Chapter 58

After the broadcast, Ash moved more swiftly. True to his words about minimizing contact being best, the two didn't encounter any human shadows, let alone monsters. Ash was utilizing the vast forest like his own front yard while minimizing ability usage. This also meant he perfectly understood the terrain itself.

"Let's find a place to camp before the sun sets."

"Already? It's still bright."

"In the mountains, the sun drops in an instant, so we need to scout locations in advance. Could you wander around like this after it gets completely dark?"

It made sense. Moving through a forest, not flat ground, after the sun had completely set would certainly not be easy.

Ash's advice wasn't entirely unfamiliar stories. His teachings resembled hunters' advice. The hunters they met when camping in the back forest for class practicum had taught the students many things.

Don't raise your voice. Especially if monsters are nearby, be careful of your breathing and look at your feet when taking steps. Though their purposes were different, basically both had to survive external dangers, so similarities were natural.

How to minimize traces to avoid being detected by prey, how to hide body odor, how to deduce their location or appearance time by looking at traces like droppings or footprints. All things he had learned at least once.

Nain absorbed the survival rules Ash taught him with a serious face. Since he followed along better than expected without a single complaint about difficulty, Ash raised his eyebrows as if surprised.

"Here, isn't this the path we took earlier?"

Nain asked. He seemed to remember sitting on that rock over there to rest briefly, but he couldn't understand why they had returned here again. He was sure they had walked straight along paths without turning back.

"Yeah."

A damp puddle had formed near the rock. It hadn't been there when they passed this area earlier. When Nain picked up a nearby branch and touched the puddle, the transparently pooled water stuck to the branch like snail slime and stretched out.

"..."

It definitely wasn't ordinary water. The tip of the branch that touched the slime soon faded to white. Looking around the puddle as a reference point, there were parts showing whitish colors on nearby trees too. Nain knelt down and crouched to examine the puddle more carefully.

Ash looked down approvingly at Nain, who had detected the environmental change in the meantime. He knew this was a path they had taken, and Nain had surprisingly good observational skills.

"There aren't many types of monsters that can be captured alive from gates."

Ash opened his mouth seeing Nain still poking at the slime with the branch.

"What that is..."

"It seems to be a poison slime."

Nain muttered before Ash could explain the identity of the slime. He turned his head to check the tree trunks that had faded in color here and there, then was certain. He could tell from seeing the slime left behind corrode some objects.

'There are slimes here too, I see.'

Well, those have the highest population among low-level monsters. They're annoyingly widespread... Like cockroaches if you think of them as pests. Nain frowned and muttered inwardly.

"Slime?"

Ash tilted his head puzzledly at the unexpected word. Monster names were determined by special codes that attached alphabets after the gate code where they were first discovered. Therefore, there was no possibility that Nain, who had no gate experience, would know about monsters, yet he was somehow acting as if he knew something.

Just then, the speaker hanging on a nearby tree started crackling again.

—Protective barrier temporary deactivation in progress. ...Deactivation complete. CODE 3. Injured parties please wait in place. Deploying rescue teams.

When injuries made further training impossible, rescue teams were deployed to take them out with such short broadcasts. The instruction to wait in place so paths wouldn't cross was a bonus. As Ash had hoped, the other teams seemed to be fighting each other well.

Nain, who had gotten up awkwardly, brought nearby soil to evenly cover the slime puddle and dusted off his hands. Ash, who had been about to ask something, missed the timing and couldn't say anything. He looked at Nain with a strange gaze.

—Current time 6:20 PM. Training ends for Blue Team whose signal device has been destroyed. Remaining teams are Red Team and Green Team.

Around sunset, a broadcast announced that Blue Team's transmitter had been destroyed. It was when the two were hiding in a blind spot below a small cliff and having a simple meal.

'Is it getting to be night?'

Even looking up in the dense forest, the sky wasn't properly visible. Seeing the surroundings gradually getting darker, it seemed it would be difficult to move around anymore. Winter forest nights were dangerous.

