A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

According to my memory, Soul World is definitely not a hope filled game. It is filled with as much discomfort as possible, and even the ending is either bad or sad if the conditions are not met.

First of all, if you let your guard down, the characters can die at any moment. It’s not an exaggeration, they can die in the blink of an eye.

One particularly intense memory is when the protagonist entered the forest with a companion to find herbs. The character was quite pretty, so I remember that even more.

Among the choices, there are options to stick together or separate. Most newcomers choose the latter because they don’t know any better. They thought they could save themselves even if it’s dangerous. And that turns out to be the worst choice.

If I had been even slightly late, Ellie would have been killed by Manki. It would be truly shocking to see someone transform into a lump right in front of my eyes.

Anyway, if you choose to stick together, you can survive, and it’s quite helpful. It’s a game where the abilities of other characters, not just protagonists, also improve.

Up until this point, it’s alright, but the damn battles are the problem. Control is much more important than stats.

“What should we do? Does that mean we won’t be able to understand each other?”

“Well, I don’t know about that.”

Ellie, who was destined to die by Manki, and Luna, the woman who introduced herself as Luna Estel, had a conversation with each other.

Both of them had different outfits, but they both carried small bags. It seemed like they were probably going to dig herbs.

Among them, I glanced at a woman named Luna. Her appearance was very familiar. 

‘Light yellow hair and sky-blue eyes. It’s her right?’

Soul World doesn’t have appearance customization. Therefore, you have to choose between male and female. Fortunately, the modeling was done well, without that, it wouldn’t have received good reviews from the fans.

So, the woman introduced as Luna right now is the protagonist of this world. Memories that were about to disappear begin to resurface vividly.

‘Is her occupation… a knight?’

Judging by her appearance, it seemed like the most basic occupation, a knight. It’s almost certain when I saw her holding a normal-length sword. 

Regardless of which skill tree a knight chooses, one efficiency is good. That’s why most beginners choose to be knights. 

According to the setting, she received swordsmanship training from a “wanderer.” This is an official setting, so it’s the same even if she chooses a different occupation.

First of all, regardless of which occupation she chooses, the basic weapon is a “sword.” By the way, you can meet that wanderer later. They are a slightly eccentric character that surprises players. The story is also quite good.

‘It’s going to be tough.’

As someone who vaguely knows the future, I can only feel pity. Losing a valuable comrade or being betrayed by that comrade could come with a split second moment’s choice.

However, her future or destiny was not as important as the fact that I had encountered someone. I wanted to go outside first. 

Although I have become accustomed to the forest, I never forgot my longing for civilization. I also need to find a way to return to the original world.

First, I need to find the person who sent me here. I have already thought of some plausible suspects.

“What if we start by finding out where that person is living? There might be other survivors, you know.” 

Ellie said in a calm voice. It’s hard to believe that someone who almost died just moments ago could be so composed.

‘Come to think of it, she’s not bad either.’

I struggled to grasp fading memories. There were so many unique characters that it was difficult to remember the details, but I knew Ellie.

She had shoulder-length reddish-brown hair neatly cut, with bangs. Round eyes and golden irises.

Although she was smaller than Luna, her chest stood out prominently. They stood side by side, making a clear comparison.

Among the characters in Soul World, most of them are well-modeled, but Ellie stood out.

I remember her being praised for having an amazing potion bag.

‘She’s full of energy. I’m glad.’

If you save Ellie, you don’t have to worry about potions from the mid to late game. As far as I remember, she’s skilled in alchemy. So, if you save her early on, the story becomes much easier. 

However, until then, you’ll have to increase her abilities through various quests. It’s convenient to think of her as a character who pays for her share. The problem is that she’s like a trouble magnet and will face numerous crises even after that. 

Saving Ellie eliminates the worry about potions, so it can be seen as a kind of balance patch. Of course, she may be treated as a burden by players.

“Speak sensibly. You just witnessed how dangerous this place is. We need to leave right now.”

“Are you going to leave that person behind?”

“That’s…”

Luna hesitated for a moment at Ellie’s sharp remark. I just stood there, still and useless, watching them. I wish I could make them understand what I’m saying. But all I can do is stumble over my words.

Above all, I missed the timing. They probably already think of me as little more than just a savage. Honestly, it’s a situation that could help me, so I kept my mouth shut.

“So let’s start by finding out where that person lives. Is that okay?”

