Chapter 7

I remember that the Soul World is definitely not a hopeful game.

It’s filled with a dirty control scheme and a sketchy storyline, and if you don’t meet the conditions, you end up with bad or sad endings.

First off, if you let your guard down, characters can just drop dead out of nowhere. I’m not kidding, you might blink and they’re toast.

One particularly vivid memory is when I entered the forest with a companion to gather herbs. She was quite a pretty character, so that stuck with me.

Among the choices was to stick together or split up. Most newbie players, clueless, go for splitting up.

They think, “We’ll probably be fine even if it’s dangerous,” and that becomes the worst choice ever.

If I had been even a moment slower, I would’ve been killed by a Munky. Watching someone turn to mush right in front of you is pretty shocking.

Anyway, if you chose to stick together, you could save them, which is super helpful. This game’s a real team player with stat boosts for characters other than yourself.

With these elements, people can realize that the Soul World is definitely not a ‘friendly’ game.

If that was all, it would be manageable, but the combat is where the fun starts. Control is way more important than stats.

“What do we do? Does that mean we can’t understand each other either?”

“Well, who knows? I’m not sure.”

Eli, who was fated to die by Munky, conversed with the woman who introduced herself as Luna.

Though their outfits were different, they both carried small bags, presumably for gathering herbs.

I cast a lingering gaze at Luna. That appearance felt oddly familiar.

‘Light yellow hair and sky-blue eyes. That’s definitely it!’

The Soul World has no customization. So, you have to choose between male and female.

Good modeling saved the day; without it, even enthusiasts wouldn’t give it high marks.

So, the woman introducing herself as Luna means she’s the protagonist of this world. Memories I thought I’d lost rushed back.

‘Her class is… a knight?’

Looking at her, she seemed to fit the bill for a basic knight class. With that sword of hers, it’s almost a certainty.

Knights have good efficiency no matter which tech tree you pursue. That’s why most beginners tend to choose them.

According to the lore, she learned swordsmanship from a “Wanderer.” This is an official setting, so it holds even if you choose a different class.

No matter which class you pick, the basic weapon is always a ‘sword.’ By the way, you can meet that Wanderer later.

He’s a bit of an eccentric character, and users are often shocked when they encounter him. The story is pretty decent too.

‘She’s going to have a rough time.’

Knowing even a little of what lies ahead brings me a twinge of regret.

One momentary choice could lead to the loss of a valuable ally or betrayal by that ally.

But it’s her future, and what matters more is that she has met someone. I want to go outside.

I’ve grown accustomed to the wilderness, but my longing for civilization is something I could never forget. I need to know how to return to my original world.

First, I need to find out who sent me here. I already have a likely suspect in mind.

“How about we figure out where that person lives? There might be other survivors around.”

The unkind game’s starting point, Eli said calmly, as if she hadn’t almost just died a moment ago.

‘Didn’t think that calmness belonged to someone who was just about to die.’

‘Now that I think about it, she’s not bad either?’

I struggled to recall fading memories. With so many quirky characters, it’s tough to remember the details, but Eli rings a bell.

She has moderately long light brown hair, neatly cut bangs, and round eyes with golden irises.

Though she’s smaller than Luna, her chest stands out notably. They’re standing side by side, making the comparison quite evident.

Most characters in the Soul World have good modeling, and Eli particularly stands out.

I recall someone praising her potion pouch. If that’s what that pouch refers to, it makes sense.

‘She’s a real asset. Thank goodness.’

If I keep her alive, I won’t have to worry about potion supplies from the mid-game onward. As far as I remember, she’s involved in alchemy.

That’s why saving her early on makes the story much easier. Of course, I’ll need to grind all kinds of quests to boost her stats until then.

You could say she’s a character that pulls her weight. The problem is, she’s a bit of a klutz and will face numerous crises later on.

Keeping Eli alive means I won’t have to worry about potions, effectively a balance patch for the game.

Even if players treat her as a klutz.

“Speak sense. Don’t you realize how dangerous this place is? We need to get out of here immediately.”

“Are you planning to leave that person behind?”

“That’s…”

At Eli’s sharp observation, Luna flicked a sideways glance at me. I just stood there, looking at them blankly.

Honestly, I’d love to reveal that I can understand you guys. But all I can do is grunt.

