I was Born in the Final Demon Realm of a Dark Fantasy

Arnen had never, truly felt that things were difficult.

Even while living with just Elia in a remote mountain cabin, she never thought such a life was harsh.

That was partly because she had learned from her father since childhood how to live wisely in the mountains, but also because she never intended to live there forever.

Arnen always held a clear purpose.

To find her father who disappeared one day without a word.

The only memory she had of her mother from childhood was a faint piece of a smile, and it was her father who had actually raised her.

Her father—strong yet warm, quiet yet firm—vanished suddenly before Elia had even experienced her first menstruation.

Becoming the head of the family in an instant, Arnen was perplexed but quickly pulled herself together.

Always calm by nature, Arnen quickly realized what she needed to do in the given situation.

From then on, Arnen used the skills her father had taught her to hunt beasts, selling the meat and hides in nearby villages to raise Elia day by day. She naturally took over her father’s role.

She gradually grew accustomed to that role, and amid that familiarity, what suddenly came to mind was, of course, her father.

She decided she needed to find her father.

After deciding to make a request to the information guild, she realized it would cost more than she expected.

She tried to increase the number of beasts she hunted to raise the money, but it wasn’t as easy as she thought.

To hunt more beasts, she needed to expand her hunting range, but in the process, she encountered beasts that were unmanageably strong.

Moreover, as winter approached, the number of beasts she could hunt nearby decreased daily.

But continuing like this would just mean repeating the same days over and over. Arnen could calmly accept her current life because she had the goal of finding her father.

She thought she could handle the interest, and judged that the number of beasts to hunt would increase when the weather improved.

Eventually, she borrowed money from the Dark Guild to request information on her father’s whereabouts.

And a year passed. Contrary to expectations, all she could learn was her father’s last known activity.

Any trace after that vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed, and she would have to pay more money to search further.

Arnen realized it was meaningless to continue chasing these whereabouts. More precisely, she felt she could no longer handle the debt.

Just then, another harsh winter was approaching. Even paying just the interest was becoming tight, and it was difficult to even find a single beast in the snow, let alone hunt.

During such seasons, simply enduring was everything.

That day, too, was just another day of huddling down.

After not finding any beasts and heading deeper into another mountain, Arnen discovered a man collapsed in the middle of the forest, covered in blood.

Seeing that he needed urgent treatment, Arnen didn’t hesitate. Together with Elia, they struggled to bring the man home and treated him.

Even after a day, he didn’t wake up.

Just as she was starting to worry that he might die like this, on the second day, he opened his eyes.

Although he immediately broke the bed upon waking and spoke in an incomprehensible language, there was no malice felt in his eyes.

It was true that she had been concerned because he was a stranger with an obviously robust physique.

However, making her worries seem unfounded, he was well-behaved. Though they couldn’t communicate, his careful attitude and expressions conveyed apology and gratitude.

So Arnen also opened her heart and helped him. Despite their meager circumstances, she assisted him until he recovered and even taught him the language bit by bit.

As they spent more time together and grew accustomed to each other’s presence, Bell offered to help with hunting.

And what he showed was an overwhelming sight of catching wolves.

Arnen was shocked. It was even more overwhelming than what her father had shown when occasionally facing strong beasts.

Whenever facing strong beasts, her father would create a clear mana blade on his sword and cut down the opponent with precise movements.

His swordsmanship was elegant and unwavering. Every swing of his sword drew a flowing trajectory as if dancing, with a perfection that allowed not a single mistake.

Watching her father like that, Arnen thought there couldn’t be anyone stronger than him in this world.

That was until she saw Bell. Without a sword or mana, Bell shattered a wolf’s body with just one fist. Though it seemed crude and rough, it contained a strength beyond human realm.

No, could it really be called crude? Perhaps she hadn’t even fully seen a part of the power he possessed?

She couldn’t gauge at all where the limit of his strength lay.

Arnen recalled when she first discovered Bell.

How had someone so strong ended up collapsed in such a miserable state, and with whom had he been fighting?

Now that she thought about it, the place where Bell was found was near the red curtain.

The red curtain. A place her father had never dropped his guard against and had urged them never to go near. He said it was teeming with powerful monsters that humans couldn’t handle.

Of course, Arnen knew that her father occasionally explored the area around the red curtain.

