Arcana Online
I woke to the shrill ping of my phone alarm.
When I checked the time, it was 8:00 a.m.
Because I’d been too lazy to go out yesterday, I really had to go today.
If I didn’t pay the utility bills at the bank, they’d cut off the electricity and water.
While I was there, I might as well sign up for automatic transfers too.
I got out of bed and stepped into the hall, where our family photo hung on the wall.
Staring at it, a question suddenly came to me.
Even in the parallel world, my family’s faces were exactly the same.
So why was I the only one who was different…?
No matter how hard I thought about it, I couldn’t figure it out.
I went into the changing room, took off my clothes, and washed up in the shower. My reflection in the mirror looked awkward and чужд, somehow not quite like me.
I was tiny—barely 130 centimeters, if you counted the tiptoes—and skin and bones besides.
There were even self-harm scars on my wrists.
Because of that, I had to wear long sleeves even in summer.
After washing, it took forever to dry my hair.
I’d thought about cutting it, but I was terrified of going to a hair salon.
The memories tied to this body had even given me social anxiety.
With a sigh, I stuffed my bankbook and bills into my bag and headed outside, only to feel the summer heat slam into me so hard it almost stole my breath.
With my looks, I had my hat pulled low and a hoodie on even in the middle of summer, and honestly, I felt like I was going to die.
But if I didn’t hide this thoroughly, annoying things would happen.
The bank was a full thirty minutes away on foot.
I’d wanted to take a taxi, but it was only a five-minute drive, so I couldn’t get one.
I had no choice but to suffer for thirty minutes before I finally made it to the bank.
The cool air-conditioning made me stand there blankly for a while, and then I felt people’s eyes on me.
Why were the people in the bank staring at me like I was suspicious?
Ah. Right. It was because of what I was wearing.
Just then, a middle-aged man in a suit spoke to me.
“How can I help you today?”
“I came to sign up for automatic bill payments.”
He listened, then pulled a ticket number and handed it to me.
When my number appeared on the screen along with a chime, I walked over to the counter and sat down.
After I handed over my bills and bankbook, saying I was there to apply for internet banking and automatic utility payments, she checked my bankbook and looked up at me, wide-eyed.
“I’m sorry, but could I see your ID?”
“Here you go.”
When I handed it over, she stared at it in obvious disbelief. Honestly, I couldn’t blame her.
With this face, if I said I was twenty-one, they’d probably think I was insane.
But the ID was real.
The moment she finished setting up internet banking and automatic bill payments and was about to hand my bankbook back, she spoke again.
“Customer, we have a good product on offer. Would you be interested?”
She explained that it was a waste to just leave such a large sum sitting in a bankbook and said they had a good investment product, but I wasn’t interested in anything like that.
Besides, there was already enough money in the account to let me live comfortably for the rest of my life without working a day.
It was my family’s life insurance money, though.
After telling her I was fine, I tucked my bankbook away and left the bank. In the sweltering heat, I wanted to get home as fast as possible.
After taking a side street that shaved off about five minutes, I turned a corner and bumped straight into someone coming the other way.
“Eek!”
I toppled backward and landed hard on my butt, and my hat flew off.
“I-I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”
“I’m okay.”
My butt hurt, but there was a bigger problem.
I had just screamed “Eek!”
The older sister helped me up, looking shaken herself.
She stared at me with an apologetic expression, but something about her seemed off.
She kept staring at my face for a long moment. What was that about?
And because my sleeve had ridden up a little, she must have seen my wrist too, because her expression changed strangely.
“Ahem.”
At my fake cough, she finally came to her senses and picked up my hat, which had flown away.
“Wouldn’t it be a good idea to go to the hospital? If you fell the wrong way, you might have hurt your tailbone.”
“I’m fine! Goodbye!”
“W-Wait a second!?”
I could hear her calling after me, but I ran at full speed.
How long had I been running through the alleys? Maybe a minute?
I felt like I was going to die.
Breathing hard, I forced myself to keep walking, and at last our house came into view in the distance.
A two-story detached house with a red roof.
We’d moved here with my parents when I was in middle school.
We sold the old house after the redevelopment news made its price skyrocket, then bought this one.
Back then, it had felt so good.
