One Direction.

The three left the clearing just as noon approached.

No one spoke. No further words were needed, their steps already carried the pleasant exhaustion from a long session of training.

Sweat still clung to their foreheads, dust stained their sleeves, and their knees ached slightly from constantly shifting into stances. Yet none of them complained.

The feeling was familiar, and, in a way, reassuring.

They stopped by an ancient stone water jar placed at the village courtyard. Ren leaned down to splash his face, the cold water sinking into his skin and making him close his eyes with a slow exhale.

Nautilus sat on a nearby stone step, removed his gloves, and examined his reddened palms. Yuna stood under the shade of a tree, dusting off her clothes and tying her hair back with an old cloth strip.

A moment of silence passed. No one hurried. There was no need to rush.

"This afternoon..." Nautilus was the first to speak, "... we're heading out of the village, right?"

Ren nodded. "The southern forest edge. An alpha Boar has been sighted there recently. It'll be good practice and a way to test our coordination. If we're lucky, we might even get rare materials or equipment."

The group had grown far more confident. If they were still stuck back in the Starting Town, Ren wasn't sure he could have taken down a mini-boss like that.

But now he had teammates. They weren't the strongest or the most skilled, but they had shown enough. The three of them stood a real chance, at least, a good one.

"So, we'll meet at the village gate after lunch?" Yuna asked, her gaze drifting toward the distant hills that melted into the forest line.

Ren glanced at the two of them and gave a small smile. "Bring healing potions. And water. Afternoon hunts aren't easy. We can't predict what'll happen before, during, or after the fight."

Nautilus chuckled lightly, standing and brushing off his hands. "Got it, captain."

Ren didn't respond, he simply turned and walked off ahead, his hand resting lightly on the sword at his waist, an old habit that had never faded.

They made their way through a narrow alley leading toward an old wooden inn at the northern edge of Medai Village, the place where they had shared simple dinners, quietly repaired worn sword straps, and sometimes even unfinished dreams.

The inn wasn't large, but it was quiet, with a balcony overlooking the fields, far enough from the main road to avoid the noise of rowdy players.

Their rooms were side by side on the second floor, separated only by thin wooden walls and the soft light spilling through curved windows.

When the door closed behind him, the world immediately softened, leaving only the sound of footsteps echoing down the hallway and distant crows calling from the rooftops.

Ren placed his sword on the wooden rack by the table and sat down, drying his face with an old cloth.

He lingered for a long moment, staring at his sword, before finally opening his inventory bag, checking his healing potions, dried rations, and spare knife, arranging them with the same carefulness he had clung to since the first day he was trapped in this world.

In the next room, Nautilus struggled into a fresh shirt, carefully reapplying a thin layer of bandage over his palm to avoid irritation during the next fight. He muttered under his breath, memorizing dodging directions, ways to maintain distance, not just for himself, but to protect Yuna too.

Meanwhile, Yuna, after washing her face and changing clothes, sat quietly for a moment on the edge of her bed. She laid her sword across her lap, her fingers lightly tracing the hilt, as if listening for a voice hidden in the metal.

She wasn't trembling, but she wasn't entirely calm either. This world was still too big, too unfamiliar. Yet at least... she was no longer alone.

A brief, urgent flicker of anxiety crossed her eyes, then faded away.

Rest time wasn't long. Outside the window, the sun began dipping westward, the light turning softer, slanting golden streaks across the worn wooden floor.

Once again, the three of them would step out of the safe zone together. Not a perfect team, but three people sharing the same breath, the same gaze, and the same quiet wish: to survive, and to grow stronger.

As the sun slanted over the red-tiled rooftops, the fading afternoon light stretched into long diagonal shadows across the old ground, sweeping over wooden houses and touching the fading colors of distant trees.

The sky remained clear, but thin, long bands of cloud had begun quietly weaving across it, as if even the heavens were preparing for something more significant than just another ordinary evening.

The three of them, names still unfamiliar to the villagers, but slowly becoming familiar to one another with each shared breath and sword swing, appeared at the Medai village gate, just as planned.

Ren was the first to arrive. He leaned lightly against a tall wooden post, his hands folded, his gaze quietly following the dirt road riddled with old wheel tracks, stretching away from the safe zone toward the wild fields of tall grass and craggy rocks beyond.

His face showed no expression, but anyone who knew him would recognize: Ren was never truly still before a fight.

The subtle twitch of his fingers, the slight tension in his brow, they all betrayed a mind already deep within the battlefield.

Nautilus arrived a few minutes later, his walk relaxed but never careless. He had shed his heavier armor for lighter gear, better suited for maneuverability.

His sword was strapped diagonally across his back, ready to be drawn in half a second if needed. He gazed off into the distance, where the forest met the southern hills, and said softly, "Looks like the wind's died down. Good for us, bad for the scent of blood."

