"Mr. Kai?" Ste''s surprise was evident as she noticed Aether following her.


    "Well... I couldn''t just let a girl suffer alone, right?" Aether replied awkwardly, unsure if she bought his excuse or not.


    [+1 Affection]


    ''Well, she is easy..'' Aether thought to himself before following her a step behind.


    As they walked through the dark forest, Aether couldn''t shake the worry gnawing at his mind. He half-expected to encounter some sort of monstrous creature at any moment, but to his surprise, none appeared.


    "Can you tell me where we are?" Aether suddenly asked as he tried to gather some information.


    "Hmm? You don''t know?" Ste responded incredulously.


    "No, I''m a bit lost," Aether admitted sheepishly.


    Ste regarded him scepticallyas if questioning how anyone could be lost in such a dangerous ce. Nevertheless, she answered as they continued to hurry along,


    "We''re in a forest called the Hunting ce."


    "Oh... I see," Aether nodded, inwardly cringing at the ominous name ''Hunting ce''.


    "What exactly is this Hunting ce?" Aether inquired, his curiosity piqued.


    Ste came to a halt, turning to face Aether with a puzzled frown. "You really don''t know anything, do you?"


    "....hahah..." Aether chuckled awkwardly, scratching his head in embarrassment.


    Ste''s frown deepened, her curiosity piqued, but before she could inquire further,


    "BOOM!!"


    Another deafening st reverberated through the forest. Reacting swiftly, she darted towards the source of themotion, with Aether sighing and following closely behind.


    He trailed after her not out of blind heroism, but rather to gain a better understanding of his surroundings and gather valuable information about this unfamiliar world.... and might as well get the reward!!


    Soon, they stumbled upon a group of individuals, many of whom were gravely wounded, and.... somey lifeless on the forest floor.


    "POFFF---" Aether instinctively covered his mouth as the stench of blood and decay assaulted his senses, the thick air saturated with the sickening odour. He wasn''t sure why he hadn''t fallen faint seeing the grotesque and yet something tells he saw worse than this.


    "Is everyone all right?" Ste''s voice rang out, breaking the tense silence as she cautiously approached the group.


    Initially startled, the group tensed up and braced themselves, weapons at the ready. However, upon seeing a woman, their demeanour softened, and they lowered their guard.


    "M-Miss, do you guys have a healer?" One of the members asked, their voice trembling as they cradled a heavily wounded man in their arms.


    "Yes, and I am the healer," Ste replied with determination, swiftly retrieving a white, feathery batch and showing everyone before hurrying towards the injured individuals.


    Aether, suppressing his urge to vomit, followed her closely. However, his presence did not go unnoticed.


    "Hey, who are you?" questioned a ck-haired man, eyeing Aether suspiciously.


    Before Aether could respond, Ste intervened, "He is my helper."


    epting Ste''s exnation, the ck-haired man nodded, though he continued to cast wary nces in Aether''s direction before stepping back.


    "Sigh," Aether sighed inwardly, resigning himself to the role thrust upon him, and trailed closely behind Ste as she approached the wounded.


    "Hold him," Ste instructed, crouching down beside the man whose leg had been grievously injured.


    With steady hands, Ste touched the man''s flesh, her hand now stained with blood. Unfazed, she muttered under her breath,


    /Recovery/


    As a luminous, ethereal glow emanated from her hand.


    "Arrrrhhh!" The man groaned in pain as the healing magic took effect, eliciting a gasp from Aether.


    Despite the difort, Aether raised his eyebrows in astonishment as he witnessed the miraculous sight of the broken leg slowly regenerating, resembling the regrowth of a starfish.


    "It''s beautiful..." Aether muttered, his voice barely audible as he found himself fully immersed in the serene, white ethereal light. It enveloped the wounds and slowly healed... Aether felt he wanted to touch the Purity!!


    After what felt like an eternity, but was likely only a minute or so, the broken leg had beenpletely regrown. The man, overwhelmed by the excruciating pain of the regeneration process, had passed out.


    "It seems healing magic doesn''t have a painkiller effect..." Aether observed silently, his thoughts lingering on the nature of the magic he had just witnessed.


    With Ste''s guidance, they continued to assist those in need, Aether carefully following her lead as they tended to the wounded.


    After an hour or so,


    Everyone gathered around the campfire, their faces etched with worry and exhaustion. They shared solemn nces, each grappling with their own fears and uncertainties in the aftermath of the ordeal.


    "So, what did you guys encounter?" Ste inquired as she settled down among the group.


    "It was a 2-Star Silver Orc" the ck-haired man replied, his expression grim with dread.


    "2-Star Silver!!" Ste eximed in shock, her features reflecting the gravity of the situation. "Did you guys defeat it?"


    The ck-haired man shook his head solemnly, and the others followed suit.... their faces drawn with pain and sadness.


    Ste didn''t press for further details, sensing the time needed to heal their sadness.


    However,


    "Shouldn''t we move away from here first if the monster is still alive?" Aether interjected, voicing the concern that lingered in the back of his mind.


    It seemed like the logical course of action ...staying in a ce recently ravaged by a powerful monster was surely perilous.


    However, instead of receiving acknowledgement or agreement, Aether was met with nk stares from the group, their expressions akin to those of dead fish.


    ".... What?" Aether asked, bewildered by their reaction.


    The group then turned their incredulous gazes towards Ste, as if she hadmitted some unfathomable offence.


    Aether didn''t understand what was happening but seeing their expression he wasn''t sure what was wrong...


    Their inexplicable behaviour left him feeling uncertain and uneasy as they dispersed to their tents, their faces clouded with sadness and gloom.


    As the others retired for the night, the ck-haired man remained on guard duty, vignt against any potential threats.


    "Mr. Kai," Ste''s voice broke through Aether''s thoughts.


    But Aether remained silent, his attention drawn to the mission prompt, pondering over the seduction aspect and unsure of how to proceed.


    "Kai?" Ste tried again, cing a hand on his shoulder.


    Startled, Aether jerked back, a reflexive response born of tension and apprehension.


    "HOO!!"


    Ste too was taken aback by Aether''s sudden reaction, but she couldn''t help but giggle at his terror-stricken expression.


    "Ahahaha... Why are you so tense? I''m not going to snatch you up and im you as my stray ve-- Oh, shit!" Ste''s words trailed off as she realized she had said more than intended.


    Aether was stunned, his mind racing with questions ''How does she know?'' as he opened his mouth to speak, "How?"


    "Sigh..." Ste sighed heavily, her gaze turning skyward as she reluctantly exined, "There''s a ve mark on the back of your neck."


    "What?"