“Say ‘status window’?”
“…Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
For a moment, I wondered if he had finally lost his mind, but his expression was completely serious.
I glanced to the side—
Chae Saebyeok looked like he couldn’t believe his ears either.
Was he a game addict or something?
The absurdity made me question whether trusting him had been a mistake, but he continued with a strangely earnest look.
“You just need to say one phrase.”
“…What phrase?”
“‘Status window.’”
“……”
I looked away from his expectant gaze—
and met Saebyeok’s eyes.
‘What do we do?’
‘I don’t know. Just do it.’
‘Ugh. You’re useless.’
After a silent eye conversation, I forced a smile.
“…Sta… status window.”
I said it only to humor him—
but the joke ended instantly.
Because something really appeared.
A translucent screen popped into existence before my eyes, exactly like an RPG status window.
[Chae Noeul]
[Job: None]
[Title: None]
[Talents: Intelligence, Agility, Magic Power, Mental Strength, Observation]
[Skills: Energy Ball (F), Analysis Eye (D)]
No way.
Had I finally gone insane too?
“W-What is… this…”
I pointed at the floating window only I could see.
Joo Yeonwoo gave a sheepish smile.
“To be honest… I said ‘status window’ out of curiosity, and the same thing appeared for me. Is yours like this too, Noeul?”
“Y-Yes… it is.”
“That’s a relief. Looks like I haven’t gone crazy after all.”
He let out a soft laugh, then added:
“If you tap on the talents or skills, detailed descriptions pop up. And if you want to use a skill, you can activate it.”
“Really? That’s… kind of amazing…”
“What are you two doing? Are you joking around without me?”
Saebyeok stared at us like we were performing a magic trick.
I snapped out of it and shouted,
“Hey! Chae Saebyeok!”
“What?”
“Say ‘status window’!”
He gave me the exact incredulous look I’d given Yeonwoo earlier.
Hey—how dare he use my own expression on me?
“Just—ugh! Just try it once!”
“Status window? Why would I—what the hell, what is this—?!”
He froze mid-sentence.
The status window must have appeared in front of him too.
“What the—?! What is this?! Only I can see it?!”
“Yeah. Looks like each of us can only see our own window. Try tapping things—you’ll get descriptions.”
“Oh, I have skills too? ‘Area Detection,’ huh…”
He immediately started poking at the air, reacting with loud “wow, wow!” noises.
At least all three of us could see status windows.
That made this situation more real—
and less like a shared hallucination.
Yeonwoo turned back to me.
“Once you summon it out loud, you can reopen it silently—just by thinking it.”
“That’s amazing.”
A strange thrill ran through me.
It really felt like I’d stepped into another world.
Like I was the protagonist of some sci-fi novel.
Should I try a skill too?
I was debating which one when—
Rustle.
“…!”
“Get back.”
It wasn’t any of us.
Something else was moving.
Yeonwoo pushed me behind him and drew his sword.
He swung in one clean motion—
the bushes split, and blood splattered.
“Kieeehk—!”
“Peep! Peeep!”
Inside a small burrow, hidden by brush,
newborn pups and their mother huddled together.
They looked like the same species as the wolves from earlier.
The mother wolf’s leg was badly cut, probably because she couldn’t dodge while shielding her pups.
She growled, injured but still fiercely protective.
Yeonwoo stared down at them without a flicker of emotion—
then slowly raised his sword.
“W-Wait! Are you going to kill them?”
“Yes.”
Saebyeok panicked and stepped between him and the animals.
“They’re babies! They’re not attacking—just leave them alone!”
“They grow quickly. And if we leave them, they might become part of a larger pack and chase us later. You felt it yourself earlier—they’re aggressive pack beasts.”
His voice was calm.
Far too calm.
“Noeul! Say something!”
“…He’s not wrong.”
Rationally, his logic made sense.
But still…
How could someone be this cold?
I stared at Yeonwoo’s expressionless face.
A chill crawled up my spine.
There was nothing in his eyes.
