Chapter 10 ： Waiting

Perry, who had been worried about the future after losing his system, finally felt himself relax. The system's sudden reappearance brought him a great sense of relief. After completing his first mission, Perry felt a lingering sense of light fatigue mixed with relaxation.

"System, you better not disappear on me again. Surviving in a strange place alone is terrifying."

[Don't worry, Host. I'll be more careful next time.]

"Hmm… actually, you—"

Just then, he heard light footsteps approaching. When he looked up, he saw Toto walking toward him with a bottle of water. The sunlight filtered through the dense trees, casting a soft glow on Toto's youthful face, making him look fresh and full of energy.

"Perry, here's some water," Toto said with a smile as he handed him the bottle.

Perry smiled back, took the water, unscrewed the cap, and drank a sip. The cool water instantly soothed his throat, making him feel much better. He nodded at Toto and said gratefully, "Thank you, Toto."

Seeing that Perry's expression had brightened, Toto grinned and said, "Henry, you finally smiled! I knew you were down because you forgot the taste of apples!"

"…Yeah, this apple was really good." Perry knew Toto had misunderstood his earlier mood, but he didn't bother explaining. In their eyes, Henry might just be a glutton.

Toto sat next to Perry, leaning against the tree. After glancing around, he suddenly asked, "By the way, where are Rufus and Larkin? I haven't seen them."

Perry put the bottle down and looked into the dense forest ahead, explaining, "They went to find the key to unlock the handcuffs. They haven't returned yet, but it'll probably take some time."

Toto nodded, his gaze following Perry's into the forest. There was a thoughtful look in Toto's eyes, though he had no idea what Perry was really looking at. In fact, Perry was observing the virtual interface that had suddenly popped up in front of him, where the system had started analyzing Toto:

[Name: Toto Tobill 

Age: 12 

Race: Human 

Gender: Male 

Level: 5 

Specialty: Earth magic 

Skills: 

-Danger Intuition Lv2 

Skills: 

Physical Strength: B 

Magic Power: E 

Speed: D 

Intelligence: D 

Spirit: E 

Luck: C

Other: 

Money: 20 Gold Coins 

- System level insufficient to reveal more information -]

Perry was surprised, realizing that his own physical strength was no match for a child.

The system tried to comfort him, explaining that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Henry, being a magic apprentice, needed to focus on magic rather than physical prowess. For a 12-year-old, Toto's abilities were impressive—he showed real potential to become a hunter.

Perry closed the interface and noticed Toto waving to someone in the distance. Following his gaze, Perry saw several adult men carrying logs back to the village. Rufus had mentioned that a few days ago, a flame wolf had caused trouble in the village, but Perry hadn't noticed any damaged buildings or signs of the beast when he walked around earlier.

He realized he needed to recover Henry's memories of arriving in this place, so he shared what he knew with the system. As Toto finished greeting the adults, Perry turned to him and asked, "Rufus mentioned that a flame wolf attacked the village, but I haven't seen any signs of destruction."

"That flame wolf only attacked people. It didn't do much damage to the village's structures."

"Structures? I also didn't notice any walls. Isn't that unsafe for a village?"

"We use a magical barrier to protect the village from being noticed or entered by beasts. The spells for the barrier are drawn in twelve hidden locations around the village. But that day, for some reason, one of the spells was destroyed, which allowed the flame wolf to enter," Toto explained, standing up and pointing to a nearby tree. Perry followed suit and saw a noticeable claw mark on the tree. "That's where the spell was broken."

"Is the magic barrier easy to destroy?" Perry walked closer to take a better look.

"This magic has its weaknesses. If even one spell is scratched off, the entire barrier collapses. Only three people in the village know the spell's locations, and no one else, not even me, knows. After this incident, the village has decided to build actual walls to prevent beasts from entering again. The adults you saw earlier were gathering materials for that." Toto packed away his basket and followed Perry. "It's rare for a beast to break the spell, but flame wolves are the exception."

"Why are they the exception? Can you tell me what happened that day?" Perry inspected the scorch marks near the clawed tree trunk, his curiosity piqued by what had transpired and Henry's role in earning the villagers' trust.

"Flame wolves are very sensitive to magic. It probably sensed the spell and broke it. That day…" Toto thought back to the events. "Before you arrived, that wicked flame wolf attacked someone who was out moon-gazing when the elves were away hunting."

"Moon-gazing? Do people here love the moon?"

"You must've forgotten, but that night, the moon was red and much larger than usual. We rarely see such a moon," Toto explained, noticing Perry's confusion.

"Red moon!?" Perry found that eerie. "Isn't that a bad omen?"

