PRSR | Chapter 1.6

I decided to wait a little longer and, if no other options presented themselves, join the next group of Awakened leaving the village. I’d hoped to avoid interacting too much with others until I grew stronger, but in this situation, relying on them seemed unavoidable.

While Jjikjjiki happily munched on a freshly washed carrot, I cleaned the store, dusting every corner with a feather duster. The store owner, who had been out, returned carrying a large bundle.

“Soul, I’ve got good news for you.”

“Good news?”

Thud. He set the bundle down on one side of the store. Curious if it was related to the “good news,” I peeked inside. It was packed with items to restock the store shelves—nothing particularly exciting.

“Your next destination is Belford, right?”

“Yes. I was even considering joining the black-haired outsiders when they left the village.”

Belford was the largest town in the area. I planned to gather information about the Beastmen there.

“No need for that. Don’t follow people you can’t even communicate with—you might get into trouble. Next week, the Merchant Caravan is coming through. Just go with them.”

“The Merchant Caravan?”

I’d heard that a famous Merchant Caravan passed through the village every six months. This village wasn’t their primary trade location; they only stopped here on their way to Belford.

“Will they even let me tag along? I don’t have anything to offer, and I’d just be a burden.”

“Don’t worry about that. I told you, I’ve got good news for you, didn’t I?”

He leaned in as if to share a secret. Jjikjjiki, who had been happily chewing their carrot, tilted their head toward us, ears perked up, trying to catch the conversation. It was adorable how they tried to listen in, even though they probably couldn’t understand.

“The caravan is looking for staff for their Belford branch. You can apply and ask them to take you along.”

“Wouldn’t there be plenty of applicants in Belford? Why would they bother hiring me, even bringing me along on their journey?”

“I’ll recommend you! I’ll tell them you’re a hard worker.”

“Alright. Thank you for going out of your way for me.”

“Good, good! That’s the spirit!”

He patted my back enthusiastically. The force of his pats made Jjikjjiki visibly anxious, glancing between me and the store owner.

“You seem overly happy about this. Were you that eager to get rid of me?”

“Ha! Don’t be ridiculous. I’d love it if you stayed here longer, but you’ve got places to go, don’t you? Might as well leave on a good note. Besides, the caravan pays well. Come back rich, alright?”

Though we’d only known each other a few days, the store owner treated me like a friend’s kid. Not just him, but most of the Village Residents were like that.

In game terms, they were NPCs programmed to help players once a certain level of goodwill was established. Of course, building goodwill required speaking the same language, first and foremost.

“I’ll handle unpacking these goods, so could you go to the inn and pass on a message? Let them know the Merchant Caravan is coming in a week, and they should prepare.”

“Got it. I’ll be back.”

With Jjikjjiki in tow, I headed to the inn. I’d always wondered why such a quiet village had an inn, but it made sense now—it was for times like these when the Merchant Caravan passed through.

“Jjikjjiki, it looks like we’ll be able to leave for our next destination soon. Isn’t that great?”

“As long as I’m with Soul, anywhere is fine, jji.”

“When I get a proper job in Belford, I’ll save up more money and buy the information we need. They say there are lots of mercenaries there, so it should be easy to gather intel.”

“……Soul, jji.”

Suddenly, Jjikjjiki, who had been sitting calmly on my shoulder, stood up and tugged on my clothes.

“Don’t go this way, jji.”

“Huh?”

“Danger…….”

BOOM!

Before Jjikjjiki could finish speaking, a massive explosion echoed, shaking the ground violently.

“W-What was that?!”

An earthquake? Was it an earthquake?

I lowered my stance to brace for more tremors.

“KYAAAA!”

Then, from the village entrance, a scream rang out.

“Monsters…. It’s monsters!”

Crack. The wooden fence around the village shattered as monsters swarmed in. They were the same kind of creatures I’d seen when I was first summoned to the Tutorial Field—Goblins, if I remembered correctly.

‘Now’s not the time to think about their names. I need to run.’

