Sword Art Online: Moonlight Swordman.

The atmosphere was heavy.

At this moment....

No one spoke.

They trudged along the worn path leading back into town, each step weighed down by exhaustion.

Their ragged breathing mixed with the cold air of the Starting Town.

The cobblestone streets lay silent under the flickering lamplights, indifferent to the weary figures passing through the gates.

Ren leaned against a nearby wall, trying to steady his breath. His body trembled slightly whether from exhaustion or the lingering adrenaline of battle, he wasn't sure.

Cold sweat clung to his clothes, soaking through the fabric, yet he felt no warmth. The chill crept into him, not from the outside, but from within.

'I'm still alive.'

He clenched his hand, feeling the stiffness in his palm from gripping his weapon too tightly for too long.

There were no visible wounds on his body, but the sense of danger still lingered with every breath he took.

Beside him, Klein planted his sword into the ground, his gaze fixed on the town gates, as if he still couldn't believe they had made it out alive.

His eyes darkened, reflecting the images of the two Elite Dire Wolves that had chased them down not long ago.

"Issin, you okay?" Dale finally broke the silence.

Issin collapsed onto a stone step, his fingers still wrapped tightly around his sword hilt, as if letting go would cause him to collapse entirely.

A deep gash from a wolf's claw had torn into his shoulder earlier, though the wound had now vanished. But Issin only furrowed his brows, saying nothing.

"What a pain..." Dynamm muttered, tossing a healing potion in Issin's direction. "Drink up. We can't afford to waste the entire day like this."

Letting HP regenerate naturally would save resources, but they still had more hunting to do.

Issin caught the potion, sighing. "Thanks."

After a while, once their breathing had steadied, Klein was the first to break the silence.

"We need to have a serious conversation," he said, his gaze sweeping across the group.

Dale nodded slowly. "About leaving the Starting Town?"

Silence settled over them for a brief moment.

Klein glanced at the faces of those who had fought alongside him in this battle.

Their fight with the two Elite Dire Wolves wasn't just a test of strength, it was a warning. If they didn't get stronger, they would die.

"We can't stay here forever," Klein said firmly. "The monsters here are no longer a challenge for us. Quest rewards are barely worth it. If we want to progress, we need to move to a higher-level area."

"Agreed." Issin nodded, his expression serious. "We got lucky this time and managed to escape. But if we keep standing still, next time, we might not be so lucky."

"But..." Dynamm hesitated. "Where do we go?"

Dale pulled up the map, his fingers tracing over the routes leading to the lands beyond. "There are a few villages and towns nearby. From what I can see, the next town has better quests and monsters worth farming. If we move quickly, we can reach it within a day."

"A higher-level town, huh?" Dynamm murmured. "Is it dangerous?"

"Without a doubt," Klein admitted after a pause. "But it's the only path forward if we want to grow stronger."

No one disagreed.

Dale turned to Ren, who had been silent all this time. "What about you, Ren?"

Ren flinched.

All eyes were on him.

He didn't know how to answer.

Leaving this place…?

He had just barely survived a terrifying battle.

The feeling of danger still clung to him, lurking in the cold breeze.

If he left, battles like that would happen again.

And they might be even worse.

But… if he stayed here forever, then what?

Could he keep avoiding it? Keep hiding within the safety of the Starting Town?

'Is that really what I want?'

Ren unconsciously clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms hard enough to sting.

He took a deep breath. "...I need time to think."

No one forced him to decide. But they all understood, sooner or later, Ren would have to choose a path.

His hesitation.

No one spoke as they left the town square, a place filled with voices and movement, yet unable to erase the emptiness weighing on their hearts.

The narrow alleyways leading to the inn were as quiet as ever.

Occasionally, they passed other players...some in lively groups, laughing after a completed quest; others alone, dragging their feet with near-depleted HP, proof of hard-fought battles.

Ren followed behind the group, but his mind felt heavy.

Klein and Dale weren't wrong. If they wanted to advance, they had to leave.

But why...

Why couldn't he agree so easily?

Their battle with the two Elite Dire Wolves had been brutal, a near-death experience.

