Ch.33 – The Child Who Swallows Stones

<3 – The Child Who Swallows Stones>

Jona Wiheomhae.

Jona recalled the boss who had given him his name.

I owe the boss a great deal.

But it wasn’t charity without strings attached.

Take my name, for instance.

I discarded my old name along with my distant past, but in return, I got this peculiar new name.

Remembering the strange looks people gave him, he unconsciously tightened his grip.

Crack

Unnecessary garbage.

He pulled out the knife handle crushed by his grip and threw it away, then inserted the blade into a new handle.

Whirrrr

Swoosh swoosh swoosh

He slashed at the air and assumed a stabbing stance.

The grip and stabbing sensation felt quite decent.

Nodding with satisfaction, he adjusted his hold on the knife.

Tap tap tap

A kitchen knife dancing on the cutting board!

The young lady he was now serving was quite an unfortunate child.

Regardless of skill level, he didn’t particularly enjoy cooking, but seeing that poor young lady made him unable to resist the urge to do anything for her.

‘She seems to have completely forgotten what contract she made.’

When he first saw her, he thought she just looked somewhat decent for a common orphan from the streets.

Whether the boss had an exceptional eye or not, she unexpectedly possessed remarkable talent in physical strength and weaponry.

A raw genius.

Her posture and skills, without having received any formal education, were so extraordinary that they could only be explained by genius.

Perhaps it was thanks to her talent.

That might be the secret to how such a small, insignificant young lady survived life on the streets.

‘Somehow she managed not to become a prostitute.’

In a world where even slightly attractive girls are captured by pimps and forced to service over ten customers daily while sobbing, one could imagine what kind of life she must have led to acquire her quick feet, surprising strength, and various weapon skills without having seen it firsthand.

‘But her mental deficiencies are concerning.’

Perhaps due to experiences of being attacked by men on the streets who lusted after her body every night, the girl didn’t know how to sleep properly.

The moment he took his eyes off her, she would perform the miraculous feat of hiding behind empty barrels, wooden boxes, weapon cabinets, or even in the chandelier on the ceiling.

Day by day, her hiding places were becoming increasingly technical. It was troublesome for him as the butler responsible for supervising the young lady.

‘A timid, high-maintenance little thief cat of a young lady. Definitely not a common type.’

Though he performed butler duties every year around this time, he had never encountered such an unusual young lady in his life.

“It’s mealtime, my lady.”

He set down the bubbling stew and vegetable side dishes, then lightly flicked the chime bell on the table.

Humans are creatures of adaptation.

Using wisdom reduces physical hardship.

Just as he counted to three in his mind, Oknodie came running with a patter of footsteps.

While it was more efficient to ring the bell than to play hide-and-seek looking for her, the direction of the sound was strange.

“…”

Surely not.

Contrary to his thoughts, a ceiling panel clicked open, and a cute little head popped out.

Perhaps she was more like a mouse than a thief cat.

“You’re covered in dust.”

“Ah.”

“We’ll have our meal after you’ve washed up first.”

Oknodie washed her face vigorously like a boy.

As if forgetting she was a girl, she merely splashed water on her face.

She cleaned so perfunctorily that he personally washed her face meticulously for a full minute.

‘…I don’t know what to write in my report to the boss.’

After completing the day’s training regimen, he forcibly laid Oknodie in bed, covered her with a blanket, came out, and picked up his pen.

<Regular Report>

*Oknodie Field Supervision Observations

-Has trauma from prolonged street life.

-Suspected to have various mental disorders including insomnia and avoidant personality disorder.

-Appears to have forgotten the contract but actively cooperates with training.

-Lacks awareness as a female. In daily activities such as eating and washing, accustomed to doing everything quickly and inconspicuously like a boy, for survival.

-Evidence suggests she cooperated with a street magician, giving blood and taking illegally modified potions in exchange for learning wand magic. Said magician was tortured and executed. No evidence of criminal activity by Miss Oknodie. However, confirmed the magician had used multiple orphans for experiments.

-The exact source of her training in swordsmanship and archery is unknown, but she appears to have learned techniques from at least Iron-rank adventurers. Additional verification required for suspicious transactions.

-…

-…

Rustle.

‘A mouse?’

No, that couldn’t be.

Unlike humans, animals instinctively detect predators.

He quietly took up his sword without making a sound.

Coming down to the living room, he saw a familiar back.

Miss Oknodie.

The talented girl taken in by the boss.

Where could she be going at this late hour?

It would be troublesome if she tried to escape secretly despite his attempts to stop her.

To prevent similar incidents in the future, it would be better to discover her purpose.

‘Could she be stealing things like a petty thief?’

