The Squirrel's Gift

Dokgo Beom-bu scratched at the dirt with a tree branch since he had no paper or pen. The ground was covered in crooked scribbles from how furiously he'd been writing. "Haaah." Letting out a deep sigh, Dokgo Beom-bu straightened his hunched back and looked up at the sky, his joints cracking loudly. After a quick stretch, he shook out his throbbing hands and slipped the branch back between his fingers. His skin between the digits was raw and blistered from gripping the rough bark for so long. He'd been planning for hours, completely losing track of time. If he didn't focus like this, the guilt stabbing at his chest would become unbearable. 'Someone died because of me····.'

Even a moment's distraction sent waves of guilt crashing over him. Dokgo Beom-bu had lived up to his name—an ordinary, unremarkable man. His short life had produced nothing of note. The guilt of killing someone was an indelible mark on his soul that no excuse could erase. 「This isn't a game. Get your act together.」 Han Ga-eul's words pierced his heart like an arrow. "Urgh!" Even after vomiting until nothing was left, another wave of nausea hit him hard. "Damn it····." Smack! Dokgo Beom-bu slapped his own cheek hard enough to make it swell, then went back to scratching at the dirt. He had to calculate everything perfectly if he wanted to avoid watching more people die. 'Han Ga-eul is definitely not a normal unit.'

Dokgo Beom-bu was certain that Han Ga-eul had an unusually free range of movement. Proof of that was how the sun was already setting and she still hadn't returned to base. His thoughts spiraled from Han Ga-eul until he reached the conclusion that she was a unit he couldn't control. She was an unprecedented unit, one never seen when playing the game normally. 'Han Ga-eul is an irregular. I can't factor her into my calculations as regular combat strength.'

His gaze fell on the characters written in the dirt. He lifted the branch and crossed out the name "Han Ga-eul." He couldn't even afford to feed a resource-devouring unit, let alone invest precious early-game resources into what might be a black ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hole like Han Ga-eul. After a brief moment of thought, his hand circled the words "attribute enhancement stone." 'Early growth is locked in with the starting members. Han Ga-eul seemed interested only in attribute enhancement stones, so I need to get one quickly and appease her.'

The unit he'd chosen as a key growth member was Betty. Betty, the fire-attribute specialist mage, had been useful to Dokgo Beom-bu even before he was dragged into Reach for the Moon. She was currently Normal grade with the title Apprentice Mage, but once promoted, she'd become a Fire Mage. Reach for the Moon had no traditional RPG levels. Instead, there were various ways to increase a unit's combat power, the most basic being star fragments. After successfully completing battles, star fragments would accumulate in the commander's inventory. Feeding them to a unit would gradually fill the blank 1-star☆ until it became a full 1-star★. This was how a 1-star unit advanced to 2 stars, and it was also the method for boosting combat strength. Normal-grade units maxed at 2 stars, Rare at 3, Super Rare at 4, and Super Special Rare at 5. When Normal-grade Apprentice Mage Betty reached 2 stars and used a promotion item, she'd transform into a Rare-grade 1-star☆ blank state. Reaching Rare 3-star★ would make her Super Rare 1-star☆, and investing star fragments to Super Rare 4★ would promote her to Super Special Rare 1-star☆. Since every grade required maxing stars before the next promotion, star fragments were one of the most important resources in Reach for the Moon. They were essentially levels without numbers.

Once Betty reached Super Special Rare, she'd become Betty, Conductor of Flames—a true flower of the battlefield who scattered wide-area magic. Even though Dokgo Beom-bu had decided to invest the most in Betty, he suddenly wondered how strong Han Ga-eul would become if he filled her stars and unlocked everything. 'Still, when is she coming back?'

The squirrel's tail wagged as I brought the acorn toward my mouth. The moment I pulled it away, the tail drooped. "Hmm." I repeated the motion—offering it, then taking it back—and the tail swung up excitedly before flopping down again. "You want me to eat it?" "Peep!" Guess that means yes. Smarter squirrel than I expected. It expresses likes and dislikes clearly. Crunch! When I nibbled the acorn to crack the shell, a bitter taste spread through my mouth as expected. The squirrel on my palm wagged its tail nonstop, looking delighted. "You're a clever little guy." "Peep." I kept nibbling and turning the acorn in my mouth until the husk finally fell away and the nut popped out. Chew! A completely different, astringent bitterness hit me compared to eating it whole. I should've soaked it in water to remove the bitterness, but swallowing it raw made my mouth pucker. "Thanks. It was delicious." "Peep."

