Cashew.
After possessing this body, my name was Cashew.
…Who named me that?
Among all the possible names in the world, why "Cashew"?
It was no different from naming a person "Kimchi Stew," "Fried Rice," or "Omelet Rice." "Seaweed Noodles," "Choi Steak," "Park Phu Pat Mulberry Curry"…
…Let's stop.
Anyway, since I became a damn hamster, I'd lost all my human rights.
I had grown up like a cactus in a wasteland, and just when I released a hit game, I became a hamster, let alone a rich man. The resentment I had momentarily forgotten began to creep back.
Okay. There's a saying that it's better to live even if you roll in a field of thorns, so let's say I'm lucky to have survived. I can even accept being possessed into a novel I read half-asleep, or even one I dropped halfway through.
But why?
So many characters! Leave them all alone!
A rat!
A rat!
For being this damn rat!
[Sync complete!]
Okay. Tell me. Let's leave hundreds of characters behind and hear the reason why I became a hamster.
[That was the only vacancy!~( ̆▾ ̆~)]
Are you mocking me now?
As I gritted my teeth, Kyle carefully set me down in my new house.
"Cashew? Why don't you have any energy? Do you want to rest?"
Okay. I have a lot of things to think about right now, so don't bother me and just leave.
I kicked Kyle's palm with my tiny foot. I'm going to talk to that damn system, so just go away!
But he tilted his head, looked at me with a serious expression, and carefully placed me in the new house he had prepared in advance.
"It's not much, but I've made room for you. Soothe your heart here."
Kyle smiled. It was a smile that didn't quite fit his cold face, but it felt surprisingly friendly.
Why is this? I don't want to fit in.
Let's just live as we are.
I grunted and looked around. The hamster house he had prepared for me was truly extravagant.
It's too much…
It was very excessive.
The three-story hamster cage was taller than a table.
Its wooden frame was sturdy, and the top was arched. In the center, it was even decorated with a gorgeous red jewel.
Inside were fluffy-looking cushions, food bowls that gleamed so much they could be mistaken for trinkets from a distance, soft-looking sawdust, all kinds of toys, slides, and treadmills…
Luxurious.
I'd never seen such an elaborate hamster house in my life. Moreover, the decorations carved on each border shone with an uncomfortable brilliance.
…Are you putting gold in a hamster's house right now?
I had been living in a narrow studio where the window on the opposite side would break if I opened the front door, and I was almost overwhelmed by the three-story house I was living in for the first time. Of course, by hamster standards.
[The Grand Duke is the third richest nobleman in the empire.]
It seems so. To build a house like this for just one hamster, you have to be quite rich or crazy about hamsters… Apparently, he is a rich madman.
"Anyway, you better rest. I'll come to say hello tomorrow."
I sighed heavily. I didn't nod or look at him. A hamster that understands human words would be too suspicious. Getting killed would be a no-brainer.
I slumped into a corner and curled up. Go, go, go and sleep.
"Cashew."
—…
"Have a good dream."
A good dream, my foot.
For me, this situation was just a nightmare.
It was only after the damn hamster lover went back to his bedroom that peace finally came.
Now, let's have a serious talk.
Hey, come out.
[〣(ºΔº)〣]
Is this the world of
[Yes, that's right! (*>▽<)ﾉｼ]
And that man is Duke Blake, who dies before the middle of the novel.
[Kyle Jane Meinhardt, about 1 month away from the expected time of death.]
Wasn't this a possession story? The heroine…
[This is Serena.]
Serena's name and face appeared in the system window.
She was a woman with calm brown hair and green eyes. She looked about my age, but she was dressed quite meticulously.
Come to think of it, Serena in the original story said that after being possessed, she escaped from the slums with her unique cleverness and skill.
So she didn't even have a name before that. Serena is a name that has been passed down from generation to generation only to the empress, so she is not an empress, but a woman whose name is unknown now.
Just a second. But I did the possessing, right?
Can two people be possessed in one work?
[Serena is not possessed!] [The identity of the possessed person has changed.] [Miracle figure, currently 1%]
I sat down in a rocking chair and looked at the system window with a serious expression. Of course, my short legs couldn't be crossed, so I just rubbed them under my chin with my small hands.
I've been wondering for a long time, but what is a 'miracle figure'?
[You are destined to die.]
A shallow emoticon dripped down, and a sentence that came to mind glowed chillingly blue.
…I am destined to die.
I remembered it again. The pale light of the headlights that hit me at the end, the friction of the wheels scraping against the pavement, and my body lifting…
[But before I die!]
The system diligently talked to me.
