"Take this-!"
With a swift downward strike, the massive sword smashed through the orc's skull. The force of the impact caused my body to lift slightly off the ground. Not stopping there, I used the sword as a pivot to swing my leg backward, my body spinning in the air as I retrieved the sword.
"Hnnng-!"
And once again, I swung the massive sword downward.
"Hyahhh-!"
The orc caught in the sword's path was split cleanly in half.
"Phew!"
I took a quick breath and landed softly on the ground.
Using my heightened senses, I scanned the area.
"One, two, three, fouuur, five…!"
Five corpses were scattered across the ground.
I pulled out the request form I received from the guild.
I couldn't see the words, but I could clearly feel the scratches on the paper thanks to my senses. In the center of the form, there was a scratch shaped like the number five.
Hermila, the receptionist, had kindly marked it for me.
"Life's still worth living! Haha!"
Chuckling to myself at the thought of Hermila, I slammed my giant sword into the ground and let go of it.
My vision grew dim, and I felt all my strength leaving my body. Hm… is it that my head is growing dark? Well, whatever.
"I'll never get used to this…"
Still crouched down, I reached for the hammer strapped to my right thigh and began to feel around the remains of the orc's upper body. The first thing I touched… was the orc's chest.
"Ugh…"
Feeling my way upward, I found its collarbone, and then a bit higher, my fingers brushed against a set of sharp tusks.
"Ew… it's so sticky…"
Grabbing the tusks tightly, I swung the hammer.
After a few swings, I felt less resistance.
"Okay, that should do it."
I stood up briefly and grabbed the hilt of my sword to confirm.
In my mind, the surrounding landscape took shape, and after a sharp pang of a headache subsided, I checked the state of the orc's head, which I had smashed with the hammer.
"Hmm, a bit lower this time…"
I released my grip on the sword and crouched back down, swinging the hammer near the orc's gums.
Crack—splurt—
A warm liquid splashed onto my ankle.
"Ugh…"
Shuddering in disgust, I stood up again and grabbed the sword's hilt.
The orc's teeth had been cleanly knocked out, though not perfectly.
"Not bad."
I gathered the teeth and stuffed them into the leather pouch tied to my waist.
After that, I pulled the teeth out of the rest of the orcs.
Feeling pleased with my work, I tapped the now-heavy pouch with a smile.
"Another job well done!"
I slung the giant sword back onto my waist and retrieved the backpack I had hidden in the corner.
Using a cloth from the bag, I hastily wiped the blood off and began walking back.
Time to collect my reward!
Screech—thunk—screech—thunk—
The giant sword dragged against the ground, making an irritating noise.
I glanced behind me.
…Well, I didn't actually see it, but I sensed it through my heightened awareness.
Next to my footprints, there were parallel marks left by the sword.
Sigh.
Feeling frustrated, I lightly punched the sword and continued on my way.
Screech—thunk—screech—thunk thunk—!
* * * *
"After deducting the repair costs for the floor, your total reward comes to 1 gold. Thank you for your hard work, Noah."
Hermila smiled brightly as she handed me the payment.
Ah… This is why I keep hunting.
Since she bought me dinner last time, I should treat her today!
"T-thank… y-you. To-today… I…"
Despite my feelings, this pathetic body of mine couldn't even manage to say a simple thank you properly.
I sighed inwardly and expanded my senses to scan my surroundings.
The smell of sweat hung heavy in the air. The wooden interior of the building. A large round table. Sticky marks from spilled drinks plastered on its surface. Adventurers drunkenly chatting, their voices loud and boisterous. In contrast, some adventurers wore serious expressions as they stared at the mission board.
It was a familiar scene from the game I'd spent the last 8 years playing.
The game was called Black Sun.
I'd poured all my time and love into it.
It was a typical Soulslike MMORPG, but the customization was incredibly flexible.
Although the stat distribution followed the typical point allocation system, you could lower certain stats or take penalties to gain extra points.
As a result, players had created all sorts of bizarre character builds.
I had made about 30% of those strange characters myself.
Then one day, I came across a post in the community that caught my attention.
"How about a tiny, flat-chested, blind girl wielding a greatsword? But I'm not sure how to overcome the blind penalty."
The title alone struck me right in the heart.
I knew this was a concept I'd never find anywhere else, so I immediately logged in and started creating the character.
Female.
Black hair.
Red eyes.
Warrior class.