"Huh?" Gurgle! The moment I swallowed the acorn the squirrel gave me, my stomach let out a loud rumble. "What did you just feed me, you little rascal." "Pee— Peep." The fact that Gluttony activated means it was probably a spoiled acorn. 'Or maybe an acorn that absorbed the energy of that big tree right in front of us····.' An energy-infused acorn made more sense than a rotten one. I should've checked the item's info before swallowing it whole, but it was too late for regrets. The squirrel on my palm looked so harmless with its happily wagging tail that I'd eaten it without suspicion. "What's your name?" "Pee— Peep." Inanimate objects or ordinary plants and animals usually display information when I look at them. But this one didn't. That meant it was a high-intelligence being like our house rabbit. My current abilities probably weren't enough to read this friend's information. "Peeppee?" "Pee— Peep." It says no. Even now, the squirrel's expressions are crystal clear. Normal animals' cries are just sounds I can roughly interpret—like knowing it's hungry. But this squirrel's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠"peep peep" carries a much clearer meaning. It's a strange one in many ways. "Hmm."

While I was talking with the squirrel, Baek Seol, who'd been hiding behind my back for safety, scurried up onto my shoulder. She buried ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her face in my nape and rubbed against it. She looked completely drained even though she'd been playing energetically earlier. "What's wrong, my little fluffball? Tired from playing too hard?" Baek Seol, who always answered brightly, just kept rubbing her face silently. The squirrel on my palm also stopped wagging its tail and tilted its head at the sight. Maybe the squirrel was making Baek Seol feel bad. "Ga-eul is Baek Seol's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠friend, but she talked to the squirrel?" "Yeah." "Oh dear, you did?" "Yeah." I'd suspected something when she made a fuss after I touched the deer, but Baek Seol seemed to be more jealous than I thought. Still, just like I've always hoped, I want this tiny friend to experience a wider world. This world is so vast that even I haven't taken a single step into most of it, and it would be even larger for a brave rabbit. There are so many delicious things and endless sights to see. I can't let this small friend think I'm her entire world. If that happened, she'd struggle to survive if I died or disappeared. "I won't leave Baek Seol behind. Don't worry too much." Baek Seol, who'd been slowly nodding with her face buried in my nape, lifted her head. "Right? I'm always right by your side, aren't I?" "Yeah." "Is Baek Seol a crybaby rabbit?" "Yeah!" When I reached out to wipe away the brave rabbit's falling tears, she licked my finger. "Feeling better?" "Yeah!" Flutter—! Baek Seol shook her body once, then leaped toward the arm where the squirrel stood, lowering her posture as much as possible. It was the same stance she used when chasing butterflies. She was probably on guard. "Peep." Startled by the squirrel's cry, Baek Seol flinched. The squirrel looked at her from my palm as if wondering why the rabbit was acting that way, while Baek Seol settled near my wrist and kept watching the squirrel. I wanted to feel the intense drama of a one-log bridge duel, but seeing two tiny furballs occupying one arm like this only made me laugh. "You two." "Yeah!" "Peep." Both animals turned to look at me at the same time. "You're about the same size, so get along." "Peep?" "Be friends?" "Yeah. Don't fight, just be friends." The squirrel was a bit bigger with its fluffy fur, while Baek Seol was particularly small. I didn't understand why they kept staring at each other for so long when they were basically the same size. They were both just a handful. "Alright, both of you get down and play." I lowered my arm toward the ground, and both animals stepped off. "Oof, my back. I'm going to sleep now, so you two play together. Got it?" Ever since entering this world, my body had become seriously weak. The backlash from fighting in this condition was hitting me late. —Hiss, hiss. "Haaah—" After lighting the pipe and taking a drag, thick tobacco smoke filled my mouth. The pipe Grandfather gave me felt more mysterious the more I smoked it. I could smoke it without lighting it, but it was stronger when lit. The lingering sweetness in my mouth made me want to smoke more, so the stronger version suited me better. "If you fight, I'm going to scold you." After threatening the kids, I sat down, and fatigue along with muscle pain washed over me. Matthew's group had been in a dangerously precarious situation. If it weren't for the attribute enhancement stone Dokgo Beom-bu gave me, I would've left them alone. But Baek Seol liked the stone too much, so I had no choice. Thanks to that, even though I'd slept once while Baek Seol was playing, my mind kept urging me to sleep. "Haaah—" Using the overgrown grass as a pillow, I lay down, and sleep immediately overtook me.

