Chapter 8
World Power is a finite resource.
It’s difficult to replenish, and the more complex what you want is, the more World Power it takes.
I can’t use it carelessly until I figure out a proper way to replenish it.
But at last.
[The individual feels primordial awe.]
[1pt of World Power has been generated.]
[The individual remembers you as a trustworthy being on an intellectual level.]
The answer had appeared right here.
Little Squirmy’s awe had generated 1pt of World Power!
“World Power?”
Normally, I would’ve cheered and rejoiced at Little Squirmy’s evolution, but when I replenished World Power for the first time, I stared at Little Squirmy with wide eyes.
It felt as if our eyes had met.
As if it admired me.
Awe.
I could feel its pure goodwill.
Just as my affection had reached it, its affection reached me.
Was it thanks to that connection?
Or because of its feeling of awe?
It was only 1 point, but World Power had given me a very precious clue.
“You clever little thing!”
Swish.
I cupped Little Squirmy in both hands and stroked it with my thumb. Once again, it flinched in surprise, but obediently let me pet it.
Though it was only for a short while.
“All right, I’ll appoint you my first child!”
I felt an overwhelming sense of fulfillment.
*
“Haaah~”
I got out of bed and stretched.
Maybe it was because I’d been focusing only on Little Squirmy lately, but my body felt a little stiff.
No matter how soundly I slept, I’d been lying down all day, so it couldn’t be helped.
I looked at the clock. It was two in the morning.
Ever since I started ruling Yeoulrim, I’d lost all sense of when I should go to bed and wake up.
Three or four months had passed in Yeoulrim, but only a week had gone by in reality.
The gap was pretty huge.
Good grief.
“I should at least exercise.”
I had to take care of things in reality, too.
Especially since taking care of my weakened body was essential.
My usual routine was to start studying right away, but this called for drastic measures.
Staying healthy was the key to staying productive! I couldn’t neglect myself for Yeoulrim’s sake.
Starting today, I’d keep moving whenever I had a chance.
“Ngh!!….”
I started doing bodyweight exercises.
A few push-ups left my whole body trembling and wore me out fast, but I endured through sheer willpower.
Turns out, if you just grit your teeth and push through, it’s manageable.
I’d only been able to do three, but I’d managed five!
“……Why am I so pathetic?”
At least I was flexible.
I could do the splits.
My other athletic abilities were nothing special. That was only natural, with my base stats at a mere six.
No, maybe that had nothing to do with it.
“Some people are strong even with low stats.”
Stats aren’t an absolute measure.
They’re multiplied by your basic physical abilities, so your level of physical conditioning is very important.
For example:
A muscular giant with a stat of 10.
A skinny guy with a stat of 50.
It’s hard to say which of the two would come out on top.
The stronger your body is, the more you can draw out the effects of your stats.
Which meant, in the end…
“I’m not much good at either…”
A body that would struggle to get strong even if one of its sides excelled.
That was me.
I had a new stat called Divinity, but I had no idea what was good about it.
Shouldn’t a god obviously be strong?
Grumble, grumble.
Complaining wouldn’t do any good.
My body had already changed.
I had no choice but to train somehow. Not for my sake, but for Yeoulrim’s.
“Hah. I’ll burn myself out as much as I have to!”
Thinking of it that way filled me with energy.
Heave-ho, heave-ho.
I switched to knee push-ups to make them easier and picked up the pace.
“I should take regular walks, too.”
It was stifling to work up a sweat at home, so I changed into some clothes and went out for a bit.
I’d be able to focus much better on studying after taking a walk around the neighborhood. Even if it looked strange for a little kid to be wandering around alone at dawn.
My mind was that of an adult.
I could protect myself.
If anything happened, I could scream, and if it came to it, I could use World Power.
I might look fragile, but I had a blade hidden up my sleeve.
More than anything…
“The night air really is nice.”
I liked the quiet hours before dawn.
I walked down the alley, absently drawing the night air into my lungs.
After walking for a while, thoughts about my real-life problems suddenly came to mind.
I’d bought clothes.
Ordered food for delivery.
Splurged on furniture for the apartment.
And bought a few books to study.
Rent and electricity.
Various recurring payments.
My living expenses would run out soon.
It couldn’t be helped that my spending had increased after buying so many new things.
I should start preparing soon.
Should I go play claw machines again?
“Since I’m already out, maybe I’ll win a few mana stones and try carving them myself.”
Right.
I might as well go play claw machines right now.
If possible, I’d try carving Earth’s mana stones and selling them, too.
If it worked, I could get a legitimate job as a mana stone processor and earn money properly.
Of course…
Someone might ask if that was a waste of World Power.
Or whether the efficiency was terrible.
But I had an idea. I could just use a workaround, like with my avatar.
I’d studied hard, too.
Wouldn’t it be worth taking a shot at making a quick buck?
*
The claw machines went smoothly again.
I avoided people’s eyes, won some luxury goods, and stuffed them into a black bag. That was all there was to it.
They were worth about a million won.
Maybe that was why…
“I feel kind of bad.”
My conscience was getting to me.
Even if I went from shop to shop and only took a little from each, it had to be painful for the owners.
So that was it for winning luxury goods.
Next, I looked for a mana stone claw machine.
Mana stones were the latest claw machine trend. They looked pretty and had decent value.
Most were low-grade mana stones, so winning several wouldn’t put too much of a burden on the shop owner.