[Your original body is in a coma right now. If you don't change the fate of your soul, you can't avoid the impending death. Collect information in your brain to find the best materials to survive.]
I mean, this is what you mean.
[Raise the miracle number, I'll save you from death!]
You said you would save me. Why you? Are you God?
[It is enough to work miracles!]
Clad… No, the system window is crooked, but let's talk about this right away. Miracle numbers are collected by me running around, but my talent is more than just being a hamster, and the money is made by the system. Do you have a conscience?
[อิ_อี;]
You can't make money anymore, so you have to earn miracles? Am I Moses? Yes? Is it Moses? Can I split the sea?
My profit settlement. A bright future. I also have to regain my life and human rights. I never wanted to die of old age as a hamster.
I clenched my little fists. I had already become a hamster, so there was no other way.
[Would you like to set a goal?]
A miracle, and a goal.
So, the point of the system was to change the fate of the world in
Instead of Serena, I possessed a hamster, and the miracle number went up. If I cause an incident that wouldn't have happened in the first place, won't my numbers go up again?
However, there was a problem. It was that I only read the middle of this novel. The character I was most sympathetic to closed the book as soon as he died.
Therefore, I didn't know the ending of this story. I didn't know who lived and who died, so how could I change that fate… Just a second.
Kyle!
Yes, Kyle Jane Meinhardt. The man dies a month later.
What if I save Kyle?
There is no greater miracle than reversing death.
Okay. Anyway, whether I like it or not, Kyle became my master, and even when I was a reader, I didn't want him to die miserably.
He was the reason I dropped the novel. A man who was worried about the safety of the woman he loved, even when he died at her hands.
Hey, why don't you save Kyle? This is a miracle in its own way.
[Goal set: Saving Kyle Jane Meinhardt.] [Quest Selection....]
It was a strange feeling.
If I bring him back to life, can I come back to life? I wanted to ask the world if this was possible, but it didn't make sense because the whole development was absurd, given that I had already become a hamster.
There was a long way to go, but I would try to survive fiercely. Neither you nor me.
I'll give you the quest that matches the difficulty first, Mr. System. At most, I would give him a little more life satisfaction than his companion Prince of the North, but he wouldn't live for less than five years, and he wouldn't be able to ride the wheel because of his aching joints.
After a few minutes of silence, the system presented its first quest.
[Let's become a humane hamster! (ง˙∇˙)ว]
It waved its small hand in the air, and the following continued.
[Let's become a good friend to humans, a warm companion hamster!] [Reward: A small miracle, a chance to save humanity]
Why is it a miracle to be a humane hamster? Was the hamster I originally had a bad guy?
[´•̥︿•̥`)⁾⁾]
Is that true…?
There's no drama.
[Kyle looked down at his blood-dripping fingers. Still a young beast, but a life in the barren North. No wonder it wasn't easy to tame.]
A sentence believed to be content from the original work came to mind.
…Was there something like that?
Rather, did he originally intend to raise a demon beast?
However, the North is not a habitable land. Even if you push the demons away and build a home, you won't be able to kill every demon beast you can get your hands on.
There must have been human-friendly demons, and among them, they would have wanted to raise cute ones. Even if you are not a companion animal, it's not strange to hope for a win-win situation.
["Well, why don't you leave it alone?" Kyle replied to the driver's words. "Then you mean to let him die."]
Kyle was the first one to reach out to the dying one.
…Yes, well. It's because we're all trying to eat and live together. If you don't grab me upside down and shake me, I don't need to bite you either.
More than anything, I am not a hamster, but a human. I don't do anything barbaric like biting anything.
[(ʃƪ˘³˘)(´ε｀ʃƪ) ?]
No, I still want you to refrain from kissing.
As I lay down in a deep mood, I kept thinking of the friendly smile that Kyle had shown me earlier.
Did he like animals that much?
He doesn't fit the character of the Northern Grand Duke, who is supposed to be ruthless. When the drivers see it, they will be surprised and move back. They might think it's Kyle's killer…
I let my thoughts flow, and I fell asleep without knowing when. So many things were happening, I couldn't help but fall asleep as if I was going to pass out.
—…
How long did I sleep? When I opened my eyes, it was lunch the next day. …No, lunch? Afternoon?
[Hamsters sleep for an average of 13~14 hours!]
Looking at the system message that came to mind as if it had been waiting for it, I opened my eyes wide. I had slept on my back for about thirteen hours, and only the fur on one side was flattened.
I was about to try to smooth it out. A large door, dozens of times my size, squeaked open. Of course, who would enter this room without knocking…
"Cashew."
It was just him.