More than that, I’ve already missed my chance. They probably think of me as more than just a savage.

To be honest, it’s a beneficial situation for me, so I kept my mouth shut.

“So let’s find out where that person lives. Sound good?”

“…What if that man turns out to be a threat to us? You saw how easily he blocked Munky’s attack. I can’t handle that.”

“Eh, if that was the case, he would’ve killed us already. Maybe he instinctively recognizes us as kin?”

Eli casually tapped Luna on the shoulder. I remembered her typically optimistic demeanor.

It seemed that Luna was persuaded by Eli’s words, giving me a strange look. I just kept my mouth shut.

“…So how are we going to get to where that person lives? We can’t communicate.”

That’s something I’ll guide you with. As soon as I heard Luna’s words, I turned away.

As I did, I could sense the surprise in both of them.

“…We should probably follow him.”

“…The special compass is still functioning well?”

“It’s working just fine.”

So we do have a special compass. That means we can escape this wretched forest!

Oh, and I need to haul Munky’s corpse back too. I dragged the corpse of Munky, whose head and brain were completely smashed.

Seeing me effortlessly dragging a gorilla larger than 5 meters made the two hesitate.

No wonder—they’d think I was hauling a sack of stuff. With the current protagonist’s strength, I couldn’t even attempt that.

“Must be a survivor, right?”

“Could be someone born here. It’s said no one’s gone missing recently in this forest. The last person went missing over 20 years ago.”

“So that person has been living here for 20 years?”

“Can’t tell just by looking at the face… but from the outside, he seems to be at least in his 40s.”

Not possible. Even if I lived here for several years, I wouldn’t look a day over 40.

Thinking I can’t understand them, they discuss things as if I’m not even here.

It’s probably my hair and beard that’s the problem. Just growing out the beard makes me look old, and it’s down to my chest!

Plus, my bangs are ridiculously long, hiding my face. While I can see well, no one else can see my face.

‘Still, I don’t want to shave it off.’

Though the hair, I can leave be; the beard was grown for this moment. I can trim it magically, but I just let it be.

I probably gave up on leaving the forest at that point. It was a “Who cares?” attitude since no one is watching anyway.

Just because they’ve thrown daggers into my heart doesn’t mean I’ll stop walking.

Every time I turned around, their startled reactions were mildly amusing.

“…Why do they keep looking?”

“Maybe they’ve never seen anyone else besides us?”

Feel free to think what you want. I know exactly what you’re saying.

Regardless of their chatter, I continued dragging Munky’s corpse towards the hideout.

Along the way, nothing particularly bad happened.

*Splash-*

“Huh? Aw, hell…”

“What happened, Luna?”

As we were moving along, Luna suddenly froze mid-step, cursing loudly. When they stopped, I followed suit.

Luna paused, wrinkling her nose at the brown clump stuck to her shoe. Her disgust was palpable.

“I stepped in poop.”

“What?”

“I said I stepped in poop! There are beasts everywhere here; you should watch your step!”

Luna had stepped in poop. She grimaced and hurled all kinds of curses. She had quite the dirty mouth, surprisingly.

By the way, I think I might have been the one who left that. It’s near the hideout, marking my territory.

Beasts usually have a good sense of smell, so they ought to leave such traces. I wish I could call it a “bathroom” situation.

With only beasts around, the beastly way became my only choice.

‘I guess I’ll have to carry this burden until I die.’

Since I can’t speak properly, I won’t have to worry about being found out.

Luna scraped off the muck from her shoe with some nearby branches. Yet, her expression remained sour.

At this rate, she might ruin that pretty face of hers. I can hardly blame her; stepping in poop is just the worst.

‘Is her luck stat low or something?’

Those pointless thoughts crossed my mind. If luck stats are indeed low, all sorts of misfortunes can occur.

There are frequent cases of a misalignment of fate. Like being one hit away from death, yet missing that one crucial strike.

People often wonder if luck applies to monster patterns, but it’s so vague it’s hard to pin down.

It also significantly affects item drop rates, among other things. Anyone with terrible luck just tends to not exist.

“Wow… looks like someone lives here? Oh! Is that a bear?”

“…Looks like it. From the size of the hide, it seems to be a giant bear.”

As we continued walking, we arrived at the hideout.

