A Light Tap, Three Billion Damage
Outskirts of Novice Village
Rumiel tucked a ripe apple into her inventory and started walking toward the edge of the village. The cobblestone path ran out, and a soft dirt road unfurled ahead of her. With every step, the damp scent of earth brushed past her nose.
Beyond a little hill in the distance, dense trees stood in a line, and gentle sunlight slipped through the branches to paint the path in warm gold. Once she left the village behind, the air felt even fresher. The fact that this place was no longer just a space inside a game settled over her all over again.
Far off, tiny red creatures were bouncing through the grass. Whenever the wind blew, the little leaves on their heads swayed, and their bodies puffed out and shrank back in a motion that looked almost like breathing.
Small, round bodies. Short little legs. A tomato-bright red. Even the tiny leaf-like tuft on top of their heads — they looked exactly as she remembered.
"Whoa..."
The moment Rumiel laid eyes on those impossibly cute little things, a sound of wonder slipped out of her.
They're so cute...
Those tomato-looking creatures were called Toto.
In the game, Toto was the weak monster that beginners ran into first. Low HP, low attack, and cute on top of it — they basically doubled as the game's mascot. The developers had clearly noticed how popular they were. They'd rolled out all kinds of Toto subspecies, plus merch like Toto body pillows and Toto mochi cakes.
Rumiel herself had gone to a Toto body pillow auction once, and she'd gasped over and over at Toto printed at life size...
Still, it was probably inevitable. A Toto seen in the flesh was so much cuter and more vivid than any pixel sprite or 3D model that there was no comparison.
"Doo!"
The Totos were playing happily in the grass, each of them making their signature little sound. One sat still, swaying its leaf. Another was scratching at the dirt. A few bounced around, teasing each other.
Rumiel walked slowly toward them.
The moment one Toto noticed a person approaching, it bounced right up to her.
"Doo?"
The tiny creature looked up at Rumiel with round eyes as she stopped walking. Then it gave her shoe a light bump with a little leg. It tilted its head, as if waiting for a reaction, and bumped her shoe again. Tap, tap.
Was that its idea of an attack?
Rumiel quietly lifted a hand. The Toto bounced up, all springy, and tapped at her thigh like it was playing.
She watched it for a while, then slowly reached out — and plucked it up with one hand.
"Doo!?"
The Toto's little body wriggled in midair. Rumiel cupped it carefully in both hands and lifted it higher, higher, until her eyes met the Toto's.
"Doo-doo-doo...?"
The Toto's eyes went round. It looked thoroughly confused.
Rumiel just gazed at it. The soft texture. The leaf-like tuft that swayed. A body so small it slipped right into her two hands.
"...You're even smaller than I thought."
She gently pressed the leaf on its head with her index finger.
"Doo...!"
The Toto flinched and let out a tiny cry. It wriggled for a second, but it didn't look like it was in pain — just startled by the sudden touch.
Rumiel studied it for a while. Up close, holding it in her own hands, it was so much more vivid than any in-game model that there was simply no comparison.
As she poked and squished the Toto, a small question drifted into her mind.
I should probably check whether I'm actually strong in real life, too.
It was a pointless worry, but better safe than sorry. There was no harm in checking.
Rumiel drew a slow breath and flexed her hands. In the game, testing your attack power was simple. You just hit a monster.
"Doo?"
The Toto still caught in her hands blinked up at her. Rumiel looked down at it, her lips working silently.
After decades of playing this game, her level was, of course, the cap: 300. And since her character had always been on the front line of the highest-tier raids, her gear was endgame too. The Toto in front of her, though, was a level 2 trash mob among trash mobs. Even a weak attack might wipe it out in a single hit.
That would be too sad.
I'm way too strong like this... I should unequip everything.
Figuring she'd test as safely and as weakly as possible, Rumiel opened her inventory and took off every piece of equipment she was wearing. Weapons that boosted attack. Armor. Accessories. The ring and necklace that raised crit chance. Even her avatar — all of it, unequipped.
Fortunately, there was a system called the Soul Avatar that only affected appearance and didn't boost her stats at all, so she was spared the misfortune of standing naked in the middle of the road.
All that remained now were Rumiel's bare hands, with nothing attached to them at all.
With all her gear off, Rumiel slowly crouched down. She planted her hands on the ground, lying almost flat, and carefully set the Toto on the earth. It flinched for a second, then blinked its little eyes up at her again.