There had been such foolish young ladies before.

There were those with bad habits of taking things.

Jona thought to himself.

He hoped that poor young lady wouldn’t be like that.

Etiquette education is painful for both the recipient and the instructor.

‘That’s…’

Miss Oknodie’s destination was neither a black market merchant nor an antique shop that handled stolen goods.

Late at night, an empty park.

What could she be trying to do in such a place?

‘I hope she doesn’t have some troublesome hobby.’

A young lady with secret perverted hobbies would harm the boss’s reputation.

If such a fact were discovered, she might need proper discipline rather than mere etiquette education.

While he was mentally preparing himself, Miss Oknodie’s audacious night activities began.

Walking along the curb around the park fountain.

Jumping between shop signs.

Walking on top of a wall with arms outstretched.

‘…I worried for nothing.’

What on earth was she doing?

Perhaps it was a habit from her street life, playing secretly at night.

He couldn’t help but chuckle at her impressive balance and nimble movements.

“It should be around here… Ah, is this it?”

What had she found?

As he narrowed his eyes to spy, she picked up something from the top of the wall.

As far as he could see, it was nothing but a stone.

Was she trying to keep a pretty-shaped stone?

What a cute hobby.

Still, it would be dangerous if she were caught by patrolling guards or thugs in the night streets.

He decided to wait until breakfast tomorrow to caution her against running away.

Just as he made that decision, Miss Oknodie popped the stone she had just picked up into her mouth and swallowed it.

This young lady has really done it now.

* *

“What are you doing?”

“Mmph?!”

“Spit it out immediately.”

The butler appeared from nowhere and patted my back repeatedly, but I’m not one to spit things out so easily.

Gulp!

Like a snake swallowing its prey, I quickly gulped down the stat stone, which disappeared down my throat.

Yes, the Stat Stone.

A stone that increases your abilities when eaten.

My head throbbed, and the familiar notification window appeared.

[You have used a Stat Stone.]

[A random ability has increased by 1.]

In a game, you would just press the “use” button to use a stat stone.

But now the game has become reality.

There’s no “use” button, no known method to use the stat stone.

The only way to use it is to swallow it.

‘It’s not that I dislike grinding in the training grounds, but I can’t give up night park grinding either.’

Balance is a function that helps in various situations.

I have to raise it when I can.

[You walked on the park curb at night for more than 1 minute.]

[Balance Experience +2]

[Night Activity Experience +1]

[You jumped between shop signs at night for more than 1 minute.]

[Balance Experience +6]

[Night Activity Experience +2]

[You walked on top of a wall with arms outstretched at night for more than 1 minute.]

[Balance Experience +4]

[Night Activity Experience +1]

A veteran player route with amazing efficiency, gaining both function experience and stat increases simultaneously!

I also need to find stat stones whenever possible.

‘It’s rare to know all the spawn locations of stat stones.’

Four or five places.

Stat stones appear in certain fixed locations according to probability.

If you don’t know all the spawn locations, you might miss them, and if you arrive too late, someone might have taken them, or the object might be destroyed and disappear.

‘I appreciate the butler supervising my training, but I can’t give up on easy stat stones!’

Though I never thought I’d literally swallow them raw.

“Why on earth did you swallow a stone?”

“It’s… it’s a secret…”

“Don’t I prepare every meal for you?”

“I’m sorry…”

“The master would be saddened if he knew about Miss Oknodie’s behavior.”

From an NPC’s perspective, they don’t know about stat stones. They just see a normal person suddenly going crazy, coming out at night, and swallowing stones.

…I must look truly insane. I need to make some excuse.

“I couldn’t help it. If I don’t eat them, I won’t be able to survive going forward.”

Stat deficiency is a serious matter.

This game has no ability restrictions.

You can pick up and hold any item.

You just pay the price for insufficient abilities with your body, suffer curses, or get torn apart in actual combat.

You need to raise your abilities in advance to avoid being held back later.

Perhaps my desperate feelings were conveyed somehow.

The butler, instead of maintaining his stern expression, gaped as if he’d been hit on the back of the head, then turned away.

“I’ll provide you with more food starting tomorrow.”

“Wow, really?”

“In return, please never fill your stomach with stones again.”

This treatment is a bit concerning.

He’s treating me like an impoverished child eating mud cookies in a third-world country.

Even though it’s a misunderstanding, I can’t convince him otherwise.

“…I’ll try.”

All I can say is that I’ll eat less in the future.

The butler’s gaze remains piercing, unsatisfied with my response.

I feel sorry for the butler.

Even with that look, I can’t promise not to eat them.

The world is vast, and there are many stat stones to eat!