Arknights: I became an NPC in the online game

Watching the Doctor leave, Kal'tsit quietly let out a breath of relief. Her gaze shifted, calm and unreadable as a still pond.

"Drones will never take part in this war."

"Why not?"

"Because he once wagered on Babel," Kal'tsit said evenly. "Do you really think he made deals with us years ago out of Sankta 'romanticism,' Closure?"

Closure pouted, unable to find a rebuttal.

Theresa tapped her delicate chin with a fingertip, a strange light flickering in her eyes. "A truly peculiar Sankta… It's a pity I've never had the chance to speak with him face-to-face."

"If one day he settles in Laterano, he would surely be welcomed into the Papal Curia… perhaps even…"

Kal'tsit seemed to pause, reflecting deeply, as if from just a few brief encounters she had already glimpsed part of Felix's true nature. "On the open land, he will be the freest of all."

"Perhaps soon enough, we'll be hearing his name echo across Terra once more."

Closure tilted her head, not fully grasping Kal'tsit's meaning. Theresa, however, seemed to catch on. "That Sankta… do you think he'll establish an organization of his own?"

"Nine chances out of ten," Kal'tsit replied calmly with a nod. "When a war falls into deadlock, any unpredictable variable could tip the scales of its conclusion."

Theresa smiled faintly. "Then it seems I'll finally have the chance to speak with him in person."

"Your Highness," Kal'tsit's lips moved slightly, her tone restrained, "you should rest first. As for news regarding Felix, I'll handle it."

Their conversation ended abruptly, and the three left the conference room. Closure still felt a twinge of regret—why hadn't she tried to probe Felix a little more back then? She vividly remembered when he half-jokingly asked if she wanted to "tag along" with him, to roam the world by his side. She laughed it off at the time, dismissing it as banter. Now, in hindsight, perhaps he had been serious.

Even so, Closure did not regret her choice. From the moment Theresa had reached out a hand to lead her away from that room, she had sworn loyalty to the gentle princess, vowing to devote everything to securing her eventual victory.

Still, recalling Kal'tsit's words, Closure felt a faint sense of anticipation. If fate allowed, she hoped to one day sit down with Felix and talk seriously—about engineering, about machines, about possibilities.

---

After the coming-of-age ceremony came the New Year.

In Laterano, the sound of "firecrackers" rang out endlessly—but upon listening closely, one realized they weren't traditional firecrackers from Eastern Countries. They were explosions.

At year's end, the Festival of Detonation swept through the streets. Residents filled every alleyway, celebrating with a thunderous day of blasting. To them, explosions were art. Explosions brought laughter, warmth, and joy—the perfect way to greet a brand-new year.

Truly, no festival could be more "Laterano."

At first, Senomi, Mandragora, and Susie felt guilty about the practice. But once they saw Felix pilot his prototype drone and drop a bomb module onto a stone statue—reducing it to rubble in an instant—something inside them seemed to snap.

Soon enough, they were buying makeshift launchers from street vendors, gleefully firing explosives at empty buildings and statues.

Degenbrecher and Carnelian laughed heartily, happily immersing themselves in the local customs. Beside them, however, Avdotya was struck by a deeper realization of what Laterano truly was.

The endless blasts left her shaken. Each echo carried a weight of memory—something buried, something painful. Her face paled; every detonation seemed to rattle her soul. A kind of PTSD clung to her.

"Avdotya," Degenbrecher said, glancing at her out of the corner of her eye, "if you're not feeling well, you should rest. Don't force yourself."

"…No, I'm fine."

Avdotya's voice was soft but firm.

Seeing her resolve, Degenbrecher said no more.

Rafaela perched on Felix's shoulder, clutching a stick of cotton candy. Her black eyes sparkled with curiosity and delight; every time an explosion rang out, she would laugh openly. Among the children, she was likely the first to truly enjoy the festival.

"So lively."

"Is it always like this every year?"

"Yes," Felix replied, "it's the grandest festival at the year's end."

