"Kkwi-eok, kkwi-eok!"
Kkwi-kku retched.
The herbivore had bitten off a smelly hobgoblin's toe with its front teeth, so its stomach must have been churning badly.
"Sorry."
Pat pat.
I rubbed Kkwi-kku's back nonstop to soothe its tummy.
"Kkwi-uu. Kkwi-u-uu...."
*That was the first smell I've ever experienced in my life...*
"Sorry, sorry. I'll buy you some tasty carrots."
I hugged Kkwi-kku tight and headed past the adventurer camp toward Talia Village. After taking down the hobgoblin shaman, I'd gained enough confidence that the eerie atmosphere of Beast Forest didn't scare me much anymore.
"Gotta buy some bandages first."
Once I arrived in Talia Village, I headed straight for the assembly hall that doubled as a makeshift clinic.
I'd wanted to save money, but ignoring my current condition would lead to even bigger expenses down the line.
My forearm, dented from a goblin's club, had turned yellow with scabs—maybe even tetanus—and my left shoulder muscles were knotted up tight.
"There it is."
At the village assembly hall, I spotted a Red Cross mark in the corner.
And sitting in front of it was a plain-looking man in a white coat. I approached him and spoke up.
"Three bandages, please."
"Sure."
The man replied dryly and handed them over.
Each bandage cost 10 copper.
'Way too expensive for a human touch.'
Biting back tears, I handed over my precious 30 copper into the man's palm.
Bandages were pricey recovery items that beginners couldn't use often, but wrapping one around a wound healed most injuries in about an hour, making them an adventurer's essential.
"Gotta use 'em sparingly."
Each roll was 5 meters long.
I tore them to appropriate lengths and wrapped my shoulder and forearm.
Three rolls should last me a good while.
"Time to collect that reward."
With first aid done, I skipped along to the adventurer's guild in high spirits.
The quest reward was a whopping 3 silver.
That's 3,000 won in cash.
Rewards would ramp up gradually from here, so no need to feel down about it being small.
"Heh heh heh."
A laugh bubbled up; I was in such a good mood.
Playing such a fun game and making money? If I'd despaired after losing both legs in that accident, I never would've enjoyed this luxury.
Life really was full of ups and downs.
Keep despair at bay, hold your mental fort steady, and nothing was impossible.
"Whoa, whoa?! Hey, heeey!"
"Hm?"
"Kkwi?"
A sudden woman's shout made me turn toward the source. There was a familiar face.
"Gasp!"
It was Ellicia, the archer who'd lent me her bow.
I'd hoped not to run into her, but Talia Village was the hub for newbie adventurers, so it was inevitable.
'Tch.'
I had to shut her up before that vicious woman caused a scene.
"Oh! Ellicia! Heh heh heh."
Acting all friendly, I reached out and clamped my hand over Ellicia's mouth.
"Hey... Mmph!"
Pow! Pow!
She started body-blow striking me.
I tensed my abs to minimize the damage. Getting pummeled by my sister so often had taught me how to take hits painlessly.
"Kkwi-uu!"
*Human hunt?!*
Then came Kkwi-kku's unexpected counterattack.
Nom!
"Mmmph!"
Kkwi-kku bit Ellicia's finger.
She shook her hand frantically to dislodge it, but blood was already pouring from her finger.
'This is bad!'
Damage from a pet counted as PK in town.
If Ellicia got ruthless, I could get dragged off by the guards to rot in jail.
That'd mean at least a full day out of Silmaria.
"Heh heh, Ellicia, come this way first!"
"Mmph!"
I shoved her forcefully into a dark alley.
I kept a bright smile to make it seem like we were close.
She was an archer; I was a spearman. My strength was way higher, so her struggles were pointless.
"Kkwi-kku, keep watch!"
"Kkwi!"
Just in case, I had Kkwi-kku stand guard. Once I was sure no eyes were on us, I spoke.
"Please, just don't scream. Okay?"
"Mmph."
With her mouth covered, Ellicia nodded.
'Can't trust her.'
Zero faith.
From her past behavior, the second I removed my hand, she'd scream bloody murder for help.
"You'd scream anyway. We'll do it like this."
"Mmph!"
Pow! Pow!
Ellicia tried body blows again.
Vicious woman.
"Ow, easy!"
