The Reality of a Buffer (3)

Chirp, chirp.

I woke up to the sound of birds chirping and scanned my surroundings. The landscape, which had been obscured by the darkness of night, finally revealed itself to me.

Sunlight filtered through the dense, green-drenched forest, acting like spotlights illuminating the dark woods. I scratched my chin, racking my brain to remember the direction of the campfire from yesterday. When I spotted the flattened grass where we had been, I let out a long, relieved sigh.

"Whew..."

Yesterday, they had explicitly told me to stay within earshot... I remembered the entity that had looked at me as if I were a living toy. It was a relief that the first night had passed safely, but it felt as if a leash had been tightened around my neck.

I wasn't sure if I had managed to catch the attention of these incredible beings, but one thing was certain: they didn't seem to feel that I was necessary. My top priority for survival had to be figuring out how to make myself useful—how to make them think, "Hey, this guy is actually worth keeping around."

Since the perception of "supporters" was already so poor among them, I realized the time for a choice had come. In games, supporters were either treated as mere tools—there was even a derogatory remark about "tools talking"—or they were treated like royalty. The temperature difference in how they were perceived was extreme.

If that was the case...

Was I going to walk the path of a disposable tool, used once and then discarded? Or was I going to force them to perceive me as a "noble-type tool," one they would cry and scream over, doing whatever it took to save me if I were ever in danger?

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Then, obviously...

There was only one path I had to aim for and pursue!

Becoming a noble-type tool.

Huh? Why am I calling myself a tool? Well, given the personalities of these heroes, it was obvious they would think of a supporter as nothing more than a tool.

Now that my goal was set, I needed to collect Gacha Coins quickly. Rolling the gacha to prove my utility would be the perfect opportunity to imprint the idea that I was a "noble-type tool."

By the way, why are the heroes waking up so late? Is it because they're female heroes? Do they have a lot to prepare...?

?

????

Wait a minute.

Wait, wait, wait, wait!

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!!

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!!!

Yesterday, there were definitely six heroes... Does that mean I have to take care of all the chores and hysteria for all six of them? No way...

This was the worst-case scenario. Out of the twelve ill-tempered beings, only two had been growling at each other over a difference of opinion... and I had to handle the hysteria and chores for all of them after they lost a battle?

A sudden, overwhelming fear washed over me.

Haa... Should I... run away?

Ah, but there was no guarantee I'd survive anyway. Why was I worrying so seriously about the future?

Sigh...

Just then.

Speak of the devil.

It didn't echo through the forest; the voice of the entity targeting my back rang out clearly, directed only at my ears.

Whoa...

Is this, by any chance, Eogijeonseong? The staple trope from martial arts novels... the legendary technique of "Voice Transmission," said to be usable only by masters of the Hwagyeong realm who can transmit their thoughts to others as if whispering in their ears.

She’s a real master.

Ugh... but why does she feel like the school bullies who used to torment me? Is it just my imagination that she gives off the distinct vibe of a bully picking on a pathetic guy?

I shook my head to dismiss the delusion and hurried my steps, terrified of being marked from the start.

Shit.

Bullying me already?

I grumbled inwardly, but my body honestly sprinted toward the spot where the campfire had been yesterday.

After scrambling up the mountain slope, I was already gasping for air.

"Huff... huff..."

Even though I’d run up a mountain, this damn body seemed to tire even faster—perhaps because this was a gender-reversed world.

As I approached the campfire, I saw a woman sitting cross-legged on a rock, facing away from me. She had black hair, held loosely by a white hairpin, with silky, smooth locks cascading down to her waist. She was dressed in a typical black, silk-woven Chinese-style outfit I’d seen in martial arts dramas.

Cross-legged? Was she practicing Un-gi-jo-sik (internal energy circulation)?

As I stared blankly, she must have had eyes in the back of her head, because she sensed me watching her, and her voice transmitted to me again.

"Huh? Yes... it is my first time."

Surprised by my answer, the woman stopped her circulation, slowly stood up from the rock, and turned around to look at me.

"Is that for real?"

Finally, I could see the face of the entity who had been targeting my back.

...

Whoa!

Beauty! 10 points! 10 points!

She was a beauty possessing the kind of classic, oriental elegance that made me think, "It's not a crime for her to take my life!" Her face was stunning, and her red irises were captivating.

But wait... a being with power beyond a legendary Hwagyeong master, wearing black martial arts attire... Could it be?

The Cheon...?

Shudder!

At the cold, murderous intent in her voice, my body flinched involuntarily.

What the hell? Is this... killing intent?

"Ah, I apologize."

"You... do you know who I am?"

"Well..."

"Guess."

"Uh... are you perhaps the Heavenly Demon (Cheonma)?"

"Uh..."

For real? She’s actually the Heavenly Demon?

The founder of the Heavenly Demon Cult, the Sect Leader who always appears as a staple in martial arts novels? Wow... she’s a legend in this world.

Ah! This isn't the time for that! Now is the time to unleash the flattery skills I’ve honed!

"Oh my! It was obvious at a glance! I knew the moment I saw you!"

"W-what?"

Before I could even deploy my flattery, I was shut down by the person I assumed was the Heavenly Demon.

No, really—spill the truth? What am I supposed to say...?

As if she could read my thoughts, she immediately provided a guideline (a threat).

She blocked every escape route in such a short time. I thought she was just a simple martial arts fanatic, but she’s not at all?

I corrected my image of the Heavenly Demon and told her a few things, adapted to sound like the "truth."

"As you can see... I have almost no internal energy, right?"

"There's no need to lie... I come from a world where internal energy didn't exist at all."

"In that world, there are novels that feature martial arts as the main subject... Since I read many of those books, they were adapted in various ways, from internal energy techniques to martial arts... and since your image was the closest to the 'Heavenly Demon' in those books, I just took a guess."

"Whoa! You're so smart!"

At my flattering comment, the Heavenly Demon seemed to be in a good mood, smiling brightly.

"Whew... honestly, I don't even know what my ability is yet."

"Well... since my ability is a support-type, I'm speculating that if I use it effectively on the battlefield, I might be able to earn the capital needed for gambling."

No, wait a second!

There's an order to things... You're just going to skip to the end? Wow, look at those sparkling eyes. She really looks like she's going to shove me onto the battlefield this very afternoon...?

"Status Window!"

A rectangular status window unfolded before my eyes.

As expected, the status window showed pathetic stats no matter how many times I looked at it. It didn't even say how to get coins...

No matter how I thought about it, it seemed correct that I would earn coins by using buff skills to support allies. Then, what were the conditions for coins to drop? Perhaps if an ally felt grateful, there was a probability that a coin would automatically enter my inventory, or I could pick up coins dropped on the ground?

If this hypothesis was correct, I had to support my allies in a dramatic fashion at the very end to stably earn Gacha Coins...

After organizing my thoughts, I told the Heavenly Demon that I might be able to earn coins by supporting my allies.

Before I could even finish, the Heavenly Demon shouted at me.

Ha...

Everything ends in being split in half? Die if I do, die if I don't, die lying down, die sitting up... Is every word I say a death flag?

Sigh...

"Please, just let me try the gacha..."

Having finished her business, the Heavenly Demon dismissed me and turned back to sit in her Un-gi-jo-sik position.

...

I watched her for a moment before I started looking around to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠familiarize myself with the terrain.

We fought yesterday, too... do we not get any days off? It's a war, can't you fight while taking a break, damn it!

I had to show a dramatic performance toward the end of the battle later... no, it would be a desperate struggle to survive... It's all or nothing!

But... where did the rest of the heroes go?