That night was cold, the air biting into my skin so sharply that every breath felt like it burned. Darkness enveloped everything, so thick and silent that I could only hear the beat of my own heart.
I had already told Eve and Lei earlier that I wanted to be alone in the tent before dinner. Eve had also asked me to change my clothes, which apparently looked strange to them. From any angle, my outfit was far too modern for this era.
My reason for wanting to be alone was also that there was something I wanted to study.
[Session adjustment completed. You can now summon the System Guide. Do you want to summon the System Guide?]
[Yes / No]
System Guide? Was this like an NPC that gave quest hints? If so, could it possibly summon someone?
Honestly, I was a little curious. Usually, NPCs were handsome or beautiful.
Unconsciously, a mischievous smile spread across my face.
"Yes."
[Activating the System Guide summon feature]
[Summon successful]
[You have obtained a System Guide: Bong Bong]
"Huh?"
[Baaaa!]
"AAACK!" I was completely startled when a strange object suddenly emerged from the system screen.
A baby dragon?
It was a tiny dragon with soft fur, ruby-red horns, and little wings paired with fluffy white fur. A crown of white flowers adorned its forehead. Its large, honey-orange eyes looked at me with a hilariously innocent expression.
The baby dragon laughed heartily. [Surprised? Looks like I succeeded!]
I stared at it in amazement. "W-who are you?"
[I am the System Guide you summoned.]
System Guide? A dragon?
"You're a System Guide? Not human?"
[Human? How could a human become a System Guide? Their bodies would collapse under the weight of causality.]
"Causality?"
The baby dragon cleared its throat.
[Anyway, I'll be your System Guide from now on. My name is Bong Bong.]
Oh my god. What kind of novel did I even enter? Why is there such an unbelievably cute little dragon?
I leaned closer and poked it a few times. Its body felt squishy, and its fur was incredibly soft.
[What are you doing?] It looked at me curiously.
"I'm just curious. Why are you so tiny?"
[Hmph! Don't underestimate me just because I'm small!] It crossed its tiny arms and puffed out its cheeks.
Oh my gosh! So cute! I just wanted to squish it.
[Don't you have any questions?]
"About what?" I asked while continuing to press its little belly.
[Stop touching me!] It delivered a solid kick to my cheek.
I didn't expect it to hurt so much, its body was so small, but my left cheek throbbed repeatedly, like being punched by a human.
[Special Skill 'Reader's Protection' neutralizes your pain]
Huh? The pain in my cheek instantly vanished. I was genuinely surprised that this skill had that effect.
[Your pain is gone, right? That's the effect of your special skill. The power will increase as your level rises.]
"Can my level go up too?"
[Of course. By defeating monsters and completing quests. The stronger the monsters, the more EXP you gain.]
Gaining EXP… just like an RPG game.
"But I don't have combat skills. I can't even use a weapon."
[You can increase your stats, so don't worry.]
"Stats? Like other characters have?" My eyes widened.
[Other characters? Yeah, something like that. Here, I'll show you.]
Bong Bong floated in front of the system screen and tried to open something, probably my statistics, just like the one I used on others.
[System Error! You are not registered in the character list]
[W-What?!] Bong Bong froze, then tried again. The same message appeared.
Honestly, I was shocked too. I remembered that the Character Inspection skill only worked on 'characters'. I had used it on three people so far and they were all characters from this novel.
Did that mean I wasn't considered a -
'character'?
I had suspected that much, since I came from another world. But… did the system really fail to account for that? Surely it knew I was an outsider. Or was this intentional?
[Huh? How can this be?]
Bong Bong stared at the screen with a confused expression, fluttering around restlessly. Its wings flapped rapidly in panic.
[I've never seen anything like this before. I need to report this to the System Coordinator! For now, you can buy weapons or items from the shop feature. You have gold, right? Use that.]
Bong Bong grew even more agitated.
[Because of this error, you can't increase your stats. It's better if you just buy good items and weapons for now. Ahh—why is this happening?!]
It kept fiddling with the system screen, but the same warning kept appearing.
[System Error! You are not registered in the character list]
Bong Bong turned to look at me anxiously.
[I'll try to fix this. I'll be back! Bye-bye!]
