PRSR | Chapter 7.2

“Talent stats can’t be increased with stat points. Since it’s a fixed stat, it’s better to focus on honing your skills and making the most of what you have rather than lamenting its value.”

Shin Youngho offered a detailed explanation, likely trying to console me because he thought I was upset about being below average. If only he knew how surreal this all felt to me.

“Soul-jjik, look at this-jjik!”

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Jjikjjiki struck a bodybuilder’s pose, flexing fur instead of muscles. And this so-called genius was… him.

“See, Soul-ssi? Even Jjikjjiki is cheering you on. Having such an amazing monster by your side shows how special your abilities are. Don’t let a slightly lower talent stat get you down.”

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Misinterpreting Jjikjjiki’s squeaks, Shin Youngho smiled reassuringly.

“What’s the benefit of a high talent stat? Does it unlock better skills?”

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“It affects the speed of leveling up. Those with lower talent stats need to kill dozens of goblins to level up, while those with higher stats only need to take down a few to reach level 2. The gap grows wider as the tutorial quest progresses. Once we return to Earth, growth will stop entirely, so time constraints make the gap even larger. But don’t worry—Soul-ssi already has powerful skills for your talent level.”

No wonder Jjikjjiki leveled up so quickly. What was his current level, anyway? Not being able to check his status window was a bit inconvenient.

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I’ll have to look into it once we reach the port city.

My thoughts and emotions were all over the place.

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There was hope that, with Jjikjjiki’s strength, we could quickly finish the tutorial quest and return to Earth. But there was also fear that Jjikjjiki’s strength meant he might be essential for defending against the Higher Dimension’s invasions once we returned.

What if Jjikjjiki is needed for the defense against the Higher Dimension’s invasions?

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I had thought everything would go back to normal once the tutorial quest ended. But maybe Jjikjjiki and I couldn’t go back to being just a pet rat and his owner.

I don’t want that.

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I picked up Jjikjjiki, who was still posing dramatically, and hugged him close.

All I could do was hope I wouldn’t have to choose between Earth and Jjikjjiki.

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“We’ve arrived. This is the port city.”

We reached our destination two days earlier than expected, thanks to Jjikjjiki sweeping through monsters at an incredible speed. It was almost as if the city knew we’d arrive early, because the moment we entered, an employee from the Brown Merchant Caravan came to find us.

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The employee handed over a document listing the number and locations of slave traders hiding in the port city. With such precise information, one might wonder why they didn’t rescue the captured Awakened themselves. But then again, perhaps it was because their role as NPCs was merely to assist in progressing the quests of the Awakened. Moments like this really drove home the fact that this was a constructed world, not another reality.

“If the fact that we’re here to rescue the Awakened gets discovered by the slave traders, they might set sail. We need to move carefully. First, let’s find lodging and then figure out our next steps.”

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As we headed further into the city to look for a place to stay, we stopped after just a few minutes.

Something felt off.

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“Why are there so many Awakened here?”

Even before we had fully entered the city, we had already come across five Awakened. Seeing this many Koreans on the streets was a sight I hadn’t seen since the Beginner Village.

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Some had dyed their hair or wore hats, but most of them were walking around with their black hair fully visible, as if unaware that being a black-haired Awakened made them a target for slave traders.

“Huh? Look over there. And there. They’re all Awakened too. Do you think they might be people who escaped from captivity?”

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“That’s unlikely. I don’t recognize their faces. They’re probably Awakened who left the Beginner Village before I settled there.”

Shin Yeongho replied stiffly to Lee Hyena’s question. Awakened who left the Beginner Village before Shin Yeongho settled there? That meant…

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“Are they the front-runners of the tutorial quests?”

“That many? If this port city is the third quest area after Belford and Train, shouldn’t there be fewer Awakened here than in the previous areas?”

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Shin Yeongho’s reasoning was sound. It didn’t make sense for so many Awakened to be gathered in the third zone. Usually, 100 to 200 people were dragged into the Tutorial Field as Awakened. Among them, some gave up on quests entirely, while the rest chose one of four zones at the Beginner Village to continue their quests.

The chosen zone determined their next path. For example, those who selected Belford were directed to Train as their next destination. After factoring in those captured or still in Train, the number of Awakened reaching the third zone, the port city, should have been much smaller.

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Even if someone used the “Zone Change Voucher” Jjikjjiki received as a quest reward, they’d hardly waste it just to move to the next town in the same route. But even if route changes were possible, how many Awakened could have received such a special quest reward?

Which left only one plausible explanation.

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“Could this city be a shared zone?”

“A shared zone?”

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“A shared zone-jjik?”

Everyone turned to look at me.

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“No matter which starting zone you chose, you’d end up here as you progressed through the quests. If that’s the case, it wouldn’t be strange for all the front-runners to gather here.”

“That does make sense.”

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“But why scatter us in the first place-jjik?”