I opened the front door and went inside, collapsing onto the living room sofa and panting hard.
After resting a bit, I took my bankbook and phone out of my bag and opened the refrigerator, only to find it empty.
I’d meant to stop by a convenience store on the way home and buy something to eat, but I’d forgotten.
Getting knocked off course by that pretty older sister on the street had ruined my plan.
She really was pretty.
Was she half-and-half? Her hair didn’t look dyed, but it was blond.
Lost in thought, I opened the kitchen cabinet and took out a packet of ramen.
After boiling the noodles and settling my meal, I headed to my room.
Today was the day my long-awaited summon egg would hatch.
I couldn’t even count how long I’d been waiting for this day.
The moment I put on my gear and pressed the start button, my vision changed.
I closed my eyes, then opened them again to find myself lying on an inn bed. I sat up, stretching.
Then I pulled the incubator out of my inventory and saw that only a few hours remained.
Should I eat something and kill time at the library?
When I went down to the first floor, the place was bustling with people.
Bell noona spotted me and waved.
“Did you sleep well? Want breakfast?”
“Yes! But Bell noona, I have a question.”
“What is it?”
I hesitated a little, then asked carefully, “Why do you always speak so formally to me?”
“Ah, that. It’s actually a secret.”
Bell noona beckoned me closer.
When I stepped in, she lowered her voice and spoke into my ear.
“I have a habit. I only speak politely to people who know who I really am.”
She told me to sit down and wait a little while, then went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
I took an empty seat and spent my time eavesdropping on other people’s conversations.
“Have you heard that story, sir? This time monsters attacked the neighboring village and…”
“Is that true? That’s terrible. Shouldn’t our village be getting ready too?”
“Ah, surely nothing will happen, will it?”
Just as I was getting absorbed in the surprisingly exciting conversation, food was brought to the table.
“Thanks for the food!”
“If you want more after you finish, just let me know.”
“It’s okay.”
There was already a mountain of food in front of me, so absolutely not.
After eating, I went outside and headed for the library.
What book should I read today?
“Little lady!”
Then, from somewhere, I heard someone calling me.
When I looked toward the sound, it was Mr. Charles.
“Mr. Charles!”
“Where are you off to, little lady?”
“I’m going to the library to read some books!”
“Ho ho, books are fine and all, but for a traveler, strength matters more. Want me to help you out a bit?”
And then the message appeared.
Train under Captain of the Guard Charles.
Reward: A small amount of experience.
“I’ll do it!”
“A traveler has to make quick decisions. I like that very much! Come on, let’s go!”
I should have run then.
I never imagined he’d make me swing a sword a hundred times.
I told him I was a summoner, but it didn’t make the slightest difference.
In the end, I was only released after I’d done the full hundred swings.
And every time my stance was off, he didn’t count it, so I probably swung it three hundred times in total.
“Good work! I’ll help you again tomorrow!”
└─ Experience gained:A small amount ★
When I checked my experience, it had gone up by about 30 percent.
I’d finally found it.
The way to earn experience without hunting monsters.
After saying goodbye to Mr. Charles, I headed back to the inn.
My hands were trembling as I opened the inn door and stepped inside. Bell noona looked over at me, and when I told her what had happened today, she gave me a bright smile, said she’d be back in a moment, and went out.
Not long after, I heard an explosion.
I knew nothing about that.
More importantly, it was time now.
I went up to my room, locked the door, and took the incubator out of my inventory.
Just when I thought it was finally about to hatch, a notification window appeared.
Countless notification windows appeared and vanished over and over, and then a crack slowly ran across the egg.
What emerged from the shell was a tiny little snake…?
The snake looked up at me.
“Hello?”
“······.”
And then a new alarm window appeared.
You have successfully obtained your first summon! The reward has been sent to your inventory.
└─ Guideline:Choose a name your summon will like. ✓
Name it, huh…
“Since it’s a snake, how about Snakey?”
Even though it didn’t speak, I could tell.
It was cursing me with its eyes.
“There are chances too!?”
I panicked and racked my brain as fast as I could, but nothing came to mind.
Then, a thought drifted through me all at once.
“How about Yongyong, like a dragon?”
“······.”