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Chapter 7
The Canary Cried
“The Canary Cried“
The Nameless One nodded and explained.
“That’s Fabnet, the village chief of Nol. If you go talk to him, he’ll welcome you, ask you to help the village, promise you a reward, and then tell you to hunt rabbits.”
“…”
“But while you’re hunting rabbits, if you also bring back the wild boars that occasionally appear, he’ll give you soft white bread instead of barley bread.”
“…”
“And if you bring back a boar, they’ll hold a feast that night. You’ll get well-cooked boar meat, stamina recovery potions, and a recommendation letter.”
“But when he offers to write that recommendation letter, if you return the boar meat you received, he’ll give you a premium recommendation letter that unlocks more job options. So make sure you remember that.”
“…”
“And before you go straight to the village chief, visit the little girl near the forest entrance. She’ll give you the Lost Apple quest. She’s the chief’s granddaughter, you see? If you help her first, you’ll start off with a favorable impression from the chief—”
It was information more vivid than anything on the internet.
The accumulated wisdom of veteran players.
Heyeon was impressed.
She was equally amazed at how drastically the chief’s rewards changed depending on affection levels.
This really was a game made by people living in a capitalist society.
You had to give something to get something.
The Nameless One only intended to provide information without directly interfering. He waved at Heyeon and told her to have a good trip.
Feeling strangely moved, Heyeon headed toward the forest entrance he had mentioned.
There, she spotted a little girl standing with a sulky expression—a girl who definitely hadn’t been there earlier when Heyeon left Canary Forest.
“Um… hello?”
At Heyeon’s greeting, the child looked up.
[Biyen, granddaughter of Nol Village Chief Fabnet]
“…Hello.”
Biyen’s expression looked somewhere between anger and sadness.
Meeting the girl’s eyes, Heyeon asked gently,
“Is there something I can help you with?”
Like an apple.
Perhaps… a lost apple.
At her question, Biyen glanced at Heyeon before tears quickly welled up in her eyes.
“Miss, what’s your name?”
“Ah… um… Assault of the Snow Duck…”
“Miss Assault of the Snow Duck! Please grant my request!”
Heyeon couldn’t help but marvel.
Wow.
I think I really chose the wrong nickname!
It honestly felt embarrassing.
While Heyeon regretted her choice a little too late, the quest quietly began.
[Biyen’s Lost Apple]
Biyen, granddaughter of Nol Village Chief Fabnet, had a very, very beautiful red apple.
The apple was so precious to her that she either hid it carefully or carried it close to her chest.
But while she was having an outing in the forest with her friends, she lost it.
“The canary will hide my apple forever.”
Quest Objective:
Enter Canary Forest and discover the whereabouts of Biyen’s lost apple.
Rewards:
-
Biyen’s Favor
-
Fabnet’s Favor
-
The Villagers’ Favor
Failure Penalty:
-
Biyen cries.
-
Fabnet clicks his tongue every time he sees you.
-
The villagers sigh whenever they look at you.
“…What is this?”
As soon as Heyeon read the failure conditions, she frowned.
There wasn’t any direct punishment.
Yet somehow, it made you feel terrible.
If it was just an apple, couldn’t she simply pick one in the forest or buy one from someone in the village?
The quest itself seemed easy.
However, Heyeon didn’t immediately spring into action because something bothered her.
She had just seen villagers trading sacks of flour for apples.
The village clearly had apples.
Which meant…
The villagers couldn’t simply replace this particular apple.
“…”
Heyeon reread the quest description carefully.
Discover the apple’s whereabouts.
Since when did people use the word whereabouts for an apple?
And Biyen had said the canary would hide it.
Not eat it.
Hide it.
That word choice felt strange.
If it were truly just a missing apple, why would everyone—not just Biyen—be disappointed if she failed?
Heyeon turned and began moving through the village.
Instead of approaching the chief, she questioned the villagers.
Fortunately, none of them seemed annoyed by her.
Rather, they answered sincerely, looking at her with a sort of pity.
“Biyen’s apple? It was such a beautiful red color. What a shame.”
“Maybe it wasn’t lost. Maybe the canary hid it.”
“It wasn’t Biyen’s fault! She was holding onto that apple tightly that day!”
“Don’t enter the forest. The canary is greedy.”
After speaking with several villagers, Heyeon became certain.
Biyen’s lost apple wasn’t really an apple.
As she finished questioning people, the Nameless One approached her.
His eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“So? Did you figure anything out, Newbie?”
Even after learning her nickname, he still called her Newbie.
Heyeon briefly considered correcting him before deciding it wasn’t worth it.
They probably wouldn’t know each other long enough to matter.
“I think… the apple isn’t actually an apple.”
“Oh? And?”
“There’s a high probability that Biyen’s apple is a person…”
“…and the canary is the kidnapper.”
The Nameless One smiled brightly.
It wasn’t the complete answer.
But reaching that conclusion with no prior knowledge was impressive.
“I really want you.”
“Such a sharp, clever newbie.”
“…”
Fearing he’d start gushing again, Heyeon discreetly stepped back.
Even as the emotional distance between them widened, he continued explaining diligently.
“This game lives up to its name.”
“It’s a story RPG, and every region has its own main storyline.”
“But people who treat it like a simple RPG without thinking about the story just bring back an actual apple.”
“Ah.”
“Though honestly, even that would’ve been adorable to watch.”
Heyeon decided to just laugh.
At this point, his obsession with newbies had become almost pitiful.
Anyway…
If Biyen’s lost apple was tied to this village’s main story, then it would be better to investigate the village, the forest, and the canary more thoroughly before proceeding.
