The Horn Rabbit's Online Feud
There was a reason I was reading children's educational comics. I thought I might pick up some new knowledge unique to this world.
"Hmm..."
The big concepts were similar, but the little details were all different. I found myself getting absorbed in the comics without realizing it, thanks to the occasional bits of fresh info.
"Winter, is the book fun?"
"Yeah, it's pretty interesting in its own way. I haven't gone to school, so there's a lot I don't know."
"...Really?"
"Yes."
It wasn't a lie that I'd never been to school. I'd never attended one in this world, after all. It was embarrassing how much I didn't know, but it felt good to have an excuse for my lack of common sense.
"Hmm... Winter, do you want to try going to school sometime?"
School? They say learning knows no age, but I had no desire to start now. I shook my head so hard my ears flopped.
"No, thanks. I like studying on my own better."
"Uh, okay. Then if you come across something you don't know while studying, ask your big sis, alright?"
"Yeees..."
Would I even run into anything confusing in a kids' educational comic? It was so basic that even brand-new common knowledge made sense. But my pride stung, and right as I buried my face in the book, something truly baffling popped up.
Pound?
What the heck was a pound? If it was in a kids' comic, it couldn't be some advanced concept, but it was the first time I'd seen the word since being born in this world. I glanced at Han Yeoreum, then cautiously asked.
"Um... what's a pound...?"
"A pound is a unit for measuring weight."
"W-weight? Isn't weight measured in grams...?"
"Yeah, we usually use grams. Pound is only used in one country overseas."
"Aha."
So this world had a country like America too. Now that she mentioned it, "pound" did sound a lot like the English word.
"Hehe, is it still too hard for Winter?"
"N-no, it's not that tough..."
"Hmm... well, Winter's smart, after all."
"Yeees..."
Coming from someone watching me read a children's comic, it just sounded like teasing. Of course, I knew Han Yeoreum meant no harm, so I decided not to take it to heart.
"Later, I'll buy you more educational books..."
"Gyaaak!"
Before Han Yeoreum could finish, Levi Nas let out a little scream from beside us. I whipped around in alarm and spotted her clutching a handheld game console.
"Levi Nas?"
"King! Levi Nas just died!"
"Ah, okay."
Just died in the game, huh? I let out a quiet sigh of relief inside.
"But King, what does 'dog mongrel' mean?"
"D-dog mongrel?"
Everyone in the room—including me—looked baffled. Even Sophia and Choi Jin-hyeok.
"Yeah! Someone in the game called Levi Nas a dog mongrel! But Levi Nas is a horn rabbit, not a dog?!"
"H-how'd you end up hearing that...?"
"The monster was about to die, so Levi Nas healed it! Then they called Levi Nas a dog mongrel!"
"Oh dear."
Healing a monster you were supposed to kill? Innocent little Levi Nas probably meant well, but in a game, that was straight-up sabotage.
"Levi Nas, that's..."
As Han Yeoreum fumbled awkwardly, Levi Nas started hammering out a clumsy chat reply.
"They're suddenly asking where you live...! Maybe they want to be Levi Nas's friend?!"
Was she excited at the thought of making a friend? Levi Nas looked at me with sparkling eyes. Her pure innocence was just making things awkward.
"Levi Nas, that's them getting mad at you."
"Mad? At Levi Nas?"
"Yeah. They said something mean."
"Dog mongrel?"
"Uh, yeah. That's a bad word."
"Why is 'dog mongrel' bad? Isn't it just baby puppy talk?"
"W-well..."
How was I supposed to explain this? I decided to relate it to my own experience.
"When people hit me, they'd say stuff like that while doing it."
"Dog mongrel while...?"
"Uh, yeah..."
"Gasp! Then it's definitely a bad word!"
Levi Nas jumped in shock and stared at her game screen. I thought I'd convinced her well and glanced at the others, but for some reason, their faces had all gone pale. Even the dignified Sophia.
What?
Did I explain it wrong? As I tried to recall, Levi Nas started typing again.
Idiot and snake. Probably the most insulting things Levi Nas could think of. It was kinda cute, but I couldn't let her go down this dark path.
"Levi Nas, let's stop."
"But this jerk said bad stuff to Levi Nas first!"