As soon as Luna and Eli arrived, they began muttering about the disassembled bear hide scattered around.

The hide was still in the process of being fully processed and was sprawled all over the floor. I guess that was pretty intimidating.

I carelessly tossed Munky’s corpse aside and watched them as they inspected the hideout.

‘Let’s eat some meat.’

Just in time, there was some well-smoked bear meat available. I popped a nicely cooked piece into my mouth.

It was delicious! The meat had no trace of that signature gamey smell, plus the juiciness was just right.

The special plant used for the fire during smoking made it that way. I could hardly resist devouring it all.

‘Maybe I should offer her some food?’

In the end, since I can’t speak, there’s no choice but to show goodwill with food.

I shifted my gaze to Eli, who was engrossed in her inspection, while Luna seemed to have wandered off into the cave.

“Hmm?”

When Eli glanced curiously at the bear hide, I quietly offered her some meat.

When I silently presented the meat, Eli’s golden eyes widened in surprise. She was really pretty up close.

Then she switched between my offered bear meat and me, finally asking in a puzzled tone.

“Are you giving this to me?”

“…”

She pointed to herself with her finger, still processing the question. I nodded.

Eli blinked at me, caught off-guard, then quietly murmured,

“Hmm… I see you don’t completely lack understanding. Maybe I can communicate that way?”

“…”

“Well, anyhow, thanks! This looks delicious.”

After making her own deductions, she took the bear meat. Instead of handing it over with her hands, she skewered it on a stick.

It seemed she preferred not to hand it over with her bare hands, given how dirty mine were.

There’s a river nearby, so I’ve been washing up regularly, but after tearing up that bear I was a bit dirty.

‘Guess she’s from the countryside, just like the protagonist?’

The protagonist at least had the basics of a village, while Eli comes from as rural as it gets.

She’s also been set up to have gathered herbs directly since ancient times, so she’s probably not picky about this.

Normally, one would refuse to eat such things, but thankfully she didn’t hesitate.

“Wow. This is delicious! Is bear meat always this good?”

Eli exclaimed, mouth full of bear meat. Those wide-open golden eyes were incredibly cute.

Wild animals usually have their distinctive smell. I nearly lost my appetite when I ate absentmindedly.

That’s why herbs are essential for eliminating any unpleasant odors. Using herbs strewn about, I managed to remove that smell.

Thanks to that, instead of the gamey odor, a herbal scent wafted, which I can guarantee with confidence.

“So why do we eat the organs raw? Because cooking them doesn’t change the taste, so that’s pointless.”

Organs serve the purpose of filling hunger or calories, while the meat is for emergency food and taste.

“Still, it seems like you recognize other humans as kin, considering you’re sharing food.”

“Damn (what is that supposed to mean).”

Is she really viewing me as a primitive human? My disbelief forced an immediate reply.

Of course, Eli wouldn’t understand a word of it. I wonder when I’ll be able to fix this language barrier.

“By the way, where did Luna go?”

She headed into the cave earlier. But honestly, what’s in that cave worth seeing?

If I want to remember the story of the game, I recall the very poorly drawn murals and everything I’ve experienced here.

It’s decorated with the heads of hunted game I captured and even some makeshift weapons I made.

‘Let’s see what she’s up to.’

I headed toward my hideout where Luna went in. Just what is she doing in there, taking so long?

Eli, who had been munching on bear meat, hurriedly followed me.

“Let’s go together, Sivar!”

Stop short—

My feet froze as I processed what she just called me.

I turned my gaze toward Eli the moment I heard her call. The moment our eyes met, hers widened in surprise.

Please tell me that “Sivar” wasn’t directed at me. She pointed her finger at me and asked,

“Is that you?”

“Damn (me)?”

With that gesture, Eli blinked her enormous eyes and then broke into a bright smile.

For a moment, I was captivated by her warm smile, but the following statement sent my mind spinning away.

“Yeah! You keep saying Sivar, so I figured I’d just call you that. How does it sound? Isn’t it good?”

“…”

Call me whatever you want. At this point, I can’t even remember my name anymore.

With a feeling of emptiness, I began walking again.

“So, do you understand my words or not?”

“…”

“You have no clue, huh? Is it something special? Sivar!”

“Damn.”

“Exactly!”

What ‘exactly’?

‘You just cursed at me, lady.’

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