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"Riku, you can't go alone. That's crazy!" Ivan said with a serious look. Everyone knew that if you ran into another race, someone had to be sacrificed so the rest could survive. That was just common sense.
Traveling alone meant death, plain and simple. Even the weakest monsters—like ogres—could tear a lone human to shreds the moment they were spotted.
Humans were just that fragile.
Death might feel like an escape for some… but choosing to die without purpose? That's just cowardice.
To the others, it seemed like Riku had already given up.
But in truth, Riku was the most capable among them. At just thirteen, he had led their people through constant escape and survival. And in four years, only 46 had died under his leadership—while the settlement grew to over two thousand people.
Anyone in the settlement would gladly die for Riku. Anyone could die—except him. He was the hope they clung to. The backbone of their survival. Their one and only leader.
"Relax. I'm not gonna do anything reckless," Riku said calmly. "I'm thinking clearly. This time, it's better if I go alone."
"But…" Korone looked worried, trying to say something, only to be cut off.
"Korone," Riku interrupted with a sudden smile, his golden eyes locking onto hers, "do you think I'd abandon my beautiful, adorable big sister just to die? I haven't even proposed to you yet."
"Wha—?!" Korone gasped in shock, her face turning bright red as she let go of his clothes and flailed in a panic.
"Phew, young love! So bold!" Ivan blinked, then burst out laughing. "Honestly, you two should've gotten married ages ago."
"Geez, teasing your sister like that is so not okay, Riku!" Korone huffed, still blushing, flustered but clearly not unhappy.
"I always keep my word." Riku grabbed his backpack and started walking away without looking back. "So just wait for me to come back."
"Geez…" Korone reached out instinctively, then sighed in frustration. She didn't know what Riku was planning, but one thing was clear—he wasn't going out there to die.
Still… he felt a little different somehow.
Korone's face was still a bit red as she murmured to herself.
"Uh… Korone? Are we really not gonna follow him?" Ivan scratched his chin, glancing at her.
"…Let's trust him this time," she finally said with a sigh. "Riku's not the kind of guy who does things without thinking."
"Got it." Ivan nodded. Over the years, they'd found all kinds of useful stuff—treasures that could help humanity. But there were always people tempted to take them home.
Riku never hesitated to snatch those items away and destroy them. They reacted to "spirits," drawing attention from other races. No matter how amazing they were, Riku would toss them without a second thought.
That calm, rational side of him—if he wasn't walking into death, then he had a plan. No doubt.
Even so, they couldn't help worrying. He hadn't told them anything before leaving.
After leaving the settlement, Riku adjusted the dust mask on his face and looked up at the sky in silence.
The sky was blood-red, like the planet itself was bleeding from endless war and destruction.
Floating all around were glowing, greenish-gray ashes—falling gently like snow and piling up on the ground.
They looked beautiful… but Riku knew better.
Those glittering specks were deadly.
They were the remains of spirits—their last light before death.
Spirit Ash. To humans—and almost all other living beings—it was pure poison.
Touch it, and it burns the skin. Get it in your eyes, you go blind. Inhale it or let it enter your body, and it'll melt your insides.
So yeah, those beautiful ashes? They were death in disguise. Even powerful races avoided areas thick with them.
"Humans really are a stubborn bunch," Riku muttered as he climbed onto his horse and kicked off, heading in a specific direction.
His official destination was a crashed goblin warship… but his real goal was treasure hunting.
The nearest bronze treasure chest was a little off the main route.
Three days later, Riku reached a hillside.
And man—those three days were rough. Way worse than expected. He nearly stumbled into several demon beasts and had to take huge detours just to avoid them.
Luckily, low-level demon beasts weren't very smart. They'd lost their hunting instincts, and with Riku being super careful, he avoided getting spotted.
If he had been seen, his only option would've been to use Shangri-La for emergency teleportation—but that costs a lot of energy.
Riku was just a normal human. His body was nowhere near someone like Sheele from Akame ga Kill. Using Shangri-La even once was exhausting—he couldn't afford to do it often.
"....."