NM 06

The person known as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named understood why the other player had coveted the unicorn, even if he had cursed at him and smacked him around for it.

The Unicorn of Ehteh Forest was an even rarer species than ordinary unicorns.

Even among NPCs, unicorns were only spoken of in scattered stories, like legends.

And if it was a unicorn from Ehteh Forest—a forest whose ecosystem had once been destroyed by poison and somehow reborn—its value only increased.

If one had to compare them…

A regular unicorn was like a dinosaur.

An Ehteh Forest unicorn was like an alien.

In other words, Heyeon had practically tamed an alien and made it her ally.

Everyone had assumed that, if one truly existed, only a single player would ever manage to discover it.

And yet…

Who would have imagined that an adorable, lively, completely clueless newbie would be the one to find it?

“…Hmm.”

Lost in thought, he suddenly realized the real issue.

Heyeon was a newbie.

It was difficult to find someone who wouldn’t covet a huge diamond being carried around by an unprotected child.

And Heyeon was that child.

If she had belonged to a guild, none of this would have happened in the first place.

Thinking of that possibility, he cautiously asked,

“By the way, Newbie… you’re not affiliated with a guild, right?”

“No. I only started the game today.”

“I see!”

That answer really made him want to help her.

Smiling warmly, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named thought to himself:

So she really doesn’t have a guild yet!

Hope bloomed inside him.

Maybe… just maybe… I can raise a newbie too!

Meanwhile, Heyeon watched the man—who kept smiling, nodding to himself, making strange expressions, and silently celebrating—with narrowed eyes.

She took another step backward alongside Ehte.

Even the noble unicorn snorted in obvious displeasure toward him.

Finally snapping out of whatever fantasy world he’d wandered into, the man smiled awkwardly.

“Oh right. I never properly introduced myself.”

“I’m ‘He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.’ You can call me whatever’s comfortable.”

“…Uh… what?”

How exactly was she supposed to shorten that?

As if understanding her dilemma, he immediately offered alternatives.

“People also call me Fake Voldy or Voldy Fake. Or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, or No-Name, or just ‘That Guy.'”

“Ah… okay…”

“And I’m also this year’s official Newbie Settlement Support Representative!”

So that explained why he’d tried to force gifts into her inventory.

Just as Heyeon was beginning to accept—though not understand—his bizarre behavior, he launched into rapid-fire speech.

“Of course, if you find me annoying, want to get rid of me, hate having me around, and sincerely wish I’d disappear forever…”

“…”

“…then I’ll simply gather the supplies you need and send you off.”

“…”

“But if that’s not the case, could we travel together just until you’ve settled down? No—even just until you choose a class and get your job! Or at least until we reach the beginner village, Nol?”

“The beginner village… Nol?”

At his words, Heyeon looked around.

She saw forests.

Nothing but forests.

There wasn’t even a signpost.

Naturally, there used to be signposts.

The veteran players had destroyed them long ago so they could accompany newbies longer.

And He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had been among those most enthusiastic about smashing them.

Keeping his mouth shut, he patiently waited while Heyeon searched.

Eventually, she accepted that finding a signpost was impossible and looked back at him.

He gave her an innocent smile that practically screamed:

I am harmless.

“…”

What exactly is wrong with this veteran?

Heyeon hesitated.

Honestly?

He was kind of a hassle.

But thanks to the meru berries he’d given her, she’d been able to tame Ehte.

It felt wrong to reject him outright.

He wasn’t trying to interfere.

He genuinely wanted to help.

It wasn’t easy to coldly push away someone like that.

Besides…

At the moment, she wasn’t confident she could wander through forests alone and find a village.

She wasn’t confident she could escape if she encountered another unicorn kidnapper either.

At the very least, if she traveled with him until reaching the beginner village, she’d be protected.

In the end, Heyeon agreed to accompany him as far as Beginner Village Nol.

Seeing an opportunity, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named pushed a little further.

Eventually, he managed to negotiate things into:

“…Then at least until you reach the city of Evilon and complete your class advancement.”

“…How did things end up like this?”

She’d only wanted a relaxing adventure.

Catch cute monsters.

Admire pretty scenery.

Heal her exhausted soul.

Instead…

He-Who-Must-Not-BeNamed hopped around excitedly.

The surrounding veteran players, leisurely enjoying themselves nearby, approached one after another.

They stuffed various items into Heyeon’s hands before waving goodbye.

Naturally, she refused.

And naturally, she fell victim to that ridiculous Sleeve Pocketing skill yet again.

Watching her once-empty inventory fill up against her will, she let out a hollow laugh.

“What exactly is this Sleeve Pocketing skill?”

It had left far too strong an impression to ignore.

It almost made her wonder whether society had always been this warmhearted, generous, and obsessed with helping strangers.

Smiling brightly, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named answered her question.

“Apparently, some player wanted to give gifts to newbies, but they kept refusing.”

“So they got upset…”

“…and invented it as an affordable skill anyone could use.”

“…Excuse me?”

Märchen Horizon did indeed have a feature that allowed players to create entirely new skills.