The moment I pulled my hand from her mouth, I whipped out a bandage from my bag and wrapped her finger.
Sudden actions throw people off.
"Wh-what?!"
Instead of screaming, she looked baffled.
"You okay? Does it hurt bad?"
I put on my best concerned face and pressed the wound to staunch the blood.
"Sorry. Kkwi-kku's still young."
"...Cut the crap and give me my bow!"
Ellicia shook off my hand.
"Ah, here."
I handed over the bow and quiver strapped to my back.
It was hers originally, but handing it back felt regrettable.
"You know stealing my bow earlier is a crime, right?"
"...A crime?"
"Duh. Taking another player's gear by force? That's a crime."
"No, I tried talking first, but it would've been too late. You dying meant no hobgoblin kill either way."
"Ha, still delusional. Let's go to the guards."
Ellicia grabbed my hand and tugged.
I yanked it free in a panic.
"Come on, hear me out!"
"Save it for Guard Captain Hans. Get ready for jail."
Ellicia was relentless.
She really seemed set on reporting me.
"Ah, wait!"
"Why? Fun stealing, but scared of jail now?"
Of course I was scared.
A straight-laced guy like me had never even been near a jail in real life.
"Yes. Terrified."
"Hmph. Well, it's not like there's no way out."
Suddenly, Ellicia crossed her arms, a wicked smile curling her lips.
This woman had ulterior motives from the start.
"One silver. I'll let it slide."
"..."
I fell silent at her demand.
She was cut from the same cloth as me.
A slave to capitalism, always chasing profit.
Quick to freeload, but never takes a loss—a true opportunist.
'Totally predictable.'
That's why it worked in my favor.
People like her were open to negotiation.
"Uh, no money."
"...What?"
Killing intent flashed in Ellicia's eyes at my response.
"But I'll give you something better."
I was prepared for this—I'd snagged an extra toe.
I pulled the hobgoblin shaman's toe from my bag and offered it.
"Eek! What is—?!"
She freaked at the grotesque giant toe in her palm, but her expression flipped instantly.
She recognized its value.
"This a hobgoblin toe?!"
"Yep. You contributed to the hunt, so turn it in and your quest completes. Basically worth 3 silver."
Hunting quests required the monster's body part from your own kill to prevent selling scraps. And if you died mid-hunt after hitting it once, you still counted as a contributor.
Community tip—solid info.
"Ahh..."
Ellicia's face twisted in complicated emotions.
I'd forced her bow away but still shared loot; she'd be confused about what kind of guy I was.
Chance to erase the criminal image completely.
"I always take care of my people. Thanks to you, we took down the hobgoblin shaman. Appreciate it."
Bow.
I bowed 180 degrees in thanks.
If she brought up crimes now, she'd be the psycho.
No normal person would in this situation.
"...Yeah. Thanks for sharing."
Ellicia looked flustered.
She'd be deep in thought—perfect time to bolt.
"See ya next time."
Pat.
I patted her shoulder and slipped out of the alley.
I half-expected her to argue, but she just stood there dumbfounded.
"Phew..."
Bribe worked like a charm.
Boing.
As I exited, lookout Kkwi-kku hopped onto my shoulder.
"Guess I can't live a criminal life."
"Kkwi-uu?"
Kkwi-kku eyed me like, What nonsense is that?
[⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙]
[Data has been accumulated.]
[Configuring your algorithm.]
[Great Nature is watching you.]
"Ah, damn."
Data accumulated again, but the timing bugged me.
Ideally, it'd highlight our combo with Kkwi-kku taking down the hobgoblin shaman. Stealing Ellicia's weapon and compromising? Bad data.
Made me uneasy—thief-related stuff piling up?
"But Great Nature watching means... the tech tree's still on track?"
Good thing it came with a Great Nature message like the first time.
I was surely progressing toward summoner, spirit summoner, tamer—some beastmaster class without issues.
Whoooosh—
As if agreeing with my mutter, a cool breeze softly ruffled my hair.
"Haa.... Feels good."
I spread my arms and felt the wind.
Fresh wood scent tickled my nose.
A faint, earnest emotion carried on the breeze flowed into my lungs.
"Mysterious wind."
Felt like it traveled far to reach here.
Never smelled such fragrant trees near Talia Village before.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Tempest, the world's top game developer, had peaked and then aggressively pursued M&A under the banner of profit-first management.