Nain glanced at the large backpack Ash had set down. The backpack contained all the tools needed for camping. His legs hurt from walking all day, and since this was a lowland, unless they made loud noises, they probably wouldn't be spotted by slimes or other Espers.

"Nain, let's rest here for today. The sun is setting and the opposing teams probably won't move around much more either."

Ash gathered dry branches and fallen leaves to light a fire from the surroundings. When he rummaged through his bag to find a lighter and raised his head again, somehow a proper campfire had already been completed.

"It's cold."

"..."

Nain was warming his body by bringing his hands, frozen from the cold, near the fire. Where did the fire come from? Ash was puzzled but didn't ask how he did it. The two completed all preparations needed for camping before the sun set. They pitched the tent firmly to keep out wind and boiled water to warm their food.

The sun really dropped quickly in the forest. They could finally rest a little after finishing organizing when the sky became completely dark.

"Ah, my shoulders are a bit stiff."

Ash rolled his shoulders slightly and muttered as if to himself. The moment their eyes met and Nain felt an ominous premonition, he hurriedly spread out his sleeping bag and avoided his gaze.

"Sleep well."

"Nain, come here."

"..."

When he glanced back at him again, Ash wiggled his finger.

"Tuition fee, you have to pay with your body."

"..."

I'm tired. Should he be thankful that paying with his body meant this? Nain made a face like he was chewing something bitter and obediently moved to where Ash gestured.

When he went behind Ash and sat down gently, he took off his top at once. His back with faint scars spread out before his eyes. Nain looked down at the scar running diagonally across his back with fascination. How could the position be so identical? Even the feeling of the line that had turned white from age was similar.

"Massage my shoulders."

"You don't have exhibitionist tendencies by any chance, do you?"

"I don't."

"You'll catch a cold like that."

"Then will you stay by my side until I recover?"

"It's contagious, so I won't come near you until you're completely better."

"..."

The man's eyes became sulky. It seemed like he'd start whining that he was disappointed soon.

"So put on clothes before that happens..."

"Why, are you getting turned on seeing my body?"

"..."

What was more chilling was that it might not be a joke. Nain answered with a serious expression.

"Don't worry. If that day comes, I'll commit suicide."

He expected a sly answer to come back as always, but silence fell between the two for a moment.

"Nain. Don't talk about dying, even as a joke, in front of me."

"..."

It felt like the air was heavily settling down. The man who seemed like he would take any words as a joke was being serious for once. What's this, he was laughing until just now... Nain chewed over the words he had blurted out in his head and admitted he had misspoken. Though it wasn't his intention, he wondered if he had said something too thoughtless in front of someone whose job also involved saving people's lives.

"...I wasn't serious. I'll be careful."

"Good that you acknowledge it quickly."

Only then did Ash chuckle and add in a dry tone.

"I was thinking of receiving some guiding while we're at it. If you're not going to properly pay with your body, just obediently do what you're told."

And he really worked Nain thoroughly for a full hour. He was tired to death from walking around all day, but if he rested his hands even a little, Ash would give him looks. Since he was a man who showed weakness to him, he had inwardly hoped he might go a little easy...

"Nain, are you sleeping by any chance? Your hands aren't moving."

"I'm not sleeping!"

Nain clenched his fists and pounded the shoulders that weren't even that tense like a sandbag. Worried that Ash might notice this was venting anger rather than massage, he stopped doing that a few times and spread his hands to knead that spot again. Secretly beating the man seemed to relieve his irritation somewhat.

* * *

When night came, the temperature dropped and it was chilly. Nain, who had spread his sleeping bag and settled inside the tent, looked at Ash sitting in front of the campfire. He was just sitting there blankly, looking at the crackling fire.

'Isn't he going to sleep?'

Why is he still sitting there like that? Nain, who had been watching for signs wondering if he could sleep first, couldn't resist drowsiness and said.

"Ash. I'm going to sleep first."