Chapter 04
Kalion said he would look for a safe zone again and told me to wait, but I said I wanted to stay with him.
If I stayed alone in some “safe” place, something like what just happened would obviously happen again, and I had no intention of dying while trying to escape and slipping up.
Even if I ended up trailing behind him like fish droppings stuck to a goldfish, sticking together with Kalion until we reached the village was the best option.
Though whether that village was even safe was also questionable.
“Understood, Master. Please do not stray from my side.”
From Kalion’s perspective, I must have been nothing but a useless burden with no strength or abilities, yet he accepted my request surprisingly easily. The collapse of the cave must have shocked him as well.
He had left me in what he believed was a safe place, but because it wasn’t safe, I almost died.
If I had actually died, he would’ve felt even more guilt, so it was probably better for him to keep me directly under his protection.
Just from watching him slice through that monstrous creature in a single strike, I could tell Kalion was strong.
If I screamed hard enough next to him to provide some kind of “buff,” maybe we could at least make it to the village safely.
…That prediction was wrong.
We had planned to detour back through the canyon to avoid monster territory, but it turned out that area was swarming with monsters that had wandered out of their habitat in groups.
It was a narrow canyon with only one path, so there was no way to escape, and we ended up cornered.
As expected of a monster hunter, Kalion managed to cut them all down—but he suffered a deep wound to his chest in the process.
“Kalion, stay with me! Don’t lose consciousness!”
If I had been alone, I would’ve distracted the monsters and escaped or hidden myself, but Kalion had to fight them head-on while protecting me, which forced him to take them all down one by one.
If my “screaming buff” had also applied to me, I would’ve sprinted away at full speed. Useless system.
“Soon the sun will set.”
We needed somewhere to hide and rest for the night.
I desperately scanned our surroundings.
There was no cave, but I spotted a large rock formation.
Above it, massive tree roots wrapped around it, and there was a wide enough gap—it looked sufficient for shelter for a night.
‘But what if it collapses while I’m inside?’
Should I leave Kalion and go somewhere else? But where? If I tried sleeping on a tree and the branch snapped, I’d fall to my death. If I just curled up somewhere and covered myself with leaves, would that even count as sleeping?
It would be nice if “humans in distress” were allowed at least a bit of comfort.
“Master… this way. The outside is dangerous…”
Kalion stopped me as I tried to go back out. He didn’t look well.
He insisted his injuries weren’t serious, but it was clearly just to reassure me.
‘You can’t just leave an injured person.’
If I caused that rock to collapse again… that would make me the triple crown winner of “garbage system,” “garbage status window,” and “garbage quest.”
If I still had any conscience, I should leave the patient alone.
Cursing the system inwardly, I moved next to Kalion and crouched down beside him.
The space was small, so even crouching meant our bodies slightly touched.
“Sorry, Kalion.”
“…Why are you apologizing?”
“You’re protecting me, but… I’ve just been screaming the whole time. It must’ve been annoying.”
In truth, I had been trying to apply a buff through screaming, but from Kalion’s perspective, I probably just looked like a hysterical woman.
But since Kalion couldn’t see my system window, explaining that my screams were actually helping him wouldn’t make sense.
“Not at all. Thanks to you, I was able to defeat the monsters.”
Huh?
“The moment your voice echoed, the monsters’ movements slowed down.”
So what I experienced as a speed buff must have felt like enemy debuffing from Kalion’s perspective.
Since speed is relative, that wasn’t entirely wrong.
“I think your voice has the power to suppress monsters.”
No, it’s just an ally buff—it doesn’t affect monsters.
But I couldn’t exactly explain the mechanics, so I just smiled and let it pass.
“Phew…”
Kalion let out a deep breath and leaned against the rock. Sweat beaded on his neat forehead.
‘He must be in pain.’
Even a small cut burns and throbs with heat; a wound that deep must be difficult to endure while staying conscious.
“Kalion, are you in a lot of pain?”
“I… am fine…”
His voice sounded strained, which made me uneasy.
I wished he would just fall asleep, but he kept asking me to talk to him so he could stay alert in case of another monster attack.
‘If you’re going to give a skill, at least give me healing.’
What kind of world doesn’t even have basic healing skills?
Just then, a system window suddenly appeared.
[Virtue of Sacrifice]
Do you want to consume your life force to heal the injuries of ally [Kalion]?
Yes / No
What is this? So healing was possible?
I had thought I was just a support-type character with only a single buff skill—but apparently I was a healer too.
“Consume life force… to heal…”
So I might save Kalion here and die.
I thought for a moment.
I didn’t know how much life force would be consumed per heal, but Kalion wouldn’t be able to fight monsters in this condition—and without him, escaping or even finding the village would be impossible.
‘Anyway, I only have 30 days to live.’
Dying from being crushed in a cave collapse or torn apart by monsters was unacceptable, but dying after saving Kalion didn’t seem so bad.
‘If I save someone and die, it probably won’t be that painful, right?’
After making my decision, I looked at the system window.
Without even pressing it, it seemed my intention alone activated it—the “Yes” button was automatically selected, and the window disappeared. A faint blue light appeared over Kalion’s body.
[Healing begins]
Kiss the blue marker of the guide.
The closer the contact is to the wound, the stronger the healing effect.
Guide marker [V]
Linked with charm skill (disabled due to lack of acquisition)
Why did this suddenly turn into a sexual harassment event?
I shifted my gaze to Kalion.
The blue markers appeared on his forehead, lips, wounded chest, and left hand.
And then a particularly intense glow appeared in an unbelievable place.
‘Why… why is his left thigh glowing?’
I thought this was just a brutal survival game, but was this world actually an otome game?
‘Even if it is, isn’t this too much?! I’ve barely known him for a few days!’
Romance games are supposed to be about fluttering, sweet feelings—not this kind of situation. This just makes me a creep.
I can’t do something like that to someone I’ve only just met.
He got injured protecting me, after all. There are limits to ingratitude.
I had resolved myself to die after healing Kalion, but I didn’t want to be misunderstood as a pervert.
I looked away from the glowing lower half of Kalion.
Even I had basic moral standards.
‘The most reasonable place is…’
His hand.
Pressing my lips to his chest would be most effective, but I didn’t have the courage for that.
It didn’t say contact was useless if it wasn’t close—just that it would be less effective.
Morality and logic aligned. The hand it is.
‘Now the question is how to do this naturally…’
I glanced at Kalion. His handsome face had blue markers floating over it, making it even harder.
“Guide marker off.”
As I thought it, the check mark disappeared and the blue lights vanished. I had memorized the positions, so I didn’t need the guide anymore.
“Kalion.”
“Yes…”
“I… I’m sorry I didn’t thank you sooner. And thank you for saving me. Truly.”
Kalion blinked, as if surprised by the sudden gratitude. But gratitude can never be expressed enough, and this was the perfect opportunity for contact.
With trembling eyes, I reached out and gently grabbed his left hand.
‘I’m saving you right now. I’m not doing anything strange!’
To avoid being misunderstood as a pervert, I tried my best to look sincere.
“I couldn’t help you at all… If only I could take your pain away…”
“Ah…”
Kalion tried to say something.
Before he could pull away, I quickly held his hand with both of mine and pressed my lips against the back of his hand.
