The three of us decided to travel together for the time being. But I was still wary of Kim Seong-Hoon. That's why I kept watching him closely; if I noticed anything suspicious, his neck would fly. I promised myself never to fully trust anybody. I had enough betrayals in my life.
"So, what's your story, big sis?"
"Nothing much… You wouldn't be interested."
I didn't want to talk about my past. I have a new identity in this world.
"Not very chatty, huh?" His usually calm blue eyes showed a bit of disappointment. He smacked his lips in dissatisfaction.
"If you don't like it, you can go on your own." My eyes kept scanning our surroundings as I carefully navigated through the forest, paranoid about the enemy or a potential attack from Kim Seong-Hoon.
"Okay, okay, no more personal questions." He leaped ahead to lead the way.
I didn't respond. I had no interest in chit-chatting. My only goal was to quickly grow stronger.
"You mentioned before that you were summoned to this world four days ago. How much exactly do you know about this place?" I couldn't shake off my curiosity and asked.
Kim Seong-Hoon's expression and behavior became less goofy and more serious in an instant, a complete opposite of what I was used to.
"I wouldn't call myself an expert, but I've had a few encounters with other people. So far, I've learned that no one has found any kind of settlement."
"How come? Does this world not have any cities or dungeons? Or is it just that big?" I was flabbergasted by the shocking news.
"That's what people talk about these days. It's too strange for a world filled with fantasy and powerful monsters to not have any nonplayer character villages." Kim Seong-Hoon quickly raised his hand to signal me to avoid the monsters ahead, and we took a small detour.
"That's true; however, there might be some settlements further away from the forest. After all, this world feels... boundless. Can you feel the aura of the world as well?" I wanted to test how much he knew.
Kim Seong-Hoon looked at me with surprise and a smile on his face.
"So you can feel it too..."
This world's design is too strange… Not many monsters, no towns, or villages. It's as if this world has humans for the first time.
"Do you think we're the first ones here? I mean, as an intelligent species?" Kim Seong-Hoon's question was direct yet probing.
"Maybe… But the message I heard when the Creator of this place welcomed me made me question things. Perhaps this world is brand new. A place where monsters and humans grow together." I quickly explained to him what happened when I first arrived in this world.
"It might be possible, but what exactly do you mean by us growing together with monsters?" His expression was puzzled, his desire to know more seemingly genuine. Perhaps he was acting, but if so, he was one scary individual.
Is he testing me? I was honestly surprised he didn't understand such a simple rule of this world.
"I asked system support to explain to me how monsters work in this world. Have you never tried that?"
Kim Seong-Hoon stopped and looked at me with a puzzled expression. He leaned against a tree, looking at me and then at Malrang, as if he was some sort of
"How?!" He looked like a kid who had just figured out Santa wasn't real.
"Just call out system help, and you'll see," I said, a little surprised and annoyed.
Honestly, I'm not sure if he's smart or dumb…
"Eh? Okay, wait, let me try!"
I watched him rub his palms together as if preparing to perform a ritual.
What a silly-looking person... Who knows? Dressed like that, he might have been some shaman or priest. Or maybe he really is an actor. I giggled a little watching him act like a fool.
"System help!"
I saw him space out for a few seconds before returning to reality.
"Whoa! It works! Are you some sort of genius, big sis? How did you know you could use such a feature?" Kim Seong-Hoon went in and out of the system support option. I wondered if the system could ban him for being annoying.
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at his question. Is this person really that stupid? "I just tried a bunch of things until something worked." I decided to be honest.
A moment later, Kim Seong-Hoon started applauding me.
"Wow, my big sister is so smart! A big round of applause for you!"
I was stunned. Does he have no shame at all? Was he praising me or insulting me?
"You're starting to piss me off again!"
Kim Seong-Hoon put his hands behind his neck, maintaining eye contact with me. His goofy smile was irritating.
"Hehe. Sorry, I got too carried away." He pulled out his sword and sliced the air, blocking an attack from a flying monster that had been sneaking up on us through the trees, killing the bird in one slice.
He might be an idiot, but he can fight well—I have to give him that.
I shot him a warning look and kept walking with Malrang, who was sleeping on my shoulder. After a few minutes of peaceful silence, we finally reached the grassy fields again. My eyes met an endless green expanse. Where are the bigger settlements? I need action and a good old adventure town; maybe I can even find an adventurer's guild. I hope this world isn't completely fresh, but then again, maybe that would be for the better. My mind raced with excited thoughts.
"We're finally out. Which direction should we head to, big sis?"
To be honest, I had no clue. If there were no cities, we'd have to figure out how to build a settlement ourselves. But I preferred not to meddle in such affairs and instead focus on growing stronger on my own in the wild.
"Let's pick a random direction. I want to find some high-level monsters to kill and increase my level." I was fired up. I could feel my chest rising and falling with anticipation. I wanted to fight some strong monsters.
"Don't you want to find other people and make more friends?"
"Not interested." My tone was cold. I would rather work alone than travel with a big group.
"How cold." Kim Seong-Hoon kept looking around, searching for something. This made me believe he was still hiding something from me.
My honest opinion about Kim Seong-Hoon is that he's a bit of a crazy person. The way he keeps acting as if everything is a game is starting to piss me off. I understand that we're in a world similar to a game, but everything so far has been more real than our previous world.
"Say, Kim Seong-Hoon…" I stopped. My eyes were scanning the endless world ahead.
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Don't you feel like this world is too real? Every monster here is real, and I believe the environment is as well..." My curiosity was growing with each passing second. I wanted this world to be like Earth—not just some virtual reality.
"So what if it is? We're here for a reason." He sat down on the ground with his legs crossed. Pulling out his sword, he looked at it with a deep, longing expression. Perhaps it was for battle or for one of his crazy reasons.
"Reason? Care to elaborate?"
"It's just my theory, but I believe we're here to create a new civilization—a new way for humanity to escape that old, boring world where every day we just wish for more freedom and more power." My heart skipped a beat. He also understands that... "I like this place," he continued. "I don't care who I have to kill as long as I can keep my freedom. But all in all, I'm just having fun."
I stayed silent. I knew I had nothing to say to counter his argument; I also felt similar to him in a way. But no matter what, all the killing and battle are starting to take a toll on my mind. I can't shake off the feeling that if I kill too many, I will lose my old self. I'll slowly become numb to the fact that I have the power to take away somebody's life.
"Big sis, what is your current goal in life? Do you wish to escape this place and return home? Or do you wish to stay and make this world yours? A person of your talent should have a clear goal in mind."
I gave it a few seconds of thought. "I can only tell you that I have no intention of going back to Earth. I want to forget that rotten world and its people."
"Hahaha! Good! Good! I expected at least as much from you, the former world champion." Kim Seong-Hoon looked away from me as if he was guilty of something.