Arknights: I became an NPC in the online game

Felix sneered inwardly. He never believed in drop rates. As someone who used to play pay-to-win mobile games, he was all too familiar with only receiving the guaranteed reward after countless pulls. He didn't believe in luck—whether European-tier fortune or African-tier drought. No jackpot? No problem—he'd just take the guaranteed pity reward!

Still, this time felt... strange. Could it be that he actually absorbed some good luck from those two?

Does that mean... from now on, I'll need to touch them before rolling blueprints or opening loot crates?

Felix pondered seriously. He wasn't a player anymore, after all—touching an NPC wouldn't get him booted from the game. Hmm... he'd keep this in mind for future use.

That said, just because he obtained a blueprint for the Clever didn't mean he could immediately forge the equipment. Its construction required far too many rare materials. At present, he had no access to high-level batteries, curved metal components, and other advanced materials—because frankly, he never expected to obtain the Clever in the first place. Naturally, he hadn't prepared the necessary resources in advance.

What's more, programming the Clever to perform even basic tasks would require a minimum of engineer-level proficiency. The sub-professions in Ark were highly specialized—players like Final Fantasy exemplified this. Each sub-profession could only reach the upper limit of its respective skill tree, so most crafters would choose one or two specializations at most. Only a handful of hardcore players—like Felix himself—would attempt to master synergistic sub-professions together.

So while obtaining the Clever blueprint was exciting, it was clear that producing it would take a significant investment of time and effort.

Still, with the blueprint now in hand, Felix could finally relax a bit. After all, blueprint exploration wasn't cheap, and he hadn't yet completed his progression through the gunsmithing tree. As his profession level increased, the cost of blueprint exploration would only climb higher.

After glancing once more at Senomi and Mandragora, Felix retracted his gaze, stopped gambling for blueprints, and turned back to his work—continuing to hammer away at equipment for players.

By day's end, Felix handed Mandragora her hourly wage. The girl accepted it with a solemn nod, expressing her thanks. She also asked if she could continue walking home together with Pioneer Brother and Senomi.

Naturally, the trio parted ways at the usual fork in the road. Mandragora headed down the path toward Tara Street. Halfway through, she turned to look back—and found the two still standing there, watching her leave. A warmth surged in her heart, washing away the cold, cynical shadows and pain that had long lingered inside her.

Felix took Senomi's hand and resumed the walk home.

"Senomi, what do you think of Mandragora?"

Senomi tilted her head in confusion. "Master, I'm not sure I understand. Do you mean what I think about Mandragora?"

"Mm. Her personality, how she treats people—anything that comes to mind."

Senomi pursed her lips, looking a bit uneasy. They had just said goodbye to Mandragora not long ago, and the two of them had even chatted like friends. Now her master was asking for an evaluation—it made her feel slightly guilty.

Felix noticed her discomfort and gently rubbed her head. "I'm not asking you to criticize her. I just want you to learn how to read people. Pay attention to the little things. You'll meet all kinds of people in the future—and I want you to be able to judge their character. Don't trust others too easily, or you might get hurt."

Senomi hummed softly at his words. She wiped her eyes and smiled. "Master, I understand."

After a brief pause, she added quietly, "Mandragora is a little impulsive. She likes to steer conversations herself. In that sense, she's a bit like Degenbrecher."

Felix nodded. It was natural for those labels to be associated with Mandragora. After all, her origins had already shaped the expectations placed upon her.

All he could do was offer her a better label—one of kindness and trust.

The two returned to the hotel, chatting and laughing along the way. Before dinner, Senomi was called over by Degenbrecher to begin her daily training. Felix sat on the balcony, sipping a drink, watching as Senomi followed Degenbrecher's movements in the courtyard. Her earnest expression made her look particularly adorable.

Perhaps it was because she knew Felix was watching, but Senomi worked harder than usual that day. After training, her stomach gave a loud growl, prompting laughter. The three of them sat down to enjoy dinner together.

As the "daughter" figure in the group, Senomi spoke in her soft voice, recounting the interesting things that had happened that day—naturally including stories about Mandragora.

When Degenbrecher heard that she had made a new friend, she was genuinely happy for her. After dinner, Senomi walked a few laps around the yard to help digest the food. Degenbrecher, meanwhile, sat on the sofa next to Felix, her gaze following the girl with a satisfied smile.

"Boss, what do you think about the girl named Mandragora?"

