Just by discussing amongst themselves, my fate was already sealed. No one bothered to care about any input that I had.

I was a girl by myself, after all, and there was no way I could go against the nine of them.

So they naturally took my coins by force.

Anna pouted and sweet-talked her mother into contributing another five gold coins, allowing her to purchase the Sea Maiden's Dress.

"Wow, this dress is so comfortable! It's so cool and form-fitting that it feels like it's part of my own skin!" Anna exclaimed happily.

Meanwhile, they had choked me to such a degree that my face had gone red.

The handbook listed the house assigned to each player.

Everyone else had roommates or companions, while I was the only one assigned to live alone.

My handbook was the only one left behind after everyone else had their pick, after all.

Anna smirked, clearly finding the whole thing quite amusing.

"Wow, you really are unlucky, Sylvia. How about this? If you become my watchdog, I'll do the honors of making a doghouse for you out of rocks myself!"

Gerard smirked, curling his lips. "Forget it. She looks like she's going to die right there on the doorstep! Eugh, just thinking about it gives me the chills…"

Leaving me behind, everyone returned to their assigned houses.

I headed back to my own wooden cabin.

The village chief was already waiting for me there.

Given his level, it wasn't surprising that he had recognized me.

The moment he saw me, he burst into a series of strange chuckles. "They sure bought their full just now, hm? This is going to be entertaining!"

The moment he said that, I knew the previously useful items had probably been altered in the update.

For example, the Sea Maiden's Dress used to be a purely beneficial piece of equipment, but now, even I didn't know what effects it had.

The village chief eagerly urged me to take a walk around the village.

But when I returned, I discovered my handbook was gone.

I didn't even need to ask who had taken it.

I marched straight to the house where the Swans were staying and pounded on the door.

They opened the door, annoyance written all over their faces.

"Spit it out!"

"Where's my handbook?" I questioned.

"What does that have to do with us?"

Afro and the others lived just next door, and they watched us with interest. It wasn't hard to guess that they had already joined forces.

They wanted to see whether losing the handbook would be the trigger that would cause any monsters to appear and devour me.

That way, they could figure out how to complete the final objective of defeating the final boss.

I took a deep breath and looked at my parents.

"Do you really want me to die on the very first day?"

Completely unsurprisingly, they replied, "You ungrateful girl! We gave birth to you, so it's only fair that you use that life for our sake! If we sacrifice you, we can save everyone. Why can't you see the big picture?"

Hah.

I shouldn't have had any expectations for them in the first place.

I asked again. "Are you sure you want me to attract the monsters so that you can test out your weapons?"

"Oh, don't waste your time. You're probably halfway to a mutation anyway, so might as well use your life to help us!" Afro chipped in.

I didn't say another word, only returning quietly to my room.

At night, the village chief came to check our handbooks.

I was the only one who didn't have one, so I was brought to the watchtower that was covered with human bones.

Suddenly, the sea wind picked up, the trees throughout the village creaking and groaning in the darkness.

Bird calls filled the night air, along with the sound of what seemed to be countless birds flapping their wings all at once.

The players didn't even sleep a wink as they gathered, discussing what was going on.

"We were correct! Those human bones were left behind by players who'd lost their handbooks and got eaten by birds!"

"For the rest of our time here, all we need to do is help the villagers out, earn enough coin, and clear the levels by dealing with those birds!"

Sadly, their guesses proved to be completely wrong.

The next morning, I appeared before them once again, completely unharmed.