JSOML 01

Chapter 01

A dawn thick with darkness.

*‘He’s really asleep, right?’*

Lery gently waved a cotton ball over the sleeping face.

*‘Be careful. Don’t wake him.’*

If those eyelids opened, those transparent blue eyes might pierce right through him.

It wasn’t like he was committing a crime, so why was his heart pounding?

He gently pressed a pink jelly against his cheek. The thick eyebrows twitched slightly, but there was no further movement.

Only then could he be sure. That he was sound asleep.

*‘Good. Slowly.’*

Lery slipped quietly out of bed and leaped onto the sofa. As if joining in the silence, the world was submerged in stillness.

With his eyes tightly shut, bathed in moonlight, the alarm clock chimed midnight.

And then, a system window blinked in his mind.

[SYSTEM: ※Caution!※ 1 day remaining until the reward expiration date. Please be sure to use it within the deadline.]

Feeling inexplicably rushed, Lery hurriedly muttered.

‘Check reward.’

[Currently, ‘Lery (Cat, Newbie Cat)’ has 1 unused reward. Would you like to use it now?]

[YES/NO]

With determination, Lery pressed his lips into a tight line and pressed the ‘YES’ button with the cotton ball. Then, the system window appeared again.

[‘Lery (Cat, Newbie Cat)’ has used the ‘Reward – 1 Hour Humanization Pass’.]

[Loading humanization…]

As the system window vanished, a faint wind began to stir.

Soon after, a blue light burst forth, and the cute animal form was gone without a trace.

‘Wow. It feels like my body is growing!’

Lery’s eyes widened at the novel sensation. As he looked around, pale, slender arms took shape.

[‘Lery (Cat, Newbie Cat)’ humanization successful.]

[Time remaining until humanization ends: 00:59:32]

‘It worked!’

Lery had been half in doubt, since his trust in the system had hit rock bottom. But to think it was actually possible!

Lery smiled brightly, feeling his newly elevated viewpoint and the softness of his skin.

But his moment of happiness was short-lived. A rustling sound came from the bed.

Startled, Lery quickly looked back at the bed.

‘What…? He didn’t wake up, did he?’

A wave of anxiety washed over him, making him feel like everything would be for nothing. As a precaution, Lery examined the bed more closely.

‘Phew. I must have misheard. He wouldn’t even notice if someone carried him off.’

Thankfully, only the sound of deep, rhythmic breathing filled the bedroom.

Lery sighed in relief and put on his robe that was lying sprawled out.

The outer garment, made of high-quality fabric, was so long in the sleeves and length that it dragged on the floor, but he didn’t have the energy to worry about such things.

Lery lifted his heels and tiptoed softly.

[SYSTEM: Skill ‘Thieving Cat’ activated!]

Even if the troublesome window that had been tormenting him appeared, he didn’t care. He was just happy to be human, even for a moment.

‘I never knew walking on two legs could be this comfortable…’

Reaching the door, Lery carefully grasped the doorknob. A cool metallic sensation touched his palm.

Unlike when he was a cat, turning the knob with human strength wasn’t difficult.

‘Good. Now I just need to get out!’

Just as he smiled triumphantly and gently opened the door—

*Bang!*

Suddenly, the door slammed shut. Trembling like an aspen leaf, he glanced sideways, and a sturdy forearm filled his vision.

“Who sent you?”

A deep, cavernous voice struck him like a dagger.

*Oh no.*

Startled, Lery squeezed his eyes shut.

The owner of the voice roughly grabbed Lery’s shoulder and turned him around. Before he could even register the pain, a solid chest was right in front of his eyes.

‘I’m screwed. What do I do now…’

Lery swallowed hard and looked up at him. The man was glaring at him with an unfamiliar expression.

Their gazes tangled wildly like tangled thread.

“Whoever you are.”

“……”

“This is sloppy work.”

He pressed the scabbard against Lery’s Adam’s apple and whispered in a low tone.

‘No, how am I supposed to talk if you press like that!’

He wanted to make excuses, but the words wouldn’t come out, blocked by the pressure. The scabbard pressed harder against his throat.

Was there any good way out?

Lery racked his brain. Just then, he remembered the swift movements of a predator snatching a fish toy not long ago.

‘Right, let’s use the system window.’

Clinging to a faint hope, Lery gathered all his senses. But,

[SYSTEM: ※Caution!※ This does not work on targets with stats higher than yours!]

Of course it didn’t work.

[Skill ‘Run! Cat’ has failed.]

You should have told me that beforehand!

So this is what it feels like to be standing on the edge of a cliff.