The Awakened, including Shin Yeongho, scanned the area with more tension than before. Unlike these Awakened who were kidnapped right after leaving the Beginner Village and had barely completed a proper quest, the others here were advanced players who had progressed further in the game. It was understandable that they felt nervous about jumping ahead three stages to the port city.

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‘Still, freezing up like this before even starting won’t help.’

It’s like asking someone to hunt goblins to build a foundation, then suddenly telling them to fight orcs. While their hesitation was reasonable, staying discouraged wouldn’t solve anything. Trying to lighten the mood, I made a joke.

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“Well, the hoods and hats we prepared are completely useless now.”

“Good thing I don’t have to wear a hat. I sweat a lot on my head,” Shin Yeongho quickly responded, catching on to my intent to break the ice.

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“Soul looks prettiest with his black hair out-jjik,” Jjikjjiki chimed in.

As the tension eased, Lee Hyena, emboldened by the change in atmosphere, offered her opinion.

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“Shouldn’t we warn the other Awakened here? Those from different zones might not know about the slave traders.”

“If they’d tried to kidnap Awakened in the port city, the Brown Merchant Caravan would have mentioned it in the report. Since it’s not there…”

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I trailed off as I noticed their gazes on me. Shin Yeongho and the others were staring at me with puzzled faces.

‘…Oh. They don’t know I can read.’

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Well, I’d been caught. Not that I was planning to hide it anymore.

“They probably haven’t attempted kidnappings here. Either the guards are too tight, or they realized the Awakened are too strong and decided to lay low.”

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“If the security is that tight, they wouldn’t even think about sailing away with captives. The theory that the Awakened here are too strong to mess with seems plausible.”

“In other words, the slave traders aren’t strong enough to deal with the Awakened here. If that’s the case, Jjikjjiki should be more than enough to handle them.”

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After all, Jjikjjiki is a rat with an Awakened trait value of 80.

“Well, since we know where the slave traders are, should we go wipe them out?”

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“Leave it to me-jjik! I’ll get rid of them all-jjik!”

At my suggestion, Shin Yeongho shook his head with a conflicted expression.

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“It’s too dangerous to attack blindly without knowing where the captured Awakened are. Soul, you’re probably thinking of tracking them or capturing one to force information, right? But that’s not something you can do alone.”

“Soul’s not alone-jjik.”

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Shin Yeongho clenched and unclenched his fists, clearly frustrated.

“We’re too weak to properly support you. I can’t even guarantee that we’d be able to protect you in an emergency.”

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“Soul doesn’t need protecting-jjik. I’ll always protect him-jjik.”

“I don’t want to hold you back, Soul.”

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“The only one who can hold Soul’s ankle is me-jjik!”

“Let’s just come up with a more solid plan… Soul? Are you okay?”

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Shin Yeongho’s tone softened in concern as I suddenly lowered my head.

“Sorry if I disappointed you,” he continued. “It’s just that we barely made it out of the Beginner Village quests. We’ll try not to be a burden.”

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Of course, my reason for lowering my head wasn’t disappointment in them. I was simply stifling laughter at Jjikjjiki’s relentless commentary.

‘Why do you keep joining the conversation when no one else can understand you?’

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I struggled to keep my smile in check as I straightened up. From inside the leather pouch sewn into my clothes, I felt Jjikjjiki squirming.

“Ah, sorry. Just got some dust in my eyes. But thanks to your input, I’ve come up with a good plan.”

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“What kind of plan?”

“What plan-jjik?”

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“If our theory is correct, the slave traders want to kidnap Awakened but are too scared to act because they’re too strong, right?”

“Right.”

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“Right-jjik.”

“Then they wouldn’t hesitate if they found a ‘weak Awakened.’”

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“You’re not seriously thinking of pretending to be weak to lure them out, are you?”

“Weak pretenses-jjik?”

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I shook my head. Pretending? There was no need for that.

“I don’t have to pretend. I am weak.”

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“No way.”

“No way-jjik! That’s too dangerous-jjik!”

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“I’ll take Jjikjjiki with me, hidden in my pouch.”

“It’s still dangerous. They have strange items that can seal movement and skills.”

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“If I’m going with Soul, then it’s not dangerous-jjik. I’ll never let anything happen to him-jjik.”

“Once Jjikjjiki is summoned, he can move freely regardless of my state. If the traders take me to where the other captives are, Jjikjjiki can free them and we can all escape.”

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What better way was there to pinpoint the captives’ location and rescue them quickly? Even Shin Yeongho, knowing the lack of alternatives, could only hesitate before reluctantly nodding.

“All right. I’ll explain the situation to the other Awakened in the city and ask for help. I’m sure someone will lend a hand.”

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“Soul-jjik. Trust me-jjik. I won’t let them lay a finger on you-jjik.”

I felt Jjikjjiki hug me from inside my pouch. The tough leather made it hard to feel his warmth, unlike when I was in pajamas. Maybe that’s why he liked my pajama pockets more—because they felt closer?

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‘You clever little rat.’