No remorse. No hesitation.
Just calculation.
He looked at them the way someone might look at objects.
A childhood memory surfaced:
‘Noeul, listen carefully. People’s eyes are important.’
‘Important how?’
‘Some people—you can just tell. Their eyes look like something snapped inside. If you see eyes like that, don’t go near them.’
Could a normal person… look this detached?
“Then I’ll take care of them.”
“Wai—!”
Before Saebyeok could finish,
Yeonwoo had already moved.
In a single, clean motion, he killed the mother and her pups.
“……”
Watching him, I came to a firm conclusion.
…Okay.
If we ever escape, I am never getting involved with him again.
My guard shot up immediately.
It was the kind of cold dread you feel when you realize someone might one day hurt a person just as easily.
We walked in silence for a long time.
“……”
“It’s best if we rest here for today.”
“Yeah… Saebyeok, help me start a fire.”
Whether from stress or hunger,
I felt drained by the time the fire crackled to life.
The forest was already growing dark.
“Joo Yeonwoo, you seem really used to situations like this.”
“Do I?”
“Yes. The way you fight, the way you set up camp… everything.”
Crackle, crackle.
The campfire glowed brightly enough to sting if you got too close.
“Yeah. Did you join some kind of survival club?”
“…Something like that.”
“I knew it. You’re really skilled.”
Even so…
People from survival clubs don’t usually kill animals like they’re disposable.
Something about it left a bitter taste.
We talked here and there, interrupted by long stretches of silence.
After sorting through our supplies, Yeonwoo turned to me.
“Have you tried using the skills in your status window?”
“No, not yet…”
“I recommend trying them. They seem helpful.”
“Did you try yours?”
“Yes. Mine’s a physical enhancement type, so the effects weren’t obvious.”
Is that why he fights so well?
Saebyeok perked up.
“Should we try ours too?”
“Maybe…”
My skills were Analysis Eye and Energy Ball.
How did I use them?
Maybe… just focus?
I tried concentrating on my eyes.
[Analysis Eye (D) is activating.]
Then, above the heads of the two people in front of me, text appeared like floating holograms.
[Chae Saebyeok – 30 points]
[1 Constellation is observing you.]
[Favor: 0]
#survival #towerclimbing #broadcast #constellation
#troublemagnet #archer
[Joo Yeonwoo – 120 points]
[4 Constellations are observing you.]
[Favor: 0]
#?? #?? #survival #towerclimbing #broadcast #constellation
#?? #overpowered #swordsman
…What kind of ability is this?
What are these tag-like things?
Genres? Character summaries?
What are points?
Constellations? Favor?
And why so many question marks?
I had no idea what any of it meant.
I stared blankly until Saebyeok complained,
“Why are you glaring at us?”
“No, it’s just—right now, in front of my eyes—”
“Noeul.”
Yeonwoo cut me off.
“Why don’t you try Energy Ball next?”
“Huh? Oh—right.”
I nodded, caught off-guard.
Energy Ball…
Maybe I should gather power in my hands?
I cupped my palms together and thought: Energy Ball.
Light gathered between my hands—
clear, glowing, like liquid radiance forming into a ball.
“It actually works…”
Amazed, I threw it toward a nearby tree.
BOOOOM—!
The explosion shattered the bark, splintering the tree halfway through before the energy dispersed.
“Jesus! Warn me next time!”
Saebyeok yelled.
I apologized and flexed my fingers, eyeing the damage.
This ability was… surprisingly powerful.
With something like this, I wouldn’t need to panic if we encountered that wolf pack again.
“That’s a strong ability,” Yeonwoo said.
“Yes. I’ll need practice, but…”
Could I control it without throwing it?
Move it with just thought?
While imagining possibilities, a sudden realization made me freeze.
Wait.
“What ability did you just use?” I asked.
“It’s called Area Detection,” Yeonwoo replied.
“It lets me sense nearby creatures or terrain.”
…Did I ever tell him the name of that skill?
