Facing the Weak Self
Newcomer, Accept! Ding!
[Facing the Weak Self]
The player will confront their weak self.
◇ Condition: Overcome Trauma ◇
"Small!"
"Eung?"
I slipped my hands under Baek Seol's armpits and lifted her up. She dangled in the air, kicking her legs. She'd grown bigger.
"Why's our little fluffball gotten so big?"
"Good!"
My hands looked tiny. When I looked down, the ground seemed way too close. In short, I'd shrunk.
"Baek Seol's gonna need lots of food. Even when you grow, you're still small."
"Eung!"
Baek Seol scurried up my arm and dove straight into my pocket. I pulled a pack of cigarettes from my inventory, but the box that came out was bigger than my palm.
—Chik, chik.
"Huu—"
The single cigarette that used to feel short now looked more like a cigar. Maybe that wasn't so bad.
"Mmm."
The quest window didn't make any sense. I didn't have any trauma worth mentioning. In cases like this, you gather information first, but the only instruction was "overcome it." Too vague to work with.
"Huu—"
Tall grass and trees surrounded me. A narrow path ran between them, like someone had walked through here before. Following it seemed like the only option for now.
⟨Echoing Thunder expresses interest in Player Han Ga-eul⟩
I was about to start walking when a divine throne message suddenly popped up. The other divine thrones usually felt playful, but the owner of this one clearly had no intention of hiding.
"Let's head that way."
"Eung!"
I ignored the message and spoke to Baek Seol. She peeked her face out of my pocket. After I patted her head once, she perked her ears and slipped back inside.
"Huu—"
After walking along the path for a while, a tall, pointed building came into view between the trees. The closer I got, the clearer its shape became. It looked like a cathedral. Probably some kind of religious building.
Tok.
I hopped over the fence that had appeared right in front of me. From a distance, I could hear people moving around. While jumping, I'd noticed my body felt much weaker. In this state, I probably couldn't even swing Yeoui, let alone Ppongppong-i.
"Huu—"
Smoking as I walked toward the sounds, I found a group of children struggling to carry heavy laundry and hang it up. While I stood there blankly watching, someone approached with quick steps. An adult who had been standing beside the children with arms crossed.
"You don't look like one of the kids here. Where did you come from?"
A young woman with long, brownish hair and an ordinary face. Faint freckles dotted her cheeks. She must have been self-conscious about them, because she'd covered them with makeup.
"I got lost in the forest and ended up here."
"What about your parents?"
"In the sky."
I pointed upward with my finger. The woman's eyes narrowed.
"Is that so?"
"Neng."
The woman, who had been keeping some distance, smiled and stepped closer.
Thwack!
She knocked the cigarette out of my hand. It hit the ground, scattering sparks.
"Did you pick that up in the forest? Children shouldn't play with things like that."
"Neng."
The back of my hand stung. Unlike the dirty children doing laundry, her hands were clean. Not a single broken nail.
"You must be hungry. Come with me, I'll give you something to eat."
"Why?"
"Hm…?"
"Why?"
"Aren't you hungry?"
"No, I'm asking why you'd give me food."
The woman's face twisted slightly. Thanks to my smaller size, I probably looked younger than I was, but she clearly thought she could hide her true intentions from a child. Her forced smile made the corners of her mouth tremble.
"It's only natural to share food with the hungry."
"Why?"
"……"
Without answering, she lowered her gaze. Coldness filled her eyes.
"Why?"
"Hah."
She clicked her tongue after I kept pressing.
"Why?"
"This is an orphanage run by the Santarus Order. Isn't it natural to give food to a starving child?"
"Why is that natural?"
"You're a curious one."
"This is a primitive fantasy world without internet. Isn't it natural to pass down ancestral knowledge to children so they can build wisdom?"
"……"
The woman gave me a suspicious look.
"Just kidding. Auntie, give me food. I'm hungry."
Her face twisted again.
"I'm not an auntie."
"Yes, grandma."
Grind.
"Huh? What's that sound? Are your wrinkles multiplying?"
"……You're quite the mischievous child. Follow me."
"Neng."
As I followed the woman, the children hanging laundry glanced my way. They were all filthy. I ignored their stares and walked into the building.
The inside felt like the rough touch of a stonemason who'd simply piled rocks together. Generously speaking, it was gothic. Less generously, it looked slapped together.
"Sit and wait."
I plopped down at the table she pointed to. She returned holding a single piece of bread in her bare hands.
"You must've been hungry. Eat."
"This?"
"It's not meal time, so there's no soup. Fill your stomach for now."
The black bread was so hard it felt like it had been sun-dried. One hit with this and someone's skull would probably crack.
"If you smacked someone in the head with this, they'd die. Is this okay?"
