Chapter: 7
“Become Maria’s doll.”
In a fantasy world, all sorts of bizarre things are bound to happen.
What would normally be a rude request to become someone’s toy can transform into the heartfelt request to become someone’s person.
“Are you sure… ? Don’t you feel any discomfort? I’m a demon after all…”
The girl shook her head a couple of times. From her perspective, it was probably the most enthusiastic rejection she could muster.
“Uh-huh. Not at all. Maria lives with dolls.”
Should I laugh at her proudly showcasing the only remaining hammer girl as evidence?
At last, I accepted the handshake from the dolls who each extended their hand. Right there, where 104 dolls had heroically fallen.
“…They all broke.”
“I can fix it in no time. Maria is good with her hands.”
The way she naturally felt around and understood the structure didn’t seem like mere bravado.
…I still think of myself as a man, but touching there reveals… nothing. Starts to make you a bit sad. Should I just stop?
“It’s incredible…”
Yeah… if you like it, then that’s good enough.
“Come to think of it, Maria. Why did you attack without even asking? You could have saved yourself the trouble.”
“If we remodel this place well, it might run again… Huh? That’s right. Maria wanted to give you reassurance.”
“Reassurance?”
“Yeah. The assurance that it’s okay to show Maria your true self.”
Maria mentioned that I was wrapped tightly in a robe, and I was quite obviously on edge about my surroundings.
This was also something the people of Shijakumauru didn’t pick up from their first-person fanatic perspective.
‘You people again…’
“I thought that if Maria asked, you’d just avoid the question.”
So I kept dodging and running away. It felt like I would just tumble into my own pit.
So I lowered my guard and rushed in, and Maria added an apology to her explanation.
“…What. I received so much consideration that I couldn’t even lift my head. I could’ve just ignored it, but why did you go to such lengths for me…?”
A decision that an ordinary child would never think of.
Then Maria tightly hugged me and presented the answer as if it were the most natural thing.
“Maria likes dolls.”
It’s a simple story. The girl was not a coward. She was not weak.
The A-class adventurer girl was strong.
*
The choice to follow Maria was inevitable.
Even though I would have to go outside someday and keep my distance from others thereafter, it was all because there was a risk of my identity being revealed.
“Oh, Maria. Did you complete your request and come back?”
“I’ll go in.”
But with a solid guarantor like an A-class adventurer, most of those worries go away.
With a solid network of high-ranking adventurers right away, if my name value rises in the future, no one will raise any suspicion carelessly.
“Oh, okay. But… what are you bringing along next to you?”
If my identity gets revealed by chance, it’s fine.
‘Ta-da, it’s actually Maria’s doll show!’ That would be all I need to say.
If Maria waves her arms around with a cheeky expression, everyone will just think it’s cute and brush it off.
“A new family.”
Most importantly, I have met an ally and benefactor who supports me positively in this unfamiliar world.
If I didn’t appreciate her kindness after seeing how hard she worked relying on me, then I wouldn’t be human.
Of course, I’m not human.
“Did you go to the countryside and carve a scarecrow? What an ugly thing. You’re so something else!”
I confidently entered the city using Maria as my ID. She was sweetly holding my arm.
As we passed, the guard fell over as if he tripped over ‘something invisible.’
“Welcome! This is where Maria lives.”
“Wow…”
As soon as the notification about our regional movement popped up, gasps of admiration escaped my lips.
It was the first time in my life seeing such a high-quality open-world game, no, it stimulated my nerves like no other.
A world that isn’t just beyond the screen. A world felt with eyes, ears, and body. VR didn’t even dare to compare.
Unique medieval-style buildings, children climbing trees and playing with birds, and people bustling about. It was all there.
Here, there were no results implemented as mere code, nor mere NPCs recycling given words. Just countless individuals living their own lives.
“However…”
It was a far cry from the scenery I remembered.
Not in a completely different dimension, but one where you could feel the passage of time. It felt like a subtle dissonance, like visiting my hometown after several years.
“Maria. What year is it now?”
“Huh? Imperial Year 2012.”
In-game time is set in the Imperial Year 1912. A full 100 years difference.
The trailer began with
, and I thought, what is this? The cliché introduction for a light novel, right? I remember it clearly as the community threw a fit over it.