Rumiel drew a deep breath. Then, slowly, as lightly as she possibly could, she moved her fingertips.
Tap.
She brushed the Toto's head. Really, just a brush. There had never been a more careful moment in Rumiel's entire life.
But—
3,000,000,000
The Toto that took Rumiel's attack went flying, limp. A huge number floated up over its head as it sailed through the air.
Rumiel quietly stared at the number.
Three billion.
Poof.
The Toto hit the ground and vanished in a puff of white smoke without so much as a death cry.
◈ A few small coins
Rumiel froze, staring at the spot. She'd barely touched it with her fingertip, and three billion damage had popped up, and the Toto had gone off to become a star in the night sky.
She turned her palm over and looked at it without thinking. A pale, soft, slender hand without a single callus. She'd just given the Toto a light little poke with a hand like this. The result had been far too cruel.
"Doo...?"
Rumiel looked around and saw the remaining Totos' little eyes trembling.
And then, a moment later—
"DOODOODOODOODOODOODOO!!!!!!!"
The Totos scrambled through the grass and fled. Tiny red dots on short, round legs scattered in every direction.
Rumiel stared blankly as every last Toto ran for its life in a panic. Then she noticed one Toto at her feet, blinking, unable to move.
"Doo..."
Unlike the others, this one was frozen in place, not so much as twitching. Rumiel slowly lowered herself and quietly reached out a hand.
"...You okay?"
The Toto didn't move. It just huddled its little body and stared up at her with terrified eyes.
Rumiel sighed and carefully rested her hand on its head.
"It's okay. I won't hurt you."
In that instant, a thought flickered through her mind.
Just now... no damage happened.
She quietly lifted her hand, then set it back down. Still nothing. A moment ago, a light tap had popped three billion damage. Now there wasn't the slightest sign of it.
I see. Damage only happens the moment I decide to attack.
Rumiel looked quietly at the ground. As long as she herself didn't register it as an attack, the monsters wouldn't get hurt. The moment she realized that, the ripples in her heart went still.
Thank goodness.
She let out a breath of relief and carefully stroked the still-frozen Toto's head. It flinched, but it didn't run. Rumiel smiled faintly and stood up.
She drew a long, deep breath, and clear, fresh air filled her lungs. The scent of nature — something she could never have felt in a bleak city.
"...Nice."
A smile came on its own. She'd wandered this game world countless times, but experiencing it with her own body was a completely different feeling. The sunlight was warm. The breeze was cool. Down below, the grass rustled softly as the wind moved through it.
So this was what real nature felt like.
Rumiel had lived in the city her whole life, and she'd never had a spare moment in her busy days. Maybe that was why she let out a little laugh and flopped straight onto the ground. Luckily, the grass was thick and springy enough to catch her back.
"...I think I get why people move out to the country."
Lying there with the grass for a pillow, Rumiel looked up at the sky. A clear, blue sky. Fluffy white clouds drifting by. The peaceful, gentle sky filled her with such a happy feeling that she almost wanted to stay here forever.
She'd been lying there for a while when she suddenly felt a small presence. She turned her head, and from the grass, little red bodies were carefully approaching.
The Totos.
Rumiel blinked at them.
"...?"
Just a moment ago, they'd been terrified and running away. Maybe it was because she was lying there with a drowsy face, but they were edging toward her, watching her carefully.
Rumiel slowly reached a hand toward them.
"C'mere."
The bravest Toto hopped right up to her. Rumiel reached out lightly and scooped it up.
"Doo...?"
The Toto seemed a little tense, but it soon relaxed into her hands. Rumiel quietly hugged it close.
Squishy. Fluffy. A faint warmth came from the Toto's little body. It felt nice. Feeling a smile form on its own, Rumiel hugged the Toto tight.
"...You guys are really cute."
As she held one Toto, the rest — who'd been watching from the grass — started bouncing their little legs and gathering around her. They didn't run anymore. Instead, they began circling her, spinning and dancing.
Beneath the warm sunlight, Rumiel quietly closed her eyes with a Toto in her arms. The breeze was cool, and she felt drowsy — it was the perfect time for a nap.
"Hey, you! Are you okay?!"
But Rumiel's nap was cut short just like that, shattered by someone's shout.