Chapter: 4
“The currently confirmed number of sparrows is five. The job request is to hunt them down and dispose of their carcasses.”
To shift focus, I casually brought up work.
Kids tend to show interest just as quickly as they lose it.
It might have been more effective to disappear from their view altogether, but there wasn’t anyone suitable to guide them.
“Yeah. Maria confirmed that too.”
I get that, but my current focus is purely on the expression and reaction that screams, “You!” Her head, tilted diagonally toward me, remained fixed in place.
I’ve always dreamed of being treated this way by a beautiful girl. However, with her being my age and the stakes being a matter of life or death, it all felt rather bittersweet.
‘You said you were a puppeteer…’
I endured her piercing gaze as I sporadically glanced at Maria.
She had short purple hair, a plain outfit without any flashy gear, and a robe that matched her hair color. Honestly, she looked more like a cosplaying girl than an A-class adventurer.
Yet, having delved into numerous games, I understood. That very appearance, the one that seems to shout “I’m a puppeteer!” while holding a doll, is actually a symbol of strength.
And the fact that she was at such a high level made it entirely plausible that she was nearly certain of my identity already. The scarecrow would be precariously hanging onto the keyword ‘doll.’
“What’s your name, oppa? Is your real name the Wandering Reaper?”
‘Oppa…’
Well, I’ll add a bonus point for that. The kid’s manners are quite remarkable.
She certainly knows how to treat an adult well.
“My brother said he was a kid.”
“Maria is Maria. Eight years old. She likes dolls.”
It’s not just that she’s savvy; I’d say she’s clever.
Her emphasis on the last word was undeniably intentional.
Is she merely probing, or does she know exactly what’s going on?
Her soft, emotionless face made any attempts at deciphering it feel utterly futile.
“Please take care of me.”
“I’m sorry… my hands are really dirty right now.”
I had no choice but to brush off the hand reaching out for a shake.
The gloves might have a grip, but they’re empty inside!
“Somehow… it smells.”
Sorry. If I even stepped into the water at this level, I’d turn into a rotten tree.
Maria pinched her nose closed and playfully shot me a glare.
‘Still, it seems like we’ve managed to switch topics successfully.’
From then on, we engaged in various small talks.
I had thought I’d never be able to speak comfortably with anyone again, but surprisingly, it turned out to be quite enjoyable.
—
We found a flock of sparrows at the third predicted point reported by the village chief.
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“Huh.”
I fell back while positioning Maria in front.
If I turned on the support mode, I’d just end up raising all those sparrows to Maria’s level specs.
‘I still feel a bit uneasy about sending a kid into the fray on her own…’
I needed to get accustomed to this situation.
This world doesn’t gauge power based on age. If one has skills, even a kid can become a knight commander.
“I hate birds.”
In the meantime, Maria unfolded her dolls.
Five puppets, perfectly matching the number of opponents.
‘Alright then, let’s see what kind of skills you’ve got.’
I lazily leaned against a tree.
A-class adventurers usually rank around 200 to 300 in our server’s leaderboards.
It was a chance to witness ranker-level battles firsthand, not just through graphics.
Tweeet-!!
The sparrows launched the first attack.
The five sparrows executed a U-shaped free fall, something I had plenty of experience with.
Having already heard the pattern, Maria nimbly dodged while adjusting the dolls’ positions to create a one-on-one setup.
And just like that, it all fell into place. As if they had been programmed, the sparrows each darted toward the doll closest to them.
Whoosh-
One of the dolls, a girl clad in all-white, swung a hammer larger than her body horizontally.
Crash-!!
The sparrow, struck solidly at the right moment as it came down, dropped dead on the spot. It became the first sparrow to go down by a batter’s strike instead of a pitcher’s.
‘Just as expected of an A-class adventurer. If they had been playing on the ground, this would’ve ended ages ago.’
Maria, now energized, waited leisurely for her next move. By simple calculation, she only had to repeat the same thing four more times.
We held our breaths for one minute, then two.
As the standoff dragged on, the battle took on a peculiar dynamic.
‘The sparrows aren’t coming down.’
Could it be that they’re off to meet that one who went down first?
They spun around in the sky, showing no intention of descending. Like eagles waiting for their prey to collapse from exhaustion.
Here, Maria’s non-response maintained the current stalemate.
‘Is there no way to respond at all?’
I scanned through the other doll configurations apart from the white-hammer girl.
A hunchback spewing poison gas, an old man spitting fire from his hands, a tank wrapped in armor with dual-handed shields, and a samurai of the Sadoryu type.
It seemed there really wasn’t a long-range type in the mix.
‘Is the Class A promotion test strictly a competition based on pure destructive power?’
At this rate, the sparrows would either flee, or Maria would tire out and give up. Either way, the outcome would be the same.
