Chapter 3: My name is Akazha Shashiki, remember that

The man's hand continued to slash at the incoming spiders, one crawled behind him and spat out webs but he caught it and pulled it back. He put his hand into the spider's mouth and pulled out all of its guts.

Mira and her teammates stood still, their eyes glued to the battlefield before them.

"I've never seen anyone move so fast and fight so brutally..." Rose whispered, her voice mixed with surprise and confusion.

The cloaked man tore off one of the legs of a nearby spider and used it to whip another spider's face, causing it to shatter.

"Maskest Kick."

 The man immediately flew up and swooped down, kicking the spiders hard, turning half of them into nothing more than a pile of goo."

BOOM!

The shockwave spread out, blowing away the spiders, and he rushed out of the smoke and continued his work of dismembering them.

Roland swallowed hard. "That guy... who is he?"

"Definitely not an ordinary person." Rose clenched her weapon in her hand, her eyes still fixed on the battle.

In just a few minutes, the spider queen was finally defeated. The cloaked man landed on the ground as light as a feather. Behind him was a pile of torn spider queen corpses.

Silence fell.

The stranger turned his head to look at Mira's group.

"What's going on...?" Misha gulped.

No one was sure if the person was friend or foe.

The cloaked man slowly approached, his tall figure looming over the adventurers. When he spoke, his voice low voice, resounding from behind the black mask:

"Are you hurt?"

Mira was about to answer, but Rose quickly spoke first.

"No... we're fine."

The cloaked man nodded slightly. When Rose opened her mouth to ask more, the man interrupted.

"I'm Akazha Shashiki. Just a passerby, remember."

"Oh, it's nice to meet you, Akazha. "If it weren't for you, we would have been finished." Roland laughed, trying to break the tense atmosphere.

Akazha didn't reply, just silently walked towards the largest spider's corpse. He held out his glove towards it.

"Alive."

Akazuha stabbed his hand into the spider's abdomen and pulled out a little girl.

Misha's eyes widened. "What is this?"

Akazha brought the little girl in front of him and told Mira's group. "Sometimes there are some big ones that will eat their prey alive rather than sucking all the blood, the process takes about 20 days, judging by her condition, it seems like she was swallowed for about 1 to 3 days."

"She's lucky."

Mira turned to Misha. "I'm a mage, not a biologist."

"You're quite ignorant." Akazuha threw the little girl to Mira.

Mira caught the little girl that Akazha just thrown over. The little girl was still breathing, but her body was thin, her skin pale from blood loss. Obviously, if she wasn't saved in time, she wouldn't survive.

Mira immediately put the little girl down and began to chant a healing spell. A soft light enveloped the little girl's body, helping to stabilize her condition.

"This little girl... must be one of the missing children that a village mentioned 3 days ago." Mira muttered.

Misha was still in shock, his eyes staring at Akazha. "Who are you really? An adventurer?"

Akazha brushed his hands away, not even looking at her, and just said quietly:

"Like I said, just a passerby."

That answer didn't satisfy anyone.

Akazha was silent for a moment. Under his cloak, his eyes swept over the group in front of him. Then, he shook his head.

"If there are no more questions, then goodbye."

Before anyone could ask more, Akazha turned and walked away.

"Wait!" Rose called out after him. "Do you want to join the adventurer's guild? With your strength, surely-"

"No."

Akazha interrupted, continuing to walk without looking back. His figure gradually disappeared into the dark tunnel.

The group stood there, no one saying anything for a long while. Finally, Roland broke the silence:

"That guy... is strange."

Mira shrugged.

"But he is strong. I don't know who he is, but this certainly won't be the last time we see him."

The group nodded, before packing up their loot and leaving the mine.

The group went to report to the adventurer's guild, and the girl's parents were overjoyed when they heard that their daughter had been found alive and were immediately thankful to Mira's group.

The mine had already been cleared away by a cleaning team after clearing away the spiders' corpses.

Currently, Mira's group was walking out of the adventurer's guild after completing a C+ rank quest.

"Then let's go eat at a more expensive restaurant, shall we?" Roland said with a smile, stretching his arms after a long day.

Misha's eyes lit up. "Sounds good! We've worked hard, let's reward ourselves with a decent meal!"

Rose curled her lips into a small smile. "Okay, but you'll pay, Roland?"

Roland immediately stiffened. "Wait! Why me?"

"Because you suggested it?" Mira blinked innocently.

Misha laughed. "Sure, Roland, take care of everything!"

"You're so rich!" Roland exclaimed, but in the end he could only sigh helplessly.

 The group laughed and talked as they walked towards a luxurious restaurant in the city. As soon as they entered, the aroma of food immediately hit their noses, stimulating their taste buds strongly. The restaurant had a cozy space with soft yellow lights, clean wooden tables, and agile waiters.

"Hello, please sit at this table!"

A cheerful waitress led them to a comfortable corner.

