Tutorial - Rebecca
“Kids, come down for dinner!”
“Mom! We’re going to the festival!”
“You’re not skipping dinner just because there’s a festival, are you?”
“But if I eat dinner I’ll be too full to buy all the good stuff!”
“…No more arguing. Come downstairs.”
The person calling us right now is Rebecca’s mother, Susan.
Rebecca’s lips poked out in a pout.
“She’s so bossy, isn’t she?”
“…”
To be honest, pretending to be a child at my age and giggling along with a real five-year-old isn’t easy. But the kid is persistent. If I keep ignoring her, she’ll eventually burst into tears like the genuine article.
Well, five-year-olds cry while playing all the time, but when you’re a freeloader living under someone else’s roof, it makes you self-conscious. Of course, Susan scolds Rebecca for bothering me.
Surprisingly, this anomaly that pretends to be a game offered absolutely no content. True to its sinister nature, logging out on my own was impossible.
Some might call this peaceful life as Orphan Number One boring, claiming it lacks the dopamine rush a proper game should provide. But whether you understand or not… I don’t actually mind it.
“Status window.”
Name: Lee Han
Race: Human
Class: ?
— Access Restricted —
Even with this pathetic status window, one thing was clear.
I was human…
Here, I wasn’t a basement-dwelling shut-in. I wasn’t a vampire. I could call Tom, who was far younger than me, “mister” without hesitation, and look at the world from the same eye level. I liked this cozy feeling.
This experience of painting bright colors back into my once monochrome world felt surprisingly pleasant. Isn’t that what games are supposed to be about?
It was an arrogant anomaly, but sometimes poison can be used as medicine. Anyway, to get to the point, I was actually looking forward to today’s outing.
…Don’t laugh at me.
“Whoaaa! It’s so bright!”
Rebecca was clearly excited, leaping and bounding down the street like she was flying. On Luna’s Day, when the Moon Festival was held, the moon shone its brightest, so even the small lights lining the streets made the whole day feel like midday.
“Dad! Dad! They’re selling clouds over there! Buy me a cloud!”
“Rebecca, you can’t eat sweets this late at night.”
While Rebecca sulked at Susan’s stern words, Tom secretly called her over.
“Sweetie, Dad will buy it for you in secret. Let’s eat it behind Mom’s back.”
“Yeah! Dad’s the best!”
Susan pretended not to notice as Rebecca snuck bites of cotton candy behind her. She looked exhausted. And instead of just eating it quietly, the girl kept glancing at her mother’s empty hands before running forward, grabbing her hand, and shaking it.
“Mom, Han! Some uncle gave me this, but he said I shouldn’t eat at night, so I didn’t eat it. I’ll give it to you two.”
“Hoho, Rebecca. Why don’t you wipe the stuff around your mouth before you talk?”
After eating alone and getting caught, she couldn’t resist sharing. Susan couldn’t hold back her laughter and gave her a light smack on the head.
It was a colorful scene. Merchants loudly advertised their wares, and delicious smells filled the air. A street performer cat meowed cutely, while colorful birds fluttered inside their cages. Buildings in an old-fashioned style I’d never seen in the modern world stood peacefully in the bright night. Everyone was smiling, peaceful and happy.
There are plenty of festivals in the modern world too. But being able to fully belong to this warm, cozy, nostalgic scenery wrapped my heart in gentle heat.
…Even if this place was inside the maw of an anomaly.
“Miss! Little miss! Aren’t you curious about your future?”
“Yes! I’m curious!”
Fortune tellers who pretended to see the future and only said pleasant things. Scammers who spun believable lies. A young man soliciting customers outside a self-proclaimed prophet’s tent lured Rebecca in.
“Come ask the prophet! He’ll tell you anything!”
“Mom! Can I go?”
There are few parents who can refuse a child clinging to their leg and begging so desperately. Susan wasn’t the type to throw money away, but Rebecca’s sparkling, pitiful kitten eyes made her a formidable opponent. She probably thought it would be a fun experience.
“Wow! Prophet sir! I want to know what I’ll be when I grow up!”
“Oho! A little guest! So you’re curious about your future as an adult? I’ll take a look for you right away. Would you place your hand on this orb?”
The prophet pretended to stare intently into the crystal ball before letting out a dramatic gasp, his face filled with astonishment.
“My goodness, little miss. You’re going to become someone truly remarkable! First of all, you’ll be incredibly strong.”
“Hehe, I’m already strong. All my friends are weaker than me.”
“No no, you’ll become strong beyond imagination. Strong enough to achieve anything you want! With an unwavering heart and tremendous effort. Pretty miss, with just a wave of your hand, many people will bow their heads. But there will be many hardships along the way, so you must endure them steadfastly, understand?”
“Hehehe.”
“Is there anything else you’re curious about?”
“Um… who I’ll marry later…”
“Let’s see… oho!”
“Prophet sir! That’s a secret. Only tell me!”
Rebecca giggled and ran over. The prophet smiled warmly and whispered something into her ear. Unfortunately, I was too far away to hear it. But judging by the way Rebecca suddenly looked at me with a flushed face and how Tom burst into laughter after eavesdropping, it seemed the prophet had sold me out.
Damn scammer. I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll let it slide.
“What about you, young man? Aren’t you curious about anything? I’ll give you a special reading.”
“Then please look at my future too.”
Since this was a game, you never know. Maybe he’d spoil the upcoming scenario? Any information would be useful right now.
“Young man… I see. You will carry a great burden and live a grand life. The path looks very lonely and arduous. But listen, boy.”
The damn old prophet winked at me.
“The ending is always a happy one, you know?”
Except for Susan, who looked slightly annoyed at having been overcharged, it was a rather enjoyable day. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d walked around like this.
