TNAAS Ch 7

Episode 7

At the words “another world,” Yeonwoo flinched, his shoulders twitching slightly. Pretending not to know anything, he subtly turned his head away from the burdensome gaze.

“Wh-What kind of nonsense is that? Another world?”

He himself realized that he had stuttered too much just now, but anyone would stumble over their words under that piercing gaze that seemed to see through everything. The crow mask hid the eyes, yet the aura radiating from behind it was extraordinary.

“Why are you so flustered? I was just saying it casually.”

“Who said I was flustered…”

Yeonwoo cleared his throat a couple of times, then turned toward the bulletin board and tore off a flyer.

“Anyway, I’ll be going now. I need to earn some money.”

Now fearful of what other words might suddenly come out, Yeonwoo quickly left the spot. Until Yeonwoo brushed past, Rai merely watched silently without saying anything further.

Leaving the lobby behind, Yeonwoo quickly headed to the office, worried that Rai might follow him. Before turning the corner at the top of the stairs, he glanced back toward the bulletin board, but Rai had already vanished. He had a strong feeling that he should avoid encountering Rai at all costs.

The more he spoke with him, the more a strange chill crept up as if the settings of this game were shifting, and it terrified him.

After the storm had passed and he managed to regain his composure, Yeonwoo entered the office with confident steps. Inside, as always, it was filled with people who looked half-dead.

Surely they hadn’t stayed up all night again like that, had they? It felt all too familiar, and he couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity.

Recognizing him from the previous day, the staff member he had seen yesterday approached and greeted him.

“Mr. Yeonwoo, what brings you here? Do you have business today?”

Hearing an NPC-like line gave Yeonwoo an odd sense of comfort. He handed over the flyer he had been holding.

“I’d like to join this subjugation. Is the party already full?”

The employee took the flyer, scanned through the contents, and then gave him a worried look.

“Will you be alright? The request isn’t an easy one. It might be difficult for you.”

It was the exact same thing Rai had said. Of course, every subjugation was tough for NPCs, but asking a registered mercenary if it might be too hard was strange. If it truly was too difficult, it would not have been posted on the board in the first place; the elites would have handled it themselves.

Perplexed, Yeonwoo tilted his head and asked back.

“Why do you think it will be difficult?”

The employee, perhaps recalling yesterday’s events under Yeonwoo’s persistent gaze, smoothed his clothes as if to calm himself. After clearing his throat a couple of times, he replied.

“In these subjugation battles, most people prefer those with high attack power over support or healer types. So, if someone with lower attack ability participates, there could be some conflict within the group…”

In other words, without attack power, one could be ignored and even kicked out. There were indeed cases where low-level players openly dismissed buffers or healers during boss raids, but the higher the level of the boss, the greater the difference a buffer in the party made.

Maybe it was because they were NPCs with no such concept, or maybe, like the elites who didn’t directly fight bosses, they simply didn’t know.

Remembering the time when he first raised a Spirit Master, Yeonwoo retorted with a hint of irritation.

“You can finish the subjugation much faster if you have buffs. And you can also minimize the damage people take. I can’t believe there are still people with such ignorant ideas. It’s really disheartening.”

It was not something to be angry at the employee about, but Yeonwoo was upset nonetheless. There was a reason low-level players stayed low-level, and a reason their tier remained low. This was where those differences showed. Damage was not everything. The higher one’s attack power, the lower their defense and resistance tended to be, which meant their health was depleted more easily.

That was exactly why support characters existed; they prevent such situations and handle things as efficiently as possible.

They act like a single heal isn’t the difference between life and death.

Clicking his tongue inwardly, Yeonwoo glanced at the employee, wondering if he had gotten too angry. Sure enough—

“Th-that… I also use buff magic, so I don’t really think that way, but other people tend to…”

The employee must have been startled to see usually mild Yeonwoo raise his voice. Now, even stammering in his reply, he looked flustered, which made Yeonwoo feel guilty. He quickly apologized.

“I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I’ve just heard that sort of talk too many times, so I got a little upset. I’m sorry…”

Thinking it was his own slip of the tongue that had upset Yeonwoo, the employee looked visibly relieved when he saw Yeonwoo standing there dejectedly, like a puppy with drooping ears.

“I used to be ignored that way, too. Of course, I can use offensive magic as well, but since my attack power is lower than others… Anyway, would you like to confirm this request then?”

Since Yeonwoo seemed truly serious about it, the employee no longer pressed and simply asked for confirmation. Almost immediately, Yeonwoo lifted his head as if he had never been downhearted, looking full of energy again, and gave a vigorous nod.  

“Yes!!!”