The group quickly ordered, each choosing their favorite dishes. When the food was served, everyone eagerly enjoyed it.

"Oh my, the beef is so tender!"

Roland's eyes widened.

"The wine sauce is truly the best!"

Rose nodded.

While the group happily ate, Mira suddenly stopped, her eyes turned to a hidden corner of the restaurant. There, a person wearing a black cloak was sitting alone, quietly eating.

"Isn't that Akazuha?"

 Mira muttered.

The group turned to look in the direction she pointed. Sure enough, Akazuha was there, still wearing the same cloak, but this time he had taken off his hood, revealing his red hair but not his face.

"He's here too..." 

Misha said softly.

"Hmm, how about we invite him to our table?" 

Mira suggested.

"He might not agree." 

Kiva ​​shrugged.

"There's only one way to find out." 

Mira stood up, walking towards Akazuha.

"Ah... excuse me." 

Akazuha turned around and Mira saw his face, he looked quite young and he was wearing an eye patch to cover his still-healing wound.

"Um, excuse me, but would you like to come sit at our table?" 

She quickly changed the subject.

 Akazuha was silent for a moment, as if considering the invitation. After a few seconds, he stood up, carrying his plate of food, and walked towards the adventurer group's table. 

When he sat down, the atmosphere was a bit strange. Misha, Kiva, and Roland glanced at each other, not knowing what to say. Rose was the first to break the silence. 

"Mr. Akazuha, are you a mage or a warrior?" 

Akazuha put down his knife and fork, and slowly replied.

“Both.”

“Both?” The group said in unison.

“I can be a warrior, a swordsman, a tanker, or a defender.”

Mira was curious. “You mean you’re good at all types of fighting?”

Akazha just shrugged. "Not exactly proficient, but I know how to use them all. After all, it's impossible to travel around this planet without some skill.

The answer made the whole table silent for a moment. It seemed that Akazha wasn't the type to brag about his strength. But that calmness made them even more curious.

"So... your family allowed you to go?" Kiva asked Akazuha, and he suddenly stopped his actions.

He suddenly became tense.

"My family..."

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy. Akazha's hand that was holding the knife stopped mid-step, his knuckles tightening a little. He lowered his head, as if thinking about something.

"My family..." He repeated, his voice low.

Mira and the others noticed the sudden change in the atmosphere. The tension radiating from Akazha wasn't obvious, but it was enough to make them cautious. more.

Rose hurriedly spoke up, trying to ease the situation. "Ah, if that question makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to answer."

Akazha was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

"It's okay." He put his knife and fork down on the table, his eyes vaguely looking into space. "My family... I used to have a mother."

Misha asked curiously, "So how is she?"

Akazha closed his eyes, took a deep breath before slowly exhaling. "She's gone."

The simple sentence carried an indescribable pain.

The whole table fell into silence. No one knew what to say at this moment. Roland awkwardly scratched his head, and Kiva turned away, avoiding Akazha's gaze.

Mira bit her lip, feeling a little regretful for letting Kiva ask that question. She realized that the man in front of them was probably not just a powerful adventurer, but also carried a past filled with loss

Finally, it was Akazha who broke the silence. He picked up his glass of water, took a sip, and smiled faintly.

"But it's okay. It's been a long time."

Even though he said that, no one believed that he was really okay.

Mira sighed inwardly, deciding not to pursue the topic further. She clapped her hands, trying to bring the atmosphere back.

"Then, let's continue eating! It would be a waste to let such delicious food get cold!"

Akazuha held out his hand. "Ah, no need, you guys enjoy your food."

He stood up from the table. "Aren't you going to join us?"

"I'm done eating... and besides..." He grabbed his bag. "There are still many places to explore."

Mira blinked, a little surprised. "Are you leaving now?"

Akazha nodded. "Yes. Thanks for the meal together, but I'm not used to sitting in one place for long."

Rose crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. "Are you always alone?"

Akazha raised an eyebrow slightly. "Is there a problem?"

Rose smiled lightly. "Not really. It's just... it'd be less lonely if I had someone to accompany me."

Akazha was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't need company."

After saying that, he turned and walked away. Mira watched his back, feeling like something was wrong. She wanted to say something but stopped, only able to sigh.

"He's really hard to get a hold of..." Misha muttered.

"He's probably not the type to stick with anyone." Roland shrugged.

Akazuha stepped outside and looked towards the moonlight in front of him. The night wind blew gently, fluttering Akazha's cloak. He stood there for a while, silently looking up at the night sky, where the moon hung suspended among the stars.

"Well, we're continuing our journey again, huh, moon."

His voice was low, as if he was talking to himself. No one answered, only the silence of the night and the silver moonlight illuminating his footsteps.

After a moment, Akazha turned around, pulled up his hood, and walked slowly. The road ahead was still long, and he had no intention of stopping.

End of Chapter 3