Instead of getting worked up playing games in my room, holding Rebecca’s hand—flushed red with excitement about the festival—and wandering around everywhere felt surprisingly rewarding. Of course, the reason I was holding her hand was because of sly old Tom’s suggestion that I do so to keep her from getting lost.
I wasn’t some hot-blooded teenager, and I wasn’t going to make a fuss over something like that at my age.
And then—
Thud—.
“Ah, sorry about that, kiddo. I didn’t see you.”
“It’s okay! I’m really tough!”
A man bumped into Rebecca and apologized. The strange unease I felt in his voice made me quietly let go of her hand and hide behind a nearby stall.
His face looked kind at first glance. But the moment I saw those narrow, hypocritical eyes, an inexplicable discomfort washed over me. In the middle of the bustling crowd, he was venting his irritation at the person next to him, clearly displeased about something.
Ding!
[Conditions have been met]
[The prologue for Origin - Abandoned Child has been unlocked]
[Quest has been updated]
A string of text floated up, making me dizzy. As I staggered, my vision blurred and unknown memories flooded in.
The child was abandoned.
What could a two-year-old possibly remember?
Only blurry afterimages of everything. Perhaps even those would be completely forgotten as the child grew older.
But time’s medicine had not granted the child the blessing of oblivion. The truth it remembered was this:
That day had been unusually hot.
The child had not yet experienced all four seasons, but the older brother’s chest, which carried him while breathing heavily as he ran, was definitely warm. Maybe that was why the child burrowed deeper into his arms and pretended not to hear the conversation between his brother and father.
Even when his brother gently set him down at the base of a tree and roughly wiped his eyes with his sleeve, the child still trusted him.
Even though his brother—
“It’s a monster! The demon of the jungle has appeared!”
“Move! Now! Hurry!”
When they faced the enormous vertical pupils of a house-sized snake that had approached without a sound, they fled in panic. But the giant serpent known as the demon of the Talan Jungle did not devour the child. Instead, it cared for him with utmost devotion.
Of course, it could only raise him the way a human would, but the child grew up without lacking anything. When he was hungry, it brought him food. When he was sick, it gathered medicinal herbs. When he whined, it let him slide down its body like a playground slide. When he got dirty, it tossed him into a nearby pond with a splash.
It might not be the right word for a being beyond humanity, but there was no better way to describe it than utmost devotion.
Time passed like that.
To Han, the giant snake was no longer a monster. Unfortunately, the child who hadn’t properly learned to speak had limited ways to express himself, but he still tried.
“Sna.”
Pointing at the snake once.
“Lee Han.”
Pointing at himself once.
He was certain he had been called Han, but since he couldn’t remember anything beyond that, he added the name himself. The child wanted to give the snake the joy of being called by a name too.
So he repeated the action whenever he had the chance, and from then on, the demon of the jungle became Sna.
The seasons changed many times. The child who ate well and slept well looked about five years old. No beast in the jungle dared touch the child who traveled with Sna anymore. That gave the child a little freedom, and that was when… tragedy struck.
“Hey kid, what are you doing alone in this dangerous forest?”
Several grown men spoke to the child who had wandered out of his territory and was playing in the dirt. The clever child had unfortunately not completely forgotten how to speak. Maybe it was because he was so happy to see beings who spoke a language he hadn’t heard in a long time? Or was it simply childish innocence?
“Here? Not dangerous!”
“Really?”
“Who? Who? Tell me?”
The narrow-eyed young man who stroked the child’s head looked very kind.
“Then where is your home?”
“Follow me!”
The child, drunk on the two-way conversation instead of one-sided talk, had a knife pressed to his throat only when they were almost at his nest.
“Shaa! Shaaaa!”
Enraged by the intruders, Sna slammed its tail against the ground. The man who had seemed kind let out a wicked laugh.
“I told you guys, if I only catch the kid, it won’t be able to attack, didn’t I?”
The men surrounded Sna and relentlessly stabbed it with spears. Sna could only look toward where Han was, unable to resist, writhing in agony.
“Haha, Nick! We caught the demon of the Talan Jungle! We took down a five-hundred-year-old monster!”
Sna’s body slowly collapsed.
“Half the money from selling the scales is mine. What? Does that make sense? I came up with the plan and lured the kid! Damn it, you didn’t even fight. You’re basically a scarecrow. Don’t act all high and mighty after just poking a scarecrow with a spear a few times.”
An argument broke out in front of the fallen Sna. The clever child didn’t miss the opening created by their loosened guard.
“Sna… Sna…”
Shaking off the strong hands holding him, the child ran to Sna and pounded on its snout, calling its name. Sna’s eyes, which had opened slightly at the sound, were already losing their light.
The child wasn’t too young to understand the situation. In those long, slit pupils were sorrow and lingering regret.
“Sowwy… I’m sowwy… Snaaa…”
The child hugged Sna’s head tightly and sobbed. Tears flowed down along Sna’s scales.
“Ugh, you damn bastards.”
The young man approached irritably and stabbed Sna’s eye. The blood soaked the child’s body completely. The young man roughly yanked the blood-drenched, dazed child away.
“My knife couldn’t even pierce the scales? Then I’ll sell the kid to the slave market and the rest of the money is mine.”
The hot blood quickly cooled, stealing the heat from the child’s body. Instead of Sna’s departing warmth, a fierce cold rushed in, and the child’s vision went dark.
Category: Main
You have escaped the jungle and begun living as a human! You were raised by an imugi known as the demon of the jungle. What was that imugi to you? Family? Friend? Or a monster that kept you trapped in the jungle?
By chance, you encountered the person who attacked that imugi and recalled these memories. So what must you do? Revenge? Mourning the dead? Or perhaps gratitude for your current situation. After all, he freed you from the imugi.
Remaining time: 1 week.
[Your actions will change the future.]