PRSR | Chapter 1.5

I left the square and headed toward the opposite end of the village. Although I was still curious about quests, I knew when to cut my losses.

‘Even if I got a quest, I wouldn’t be able to complete it.’

Considering the game-like setup and the monsters I’d seen in the field earlier, the quests were probably combat-related. Without even the beginner outfit with its supposed defense stat of 3, I stood no chance against monsters.

And there was no way I could send Jjikjjiki into battle either. The poor thing was too timid.

“There were NPC-like people on the other side of the village. Maybe they can help us?”

“NPC-squeak?”

“It means the original residents of this place.”

All the Awakened summoned to the Tutorial Field were Korean, but it was unlikely that only Koreans had Awakened when Earth was being invaded globally. The Tutorial Field was probably divided into separate zones by region.

The group of foreigners I saw earlier, wearing clothes similar to the beginner outfit but in different colors and glancing at us nervously, were likely native residents of this Tutorial Field.

‘…But how will I communicate with them?’

I don’t even speak English.

Oh, wait. This is another dimension. The issue isn’t just English anymore.

‘This is bad. If I can’t communicate, I can’t ask for help….’

Still, I couldn’t back down. If words failed, I’d resort to drawings to find out how to meet a Beastman. Swallowing my nerves, I cautiously approached the villagers.

“Um… Hello.”

“Eek! You startled me!”

The villager froze for a moment before bolting in the opposite direction. More than the fact that he ran away, I was shocked that I understood what he said.

‘We can communicate?’

It seemed the Tutorial Field had a universal language feature.

‘Even non-Awakened benefit from this. That’s a relief.’

Determined, I wandered around, persistently greeting residents. Most avoided me, looking wary and frightened—as if I were an invader here to pillage their village.

“Hello.”

“Where are you from?”

After a long while, an elderly man finally responded to me. He had been watching me approach as if he were expecting it and immediately countered my greeting with a question.

“We’re from the Korean region. Ah, in this world, it’s probably called Zone 98-A.”

“Korean…? Never heard of it. How did so many of you get here without carts or horses?”

The man’s tone was cautious, almost accusatory.

‘Do the locals not know about the Awakened being summoned?’

It seemed that way. No wonder the villagers had been so shocked, running away when approached.

Between summoning the wrong individuals and failing to notify the NPCs about the Awakened’s arrival, the system clearly had more than a few bugs. For something modeled after a game, it felt far from polished.

“Oh, you mean those people in the yellow outfits? I don’t know much about them either. Look, I’m dressed differently, aren’t I?”

“Well, this outfit looks suspicious enough… But where did you say you came from again?”

“I walked here from another nearby village.”

“Without any belongings?”

“I was robbed.”

“Goodness.”

“So I was wondering if there’s a way to earn some money around here.”

“Hmm… Which village did you say you came from?”

“Oh, uh, I don’t remember exactly. I got hit on the head by the robbers…”

Feigning amnesia, I held my head dramatically.

Jjikjjiki, however, reacted first.

“Soul-squeak!”

Startled, I instinctively covered the pocket where Jjikjjiki was hiding with my hand. Taking the hint, Jjikjjiki stopped trying to climb onto my shoulder.

“My, you’ve really been through a lot. We can’t just let a guest of our village go without help. You can stay here tonight. Follow me.”

Apparently, my clumsy acting worked. The old man’s suspicion faded quickly.

Not only did he cover a night’s stay at an inn, but he also offered to provide dinner. I requested fresh fruits and vegetables instead of a grand meal, and he brought me a basket of assorted fruits.

His kindness was beyond what I had hoped for.

‘Do villagers usually go this far for a guest?’

Worst case, this could be a trap. But it wasn’t like I had the luxury to refuse food and shelter. If I was going to be in danger either way, I’d rather face it with a full stomach and a soft bed.

“Thank you. I’ll repay the lodging and fruit costs once I start earning money.”

“We’ll talk about that later. For now, just rest.”

With that, the old man left, promising to check in on me the next day.

Inside the inn room, I peeled an apple, slicing off a piece for Jjikjjiki. It cautiously crawled out of the pocket to accept the offering.

“What about you, Soul-squeak?”

“I’m eating too. Go on, eat.”

I confidently popped a small slice of apple into my mouth. Seeing me eat, Jjikjjiki, who had been hesitating with its piece, finally began nibbling as well.

Chomp, chomp, chomp.

Maybe it was the relief of finally being in a safe space, or perhaps the soothing sound of Jjikjjiki gnawing on the apple, but my body gradually relaxed, and all the tension drained away. With a thud, I flopped onto the bed.

“Wow, I was so tense I thought I was going to throw up.”

“Soul-squeak. Are you really sick-squeak? Is your head hurting, or do you feel like throwing up-squeak?”

Jjikjjiki abandoned its apple and scrambled up to my face, planting its tiny hands on my chin and squeaking in concern. Seeing the little mouse so worried melted away the last bits of tension in me.

“I’m fine. You heard me talking to the villager earlier, right? I was just acting.”

“Squeak? I don’t understand what you mean-squeak.”

“Huh?”

“I couldn’t understand a single word that villager said-squeak.”

“You… didn’t understand them?”

I sat up, lifting Jjikjjiki off my face and holding it in front of me.

“Squeak.”

“What do you mean? Were their words too complicated for you?”

