Chapter 1: I Shouldn't Have Done That (1)
I'm a roleplayer.
Someone who establishes character settings according to their in-game character's class and plays while strictly following them.
Chatting? Of course I would type messages in character. Even with the market now conquered by virtual reality games, which didn't require written messages in favor of verbal communication, it made no difference to me.
A roleplayer who succumbed to shame wasn't a real roleplayer.
"Talk more and see if you can handle my wrath."
So I was playing a new game, as over-immersive as usual, faithfully acting according to my character setting—a Demon Knight with a Demon sealed in his right arm—when…
"Log out."
「This command cannot be carried out.」
"…? Log out."
「This command cannot be carried out.」
"…???"
I realized something.
I was doomed. No, I was royally fucked.
* * *
No matter whether one was a casual or a hardcore gamer, everyone had at least one game they couldn't forget. A game so memorable that it might never leave your head, or something that made you feel deep regret.
For me, that was Legend of Heroes.
Simply put, it was a domestic PC-exclusive MMORPG that came out when I was still a teenager. It was incredibly popular in its early days, but it was also considered an ill-fated game due to quickly declining after many key developers quit.
The main reasons for its decline were the paid loot boxes introduced during its 2nd-anniversary patch, balance-breaking new classes, an increasingly incoherent storyline due to the addition of weird settings, and a failure in management… Although that wasn't important.
It also didn't matter that the game that was supposed to last for twenty years regretfully ended after just five when I was in my 20s.
There was only one thing to say about Legend of Heroes: the regret felt by the core developers who left the company upon seeing the game's early demise.
"Dude, my heart is pounding so hard. What should I do?"
"Ah, good job."
"I can't believe there are only 30 minutes left until the launch."
How deep their regret must have been. Those developers, who established themselves in the industry by releasing all kinds of new hit games under the name of their freshly made company, Deep Sea Pearl, declared they would remake Legend of Heroes.
No one expected them to do it, yet they went ahead and bought the rights to the game and announced a remake.
"I'm not dreaming, am I?"
"Yeah, you're actually dreaming. It's about time you wake up."
"Really…?"
"…I'm kidding. Are you for real?"
"No, but this is just too… too unreal."
Furthermore, they didn't just redo it. As if they had honed their skills razor-sharp just for this, they remade it from the ground up.
They released it as a single-player game, not an MMO. They changed the genre from action side-scroller to open-world ARPG as well.
They even updated the platform it would run on to go with the times. That meant it could be played using a virtual reality capsule instead of a PC. The game was also upgraded to VR to match.
At that point, it wasn't too farfetched to say that this was just the delusion of a regretful gamer.
"It would be more believable to say this is a dream…"
That's why I was talking about it all being a dream and unreal 30 minutes before the launch.
Legend of Heroes was the first game I couldn't forget about and why I fell in love with games. It even had a minor impact on my career choice.
And now it was coming back into my life? But it didn't just come back; it returned as this gorgeous, godly game.
It was honestly fortunate I didn't pass out from how hyped I was. I was overjoyed beyond measure.
"You were also completely obsessed with that game 15 years ago…"
"It's because you haven't played it before… If you had, you'd know how I feel…"
Sigh. I hadn't been this nervous since the announcement of my CSAT results. I didn't even feel this way when it was decided my work would get exported overseas.
I felt like my heart was about to explode. It seemed to get squeezed tighter and tighter as I watched the time tick by.
"What if the game doesn't live up to your expectations?"
"Don't you even dare say something as stupid as that. I'm dying over here."
Of course, I knew that if I held such high expectations, I was more likely to be disappointed when actually playing it. There was no way I wouldn't know that with how many games I'd played and beaten.
But… But…!
"If it's even half as good as the trailer, I'll be happy…!"
"Sigh."
"Uwaarg! It's only been two minutes! Just when will these next twenty-eight minutes pass?!"
"No clue, dude."
My whining only caused my friend's face to crumple up. This man, who didn't even try pretending to sympathize with me, was a monster who had never even touched a single game.
"Are you really my friend…?"
"If I'm not your friend, then what am I? By the way, are you going to… What's it called? That thing you're so good at, are you going to do it?"
"What?"
"You know, that thing. Role something?"
"I've already set everything up."
"Crazy, you already planned it out?"
I mean, the settings before were just me playing around. Proper character settings aren't just made in a day.
Of course, some people could churn out these concepts in no time, but I wasn't like that. Character research was really important to me, maybe because I majored in film and theater.
"So what's the setting?"
"Ah. First, this is what the character will look like."
It was a good thing I drew it up before creating any other settings.
I picked up an iPad lying on the sofa. A picture slowly appeared on the seven-year-old device's screen.
"Wow. What the hell is that…?"
The picture on the screen showed the following:
Starting from his head, he had silver hair on the left and black hair on the right.
His skin was so pale that one might mistake him for a corpse, its color almost grayish-white.
His left eye was gray, and his right was a mix of gray and red. However, they lacked highlights or anything else, making them seem dead, a feature only further emphasized by the dark circles beneath them.
"This is crazy. Seriously."
I'm an advocate of the theory that one should start with the character's appearance when building a setting.
As such, I reveled in my friend's reaction. Some people might call it ridiculous for a 30-year-old like me to do something like this at my age, but it wasn't like roleplaying would hurt anyone.
"What's wrong with his hair?"
"According to the setting I made up, it has been stained by the power of a Demon."
"Are you crazy? What power of a Demon?"
"Ah… The class's name is 'Demon Knight'."
I pulled up the official page, as it would be much easier to understand if he saw the setting.
「Demon Knight | After the Demon that slaughtered his family possessed his arm, this squire abandoned his path to become an official knight and started wandering.
He despises the Demon residing in his right arm but through it possesses superhuman strength. His goal is to kill all Demons.
His techniques are as fast as they are powerful. His temper, however, is quite sensitive and sharp.」
"Oh…"
"I actually wanted to start as a Priest, but… the first time I played this game, I chose to be a Demon Knight."
I preferred the Priest class, but because this game was so nostalgic, I opted to use the same class as I did back then. I was going to play it multiple times, anyway.
"Besides, playing as cold and cool characters is the best."
"Damn, that's hilarious."
My friend, giggling to himself after hearing my explanation, zoomed out of the picture to see his whole face again. The entire image of the character was visible on the iPad once more.
"Can you even make your character look like that?"
"I should."
Considering the other popular games these days, this kind of customization was just the basics of the basics. Besides, many called the original Legend of Heroes a god-tier game because of its insane freedom of customization, so there was no way the development team wouldn't expand on that aspect if they hadn't gone crazy.
* * *
* * *
"I also chose to give him one of the outfits that came with the deluxe edition of the game."
"Did you spend even more money on this?"
I mean, if you could get the OST, an art book, and behind-the-scenes content just by spending a few thousand won, wouldn't you call it a blessing that they even provided outfits for every class?
They even allowed you to put them on your character as soon as you started the game, and there were so many to choose from.
I smiled proudly as I looked at the character reflected on the screen.
An eyepatch covered his right eye, and his right arm sported a gauntlet. He wore a long, black, split hem coat with a red cross embroidered over the back. His legs were covered in matte black leather pants and knee-high boots… and while one couldn't see it well, he wore bandages inside his top.
While I was the one who'd drawn this picture, I had to say that this was the perfect setup. It couldn't get any more stylish than this.
"Is it an online game?"
"Well, playing with others online is possible, but it's not like how you do it in MMORPGs."
If one connected to the internet and used the matchmaking option, they could play with up to four people. Even then, play together was only possible during boss fights or in PVP.
That just further proved that the development team almost completely abandoned the online concept.
"So others can't even see it, right? And yet you still bought that stuff?"
