PRSR | Chapter 2.1

I couldn’t quite wrap my head around what had just happened. Blinking dumbly, I saw Jjikjjiki run toward me, furiously rubbing its face with both hands. It jumped onto the high sofa in a single leap and burrowed into my arms.

Wait, can rats jump this high?

“I’m sorry-jjik! Soul told me not to interfere-jjik…”

The small body flattened against me trembled violently. It was the same reaction Jjikjjiki always had when it caused trouble.

Like that time it gnawed on my textbook after I stayed out late drinking all night. Or when it followed me into the bathroom and fell into the tub, flailing around. Even when it tried to climb into my favorite mug but ended up knocking it off the table, breaking it. Every single time, it would curl up and squeak, apologizing in its way.

When Jjikjjiki looked up with those eyes that seemed to say, I’m sorry, don’t hate me, my anger would melt away without fail.

This time was no different. The worry and confusion in my heart eased, and my stiff body started moving again. I held Jjikjjiki tightly in my arms.

“It’s okay. You saved me, didn’t you? The only reason I told you not to step in was because I was worried you’d get hurt. I’m not mad at you, really.”

Even though Jjikjjiki hadn’t done anything wrong, and had actually saved my life, I felt bad for making it feel like it had to apologize. Gently, I patted Jjikjjiki’s back and even gave it a kiss on its little nose.

“Thank you for helping me, Jjikjjiki. You’ll help me again if I’m ever in danger, right?”

“Of course-jjik!”

Feeling more confident, Jjikjjiki nudged its nose against my lips, mimicking the kiss I’d given it earlier. It must’ve felt so happy it wanted to copy me.

Such a cute little thing.

“Huh!”

A sudden gasp made me turn around. There stood a man, an Awakened, who had come downstairs after hearing the commotion.

“D-did you take down this monster yourself?”

“Jjik!”

Jjikjjiki jumped up, shouting, “I defeated it-jjik!” while raising one paw in triumph. I quickly used my finger to nudge its paw down.

“No, it tripped over its own feet and fell while charging at me.”

Jjikjjiki glanced up at me, then nodded along with my lie, squeaking in agreement. The man, however, didn’t pay any attention to the small rat-like creature.

Sorry for stealing your credit, Jjikjjiki.

Even if Jjikjjiki was stronger than expected, it didn’t change the fact that I was a non-Awakened who couldn’t do much. Precisely because Jjikjjiki was strong, we had to stay cautious. If its abilities drew too much attention, it could put both of us in danger.

I gently stroked Jjikjjiki’s head, apologizing silently. Jjikjjiki, seeming to enjoy the attention, squeaked happily.

“Be careful. It might not be dead yet,” the man warned, stepping closer to the monster. However, the creature had already breathed its last.

“Did you receive any experience points?”

“Excuse me?”

“Did you get any experience points for killing it?”

“Oh, no, I didn’t.”

“Then it must’ve died from a concussion. Tsk, what a waste.”

The man’s face twisted in disappointment.

What experience points? I thought. It wasn’t like I killed it myself.

Did he plan to steal the final blow?

Maybe he did. If I had just stood there cluelessly, he might’ve intended to finish it off and claim the rewards.

His gaze toward me was less than kind. The Awakened staying in the inn all seemed to know one another, so he must’ve noticed that I wasn’t one of them. He probably assumed I was some coward hiding out here after danger struck the village.

Well, whatever.

He was just another Awakened stuck in the Beginner Village, so it wasn’t like we’d meet often.

“The monsters are supposed to be far from the village. Do you know how this happened?” I asked.

“Isn’t it the fault of your group?”

“My group?”

The man’s reaction wasn’t what I’d expected.

“Weren’t you out with the others hunting goblins?”

“Me? No, absolutely not.”

I waved my hands to emphasize my denial, and his expression shifted. At first, he seemed surprised, but then his stiff demeanor softened into a more approachable one.

“Ah, my apologies. I misunderstood.”

He extended his hand for a handshake, and I shook it hesitantly. The cold hostility in his eyes from earlier was gone.

“Most of the Awakened who don’t stay at the inn are part of that group, so I assumed you were one of them. I’m sorry for the mistake.”

