leaving it felt harder than facing the Corrupted Alpha.
“You’re awake early.”
Grandma Mira walked toward me carrying two wooden bowls.
She handed one to me.
Warm vegetable stew.
My favorite.
I accepted it with a smile.
“Couldn’t sleep?”
She shook her head.
“Old people don’t need much sleep.”
“But young boys who save villages certainly do.”
I laughed softly.
“I didn’t save it alone.”
“No.”
She smiled.
“You didn’t.”
“You simply reminded everyone why they were fighting.”
We ate together in comfortable silence.
For the first time since I met her…
She looked tired.
Older.
The battle had taken its toll on everyone.
Later that morning, the hunters gathered beside the damaged eastern gate.
Hunter Bran’s shoulder was wrapped in thick bandages.
Ellis carried his arm in a sling.
Even Hunter Milo leaned on a walking stick, though he stubbornly insisted he didn’t need it.
Elder Rowan addressed the gathered villagers.
“The attack has ended.”
“But we cannot assume another will never come.”
“We rebuild.”
“We strengthen our defenses.”
“And we prepare for winter.”
The villagers nodded.
No one complained.
Ashwood had survived because its people faced hardship together.
That hadn’t changed.
When the meeting ended, Rowan motioned for me to follow him.
We walked to the old watchtower overlooking the village.
The morning breeze carried the scent of pine and fresh earth.
For a while…
Neither of us spoke.
Finally, Rowan broke the silence.
“The Guardian told me something before the sanctuary closed.”
I looked at him in surprise.
“It spoke to you?”
He nodded.
“Only once.”
“He thanked Ashwood…”
“…for protecting the Heir.”
My heart skipped a beat.
“So…”
“You know?”
“I know enough.”
He looked toward the distant mountains.
“I don’t know what the Origin truly is.”
“I don’t know why it chose you.”
“And I don’t need to.”
He turned to face me.
“What matters is the kind of person you choose to become.”
Those words struck deeper than any lesson he had ever taught me.
Rowan reached into his robe and removed a worn leather scroll.
He carefully placed it in my hands.
“What is this?”
“A map.”
“The one I showed you before.”
“The road to Riverstone City.”
I slowly unrolled it.
The familiar route stretched across the parchment.
But now I noticed new markings.
Safe campsites.
Mountain springs.
Dangerous territories.
Even notes written in Rowan’s neat handwriting.
“I updated it last night.”
“There are things I never told the caravan.”
“Places only hunters know.”
“If you must travel…”
“Travel prepared.”
I bowed deeply.
“Thank you.”
That afternoon, the unexpected caravan was finally ready to continue its journey.
Merchant Garrick supervised workers as they repaired damaged wagons and loaded supplies.
The young woman with amber eyes—Lyra—helped distribute medicine to injured villagers.
She moved gracefully through the crowd, speaking little but observing everything.
As I carried lumber toward the eastern gate, I noticed her watching me again.
This time…
She walked over.
“So.”
Her calm voice carried quiet confidence.
“You really are unusual.”
I smiled awkwardly.
She glanced toward the forest where the sanctuary lay hidden.
“The spiritual energy around you changed.”
“After yesterday.”
“You’ve awakened something.”
I stiffened.
How much did she know?
Before I could answer, she smiled faintly.
“Don’t worry.”
“I’m not your enemy.”
“But Riverstone City…”
Her amber eyes became serious.
“…isn’t as peaceful as Ashwood.”
Then, without another word, she turned and walked back toward the caravan.
Leaving me with more questions than answers.
As evening approached, I stood once more atop the hill overlooking Ashwood.
Children were already helping rebuild the fence.
Hunters repaired the watchtowers.
Grandma Mira waved at me from her garden.
Life…
Was moving forward.
The Origin Core quietly appeared.
Synchronization: 40%
Mental State: Stable
Recommendation: Treasure the remaining time in Ashwood.
For once…
I didn’t argue with the system.
Because I knew.
In three days…
I would leave this village.
But no matter how far I traveled…
Ashwood would always be the place I first learned the true meaning of home.
Far beyond the mountains…
Hidden beneath swirling storm clouds…
A figure dressed in black robes slowly opened a pair of silver eyes.
He looked toward the distant direction of Ashwood.
A faint smile crossed his face.
“So…”
“The Heir has finally awakened.”
The stranger disappeared into the shadows.
His destination…
Riverstone City.
The next two days passed faster than I expected.
Ashwood refused to mourn.
Instead…
It rebuilt.
The eastern gate was replaced with freshly cut oak logs.
Burned cottages slowly took shape again, their walls rising one beam at a time.
Even the children carried baskets of stones and fetched water for the workers.
No one complained.
No one waited for someone else to act.
This was how Ashwood survived.
Together.
Hunter Milo ignored every order to rest.
Despite the bandages wrapped around his waist, he insisted on supervising the hunters repairing the watchtowers.
When he caught me watching him, he laughed.
“What?”