“It’s not that-squeak. They were speaking in a language I don’t know-squeak.”

“So, you can’t understand anyone else’s words except mine?”

Jjikjjiki shook its head vigorously.

“Then, just that villager’s words?”

“I can’t understand anyone with non-black hair-squeak.”

In other words, Jjikjjiki could understand the Awakened but not the Tutorial Field residents. This wasn’t an issue of Jjikjjiki being a mouse.

Could it be… not all Awakened could communicate with the Tutorial Field residents?

‘…What about the others?’

I moved to the window and peered outside. A few Awakened, who hadn’t joined the lawyer’s group, were wandering the streets nervously. Just as I had done, they approached a villager and tried to talk.

I couldn’t hear their words, but I could clearly see their exaggerated gestures as they attempted to convey their message.

“Agh, this is so frustrating!”

One Awakened, after a long struggle, shouted loud enough for me to hear, pounding their chest in frustration. The startled villager bolted in fright.

That confirmed it. They couldn’t understand each other at all.

But how could I…

“Oh. Could it be?”

“Squeak?”

The “compensation” the Manager had given me for the system error—it allowed me to communicate with Jjikjjiki. Could that same ability be extending to the Tutorial Field residents?

“Wow!”

“Squeak!”

My sudden exclamation startled Jjikjjiki, making it leap up in alarm.

‘That explains why the NPCs let their guard down so quickly. Since I could communicate with them, they trusted me.’

The reason the other Awakened hadn’t shown much interest in the residents wasn’t that they didn’t care—it was because they couldn’t. Without the ability to communicate, any attempt at conversation would seem like a waste of time.

Even the elderly villager’s willingness to help made sense now. The Tutorial Field’s “Beginner Village” was designed to help Awakened acclimate, so it wouldn’t make sense for it to be filled with traps or hostility right from the start.

“Squeak. Soul-squeak.”

Lost in my thoughts, I hadn’t noticed Jjikjjiki reaching toward me, flailing its tiny arms. I brought the little mouse closer to my face, and it nuzzled its nose against mine.

“What’s wrong-squeak?”

“Jjikjjiki! I can understand NPC speech!”

“I can’t-squeak…”

“It’s fine.”

“Really-squeak?”

“It’s fine because I can understand them.”

More than fine—it was like hitting the jackpot for someone like me, who wasn’t Awakened. With this ability, I could breeze through the Tutorial Quests.

‘If the quests were just about hunting, they wouldn’t have stationed villagers in the field. There’s bound to be a time when the Awakened will need to communicate with the NPCs.’

This ability opened up a new role for me: interpreter.

Awakened who needed to interact with Tutorial Field residents for smooth quest progression would value my skill even more than combat abilities. I could earn money, and perhaps even ask them to assist me with quests.

‘But not yet. Revealing my ability now would be dangerous since I can’t defend myself.’

If word got out, unscrupulous Awakened might kidnap or threaten me to use my skills. Worse, they could sabotage Jjikjjiki’s quest progress to prevent me from leaving this dimension.

For now, I needed to grow stronger. Since my own limits were clear, I had to stick to the plan of teaching Jjikjjiki how to transform into a human.

‘So it all circles back to the beginning.’

Even so, the future felt less daunting now, like a ray of light cutting through the darkness. If I went to sleep now, I was sure I’d dream something pleasant.

‘Tomorrow, I’ll figure out how to earn money, buy some clothes, and head to a bigger village to gather information about Beastmen.’

Even if I couldn’t complete a quest right away, starting with a job in the village would be a good first step. At least now I had a direction. The heavy burden on my shoulders felt a third lighter, and I exhaled deeply as I sank back into the bed.

“Soul-squeak. Are you going to sleep-squeak?”

“Yeah.”

Jjikjjiki abandoned its half-eaten apple and crawled back into my chest pocket. That was its way of saying it wanted to sleep with me.

Finding the sight adorable, I placed my hand gently over the bulging pocket. Jjikjjiki let out a small, contented squeak, seemingly unbothered.

“Good night, Jjikjjiki.”

“You too, Soul-squeak.”

It was the first time Jjikjjiki had responded with words instead of a simple squeak when I wished it good night. Smiling softly, I closed my eyes.

* * *

A few days passed after that.

Just as expected, the NPCs in Beginner Village seemed programmed to help Awakened individuals. Not just the old man but the other villagers were generally kind too. My initial suspicions about possible traps had long since disappeared.

With the old man’s help, I got a job at the village’s small general store. Well, calling it a job was a stretch—it was more like doing small errands for some pocket change. Still, they provided meals, so it wasn’t such a bad deal.

In the mornings, I organized the store, and at night, I laid out thick blankets in a corner of the store, curling up with Jjikjjiki to sleep. One by one, other Awakened individuals left the village—some moved on to other areas to progress their quests, while others, unable to adapt to this world, chose to face game over.

As time went by, my anxiety grew.

‘If more people leave, I’ll be in big trouble.’

The path to other villages was riddled with monsters, and I didn’t feel confident I could make it to my destination safely.

“Soul, I’ll take care of the monsters for you, jji!” Jjikjjiki exclaimed, pumping their tiny fist into the air with gusto as if they could single-handedly take on an army.

“Don’t do that, Jjikjjiki. It’s dangerous.”

“If that’s what Soul thinks, then okay, jji.”

“Want a carrot?”

“Jjik!”