Chapter 229: Beware of the Night
"What is your secret?"
Ruvian lowered his gaze for a moment, quietly thinking over her question. A few seconds later, a small chuckle escaped him. "It seems you’ve done some secret research about me."
A teasing smile appeared on his face as he looked at her.
Yerin let out a soft laugh.
"I was only curious as a squad leader, can’t I?"
Ruvian smiled before giving a small shrug.
"Fine, I’ll answer your question..."
He sighed.
"Honestly, there really isn’t any secret." (+100PP)
Yerin studied his face for a few seconds before the corners of her lips curved upward into a faint smile. Even so, the doubtful look in her eyes did not disappear.
"Really...? Hmm, I find that hard to believe."
Ruvian simply laughed before walking toward a nearby boulder. He brushed away a few loose pebbles with his hand before sitting down.
"You should trust me, but if you really want to know—"
He rested his arms on his knees and looked quietly toward the forest ahead.
"—I will just say that it isn’t some shortcut or secret method, haha. If I had to describe it, I would be something much simpler."
"I see... what is it then?"
He smiled faintly.
"Just trying to become a little better than I was yesterday... ah, and learning what it truly means to take responsibility for my own life."
Yerin stared at him with an odd expression.
Ruvian raised an eyebrow.
"What’s with that look? I’m serious."
Yerin quickly waved both hands.
"No, no. It’s just... that wasn’t the answer I was expecting."
A small laugh escaped Ruvian before he bent down and picked up a dry twig, absentmindedly rolling it between his fingers.
"Most people think getting stronger happens because someone finds the perfect method or some incredible opportunity."
He gently snapped the twig in half.
"Well, that’s also true in one way or another, but from what I’ve experienced, real progress is usually much less exciting than that. It’s about laying one brick at a time, even when you can’t yet see the shape of what you’re building."
He looked ahead with a calm smile.
"After all, becoming stronger has never been about making one huge leap."
Yerin slowly nodded.
"...That part, I understand, Ruvian."
She remained quiet for another moment before tilting her head slightly.
"But earlier... you mentioned responsibility. What does responsibility have to do with becoming stronger?"
Ruvian became silent, then he smiled.
"Everything." (+100PP)
He lowered his eyes to his hands and quietly rubbed his thumb against his fingers.
"Believe it or not, but many people misunderstand what responsibility really is."
Ruvian shook his head.
"Every time they hear that word, all they think about is pressure, expectations, or burdens. But that’s not what responsibility truly means. At least, not to me."
He looked toward the quiet forest ahead of them.
"To me, I think responsibility is about accepting that your future is shaped more by your choices rather than the circumstances you inherit. You cannot control everything that happens to you, that’s impossible for most of the time, but... you can decide who you become because of it."
Ruvian felt a little bit wistful.
"And once you truly understand what you’re responsible for... everything will start to be different."
"You stop waiting for life to become easier and decide to work hard for it. You stop hoping someone else will fix the things you’re unhappy about and do it yourself."
He wistfully chuckled.
"Oh, to tell you the truth... back then, I didn’t believe such things too."
Yerin looked at him curiously.
"You... you didn’t?"
He shook his head with a helpless smile.
"Yeah. Not even close. But there was someone who kept drilling these ideas into my head. She’s the most pushy person in the whole world, by the way."
"But looking back..."
His expression softened.
"...I’m glad she is always that kind of person."
Yerin looked up at the afternoon sky peeking through the branches, quietly thinking over everything he had said.
She wasn’t sure she understood every part of it yet.
But somehow...
It made sense.
"I see."
Then, a familiar, rough voice echoed through the trees before the others even came into view.
"Oi, we’re back!"
A moment later, Arlok emerged from the forest carrying a large bundle of dry firewood over one shoulder that was tied together with sturdy vines.
Behind him, Shima and Horren carried another stack of neatly gathered firewood, along with several sturdy branches.
Arlok grinned as soon as he spotted Ruvian and Yerin.
"Hahaha! Found plenty of firewood! This should keep us warm the whole night."
His eyes immediately wandered around the clearing.
"So, what about the meat?"
Yerin smiled before walking over to meet them.
"That’s already taken care of."
Ruvian rose from the boulder and lightly dusted the dirt from his clothes.
Shima gave a satisfied nod as she lowered her bundle of wood onto the ground. "Then all that’s left is setting up before sunset."
Everyone exchanged a brief glance before quietly looking around the clearing. They had clean water, fresh meat, enough firewood to last through the night, and an open campsite that was easy to defend.
Everything they needed had finally been prepared.
Now, all that remained was to wait for night to fall.
*****
After a few hours, it finally came.
Ruvian stared at the sky as the dusk bled across the horizon. The last rays of sunlight slowly faded beyond the distant hills while darkness steadily swallowed the land.
The open grassland offered little shelter beyond the tall, dry grass swaying in the evening breeze.
Knowing how dangerous the island became after sunset, everyone immediately got to work. None of them wanted to remain exposed once night had fully fallen.
Standing near the center of the campsite, Arlok lowered himself into a crouch and placed one rough hand against the ground.
Then, he cast an incantation of a spell.
[Earth Shelter].
Soon, the ground trembled before slowly rising around them. Thick earthen walls curved upward from the soil, their lower halves rooted deep underground while their upper edges slanted inward to conceal those within.
Within moments, the open campsite had become a shallow earthen refuge.
The shelter remained open only through a narrow gap above, wide enough for them to watch the night sky while keeping their presence hidden from anything wandering across the plains at night.
Ruvian’s eyes narrowed.
’It’s about time now.’
The moment Arlok’s spell came to an end, the sound itself seemed to be removed from existence, as if the wind had completely disappeared.
Even the faint chorus of insects that had lingered across the plains was swallowed by an unnatural silence.
With that, with the arrival of the silence and the tenebrous mantle...
The island’s first night had finally begun.
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[Chapter 229: Beware of the Night]
Plot Points= 15,855