From his tone, it was clear he held a grudge against that group. It explained his earlier hostility—he must’ve thought I was one of them.

“They’re the reason the village is in this state,” he added, clenching his fists.

“Did they release the monsters into the village on purpose?”

“Probably not. From what I heard, they planned to kill a goblin and use that to demand rewards. But even that was bound to fail. They just rushed into the forest with no preparation and stirred up trouble.”

Apparently, nearly ten of them had banded together to hunt a single goblin. It would’ve been easy if they’d thought it through, but their carelessness backfired.

“Goblin hunts are usually limited to ones that come close to the village. If you want to go deeper, you lure one or two out and handle them carefully. But those fools blundered into a goblin settlement!”

The man punched the wooden wall in frustration.

“Instead of fighting, they abandoned everything and ran back to the village. They should’ve at least led the goblins on a wild chase through the forest! But no, they sprinted straight back here!”

“So they basically herded the goblins into the village,” I said.

“Exactly. Idiots who’ve never even caught a single rat. And as if goblins weren’t enough, their stupidity drew out a high-level monster from the deeper parts of the forest.”

Grinding his teeth, he gestured to the corpse.

“And that’s the thing?”

“Yes. It seems to be the field boss or something. If it had rampaged through the village, the damage would’ve been catastrophic. That’s why I lured it here and hid on the second floor.”

“Alone?”

“Yes. The others had to handle the goblins.”

I had to admit, the guy had guts. Luring such a dangerous creature alone was no small feat.

“I was racking my brain trying to figure out how to deal with it, but luckily, it turned out to be dumb enough to die tripping over its own feet.”

After explaining, he excused himself to help clean up the village.

Though his first impression had been terrible, he turned out to be a decent guy. Thanks to his pent-up frustration—or maybe just his personality—he’d given me a detailed rundown without me even asking.

If I ever run into him again, I might be able to gather some useful information.

But I doubted that would happen.

“Don’t worry-jjik, Soul-jjik! I’ll take care of all the monsters for you-jjik!”

“Thanks, Jjikjjiki. I’ll count on you.”

While Jjikjjiki punched the air excitedly, I waited for the chaos to settle. The other Awakened moved quickly once the boss was dealt with, and the village soon regained its peace.

I avoided the scattered goblin corpses as I made my way back to the general store.

“Soul, you’re okay! I was so worried when you didn’t come back!”

“Sorry for making you worry. There were monsters outside, so I hid somewhere else.”

Fortunately, the store owner was safe. After peppering me with questions, he left me in charge of the shop while he went to check on the village.

I wanted to help, but my legs were shaking too much to stand.

“Whew… I thought I was going to die back there…”

I collapsed onto a single-seater sofa in the corner of the shop. Now that the danger had passed, exhaustion hit me all at once.

So sleepy…

I faintly heard Jjikjjiki call out to me, but I didn’t have the energy to respond.

I closed my eyes and let sleep take me.

***

When I opened my eyes again, it was late at night.

“……”

I stared blankly at the air for a few minutes, then snapped out of it. I was covered with a blanket that hadn’t been there when I sat on the sofa. Did the ahjussi cover me with it?

As I gently lifted the blanket, I found Jjikjjiki asleep on my lap. I carefully draped the blanket back over it so that Jjikjjiki wouldn’t wake up. Gently.

“…Jjik.”

Even though I moved cautiously, Jjikjjiki sensed my presence and woke up. The blanket, bulging as much as Jjikjjiki’s size, shifted, and soon a small head popped out from under it.

“Soul-jji.”

Jjikjjiki reached out toward me, and I cradled it in both hands and brought it to my face. Jjikjjiki poked my lips with its little nose. It was Jjikjjiki’s kiss.

“Are you hurt, Jjik?”

“No, I’m not hurt. I was just surprised.”

Maybe it wasn’t completely over the shock, because its hands were still trembling slightly. I placed Jjikjjiki back on my lap.

“Jjikjjiki.”

“Jjik!”

“How strong are you?”

Jjikjjiki tilted its head for a moment before answering.

“I’m strong enough to protect Soul-jji.”