I stepped out of the cave and wandered through the forest.
I wasnât sure what time it was, but judging by the position of the moon, it seemed to be the heart of dawn.
âShall we rest here?â
It was a casual remark after walking for some time.
I didnât wait for a response. I simply stopped and waved my hand across the ground.
Fwooshâ!
A spark flared at my fingertips, igniting a fallen branch.
I then gathered more scattered wood from the surroundings using telekinetic techniques. With that, the campfire was complete.
The faint light of the fire chased away some of the darkness. I sat nearby, letting time pass as I watched the flames. When a rabbit scurried nearby, I caught it, roasted it, and waited.
Crackle. Pop.
As the rabbit cooked slowly, my thoughts wandered.
âAt this pace, I should arrive within seven days.â
If I continued like this, it would take roughly that long to reach Hanam.
Normally, I would have pushed myself, cutting back on sleep and arriving in no more than three days. But now, that wasnât an option.
âMy body is in no condition for that.â
I had to conserve my strength as much as possible.
âIf only that brat were here⦠Tsk.â
If he were around, I couldâve made the trip in less than a day, let alone three. But unfortunately, he wasnât available.
I had sent him to Ji-seon. Under the current circumstances, I had no choice but to rely on my own two legs.
In some ways, this forced me to manage my internal injuries carefully, so perhaps it wasnât entirely a bad thing.
That thought brought a wry smile to my face.
âAll this trouble just from using it once.â
Sure, I had intentionally overexerted myself, but seeing my body in this state after a single use made me realize I needed to reevaluate.
The road ahead was long.
I couldnât afford to falter over something so trivial.
âThat doesnât mean I can hold back, though.â
If anything, I needed to use it with even greater intensity. Now was not the time to go soft.
So, the only solution wasâ¦
âI need to grow stronger.â
I had to strengthen myself to the point where using that technique wouldnât harm me anymore.
âIf I can perfect it, that might solve the problem.â
If I could fully master what I was working on, it might bring me closer to a solution.
Of course, there was an even better option.