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Chapter 10
“What?”
Heeyeon abandoned her attempt to jump off and instead clung desperately to Ehte’s neck as if nothing had ever happened. Beneath her, Hawa, who was being pressed down, frowned.
Ehte gradually slowed its running. With an elegant spin, it turned its body back toward the direction they had come from.
Thanks to that, Heeyeon could see clearly.
A girl in Alpine-style clothing, with neatly braided brown twin tails, was confronting the monster while holding a massive black scythe.
The monster’s body had been sliced in half—its long, leaf-like form cut cleanly in two by the scythe. The crumbling rotten leaves turned to ash and disappeared.
The girl glanced at Heeyeon briefly, cleared her throat, and then spun the huge scythe in her hand before singing again.
“Alright, let’s go again. I’m coming to take your head—yororeyadioreyadiluri~”
She didn’t fully understand what was happening, but at least it looked like she was safe now.
The Alpine-style scythe girl was strong. Every swing of her weapon—nearly as large as her own body—made the leaf monster recoil.
Each time it was cut, the brittle leaves scattered into the air in chunks. But as if filling the gaps, the monster quickly reassembled itself, reforming into its original shape.
The girl frowned, clearly annoyed that the monster was lasting longer than expected.
“So I even had to use that skill in the beginner area…”
Even handling a flying monster made of branches was impressive enough, but her pride was clearly wounded. Something like this was supposed to be defeated in one strike—that was how it was supposed to look cool!
She clicked her tongue and spoke to the trembling newbie, Heeyeon.
“Move back and cover your ears!”
Heeyeon immediately urged Ehte backward. Hawa, having sensed the situation, also covered her ears tightly with her hands.
Heeyeon quickly covered her own ears as well.
And as if waiting for that moment—
A notification appeared, and her body involuntarily curled up.
Even with her ears covered, she was still within range of the skill.
[You have been affected by Skill . You are temporarily in a Fear state.]
When the girl swung her scythe, a black bird-shaped entity burst out and charged at the monster.
“Song of the Crying Bird” was a tracking skill that applied a debuff and relentlessly pursued the target until it hit.
She had worried it might not work again—but thankfully, it did.
The rotten leaf monster was brushed by the wings of the black bird and instantly burst into black ash, vanishing completely.
The Alpine girl watched the demise of the unusually stubborn beginner-area monster, then descended to the ground.
The first thing she saw was the unicorn. And next to it, a very familiar red-haired child.
“Hawa?”
This was part of the “Biyan’s Lost Apple” quest. That meant the player riding the unicorn must be the newbie their guild leader had found.
Her eyes sparkled as she approached Heeyeon.
She was allied with the group currently fighting “Nameless One” and “The Guy Whose House Definitely Has No Newbies,” who were engaged in a separate battle elsewhere.
Her plan was simple: while “No-Newbie House Guy” distracted the enemy, she would slip in and help the newbie directly.
That was the coordinated pincer strategy of the player known as “21st Century Kingmaker.”
Heeyeon, relieved, looked at the approaching girl.
That outfit—definitely a player. At least she wouldn’t have to deal with an incomprehensible monster alone anymore.
“Hello!”
“…Hello, and thank you for helping us.”
The girl waved her hands modestly. Her braided hair and Alpine outfit made her look far gentler than someone who had just been swinging a giant scythe moments ago.
The Kingmaker tilted her head.
“Looks like you’re doing Biyan’s quest. How did you end up aggroing something like that?”
“We were just doing the quest… and then it happened.”
“…Biyan’s Apple quest?”
Heeyeon nodded.
The reaction confirmed it—this clearly wasn’t supposed to happen in the normal quest line.
The Kingmaker fell into slight confusion.
Since when did this quest have monsters like that? Unless it was a surprise event… maybe a bug?
After a moment, she smiled again.
She waited until Heeyeon and Hawa’s shaken hearts settled before speaking.
“Anyway, good thing I arrived in time. I’m ‘21st Century Kingmaker.’”
“I’m Snow Duck Charge.”
“Wow! That name is cute. Can I call you Duck? Or Snow Duck Noona?”
Heeyeon nodded immediately.
Hawa tugged at Heeyeon’s clothes.
“Is your name really ‘Snow Duck Charge’?”
“….”
Her brief moment of pride evaporated.
The Kingmaker chuckled and gently patted Hawa’s red hair.
“Then we’ll call her Duck Noona or Snow Duck Noona.”
“And you?”
“You can call me King. Or Kingmaker. Either is fine.”
That was a very fast downgrade of status in introductions.
Still, at least Heeyeon learned she didn’t always have to say her full nickname to NPCs.
The Kingmaker glanced at Hawa and then continued.
“So, Duck Noona, you’re heading back to complete the quest?”
“Yes. We need to make sure Hawa is safe.”
“Then I’ll escort you. Monsters in Ehteh Forest are dangerous for beginners. And that weird monster might show up again.”