The opportunity would arise again, but until then, the village would remain on edge, and Maria’s pride as an A-class adventurer would take a hit.
Within the petite body of the young puppeteer, emotions of frustration began to bubble up.
If I confronted them directly, all it took was for them to come down, and it’d be nothing! Just watching this happen and letting them slip away would definitely frustrate me too.
“Maria, is that all there is to your dolls?”
I found myself unable to stand idly by. It was time for an experienced adult to step in.
Maria was on the verge of tears. No matter how strong or mature she acted, she was still a child after all.
“Those are all the special dolls… But I have a hundred normal dolls. Should I bring them all out…?”
“No, keep them in. If you do, they might really run away.”
She asked if she could pull out a hundred dolls as if she were grabbing ice cream from a fridge.
That’s why, in certain situations, there’s no clear answer, yet she holds an A-class rank. Wouldn’t it be possible for an individual to match the combat power of an entire knight company?
“First off, just throw that hammer at the sparrows, even if it won’t hit.”
“Huh? If I do that…”
“If you hit one, you take one down. If you miss, that doll will lose its weapon and fall into a defenseless state.”
“Hmm… ah.”
Maria’s eyes lit up as she grasped my intentions. Though the difference was slight, it seemed to uplift her mood a touch.
“I’ll give it a shot right away.”
Whoosh— The hammer soared through the air.
The sparrows, who had been keeping a close eye on the hammer-wielding girl, easily dodged the attack and then blatantly concentrated their gaze on one target.
The white girl, now empty-handed.
“Send her over there. It’s like she’s running away.”
“Okay!”
In Super Ego Online, there are sometimes monsters who prioritize fleeing if the stat difference is too significant.
This mainly happens in quests that can be attempted at any level and often involves entities with some level of intelligence.
The intention may have been to enhance the thrill of the chase, but for gamers, it’s merely an annoying element preventing a smooth clear.
The devised countermeasure was to lower stats by removing equipment.
Zap-!!
Zap-!!
Zing-!!
Zing-!!
Four sparrows dove at the doll stripped of its weapon.
While I thought this would merely be a silly tactic in the game, experiencing it firsthand proved otherwise.
“Turn around, now!”
As they closed in, I shifted the doll’s stance for a surprise right hook.
The sparrow that hadn’t considered what it was attacking met its demise without even knowing what hit it.
Now only three remained. Among them, the hammer girl had transformed into a boxer, grabbing two by their beaks and holding them in place.
Zap-??
Zap-?!!
Zing-!!!
It was as if she was determined to prove how badly she wanted this, executing a flurry of attacks with barely a moment to spare.
Now, for the final one. To my surprise, I found myself atop it. I didn’t expect to be back here again.
“Maria, bring the hammer over here!”
I strained to maintain balance against the hammer’s recoil with one hand as I raised my other hand high.
Maria, quickly understanding my request, summoned the hammer through the doll.
The sparrow evaded the oncoming hammer by dipping down low, but that turned out to be the worst choice it could’ve made.
“With this, one magic stone is mine!”
Boom-!!
I spun in mid-air, bringing down the hammer on the sparrow’s back. A thunderous noise that seemed ready to flip the world upside down echoing throughout the forest.
This sound reached the farthest corners of Shijakumauru, and word spread so far that there was no one who hadn’t heard it. They commemorated that day as the ‘Day of the Great Awakening’.
“Wow…”
The heartfelt admiration of the A-class adventurer girl brought back memories of my childhood when I used to line up at arcades to watch.
More so than anything else, this was likely the happiest moment I’ve experienced recently.
—
Having thoroughly incinerated the corpses and conducted a patrol to ensure no further issues arose, the situation finally concluded.
The hunting routine returned to normal.
In reality, if things had gone as usual, I would have already graduated and moved on to the next hunting ground.
Lv. 34 – Tutorial Dummy
Now, unlike when I was a player, I have no job changer to promote me. This meant I had to find an alternative job change method, and until then, I needed to boost my base stats.
More importantly, if I stepped outside, I’d have to start mingling with others seriously. Even with efficiency dropping slightly, I needed to rely on this spot for a bit longer.
“…Huh?”
Shash-
In the midst of my diligent grind to compensate for losses, I turned at the sound of an approaching presence.
Something was hiding behind a tree.
Peeking-
No, now it was peeking out with its head raised, staring directly at me.
Even before it emerged, I could see hair sticking out.
(Peek-a-boo~)
The identity of the watcher was none other than the purple-haired girl, Maria.
Unlike others, she was observing with a strangely stifling gaze.
If she was going to do that, then why had she hidden in the first place?
(Peek-a-boo~)
“….”
What on earth is this situation? If she has something to say, she should just say it outright.
But more importantly, why doesn’t she just go back and stick around here?
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