Felix understood right away—Degenbrecher wasn't asking for compliments or a casual summary. What she wanted to know was what kind of person Mandragora really was. In that moment, she resembled an older sister trying to understand her little sister's new friend—to make sure Senomi wouldn't be led astray.

"She's from Tara," Felix said calmly. "Grew up with the scorn and discrimination of the Victorians. Her family life wasn't exactly happy. Like many in this suffering land, she doesn't have any shining achievements or lasting memories—she's just trying to live."

He paused before continuing. "She's a little extreme in her actions. In some ways, she's just as headstrong as you, Degenbrecher. She has her own views, makes her own choices. Sometimes she bursts with a kind of wild energy—almost manic. She does all kinds of shameless or silly things without a second thought."

He looked out at the courtyard, expression unreadable. "When she saw Senomi calling me 'Master' today, for some reason, she lashed out at her. She wanted to know why."

Degenbrecher smiled faintly. "And then?"

Felix gave a small grin. "Senomi really is your student. She took Mandragora down with a textbook shoulder throw."

Degenbrecher laughed, then glanced over at him with meaning in her eyes. "Boss, I heard from Senomi that this little girl, Mandragora, called you 'Pioneer Brother'?"

"What about it?"

"Nothing."

Degenbrecher shifted her gaze toward Senomi in the yard. "Boss, are you planning to train Mandragora?"

"I've been thinking about it," Felix admitted. "But the right time, the right place, and the right people aren't lined up yet. I can't just take her away. She still has family here. It'd be too cruel to separate her from them."

With that, the conversation came to an end. Degenbrecher had no objections to Felix's decision. She stood and walked into the yard, beginning a conversation with Senomi.

---

Over the next few days at the factory, Senomi and Mandragora gradually became familiar with each other. What began as a casual playmate relationship soon deepened into genuine friendship. Both of them came from the lower class, and perhaps because they shared certain similar qualities, they found much in common.

Mandragora frequently pestered Senomi to tell her stories about her travels across Terra with her "Pioneer Brother." Her curiosity was boundless, and to be honest, she was fascinated by every detail.

Meanwhile, Felix was busy hammering away at iron while casually browsing the forums, checking up on the latest movements among the players.

It was now the year 1089, and Terra had entered a period of relative peace. Other than some unrest in the Kazdel region, most other areas remained calm. Players, accustomed to this lull, took the opportunity to develop themselves in earnest. Many threw themselves into high-intensity land reclamation and logging efforts.

Before long, the first player to reach Level 26 appeared on the server. He proudly posted his personal information on the forum—though he deliberately blurred out his secondary profession and attribute details.

As expected, a flood of sarcastic comments followed. Many users joked that his secondary professions were probably worthless—things like farming—claiming he might have reached a high level but couldn't even handle a few Originium bugs.

After all, even the top professional teams had players only around Level 25. And considering the varied experience requirements for each secondary class, how could a lone player out-grind the professionals?

Another typical round of verbal sparring ensued, and Felix found it highly entertaining.

Around this time, several top domestic professional teams began making announcements a few months after the server had opened. Miss Yanfei from Yanyu Pavilion shared a photo of her team in training on the forums, which quickly racked up thousands of likes. Yanyu Pavilion had many female players, and the public loved the energy and enthusiasm of their training sessions.

A portion of Yanyu Pavilion's players had gone to Iberia, clearly planning to pursue the sniper career path. Meanwhile, the others were in Victoria, seemingly aiming for the guard or defender specializations.

This confused Felix a little. He remembered that in his previous life, Yanfei had chosen the Feline race and had been born in Victoria. So why was she in Iberia now? And why had she become a Sankta?

Very strange.

During a break for food, Felix noticed that Magic ZX had uploaded two new videos.

The title of the first video read:

"A Chronicle of Scrapping Days in Kazdel After being left by the Pioneer"

Felix couldn't help but laugh the moment he read it—but before clicking play, he looked over the second video.

This one had been created through a collaborative effort. Among the many accounts involved, Felix recognized two: Huangtianhoutu and YangyanXF.

The title of the second video was:

"1.0 Super Condensed Research Strategy: Rainy Night Knight Guard Battle"

They'd already cleared the strategy?

Felix thought for a moment and realized that nearly two months had passed in real life since launch. At that pace, it wasn't surprising at all.