This time, knowing more about this world, I managed to stay calmer than when I’d first encountered monsters. Without hesitation, I grabbed Jjikjjiki with both hands.

“Jjikjjiki! Hold on tight!”

Clutching the squirming, nervous Jjikjjiki, I bolted. Running back the way I’d come, I soon spotted the general store. But it was already overrun with monsters.

‘Damn it.’

I narrowly avoided being struck by a goblin and ducked behind cover.

‘The store owner should be okay, right?’

The store’s doors were tightly shut. Goblins were pounding on them, but they weren’t getting in. It seemed the owner had anticipated the situation and taken shelter.

‘What should I do?’

The goblins didn’t seem smart enough to open doors or strong enough to break through the walls. The store was safe for now. Maybe I could distract the monsters and sneak into the store while they were away.

‘…….’

As I absentmindedly glanced at Jjikjjiki, an idea popped into my head. Then I quickly shook it off.

“Jjik?”

Was I seriously considering asking Jjikjjiki to lure the monsters away? How stupid, reckless, and irresponsible could I be?

“Jjikjjiki, I’m sorry.”

“Jjik!”

I hugged Jjikjjiki tightly, and they extended their little arms to hug me back, though their arms were too short to reach far, leaving their tiny paws pressed against my chest.

Seeing Jjikjjiki so innocently happy broke my heart even more. How could I even think of sending this sweet creature into danger just because they were small and fast? I was unfit to be their guardian.

“No, that’s not an option. Let’s try running this way instead.”

“Soul, leave it to me, jji! I’ll take care of the monsters, jji!”

Jjikjjiki, naive and fearless, declared with determined courage. I could only imagine how readily they’d accept my reckless idea if I voiced it, but that made it all the harder to consider.

“No. Don’t, Jjikjjiki. It’s too dangerous.”

“Jji….”

“Promise me.”

“Jjik.”

I turned around and sprinted toward the opposite side of the village. Thanks to the general store owner constantly sending me on delivery errands over the past few days, I had memorized the village’s layout like the back of my hand.

‘The inn is the safest place right now.’

The inn was the only two-story building in the village. It was far from where the goblins were pouring in, and being on the second floor would make it easier to assess the situation. Sure, being isolated upstairs could make escape trickier, but if the goblins tried to come up, I could throw down mattresses and chairs to block the stairs.

Most importantly, the inn housed Awakened individuals.

‘Even the Awakened stuck in this beginner village should be able to handle goblins.’

The Awakened staying at the inn were people who had begged the Village Residents—using gestures and broken words—to let them stay in exchange for protecting the village. They went out every two days to hunt goblins lingering near the village. While they lacked the courage to progress their quests, they were at least trying to settle here. Surely, they could help in this situation.

“Huff, huff…”

I was out of breath. How far had I run? My panic made the distance to the inn feel twice as long as usual.

Were goblins chasing me? I had no idea. I didn’t dare turn my head, too afraid that glancing back might slow me down and get me caught.

Thud. Click.

I reached the inn and shoved the door open, slamming it shut behind me. I hurriedly bolted it before taking a moment to catch my breath.

“Hah… haaaa…”

I made it. I really thought I was done for.

“Jjikjjiki, are you okay?”

“Jjik.”

Even Jjikjjiki, who had clung tightly to me the whole way, let out an exhausted sigh. I glanced at their fur, marked with imprints where my fingers had gripped too hard.

“Sorry. Did I hurt you?”

“If Soul hugs me, I think I’ll feel better, jji.”

“Alright, come here.”

I draped Jjikjjiki gently over my shoulder and stroked their back. They purred contentedly, nuzzling against my neck.

“But… why is it so dark in here?”

I stood and scanned the room. All the lamps were off.

‘Did they turn them off on purpose?’

There was something else odd. The inn, which should have been bustling with Awakened, felt completely devoid of people.

‘Weird…’

A faint light seeped through a gap in the curtains. I moved toward the window.