It’s remarkable that it became a worldwide hit.
‘Speaking of which, I can’t believe I’m in a 100 years later timeline…’
I hadn’t really paid attention in Shijakumauru to know this. Since it’s rural, not much would change.
Sure, the village chief was different, but I assumed it was just a difference arising from moving from the game to reality.
‘There might be realms that my 100-year-old knowledge won’t cover…’
If I were alone, I would feel overwhelmed.
“Let’s go, oppa. There are many places to visit with Maria.”
But with someone who shares the same interests by my side, even just chewing on the bait is a joy.
Even if it’s not a game.
“Sure. Let’s go.”
I strolled the path with Maria—just walking without knowing our destination felt so refreshing after such a long time.
*
Not everything turns out to be fun.
Why did you buy me so many clothes to wear at home? I was punished for wearing dozens of them, which were just for decoration and didn’t boost my stats.
‘It wasn’t like this when I browsed the cash shop…’
—“Oh my! Your blonde hair looks good in anything!”
The influence of the overly friendly shopkeeper was likely substantial.
Blonde, my foot. If I get hit and scream now, I’ll undoubtedly be the main character of that clickbait post. Ugh.
—“This looks good on you too!”
A child excited over dressing a doll joined in, and getting stimulated, Maria became even more enthusiastic.
I must never let that person take care of Maria. If I do, she’d turn into just a means to satisfy that person’s desires.
“Let’s just register as adventurers here today and head back.”
After all these trials, I finally arrived at the Adventurers’ Guild.
“Here. Maria’s allowance for you.”
“You need to register as an adventurer yourself, so you can use that money.”
“Thanks, Maria.”
It was a fresh experience on multiple levels.
Revisiting the Adventurer’s Guild, the skills I should’ve learned during the tutorial, and the currency just expressed in won in the game.
Fwoosh—
And among those, the currency exploded and turned to ash.
I could see Maria’s expression of disbelief in real time.
“…”
“…Maria, this means…”
“Then you can’t use it. That’s bad.”
Maria scolded me, raising her eyebrows about five degrees higher than usual. I had to endure the thwack thwack thwack of her playful punishment.
Damn this system. The tutorial was considered finished, but they force the process when an intermediary one shows up.
I survived because it was a fairy tale. The amount I just squandered was around 1,000 won. If it had been gold coins… I can’t even imagine.
“Welcome to the Adventurer’s Guild.”
“Please register this guy as an adventurer.”
“Yes. That’ll be ten fairy tales.”
“Don’t blow it this time.”
“It was genuinely an accident…”
I accepted the fairy tales from a dubious-looking Maria and quickly handed them over to the receptionist.
Could this awkward situation of asking a child to lend me even 1,000 won be her way of teaching me to value money?
“Since you have an A-class adventurer as your guarantor, there’s no need for further procedures. Just write down your personal information here, and registration will be complete.”
I still recall how I was sent for an identity verification interview, and now they skip right to the final step.
Blessed be the connections of A-class adventurers. I’ll make back ten, no, twenty fairy tales and pay her back in no time.
“Oh, sorry. I wrote it wrong. Could you please give me a new one?”
“Oh, here you go.”
I accidentally wrote “swordmage” under the occupation section. Now that I can’t even cast a single spell, what foolishness is that?
…Come to think of it, what should I write as my occupation?
‘Definitely not an archer or a mage. The rest are also somewhat ambiguous.’
I wrote something like “inspect” and submitted it.
Isn’t cutting with a sickle or a sword similar? I can’t exactly write scarecrow.
“Yes. Your registration as an adventurer is complete. I look forward to working with you, Adventurer Child.”
“Thank you. Could you please send me requests right away…”
“Except for named requests, please look them up through the bulletin board.”
“Oh, yes.”
I awkwardly headed toward the request bulletin board.
100 years ago, even unnamed requests could be picked up from the receptionist, but it seems times have changed, and now it’s all self-service.
“Maria. Let’s look for a quest we can do together—something like a group escort with a wide rank spectrum.”
“Okay.”
We sifted through the bulletin board, debating what looked good and what was not.
“Demon Swordsman, kid…”
I didn’t hear the receptionist’s words as she walked away.
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