The darkness inside the cave wasn't absolute…
but it was enough to make time lose its meaning.
I lay on the rocky ground, my back pressed against the cold surface, my breathing uneven. Every inhale was painful, and every exhale carried the taste of blood. I hadn't moved for minutes—or hours. I could no longer tell.
The mana in my core was at an uncomfortable level.
Not empty… but sluggish. Heavy.
As if it responded only with reluctance.
With difficulty, I extended my hand and pressed it against the wound on my side.
The bleeding had slowed—but it hadn't stopped completely.
"…Bad."
Not fatal yet.
But close enough that any mistake could become one.
I closed my eyes.
I didn't sleep.
My awareness was unnaturally sharp, as if my body refused to lose it. Every small sound in the cave—a drop of water, a shifting stone—was enough to pull me back to the present.
Survival.
That was all that remained.
After a while, thoughts began to seep in.
Not as voices…
but as shadows.
"Was it worth it?"
I didn't know where the question came from.
But it didn't feel unfamiliar.
I left the academy.
Entered an unforgiving forest.
Fought until I was drained.
Ran.
And now here I was… injured, hiding, struggling to breathe in a dark cave.
If I had stayed there…
If I had waited—
"…No."
My eyes snapped open.
Waiting was never an option.
It never had been.
Time in this world does not offer equal chances. Those who hesitate… are crushed.
A faint tremor ran through my fingers.
Fatigue was beginning to creep into my nerves.
"Sleep a little,"
a calm inner voice whispered.
"Just one minute."
I knew that voice.
The voice of surrender.
I smiled weakly, without sarcasm.
"If I sleep… I won't wake up."
Not because I'd die instantly—
but because I'd lose my edge.
And in a place like this…
losing your edge meant the end.
I refocused on my body.
Breathing.
Rhythm.
Slow inhale.
Longer exhale.
I began gathering mana—not to use it,
but simply to feel it.
It was scattered.
Unstable.
But it was there.
That alone was enough.
As time passed, my vision began to blur slightly.
The darkness at the edges of my sight shifted.
It wasn't real.
I knew that.
But an exhausted mind doesn't care about logic.
I saw shadows moving near the cave entrance.
I heard faint whispers.
"Here…"
My grip tightened around the sword.
Nothing moved.
Moments later, I realized the truth.
Hallucinations.
I let out a quiet laugh, then stopped when it turned into a painful cough.
"…Great."
Even my mind was rebelling now.
I closed my eyes again—not to sleep—
but to escape the images.
And then…
the memories came.
Not from this world.
But from the one I had left behind.
Long nights.
Helplessness.
The feeling of everything being slowly taken away.
Family.
I clenched my jaw hard.
"Not now."
But memories don't ask for permission.
I saw the faces.
Heard the voices.
And felt that old sensation again—
the feeling of being weak, of a world that never waits.
I forced my eyes open.
The darkness returned.
The cold.
The pain.
Better.
This pain was real.
This place was real.
And here…
I was in control.
More time passed—I didn't know how much.
Hunger began to surface.
Thirst as well.
But the most dangerous thing…
was mental fatigue.
Decisions became slower.
Thoughts… heavier.
And then I understood.
This was the real danger.
Not the Rank C beast.
Not the forest.
But these moments.
The moments where your own mind convinces you that stopping is justified.
I slowly sat up, my back against the wall, my head slightly lowered.
"Listen carefully."
I was speaking to myself.
"I will not die here."
Not a heroic declaration.
Not a vow.
A decision.
I'll move when I can.
Recover with what I have.
And continue.
Not because I'm certain of success—
but because the alternative… is unacceptable.
I placed my hand on my chest, over the core.
I felt the pulse.
Slow… but steady.
"As long as this is still working…"
I drew in a deep breath.
"…I'll keep going."
The night outside passed without me seeing it.
But inside the cave…
There was no sleep.
Only awareness.
Sharp.
Dark.
And clinging to life more fiercely than ever.
And that…
Was enough for one more night.
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