"Dude. Roleplaying has nothing to do with other people being able to see it."
Just what was roleplaying? Did one do it to show others? Well, I was doing it so I could say stuff I never in my right mind would, all thanks to anonymity.
I raised my thumb and smiled, to which my friend began rolling on the floor, laughing while clutching his stomach. I had no idea why he always acted like that, despite it not being the first or even second time I'd done something like this.
Was that the difference between a normal person and a roleplayer?
"Damn, you're really crazy."
"What's wrong with it? I'm doing it with 'my money', you know?"
"That's true, but still…"
My friend switched back to the Demon Knight's official page and carefully reviewed the last line.
"Isn't there already an official setting for his personality? Then what's the point in creating new character settings and roleplaying?"
After hearing what he said, I couldn't respond for a moment. Was there any point in making a character setting when an official one already existed? Hah, I didn't want to go into that much detail.
😍 Casual Date is just a click away!My lips twitched like I was an enthusiast whom a normal person had just asked about their obsession.
I should calm down. If I got too excited, a newbie like him would just get scared and run away. So I had to be as gentle as possible… Gentle…
But what was 'gentle'? How could I act like that?
"You have now entered the second stage. Just ask me anything. I'll tell you all about the second stage."
"Ah, no need, I'm sorry."
"The setting given by the official site is that he has a sharp and sensitive temper, and his purpose is to kill all Demons, right? But there are different types of sharpness, right? There's even this setting where the Demon that killed his family dwells in his arm, right? Think about it. Does that mean he originally had a nasty temper, or did he become like that because of the Demon's influence?! That's where these different interpretations come into play!!"
"Aah, please forgive me."
"What if his personality became so rough due to constant anxiety over never knowing when that Demon would run rampant again? What if the reason for his rude behavior toward those around him was to push them away so they wouldn't be harmed by that Demon sealed within him? Then at his core, isn't he actually really kind?!"
"I was wrong, so please."
"That interpretation is what my character setting is based on! A character who acts hard and prickly on the outside but is really soft on the inside, traumatized and really lonely because he just pushes away everyone around him! I want to tell a story about this character that highlights the scars he's been afflicted with!"
"Have mercy."
"What do you mean, 'Have mercy'? I haven't even started yet. There's still so much to talk about. The reason why he's wrapped in bandages like that and his two-toned hair!"
"Oh god."
"Oh, I also prepared some lines for him. Do you want to see them?!"
"Ah, no, that's fine."
Why did he pull back when he was the one who asked? He couldn't just back out. He should listen to me more.
He still had to listen to the settings I meticulously crafted after deliberately looking through old videos and laboriously disassembling the class trailer videos frame by frame!
I grabbed the shoulder of this friend of mine who was about to run away and sat him in front of me as I started explaining even more things to him.
He only wore a gauntlet on his right arm because he hated that arm so much that he didn't even want to see it, and he was actually covering his changed eye with that eyepatch, not the unchanged one, to show his determination. These were details that would probably never be brought up in the game.
"You crazy otaku bastard…"
After talking to him for 20 minutes about this and that, my dear friend ended up covering his ears and shaking his head as if he were out of his mind.
"Hey, but I'm not even a full-blown otaku."
"In the eyes of the general public, if you end up spending hundreds of thousands of won on some game, then you are most definitely an otaku."
"Is that so?"
I couldn't deny it.
"Sigh, you disgusting bastard. Alright, I have to head out."
"Already?"
"Aren't there only five minutes until your beloved game launches, you crazy otaku?"
"Ah."
He was right. There were only five minutes left because we'd talked for more than twenty.
"Anyway, when will you be available again?"
"I prepared to be in Full Dive for about three days."
"I still haven't forgotten that one time you said you'd Full Dive for like four days but ended up doing it for ten."
Full Dive was a function that allowed one to continuously play a game for more than 24 hours without eating or sleeping.
It wasn't easy to use due to the exclusive, incredibly expensive solutions and nutritional supplements needed for it, plus the disadvantage that one's real-life relationships might suffer. However, it boasted the best performance if one wanted to really focus on a game.
Also, after being locked in the capsule for an extended period, one would feel very exhausted after exiting the game, needing to stretch and exercise for a day or two.
Last time, I decided to Full Dive for four days, rested a day, and dove for another four days before resting another day afterward, making it ten days total.
"Anyway. If I don't contact you first, call me."
"Okay."
"And stop playing games so much. You'll end up hurting your body."
"Yeah, yeah."
My family and friends scolded me a lot back then, so I wouldn't let it happen again. How would I hurt my body…? I was using that expensive, exclusive solution just to prevent me from getting harmed, but I didn't bother answering him.
I was grateful he was worrying about me, after all. He even came over because he knew we wouldn't be able to see each other for a few days. That's what you call friendship.
Katchak.
I turned my back to the closed door.
This time, I absolutely had to log out of this game after three days, no matter how fun it might be. That was the promise I had made myself.
「Time remaining until game start: 00:00:03」
「Time remaining until game start: 00:00:02」
「Time remaining until game start: 00:00:01」
「Time remaining until game start: 00:00:01」
「DLC items are being installed…」
Ding!
「Game start.」
However, had I known I would end up breaking that promise through no fault of my own, I wouldn't have turned that game on to begin with.
「Your journey to kill all Demons is about to begin.」
No, even putting everything else aside, I shouldn't have roleplayed as that character.
['It' destroyed my life in but a single moment.]
The opening video started before my eyes. No, it was sent directly into my mind.
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something heard and seen everywhere.
Instead of feeling displeased, I quickly looked around to grasp the situation.
I saw people unloading the wagon I was still sitting in and one person standing before me who seemed to want me gone.
At that moment, an extreme nostalgia arose in me, because this was exactly like the original Demon Knight tutorial, only changed from 2D to 3D.
How did even the tutorial feel so nostalgic? Could I even immerse myself in my character like this? I was already getting so emotional, you know?
I forced myself to change pace. While I shouldn't immerse myself too much in the game, I should also never just randomly start crying.
Of course, I couldn't let my tears be seen! Although I knew the character's face wouldn't reflect my expressions, I still felt the need to control them.
Tak.
So, I just got off the wagon without saying anything. I wasn't really doing it to act out the sensitive and sharp temper described on the official site or for the setting I had based on it.
It was more of an unconscious action, as there wasn't any Window telling me how I should answer the guy, and it didn't seem like a scene where I had to show any type of reaction.
"What a bastard."
However, the wagon owner watching me clicked his tongue and cussed me out, making me momentarily wonder if he was actually a real person.
The beta testers had harped on about how the NPC interactions were incredible. It looked like those weren't empty words.
"You have to pay me more…"
"Then my profit will…"
"You hear about the rebels…"
"Those Demons…"
Immediately after disembarking, I realized something even more important just by looking around the trading post.
"…Deep Sea Pearl, did you actually find alien technology or something?"
The devs did everything right.
"They really went ham on the graphics, didn't they?"
😍 Casual Date is just a click away!Sign up & start meeting women in your area today.Those dirt roads marked with wheel treads, the texture of the buildings' outer walls, the various light sources and shadow effects… What's more, the tickling I felt when the wind brushed my skin, the dust floating in the air, and all these foreign smells stinging my nose.
But that wasn't all. If one paid close attention to the NPCs filling this place, then one would see that none were duplicates. Neither their faces nor their clothes were the same.
I'd thought this game would be awesome when watching the trailer, but I didn't know the real thing would exceed my expectations like this. It was like an actual virtual 'reality'!
"There are so many objects moving around, but there isn't any lag or drop in frame rate…? What the hell?"