* * *

After receiving the time and location from the staff member, Yeonwoo left the office, passed through the first-floor lobby, and stepped out of the hotel. He wanted to check for the subtle differences from the game settings he knew.

If there were other discrepancies, he needed to trace any possible connections between them and the hotel. Of course, the world itself was vast, with countless villages, so it would not be easy. But Yeonwoo, who had plenty of time and money, found it enjoyable in its own way. It was not every day that one could walk on two feet through the world of a game they used to play. He wanted to make the most of this opportunity.

As he walked, deep in thought about the differences he had noticed, something else came to mind—something close by, something that could even speak.

Spirits, now that I think about it, do you have names of your own?

He had been about to ask casually since they seemed easygoing, but it felt wrong to keep just calling them “spirits.” After all, they had been through quite a lot together. It felt a bit heartless to go this far without even proper introductions.

[We don’t!]

[Yeah, our master is supposed to give us names, but you kept ignoring us!]

[Our master is awful. You brought us here and then ignored us. Too irresponsible! Take responsibility!]

He was sure he had never actually summoned them himself, yet these spirits threw out lines one might expect from a tragic heroine in a soap opera, leaving him with another headache. Maybe he should not have started this conversation. Still, he had questions to ask, so he decided to humor them for now. What else could he do? He could not exactly claim that, since this was a game world, he hadn’t been able to hear their voices before.  

Alright. I’ve been careless all this time, sorry. So I should be the one to give you names, then?

[Don’t give us weird names!]

[We have the right to refuse too!]

Annoyed by their voices, Yeonwoo briefly considered naming them something like Cheolsu and Younghee^[1], but then some other names flashed through his mind. With a wicked smile, he brought his hands together and raised them to summon the spirits.

He had only managed to learn the summoning method that morning, after bribing the spirits with snacks. Blowing a deep breath into his upraised palms, tiny orbs appeared, floating amid the breeze.  

Naming them was not a difficult task, but he wanted to face them directly. He wanted them, the ones who always teased him mercilessly, to see the expression on his face.

“Your names from now on are Uwi^[2], Dogi^[3], and Gyeongi^[4].”

[Wow! We have names now!]

The spirits bounced around with joy at their new names, while Yeonwoo put on the kindest expression in the world. They would never understand the true meaning behind his words.

As he indulged in his mischievous thoughts, Yeonwoo suddenly realized this was not the time for it. He calmed the still-excited spirits and got to the main point. Since the path he was on was a quiet, deserted trail, he spoke directly rather than just thinking inwardly.

“How do you use skills?”

The spirits, still rolling innocently across his palms, froze at the question and tilted their heads.

[What’s a skill?]

[Is it something you eat? It sounds kind of like steak, so it must be meat!]

Could it be… they did not even know what a skill was? They might act childish, but this was still a game world, so he had assumed they would know at least that much. With a wary feeling, Yeonwoo decided to change his wording and asked again carefully. He hadn’t wanted to use this word, fearing they would treat him like an idiot.

“Then… How do you use magic?”

[Goodness, Master, did you forget all that in such a short time?]

[Did we tease you so much that you really became stupid?]

As expected, they treated Yeonwoo like a fool. Their reaction was exactly as he had imagined, and he clicked his tongue inwardly. He tried to look as pitiful as possible, hoping they might show some sympathy, since children were usually weak to that.

“Something must have gone wrong when I had my blood drawn yesterday. I feel like I have a fever, and my whole body aches. Sometimes when humans get sick, they become forgetful. I should get treatment, but it would be a waste of money to go to a hospital when I can handle it myself…”

Life was easier when one occasionally played the part of being sick or in pain. From his short time in society, the only thing Yeonwoo had learned was sly excuses. Pretending to be feverish, he staggered a little.

[That’s not true. When we were inside your body, you didn’t seem to be in pain at all…]

[Right. If anything, you were too healthy. You even drank a potion yesterday!]

Tch. That’s the problem with ones this quick-witted. Clicking his tongue inwardly, Yeonwoo exaggerated his ‘sick’ act even more.

“Even if you were inside my body, humans sometimes get sick for no reason…”

It reminded him of how, back in school or at work, he had occasionally left early, pretending to be sick and then enjoyed a blissful nap at home…

Putting his all into the performance, Yeonwoo let out a deep sigh, as if even breathing had become burdensome. Watching him, the spirits furrowed their brows, gently patting his fingers as if to comfort him.

[That could be true.]

[Now that I think about it, things did seem a little odd yesterday and today.]

[Master, was it that your head hurt so much you lost your senses? We didn’t even realize…]

They sounded like they were trying to comfort him, so why did it feel so irritating? For the first time, Yeonwoo felt a baffling mix of emotions.