Also…
“I heard processing a mana stone can make it worth several times as much.”
Unprocessed mana stones.
Processed mana stones.
There was a huge difference in price.
Even a small mistake while carving a mana stone could greatly reduce its quality.
I didn’t know the exact market price, but I’d heard skilled artisans raked in money.
The better the carving, the higher the price.
So I went up to the claw machine, and then…
“Oh!”
“Huh?”
Someone else reached the claw machine at the same time as me.
Maybe they wanted a mana stone, too. They were holding a bill to put into the machine.
Couldn’t be helped.
I’d let them go first—
“You’re that little kid from before?”
“Gah.”
Startled, I looked up.
To my surprise, the person I’d run into was the tipsy woman I’d exchanged pocket money with the other day.
“I knew I wasn’t seeing things! I never expected to run into you here. Wait, why are you out playing by yourself at this hour?”
“Uh, well…”
This was the third time we’d met.
And every time, it had been at dawn.
Maybe that was why she found it strange that a little girl was wandering around alone at this hour.
It was only natural for her to ask questions.
I’d better give her a vague answer.
“I’m just going to play for a bit before heading home.”
“Just for a bit? What, you really came out alone?”
“My house is nearby, so it’s fine.”
“What about your parents?”
“I don’t have any.”
“Um…”
The woman was at a loss for words.
While I had the chance, I asked what I’d been wondering, too.
“Why are you always out at dawn yourself? Last time you lost your money, and now you’re out playing somewhere like this.”
“‘You’? You should call me big sis!”
But she corrected how I’d addressed her.
I’d spoken without thinking, figuring we were around the same age, but I was a girl now.
Calling her “you” like that must’ve sounded strange.
So was I supposed to call her big sis?
That would feel awkward.
But whether I called her “you,” “Miss,” “big sis,” or “little sis,” it would probably sound even stranger coming from this body.
Hmm… couldn’t be helped.
I didn’t really want to, but…
“So, uh, why are you out here, big sis?”
Fine, whatever.
I’d give in on what to call her so she wouldn’t get suspicious.
“Heh. That’s grown-up business.”
“Is trying to win that thing grown-up business?”
“Well, it’s related to my line of work, so I couldn’t help myself…”
“Related to your line of work?”
“N-no. Everyone has their own personal reasons! I can’t tell you.”
“Hmm. Right, I have my reasons, too.”
“Oh?”
I acted as if it were no big deal.
Since I was out at dawn, I had to act confident so she wouldn’t get the wrong idea.
First of all…
“You go first, big sis.”
“Huh?”
I stepped away from the claw machine.
The best thing to do with an awkward topic was to move on naturally. I might be bad at conversation, but when it came to dodging things, I was max level.
Quiet, but easygoing.
That was me.
“Well… all right! I’ll show you what I can do. Watch this big sis win it in one go.”
“Should I get my hopes up?”
“You bet~”
The woman rolled up her sleeves and confidently fed a bill into the machine.
Of course, she failed.
“Why?! I thought I had it!!”
“That’s not how you do it.”
“What?”
Now it was my turn.
I confidently fed in a bill and carefully moved the claw toward the mana stone, pretending to be cautious.
[Generating a faint telekinetic force.]
[100pt of World Power has been consumed.]
Bzzzt~
The prize settled securely in the machine’s claw.
I won it smoothly on the first try.
“That’s how you do it.”
“Gah! How in the world did you do that!?….”
The woman’s reaction was priceless.
She stared at me with her mouth hanging open as I took out the mana stone, as if she couldn’t believe it.
Well, that was how it went.
I’d used my ability right in front of her, but she hadn’t noticed.
It must’ve just looked like the machine’s claw had grabbed it firmly. I’d already gotten the hang of it.
After that…
“That can’t be right. Again!!”
“That’s not how you do it.”
“Grr!!”
She got even more worked up.
We ended up getting caught up in winning mana stones together, and got more than ten of them.
*
Pssht!~
I sat on a bench and cracked open a can of soda.
I’d only meant to win a few mana stones before heading home, but I seemed to have gotten really into it partway through.
“Haa… I’m jealous. I wish I could win mana stones like you.”
“I’m sure you’ll get there someday.”
Since fate had brought us together like this, we sat and drank our sodas, making small talk before we parted ways.
“Are you really okay going out alone to play at this hour?”
“What about you, big sis? Don’t you have work tomorrow? I’m fine because I don’t.”
“Ugh, you really know how to hit where it hurts.”
When a question was hard to answer, I countered with one of my own.
We chatted while enjoying the air before dawn. Then an unexpected question came out of nowhere.
“By the way, what’s your name? Can you tell big sis what to call you?”
“M-my name?”
I hadn’t really thought about that.
I could’ve just given her my original name, but my body had changed. If I gave her a man’s name, she’d obviously think it was strange.
But after spending this much time together, it wouldn’t be right not to tell her my name.
‘What should I say?’
Fortunately, one name came to mind.
I thought about it for about three seconds.
I liked it more than I’d expected.
Decision made.
“Yeoul.”
“Hm?”
“Yeoul. Han Yeoul.”
I’d taken the two-syllable name Yeoul from Yeoulrim, the world I ruled.
Then I added a surname.
Han Yeoul. That was my name now.
Now that was my name.
Han Yeoul. That was my name now.
I’d taken the name Yeoul from Yeoulrim, the world I ruled, and added a surname.