They say that when a person has a lot to do, time flows quickly.
After enduring the frenzy, I began to live a normal daily life.
I was constantly on the move, not knowing when people might come crashing in.
First and foremost, I focused on finding a new place to stay. I needed to locate a suitable location before I could move my belongings.
However, it wasn't as easy as I thought to find a place I liked.
The cave I currently lived in was a place I had pondered over dozens of times during my childhood before settling down.
The cave itself was spacious, and it had a lot of built-in infrastructure. There were many rooms that branched off, and it even had a natural spring flowing inside. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as damp as I had expected.
Honestly, it was quite amazing to have such a large cave in the middle of the forest; the environment I lived in was quite good. After all, that’s why my past self had chosen it as my dwelling.
Anyway, because of that, I couldn’t help but have high standards.
Caves were rare enough that even I, who often roamed the forest, couldn’t easily find one.
Because of that, I ended up investing almost two weeks just to find a place to stay.
“Hm...”
To be honest, the place I finally found wasn’t that appealing.
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I chose it simply because there weren’t many monsters around, even though it was close to the depths.
The appearance of the dwelling was more akin to a pit than a cave.
It was closer to being underground rather than above ground, and it wasn’t very deep at all.
Well, I could at least avoid getting drenched in rain...
‘Well, it’s not deep enough for people to come in...’
I forced a smile but tried to think positively.
After all, this was the best place I had found after two weeks of searching, so I should consider it a good choice.
I didn’t tell anyone about the location of my new dwelling.
Then, for about a week, I dedicated myself to clearing out the clutter in my new home.
I sorted through the countless items piled up in the storage area.
“I was collecting trash...”
Although I was a naturalist living in a cave... I actually had quite a bit of stuff.
I had plenty of essentials like toilet paper and towels, as well as stored food and seasonings.
Since I couldn’t frequently go to the city, I had developed a habit of stocking up on necessary items for several months.
That way, I could minimize the hassle of going to the city and reduce threats.
So far, there hadn’t been any major issues, but as the need to move arose, it became a burden.
If it were up to me, I would want to move everything, but it was just too much to carry.
Moreover, the pit I had found wasn’t that spacious.
With no other option, I had to distinguish between the things I would take with me and the things I would leave behind.
“I need to take care of that tiger meat quickly.”
As I organized my things, it seemed like the items I would leave behind were piling up like a mountain.
It wasn’t just the essentials; I had accumulated various items over time.
‘Surely, I’ll find a use for this someday...’ My old habit of collecting things now created more work for me.
Once again, my past self was proving useless.
In the end, I decided to leave this place as just a storage area.
‘I’ll take what I need as I go.’
With that, I finished preparing for my move. I didn’t plan to delay.
Not knowing when the hunt team might arrive, it was best to hide as quickly as possible.
And so, I moved to my new dwelling.
It was a new home.
More than a week had passed since I found the new house.
During that time, the cold winter had gone, and fresh spring had arrived.
Naturally, I experienced the frenzy one more time. This time, it was an A-rank frenzy.
This time, instead of my original cave, I faced the frenzy in my new dwelling.
... It wasn’t easy. The depth of the pit was already shallow, and I had to endure the pain there.
Fortunately, monsters didn’t come, but if I left it like this, the pit would surely smell of blood.
I suspected that I wouldn’t be able to sleep well because of the blood scent.
Thus, I had no choice but to drag my almost fainting body to clean up inside the pit.
Even though I was exhausted to the point of feeling like I would die, the smell would hinder my survival.
After that, I also went down to the nearby lake to take a bath, which was a bonus.
“Phew...”
... Even though I hadn’t lived there long, many discomforts were already apparent.
But what could I do? I had to try to adapt as much as possible.
Of course, while this was happening, people continued to come to the forest. Among them were, of course, Yu Chae-rin and Im Ha-neul.
However, the way we met changed a bit after I moved.
Originally, they had visited me in the cave, but now I was the one going to see them.
It was a bit of a hassle, but I also needed to gather outside information.
“Today, for some reason, it’s you delivering the information instead of Chae-rin?”
“She’s been busy leveling up these days.”
“Ah, I see.”
What I mostly asked about were the movements of the knight orders.
After all, if the hunt team was coming, the first to react would likely be the knight orders.
“For now... I don’t think you have to worry too much. They seem really busy these days.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Dantalion too. The actions of those Lemegeton guys have been strange lately. So they’re currently in pursuit.”
She said that there was someone buying a large amount of wood and bricks in the market recently. They hadn’t properly identified the buyer yet, but it was probably Lemegeton.
It seemed they were busy trying to build some kind of structure.
Dantalion was still alive.
So, the knight orders were still incredibly busy.
Hearing that, I let out a sigh of relief.
“Phew...”