Heeyeon gratefully accepted.
Normally she would have refused, but after what she just saw, refusing would have been insane.
After all, this girl had casually solved that terrifying monster with a few scythe swings.
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing.”
The Kingmaker was experienced and friendly.
As they walked out of Ehteh Forest and through Canary Forest, they talked.
“At first I thought that monster was part of a hidden quest in Ehteh Forest.”
“It came from inside the mine. I don’t even know why… maybe because we freed the bound canaries.”
“Bound canaries?”
“Yes. There were dozens of them tied up near where Hawa was.”
The Kingmaker frowned.
“There shouldn’t be canaries.”
“…Pardon?”
“There are no canaries in Biyan’s quest.”
Silence fell.
The Kingmaker glanced at Hawa.
“Though Hawa’s disappearance is related to searching for canaries. The villagers often talk about ‘if only there were canaries in the mine.’ Hawa misunderstands that and thinks there are actually canaries there.”
“….”
“She goes into the mine trying to find canaries to make the villagers happy.”
A strange silence followed.
Heeyeon looked at Hawa, who was now sleeping soundly against Ehte’s neck.
Hawa had clearly said it herself.
That she had gone into the mine after freeing canaries tied up there.
Something about this felt deeply wrong.
The Kingmaker quickly changed the topic.
“Anyway, you escaped that monster as a newbie? That’s impressive!”
“Ehte is fast.”
“It’s not just the pet. Your stats also matter. You might have high agility.”
“Hmm… I’m not sure.”
“You haven’t checked your stats yet?”
Right. That existed too.
A familiar window appeared before her.
Nickname: Snow Duck Charge (No Guild)
Class: None / Weapon: Dagger (temporary)
HP: 17(43) / MP: 0(0)
Hunger: 76(100)
Strength: 3(+20) / Agility: 4(+32) / Magic: 0(2)
Titles: None
Skills: None
“See the numbers in parentheses? Those are from items. The base stats are outside the brackets.”
“Oh…”
Her agility was definitely high.
She glanced at her shoes.
The Kingmaker coughed.
“If you need help, I can guide you. I’ve been bored lately since there hasn’t been much game update activity.”
“Ah… someone else is already helping me.”
“Really? Is that person still waiting in Nol Village?”
“…I’m not sure.”
Now that she thought about it, he never actually said he would wait.
He only said he’d stay until she changed classes.
But it had already been quite a while.
Maybe he had gone off somewhere else.
Meanwhile, the Nameless One was still fighting “The Guy Whose House Has No Newbies,” but Heeyeon didn’t know that.
The Kingmaker, who did know where the Nameless One was, smiled slightly.
“If that person leaves or stops helping, can I help instead?”
“Sure.”
The Kingmaker smiled brightly.
Everything was going according to plan.
She could just send a polite condolence note to that “No-Newbie House Guy.”
Heeyeon realized something today:
Veteran players who want to help newbies… were strangely reliable.
Especially the one she saw fighting that monster—it had been dazzling.
A literal light.
As they chatted, Hawa slept peacefully on the unicorn while it occasionally snorted.
One important piece of information Heeyeon learned was the game’s genre.
“I thought this was a healing game… but then that thing appeared, so I was surprised.”
“A healing game?”
“Yes!”
“Hmm… who said it was a healing game?”
“…the son of the woman living in my house.”
“…Ah.”
The Kingmaker smiled awkwardly.
Heeyeon realized something.
So it was that brat, Baek Heejoon.
“W-well, it IS a healing game! Healing doesn’t have to mean fluffy cute things!”
“….”
“If you enjoy it, it’s healing!”
Unfortunately for the Kingmaker, Heeyeon’s definition of “healing” was very specific.
And it definitely involved fluffy, soft, cute things.
Therefore, the moment she logged out, she planned to kick Baek Heejoon.
“Hawa!”
At the entrance of Canary Forest, Biyan, who had been waiting anxiously, rushed toward them the moment she saw the red hair in the distance.
Once Heeyeon lifted Hawa down from Ehte, the quest was completed.
[Quest <Biyan’s Lost Apple> completed! Village “Nol” affinity greatly increased.]
[Achievement unlocked!]
[Achievement Effect: You will hear canary cries when oxygen is low.]
The sky had turned dark.
Biyan cried. The villagers cried.
Even the village chief, Pabnet, wiped his tears and spoke.
“Thank you… truly. The outsiders who fall into our world always help us.”
“Outsiders who fall into our world”—the term NPCs used for players.
Heeyeon only gave an awkward smile.
A festival mood filled the village.
After a while, the chief approached her again.
[Would you help the village a bit?]
Quest: Hunt three rabbits in Canary Forest.
“If we are alive, we must laugh, eat, and talk.”
The chief cleared his throat awkwardly.
“W-we…”
“Skip.”
“…What did you just say, you rude outsider?”
Ah.
So NPCs don’t accept “skip.”