I had wondered why the file was so huge when I downloaded it, but it turned out to be relatively very small. How the hell did they manage to optimize the graphics to such a degree? Were they actually aliens or something?
"Crazy, this is actually crazy…"
Deep Sea Pearl were real bastards. Were they trying to kill people by drowning them in a wave of emotions? That was clearly their intention. It was legal, too.
"Sigh."
I clenched my fists as I felt my emotions crash over me like a tide wave. That was the best I could do. I felt like I wouldn't have any regrets even if I were to die now.
"Don't just stand in the way!"
Fortunately, someone rescued me from my drowning state. It was a passing NPC.
I used their words as a signal to gradually overcome these feelings.
The words that left my mouth and the actions I took could no longer be rescinded, but my pride as a roleplayer couldn't tolerate any further character breaks. Now was the time to relax and thoroughly enjoy this game.
And to do so, I had to hypnotize myself first. It was one of my habits that helped me get into character.
From this moment on, I was a Demon Knight with the Demon who killed my whole family sealed in my arm.
I was always on the edge, never knowing when the Demon would devour me. Because of that, I forcefully pushed everyone away, not caring what kind of anger they would harbor against me. I was the type of person who hid his vulnerable and soft inner core with a rough and hard outer shell reflected in my sharp and sensitive nature!
The character setting based on the trailer videos, leaked information, and the official settings covered me like a mask.
That marked the start of my roleplay.
* * *
* * *
Shiing.
I killed my expression, not because the game character's expression would actually change, but to better immerse myself. I then returned the sword to the sheath on my back.
I wondered if it was because the sword was too long, but for some reason, it almost felt like my body was moving on its own to sheathe it.
Well then, what was I supposed to do now? One would usually just look for someone with a question mark floating above their head, but strangely enough, I couldn't see anyone like that.
While attempting to look at my Minimap, I discovered the game lacked that function, and upon opening the Quest Window, I found it completely empty.
In that case, would the NPC who'd progress the plot find me on their own or something?
"Aah, Adventurer!"
Someone appeared before me. It was a little kid who barely reached my stomach.
"Erm… Mister Adventurer, are you… Mister 'Demon Knight'?"
The name leaving the child's mouth was both my class's name and the nickname I gave this character.
I did this purposely to demonstrate that I had abandoned my name after that incident. There was no better fitting way to address me right now.
Incidentally, I waited a moment for a System Window to pop up. Usually, they would give you dialog options, prompts, or keywords necessary to progress the story, even if they allowed free dialogue.
"A-am I wrong?"
But nothing like that appeared.
Despite feeling a bit surprised, I decided to simply answer the kid's question for now. No matter how I looked at it, this was the start of a Quest I shouldn't miss.
"…No, you're right."
When I answered them coldly, taking the character settings into consideration, the child's body trembled slightly. I felt like I could see what they were thinking just by looking into their eyes.
The kid seemed so realistic that I almost kneeled down to comfort them and tell them not to be scared.
"Th-then please follow me. I'll show you to the Adventurers' Guild."
Wow, what a well-made character. Holding such admiration in my heart, I followed the young NPC rushing forward.
Trudge, trudge.
I could hear the sound of my heels hitting the dry dirt road.
Actually, where would they have put the Adventurers' Guild? With this in mind, I sneakily tried to check my own appearance, wanting to see if the game properly reflected the changes I made.
The outfit I received as a perk from the deluxe edition and put on the character during character customization, the True Zweih?nder of Destruction from the pre-order bonus, and the bags strapped to my leg, thighs, and waist for inventory space.
I wondered whether I was actually wearing the eyepatch given my seemingly unaffected sight, but when I went to touch it, I could feel it was definitely there. The hair visible at the edges of my vision was also two-colored, which appeared to reflect the appearance settings I had made precisely.
It really was perfect.
"This is it!"
「Tatara: Adventurers' Guild」
How long did it take me to check myself out? We actually reached the Adventurers' Guild right when I finished.
Considering what I had seen while passing by, it didn't seem like they made the city smaller but rather that the trading post and Adventurers' Guild were somehow connected.
"Shouldn't this be just right for us?"
"Did you hear the news? Panine's older brother went to escort that corps and ultimately disappeared along with them."
"There seem to be a lot of missing people these days…"
The inside of the Adventurers' Guild was extremely loud and noisy. In particular, there were many people gathered before a massive bulletin board. From the murmurs, it seemed to be the mission board.
"Miss Clerk! I brought the adventurer!"
"Ah, so you've arrived?"
Anyway, the child took me to one of the open windows. The person who had just been answering others seemed delighted to see me.
"Thank you. You should get to work now. And… nice to meet you. I'm Izren, a clerk of the Tatara Adventurers' Guild."
The clerk gave me a light bow after sending away the child and the other person she had been talking to.
It seemed she hadn't used this skill of delegating work to the remaining personnel servicing another window just once or twice before.
"Sir Demon Knight, correct?"
"Yes."
"While it's easy to recognize you given your very distinctive characteristics, could you show me your adventurer's card just in case? There are so many people impersonating adventurers these days that this verification process is a necessary procedure."
As she was speaking, a System Window blocked a part of my view.
「Inventory │ You can activate your inventory by putting your hand in your bag.
Visualize what you want to take out and simply grab it.」
It was a tutorial that taught one the basics of the game.
I followed its instructions and placed my hand in the bag. The inventory UI then popped up and took up another part of my view.
It was a Tetris-like inventory system, with each item occupying a certain number of spaces within. As I could see the total weight of the objects inside, it seemed they restricted it by both volume and weight.
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It would have been nice if it were a slot-type system, but the game was still incredibly well-made. I found an adventurer's card among the items in my inventory and took it out.
"Your identity has been confirmed."
The clerk I handed my adventurer's card to turned around, checked it, and quickly returned it to me.
"Welcome to Tatara, Adventurer."
It was the kind of hospitality that made me really feel like I was playing Legend of Heroes.
"I know you've come a long way, but may I assign you a request right away? The client said it's very urgent."
Hmm. I thought she would tell me about the board over there and how to use it, but that seemed to be something for later. Well, the system didn't seem to have changed much from the original, so I kind of had an inkling.
"Guide me there."
And I was sure that this was also part of the tutorial. I immediately agreed. The clerk stood up at once and led me to the place.
It wasn't that far from the guild.
I followed the clerk into a building with a sign that read "Mabel Company." Several merchants were walking around, as expected from a merchant company.
It was as noisy there as in the Adventurers' Guild, but the graphics were simply too amazing for me to care about that. I followed the clerk, barely keeping myself from looking around too much.
"Chairman, the adventurer you requested is here."
"Come in!"
The room I was about to enter seemed magnificent, judging just by the entrance. Considering she had called him Chairman, he had to be this company's owner.
"A cyclops?"
But why was the guy picking a fight right as he saw me?
"It seems your manners are quite lacking."
I sighed as I checked over the NPCs in the room. I wasn't looking for any particular reaction. It was just a mild line I prepared that fit my character settings.
After all, no game, no matter how well-crafted, could respond to every word the player might say. The potential options were simply too numerous and would just increase its capacity unnecessarily.
As such, I obviously didn't expect this NPC to respond to my words, so I was quite surprised by what happened next.
The face of the guy who cussed me out immediately distorted, as if reacting to my lines.
"Hmph! He's more of a wretched bastard than I've heard."
"Please calm down, Chairman."
"Y-you take it easy too, Adventurer."
He even responded to my line instead of just changing his expression. The same went for the other NPCs my words didn't target. They were acting like real people.
I felt like I was about to go slightly crazy. Deep Sea Pearl, did you guys really implement alien technology in this game?
"Are you that Demon Knight?"
"Who else do you think I would be?"