As Heyeon scanned the area, wondering which NPC to question next, the Nameless One spoke first.
“By the way… would you like to join our guild?”
“…What?”
“A guild. Our guild is actually pretty successful.”
“If you join, people won’t target your unicorn anymore.”
“What do you think?”
He looked completely serious.
Heyeon could only think:
This guy is genuinely insane about newbies.
Most guilds wanted capable players, not complete beginners.
Unless they planned to raise one from scratch or weren’t interested in guild wars.
Besides, Heyeon’s goal was relaxing and healing—not charging into battles with large groups.
Any guild outside those exceptions would probably kick her out quickly for inactivity.
Still, since he’d asked politely, she returned the courtesy.
“What’s your guild called?”
“Oh.”
“It’s called ‘The Name Cannot Be Spoken.’“
“…?”
Heyeon froze.
If he wasn’t going to tell her the guild’s name, why invite her at all?
She had no idea what kind of guild it was, but suddenly it seemed incredibly suspicious.
After some thought, she offered the safest response.
“…I’ll think about it.”
Even that vague answer delighted him.
The Nameless One beamed happily.
Meanwhile, Heyeon secretly sighed.
“Well then,” he said.
“Shall we continue the quest?”
Once again, he stepped back as if he had no intention of directly interfering.
However—
“Ahem… cough cough… Mine… cough cough… Canary… ahem… Miiiine! Achoo! Forest!“
“…”
Apparently, he still wanted to help somehow.
Heyeon usually believed games were more fun when you solved them yourself.
But hints at this level seemed acceptable.
Honestly, the only alternative was ignoring the man’s desperate efforts.
“Excuse me!”
She stopped a passing villager.
“Is there a mine around here?”
“You know… in Canary Forest.”
“Canary Forest.”
“Canary Forest.”
The villager’s response was exactly what she expected.
“Come to think of it, there is an abandoned mine no one uses anymore.”
“It’s been closed for a long time, so even we had forgotten about it.”
“But how did you know?”
“Uh…”
“Someone passing by told me.”
The villager gave her a strange look.
“Well, anyway, you shouldn’t go near the mine.”
“It’s an ominous place.”
“Why?”
The villager looked irritated by the repeated questions.
Then, just like everyone else, his expression softened into pity.
Only then did Heyeon realize.
This… is definitely because of that achievement effect, isn’t it?
It worked much better than she’d expected.
While Heyeon made an odd face, the villager glanced around before whispering quietly.
“The mine was abandoned because many people died there.”
“…”
“It’s tragic.”
“If only there had been canaries…”
A mine in Canary Forest.
People who died because there were no canaries.
It was a story that didn’t match the peaceful atmosphere of the village.
Heyeon suddenly had a strong feeling.
The main story of this village wasn’t going to be bright and heartwarming.
This really is supposed to be a healing game… right?
For a brief moment, Baek Heejun’s face—the person who had called this a healing game—floated through her mind.
[Would you like to uncover the hidden history of Village Nol?]
At this point, there was no way she could refuse.
Slowly, Heyeon raised her hand and pressed Accept.
The village’s sorrowful secret unfolded before her eyes.
[The Canary Cried]
Village Nol, located near the entrance of Canary Forest, was a peaceful place.
A tiny settlement that barely retained the title of village.
Its people were simple, kind, and considerate.
Tragically, the peace they cherished was shattered because of that very kindness.
One day, a stranger arrived.
He looked as though he had been severely beaten and begged the villagers for food.
The villagers fed him soup.
They softened bread in water for him to eat.
They treated his wounds and gave him a comfortable place to sleep.
The stranger wept at their generosity.
Once he recovered, he disappeared from the village.
The people wondered where he had gone, but thought little of it.
That was when Nol’s misfortune began.
Their village was so small that even the lord of the territory hadn’t known it existed.
The stranger returned.
This time, he led soldiers and the territorial lord to the village.
The villagers were branded as suspicious people who had hidden themselves away and avoided paying taxes.
Their few possessions were confiscated.
When that wasn’t enough, the young people were taken away.
Nol’s value changed again when a mine was discovered in the nearby forest.
Its misfortune deepened.
The lord declared:
“I will stop collecting taxes.
In exchange, enter that mine.”
The villagers obeyed.
They descended into the mine.
Even into the deepest tunnels where breathing became difficult.
And everyone said:
“If only there had been canaries.”
The forest they lived beside was called Canary Forest.
Yet there were no canaries.
Or rather…
There had been.
But the soldiers had captured them all.
They feared the canaries’ cries would warn the miners of danger and make them flee.
And among the nobility, keeping beautiful birds in lavish gardens had become fashionable.
So the forest lost its canaries.
Because of that, the people of Nol never came back out of the mine.
Their suffering finally ended because of outsiders who descended upon this world.
Since those outsiders always awakened near Canary Forest, both the lord and the king eventually learned of Nol’s existence.
The king designated Nol as a waypoint for the outsiders.
He also investigated the mine and discovered that the mineral deposits had already run dry.
The mine was closed.
Only then did the people of Nol gain their freedom.
Thus, peace returned to the village of Nol in Canary Forest—a forest without canaries.
For them, peace was precious beyond words.
The adults told the children:
“Do not enter the forest.”
“Do not wander near the mine.”
“The parents who closed their eyes forever miss their children and come to take them away.”
“Those who died longing for canaries became canaries themselves, luring children with their cries.”
Canaries are the ones who take away the children who disappear into the forest.
Do we truly have the right to bring those children back from the canaries?