"You shouldn't say such awful things. After you finish eating, go find Anna outside. She'll assign you a room to sleep in."
"Neng."
The woman glanced over my body once, then walked out without looking back.
Thud!
The old wooden door slammed shut with a loud noise.
"Hmm."
Crunch. Crackle.
When I squeezed it, the bread made sounds it absolutely shouldn't. Not a drop of moisture left in it. Crumbs poured out. The cross-section looked like it was made from rye mixed with various grains.
—Chik, chik.
Fwoosh.
"Oh."
When I lit the bread with my lighter, it burned better than charcoal briquettes.
"Huu—"
I used the burning bread to light my cigarette, then stomped on the rest. Sparks flew spectacularly. Someone had turned food into a blunt weapon. Had to be the work of a skilled alchemist.
Leaving the dying bread behind, I retraced my steps outside. The children were still gathered at the laundry area.
"Huu—"
Tick.
I stubbed out the cigarette and approached. Sensing me, the group turned their heads in unison.
"Who's Anna?"
"Huh? That's me…?"
A particularly tall girl stepped forward. Her face was deeply tanned from long hours in the sun. Her fingertips were covered in eczema, oozing and raw. Her clothes were so worn they looked ready to crumble at a touch.
"Newcomer, accept."
Only then did the children swarm around me.
"You're new?"
"Yeah."
"Wow, your skin is so pale."
The moment one child spoke, wariness filled the others' bright eyes.
"Are you… a noble?"
"Nope? I'm an untouchable."
The wariness didn't fade.
"Ta-da."
When I pulled Baek Seol out of my pocket, the children's eyes sparkled again like nothing had happened.
"Cute!"
"Is it a rabbit?"
"Like a snowflake."
"Yeah. Her name's Baek Seol."
Baek Seol, dangling from my hand, waved her front paws at the children.
"She's so cute. Can I hold her?"
One child hopped in place, inching closer.
"You have to ask her."
"Ah! Right. Rabbit, can I hold you?"
Baek Seol perked her ears, listening, then waved her paw again.
"Eung!"
She still carried the pure innocence of a child untouched by hardship.
"She says it's okay."
I placed Baek Seol in the child's arms. The girl accepted her carefully, looking overwhelmed.
"Hwaa… She's so fluffy."
"Baek Seol's a brave rabbit, so she's naturally fluffy."
"Wow!"
The children seemed happy. Good.
"Anna."
"Huh, yeah?"
"Give me your hand."
Anna approached slowly. She was the tallest among them, but still looked no older than a lower elementary school student.
"I-I'm the big sister here…"
If even she looked younger than me, I must've shrunk a lot.
"I'm older than I look. Let's be friends."
"U-um…"
"Just give me your hand."
Anna glanced around nervously before carefully extending her hand. Just as I'd noticed earlier, it was raw and covered in small wounds from hard labor.
〈Heal〉
Light burst from my hand and soaked into hers. The wounds vanished instantly.
"Waa, you…"
"Ga-eul. Han Ga-eul."
"Yeah. Your name's unusual. Ga-eul, are you a mage?"
"Supporter. Close enough."
"I see."
Anna looked at her healed hand and smiled brightly. Finally, she wore an expression fitting for a child. It suited her far better than constantly watching her surroundings.
"Everyone gather up."
The moment she spoke, a white cotton ball bounced up from the middle of the group and landed on me. All eyes turned our way. She looked completely drained.
"I'll make something tasty. Let's eat until we're full."
"W-wait. You're going to cook?"
"Yeah."
Anna's expression hardened again. She glanced around anxiously.
"We can't eat anything except the distributed food."
Her whispered voice trembled.
"It's fine. We'll eat secretly."
I popped a piece of candy into her mouth. Her eyes widened.
"Tasty, right?"
Anna nodded slightly. I gave candy to the other wide-eyed children too. Their cheeks puffed up all at once.
"Shh. This is our secret."
I pressed a finger to my lips. The children grinned and copied me.
"Shhh!"
"You can sleep here."
"Thanks, Anna."
"Yeah. You'll be alone tonight, is that okay? Want me to stay with you?"
"I'm fine."
"Okay."
Anna nodded and left the room.
—Chik, chik.
"Huu."
I opened the door and checked. Anna seemed to have already gone. Creak. The old wooden floor groaned with every step as I walked down the hallway. At the end, a faint light like a candle flickered.
My body must've weakened more than I thought. The voices were hard to hear. From the fragments I caught, though…
"Hmm, monsters, huh?"
[Trauma Recognized]
The moment I recognized the enemy, something shattered in my mind. My field of view rose slightly. My body had grown a little. My strength seemed to have recovered somewhat too.
—Chik, chik.
"Huu—"
"Then I guess they have to die."
