Chapter 5

In the darkness, the movements were neither swift nor forceful. However, I only felt a light touch, yet my arm was deeply slashed by the dark sword.

"Ouch!"

Unable to bear the pain, I fell backward and rolled over. Honestly, I failed. I should have endured the pain and restrained the darkness right there. But, I haven't had a fistfight since middle school. After that, I lived quietly until I became an adult. I rarely get into fistfights even now.

And yet, I was cut by a blade. Moreover, by a child. There was no point in writhing in pain. Seizing the opportunity, the darkness jumped up with all its might. I rolled backward but immediately tried to stand up. The practice of somersaults I did was useful. Even without awakening mana, my life was saved.

I placed my small hands on the floor and stood up. A child has a high center of gravity and poor balance, so I struggled to stand up. My opponent was also a young girl, who was trying hard to stand up despite her lack of strength.

From an outsider's perspective, it must have looked ridiculous. Two children sitting on the floor, curling up and trying to stand up. It would be a scene worthy of cheers at a sports day, but my life was on the line.

I stood up faster than the darkness and observed what had happened, understanding it.

"Is this 'Magic Weapon Creation'? It's not from a game, but from a novel."

In novels, it was used to deliver the final blow or to kill the protagonists. In games, it wasn't implemented because there were already equipment items. Moreover, the sword in the darkness's hand seemed to have a dark attribute.

"I see. The darkness must have awakened with a dark attribute."

Her hair, as beautiful and lustrous as a raven's wet feathers, and her eyes, as clear as black diamonds. I thought she must have worked hard on her hair treatments, but it was wrong. She had awakened with a dark attribute, which is why her hair and eyes were so beautifully black.

I deeply regretted coming to help. I wish I hadn't come. I thought I could easily subdue a kindergartener, but that was a mistake. It's a case of "regret comes too late," damn it.

Blood flowed from my left arm, which had been slashed. My clothes were stained red, and I would likely die from blood loss. I thought that if I awakened, I might be saved, but no unknown power filled my body. I'm just a minor character.

Screams and shouts could be heard from around. The teachers must have arrived. However, my ears were ringing, and I couldn't hear well. This is bad.

"Don't come!"

I shouted to stop the teachers who were approaching in my blurred vision. If you underestimate a young girl, you'll be cut to pieces. They say it's like cutting butter, but even butter has some resistance. It's harder to cut a lump of butter than you might think.

However, the darkness's sword cut through my arm without any resistance. I didn't even realize I had been cut.

I didn't expect magic to be this powerful. The adults probably don't expect it either. In that case, the teachers will be sliced and fall to the floor.

"I won't let that happen."

I might die. If so, I'll do my last filial duty and apologize for being a disobedient child.

I tried hard to stop the darkness. I was a brave child.

"Hey!"

I grabbed a bucket from under the row of faucets and threw it at the darkness. The throw was weak due to my child's strength, but the darkness reacted and swung the sword.

Normally, the bucket would be deflected and fall if it hit the sword. But the darkness's sword was too sharp, capable of cutting through a human arm and bone without resistance.

The bucket split in two and, following inertia, hit the darkness, along with a little dirty water and a wet rag.

"Kiii!"

The darkness screamed and frantically tried to remove the wet rag from her face. I used a child's step stool to climb onto the washbasin. I was already out of breath and at my limit. My body was getting cold, but I gritted my teeth and glared at the darkness.

"Come at me!"

"Bye-bye-bye"

I provoked her with my limited vocabulary. Whether she thought I was mocking her or was angry about the wet rag, the darkness wildly swung her sword and chased after me.

The concrete bases of the washbasins were cut through effortlessly. I felt threatened by how such sharpness was possible, but I smiled like a beast, as I had expected.

Because the darkness had also cut through the faucets. The faucets were cleanly cut, but the water they held couldn't be contained. It gushed out like a fountain, drenching the darkness.

"Kyaa!"

Unable to withstand the water attack, the darkness frantically tried to wipe her face and make the sword disappear. That was my plan.

Water doesn't affect a spirit, but it does affect a child. I believed she would reflexively let go of the sword to wipe her face.

"Whoa!"

I screamed, enduring the pain, and gathered strength in my legs to jump. I leaped off the platform, diving like a projectile.

A kindergartener's jump. Normally, it would be impossible to jump, but if you're willing to shatter your body, it's different. I jumped and tackled the darkness.