Just to check, I avoided giving positive answers such as 'Yeah,' 'You're right,' or 'Yes.'
It was similar to not inputting the needed keyword in a game. I wondered how the NPCs would react if the player just said whatever they wanted.
"Yeah, I doubt anyone else has such a sinister face. There's no way that clerk would have made a mistake."
To my surprise, the conversation continued. I couldn't believe it. He actually understood the connotations of my line!
"Chairman…"
"Sir, please…"
Damn, what the hell?!
I stared at the people in the room, wearing a bitter expression in an attempt to suppress my excitement. That old man with the rude mouth—probably the boss of this place—another middle-aged man trying to calm him down, and the clerk who came with me.
It was just a small number of NPCs, but that didn't matter. Just having these three link their responses in such an appropriate and realistic manner made this game godly.
"Adventurer, please try to speak a bit more politely…"
Why should I? I absolutely didn't want to. If my lines gave me these kinds of reactions and I didn't act according to my character setting, why the hell was I even playing this game? That wouldn't make me a roleplayer.
"You're talking to the wrong person here. Why should I?"
"Adventurer…"
"Th-that insolent little…!"
Wow, this was so crazy. Did they type all these lines? No, they probably didn't. Did an AI generate these lines on its own? But why would they give these NPCs such an advanced AI?
In old-game terms, it was like giving voice lines to Villager 1. This was just too good.
"Hmph, if he isn't as good as they say… I'll have to beat up the guy who recommended him…"
"Sir, they can hear you."
"Then let them hear! I'm only telling the truth!"
Sigh… If I knew things would turn out like this, I would have bought Pearl's stocks. Their stocks were already among the top ones, but looking at the quality of this game, it wouldn't be strange if they rose even further. What a pity.
"Ehem! Let's set that aside and start talking about the request! Isn't that why you called Sir Adventurer to this city?!"
The clerk hurriedly tried to clear out the tense atmosphere in the room. I wanted to try acting more like my character setting dictated, but I was surprised enough by all this, so I just let it go.
I looked at the elderly NPC.
"First of all, do you know the content of the request?"
Miss Izren asked, but it was quite a meaningless question. I just found out I had come to this city for a request, so there was no way I would know.
"I don't."
"What? How could…"
I coldly denied it. I could hear the old man swallowing the insults about to leave his mouth. If the middle-aged man hadn't covered his mouth, he would have probably finished whatever sentence he was about to say.
"Pardon? Didn't the Guild inform you? Did you volunteer without knowing what this was about?"
Izren seemed surprised, but I couldn't really answer her questions.
Who in their right mind would have done something like that? I had just logged into the game, but those Pearl guys already gave me so much to do.
Oh, I wasn't complaining, of course, esteemed Pearl Gods. I was already grateful enough that they were letting me play this game. I was loyal, absolutely loyal.
"So? Are you saying that some worms could endanger me?"
Anyway, a good roleplayer would use any opportunity to give their character personality.
I continued my mud battle with that old man by acting like an arrogant brat.
"Th-that's…"
Then that old NPC muttered something to himself. He may have been half cussing at me and half at whomever recommended me.
From what I'd heard earlier, it seemed they hired me on someone's recommendation.
At that point, I seriously wanted to meet the programmer personally. I really wanted to ask him if he was some kind of god.
They couldn't just make NPCs this human-like without being a god. The Pearl Gods were the only true gods!
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"Here you go."
Woah, crazy. For real?
I watched the NPC, an entity that wouldn't give you anything beyond a Quest item or reward, meekly hold out a pen. I seriously felt like I was about to cry.
I didn't know how often I'd already said it, but Deep Sea Pearl were actual gods.
"Please take it."
Taking the pen, I also placed it in the coat pocket before glancing at the merchant.
"As long as you pay me what you owe, I won't fail."
Leaving him with that remark, I turned around and slid down toward the entrance of the sewers—to the connected river, to be exact. With no intention of placing my feet in the disgusting sewage, I took the road leading up to it.
Clank.
I opened the already unlocked steel chute, revealing the way into the actual sewer system.
Honestly, the pipes were so huge that I wondered if it was really necessary.
「Tatara: Underground Sewers」
I mean, I know they did it because it was a game, but weren't they way smaller in the original?
I entertained such idle thoughts as I heard a cheerful bell chime in my ear. I rummaged through my bag and pulled something out.
「Lantern │ A light source that can illuminate dark spaces and guide the way. If you fasten it to your waist, you can use both hands.」
I'd seen that item earlier when looking through my inventory.
As the Description Window explained, the dark sewer system was instantly lit up by the lantern hanging from my waist. As with most light sources, I could feel some warmth emanating from it. It wasn't unpleasant, more like a hot pack.
However, because it was hanging from my waist, the light was blocked by my coat in some places.
"Should I move it up?"
I eventually decided to place the lantern over my coat. Depending on which direction I was facing, some areas were still less visible. Well, it was better than before.
Screech.
Squeak.
I quickly checked the map after entering and began seeing some rats.
They were half the size of my forearm, but even considering they were dirty, there was something odd about them.
For instance, parts of their skin had rotted off, exposing raw flesh or even bones. Some had their intestines hanging out. Even though their eyes were incredibly small, I could see they were very red.
Snap!
They were all Demonized.
I lightly swung my sword. As desired, the Zweih?nder bisected the rat before even piercing it properly.
If I had to name one problem, it would be this damn realism. After going through the rat, the sword scratched the floor and slightly dinged a wall.
😍 Casual Date is just a click away!Kang!
That clear sound made me slightly uneasy. The sword wasn't going to break, right?
I checked the Zweih?nder, kicking aside the two pieces of rat carcass with my feet. The sword's blade glowed red under the light of the lantern. It felt like one might get cut just by looking at it.
「True Zweih?nder of Destruction │ A greatsword that can break and destroy anything in existence with its long, straight blade. It strikes fear into anyone who opposes you.」
As I reviewed the weapon's information alongside its general description, detailed stats were displayed before me, such as Attack Power, Durability, and Energy.
Attack Power aside, the starting value of both Energy and Durability should have been 100. And sure enough, the Durability had fallen to 99.
That's how it was. In these types of games, even hitting a wall would decrease the weapon's Durability and Energy.
"This space is too narrow…"
If I continued using this two-handed sword in such a narrow space, its durability would probably decrease by a lot.
Swallowing my regrets, I sheathed my Zweih?nder once more and rummaged through my bag. Aside from the True Zweih?nder of Destruction, I had also received another starting weapon.
「Longsword | The most widely used sword. The balance between the blade, handle, and pommel is average and allows its user to respond to most situations.」
I fastened the Longsword's scabbard to my waist and tried swinging the sword. Since the combat correction was working rather well, the sword felt pretty good in my hand.
Cut!
It could cut through the rats really well, too. Like any mob enemy at the beginning of the game, they could be one shot with a starting weapon. What a good start.
Squeak!
I was a bit upset that they didn't drop money or items… Well, maybe it was like that because they were just tutorial mobs.
The later enemies would probably drop some. I was also getting paid quite a lot for this Quest.
Kuwaaaaik.
As I went in further, I could hear the roars of real Demons echoing in the sewers.
I could also see some sneakily poking their heads out, perhaps preparing a surprise attack.
「Goblin │ Wandering Demons that are always in search of food in groups. These small and weak Demons have very low intelligence, but it won't do you any good letting your guard down around them.」
As soon as I saw the Goblins crawling along the sewer walls and ceiling, a System Window popped up.
Even when playing the game on PC, I always thought these things were a bit creepy. In VR, they seemed even more disgusting.
"Dirty Demon bastards…"
Anyway, even while dealing with simple mobs, it was only proper to faithfully stay in character.
