World Awakening: The Legendary Player-Chapter 63: New Feeling

The morning light was a soft gray that filtered down through the thick canopy of the forest. Serian woke up slowly, her body still heavy with a deep, healing sleep. The first thing she noticed was the smell of something cooking. It was a simple, savory scent, and it made her stomach rumble.

She pushed herself up, her back stiff from sleeping on the hard ground. Across the clearing, the fire was going again, a small, steady blaze that pushed back the morning chill. Nox was there, his back to her, and he was crouched over a small metal pot balanced on two rocks over the flames. He stirred whatever was inside with a stick.

He didn’t look like he did during the fight. The dark energy was gone, and his posture wasn’t as tense. He just looked like a boy trying to make breakfast.

She tried to stand up, but a sharp pain shot through her ankle. She winced, a small sound escaping her lips before she could stop it.

Nox’s head turned at the sound. He looked at her, his expression neutral, not annoyed. "Morning," he said. His voice was quiet. "Your ankle still bad?"

"It’s manageable," she lied, though the throbbing told a different story.

He didn’t call her out on the lie. He just nodded and turned back to the pot. A minute later, he stood up and walked over to her. He held out one of the tin cups from his pack. It was full of steaming noodles.

"Here," he said. "Eat."

She took it from him, surprised by the simple gesture. The cup was hot, she had to shift it in her hands. "Thank you."

"Don’t mention it," he said. He went back to the fire and ate his own portion straight from the pot.

They ate in a comfortable silence. It wasn’t like the tense quiet from before, filled with suspicion and questions. This was just... easy. Serian watched him as she ate her noodles. He wasn’t glaring into the trees or fidgeting with his sword. He just ate his food, his gaze fixed on the fire.

’He seems... calmer,’ she thought. It was a small change, but after the raw fury she’d seen him unleash, the quiet was a big difference.

When they were done, she set the empty cup down. The food had warmed her up, she felt a little more human. "What is our plan for today?" she asked, her voice clear. "Do we continue north?"

He looked up from the fire. He was quiet for a long moment, and she could see him thinking, his gaze distant. ’Can’t tell her about the System mission,’ he thought. ’Cleanse the forest? She’d think I’m crazy or on a suicide mission. And I’m not strong enough to do it alone, not yet.’

He looked over at her, his eyes landing on her injured ankle. "We’re not going anywhere yet," he said, his tone firm but not harsh. "Your ankle is messed up. You can barely walk on it."

"I can manage," she started to protest. "We cannot afford to linger here. This forest is not safe."

"And it’ll be even less safe if you can’t run," he shot back, his voice still even. "We’re staying put for a day or two. Let it heal up some." He saw the argument still in her eyes and decided to sell his cover story. "Besides," he added, leaning forward a little. "This place is full of those wolves, and probably worse things. It’s a good place for me to train. Get stronger."

She looked at him, her brow furrowed. "You wish to hunt those creatures deliberately?"

"They’re walking EXP," he said, then caught himself. ’Shit.’ "They’re good practice," he corrected, hoping she didn’t notice the slip. "I need to get better at fighting if we’re going to survive out here. And this place is a perfect training ground."

His logic, while reckless, made a certain kind of sense. She was a liability with her injury, and he needed to be stronger to protect them both. The thought of him actively seeking out those monsters was frightening, but she also remembered the power he had used. Maybe he knew what he was doing.

"Very well," she agreed slowly. "But you will not go off on your own."

"Wouldn’t dream of it," he said, though he had definitely been dreaming of it. "Come on." He stood up and walked over to her. He knelt down and looked at her ankle. It was swollen and bruised. "We need to wrap this up properly."

He took a straight, sturdy branch and broke it to the right length. He then pulled a strip of clean cloth from his pack and carefully made a splint for her. His hands were surprisingly gentle as he worked, his movements efficient and sure. She just watched him, her mind trying to reconcile this focused, almost caring person with the cold, angry boy from the day before.

When he was done, he stood up. "That should hold it for a while. Let’s go for a walk. Scout the area."

He helped her to her feet, his grip firm on her arm until she found her balance. She put a little weight on her injured foot and found that the splint made a big difference. It still hurt, but she could walk without feeling like her ankle was going to snap.

They walked through the forest, the splint he had made for her ankle surprisingly sturdy. She still limped, but it was better than before. The quiet between them wasn’t tense anymore. It was just... quiet.

"Nox," she said after a while, her voice soft.

He grunted, not looking at her. "What?"

"I have been thinking," she said, her eyes on the path ahead. "About what you said last night. About your old school, and the people there." She paused, picking her way over a thick root. "And about my home. The betrayal."

He didn’t say anything, just kept walking. He didn’t want to talk about this stuff. It was pointless.

"For so long," she went on, "that hatred I felt... it clouded my eyes. I saw all humans through the memory of that one clan who wronged my people." She stopped walking, and he found himself stopping too, turning to look at her.

"I have always known, logically, that not all humans are bad," she said, her eyes meeting his. They were clear and steady. "But knowing it and feeling it are two different things." She looked down for a second, then back up at him. "These past few days with you... you have taught me a lot. You are... different."

A small, genuine smile touched her lips. It wasn’t the amused smirk she’d had when she beat him in the race. This was something else. It was warm, and it seemed to light up her whole face.

"You are not like them," she said simply.

He just stared at her. His brain, which was so good at figuring out fight patterns and monster weaknesses, had no idea what to do with that look. With that smile. He felt something in his chest, a weird, unfamiliar thump-thump-thump that was way faster than it should be.

’What the hell is this?’ he thought, his own mind feeling foreign to him. ’Why is my heart beating so fast? This is stupid.’

He was so surprised by the new sensation that he looked away, his eyes finding a particularly boring-looking tree to stare at. He felt his face get a little warm.

Serian’s smile faded, replaced by a confused frown. "Did I... say something to offend you?" she asked, her voice uncertain. freeweɓnovel-cøm

"No," he managed to get out, his voice a little rough. "It’s nothing. Let’s just keep moving."

He started walking again, faster this time, leaving her to hurry after him, her brow still furrowed in confusion.

He didn’t get it. He had faced down mercenaries and monsters that could tear him in half, and he’d felt that cold thrill of the fight. But one smile from an elf princess, and his body was acting like it was the most dangerous thing in the world. Such a dangerous feeling.

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