Ch. 50 The Fairy, Nyongmom
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 50 – The Fairy, Nyongmom
In this world, the most important job position after a priest is a “skilled” tank.
Of course, since the job difficulty is relatively easy, there are many players who can perform the role of a tank.
However, those who can truly excel in that role are rare. When monsters hit you, you actually feel pain, so who would willingly take the risk to face them head-on?
Pain makes people passive. If a tank becomes passive, the monster’s aggro level naturally drops significantly.
If the monster’s aggro isn’t managed properly, the ranged DPS and healers are put in danger. This can lead to the party’s collapse.
In that sense, recruiting a skilled tank isn’t an easy task.
Early in the morning, Isolin, Gladie, and I were out in Fox Tail’s large square, scanning the passing users.
Our focus was on tank players equipped with swords and shields.
“What about that guy?”
Gladie pointed at a player passing by.
[Level 29]
[Park Moo-sik]
He wasn’t affiliated with any guild, and his equipment was quite impressive. His confident expression gave off a sense of trust that he could safely protect the party.
However, there was a problem.
His physique.
Standing over 190cm tall with a muscular build, he seemed like the ideal body for a tank. But I couldn’t nod in agreement so easily.
Let’s think about what would happen if we recruited this Park Moo-sik as a permanent party member.
If he were a skilled tank, party hunts would go smoothly, but other minor issues could arise.
The biggest concern was when we went on long-distance hunts. If we couldn’t return to the city within a day, the party would have no choice but to sleep outdoors.
In other words, all party members would have to sleep in a vulnerable state.
In this case, monsters weren’t the problem. We could just sleep outside their movement range.
The real concern was Park Moo-sik himself.
What if Park Moo-sik, with ill intentions, tried to assault Isolin, Gladie, and me?
Could small girls like us fend off a huge man pushing his way in?
Absolutely impossible. How could we push away a giant man, especially one who had focused on strength stats, in the middle of the night?
Even though the world had changed and our bodies had transformed, human desires remained the same. It’s better to be cautious. No, we always had to be cautious. Especially for pretty and cute girls like me.
“That guy is a bit…”
Isolin also seemed to share my thoughts, shaking her head with a troubled expression.
“Hmm…”
“Then who would be good…”
Like this, we spent our time trying to recruit a new permanent party member.
There were many candidates on our list. But after considering various factors, there weren’t many players left to approach.
After discussing among the three of us, we set the conditions for the ideal tank player.
First, they must love this world. They should prefer staying in this world over returning to reality.
Second, they must be female. Their past gender doesn’t matter. What’s important is that their current body is female. It’s even better if they were female in their past life.
Third, they should be short. While a larger body has advantages for a tank, since they’re becoming a permanent party member, it’s better if they’re small. As the saying goes, “The smaller, the better.”
Fourth, they must be skilled as a tank. They need the spirit of sacrifice, willing to throw themselves in harm’s way for the party. This is the most important quality a tank must have.
“The conditions are too strict… Does someone like that even exist?”
“Maybe…”
At Gladie’s words, I stroked my chin. The conditions were indeed too strict. So, we could just relax them a bit.
I nodded and said to Gladie.
“Then let’s keep the gender and height conditions fixed. What if we accept someone whose skills are a bit lacking?”
“I think the height condition is the biggest problem…”
“But Gladie, height is the most important factor. What if a huge man tries to assault us while we’re sleeping…”
“Aren’t you assuming the worst-case scenario…?”
“It’s better to be cautious, right? We should prevent such things from happening in advance.”
“But Sister Supreme, the person who might assault us at night isn’t necessarily a man. Someone who was male in their past life but is now female…”
While discussing with Gladie, I noticed a movement in the distance.
“Uh…”
Cautiously, step by step, small feet moved as they surveyed the surroundings. The deeply pulled hood and anxious gaze showed that this person had always lived worrying about others’ opinions.
“That person…”
The hooded figure’s movements were unbalanced. It felt like they were wearing clothes that didn’t fit their body. It reminded me of my first day in this world.
[Level 46]
[Nyongmom]
Even after rubbing my eyes and checking the name again, it was correct. Nyongmom, the one who asked to be called Han Chan-sung.
But something was different. The Nyongmom in my memory was a grotesque man with glossy purple skin. He wasn’t this small.
At a glance, his stature wasn’t much different from Isolin and me. That made the large shield on his back stand out even more.
Han Chan-sung, hiding his appearance under a thick hood, lingered at the edge of the square for a while before disappearing into a small alley.
Feeling bewildered, I rubbed my eyes again. Nyongmom was quite famous among players. Since Isolin and Gladie didn’t react, it seemed they hadn’t seen him.
I jumped up from my seat.
“Supreme?”
“Sister Supreme?”
The two girls looked at me questioningly due to my sudden movement.
I turned around and said.
“Hey. Han Chan-sung… I mean, Nyongmom. You both know him, right?”
“Ah, yes. I know him. Who doesn’t? His unique appearance is quite rare…”
“That purple ghost?”
As expected, both of them knew him. I nodded, and Isolin frowned.
“Are you seriously suggesting we recruit him as a permanent party member? Do you think that’s possible? His playstyle doesn’t match ours. And didn’t you just say we should recruit a short girl like us? Nyongmom isn’t a girl.”
Isolin was right. But what if what I saw wasn’t a mistake? What if some special event caused Nyongmom’s body to change?
Of course, it could just be my imagination. It’s possible I misjudged from a distance.
So, we should check.
I grabbed the hands of the two girls still sitting.
“Just follow me for now.”
“Ugh…”
Though reluctant, Isolin nodded, willing to humor my request.
The three of us ran toward the alley where Nyongmom had disappeared.
Whoosh—!
The alleys of Fox Tail weren’t too complicated. Though narrow, they stretched straight, making it easy to see what was at the end.
Nyongmom was crouched at the end of the alley.
“There he is!”
“Nyongmom, no, Han Chan-sung!”
“Gasp…”
Whoosh!
Up close, Nyongmom’s condition didn’t look good. The slightly revealed face had a faint blush, and rough breaths escaped his small lips.
His unfocused gaze wandered through the air. Then, his small mouth opened.
“S-Sister Supreme…?”
“Yes, it’s me. Chan-sung. It’s Supreme.”
“Ah… Long time no see…”
His voice had changed too, but he clearly recognized me. He was definitely Nyongmom, Han Chan-sung.
“Hey, are you okay? You don’t look so good…”
“I feel… strange. My body feels heavy, I have a fever… Maybe I caught a bad cold. My vision is blurry too…”
The weak gaze fixed on me disappeared. The rough breathing subsided, and his small arm, which had been moving around, dropped to the ground.
“H-He’s dead!”
“He’s not dead…”
Leaving the panicking Isolin behind, I lifted the hood Nyongmom was wearing.
Under the hood wasn’t the glossy purple-skinned man.
Smooth gray hair spilled through my fingers. Long, pointed ears reminiscent of an elf, and cheeks that looked soft, not purple but white like flour.
“Gasp…”
“Gasp…”
“Gasp…!”
Isolin, Gladie, and I all gasped in unison. The sight under the hood was that shocking.
“His hands are small…!”
“His feet must be small too…”
“An elf…?”
Nyongmom had become a small elf girl. Or maybe a fairy.
The three of us quickly carried the unconscious Nyongmom and ran to Gladie’s barn.
Vrslop_translator
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