Following instinct, a hiccup escaped him.

‘If you have any sense, you stay quiet too…’

Lery wanted to cover his mouth if he could.

Just as he was sweating cold with no way out—

“You, this…”

The man, who had been radiating killing intent, frowned and trailed off. At the end of his sharp gaze was his own robe wrapped around Lery.

Lery’s eyebrow twitched. First an intruder, and now he was about to be mistaken for a thief. If the misunderstandings continued, he felt he wouldn’t survive.

Just then.

[SYSTEM: Current fear level has exceeded 80%.]

The system window revealed itself.

[Initiating humanization cancellation and defensive transformation!]

What? What does that mean?

As questions filled his mind, Lery’s body began to shimmer with a blue light.

The blue light poured out, engulfing the dark bedroom. Dazzled, the man who had been pressing his scabbard against Lery’s throat squeezed his eyes shut.

“What is this…”

Transformed back into a small cat, Lery was covered by his robe, just blinking his eyes.

He didn’t even have time to feel deflated. It felt like everything was about to be exposed.

Through his small ears, still stunned, Lery heard his final words.

“You, surely…”

Lery held his breath and swallowed dryly.

How did I ever end up in this situation?

It was a day when the monsoon rain was pouring down furiously that the veterinarian ‘Joo Yena’ suddenly found herself transformed into the cat ‘Lery’.

A small animal hospital located on the outskirts of Seoul.

“Ha…”

Yena, leaning back in her chair, held her forehead.

Was it because of the consecutive night shifts for the past few days? She felt a feverish heat on her forehead and body.

But she couldn’t easily close up shop, as she needed to see even night-time patients to make a living.

‘Still, my body feels really bad today…’

As she soothed her chest, which felt particularly uncomfortable today, and was contemplating a temporary break—

“Doctor! It’s an emergency!”

The urgent voice of the veterinary technician was heard.

A cat was immediately rushed into the emergency room. The cat was in a critical condition, hovering between life and death.

Despite her own poor condition, Yena fought hard until sunrise. Thinking that the cat’s life depended on her, every minute and second flew by.

But the cat’s pulse grew fainter and fainter.

Just as the sound of its faltering breath was beginning to fade away—

A faint voice came from somewhere.

‘I’m glad I was able to find you like this…’

Yena looked around. Someone had definitely spoken, but the technician’s lips were tightly sealed.

Just as she thought it might be an auditory hallucination from exhaustion—

‘…I’m truly relieved.’

The mysterious voice came again. Yena turned her gaze towards the direction of the sound.

Strangely enough, there was only the cat there.

And that was the moment her eyes met the cat’s.

“……Huh?”

Feeling a heavy pain in her chest, Yena collapsed to the floor.

Before losing consciousness, the only thing that filled her ears was a cold, mechanical sound.

[SYSTEM: Job change conditions met!]

[Moving to designated location for job change.]

When she opened her eyes some time later, she was in a completely white space.

“What is this place?”

Looking around, there were no people, no living creatures, and not even any objects.

Yena was left all alone, lying outstretched. Wearing a pure white dress instead of her medical coat.

[SYSTEM: Arrived at Hidden Place ‘Is this the Beginning Village?!’]

“……Hidden Place?”

As she stood there bewildered, a loud noise rang sharply in her ears.

Looking around for the source of the noise, a ‘system window’ that looked like something from a game greeted Yena.

[‘Joo Yena’ is currently in a state of ‘death’ due to overwork.]

Her breath caught in her throat at the unbelievable reality.

She had carelessly thought she would get better with a little rest. But the thought that the symptoms she had dismissed so lightly had led to death by overwork made the stressful times she had endured flash before her eyes like a lantern.

“This can’t be…”

She had diligently filled the void left by her parents, graduated from veterinary school, and was finally starting to settle down…

She bitterly regretted taking such good care of sick animals while neglecting her own body.

“It’s a dream, right? This must be a dream!”

Hoping it was all a nightmare, Yena pinched her cheek hard with her index finger.

But all she felt was a vivid, stinging sensation, and she gained nothing from it.

Just as she was sinking into despair—

[SYSTEM: Starting job change.]

[Please select a job.]

The system windows kept appearing. In an instant, four large doors slammed down with a loud noise.

“Oh my god!”

Yena stared at the scene, her face pale with shock.

[SYSTEM: You are currently under the effect of ★Pick and Choose as You Like★ due to achieving a hidden condition!]

Pick and choose as you like? I’m dead right now, what is this…

It was an utterly absurd situation. Yena pressed her throbbing temples tightly.