I immediately immersed myself and grimaced at them. Then, firmly gripping my sword, I leaped forward.
When one of the many, many Goblins came into view, red target marks appeared on its body.
Arms, legs, body, head. Among the given targets, I aimed for the body.
「Body Parts and Strikes │ All enemies have body parts, and the damage they receive from each is different. Some enemies might receive less damage in certain areas, so there may be a need to avoid targeting certain parts.
If a body part accumulates more damage than it can take, you can cause a "Part Destruction".
Find the most effective part to hit and attack it.」
A brief description of the combat system appeared in my mind. I couldn't really read it because time didn't stop or anything. My experience accumulated from playing many games hadn't disappeared, though, so I got the gist with just a quick glance.
Kakaaang!
When I hit the target, my blade cut right through the Goblin's torso. I'd thought so when slicing through the rats, but they'd set my level higher than I expected in the remake.
At the same time, I also felt like the difficulty level was really low. Even though I was still in the tutorial, I was causing "Part Destruction" with just a single hit.
It was probably because I was just facing trash mobs, but I felt a little uncomfortable for some reason. While I didn't really enjoy the difficulty level being too high, it just wasn't that fun to play if it was too low.
"Die, you lowly scum."
Either way, even though I was a little disappointed inside, I openly expressed my contempt with my face and words. That was just the basics of the basics as a proper roleplayer.
Chwank!
With my second strike, I pierced through the head of a Goblin that jumped down at me from the ceiling. I knocked away its torso with my foot to free my sword so I could take down the last one.
After stepping back to dodge the thing pouncing from the wall, I stabbed its body after it landed on the floor. After severing its spine, I stepped on its body and stabbed once more.
I gave it one more hit just in case I hadn't fully depleted its HP, no matter how realistic it was. After trembling for a bit, the Goblin eventually fell limply to the floor.
「LEVEL UP!」
Alright, I survived.
Considering that I'd stopped playing games for a while to focus on my job, I felt like my skills were still pretty decent.
I shook off the blood from my sword and placed my foot on the last enemy. The level-up notification covered my eyes for a while before disappearing as quickly as it appeared.
"Skill Window."
In both the original and remake of Legend of Heroes, your stats would automatically increase upon leveling up, so I didn't have to worry about stat point allocations. The only thing one had to keep in mind was skills.
"Attack, Defense, Survival…"
Maybe it was because this remake was based on an online game, but there sure were a lot of skills.
While I didn't know what the max level was, I suspected I wouldn't be able to get them all.
「[Melee Combat] │ Basic skills of a warrior. You have a certain chance of responding to enemy attacks better than usual.
Effect: Combat Correction」
After thinking about it some more, I decided to prioritize Defense skills. All the Attack skills were active ones and for now, I could kill all the mobs in a single blow.
Furthermore, flashy moves and the like weren't the thing to focus on in this game. One's basic movements were far more important. At least, that was what the company announced.
Thus, getting Defense skills that could be used from the early to the late stages of the game was much better.
I modestly distributed my skill points with such thoughts in mind and continued along the way I needed to take. After encountering the Goblins, I arrived at a crossroads.
I took out the map with a clatter. With my left hand holding my sword, I naturally used my ironclad right hand to pull it out, awkwardly fumbling with the paper.
Going left would bring me to a blocked road, and going right would lead me down a normal road, huh?
I quickly made my decision as to which road to take.
I had to go left no matter what! After all, I didn't know what kind of item would be left there, even if it would slow my progress!
I had to get all the items in this dungeon, even if I ended up dead because of it!
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Additionally, I didn't have to put up with these irritating noises. After all, it was my job to get rid of their source! In other words, I could actually vent my full anger on these things without much trouble.
"I won't leave even a single trace of you bastards!"
Die, you fuckers! Outwardly, because of my unending hatred toward your mere existence; inwardly, for my ears! Wahaha!
Crunch!
I smashed in the heads of Goblins that appeared before me. Before long, I reached a crossroad leading to the only passage I hadn't yet entered.
I brushed off the blood that had splattered onto my body and stepped forward without hesitation. Shortly after, I reached a spacious area.
Kiieeek!!
The huge, empty space was covered in black and soggy ropes with dozens of Goblins within. One among them stood out the most.
Kak, Kak!
A Goblin, holding a cane, walked between the others as they parted like the Red Sea.
「Hobgoblin │ A mutation that occurs when a Goblin survives after ingesting a great amount of Demonic Energy. They have higher intelligence and special powers that normal Goblins lack.」
Hobgoblins had bright red skin instead of the usual olive coloration and were twice the size of normal Goblins. Usually, they also appeared as random weak mobs, but it wasn't too strange that they'd decided to use one as this area's boss in the game's early stages.
"Urpurp!"
However, I could hear other strange sounds between all the Goblins' cries and shouts.
😍 Casual Date is just a click away!I moved my eyes. Behind the Goblins, I could see a tightly bound child.
"It seems like you are the last ones…"
Rather than sympathizing with the child, I felt something else. In the original game, one could choose whether to save the child or leave them to die.
My choice? Of course I would save them.
When playing the original, I didn't help or save the child because my setting then was that of a ruthless Demon hunter, but this time I had mellowed the settings a bit.
Furthermore, unlike back then, I'd become more invested in protecting minors as I grew older. Even the kid being an NPC didn't make much of a difference. Kids should always be happy and safe, no matter what.
"Eupeup!"
Well, saving the kid was one thing, and being immersed was another. The child seemed about the same age as the character's younger sister from the opening cutscene, which was absolutely perfect for my acting.
"You detestable Demons."
The space was large enough, so I decided to use my Zweih?nder, not the Longsword. It should be fine.
I put away the Longsword and reached my hand to the hilt of the sword strapped to my back. The movement seemed almost ingrained in my body. I closed my hand around the firm handle.
Shiiing.
I pulled out the 1.6-meter-long sword.
"Be honored."
Kieeeek!
I didn't know if that thing realized what my drawing this sword meant, but the Hobgoblin also raised its held staff.
A few normal Goblins rushed to the walls and slowly crept toward me. They'd probably jump me before I could reach the boss.
"You shall know death."
However, it was rather troublesome that they looked down on gamers like me who had already cleared dozens of games.
"Victory to my blade, glory to the heavens…!"
I raised my sword high toward the sky, attempting to imitate a knight.
My class was nicknamed 'Demon Knight' by those around the character to begin with. Even if I didn't give myself this nickname, some NPCs would still just call me Demon Knight.
Did they arbitrarily decide to call the class that? I didn't think so. At least, that was how it seemed to someone like me, who valued the narrative and probability.
So I decided that the character should at least act minimally like a knight for people to have given him that nickname. This was the result of that train of thought.
Ah, I didn't intend to act too much like a knight either, of course.
Frankly, if I wanted to consider chivalry even while hunting Demons, I would have just played as a Knight. There was no way that this character, who had abandoned the path of a knight to hunt down every last Demon, still cared that much about chivalry.
So that was it for knight-like behavior. I would fight, however, like a Demon.
I immediately rushed at the enemy and swung my sword.
Whoosh!
The Zweih?nder I gripped with both hands cut through the air.
Its size made it almost too difficult to handle, but it was still manageable thanks to the game's combat correction and my experience using similar weapons in other games.
Kiek!
After holding the handle and blade with both hands to prevent the Goblins from attacking me, I gently released the blade, sliding my fingers over it as if scanning its form.
After passing over the Parrying Hooks and reaching the Ricasso, an unsharpened part of the blade right above the crossguard, I grabbed it tightly once more and swung. The hand holding the handle moved to the left, and the one holding the Ricasso moved to the right to swing it properly.