Han Ga-eul, who'd lain down using wild grass as a bed, soon fell asleep. Baek Seol watched her for a while before turning back to the squirrel.

Baek Seol couldn't take her eyes off it even for a moment. If the squirrel in front of her tried to harm Han Ga-eul, she had to protect her. "Peep." Baek Seol's body flinched at the squirrel's sound. It was a fierce roar filled with wildness. "Peep?" Her body trembled again. It was the cry of a beast on a completely different level from a domestic rabbit. Baek Seol had played outside enough to hear wild rabbit sounds. She'd dug three burrows like a smart rabbit and chased butterflies to master swift movement. Yet she could feel how different their environments were. She couldn't threaten enemies the way this squirrel could. While worrying about what to do, a good idea popped into Baek Seol's head. She remembered the black water buffalo the size of a mountain ridge she'd met at the ramen shop. The buffalo that breathed hellfire with every breath was named Bong-gu. Baek Seol suddenly recalled his threatening posture and began imitating it. She lowered her head slightly so she could charge from anywhere. She also lowered her stance to be ready to spring forward at any moment. Then she scraped the ground with her front paws to show she was dangerous. Scritch. The grass scattered on the ground made a rough sound under the brave beast's paws. "Pee, peep?" It was working. Baek Seol couldn't miss this opportunity, so she scraped the ground even more roughly. In that moment, she was an angry water buffalo descended to earth with hellfire in its mouth. One stomp of her paw filled the air with her brave fighting spirit. Scritch! Two stomps made the ground shake. Scritch, scritch! "Peep." Whether overwhelmed by her stomping, the squirrel turned its back and disappeared into the grass. "Hmph!" Baek Seol snorted shortly, carrying the remnants of victory, then trotted toward Han Ga-eul. That was when rustling came from the grass, and the squirrel she'd thought had left suddenly jumped out. A tiny flower was clutched in the squirrel's paws.

Baek Seol stopped and began watching what the squirrel would do. "Peep." The squirrel scurried over to Baek Seol and offered the flower it was holding. "Food?" "Peep!"

Baek Seol's head tilted slightly to the side. Her owner and friend Han Ga-eul was already in dreamland. At this rate, she'd need a solid fifteen minutes of poking to wake her up. Gurgle—! Right on cue, Baek Seol's stomach clock rang. The plant the squirrel offered was a flower full of spiritual energy that she liked. In that moment, the boundary between the two—same in nature yet raised in different environments—began to creak. She'd thought she was the only one who could sleep under the peach tree, but having one more squirrel around seemed fine. Plus, the seeds the squirrel fed them were acting as nutrients for Han Ga-eul's heavenly peach. Eventually, thanks to the squirrel taking the first step forward, the creaking, wavering boundary collapsed, and the slightly mismatched deep green foliage merged into a forest.

When I opened my eyes, the sun was already setting. "Ugh." A groan escaped my lips from my aching body. As I carefully sat up, various things fell from my body. Thud, thud. "Acorns?" I felt around my hair because of the lingering foreign sensation and found an unknown wildflower stuck there too. Among the things that fell were not only acorns and wildflowers, but also a sleeping squirrel and a white rabbit. They must've gotten quite close while sleeping on my stomach. "You little rascals. Why'd you hide flowers and acorns in my hair?" "Peep····." "Hungry····." The fact that they answered even while half-asleep made them seem quite similar. "Now that I think about it, I can't take the squirrel friend with me, can I?" "Peep?!" The squirrel, tangled up with Baek Seol while sleeping, jolted awake like an early bird.