That was a relief. My life thread was still hanging on.
On the other hand, I also had this thought.
‘Wait a minute, then is there really no need to move houses right now?’
To be honest, my old home was the most comfortable.
But for a moment, as that complacent thought crossed my mind, I shook my head.
No, how long has it been since I moved? How could I already be thinking like this?
Not knowing when the hunt team might invade, it was right to continue living here for now.
‘Well, I did dig a secret passage in the cave, so it might be okay...’
Anyway, time passed.
Aside from the change of house, my life was no different than usual.
I hunted, ate, and slept.
Sometimes, I felt bored, but I could resolve that by meeting the people coming into the forest.
“Hey, where did they go?”
“Wow, no matter how much I search, I can’t find them.”
When I was tired of meeting people, I hid from the intruders coming into the forest.
“Hello! Today’s content is─!”
Sometimes, I met Chae-rin and appeared on her broadcast.
“Today, I have some surprising news. There’s someone among the otherworlders who can wield a sword. And that’s in the country I live in!”
Occasionally, I chatted with Im Ha-neul or Yu Chae-rin and listened to the information they brought.
It was a more peaceful daily life than I had expected.
There were no special events, and there hadn’t been any intrusions yet.
It seemed that, just as she said, the outside world was quite busy. So much so that they couldn’t afford to worry about someone like me.
However, as I continued living, my dissatisfaction with my current dwelling kept piling up.
After living there, it turned out that there were more inconveniences than I had expected.
First of all, the entrance to the pit was wider than I had thought.
This meant that the wind coming in was no joke.
No matter how I tried to block it with wood, the breeze still managed to sneak in through the gaps.
Well, it would be cool in the summer, but thinking about winter made me feel gloomy.
Secondly, the floor was too uneven. Even if I laid down a mat, I could feel the protruding parts when lying down.
In short, it was quite uncomfortable to sleep.
In addition, there were minor inconveniences, such as needing to walk all the way to the lake to wash.
The pit was smaller than I had thought, among other things.
Still, I managed to endure and live through it.
... If it weren't for the last thing.
What ultimately pushed me over the edge was when another frenzy hit after a month.
Fortunately, this time it was a B-rank frenzy. I could avoid my dwelling being drenched in blood.
“Phew...”
This time, the urge that popped up was lust, so I was trying my best to suppress that desire while indulging in some self-soothing.
Stuck in a pit without any side dishes...
I felt a bit miserable, but there was nothing I could do about it.
Even though B-rank frenzy was easier to endure than A-rank, it wasn't something to be ignored.
Anyway, while I was there, stripping off my clothes and trying to relieve my urges, an unexpected intruder entered the pit.
“Purr...?”
It was a very cute rabbit. It had become a bit larger due to magic, but it was still a fluffy, white bunny.
True to being an herbivore, it didn’t attack me. Instead, it just stared at me intently.
“......”
A suffocating silence lingered for a moment.
In the rabbit's bright red pupils, my naked self was reflected.
The emotion I felt at that moment was truly... indescribable.
It felt as if the rabbit was mocking me.
Fortunately, it quickly exited the pit, but my sense of self-loathing lingered for a long time, tormenting me.
It was a long night...
“Aah, indeed, my original home is the best.”
A few days later, I returned to the cave without hesitation.
The familiar scenery welcomed me. It was a warm sight I had seen for over ten years.
'Right.'
Even if someone came to search, they should search in the place I used to live.
I absolutely couldn’t live in that pit anymore.
“Ugh, it’s really dusty in here.”
Of course, I didn’t completely abandon that pit.
Though it was uncomfortable to live in, it was still a space where beasts rarely entered and people hardly approached.
I planned to use it as a refuge later when the hunt team inevitably arrived.
After all, I had also dug a side path in the cave, so I didn’t have to worry about being surrounded.
With that, I cleaned the house and lay down casually.
No matter how I looked at it, this place was good. It was hard to leave after living here for over ten years.
While I was resting for a moment,
“Hm?”
Pat-pat.
With a strangely lively sound of footsteps, someone approached.
There were three armed women. Judging by their weapons and armor, they looked like high-level adventurers.
When they saw me, they casually started a conversation.
“Is this the one?”
“Yes, that’s right. That’s the demon’s bloodline!”
“Wow, just looking at the appearance is worth it. It’s worth coming to such a dangerous place.”
I raised my guard and activated my ‘Player’s Eye.’
It was quite an interesting combination.
One of them was an otherworlder, and the other two were Gaia residents.
From their appearance, it seemed that the otherworlder had brought the other two here.
I looked at them and asked,
“What are you? Why did you come here...?”
“What do you think, you little shit?”
One of the adventurers grinned.
“We came to collect the bounty on your head.”
With that, she drew her sword and charged at me.