"No way, a red moon is a symbol of good fortune."

"Really?" Perry wasn't entirely convinced.

"It's true! More precisely, it represents protection from disasters, though it can also be seen as a sign of luck," Toto beamed at Perry, making him feel slightly weird. "We were all so captivated by the moon that we didn't notice the wolf approaching, but your arrival saved us."

"How did I save you?"

"Hmmm...I fainted at that time, and I only heard my mother say that someone is scratched by a flame wolf, their wound catches fire and spreads until their entire body is consumed. Ordinary water can't extinguish those flames. Only water magic can help, and you—well, Henry—used water magic to heal us. We were lucky to have you, even though we doubted you at first," Toto looked sheepish. "But you saved us anyway, and no one died. We were all really moved by that. Thank you."

"So that's how it was…" Perry know the gratitude was meant for Henry.

Piecing together this information with what the system had retrieved, Perry suddenly felt a headache as fragments of Henry's memories began to surface:

["It's already so late," Henry muttered, rummaging through his backpack for a light source. Suddenly, he heard the howl of a wolf. "Oh no, I need to hurry and find Wululu Village. Being alone in this forest is terrifying."

Henry abandoned his search for the light and quickened his pace, glancing up in horror as the surroundings took on a reddish hue. He saw a massive red moon in the sky.

"What's going on? A red moon? That's terrifying!" Henry's face turned pale with fear.

He couldn't turn back now; he had to follow the signs to the village. Just as he was about to feel relieved upon spotting the village, he saw the horrifying scene: blue flames engulfing villagers as they screamed in agony.

A woman, her arm ablaze, cried out, "Save my child! Please, someone save my child!" The woman was Toto's mother, Emily, and lying beside her was an unconscious boy—Toto, with an injured leg but no flames.

Henry approached cautiously and called out, "Hey, are you alright?"

"Who are you? You're not from the village!" Emily eyed Henry warily, unsure whether he posed a threat.

"I am good guy. I'm here just to find a Mushcat and was planning to stay in the village for the night," Henry explained, keeping his distance. "I can heal you and you child. I know healing magic."

"Really? Can you heal my child?" Emily hesitated but the flames on her arm were unbearable, and she glanced at Toto's injured leg.

"Yes," Henry moved closer, but at that moment, a figure appeared before them—it was the Flame Wolf.

"OH MY!" Emily wanted to carry Toto away, but the flames on her arm prevented her from touching him. As the Flame Wolf drew closer, Emily turned to Henry and said, "Please take my child and leave. That wolf can only be hurt by water magic. I can hold it off for a while."

"It's okay, I can use water magic." Although Henry was trembling at the sight of the Flame Wolf, he still stood in front of them. He silently chanted "Water Sword," and a water sword appeared in his hand.

"You're clearly scared, why still you helping us?" Emily looked at Henry's shaking body in confusion.

"My grandfather told me that learning magic is for protecting people. If I can't even do that, then I'm a failure. So, I can't run away—I don't like being a failure." Henry cast a water shield to protect them and pulled out a magic book from his bag to increase his chances of defeating the Flame Wolf.

He quickly flipped to a page, and as he began reading the incantation, the Flame Wolf lunged at him. Just as the wolf was about to reach Henry, an arrow shot toward it, but the Flame Wolf nimbly dodged it.

"STAY AWAY FROM THEM YOU DAMN WOLF!!" The arrow had been fired by a young man with a bandaged right hand, clearly injured. He shot another arrow at the Flame Wolf, but it dodged again.

Angered, the Flame Wolf focused its attention on the young man. Seeing the wolf approaching rapidly, the young man was caught off guard and couldn't ready his bow in time. Fortunately, Henry finished his incantation, and a vine sprouted from the ground, entangling the Flame Wolf and halting its attack. The wolf's claws were just inches from the young man.

"That was close," Henry sighed in relief as the Flame Wolf was restrained without injuring the young man. "You should get out of there quickly."

The young man, terrified, stared at the Flame Wolf. Hearing Henry's voice, his legs gave out, and he collapsed, thinking he was done for.

The tension easing, Emily felt the pain from her wound intensify. The flames on her injury were close to consuming her arm, and she gritted her teeth, enduring the pain.

Seeing this, Henry dispelled his water sword and shield, rushing to Emily's side. His hands hovered near her wound, trying not to touch the flames.

"Heal," Henry whispered. A soft blue light emitted from his hands, enveloping Emily's wound. Slowly, the blue light healed the injury, and the flames were gradually extinguished.