Of course, creating one required studying the theories related to the skill you wanted to make.

Still, the system existed.

But…

Of all the things someone would create using a feature usually reserved for players with literally nothing left to do…

They created Sleeve Pocketing?

Heyeon closed her mouth.

Suddenly, she wondered whether her older brother also did things like this.

He was an extreme veteran too.

He’d been playing since the game’s launch day.

If anyone qualified as a fossilized old player, it was definitely her brother.

She’d already decided never to run into him in-game.

But after hearing this story…

She somehow wanted to avoid meeting him even more.

The thought of finding Baek Heejun clinging to innocent newbies filled her with indescribable dread.

“Oh, right!”

“I never asked for your nickname!”

“Could you tell me?”

“…It’s Snow Ducky’s Charge.”

His expression turned awkward.

Heyeon immediately felt offended.

At the very least, she firmly believed her nickname was more normal than his.

It’s still better than yours, she thought.

With that silent conviction, the two entered the small village that appeared where Canary Forest ended.

Ehte—the one with unquestionably the coolest name among the three—snorted proudly.

An NPC lingering near the village entrance stared at the unicorn with wide eyes.

That reminded Heyeon of something.

Looking thoughtfully at her unicorn, she asked,

“Do tamed animals have to stay out like this all the time?”

Her voice clearly conveyed another concern:

My child looks far too elegant. What if someone kidnaps them?

“Huh? No, no.”

“You can put them away and summon them whenever you need.”

As he spoke, he pulled out a small square box from his inventory and handed it to her.

[Joyful My Home]
A dimensional space where tamed animals can reside.

An environment suited to each animal will automatically be provided.

You may currently raise up to four animals.

(0/4)

“…”

She hadn’t meant for him to give her an item.

Seeing her hesitate, he urged her on instead.

“Go ahead and try it, Newbie.”

“Your unicorn wants to rest too.”

Of course, Ehte couldn’t actually speak.

Yet the unicorn’s steady gaze upon the box somehow seemed to say:

Use it already and let me relax.

Eventually, Heyeon activated the item.

The box opened.

Light streamed out and wrapped around Ehte.

The unicorn shrank down to the size of a small doll.

Following the trail of light through the air, Ehte bounded forward and leapt neatly into the box.

When Heyeon looked inside, the top of the box turned transparent.

There, she saw a miniature Ehte happily running through a tiny recreation of the gray Ehteh Forest.

“…Wow.”

Feeling genuinely amazed, she stored the box in her inventory.

“Thank you.”

“This seems really valuable…”

“Ehh~ Valuable? Not at all!”

“It’s common! Super common!”

“Everyone carries one or two… or three… or four of them!”

According to veteran-player standards, anyway.

Even without knowing that, Heyeon still felt guilty constantly receiving things.

She searched through her inventory for something she could give back.

Unfortunately, everything she owned had come from other veterans.

After thinking for a while, she finally took out the only item that wasn’t someone else’s gift.

“This…”

“I found it in Ehteh Forest…”

“My goodness, Newbie…”

What she offered him was an Ehteh Forest wildflower.

More precisely—

A poisonous weed.

Even if it was poisonous, it was still just a common junk item with virtually no value.

Heyeon knew that.

Which was why she felt awkward handing it over.

Yet…

He was deeply moved.

To him, any gift from an adorable newbie was precious.

He carefully cradled the little wildflower in his hands as though it were a priceless treasure.

Seeing his reaction only made Heyeon feel even more awkward.

And somehow…

It widened the emotional distance between them.

He really was…

A strange person.

Entering the village, Heyeon slowly examined Nol Village, which resembled a peaceful countryside settlement from medieval times.

So… what am I supposed to do here?

The thought filled her with cautious anticipation.

Nol wasn’t a large village.

There weren’t many children running around.

The villagers seemed more accustomed to bartering than using money.

Watching people exchange sacks of apples and flour, it appeared they simply traded whatever they needed.

The villagers stole glances at Heyeon and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

They tried to pretend otherwise.

But it was obvious they were paying attention.

One child who had been sneaking curious looks met Heyeon’s eyes.

Startled, the child widened them in surprise.

There was curiosity.

There was caution.

But no malice.

That wariness didn’t last long.

Once the villagers determined that the two outsiders were behaving peacefully, they resumed their daily lives with relaxed smiles.

At first glance, one might think the villagers weren’t particularly interested in outsiders.

But Heyeon noticed the village’s peculiar atmosphere.

Everyone in the village kept glancing at her with subtle expectation.

Even while busy with their own tasks, part of their attention remained fixed on her.

Heyeon carefully surveyed the surroundings.

She searched for the person who looked like they had the most problems.

It turned out to be an excellent strategy.

“Should I talk to that person?”

At her question, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named finally stopped his enthusiastic rambling and looked toward the person she indicated.

An elderly man stood there.

His face carried the unmistakable expression of someone burdened by troubles.

The kind of face that practically announced:

‘I have a story to tell. Please, ask me about it.’