Crack!
After cutting the falling Goblins in half, I quickly fixed my grip. My hands immediately flipped the sword downwards, lowering the Zweih?nder to the floor.
Bam!
I pierced through the head of a Goblin that tried to claw at my legs.
I stomped on it, pulling out my sword and swinging once more. With that, the fourth Goblin died. When that cowardly boss called out, all of them temporarily retreated.
In that case, I should hurry up and deal some damage before the Hobgoblin sent the next wave after me.
* * *
* * *
As I saw the Goblins hidden in the burrows of both walls pop out, I moved forward. That idiot trying to attack me with his friends began panicking and slowly retreated to the side.
However, my Zweih?nder was 1.6 meters long.
I swung it before the Goblins could stop me. The blade, ignoring all defense, slashed through the staff of the Hobgoblin, knocking the boss aside.
Wow, it seemed one could actually destroy weapons in this game. I should never even attempt to use a wooden weapon.
As the splinters flew around, I also got bitten. I quickly retrieved my sword as I stepped back and used it as a shield, blocking the Goblins from attacking.
At that moment, a Goblin at my back drove its nails into my exposed neck. Thanks to the reduced pain level, it only felt like a tingling shock.
"You won't kill me…"
I could see my HP getting depleted pretty quickly, so I deftly grabbed the bugger and flung it off. However, right then, another one of those fuckers clung to my thigh.
Even though I could kill them in one cut, they were so small that hitting them was really annoying.
"With those weak attacks. Die, you worms!"
If I dealt with the one stuck to me first, it was highly likely that those rushing at me from the sides would stick to my shoulders. As such, I just swung my sword as if I'd gone berserk, wearing a deep frown.
The two Goblins preparing to jump at me were instantly split into two.
Then I grabbed the small Demon clinging to my thigh and tossed it to the ground.
Crunch!
I trampled on its head, smashing it to pieces. Close-quarter attacks sure felt rewarding.
Kieeek!
Even after that, the Goblins didn't stop their attack. The boss probably kept ordering them to rush at me.
In that case, killing that guy should be my priority.
After checking how much of my HP remained, I kicked the ground. Then, holding onto the Ricasso and handle, I swung the sword in every possible direction.
I just swung this mighty blade without a direct target to keep the Goblins away from me.
Had I swung it four times now? I finally caught up with the boss, who fled behind the Goblins in his surroundings. The Goblins around me tore my clothes and scratched my skin, but they didn't cause any major injuries.
Bam!
Before I was about to attack the boss, I knocked away a Goblin rushing at me.
I ended up penetrating two of them at the same time. Thanks to that, my sword was effectively locked.
However, that was what I was hoping for. After releasing the sword, I grabbed the Longsword from my waist with my left hand.
I didn't hesitate to abandon my weapon for a moment. I had accidentally dropped my weapon earlier, but it had stayed where it was.
The sword I gently drew from its scabbard immediately cut down a Goblin even as I aimed further beyond it.
Shiing!
Blood splattered on my cheeks, neck, vest, and even the shirt beneath my coat. It was the blood of the Hobgoblin I could only draw by allowing several Goblins to drive their nails into my body.
Kiik!
Kikkikkieek!!
Was it because I pierced through its head? Or was it because of my weapon? Either way, the Hobgoblin died instantly.
「Fear and Confusion │ If a leader is killed right before their subordinates, some enemies might run away in fear or lose their fighting spirit.」
The Goblins seemed agitated by the death of their leader.
"Weaklings."
After removing my sword from the Hobgoblin's body, I kicked away the terrified worms and subsequently cut them down.
I retrieved my Zweih?nder during that. Such a weapon was far superior in killing many enemies in an open space.
"Go to hell."
After defeating the boss, the remaining guys were very easy to deal with.
I slaughtered them one after the other, speaking in a disgusted voice. I made certain not to miss a single one among those running away, either.
If I failed to kill even one and couldn't complete the Quest, I might just faint.
"Those insignificant worms."
After killing them all, I mumbled to myself while wiping the blood from my sword.
Truthfully, I never actually felt they were insignificant while fighting them, but that was what bluffs were. One just had to make up or exaggerate their statements and roll with it.
"I can't handle these things, so I left them unattended until now…"
However, it wasn't any fun just showing off, so I added a bit of personality to my statement.
I pretended to be strong to hide my own weakness, but what I said in a slightly bitter voice reflected the character setting that I was actually weak. I was going for a slightly remorseful and sad feeling.
"Tsk…"
At the end, I clicked my tongue in frustration. Great! Perfect! This year's Immersion Award would definitely go to me!
"Urgh…"
At that moment, I could hear a groan from beside me.
Only then did I remember that I had someone to save. I didn't really forget about that completely. It was just a lower priority at the moment.
"You're lucky, brat."
I approached the wall the little kid had been tied up at, wearing a cold expression. The child had been suspended on a rope that was more like the root of some plant.
Riiip. I ripped it apart with my hands. My grip was stronger than expected, so I immediately removed the kid without embarrassing myself.
"Th-thank you…"
The kid I had just saved seemed a little taller than the little sister I had seen in the opening cutscene. Even then, he was still small enough to only come up to my chest.
The dead sister would have been smaller.
"…You don't have to thank me."
While remembering that, I became even more immersed. A child even smaller than this one had been killed, my little sister, and her murderer was in my arm?
It was amazing he didn't go crazy. In his shoes, I would also brandish my sword to kill every Demon out there.
"Protecting the weak…"
Anyway, I had to do my lines now. He was speaking with a child who reminded him of his dead younger sister, and unlike before when he couldn't do anything to save her, this time he'd succeeded.
How would he feel in that situation?
"is only natural for a knight."
My voice shook slightly at the end as I raised my hand. I wanted to pat the child's head.
However, since I was essentially right-handed, I unconsciously raised my right hand.
That would be a bad move. According to my character setting, he believed his right arm was a terrible and cursed thing, so much so that he even changed his dominant hand. There was no way that he would touch others with it, much less a child.
"Are… are you a knight?"
I pondered for a while.
Should I be rude or kind to this child?
Wouldn't the latter be better? He didn't want to be seen as weak and was also anxious about his current state, so he acted prickly. However, in the past, he had wanted to be a knight who protected the weak, like the elderly and children.
So I doubted he would act like that toward a child, but he might push him away again at a later point.
"Yes."
I immediately came to an answer.
I made my voice sound slightly icy, but I softened my tone a bit. If he spoke in a frosty voice, most people would think he was a man with a strong personality, even if what he said was normal.
Of course, the reason I chose to speak like that wasn't only because of how I interpreted the character. The main reason was that I didn't want to be so harsh to a child. The NPCs in this game were insanely well-made, after all.
Children have to be protected and grow up in a happy environment…
"…Why were you being held captive here?"
"My… My mom didn't come back the day she went to clean the sewers… So I came to find my mom. I'm sorry…"
Aah, this poor kid. He got caught while looking for his mother. This uncle is about to cry, cry, I say.
"…That's not your job, kid. You should have waited and trusted the adults."
"I'm sorry…"
"Don't apologize to me. I'm not the one you should apologize to."
Even if this was a game, things weren't that easy. Parents would often die because they lived in a far too dangerous world, leaving their children behind.
Urgh, after logging out, I'll talk to my mom and dad. It had been a long time.
Thanks to this Quest, I decided to be more filial after a long time. What a surprising effect this game had.
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Chapter 5: I Shouldn't Have Done That (5)
It had been a long time since I last thought about my parents.
But filial piety was one thing, and Quests were another. There were still six items left to find.
"Wait."
I had checked every other area of the sewers, so the remaining six had to be here.
I searched around where the kid had been tied up, finding some bones hidden between the roots.
