11 Fairy Puppet

Ye Delun looked at the puppet-like girl's face. He watched as her skin would peel to make space for her toothy smile. He didn't think it was scary, not at all. Instead, he thought it looked a little cool. A disturbingly kind of cool.

He wasn't surprised by the young girl's answer to his question. It was only reasonable to think that the girl wasn't human after interacting with her. Even if it was only for a little amount of time. 'This creature must be a part of the system.' He pondered. He wasn't sure, and he didn't care much to intrude on the strange being by asking. He thought it would be rude. Although it sometimes didn't seem like it, his mother and father did teach him some manners.

"Then can I get a better blanket?" He asked her. His voice wasn't at all affected by the disturbing sight of the girl.

The girl's puppet jointed fingers creaked as she moved them across the blanket covering his shoulder. He held the fabric tighter. He didn't want it falling onto the floor, that wouldn't be good. "To upgrade your living quarters, you must level up your personal level! You are currently at a beginner rank! Level 0!" The way she spoke reminded him of the way the system would announce things to him. Perhaps he was right.

"Oh." If that was the case, that meant that he wouldn't get anything else to cover himself. "Is that why everyone else isn't wearing much?" He looked directly at the fairy puppet. There was no need to look towards the people around him.

Her smile seemed a little too sweet. "Yes! This area is meant mostly for beginners, although some willingly stay here instead of moving up to higher areas!"

"There are more areas?" The space here looked so large. It was hard to imagine that there were more layers to it.

"Yes! Every time you reach another ten levels you gain access to another area! The higher you go, the better the stories! And the greater chance of meeting just the man you were destined to meet!" Ye Delun ignored the last part. He had no interest in romance at the moment. The only thing that intrigued him was the first part.

"What does it mean to have better stories?" He asked. His voice seemed eager as the words left his mouth. His hands gripped at the piteous blanket in his fingers in anticipation.

"The higher you go the wider the variety of stories you get access to. The genre diversity also increases. From mystery horror, fantasy horror, supernatural horror, psychological horror, and even for light-hearted players, comedy horror!"

"Is there anything that includes stealth? Like, hide and seek?" Stealth games were one of his favorites to play. Ever since he was a child he's always loved playing hide and seek. The thought of being found and the rapid breathing of his heart whenever the seeker just missed him always sent a thrill through his veins. Once he knew of stealth games, they immediately became his favorite.

"Stealth?" The doll's eyes widened slightly. She paused as she processed the question. "There is no love story purely based on 'stealth'." She paused. Ye Delun let the small bloom of excitement shrink back into a seed. He was still moved by the thought of the differentiating genres, but finding a story purely of hide and seek and filled with scary things would have made Ye Delun's world.

"But MingMing can find a story close enough just for Ye Delun!" She exclaimed. She pumped her fist and looked extremely excited. Ye Delun could see the shining sparks in her black bead eyes. "Okay." He said to her. His enthusiasm was nowhere close to hers. "Then can you show me how to level up?"

"Of course!" She cheered. Her floating feet turned in the air and she started to walk on an invisible bridge. The puppet's glittering wings fluttered slightly at the movement, Ye Delun didn't give it any attention. "Follow me!" She motioned for him to follow with her hand.

Ye Delun fixed the blanket wrapped around him. He maneuvered it so it tied around his slim chest like a towel. It covered his body like a bucket.

They began to walk through the crowded area. People speaking filled his ears to the brim. MingMing didn't seem to care and bounced around in the air like a child. Her hinged mouth opened and closed as she explained their surroundings. "In the HQ beginner level, there aren't many sights to see, nor is the variety of jobs as large as the higher levels. But it is the most populated level and is well known as a place to met up with friends." She moved her arm to gesture towards several young girls seated at a stand. Another girl ran out from the crowd towards them and gave them a wave. They all smiled at each other as they ordered their meals and conversed. "People who are at beginner level first spawn here so that they can become employed as soon as possible, but it seems that Ye Delun was never able to have that opportunity."

"Mmm, yeah." He half-heartedly responded. His attention was mostly on the sight of the area more than the puppet. The glowing signs and good-smelling food seemed a lot more interesting. The puppet fairy didn't seem to notice and continued with her explanation. "Jobs here are usually low paying and easy. The higher your level gets, the more gold you get in a single day."

Ye Delun gave another hum to show he was listening. He watched a food stand hand a girl a kabab filled with meat. Even though he had eaten that lunch from earlier, his mouth still salivated at the thought of owning that stick. Randomly, his eye spotted another person like him, a girl covered in her pathetic blanket. It surrounded her small body and her hands held onto the edges tightly. A voice called out to her, going "Hey stranger!" in a familiar exaggerated voice. Ye Delun watched as another puppet fairy glided up to the girl. They were identical to the MingMing in front of him. From the looks of their face to the glittered dress that matched with the frail wings on their back, to the crooked toothy smile.

The MingMing in front of him spoke, but he continued to look at the MingMing currently having a conversation almost identical to the one he had. He had to force his eyes away. "At the first level, jobs that include organizing and testing are the most common. But no need to worry, they are in no way permanent. You can change them at any time you find convenient."