My contractor's daily routine was monotonous.

Wake up in the morning, eat breakfast, and then take me to an old human to practice swordsmanship.

I still don’t understand why my contractor was swinging a sword.

At one point, I started to suspect that the staff my contractor always carried was actually a sword in disguise.

After training, we’d have a snack, and then she’d spend the rest of the day leisurely reading books at the library.

A week passed like that.

“Aren’t you tired of being in the village all the time? Let’s go outside today!”

Finally, it was time for me to shine.

I had been living like a parasite, merely consuming food.

I was ready to prove my worth, but what happened was beyond my expectations.

My contractor was surrounded by rabbits.

Not being attacked—being adored by them.

“Hey, that tickles! Don’t lick me like that!”

The rabbits were fawning over my contractor while nervously avoiding my intense gaze.

What was going on...?

After being showered with affection for a while and even receiving a carrot as a gift, we continued down the road and encountered a slime in the distance.

I thought I would finally get a chance to act, but my contractor waved her hand.

“Hello!”

“......”

However, the slime just glanced at her and continued on its way.

I was still trying to make sense of this situation when we encountered a group of goblins.

This time, for sure...

“It’s been a while!”
“Kuruk! It has indeed been a while, human.”

The goblins greeted her warmly, engaging in friendly conversation. I was at a loss for words.

Humans, who usually shun anything different, were getting along just fine with another species. How was this even possible?

My mind couldn’t keep up with the situation, so I remained in a daze, nestled in my contractor’s arms as we moved along the road.

Then we encountered an orc.

I despised orcs—they were filthy creatures, the ones I hated the most.

As expected, my contractor greeted the orc, but the conversation took an unexpected turn.

“Excuse me, can I ask you something?”

“What is it, young human?”

“Do you have parents?”

“I won’t let this slide, young human!”

Finally, I thought, we were going to have a real battle. But it was over before it even started.

A large orc warrior appeared out of nowhere and cut down the attacking orc in one swift stroke.

“Young human, didn’t I warn you not to come near this area? It’s dangerous.”

“I’ve grown strong enough to protect myself!”

She raised her arm in a confident pose.

Despite claiming she had built muscle through her sword training, her arm was still soft.

The orc warrior looked at her with disbelief.

“Young human, if you’re reckless, you might end up meeting your ancestors sooner than you think. Be careful.”

“Are you worried about me!? Thank you!”

My contractor cheerfully thanked the orc warrior, who walked away, muttering something about the shame of his tribe recently.

This orc wasn’t ordinary—he had the aura of a Named orc.

I thought I’d finally get my chance to shine, but it was taken from me.

Sensing my disappointment, my contractor looked down at me.

“What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well? Have you been outside too long? Should we go back?”

I shook my head to indicate that I was fine, but it was no use.

My contractor, claiming I was too cute, made such a fuss over me that I spent yet another exhausting day.

Was it bad, though? No, not really.

In the midst of our routine, these unusual experiences weren’t too bad.

As long as they didn’t happen too often, of course.

After our walk with Yongyong, we returned to the village.

Yongyong fell asleep in my arms, tired from the day.

He was so cute I could barely handle it.

I wanted to share this cuteness with the entire world.

Wait, there’s a way, isn’t there?

Should I start streaming to show off how adorable Yongyong is?

Not only that, but I could record videos too! That way, I could preserve Yongyong’s cuteness in video form!

I didn’t think about it for long.

[Viewers: 0]

No one joined the stream, but that didn’t matter.

I filmed Yongyong from various angles, making sure to capture him perfectly on camera.

If only I had thought of this sooner, I wouldn’t have needed a camera at all!

The saying “when the brain fails, the body suffers” was spot on.

While I was engrossed in filming, a message appeared in the chat.

[Finally streaming! What server are you playing on that I can’t find you? I’ve changed channels hundreds of times at the starter village!]

“Huh? What do you mean? Why are you changing channels?”

[To find you! What channel are you on!?]

A chill ran down my spine.

C-could it be a stalker!?

Panicking, I immediately ended the stream.

I never imagined there would be stalkers even in the game.

Shaken, I rushed back to the inn with Yongyong in my arms.

Once inside, I locked the door and put Yongyong on the bed.