In the Tutorial Field, there was no such thing as flipping a switch to turn on lights like back on Earth. Since I couldn’t light the lamps one by one in this situation, I figured I’d pull the curtains open. Goblins weren’t tall enough to peek through the window, so it should be safe.

“Jjik!”

Jjikjjiki, standing on my shoulder, tugged nervously at my collar.

‘What’s that?’

Through the curtain, I saw a blurry shadow. Slowly, cautiously, I lifted the fabric to take a peek.

And saw a monster.

“……!”

I swallowed the scream clawing its way up my throat. I nearly let it out.

This wasn’t a goblin.

It was massive—easily over two meters tall. No, maybe closer to three. Its hulking frame, menacing face, and green skin radiated raw power.

It was a true monster.

‘W-What the….’

Just looking at it made my legs tremble. Instinctively, I took a step back, desperate to get away.

Thump. My heel hit the floor, producing a tiny sound that echoed like thunder in my ears.

“Grr…”

The monster, hearing the noise, growled and turned its head toward me.

‘No!’

It was too tall to see me clearly through the window, but if it leaned down, it’d spot me in an instant. I pressed myself flat against the wall beside the window, holding my breath. As long as I stayed perfectly still, it wouldn’t see me.

‘The others must’ve run away, right?’

I quickly pieced together what might have happened. The Awakened and the innkeeper must have seen the monster through the window and fled. Most likely… to the second floor.

‘If they’d left the building, they wouldn’t have bothered turning off the lights or drawing the curtains.’

They had probably darkened the inn to avoid attracting the monster’s attention. Right now, they were probably peeking through the second-floor windows, waiting for it to leave.

I was in the same boat as them, except I was stuck downstairs, separated from the monster by just a single wall.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

My heart pounded wildly. The monster wouldn’t hear it, but to me, it sounded louder than a drum at a rock festival.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

I wanted to smack my chest and tell it to calm down, but instead, I prayed.

‘Please… please, please, please…’

I begged silently for the monster to lose interest in me. For it to leave. To wander far, far away.

Thud. Thud.

“……!”

I clamped my hands over my mouth to stifle a scream. Those sounds weren’t my heartbeat.

They were the monster tapping on the window.

Did it find the fluttering curtains suspicious? Or maybe it had caught a glimpse of my shadow. If this thing was smarter than a goblin… I was in serious trouble.

‘Please, go away. Just go….’

“Grrr…”

It growled softly, then stopped tapping. I heard its fingers pull away from the window.

‘Is it… gone?’

Maybe it lost interest because the inside was so dark. I sighed in relief. That was a close—

“Soul, jji!”

Jjikjjiki’s loud voice rang in my ear. Before I could react, I felt something yank me hard from where I was standing.

“Ah!”

It wasn’t so much being thrown as being shoved forward and landing in a heap. I tumbled onto a soft sofa, stunned, and quickly sat up.

CRASH!

I turned my head toward the sound and froze.

A massive club had smashed through the wall where I’d just been standing, splitting it in half.

“……Hic.”

Thud. Crack.

The monster on the other side of the wall grabbed at the broken pieces, tearing them away as it stepped inside.

‘I-I need to run….’

But my legs wouldn’t move. Was I injured? No, I hadn’t taken any serious damage; the sofa had cushioned my fall. My body was trembling uncontrollably, refusing to obey me.

‘Run…!’

I shook as the monster took another step closer, raising its club high. Beyond the splintered wall, I saw my impending doom reflected in its monstrous shadow.

Standing before it was Jjikjjiki.

As if shielding me.

“Jjikjjiki!” I screamed as the monster swung its massive club.

BOOM!

The inn shook with the deafening sound.

“Huh?!”

But the blow hadn’t hit me. And Jjikjjiki hadn’t been crushed.

The thunderous noise had come from the monster collapsing backward, slamming into the floor.

“……?”

I couldn’t process what I was seeing.

“J-Jjikjjiki…”

My trembling voice called out to the small figure standing in front of the fallen monster.

Jjikjjiki turned to me, their tiny face calm.

“Jjik.”