"M-mom…"
As I did, the child recognized the skeleton's belongings as his mother's and started crying, but… I couldn't do anything for him except properly retrieve her corpse.
Anyway, I had found all thirteen various keepsakes, but I felt I would go blind from straining my eyes to look for them without a single indication of their location.
Seriously, those Deep Sea Pearl guys. They had admittedly built a well-made game, but they really hadn't taken the player's convenience into account. Well, it wasn't that bad, though.
"Little brat."
"Mom… Waah."
It seemed the child wouldn't move by himself, so I just carried him in one arm and left the cave. Considering I could easily swing a giant sword with both hands, carrying this kid was easy as pie.
The Demonized space can be Purified by burning it with Divine Power or Pure Flames. Depending on one's class, Purification methods may vary.
Demons respawn in Unpurified spaces.
Do not let Demons tread this land again.」
It said the place needed Purification, so I pulled an oil container from my bag and sprayed its contents everywhere.
This system also existed in the original and was actually pretty easy to perform. You got an oil container as a starting item, after all.
Just as I was about to throw a lit torch onto the oil I had spread, the blocked roads came to mind.
…I had just remembered that part. I was sure I had to burn these places to fill the gauge to 100%, right?
Achieving 100% Purification wasn't a condition to finish this Quest, so it probably didn't matter much. However, as I expected, not doing it would leave me uncomfortable, so I should try it on my way out.
With such thoughts in mind, I made my way out once I saw that the Purification progress was slowly rising. I felt slightly suffocated, after all. It seemed they had also simulated the lack of oxygen caused by lighting a fire in a closed-off cave.
It would have been nice if they'd just inflicted a slight suffocation. Instead, I could even feel a tightness in my lungs and my heart rising into my throat.
Despite the pain level being set pretty low, it felt extremely unpleasant.
While I lacked any asphyxiation-related trauma, this might cause some controversy. Would others be okay?
I coughed a bit and quickened my steps, covering my mouth with my gauntlet. I still had to hurry since I didn't know how the child would fare.
Cough, cough.
"…Tsk."
When I heard the child coughing, I just ran, fortunately much faster than I'd thought.
"You okay?"
"…Yes."
We escaped that space in under three minutes, though I hadn't yet left the sewers. I'd only rushed to a place where the smoke couldn't reach us yet.
The rest was easy. Now that I had learned starting fires would only harm me, I didn't attempt to Purify this place any further, and finding my way out was very easy as it was a road I had already walked on.
Fortunately, I had a pretty decent memory when it came to orientation. I hadn't really noticed when dealing with the Goblins, but these passages were unusually long.
I felt like I had been walking for more than half an hour.
Creak.
Bam!
Still, I eventually found the exit, kicked the iron door open, and took a deep breath. It still smelled musty, but the air was fresher than in the sewers.
The rays of the setting sun stung my eyes.
Had it taken me about two or three hours, then? I couldn't remember when I had entered the sewers, but I knew it was daytime, and an in-game day had eight hours.
Well, it should have taken a good amount of time to find my way around the sewers and defeat all those Demons. Besides, considering the size of that sewer system I had just explored, I felt like even more time had passed, like I had been in there for four or five hours.
If they had provided something like a clock function, I would have known exactly how much time had passed, so that was a bit disappointing.
"Little kid."
"…?"
Anyway, I checked on the kid in my arms. I could see a confused expression on his dirty face.
Tears still flowed from his eyes, but as long as he was alive, that was enough for me.
I climbed up the riverbank and slowly made my way back to town. I had been told to report to the guild about the mission, so that was what I needed to do now.
"Sir Knight."
I stopped for a second. After calming down slightly, the kid called out to me in a whimper.
"Mom will be happy by God's side, right?"
It was a question with a fixed answer.
"Yes."
I soon reached the Adventurers' Guild.
* * *
"Oh, Adventurer? What happened… What's with the child?"
Maybe because it was now evening, the guild was even noisier than before. However, the service windows were a little emptier than before as most of those present were here to get drunk.
Thanks to that, it was very easy to reach the clerk, Izren. I had to report to her and hand the child over as well.
"Take him."
I pushed the child to her as she came from behind the window.
I expected members of the general public who didn't carry around giant greatswords would find it relatively difficult to hold him, but the clerk carried him pretty well.
Amazing. I would have stumbled if given a child like that in real life.
"This child…"
"He's the son of a worker. He said he went into the sewers to find his mother. If you want more information, listen to my detailed report."
I didn't really want to go into too many specifics with the child around, so I just roughly summed up what had happened.
"What?!"
Naturally, the clerk looked back at the child I had handed to her like a relay baton. The kid was tightly clutching his mother's keepsake, remaining silent.
"I-I'll see to this matter right away. We will take care of the child for now."
? Demons eliminated: 71 / ??
? Subquest - Keepsakes found: 13 / 13
😍 Casual Date is just a click away!Sign up & start meeting women in your area today.? Subquest - Traces of deceased Adventurers retrieved: 10 / ??
? Optional: Saved the Child」
Once the clerk said that, one part of the Quest was shown as cleared. I guessed the others would also get cleared once I reported the rest.
"Where should I put the recovered belongings?"
"Ah, did you bring back the workers' belongings? You can just put them down over here for now."
The clerk handed the child to her colleague and led me to the service window. Following her hand, I saw a bench-like desk that was neither very wide nor narrow. It seemed she was asking me to put them there.
Clatter.
I poured out all the keepsakes on top of it without any hesitation. I'd brought back accessories and clothes as keepsakes. For traces of dead adventurers, I'd retrieved things like adventurer's cards to prevent any mix-ups.
"Y-you brought back a lot."
Of course. How could I just ignore Subquests unless I was in a situation where I couldn't do them? Well, it had been me who gave them the impression I would just ignore others' circumstances, of course.
I looked down at the clerk with a frown on my face. The clerk slightly gulped and quickly went through the keepsakes.
"By any chance, are these the belongings of all 13 deceased workers?"
"What else does it look like?"
Regardless of what I was thinking on the inside, I saw the clerk reacting quite nervously, which made me feel somewhat guilty.
"M-my apologies. We will deliver the belongings to the client first to verify the identity of their owners. As for these adventurer's cards…"
She choked up a bit. A bloody, bronze-colored card was at her fingertips.
"…On behalf of the guild, I would like to thank you."
That slightly muffled voice made me feel somewhat strange because it was an exceedingly human reaction. I had always longed for realistic NPCs, so why was I so uncomfortable now that I had them?
I wondered if this was how Skynet was actually born. Of course, it was still fun, so I obviously would keep going!
"Have you finished hunting for the day?"
"…?"
What was she talking about? Why would a player suddenly stop their hunt partway?
"Ah… Are you going to go back to the sewers now? Do remember to rest a little, though…"
"I don't understand what you mean. Why should I go back to the sewers?"
Hmm, was it because of the Purification? But wasn't it kind of weird that I had to do it myself?
"Do I have to do the Purification as well?"
"You have to catch… the other Demons…? What? Purification?"
I frowned as I remembered that the Purification progress had halted at about 43%.
It wasn't that big of a deal if one could just use a Purification Stone to take care of things, but the Demon Knight could only Purify Demonized places with fire. I might end up suffocating to death if I did the Purification myself. I wanted to avoid that if possible.
"L-let me ask you something… Have you already eliminated all the Demons, by any chance?"
That was a rather sudden question. I raised my eyebrows.
"Do you think I'd be standing before you now if I hadn't?"
"To make me… take the child back to his home?"
If I had found him in the middle of my exploration, that might have been the case… Did she think I ended my day's exploration because I found that kid?