I peeked out the window, but there was no one suspicious in sight.

Well, it wasn’t like I’d ever run into another player before anyway.

Hmm, maybe this game just isn’t that popular...

But it doesn’t matter anymore.

Because I have Yongyong.

“Ugh! She turned off the stream again! At least tell me what channel you’re on!”

I tugged at my hair in frustration.

My brown hair fell over my shoulders, swaying as I shook my head.

I had wanted to cut it short, but I lost a bet with a guild member, so I had no choice but to keep it long.

My ears, a sign of my beastfolk heritage, perked up, catching the curious gaze of someone nearby.

As I shot a sharp glare at them, they quickly disappeared with hurried steps.

Where could she be hiding!?

I’d been living in the starter village, Yoram, for over a week now.

A high-ranking fighter, stuck in the starter village for over a week, unable to hunt.

I’d combed through hundreds of channels, searching the village, but hadn’t found even a single hair of her.

I thought about giving up, worried she had quit the game, but she streamed today.

At least I learned one thing.

She hadn’t quit.

And she had a summon—a snake, no less. There are already so few summoners, and even fewer who actually have summons.

There’s a reason people say not to play as a summoner.

Each player has a different way to acquire a summon, and due to the extreme difficulty, summoners have become the rarest class in a game played by millions.

In the background.

I was right all along.

But what good does it do to be right when I still can’t find her!? What channel is she on!?

If I had approached more carefully, I could have recruited her!

I should have been more cautious, but my impatience got the better of me after all the frustration I’d been through.

I need to report to the leader and return to the guild.

I pulled a scroll from my inventory and tore it in half.

[Return Scroll]
Allows one-time teleportation to the guild hideout.

In an instant, light enveloped me. When I opened my eyes, I had arrived at the guild hideout.

I immediately headed to the leader’s office, bursting through the door.

“Leader!”

Inside, the leader, who had been working on paperwork, was holding their face in their hands.

“What’s wrong, Leader?”

“......”

The leader pointed behind me with their finger. What was it?

I turned around and saw the door—completely destroyed.

Ah, my mistake.

“Sorry. Sorry. I messed up again.”

“What’s your business?”

“Well, I didn’t find her, but I gathered some information!”

I relayed everything that had happened to the leader, who sat in deep thought for a while.

Then, unexpectedly, the leader spoke.

“I can find her. I met her in real life. I’ll handle recruiting the girl.”

“Really!? What brought this on all of a sudden!? Well, if she already has a summon in the starter village, that proves her abilities.”

Wait a second—wasn’t there something odd about what they just said?

“How did you meet her in real life?”

“I ran into her by chance.”

The leader spoke with a smile, but I couldn’t read their true feelings.

Well, the leader was always smiling anyway.

I might be the only person who’s ever seen a different expression on the leader’s face.

Which means...

“I’m the one who made the leader’s expression change!”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“I have control over the leader’s emotions!”

“Get out.”

I was kicked out of the office.

Hee-ing. So mean.

After sending Sasha away, the office was quiet again.

I sipped on warm tea, reflecting on the events of that day.

The young girl I ran into by chance.

She had been wearing a hoodie and a hat in the middle of summer, bumping into me in an alley. It startled me.

Why would someone wrap themselves up like that in such hot weather?

As soon as I saw her face, I knew.

A young girl with the same blonde hair as me and mysterious, beautiful blue eyes.

It was the girl from the video Sasha had shown me.

At first, I thought it was simply because of her appearance, but when I accidentally saw her wrist, I noticed the scars from self-harm.

What kind of story could lie behind those scars?

I did some digging out of curiosity and discovered something shocking.

She had once narrowly escaped a dangerous stalking incident in her childhood. Then, she lost her entire family in a plane crash, leaving her to live alone.

And I found out that the girl, or rather, this woman, was actually an adult.

What kind of life must she have lived...

The more I investigated, the more I uncovered a tragic past.

Apparently, she had hired a cleaning service recently to tidy up her home, like someone preparing to leave this world.

I have to act before it’s too late.

I need to show her that there’s still something worth living for.

It’s not because I see her as a child that I want to help her.

It’s because offering a helping hand to those who struggle...

That’s what adults do.