"Kyaa"

"Ugh"

We both fell, and I landed on top of the darkness, using her as a cushion. In a daze, I tried to pin down her arm, thinking that a teacher could restrain her if she didn't have a sword. Honestly, I was delirious from blood loss and couldn't make a sound judgment.

Because the true power of magic isn't in weapon creation.

I realized this when the darkness, while thrashing, pointed her finger at me. I thought she was just thrashing around, but I changed my expression when I saw a black aura gathering on her finger.

"Seriously?"

It's magic. Of course, it is. Using magic attacks is normal. As I was overwhelmed by despair, the black aura on the darkness's finger contracted and flashed.

"Dark Arrow"

The light transformed into a dark arrow and flew at me. I tried to dodge by twisting my body, but it was too late. It hit my right shoulder, tearing the flesh, and I was blown away by the impact.

"Ugh..."

My small body rolled and fell face down on the floor. I couldn't tell where it hurt. Everywhere hurt.

"Damn, I'm going to die to a spirit..."

I gritted my teeth, realizing I was going to die. I had confused reality with games. I had even thought I might awaken in a novel. I wanted to cry, thinking I had been foolish.

This is a novel world, but it's reality. I'm just a minor character. I was the kind of minor character who would be reported as a dead kindergartener in tomorrow's news. I failed.

I couldn't move at all. I was about to lose consciousness when I thought of something.

If this were a game, I would press the touch button to open my status and take a potion from my item box.

I remembered my previous life's game. The game that was released simultaneously with the novel's completion. I had played it enthusiastically, despite my age.

I imagined holding a controller and pressing the operation button.

I imagined it.

And I realized. I'm a minor character.

I was made aware of this.

Because

"Choose a job"

A semi-transparent board appeared in my consciousness, displaying a strange message. No, it wasn't strange. I had seen it before.

It was character creation at the start of a game. You decide the name, appearance, and finally the job to complete the character creation.

"Ah, I see. I was in the middle of character creation."

I held onto my fading consciousness and imagined a controller. No, just thinking about it made the cursor move.

Several familiar jobs appeared. There were no hidden jobs, but basic and premium jobs were displayed.

I had to choose one. The only job that could save me.

"Decide"

I muttered. The board's message changed.

"Character creation complete"

"Enjoy your own magical night"

"I will, I'll enjoy the magical night. Until dawn"

I smiled. It was time for a counterattack.

---

A spirit is a monster that possesses only hatred and the desire to kill the living. The monster that had leaked from a recently created undead dungeon was satisfied to possess the best body with a weak mind and strong magic. It was ecstatic, thinking it could kill and devour many humans and lives with this body, and was trying to kill the surrounding humans.

This spirit was more intelligent than other spirits. Therefore, it had escaped as soon as the dungeon was born.

It unexpectedly took time with a small human, but now the human was lying motionless. The body was lying in a pool of blood, already dead.

The original owner of this body was screaming in sorrow in its mind, but to the spirit, it was only a source of pleasure.

The face, resembling an old woman's, changed to a terrifying and eerie smile as it looked around to kill more humans. There were still many humans. They had no magic power. It would be easy to kill them all. Instinct whispered that if it killed them all, it could evolve to a higher form.

However, its steps suddenly stopped. It had sensed magic power, which it had only felt from the small human until now.

"?"

A spirit is sensitive to magic power. It can detect even a faint amount. Yet, it was confused by the new magic power it sensed, which it hadn't detected until now.

Looking around, it came from the small human body that was thought to be dead. It was a small amount of magic power, but it was definitely magic power. Impossible. Magic power cannot suddenly appear. Magic power is something that is always present, even if one cannot use magic. The spirit had detected this.

"Minor Healing"

A whisper came from the supposedly dead human. The light, the spirit's natural enemy, enveloped the body. The white, gentle light quickly healed the body. The left arm, which had been cut to the bone, and the right shoulder, which had been torn by the "Dark Arrow," were restored to flawless skin as the light faded.

The hair of the fallen human changed from black to gray, shimmering with particles that looked silver.

The small hands touched the floor, and the human stood up.

"Wow, what a rough time. So, being a minor character means this, huh? I see."

The human, muttering incomprehensible words in a low voice, turned to the spirit.

"Well, this isn't a tutorial, but I'm going to kill you. Be my first prey."

The small human, with a body like a fierce beast, smiled and faced the spirit.