Chapter 17
“Yeriel.”
“Ah, Wendy.”
He greeted me with his usual bright smile while tending to the embers of the fire.
“You’re always smiling, Yeriel.”
Unlike those two with a few screws loose.
Yeriel’s perfect, saint-like smile felt so gentle that it made my heart feel warm just by looking at him.
“Haha, not at all.”
His smile was so radiant that it made me wonder if he was an angel disguised as a human.
“You have to keep smiling. It’s a tough world without laughter.”
His kind and heartfelt words made it feel as though the night brightened up, despite the late hour.
“Please keep smiling like that, Yeriel. I think just your smile alone can be a huge help.”
I smiled softly and extended my hand toward Yeriel.
“This is a gift for you. They say it’s a ring that brings hope. I thought it would suit you well.”
Yeriel looked surprised for a moment at the ring I offered him, then he smiled brightly and tried it on.
“It’s my first time receiving a ring as a gift.”
Fortunately, the ring fit Yeriel’s finger perfectly.
The truth is, that ring was a 0.1 percent lucky ring from a random box.
They say it can bring miraculous fortune with a 0.1 percent chance….
Honestly, I chose it because giving a first-aid kit as a gift seemed too expensive.
“I’m glad you like it.”
Seeing how much Yeriel seemed to appreciate it made me feel a twinge of guilt.
I’m sorry, Yeriel….
I’ll get you something better next time.
As I was silently making my confession to myself.
“Wendy.”
“Yes?”
Just as I was about to stand up, Yeriel’s voice called out to me.
I turned back with a slightly nervous expression, like a thief caught in the act.
“Your smile is also very bright, Wendy. Bright enough to light up everything around you.”
But seeing his face filled with such pure happiness made me feel truly guilty.
“I’ve gained a lot of strength from you, too. So, don’t overdo it.”
He was like a character straight out of a fairy tale, glowing with kindness.
I felt fortunate to have such a companion.
“Thank you, Yeriel.”
“It’s my pleasure.”
Leaving behind Yeriel’s gentle smile, I approached Xenon, who had already settled under a blanket to sleep.
“Hey.”
Xenon frowned at me, as if wondering what I wanted now.
I tossed a gift onto his stomach.
“I picked this up on the way.”
“Take it back. I don’t need it.”
He replied without even looking at the gift I handed him.
This guy always has a sharp response at the end of every sentence.
It felt like all the warmth I’d gained from Yeriel instantly evaporated.
“I was going to find something better for you, but your way of talking is so awful, so that’s what I decided on.”
He sighed softly and sat up slowly, looking directly at me.
“What’s wrong with the way I talk?”
“It’s annoying, curt, and always sounds dismissive.”
And that perpetually expressionless face of his makes me want to pick a fight.
Maybe I got stubborn because my attempts at provoking him never worked.
“Thanks for teaching me that skill today.”
Still, I should at least express my gratitude.
He may be insufferable, but he did his best to help me in his own way.
“And I plan to keep struggling forward.”
“Do whatever you want.”
Seriously, he has no interest in his teammates at all.
I let out a small sigh and gave him a light punch on the chest.
“I’m counting on you from now on.”
Xenon shook his head, muttering that he never agreed to help.
I gave him a small smile.
“Liar. You’ll help us again. Because we’re a team.”
“Tch, keep dreaming.”
And now he even turned his head away sharply.
Such a proud guy.
He’s got the looks to match that pride, though.
“Well, anyway, make good use of the gift!”
I quickly left his side before he could realize that the gift I’d given him was a [Extremely Useless Dagger].
Having finished giving gifts to everyone in the party, I watched them as they fiddled with their respective presents.
“…The mark is hidden.”
“…Mom.”
“How did she know my size?”
“Why give me such useless stuff?”
With a satisfied smile, I returned to my place.
This should have raised the party’s opinion of Wendy Porcelain in their hearts.
Plus, the observers—no, my patrons—must have a better opinion of me now too….
‘I made a good first impression.’
All I had to do now was keep this up.
I’d slowly become a kind, useful, and friendly side character.
A valuable ally they couldn’t do without.
‘Tomorrow marks the start of the first quest.’
The first night went well, so I’d have to keep it up going forward.
“Tomorrow’s quest will definitely be that one…. I’ll need to wake up early to secure the advantage….”
As I lay down, trying to plan out the next day.
“Get an advan… advan…. Snore…”
My exhaustion took over, and I fell into unconsciousness.
***
Chirp, chirp.
The leisurely morning, when even the birds had finished their hunting.
[You have a new quest!]
[You have a new quest!]
[You have a new quest!]
“Ugh, too loud….”
I winced at the piercing sound.
I must’ve passed out completely last night.
‘It’s about time I woke up, anyway.’
Stretching my arms, I slowly opened my eyes.
I had fallen asleep on the bare ground with nothing but a thin blanket, yet I woke up feeling refreshed….
Maybe I had a natural talent for sleeping outdoors.
