The three walked continuously for several minutes, and the density of the dead trees began to thicken. As Alen walked quietly behind them, he suddenly heard voices up ahead.

"Hey! Don’t take it, that’s my food! Bastard, give me that!" a girl’s voice echoed through the woods.

"Hehe... I am the one who gathered the wood and brought the meat, so I should be the one to eat it," a guy replied teasingly.

"Hey, but I’m the one who cooked it! Give it back!"

"Are you two going to stop?" another young man snapped at them.

As Alen neared their team’s temporary camp, the bickering became more distinct. Kira walked in front, pushing past the bushes and stepping into the clearing. The argument abruptly stopped. No one dared to cause a scene in her presence. The surroundings fell completely silent, as if the fight had never even happened.

A girl named Lina rolled her eyes and whistled a slow, mumbling tune, acting like everything was perfectly fine. A guy named Alfred calmly chewed on a piece of barbecue, looking away from Kira.

Another young man, Siar, stood up. "Miss Kira, you’re back. Did you find the person Maira sensed?"

A short distance away, a hooded girl was sitting against a tree trunk. The dark fabric covered half of her face, making it difficult to read her expressions. She looked like a deeply introverted person. This was Maira, the mage.

"Yeah, I found him," Kira said, stepping aside.

Everyone’s gaze suddenly shifted as they noticed the boy standing behind Bram. He had striking silver hair and azure blue eyes. He looked incredibly handsome.

Lina’s face instantly lit up with excitement.

"Wow... It seems you found a hidden gem, Miss Kira! How did you find such a handsome guy in this disgusting forest?!"

She quickly ran toward him. Alen tried to step back, feeling uncomfortable at the sudden closeness. Lina completely ignored his discomfort and boldly reached out, pinching his cheeks.

"Damn, his skin is so soft! It’s like I’m touching a baby’s cheeks. Hey, can I kiss you?... Oh, I mean only on the cheek, of course," she asked shamelessly.

"What?! N-Nope! Absolutely not!"

Alen quickly stepped back, putting distance between himself and the wild girl.

"Oh... Is that so? Well, you’re right. Why would you let me kiss you when we just met?"

"I guess you’re coming with us on the mission, so I’ll just do it after we get to know each other better! Hehehe..."

Siar sighed and shook his head at Lina’s antics.

Alfred stepped forward, looking at Alen with a calculating, sharp gaze.

"Well, judging from his slim build, he doesn’t seem very strong. How did he even survive out here up to now?"

Siar smacked the back of Alfred’s head.

"Ouch! Why the f*ck did you hit me?" Alfred complained.

"Just because you have a bulky body doesn’t mean you automatically pass trials," Siar scolded him.

"You also have to solve things with your brain, something you seem to lack."

Siar then turned to Alen with a softer expression.

"But I am also curious. How did you survive, kid? You seem to be entirely alone. Did your teammates sacrifice their lives to save you?"

At Siar’s question, Alen replied calmly. "I survived purely because of sheer luck. I didn’t have any teammates... at least, I don’t think I did. I don’t remember. I lost my memories when I arrived here."

It was mostly true. Alen did survive because of his absurd luck. If he had been hit by the purple lightning when he first arrived, or if he hadn’t stumbled upon the hidden chamber containing the Holy Grail, he wouldn’t have passed the hidden trial. He would have been stuck in that spatial loop forever, a fate more terrifying than death itself.

If the System had a ’Luck’ stat, Alen was sure he possessed at least an A-Rank.

"Oh! What a pity..." Siar sighed sympathetically.

"It’s sad for you to suddenly lose your memories. But don’t worry. As long as you stay with us, your chances of survival are much higher, unless something completely bizarre happens."

Alen nodded. He glanced over at the distant mage sitting by the tree.

’Kira mentioned that the mage was the one who detected me. Sensing me from that far away in a forest full of undead... she must be incredibly powerful.’

For a split second, Maira’s pitch-black eyes turned toward him from beneath her hood. Alen felt a sudden, uneasy chill run down his spine, but he quickly paid it no mind. It wasn’t his business to force a conversation with an introverted stranger who clearly wanted to be left alone.

As the team went back to chatting and bickering among themselves, Alen walked past them and sat down near the campfire, leaning his back against a dead tree. He stared at the crackling flames, watching the meat sizzling on the skewers.

Looking at the fire, a distant, warm memory suddenly surfaced in his mind.

...

"Mom! Can you make a tasty barbecue for me?"

"Mom! I want meat!"

"Dad! Please, give me the first piece!"

"Okay, okay, Al, just wait a little bit, baby. Let it cool down a little, or your tongue might get stung..."

"N-no! I am a strong guy! My tongue won’t get burned!"

Little Alen snatched the piece of barbecue from the plate with a swift motion and took a massive bite.

The moment he started chewing, his little face turned bright red. He swallowed the bite as quickly as he could. His parents stood still for a moment, both of them looking at him with deeply worried gazes.

Little Alen rolled his eyes, trying his absolute hardest to look calm, even though his tongue felt like it was literally on fire.

After a few seconds of feeling his parents’ constant, worried stares, he turned around and opened his mouth, panting. A small puff of steam released from his lips.

He crossed his arms, trying to look tough, as if the boiling hot food he had just eaten was nothing.

"Look! I am completely alright!" he declared cheerfully.

His parents sighed in relief. They had clearly seen through his tough-guy act. His lips were bright red from the heat.

His mom smiled warmly.

"Okay, baby. If it didn’t burn, then can you eat another piece? Right?"

"W-what?! N-no! No-no-no-no! It burns! It burns! I don’t want to eat anymore right now!"

"Hehe... My dear, you just ate it and said you were strong," she teased.

"No! I was lying! I don’t want to eat it now!"

"Hahhahha..."

Warm laughter filled the campsite as his parents couldn’t help but laugh at his honesty. Little Alen looked at them with a pouted expression and slightly moist eyes.

His parents walked over and hugged him tightly.

"My dear, it’s alright. You can eat it after it gets cold," his mom soothed him.

"Yeah, you’re still a child," his dad added, grinning.

"After you grow as big as me, you will be able to eat it hot."

His father then confidently picked up a steaming hot piece of barbecue from the plate and popped it into his mouth.

Suddenly, he froze.

"Cough!... Cough!... Haah... Haah! It-it’s hot!"

"Heheheheh..."

Little Alen and his mom burst out laughing at his father’s bright red face. As his father looked down at their laughing faces, he couldn’t help but smile through the pain of his burned tongue.

The family trip was completely successful, carried purely by the warmth of their smiles.

...

As Alen thought of the past, a small, bittersweet smile slowly formed on his face.

Suddenly, a plate of meat was offered in front of him. Siar stood beside him, holding out the food.

"Take it, child."

"Tch! I am not a child,"

Alen muttered, snapping out of his daze. He still reached out and took the plate, though.

He took a large bite of the meat. As he chewed, it tasted absolutely disgusting—bland, tough, and gamey. But because he had been starving for days, it was a feast compared to the alternative of eating the dead leaves of the forest.

He swallowed it down. As he sat there eating, he looked at the team around him. They were talking, bickering, and laughing with each other around the fire. It was a perfect picture of camaraderie.

But as Alen watched them, he felt a profound sense of isolation. He felt like he shouldn’t be the one sitting there. He felt like he didn’t belong with them at all.