Emily, seeing her wound healed, looked at Henry gratefully. "Thank you. If it weren't for you, I might've lost Toto." Her face had regained some color as she patted Toto's head. "What's your name? Who are you?"

"I-I'm Henry, just a magic apprentice." Henry restored Toto's injured foot with a quick spell. "You should take your child to safety."

The Flame Wolf, meanwhile, struggled against the vines holding it. Its body burned through the plant, and Emily, not wanting to get too close, hurriedly left with Toto.

At that moment, the once-red moon faded, returning to its normal color. For some reason, the Flame Wolf suddenly began howling, its flames growing stronger. It incinerated the vines in an instant. The young man, unable to escape in time, was struck by the Flame Wolf's claws, his chest slashed open, and he let out a scream of agony.

The memory ended there.

Perry snapped back to reality.

"I'm fine," Perry said before Toto could even ask about his condition. "I was just recalling some memories."

"I see," Toto said, not pressing any further.

　　Perry was pondering the existence of the memory backpack when he noticed that Henry's backpack wasn't with him. Just as he was about to ask Toto if he'd seen it, the system suddenly chimed with a notification, and a new task appeared in Perry's vision:

[Task 2: 

Find three Mushcats (0/3) 

Reward: 90 gold coins 

Time Limit: 1 day 

Penalty: None]

Seeing the task details, Perry furrowed his brows slightly, thinking it was quite fortunate to have found a task that suited his current needs.

"How was this task triggered?" Perry asked the system in his mind.

**[This task was triggered by Henry's memory of the Mushcat event.]**

"That's great. Very convenient. Though it's surprising that the reward is gold coins. Are these coins used universally in this world?"

**[Yes, although in some regions, people trade using items instead of coins.]**

Noticing Perry was lost in thought, Toto pondered for a moment and then said casually, "It's still daylight, and the forest is relatively safe for now. We could wait for Rufus and Larkin to return, then search for the Mushcats together. It's better to have more people."

Perry nodded in agreement, finding Toto's suggestion reasonable. Heading into the forest now was dangerous, especially since he couldn't use magic, and the handcuffs made it even harder to move freely. It was wiser to rest and wait for their companions before taking action.

"By the way, did you see my backpack?" Perry asked.

"Backpack?... It was gone when we found you. It's probably still in the forest," Toto replied.

"Do you have any idea where it might be? That backpack is important to me."

"Rufus should remember the path where you fainted. We can ask him when he gets back."

"Alright," Perry sighed, hoping to retrieve the backpack since it contained items he needed.

The two of them sat under a tree, waiting for their elven companions to return. To pass the time, Perry asked, "Why is the forest safer during the day?"

Toto chuckled, appearing quite relaxed. "Most of the beasts here are dark-element creatures. They fear the sunlight and only come out at night. It's still early; we have nine hours until sunset, so there's no need to worry for now."

Hearing this, Perry sighed in relief and nodded. However, his curiosity about the forest only grew. Just then, the system, sensing his curiosity, began providing more information about the forest. [This forest is called the 'Shadow Grove,' a place filled with ancient dark magic. Though it's relatively safe during the day, at night, the creatures lurking in the shadows awaken and become extremely dangerous.]

The system's explanation gave Perry a clearer understanding of the forest. He mentally noted the information, knowing he'd need to find both the backpack and the Mushcats before nightfall to ensure safety.

"I'll take this basket back home and return shortly. " Toto said, standing up and heading home, seemingly bored with waiting.

Time passed slowly, and about thirty minutes later, distant footsteps finally approached. Perry stood up immediately to see Rufus and Larkin returning. They looked a bit disheveled, with lumps on their heads suggesting they'd been scolded by Arno.

"Are you alright?" Perry hurried over to check on them.

Rufus winced with a pained expression but shook his head, signaling he was fine. Larkin, catching her breath, muttered, "We ran into some trouble, but it's taken care of."

Looking at their injuries, Perry suddenly recalled Henry's healing magic. Placing his two hands on Rufus's head, he whispered, "Heal."

Blue light glowed from his hands, instantly mending Rufus's wounds.

"You really are... different. Most mages are so arrogant, but you're not like them at all," Larkin said in surprise as Perry healed her injuries too.

"See, I told you, Henry's a good guy!" Rufus said as he unlocked the handcuffs on Perry's wrists and handed them to Larkin. "Keep these safe, and make sure to return them to Arno later."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Larkin replied.

With their wounds treated, the tension eased a bit. The group began discussing how to find the Mushcats. Daylight gave them plenty of time to prepare for the search, and they needed to locate the elusive Mushcats before darkness fell.