After seven straight years of decline, they pivoted back to gamer-focused development and released their first VR game, Silmaria, three years later.
Lee Ji-yeon, a 4th-year GM at Tempest's Korean branch, knew this history better than anyone. Her eyes widened at a signal from the exaflop-scale supercomputer 'Aurora'.
"...For real?"
Silmaria was revolutionary: from launch, billions of AIs and players wove stories without developer interference.
But they hadn't gone in blind. If rogue AIs or players dominated or controlled adventures, the game would crumble.
Lee Ji-yeon, an insider, knew about the safety net: the Guardian System.
Yet now.
"What kind of player is this?"
One Guardian was strongly drawn to a single user.
Nature's Guardian, bearer of Silmaria's grandest epic duty.
"Impossible.... Never happened before."
Guardians oversaw Silmaria's nine worlds—even beyond the 'gods'—solely to protect them.
The most neutral one fixating on a random player? Big problem.
"Manager! Guardian Zero is taking interest in a player!"
Lee Ji-yeon rushed to report to her boss, Head Game Master Kim Jin-seong. G for Guardian, Zero for Nature's protector of the world tree.
"What? Details."
"Tree of Life, G0's avatar, is prepping a high-rank quest. Just a spark now, but the signal alone..."
She explained in detail using Aurora's sim data.
Kim Jin-seong listened calmly before speaking.
"Ji-yeon, you know how Silmaria was made, right?"
"Of course. I worked on development."
She was originally a dev. With Silmaria complete, she'd switched to GM to watch its future.
"Then, what does a Guardian AI's choice mean?"
"Eh? Ah...!"
Lee Ji-yeon realized and gasped in awe.
"Silmaria's a flawless world born from endless trials. If a Guardian notices a player, there's reason. Think: super AI worse than us?"
"...No."
"Watch and wait. Might just be passing interest."
Lee Ji-yeon couldn't fully buy it but shut up.
Could be nothing, as he said.
Hidden quests under specific conditions popped up endlessly in Midgard already.
Tree of Life as trigger was wild, but no need for panic.
"Yes, sir."
Businesslike reply.
Aurora and AI collective Yggdrasil were humanity's pinnacle tech.
Let it flow.
Her job: watch Silmaria's tale.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Before hunting orcs.
I headed to the back hills to precisely test my innate talent's power.
"Situation's changed."
Accumulating tamer data mattered more than raw growth.
Turning spearman or thief would mean restarting.
I'd planned fast leveling, but two algorithm messages shifted that.
"Kkwi-uu, kkwi-uu!"
Excited to see kin, Kkwi-kku hopped on my head and wiggled its butt in dance.
"Kkwi!"
"Kkwi-uu."
"Kkwi-uu?"
The rabbits eyed Kkwi-kku's dance enviously, jealous of its owner.
"Big crowd."
I aggro'd hard, drawing tons around me.
Needed to pinpoint why animals liked me.
Pheromones? Petting? Or instinct to my pure soul?
Key for efficiently commanding future beasts.
Rabbits were cute and tame, but I couldn't just pet crocs or bears on sight.
Whoooosh—
"Ah, refreshing."
Pleasant hill breeze brushed my face.
Warm sun, green earth, rabbits gathered.
I took in the scenery with deep gaze.
"Perfect. Let's test!"
Ideal spot for my talent trial.
"Spirits of water and wind, breath of earth, grant me strength!"
Silly chant, but maybe it'd help trigger.
'Last time, needed touch for obedience.'
First test: direct commands without contact.
If pheromones or soul drew them, they'd obey sans empathy link.
"Everyone, follow me!"
Kkwi-kkwi-kkwi-kkwi-kkwi-kkwi?
Rabbits all tilted heads.
"Roll right!"
Kkwi-kkwi-kkwi-kkwi-kkwi-kkwi?
"Roll left!"
Kkwi-kkwi-kkwi-kkwi-kkwi-kkwi?
Collective confusion.
No effect.
"...Sigh."
Self-loathing from the pointless chant.
But as I slumped in defeat.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Data has been accumulated.] [Part of your algorithm has been completed.] [Job change quest begins.]
Quest message popped.
Fwaaaah—!
"Wh-what?!"
I was swallowed by blooming waves of light.
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