With that, Bong Bong vanished like magic, not giving me any chance to respond.
[You currently have 40 achievement points and 10,000 gold]
"Hm… pointless." I sighed, touching my chin while staring at the system screen. "I can't increase my stats. I don't even know what my level is."
"Looks like I can only buy items for now. Where's the shop feature?" I fiddled with the system screen, and somehow, thanks to sheer luck, I found the shop Bong Bong mentioned.
It looked like an online shopping app. There were all sorts of items, many expensive. Their functions were explained in detail.
For example:
+
[Name] Waterproof Cloak
[Level] B
[Effect] This clothing protects you from water or water-based attacks. You will stay completely dry!
[Unique Effect] 15% Poison Resistance
[Price] 100 gold
+
Are items like this really sold? It seemed almost useless, even with poison resistance.
I kept searching for useful items, but there were so many that my head started spinning. My temples throbbed from staring at the screen for so long.
Wasn't this the same as just staring at a phone?
Among the many useless items, I found several that seemed really good.
[You obtained a new item: Blue Magic Sword]
[You obtained a new item: Rasaka Pill]
[You obtained a new item: Cactus Gloves]
[You obtained a new item: Healing Potion]
[You now have 1,200 gold]
I had spent almost all my gold. Consider it an investment in an uncertain future.
The Blue Magic Sword was the most expensive item I bought—5,600 gold. It was truly pricey, but its effects were worth it.
I didn't have any skills to fight monsters yet, so I needed a good weapon.
By the way, I'd been in here too long. Eve and Lei must be cooking by now. Oh right—I fo
Eve and Lei were sitting side by side in front of a fairly large campfire. Both of them were watching the deer meat roasting over the flames.
"Eve, are you seriously going to trust her?" Lei asked, wearing a frustrated expression.
"I don't trust her completely. But I feel what she said is true. We need to start building our strength now to fight the disasters Kim mentioned. We were lucky to defeat those giant monsters earlier. We don't know what kind of monsters will appear next."
Lei let out a short sigh, his lips pressed in a tight line. "I still can't accept it. Especially Captain's attitude, as if he doesn't care about that killer."
"I still can't believe Captain knows a man named Kael."
"Kael was his friend back in the academy."
Eve and Lei turned sharply when they heard my voice. I had been observing them the whole time.
"Kim!" Eve stood, staring at me in shock. "They were friends in the past?"
I approached and sat opposite them, in front of the campfire. "Yes. They were very close, but parted ways after graduation."
"Why was that?" Eve asked, growing more enthusiastic.
"Because of differences in principles and goals."
"I see," Lei said, nodding his head.
Look at this guy. Now she was eagerly listening to my story, though she had been frustrated and distrustful of me earlier.
"How do you know about their relationship? What is your relationship with Kael?" Eve asked.
How should I answer? Should I exaggerate a little?
I gave a bitter smile. "Our relationship is hard to explain. I just want to help Kael get back on the right path…"
"Oh my…" Eve looked touched, covering her mouth with both hands. Meanwhile, Lei stared at me with disgust, clearly not believing my story.
I didn't care about him either.
"And your feelings? Do you like Kael?" Eve asked.
Of course I liked him! Even a thousand-page book wouldn't be enough to explain it. Every aspect of him was perfect! His behavior was extreme, but his face covered up all his flaws. Do you know? He's the character I love most in the entire universe! Kael forever!!!
I gave a faint smile, continuing my dramatic act. "Does it matter? He doesn't even care about me."
Eve's eyes were already teary. "Oh my, poor thing…"
I hadn't expected her reaction, and Lei still looked at me with disgust.
I wanted to punch that ugly face of his.
"Wow, it smells so good." Liam arrived, sitting between me and Lei. He smiled at me, then looked at Lei and Eve, who were wiping her tears. That clearly confused Liam. "Eve, why are you crying?"
"It's nothing, Captain," Eve replied quietly, her breath shaky.
"She's crying after hearing a sad story about unrequited love," Lei snapped.
"Whose love story?" Liam looked at me curiously. "Yours?"
I turned my face and chuckled softly. "Yes… something like that."
Damn, I was so embarrassed!