If not for Klein's quick thinking, one of them might not have made it out of that forest. It was a harsh reminder of something Ren had been trying to ignore, this world was not just a game.

It was real.

Death was real.

Ren quietly gripped the old spear at his waist, feeling the rough, cold texture of the handle. When the fight broke out… what had he done? Not much.

Compared to the others, he was slow, clumsy, and consumed by fear.

If he left the Starting Town, what awaited him?

Stronger monsters? Even more terrifying battles?

Or worse dangerous players like Tarek, Copper, and Scholar?

He didn't know.

It wasn't challenges that scared him.

What scared him was himself, the fear that, when faced with a true fight, he would freeze up, powerless once again.

Dale, walking ahead, suddenly stopped and glanced back at Ren. "You okay?"

Ren snapped out of his thoughts, quickly nodding. "I'm fine."

Dale studied him for a moment before continuing forward.

No one pressured Ren to decide right now.

But somehow, that silence only made him feel more pressured.

He didn't want to be left behind.

But he wasn't sure if he was ready to move forward.

That feeling of conflict lingered inside him, even as they reached the inn.

They resumed hunting in the afternoon.

But, of course, not Elite Dire Wolves.

It was the familiar forest spiders, the giant snakes, and the Dire Wolves.

But the results were far from ideal.

The experience gained had nearly halved.

A regular Dire Wolf used to give Ren 24 experience points when he was at levels 2 and 3.

Now, it was a mere 11 to 12 EXP.

[Name: Ren]

Lv: 5 (124/875)

HP: 400

Armor: 15

VIT: 16

STR: 18

AGI: 20

Free points: 0

Ren sighed. No matter how hard he had fought all afternoon, he had only managed to earn 300 cor.

He still needed over 1,000 more to reach his goal.

Night swallowed the empty streets as Ren, Klein, and the others stepped through the town gates.

The cold seeped through the cracks in Ren's leather armor, biting into his skin, but he no longer had the energy to shiver.

"We can't stay here forever."

Klein's voice pulled Ren out of his tangled thoughts.

He stood a short distance away, his eyes shadowed under the dim streetlights.

There was no one else around, only their silhouettes stretching long across the gray stone pavement.

Ren knew that. But hearing Klein say it still left a tightness in his chest.

"Tomorrow, we're leaving this town," Klein continued, his voice low but firm. "You should think about what you want to do next."

What he wanted to do next? Ren chuckled bitterly in his heart. Did he even have a choice?

"You should come with us, Ren."

Dynamm spoke up, hesitant but sincere. "If we travel together... it'll be safer."

Ren didn't answer.

"Issin's right." Dynamm pressed on, glancing at Issin as if seeking support.

"If you stay here, you won't get any stronger," Issin added, his voice steady and certain. "Other players are advancing every day. If you don't move forward, you'll be left behind."

Issin always spoke seriously, but this time, there was a firm resolve in his tone.

Ren clenched his hands into fists.

He understood that.

But… wasn't survival the only thing he ever wanted?

Three full meals a day.

A warm bed to sleep in.

A life free from horrifying battles.

He had already achieved those things.

So why…

Why was there still something inside him that refused to be at peace?

Silence stretched between them.

Only the wind whispered through the narrow alleys, carrying the biting chill of the late night.

In the distance, faint light spilled from a tavern, casting long shadows of players returning from a long day of fighting.

Ren looked down at his hands.

Could he really keep living like this?

Klein said nothing more. He knew Ren needed time to find his own answer.

Ren tilted his head up, gazing at the star-speckled night sky. There was no moon, only a few dim stars flickering above.

He had survived. He had returned from hell. But this emptiness inside… what was it?

Relief at being alive, or a fear so deeply rooted that he could no longer recognize it?

Silently, he stepped away from the wall, heading down the familiar street toward his inn.

Each step felt heavy, as if dragging an invisible weight behind him. Inside, two opposing thoughts waged war.

One wanted to run, to escape, to disappear into the night.

But the other…

Ren clenched his hands again...this time, not out of fear, but to feel the warmth of his own skin.

He was still alive.

Whether he wanted to or not, he had to keep moving forward.