“But what if that man poses a threat to us? You saw earlier how easily he blocked Manki’s attack. I can’t handle it either.”

“Well, if that were the case, he would have killed us a long time ago. Maybe he instinctively realizes that we’re from the same kin?”

Elli lightly tapped Luna’s shoulder and spoke. I remembered her characteristic optimistic personality. Luna, with a subtle expression, looked at me as if convinced by Elli’s words. I simply kept my mouth shut. 

“So, how are we supposed to get to where that person lives? We can’t even communicate with them.” 

“…I’ll guide you from now on.” 

I said, turning my back. As I turned my back, I could sense their bewildered reactions. 

“Isn’t it better to follow him?” 

“For now, at least. Is the special compass working properly?” 

“It’s functioning perfectly.”

So they have a special compass. That means we can find our way out of this wretched forest. Oh, but before that, I have to bring along Manki’s corpse. I dragged Manki’s body, whose head, and even brain, had exploded. 

Seeing me effortlessly dragging a giant gorilla of over 5 meters, the two of them were taken aback. Well, it’s natural to be surprised when someone drags around such a burden. With the protagonist’s strength, she wouldn’t even be able to attempt it. 

“You’re a survivor, right?” 

“He might be someone born here. They said no one has gone missing in this forest since the last disappearance 20 years ago. So that person must have been living here for 20 years?” 

“We’ll know once we see his face… Just by appearance, he seems to be at least in his 40s.”

No, even if I’ve lived here for several years, I’m definitely not in my forties. Do you think I can’t understand what you’re saying, so you just blabber on your own? 

It seems like the problem was with this damn hair and beard. Just growing a beard made me look older, but I even let it grow down to my chest. 

Plus, my bangs are excessively long, covering my face. The front looks fine, but other people won’t be able to see my face.

‘Still, it’s a waste to shave.’

I don’t care about the hair, but I grew out my beard for a change. Even though I could groom it with magic, I just left it alone. Maybe that’s when I gave up on leaving the forest. Who would see me anyway?

Anyway, while two people were stabbing me in the heart, I didn’t stop my footsteps. It was amusing to see them flinch every time I looked back.

“Why do you keep looking at us?” 

“Maybe it’s because they’ve never seen anyone other than us?”

Think whatever you want. I won’t answer what you’re saying at all. Whether they bowed or spoke politely, I dragged the corpse of a mongoose and headed towards my hiding place.

Of course, some incidents occurred along the way.

Thunk- 

“Huh? Ah, damn it…” 

“Why, Luna?”

While Luna was doing well, she abruptly stopped in her tracks and started cursing vehemently. When they stopped, I also stopped alongside them. Luna was grimacing as she looked at a brown lump on the sole of her shoe. Her expression was filled with disgust.

“I stepped on poop.”

“What?”

“I said I stepped on poop. It’s already a place where there are many animals, so we should be careful.”

Luna stepped on poop. She muttered various curses, wearing an irritated expression. Her language was rougher than expected.

By the way, I think that poop is mine. It’s a marking of my territory, as it’s near my hiding spot.

Naturally, animals have a keen sense of smell, so I need to leave such traces. To be honest, I even made a bathroom for myself because I wanted to.

Since there are only young animals around, I have no choice but to use animal methods.

‘I have to carry this until I die.’

Anyway, I can’t even speak properly, so there’s no risk of getting caught.

Luna roughly removed the poop stuck to the sole of her shoe with the nearby twigs. However, her expression remained unchanged.

If she keeps this up, her pretty face will be ruined. Well, even if I stepped on poop, it would be unfortunate, I suppose.

‘Is her luck score low?’

I had such foolish thoughts. When the luck stat is low, all sorts of things happen for real. There are frequent cases where things just don’t match up. Like a situation where you can kill someone with just one more blow, but you can’t land that one blow. 

I thought maybe luck applies to the pattern of monsters, but it’s really hard to accurately grasp luck itself. It also has a significant impact on item drop rates. Even with that, there are just people who have no luck at all.

“Wow… Does someone live here? Oh, wait. Isn’t that a bear?”

“Yeah… Looking at the size of the hide, it seems to be a giant bear.”

As we walked, we arrived at a hiding place.

Upon arriving at the hiding place, Luna and Ellie gasped at the dismantled bear hide.

It was still lying on the ground before being completely tanned, so it must have had quite an imposing presence.

I roughly tossed Manki’s corpse aside and looked at them. I had no time to spare as I looked around the hiding place.