“You thought I’d stay in bed?”
“You almost died.”
“I’ve almost died plenty of times.”
He rested both hands on his spear.
“But a village doesn’t rebuild itself.”
I shook my head.
“You really are stubborn.”
He grinned.
“I prefer ‘reliable.'”
That afternoon, he called me to the training field one final time.
The familiar wooden dummies stood where they always had.
The training racks had been repaired.
Everything looked almost normal.
Almost.
Milo tossed me a wooden spear.
“One last lesson.”
I caught it instinctively.
“I thought training was over.”
He smiled.
“It never is.”
Without warning, he attacked.
His spear shot toward my shoulder.
I blocked.
He immediately shifted his grip and swept at my legs.
I jumped backward.
Our spar continued across the training ground.
Unlike before, he wasn’t teaching with words.
He was testing everything I had learned.
Reading my footwork.
Watching my breathing.
Searching for hesitation.
After nearly twenty exchanges, I finally found an opening.
Using Origin Step, I slipped just outside his line of attack and tapped the tip of my wooden spear against his chest.
The training ground fell silent.
Milo stared at the spear.
Then…
He burst into laughter.
“Haha!”
“You finally got me.”
I lowered the weapon.
“Barely.”
“That’s enough.”
His smile softened.
“I don’t have anything else to teach you.”
My heart tightened.
Those words carried more weight than any praise.
He reached behind the weapon rack and pulled out a simple spear.
Unlike the practice weapons, this one had a steel spearhead polished to a mirror shine.
Its dark ashwood shaft fit perfectly in my hands.
“This was my first hunting spear.”
He held it out.
“Now it’s yours.”
I hesitated.
“I can’t take this.”
“You can.”
“And you will.”
He gently pushed it into my hands.
“Every hunter leaves something behind.”
“This is what I’m leaving with you.”
That evening, Elder Rowan invited me to the village square.
The entire village had gathered.
Long wooden tables stretched across the square, covered with fresh bread, roasted meat, vegetables, and steaming soup.
Merchant Garrick had even donated spices from his caravan.
The atmosphere reminded me of the feast after my first hunt.
Only this time…
Everyone knew why they had gathered.
Grandma Mira stood first.
She carried a folded cloak dyed deep forest green.
“I made this years ago.”
“I thought I’d give it to my grandson someday.”
She smiled gently.
“I suppose life has a funny way of granting wishes.”
She wrapped the cloak around my shoulders herself.
It fit perfectly.
Warm.
Comfortable.
Like home.
Unable to stop myself, I hugged her.
For a moment…
Neither of us spoke.
Then she whispered,
“Don’t forget to eat properly.”
I laughed through the tears gathering in my eyes.
“I won’t.”
“And if you get hurt…”
“Come home.”
“I will.”
One after another, the villagers stepped forward.
A leather water flask.
Dried herbs.
A whetstone.
Travel bread.
A small wooden carving made by the village children.
None of them were expensive.
But every gift carried the same message.
Come back safely.
When the moon rose above Ashwood, Elder Rowan raised a wooden cup.
“Tonight…”
“We celebrate not a farewell.”
“But a beginning.”
He looked directly at me.
“Kael.”
“You came to us with no memories.”
“No family.”
“No place to belong.”
He smiled.
“You leave with all three.”
The villagers lifted their cups.
“To Kael!”
“To Ashwood!”
The cheers echoed beneath the stars.
For the first time in both my lives…
I truly understood what it meant to belong somewhere.
Late that night, after everyone had gone home, I climbed the hill overlooking the village one last time.
The lights from every cottage flickered below like stars scattered across the earth.
Footsteps approached from behind.
It was Lyra.
She stood beside me, looking toward the distant mountains.
“The caravan leaves at sunrise.”
“I know.”
For several moments, neither of us spoke.
Finally, she broke the silence.
“Riverstone City is only the first step.”
“There are people there who can sense spiritual fluctuations.”
“If you reveal too much…”
“They’ll notice.”
I nodded.
“I’ll be careful.”
She looked at the mark hidden beneath my sleeve.
“The Origin Legacy has remained hidden for thousands of years.”
“If powerful sects learn that an Heir exists…”
“They won’t all welcome you.”
Some will try to control you.
Others…”
She paused.
“…will try to kill you.”
A cold breeze swept across the hill.
The world beyond Ashwood was becoming more dangerous with every answer I found.
Yet…
I felt ready.
Before leaving, Lyra handed me a small silver token engraved with a soaring hawk.
“If you ever reach the eastern district of Riverstone…”
“Show this at the Silver Hawk Inn.”
“They’ll know how to contact me.”
I accepted it carefully.
“Thank you.”
She gave a faint smile.
“I have a feeling…”
“This won’t be our last meeting.”
Then she disappeared into the darkness.
I closed the window and looked down at the sleeping village.
“Thank you…”
I whispered.
“For giving me a second home.”
Tomorrow…
My journey would truly begin.