Encounters and Promises

Finn sat comfortably in a carriage, accompanied by his right-hand man, not his vice guild master. He gazed out the window, deep in thought.

"Where did this Zaren come from?" he muttered to himself. "I have never heard of his name before."

Curious, he turned to his right-hand man and asked, "Hey, do you know where this hunter came from?"

The man hesitated before responding, "Sir, we don't have any information about his past."

Finn furrowed his brows. "I should speak to him personally and ask about his life and origins."

As they traveled through the dense forest, Finn glanced at the mirror inside the carriage and smirked. Along with him, a group of soldiers accompanied his journey.

Meanwhile, deep within the same forest, Zaren was honing his abilities. He had already summoned one duplicate of himself and was attempting to summon another. With great effort, he succeeded, creating an exact replica.

"Lumis, have them fight each other," Zaren commanded. "I'll observe and explain how they move."

The first duplicate quickly dashed behind the second, his red eye glowing menacingly as he wielded Bezzaro, the snake-type weapon. He launched a powerful punch, but the second duplicate teleported at the last second and shouted, "Flame Sword!"

With both red and blue flames engulfing his swords, the second duplicate swiftly counterattacked, vanquishing the first duplicate. The defeated copy vanished into thin air.

Zaren nodded in satisfaction. "These duplicates will be a great asset to me."

He then turned his thoughts to Elara, the little girl he had saved in the forest. He knew Maria had taken responsibility for her education and well-being, but he wanted to check on her himself.

"Teleportation," he whispered, and in an instant, he disappeared from the forest.

---

Zaren reappeared in front of the orphanage where Elara lived. He walked through the hallways, observing the large room where the children played. An old woman was supervising them. Some girls were learning to sew, while others were reading in their native language. Though Zaren didn't know the language, his system automatically translated everything, giving him an edge in understanding their world.

Suddenly, Elara ran toward him with a bright smile.

Zaren knelt down and said warmly, "Hey, Elara. How do you feel about staying in this orphanage? Maria and I will check on you every week, okay?"

Elara beamed and nodded. The other children in the orphanage gasped in surprise.

"That's an SSS-rank hunter!" one of them whispered.

In an instant, they all rushed toward him excitedly.

"Hey, hey!" Zaren said, laughing. "Don't push!"

One of the boys turned to Elara and asked, "Elara, what's your relation to an SSS-rank hunter?"

Elara smiled proudly. "Huh! He's my big brother!"

Zaren froze, surprised by her response. "I'm not biologically her brother," he thought, but seeing her happy face, he couldn't help but smile.

"So, what were you doing before you ran over here?" he asked.

"Big bro! I made a painting!" she said excitedly, running off to grab it.

She returned with a sheet of paper in hand, showing her drawing to Zaren. Though the painting was rough, it clearly depicted Zaren, Maria, and Elara holding hands and walking together. Zaren's heart swelled with emotion as he smiled warmly.

"Wow, Elara. This is amazing!" he praised. "I'll give you a reward, but not today."

Elara pouted. "What will you give me?"

Zaren chuckled. "That's a surprise!"

In truth, he had given his money to Brannor, Corvin's father, and had no funds left. He decided he would clear another dungeon soon to earn more money and buy Elara new clothes, toys, and art supplies.

"Okay, bye for now," he said, preparing to leave.

Before he could step out, the old woman approached him. "Boy, I know you are an SSS-rank hunter, and this old woman is nothing before you… but can I ask you something?"

Zaren turned to her, intrigued.

"Where are you from?" she asked hesitantly. "I have lived in this kingdom my entire life, yet I have never seen someone like you."

A shadow passed over Zaren's face as painful memories resurfaced—the bullying, his father collapsing on the street, the black entity, and his own death.

Taking a deep breath, he finally said, "I came from a dungeon."

The old woman gasped, her eyes widening in fear. "Does that mean… you're a monster?"

Zaren quickly reassured her. "No, I'm human."

She studied his face carefully before nodding. "I believe you. No matter where you came from, I can tell by looking at you—you are a kind boy."

Zaren smiled, touched by her words. He then turned back to Elara and said, "Elara, help your grandma with her chores, okay? Don't make her work too hard."

Elara nodded eagerly. "Okay, big bro! But when will you come back to give me my reward?"

Zaren smirked. "Next week. Don't worry."

Elara jumped in excitement. "Yay! Okay!"

With a final smile, Zaren teleported away, lost in thought.

"God reincarnated me into this world for a reason… but I don't know what it is yet. I'll find out." He smirked as he walked forward, ready to face whatever came next.

(Chapter 24 Fin)