Was this NPC programmed to show such a reaction if the clear time was faster than normal? But I didn't think I cleared the dungeon that quickly, though.
"…How very unpleasant. Are you looking down on me?"
She desperately shook her head when my expression changed into a frown.
"No, I didn't mean to look down on you. My apologies, Adventurer. So all Demons have been removed, leaving only the Purification?
"Yes."
"…I shall contact the client right away then."
Fortunately, I didn't have to take care of everything. It would have been difficult to fulfill that condition. How lucky.
? Talk to the Client」 Adding to my confidence, the Quest information was updated. The sewer Quest was really over.
* * *
* * *
In the Guild's Tavern, you can enjoy cheap meals and alcohol, but the taste will be inferior. However, if you're lucky, you might receive some useful information.」
While waiting for the client, I gained more insight into the Guild's system and even got some dinner.
Right around when I finished my meal, the Quest NPC's messenger arrived.
"This is the commission fee. And… we will pay the broker fee for you."
A high-ranking member of that company had called for me, so I'd had no choice but to come to them. Instead, they decided to pay the broker fee for me.
I wondered if anything would have changed had I not collected all the workers' belongings. Honestly, I was the only one unhappy with these kinds of Quests since NPCs had no qualms about sending players out on such missions.
"Will that be alright, Miss Clerk?"
"If that is what you decided, I believe it should be fine."
"Alright then, here you go. The promised 400,000 Gal."
I knew I would receive that much money, but was it really correct? I had also been surprised by the amount before, but even after I received the sum, I still couldn't believe it.
Wasn't this a bit much to give out as a reward for finishing the tutorial?
"I have confirmed the amount."
The moment I pushed the gold coins into my inventory, I could barely suppress my trembling heart as I admired the insane amount of money displayed in the bottom corner. I had no other choice but to feel that way.
Most games, even the original Legend of Heroes, only gave out money in units of hundreds or thousands for the completion of a Quest. In some cases, they didn't even pay with Gal but instead offered pieces of cheap equipment or consumable items as a reward.
That was because one could gain even more loot by just walking along the road or hunting some mobs than by completing Quests.
The remake was different, though. Instead of getting money by hunting mobs, it seemed they made it possible to earn money just by completing Quests. Otherwise, they wouldn't give out Quest rewards in units of hundreds of thousands.
"About the spoils from the Demons…"
No, there weren't any. Earlier, I mostly focused on Attack and Defense skills and hadn't even looked at any Survival skills, but it seemed there was a skill called [Butcher] among them.
It was a skill that enabled one to get spoils from the carcasses of animals or Demons. If one selected it, they could earn money just by hunting instead of doing Quests.
I really wondered if I could make more money than this through that method.
"I'm not interested…"
That said, I didn't regret choosing [Melee Combat]. Considering my character settings, it was doubtful I would ever even think of trying to get spoils from Goblins.
On the other hand, the [Melee Combat] skill and the [Parry] skill I'd gotten right after came in handy. Even if I knew of the existence of [Butcher], I definitely wouldn't have chosen it first.
"...in the pocket change I would gain from those worms."
I stood firm and refused all extra rewards. It's not that I didn't consider it a waste, but for the sake of my roleplaying, I had to overcome these kinds of things.
I could assure you that I didn't feel the slightest regret in my answer.
"Is that all?"
😍 Casual Date is just a click away!With my legs and arms crossed and my head slightly lowered, I asked in a rather mocking tone. The middle-aged NPC picked up on that and replied with 'Yes.'
Tada dada!
The SFX for completing the Quest sounded in my ears.
"Then there's no reason for me to stay here any longer."
Whoops. My expression almost broke. Why did those guys set the sound effect volume so damn high? If I didn't lower it, it might give me a heart attack one of these days.
"I'll go now."
I stood up from my seat as I calmed my pounding heart, not putting back the chair I had pushed out.
"In that case, I shall take my leave as well."
The clerk also stood up to follow behind me.
Stepstepstep.
It was then I could hear the unconcealed sound of running from the hallway. I could feel the urgency in their steps.
"What's going on?"
I opened the door and stepped aside. Soon, someone came rushing into the room, almost falling. The clerk stepped back in surprise.
"S-sir!"
"Is your buttocks on fire or something? What is it?!"
The old man spoke up. I waited and watched the situation while trying to refrain from laughing out loud. It was a bit startling, but this had to be part of the Main Quest.
Even if I didn't remember much of the original, my years of gaming experience told me this smelled like a Quest.
"We received a rescue signal! A flare has been shot from somewhere nearby! It's a signal flare belonging to our company!"
"What!?"
As expected.
"I informed the castle guards, but they said it would be difficult to move out at the moment and would take some time…!"
"Those bastards never move their asses despite blowing through our tax money up there!"
The old man yelled, his blood pressure obviously rising through the roof. Seriously, that guy seemed like he could easily live to be 200.
"Send out my men now!"
At that moment, my eyes met with that old NPC.
"You! You also go!"
"…Do not order me around."
There was no way someone with this character's temperament would respond well to one-sided orders. He didn't even say that Demons were involved. Actually, it was pretty uncertain who attacked them.
After reaching that interpretation, I crumpled my facial expression to show off my pride.
"So you're saying you won't do it?"
"I have no reason to listen to your orders."
"Aargh, so are you going to do it or not?!"
However, it would be somewhat weird to refuse outright. I didn't really have any reason to absolutely refuse.
I glanced at the clerk. She also happened to look at me.
"As this seems to be an urgent matter, we can postpone the creation of a contract."
"…You'll have to provide me with reasonable pay."
"I'll take care of that!"
"I'll agree then. Lead the way."
We should leave right away. But where did we even have to go? After gathering that information, I should hurry up and kill the threat.
? Optional: Join the mercenaries
? Move to the battle site
? Raiders eliminated: 0 / ??
? Subquest - Number of survivors: ?? / ??」
I opened the Quest Window just in case and found it holding useful information. Even though the contract hadn't been written yet, a Quest was created anyway.
I checked the Quest contents and tried to guess the location of the battle site. Even without a Minimap, it wasn't difficult to check for certain locations using my Area Map; it was simply uncomfortable having the entire Map floating before my eyes all the time.
"Get the horses ready right now!"
"Y-yes!"
Fortunately, the messenger also doubled as our guide.
"What about mercenaries—"
"Not necessary."
It was just a tutorial, so why should I drag those mercenaries with me? I didn't really want to put up with those nuisances.
? Optional: Join the mercenaries
? Move to the battle site
? Raiders eliminated: 0 / ??
? Subquest - Number of survivors: ?? / ??」
The Subquest telling me to find survivors really bothered me.
While it didn't give a definitive number, my intuition as a veteran told me this was a timed Quest. Unless bringing mercenaries with me was absolutely necessary, I thought it would be best to go to the battle site first.
"B-but it'll be dangerous there."
"…Are you actually suggesting that I would be in danger?"
It was just a starting Quest. How could something like that be dangerous to me? I was just worried about all those NPCs. Considering how long it would take to get there, I might not be quick enough even if I left now.
"Just let him go!"
Then, the old man suddenly stepped in.
"If he managed to clean up the sewers on his own, he wouldn't end up croaking even if he went ahead!"
"Y-yes!"
He unexpectedly helped me out. The messenger led me straight to the stables.
"You can ride that one!"
The horse he gave me seemed big and muscular. However, horses were a popular means of transportation in games, so instead of being scared, I immediately got on its back.
One of the games I played before was a horse-racing simulator. It had even been evaluated as being really close to reality.
Thanks to that, I was pretty familiar with horseback riding.
"Giddy up!"
The pole-like legs of the horse began to gallop right away, crushing the earth beneath its hooves.
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