Technically, Levi Nas had started it. I wanted to explain properly, but I also wanted to protect her innocence—that kind heart that healed a monster instead of killing it.
"You don't have to fight every bad person you meet."
"Okay! Got it!"
Levi Nas huffed and looked down at her game. She was leaving a farewell message.
The next morning, I was moving even busier than usual. I'd slacked off so much the day before that I planned to work extra hard to make up for it.
"Nngh."
Even so, reading over ten comics in one day? I felt so ashamed of myself for just lounging and eating without doing a thing. From now on, I'd work nonstop for about a year. As I made that vow, Han Yeoreum approached.
"Winter, you're up an hour early today?"
"Yeah. I feel like I played too much yesterday. I think I need to just work for the next year or so."
"Huh...?"
Han Yeoreum gaped down at me, her mouth hanging open. She looked like she wanted to say something, her lips flapping silently.
"It was the most I'd ever played since I was born."
"Hmm... how much did we even play yesterday?"
"Almost five hours."
Five whole hours just playing. That's so much time I could've used productively. Frustrated, I stomped my feet, and that's when a shout rang out nearby.
"HornRabbitRabbit, where are you?!"
It was an angry woman's voice. We didn't often hear furious people in the park, but what she said grabbed my attention.
"HornRabbitRabbit?"
The only horn rabbit in the park was Levi Nas. Why was this stranger looking for her? Puzzled, I looked up at Han Yeoreum, who blinked down at me.
"Did she come for Levi Nas...?"
"Yeah, seems like it."
Han Yeoreum stroked her chin at my answer. She thought for a moment, then patted my shoulder.
"Winter."
"Yes?"
"I'll hide and watch, so why don't you go out first?"
"M-me, alone?"
Face that scary person by myself? I shook my head on reflex.
"If I'm there, their attitude might change. I want to see how they really feel."
"Ah..."
She was going to hide to gauge their true intentions. They'd probably chicken out the moment they saw Han Yeoreum. I could guess what she was planning.
"If anything seems off, I'll jump in right away."
"Okay. You have to come out before they hit me...?"
"Uh, yeah. If they try to hurt you, your big sis won't stand for it."
"Got it..."
If Han Yeoreum said that much, I didn't need to worry. Still, why was that woman so mad? Anxiety gnawing at me, I headed toward her—only for Levi Nas to pop out from somewhere.
"I'm HornRabbitRabbit!"
HornRabbitRabbit. Wasn't that Levi Nas's game ID from yesterday?
No way...?
Kwon A-rin.
She'd dreamed of becoming an adventurer, but despaired at her pitiful talent and turned to games instead. Games rewarded effort, after all. Her adventurer rank had languished at the bottom for years, but she'd topped the leaderboards in most games she played.
She'd been aiming for top ranks in this new release too—until some troll ruined her mood.
'HornRabbitRabbit said they were in Yeomyeong Park.'
No matter how low-rank she was, she could still crush any civilian. And most people you met in games were civilians anyway.
Damn punk. Time to teach them a lesson.
With that resolve, Kwon A-rin froze solid in front of "HornRabbitRabbit."
"Y-you're HornRabbitRabbit...?"
"Yeah! Why'd you say bad stuff to Levi Nas?!"
It was a kid. A beastkin kid, protected at a national level no less.
Kwon A-rin, who prided herself on her game smarts, finally pieced it together.
'Healing that monster... was it pity?'
Just healing a dying monster out of sympathy? A pure kid like this could totally do that.
'And calling them "horn rabbit mongrel" as an insult...?'
Kwon A-rin spotted the small horn on the kid's forehead. Perky rabbit ears too. Undeniably a horn rabbit beastkin.
When she'd called them "dog mongrel," they'd retorted with "horn rabbit mongrel" to clarify they weren't a dog?
Kwon A-rin gaped unwittingly.
"SupremeOverlordKwonArin! Why'd you say bad stuff to Levi Nas?!"
SupremeOverlordKwonArin. Her hastily made gamer tag. With all eyes on her now that it was called out, Kwon A-rin's face flushed red.
"U-um..."
That's when someone tugged at her clothes. A girl with white cat ears, just like Winter's.