Mostima smiled faintly. At her waist hung the pure-white Lumen Guardian. Glancing toward Muelsyse, who walked on Felix's other side, she added, "Laterano has plenty of little festivals, but the most popular is still the monthly shooting competitions."

Their eyes met. Something unspoken flickered between them—or perhaps, to be precise, that odd tension had been there ever since the dinner following the coming-of-age ceremony. The atmosphere between Muelsyse and Mostima had felt… strange.

It wasn't that Muelsyse didn't want to get along with Mostima. To clarify, she simply grew shy and tongue-tied. At the dinner table she had even mistakenly assumed that the carefree, food-loving Lemuel was the one harboring feelings for Felix. That was her blunder.

"Muelsyse, want to join in?"

Mostima extended the invitation. Muelsyse blinked, pointing to herself. "Me?"

"Mhm."

Mostima reached out her hand. "Come on. Let's enjoy it together—it's a rare holiday."

Muelsyse looked at the hand, then at Felix, who was chatting with Rafaela, smiling warmly. Sensing her gaze, Felix turned his head slightly and offered her a smile of his own.

"…Alright."

She placed her hand in Mostima's. Mostima gave Felix a playful wink before leading Muelsyse toward a street vendor selling small-scale explosives.

A rare chance to enjoy a holiday wasn't so bad after all, Felix thought. Though he still hadn't grown used to a city where explosions went off at any moment, there was a saying—when in Rome, do as the Romans do. And as a Laterano native himself, the original owner of this body did have memories of celebrating festivals like this. Thinking back now, Felix felt a trace of sentiment.

Not nostalgia—no, his focus was on the future.

The year 1091 was almost here. Just a few more days.

And with the new year would come several events he had already prepared himself for.

According to the records, Mostima's fall would be triggered by an incident in 1091 involving her squad. That was precisely why Felix had gone out of his way to register and form a squad at the notary office—so that when the moment came, he would be in position to intervene.

After all, while a fallen angel had its own allure—Mostima with her horns and bewitching tail—the price she paid was exile from Laterano, forced into the service of the Papal Curia.

And there was another matter weighing on Felix's mind.

Not far away, in the land of Kazimierz, the Twenty-Second Kazimierz Major—its great knightly tournament—was about to begin.

Having worked with the Commercial Union many times, Felix had received an invitation a year in advance, welcoming him to attend as a guest observer of the Twenty-Second Major.

This tied directly to all the materials Felix had been purchasing from Kazimierz over the years.

But returning to Kazimierz with Degenbrecher was out of the question. They had made an agreement back then, and Degenbrecher herself had no desire to set foot in that land again.

The Twenty-Second Kazimierz Major would be held sometime between August and September—still months away, so there was no rush.

That opportunity would also let him branch into a "side mission" involving the Nearl family. After all, in his previous life, every member of the Nearl family had joined Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals. In this one, he had already left a small impression years ago on two younger girls—Margaret and Maria. By the time the Major came, he would have a reasonable pretext to approach them.

More than the two young ladies—or their aunt Zofia—it was an uncle he looked forward to meeting most.

By then, his company might be in need of new recruits. If the Nearl family had no objections, perhaps he could even try bringing Margaret and Maria aboard. Knowing the storylines of his former life, of course Felix wanted to give it a shot.

The third important matter was the end of Version 1.0 and the beginning of 2.0.

The official launch of 1.0 had been on October 5th, 1087. It ran for nearly four years, finally concluding on September 9th, 1091.

Before that came the first ever World Championship in reality. Countless players he had once known by name would appear on the stage. This time, he planned to simply sit back at home and watch the live broadcast.

After September 9th, the servers would shut down temporarily—players would be away from the game for about a month, though in real-world time it was only around ten days. Much better than the old days when Ark's maintenance could drag on for months at a time.

By then, Felix's company would already be established with its framework in place. For him, it was the perfect chance to draw players in. During the downtime, his team could post announcements on the forums, spreading word of Tomorrow's Development on his behalf.

