part1 · 011-ep11

Episode 11: Little by Little

The next day.

When Ren woke, he headed for the crack he'd found the day before. It was still on his mind.

He pressed his hand to the wall. Cold air flowed, faint but there.

"...There really is wind."

Ren examined the area around the crack. He tried shifting some of the rock. But there was no gap big enough for a person. If he forced it, the wall might come down.

"...No good."

Ren thought for a while. It might connect to an exit. But right now, there was nothing he could do about it.

"I'll keep looking around."

Ren left the spot. He didn't leave any special mark, either. It wasn't certain there was an exit here. Somewhere else, there might be a safer path.

For now: live, above all. And learn this dungeon, little by little.

That was what Ren could do.

　　　　　◇

The days after that. Ren changed his life, bit by bit.

Wake when morning came. Look for water. Look for something to eat. Check for monsters. Return to somewhere safe.

And train his body.

At first, just running a short distance left him gasping. Run a little. Rest. Run again. Over and over.

He swung the spear, too. Once. Twice. Three times.

When his arms tired, he rested. Then swung it again.

"...I can keep going."

His body moved better than before. Little by little, but it was definitely changing.

　　　　　◇

One day. Ren stood face to face with a small monster.

The monster lunged. Ren dodged sideways.

Before, he would have scrambled for distance after dodging. But not now.

He watched the monster's movements. Landing. Turning. Coming at him again.

Ren readied his spear. The monster jumped.

That instant.

Ren moved a single step to the side. The monster's body sailed past right in front of him.

"Now."

He thrust the spear out. The monster fell. Ren lowered his spear slowly.

"...I can read them better than before."

The monster's movements. The timing of its attacks. Which way to dodge.

He was coming to understand them, little by little.

　　　　　◇

That night. Ren rested his body in the shadow of the rocks.

He was tired. But not like before. His body recovered faster now, too. Even his wounds were slowly getting easier to heal.

And.

A voice rang out in his head.

《Survival Adaptation activated.》

Ren raised his head.

《Sustained environmental adaptation confirmed.》

《Physical abilities improved.》

"...Stronger again?"

Ren clenched his hand. His strength had grown, just a little. But it wasn't some sudden, dramatic change.

It really was little by little.

Each day stacking on the last. The days he'd survived. The fights. The wounds. The exhaustion.

The hunger.

All of it had been changing Ren's body.

　　　　　◇

Ren lay down. He looked up at the ceiling.

"...When will I get to go home?"

There was no one to answer.

Even so.

"Someday, I will."

That thought, at least, he never gave up.

He'd survived another day. Tomorrow, he'd live again. And grow stronger, little by little.

For now, that was all Ren could do.

The boy's life in the dungeon had only just begun.