‘Let’s eat some meat.’

Coincidentally, there was some smoked bear meat. I put the tender and smoky meat into my mouth.

It was cooked perfectly and tasted delicious. There was no unpleasant smell of meat, and the juiciness was just right.

It was the result of using a special plant as fuel for smoking. It seemed like I would soon finish eating it all.

‘I wonder if they would settle down if I gave them food?’

Anyway, since they can’t speak, I have no choice but to express my favor with my actions. I glanced at them, who were restless while looking around for a hiding place.

Meanwhile, Luna was nowhere to be found, only Ellie remained. Judging by her gestures, it seems Luna went into the cave.

Swoosh- 

“Hmm?” 

While Ellie was curiously staring at the bear’s skin, I quietly offered her some meat.

As I handed her the meat without saying a word, Ellie’s golden eyes widened. They were round and quite beautiful up close.

In the meantime, she alternated between looking at the meat I offered and at me, then opened her mouth with a puzzled voice.

“Do you want me to eat it?”

“··· ···”

She pointed at herself with her finger, asking. I nodded my head.

Upon understanding my response, Ellie blinked her eyes and murmured softly.

“Hmm… so you do understand to some extent. Maybe I can communicate through gestures?”

“··· ···”

“Well, in any case, I’ll eat it well. It looks delicious.”

After making her own assumption, she took the meat as it was and held it, not with her bare hands but skewered on a branch.

It seemed like my hands were too dirty, so it was a bit difficult to give it to her with bare hands. 

I’ve been washing them regularly because there’s a stream nearby, but they got dirty again due to the dismantling I just did. 

‘Wasn’t she also from the countryside like the protagonist?’ 

While the protagonist somewhat fit the image of a village girl, Ellie was known as the epitome of the countryside. Moreover, it was established that she personally collected herbs, and it seemed like she had a strong stomach for such things. It’s a relief that the meat  wasn’t too repulsive. 

“Wow, it’s delicious! Was bear meat always this tasty?” 

Ellie exclaimed after putting a piece of bear meat in her mouth. Her round golden eyes twinkled with cuteness. Wild animals naturally have a distinctive gamey smell. I once ate it without thinking and almost got sick. 

To eliminate that, herbal medicine was needed. I made it by using various herbs in the surroundings to get rid of the smell. Thanks to that, instead of the gamey smell, the unique aroma of the herbs fills the air, guaranteeing a good taste. 

Why do I eat organs raw, you ask? Well, even if you cook them, they taste the same, so it’s pointless. Organs are meant to satisfy hunger and provide calories, while meat is for emergency rations and for satisfying one’s appetite. 

“By the way, it seems like he considers us as his own kind. He even shared his food.” 

“Shibal (what are you saying).”

Are you considering me a clueless savage? I was taken aback, and an immediate response came out of me.

Of course, it’s not like Ellie would understand. I don’t know when this damn language barrier can be fixed.

“But where did Luna go earlier?”

She went to the cave. It doesn’t matter anyway since there’s nothing special about being in the cave.

Poorly drawn murals helped me remember the story of the game and the time I lived here.

The heads of the prey I hunted were even displayed as decorations. And also the weapons I made as backups.

‘I should see what’s going on.’

I changed my footsteps towards my hiding place where Luna entered. What is she doing that she’s coming out so late?

Ellie, who was pondering over the bear meat, hurriedly followed my actions.

“Let’s go, Sivar!” 

Pause-

I abruptly stopped my footsteps at that sound. What did that woman just say?

As soon as I heard Ellie calling me, I turned my gaze to her. She seemed surprised by my gaze.

She wouldn’t be referring to me as ‘Sivar,’ would she? She pointed at me with her index finger and opened her mouth.

“Shibal (me)?”

Lost in the warmth of a smile as radiant as sunlight, my gaze was momentarily stolen. But as I listened to the following words, a feeling of surprise flew far away. 

“Yeah! Since you keep saying it, let’s use a nickname. How about it? Is it okay?” 

“··· ···” 

Call me whatever you want. Now, I can’t even remember my own name. 

With a disappointed heart, I took another step forward. 

“Do you understand what I’m saying, or can’t you?” 

“··· ···” 

“I guess you don’t know. Is there a special meaning behind it? Shibar!” 

“Shibal.” 

“As I thought!” 

What does “as I thought” mean? She cursed. This girl, she cursed.