As for the first wave of players joining his company, he had already thought it through.

But since the headquarters would be in Lungmen, that inevitably meant dealing with Wei Yenwu. Truth be told, Felix disliked exchanging pleasantries with politicians. Their thoughts were layered and deep, every word laced with hints and veiled meanings. Compared to greedy nobles, they were far more difficult to handle.

When that time came, he would need to act alongside the Emperor and the others.

"Felix… Felix, what are you thinking about?" Mostima returned with Muelsyse, handing him the bomb launcher they had just bought. "It's New Year—you should take a proper rest."

"Mm. Thanks."

Mostima lingered only briefly. She was curious about Muelsyse… after all, she knew just how dense Felix could be. Surrounded by goddess-like beauties in school, he had still buried himself in forging steel. For someone like him, to have another girl besides her develop feelings—that alone intrigued Mostima greatly.

During the earlier journey she hadn't been able to accompany Felix, so now, she could only listen as Muelsyse recounted the moments they had shared.

And so, the last day of 1090 came to an end.

Felix stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing calmly at Laterano's starlit night sky. The clarity of the heavens lifted his mood. He shut down the pending tasks on his terminal, stepped out onto the balcony, and raised his glass of sweet wine toward the distant moon.

"1091… a year of upheaval."

He was ready.

"Felix, I'll go bathe first."

Mostima rose from the table and addressed him.

"Wait—you… Miss Mostima, are you saying you're staying here tonight?" Muelsyse, who had just finished a late-night conversation with her, froze with her mouth open. Her small face turned awkward, even a little flushed.

"Of course." Mostima's eyes curved into a smile. "It's a habit by now."

"Uuuu…"

Muelsyse quickly admitted defeat. She had only meant to briefly share a few stories from her travels with Felix, but under Mostima's gentle smiles and carefully chosen words, the innocent little elf spilled everything piece by piece.

"Oh… so that's how Felix saved Senomi."

"Mhm… that also explains why Mandragora's eyes were burning like that."

"Felix's trips really are full of excitement, aren't they~"

Mostima's radiant smile grew brighter as she spoke. Standing out on the balcony, Felix suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Damn it, who was talking behind his back?

Hearing Mostima's words, Muelsyse began to panic.

After all, the one here was only her water clone. How could she possibly let Mostima sleep in the same bed as Felix? Her water clone couldn't perfectly replicate the texture and presence of her real body. If it came down to sharing a bed, the result would be nothing but a puddle.

"Felix, let's… let's not sleep tonight," Muelsyse said pitifully, looking up at him. Felix caught Mostima's sideways smile as she stood by the bathroom door, and he could only sigh, speechless.

"Mostima won't try anything."

He took Muelsyse's hand and led her out onto the balcony, letting the evening breeze wash over them. "Someday, I hope your true self can come traveling with me."

"Mm… I really hope that day comes."

At that, Muelsyse's smile bloomed, as if she were picturing a faraway future.

Felix turned his gaze back to her. "The blueprint for the Horizon Ark will be finished within two years. Muelsyse, is your part ready?"

"Yes. I've already prepared the plant species for testing—whether they can survive at high altitudes or in extreme conditions. But the actual trials haven't begun yet."

"There's no rush." Felix gently patted her head. She blinked in surprise for a moment, then broke into a sly, delighted smile.

"Felix, I feel like… the distance between us has gotten much smaller."

"It has."

"Mm… did you do that on purpose?"

"I did."

Felix met her eyes. In his past life, he had stayed single until the end. Not once had he ever developed this kind of connection with an NPC in-game, nor had he experienced the online romances players often joked about.

"I'll walk with you to the very end, Muelsyse."

"Is… is that a confession?"

Muelsyse averted her gaze, tapping her toes against the floor, her face tinged with embarrassment.

"No. Not yet—it wouldn't be formal." Felix shook his head. "But I'll come to Columbia to find you."

"Mm. I'll be waiting~"