Weapon: Greatsword.
And of course, I gave her the blind penalty.
With the general concept set, I needed a way to overcome the penalty. After some research, I found only one option.
The 'Senses' trait unlocked by maxing out the Greatsword Mastery skill.
As long as the greatsword was equipped, I could sense everything around me clearly.
As long as I kept it equipped.
Without the sword, I'd just be a useless, blind, short, flat-chested girl with no other redeeming qualities. But I didn't think it mattered—after all, it was just a game. Why would I ever be without my sword?
However, the points required to max out the skill were astronomical.
Even with the points I gained from the blind penalty, it wasn't nearly enough.
So, I sacrificed everything else.
Height: 145.7 cm, the minimum required to wield a greatsword.
Agility: just enough to hunt. Weight: also the bare minimum needed for the sword.
I dumped all my points from non-essential stats like charisma, cooking, and dexterity.
The downside was that low charisma made it hard to raise NPC favor, meaning I couldn't take on quests easily.
But who am I?
An 8-year veteran of Black Sun.
I didn't care about those things.
Cooking? Who needs that? I can just buy potions if my health gets low!
Crafting? No need—I'll just get everything repaired at the blacksmith.
So, I sacrificed it all!
But… But!!
I never expected I'd end up trapped in that character…
And now, thanks to my near-zero life skills, I could barely hold a proper conversation with NPCs, let alone perform basic repairs.
Because of my mismatched height, my sword constantly scraped the guild's wooden floor, leaving long scratches.
Although my sensory ability allowed me to feel my surroundings, I couldn't read words, see colors, or make out people's faces.
Still, after two months, I'd become able to recognize some facial expressions through the subtle movements of facial muscles!
I'm amazing!
"Haa…"
A sigh escaped my lips as I thought about my pitiful situation.
Just then, Hermila gently patted my head with a caring voice.
"Noah, is something bothering you?"
"N-no…"
Yes! I really want to see your face!
I saw it often in the game, but not in real life!!
"If you ever need to talk, feel free to come to me after work. I'll listen, okay?"
"Y-yes… Thank you."
I nodded as I felt Hermila's comforting hand on my head.
After a while, as if she suddenly remembered something, Hermila spoke up.
"Oh, by the way, Noah. There's a personal request for you. What do you think?"
"A-a personal request…? Uh…"
That sounded… suspicious. Why would anyone want to hire me—a blind, socially awkward adventurer with no real people skills?
Could it be… my looks?
Well, I am kind of cute.
After all, I did pour all my creativity into my character customization.
But if this was some weirdo with a thing for short, flat-chested girls…
No way. I wouldn't take the job, no matter how much money they offered!
"I-I won't…"
"The pay is 30 gold coins. Quite a hefty sum, right?"
"I'll take it…!"
For that much, I'd sell my soul.
"Hehe, good choice. Shall I read the request for you?"
I nodded.
Hermila carefully opened the envelope and unfolded the request letter.
Then, she leaned in and whispered softly in my ear.
"Let's see… The job is to escort someone to Cartia Village. The pay is 30 gold coins. Oh, and it says you must maintain strict confidentiality."
Confidentiality?
How do they know I'm good at keeping secrets?
"If you accept, they'll be waiting in the far corner of the Adventurers' Guild at 1 PM on August 27th."
August 27th… That's tomorrow.
"Th-that's tomorrow…?"
"Yep. It's just past 6 PM now, so oh my, you'll need to prepare quickly!"
It's already 6…?
Did I really spend 11 hours gathering orc teeth…?
Also, where even is Cartia Village?
"Um… Hermila, how far is Cartia Village?"
"Well, it takes about a week by carriage."
"A week…?"
Hermila paused for a moment, then asked,
"Noah, have you ever taken on a long-term escort mission before?"
"N-no…"
"Alright. I'll make a list of everything you'll need to prepare. Just follow it, and you'll be fine."
Wow… Hermila, are you an angel? Why are you being so nice to me? You won't get anything out of this…!
My nose began to tingle with emotion.
Once I get those 30 gold coins… I'll treat her to a grand feast.
"T-thank… you…"
"You're welcome. For now, go clean up, Noah. Come back after dinner, and I'll give you the list."
I nodded vigorously and headed toward the inn.
As I left, I caught a glimpse of Hermila's expression—though I couldn't see it, I sensed her gaze, like someone looking at a lost puppy.