He hadn't expected the players to name the instance "Guardian Battle." Well, it certainly sounded grand and solemn enough.

As usual, the explanation segment of the video was handled by the ever-reliable Magic ZX. This particular guide was an integrated version that also covered the strategic battle from the earlier stage. Felix skipped ahead to the second half, focusing on how to counter the lethal formation formed by assassins after the players met up with the pioneers.

The strategy for handling it was actually quite straightforward. There was a fork in the sewer system that led to two other branch waterways. After eliminating the patrolling assassin guards stationed there, players could stealthily make their way upstairs and quickly dispatch several sniper assassins who were lying in wait on the second floor, preparing to execute a deadly shadow-killing ambush. Meanwhile, the rest of the team would advance directly alongside the pioneers.

At this stage, the three tanks remained positioned at the front line, continuing to benefit from the team bonus provided by the pioneers.

What caught everyone's attention was that the pioneers' drone could actually shoot arrows! Players looked at their own Pathfinder tools and suddenly felt underwhelmed. I want a drone that shoots arrows too!

A short cutscene played during this section—depicting the Assassin's League executing more than a dozen innocent Infected. The Dynasty team fell silent when the scene unfolded. No one knew what to say. On-screen, the live barrage was filled with crying emojis and stunned reactions.

In this land of suffering, the Infected were treated like trash. Even their deaths were cruel and dehumanizing.

At this point, the Pioneer and the Black Knight split up. The Pioneer remained behind to hold off the enemies pursuing the Black Knight, while she pressed on toward the arena.

The Dynasty team split again as well. One more tank stayed behind with the rear guard, while the main force advanced with the Black Knight. From here on out, there were no overly complicated mechanisms. It became a pure test of each player's combat finesse and mastery of their chosen profession. The final third of the stage offered no shortcuts—only skill could carry them through.

Finally, standing in the Black Knight's way—and that of the remaining players—was a Black Iron-level assassin. Despite being a sniper by class, his melee combat ability was exceptional, as if archers were expected to be proficient in close quarters too. The Black Knight intercepted several crucial, plot-critical killing moves on behalf of the players. After a grueling five-minute battle of dodging explosions and countering the enemy's onslaught, the home team finally emerged victorious.

"Thank you for your help."

The Black Knight walked to the edge of the arena. She turned back and, for the first time, offered the players a confident, cool smile. Her golden hair flowed behind her, catching the light. Although she had just emerged from a hard-fought battle, she looked as composed as ever, as if it had merely been a walk under the moonlight.

Then she turned and stepped into the arena—one steady stride at a time.

[Mission Completed]

[Achievement Unlocked: Dominate the Rainy Night Knight]

"Ohhhhhh awesome, They actually cleared it. I have to say, this is truly worthy of being Ark. The dungeon design is incredible. Early on, it challenges your problem-solving and thinking skills, and later it becomes a test of pure DPS output. Both aspects are essential. I'm going to share this video to the strategy group right away."

"The Black Knight smiled back... I'm done for. I'm going to rewatch the video just to admire her all over again."

"The Dynasty team is amazing, and the strategy team is outstanding. They cleared it so quickly! No wonder the recommended level is 25—if your damage isn't high enough, there's no way you can handle the boss's rage phase."

At the end, Magic ZX revealed the drops from the loot box: several weapons and a few pieces of armor. The best gear among them were the short crossbows used by the assassins. Upon comparing stats, players discovered that they weren't exactly exclusive. The equipment sold by the pioneers bore similar attributes, though the direction of specialization differed. For instance, the assassins' weapons leaned toward agility, while the pioneers' gear emphasized strength.

Players were advised to choose equipment that suited their characters' stat builds and make decisions accordingly based on their own attribute preferences.

"We've now learned about the bond that formed between the Pioneer and the Black Knight. Fighting side by side, they became true comrades. But how that relationship shifted to one of employer and employee... we never truly knew. What we did hear were names."

"The Chamber of Commerce and the Armorless Union—these two names came up several times during conversations between the Pioneers and the Black Knight. I think that once we understand what those two are, we'll start to unravel the experiences the Black Knight endured back in Kazimierz."

"The Rainy Night Knight Guard Battle has concluded. I hope everyone enjoys raiding it. For those who haven't received the dungeon crystal yet, don't worry—you can wait a few more days. The Pioneer will appear before players once again in due time. The only question is… which country's players will be lucky enough next time?"