Bright sunlight streamed down, wrapping me in a pleasant warmth.
It reminded me of a feeling I sometimes had in real life….
When did I last feel like this?
“Geez, what kind of alarm is this intense….”
The shrill alerts and the strange sense of clarity.
This eerie sense of déjà vu—I’ve definitely felt it before.
‘Could it be…?’
I remembered.
This was definitely the feeling of waking up after sleeping in too late.
Exactly that feeling.
I froze for a moment, then leapt to my feet.
“Ahhh! Everyone, wake up!”
‘Damn it!’
This was no time to be lying around comfortably.
It was the morning when the first trial began.
In other words, today marked the beginning of the original story’s main events.
‘Oh, no.’
The first trial takes place in a random location within the area where we landed.
As far as I remembered, the first trial, Spirits of the Forest, was designed to heavily favor the team that arrived first.
The game’s rules were similar to hide-and-seek.
But it wasn’t just a matter of hiding and seeking.
‘The twist is that if you’re found, you get killed—that’s the terrifying rule of this game.’
In any case, upon arrival, you could choose a role, and the options were quite simple: two choices.
First, Ruler.
This was the most advantageous role in the game, where you earn points by defeating Spirits.
If you reach the required individual score, you can either proceed to the second trial or stay behind to support your teammates.
The second role was Evil Spirit.
It required you to hide from the Rulers without getting caught.
You couldn’t attack; you could only run away.
If you survived for the allotted time, you could also proceed to the second trial or stay behind to support your team.
In the original story, of course, the relatively stress-free role of Ruler was overwhelmingly popular.
Lyria’s team also chose to be Rulers and quickly cleared the first trial.
Naturally, a lot of unethical actions occurred during that process.
There are even scenes later on where they regret those events multiple times.
‘But being a Spirit is not an option.’
At first, some survivors resist the mission to attack each other.
But if it were that easy to oppose the system, it wouldn’t be a survival story.
If the Rulers didn’t attack the Spirits for a certain period of time or ignored a Spirit in front of them, they would experience a choking pain.
It was a kind of penalty.
Because of that pain, the Rulers would be forced to capture the Spirits.
Facing this reality hit me like a splash of cold water.
Hesitating now was a luxury I couldn’t afford.
I immediately went to find the others.
“Lyria, Eden! Wake up. We’re late!”
I shook Lyria and Eden, who were tangled up together in a corner, trying to wake them.
“Mm… Sis?”
Lyria squinted up at me, still half-asleep.
Seeing her pure and innocent face, completely unaware of what was coming, made my heart ache a little.
Wait, since when have they been sleeping all tangled up like that?
‘When did they become so close?’
Just as I wondered for a moment—
“Eek, what?! Why are you here?”
Oh, based on Lyria’s reaction, I guess they weren’t close after all.
Maybe it was just instinct to cling to the nearest person while asleep.
‘They sure rolled a long way over here….’
Wrapped up in their blanket, they had rolled over and met in the middle like little caterpillars.
I sighed at their sight and turned to shake Eden awake.
“Wake up, Eden!”
“……”
“I said, wake up.”
“……”
“If you don’t wake up, I’m leaving you behind.”
“I’m awake.”
Eden shot up as if he’d never been lying down, casually tidying his spot.
“By the way, why are you here?”
Rubbing his eyes, Eden glanced over at Lyria beside him, looking puzzled.
“I don’t know. When I woke up, I was here. I was alone before….”
“You didn’t come here because you were scared, did you?”
Lyria’s face turned icy at Eden’s remark.
I’d never seen her look like that before.
“What are you talking about? You’re the one who rolled over to me.”
“Just admit you were scared.”
“…Hey!”
As the two started bickering the moment they woke up, Yeriel, who had been passed out, also began to stir.
“Ugh… Wendy?”
Swaying like a zombie, he slapped his cheeks a few times to wake himself up and then suddenly straightened up.
“I’m sorry for waking up late. It’s been a while since I slept so deeply, so I’m a bit disoriented. What time is it now…?”
“……”
“Oh, I promise I won’t oversleep again! So please don’t leave me behind. I’ll make up for the ring!”
…No one’s leaving you behind!
It’s not like I’m some great person who could just abandon others anyway.
“I was just joking about leaving. Eden wasn’t waking up….”
Besides, that ring is….
It’s too embarrassing to mention that it’s a piece of junk with terrible luck stats.
Sighing at Yeriel, who was still half in dreamland, I glanced around.
“Is everyone awake now?”
With that, our party was finally all together.
“Everyone, pack up your things and get ready to move.”
“Okay…”
“Yes, sis!”
With that, the drowsy group finally snapped out of it and began packing up.
‘Alright. We’ve got the blanket and the food, now let’s see if there’s anything else….’
As I double-checked our supplies, I suddenly got a strange feeling, causing me to shrug my shoulders.
Oh, what is this? I feel like I’m forgetting something really important.
‘It’s probably just my imagination.’
—
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