Ren didn't answer, he only tilted his head slightly, signaling to wait for one more. Not that he didn't want to reply, honestly, he just didn't know how.

Nautilus' comment sounded like a quote from some anime character, but Ren didn't know which one.

The breeze stirred gently, rustling the green treetops in the fading light.

Yuna was the last to arrive. She wasn't hurrying, nor was she hesitant, just slow and steady steps, as if each one carried a quiet resolve.

She had changed into softer shoes, tied her hair neatly with a pale gray cloth strip, and tucked her second short sword into the side pouch.

No one needed a reminder, because they had agreed at noon: this afternoon, they weren't just going out to practice. They would fight, for the first time, against a real mini-boss.

Ren opened the map interface as soon as the three of them gathered. A small red circle appeared near the edge of the forest.

"Alpha Boar has been spotted in this hollow," he said. "According to other players' reports, it usually brings along three to five normal boars. If we attract the whole herd at once, it'll be hard to handle."

"Same strategy as before?" Nautilus asked, though he already knew the plan by heart.

Ren nodded. "Three directions. I'll hold it in the center, try to draw its attention.

Yuna supports from behind, focus on speed, don't worry about damage.

As for you..." Ren's gaze landed on Nautilus, "Find its blind spots, attack the knee joints. It's big, but it's not faster than a person. Don't get surrounded. You're the main damage dealer here."

"Got it."

Nautilus took a deep breath, then exhaled softly, as if forcing out the last traces of worry from his chest. "First time fighting a boss without running away."

Yuna repeated the words quietly, tasting them: "First time..."

She looked at Ren, not exactly for confirmation, but to make sure he saw it: this time, she wouldn't be left behind.

Ren looked at the two of them, then murmured, so softly that only the evening breeze could hear:"...But not the last."

No one replied, but no words were needed. When he turned and stepped past the village gate, his hand unconsciously tightened around the hilt at his side, and the other two silently followed.

Three figures melted into the fading twilight, leaving Medai Village, not to explore, not to scout, but to face something head-on.

A real challenge. A monster capable of real harm. And the kind of lessons only first wounds could teach.

Beyond the ridge, the Alpha Boar roared among its brood.

....

The Alpha Boar appeared exactly as the map had said, in a sunken valley where the grass grew knee-high, and sharp rocks jutted out around the forest's edge.

Its body was massive, three times the size of a normal wild boar, covered in thick, rough fur that shimmered brown-gray under the afternoon sun. Two long tusks jutted out like scythes, gleaming whenever it tilted its head to sniff the scent of intruders.

Ren raised a hand to signal a halt, then gestured lightly left and right, needing no words.Yuna slipped along the rocky edge, circling to the east.

Nautilus lowered his body, moving around the opposite side, slow and silent like a shadow.

And Ren, he stepped straight out into the clearing.

The Alpha Boar froze at the sight of him. Its deep red eyes narrowed, and it let out a long, hostile screech, scraping its hooves fiercely against the ground.

Ren didn't back down. He simply inhaled, tightening his grip on the sword. A sharp shhk rang out as the blade slid free from its sheath, angled forward in open challenge.

The beast roared, and charged.

Ren tilted aside to dodge the head-on rush, sliding across the grass, sword flashing up to slash along its left flank.A burst of red pixels scattered into the air, not enough to bring it down, but enough to focus its rage squarely on him.

"Good..." Ren muttered under his breath. "Keep your eyes on me."

The second, third blows came fast; Ren jumped back, then countered with a low slash, forcing the Alpha Boar to twist toward him.

Right at that moment, Yuna appeared from the side, slicing quickly at its front shoulder, and vanished before it could react.

Ren didn't even need to look to know it was her.

Immediately after, another set of footsteps sounded behind the Alpha Boar.

Nautilus, attacking from the right blind spot, sprang forward and slashed at the monster's hind knee joint.

The Alpha Boar howled in pain, staggering for a brief moment, just enough for Ren to slam a heavy kick into its chest, knocking it back a few more steps.

No one spoke, but everyone knew exactly what to do.

The young boars started spilling out from the bushes, but Yuna was quicker. She threw a bait orb toward the west, pulling two of them away from the group.

Nautilus pulled back to maintain distance, using rocks and terrain to avoid getting surrounded.Ren stayed at the center of the wheel, continuously provoking and intercepting the Alpha Boar with his strength and experience.

The boss's attacks were strong, but not unpredictable.

Ren had faced monsters like this before; he could read the shift in its center of gravity, knew when a charge was real and when it was just bait for a side-swipe.

A clean combo, swing, slip past, spin the hilt around and slash back, slicing across its neck.The first HP bar of the Alpha Boar exploded into a burst of red light.

Ren backed off, breathing heavily."One... Two more bars left."

He turned to glance at his teammates. Yuna gave a slight nod. Nautilus smirked.

This time, they weren't on the defensive.

This time, the battlefield was theirs.