Was Bell also one of those interested in the red curtain? Had he been attacked by a monster from there?

Curiosity naturally arose. But it wasn’t easy to ask Bell.

The memory of collapsing with near-fatal wounds might be something he didn’t want to recall. Just as she hadn’t told Bell about her family situation.

After that day, he continued to hunt beasts whenever he had time. The storehouse filled with beast carcasses. It was almost unmanageable.

Bell said she could use all of it as she wished. That it was his way of repaying her kindness.

Was this what striking it rich felt like? Dazed, burdened, apologetic, yet grateful. A complex mix of emotions.

In no time, she had enough money to pay off the debt. Even as she held that money and headed to the Dark Guild, it didn’t feel real. It was like living in a dream.

But the moment she arrived at the Dark Guild, cold gazes woke Arnen up. The members of the Dark Guild were curious about how she had gathered enough money to clear her debt so quickly. And they were suspicious.

“How did you manage to gather this money?”

Suspicion soon led to threats, and threats to handcuffs. When her hands were tied and she was confined in a dark, damp underground prison, strangely, Arnen wasn’t worried.

All her money was taken, and she was left alone on the cold stone floor.

It was clearly an unexpected situation.

It was a moment when she should have felt despair, but her heart was instead unusually calm.

Rather, what flashed through her mind was the image of one person.

Except for her father, there was only one man who came to mind so vividly.

Bell.

…She shouldn’t expect it. Relying on him to this extent wouldn’t be right. She hadn’t helped him that much, and had already received more than enough help.

But strangely, her heart never became anxious till the end.

And truly, not long after, Bell came looking for her. Together with Elia.

He asked if she was still going to look for her father. Arnen thought there was nothing left to hide from him.

It wasn’t the result of some big resolution or determination. It was just… a natural feeling. Like the flow of a river, an emotion that couldn’t be resisted.

So Arnen brought up the topic of her father without hesitation.

“Yes, I should. They said his last known location was the Ghost Cave, one of the Seven Sinister Caves… though I won’t be able to go right away.”

“Seven Sinister Caves?”

“I know that they were named after dungeons that haven’t been conquered since ancient times. My father used to work as an adventurer when he was young. He quit after we were born.”

“Adventurer?”

A man who didn’t know many things. The familiar face that always opened his eyes wide and asked back, then seriously pondered the answer.

It was quite enjoyable to explain things he didn’t know and watch him slowly understand them.

Although it might be an emotion that didn’t fit the situation, Arnen honestly felt that way.

♦♦♦

“I don’t know the details either, but I understand it as a profession where one explores dungeons and finds treasures.”

Arnen seemed to organize her thoughts briefly before continuing.

“Of course, they don’t just visit dungeons. They can also earn money by accepting and solving various requests. That’s why it’s a profession chosen by many people who want a free life. My father was a top-class adventurer.”

“So you want to become an adventurer too?”

“Yes.”

I crossed my arms and pondered.

When Arnen first said she would pay off her debt and go find her father, I naturally thought I would part ways with them.

But after hearing about the profession of an adventurer, I had second thoughts.

…The profession of an adventurer. It sounds quite good.

I wanted to explore the world outside the forbidden zone.

Of course, I always intended to return to the kingdom someday. My comrades and my place were there. I was also curious about what had happened to the other comrades, and how the pioneering of the forbidden zone was progressing.

But not yet. Entering the forbidden zone right now would be reckless.

The being that made my sixth sense ring the strongest. The existence inside the fortress in the forbidden zone that I hadn’t examined in detail yet.

I couldn’t carelessly set foot in the forbidden zone unless I had the ability to face that existence.

In such a situation, becoming an adventurer didn’t seem like a bad choice for now. Following the path of an adventurer, refining my skills, and exploring a new world.

Hadn’t I always grown by facing new environments and new characters? Ger, Jagan, the contaminated beasts of the Monster Forest, and the 1st-class warriors. Special-class warriors. And the monsters of the forbidden zone.

“How can I become an adventurer?”

“I don’t know much about that either. I think we’ll have to go and find out… Are you planning to become an adventurer too, Bell?”

In response to my question that came after much deliberation, Arnen spoke with a somehow brightened face. Since she was someone who usually maintained composure, even a slight happiness was immediately noticeable.

“Yes, that’s what I’m thinking for now.”