NOVEL WEB Chapter 4: NPCs
"My… Clarent? What is this doing in here?"
It was the sword that I always used inside Magique, the game that I usually played during my free time. This blade was a legendary weapon that could slice its foes like butter. However, the sword's power had a relationship directly linked to the player.
If the player wielding the blade had a low level, the damage output would also turn out low. Since I was an overpowered character inside Magique, the damage of my Clarent remained to skyrocket over the roof.
"Now that I think about it. Didn't that mysterious voice mention about me living in a different world?" I mumbled, while still bathing on the ground, with the sun scorching my already fried body.
I jerked my hands and forced them to move in front of my face. Although the pain still crept through my veins, my hands lifted themselves when I told them to rise.
'If I mimicked my character's movements, maybe I could open my notification window too?' I thought, and continued doing my thing.
"Ah-ha! It's here! That's why everything looks so familiar! I knew it! I freaking knew I was in Magique!"
It was as the mysterious voice had mentioned from before. My soul or consciousness transferred into this game, and I could use my character as a vessel inside this game.
'If that were the case, why would I feel pain when I get hurt? And why would anyone summon me in this world? Is my purpose linked with being a hero?' All those questions raised in my mind left me unanswered by this game.
[Identity status opened…]
[Welcome, Arthur Wyllt]
[Statistical Power- 10]
[Titles]: {Descendant's Hero}
[Species]: {Human}
[Occupation]: {Adventurer}
[Class]: {Knight}
[Level 1] {Next Level-> 0/0 Experience}
[Stat points]- 0 remaining status points!
[STR]- 2 [VIT]- 3 [MEN]- 1
[DEX]- 1 [INT]- 2
[M. DMG]-1
[CRT]- 0.00%
[H. RATE]- 100.%
[C. DMG]- 0.0%
[DEF]- 2
[P. RES]- 1.0%
[M. RES]- 90.9%
[EVD]- 0.3%
— [Health] --- {5/5 [+1.0 Hp regeneration per minute]
— [Arcana] --- {3/3 [+0.8 Arc regeneration per minute}]
"Wait... this couldn't be happening…" Despite my wounds churning my insides, I got up from the ground and glared at the numbers. "AND WHY DO I HAVE A STATISTICAL POWER OF 10?!"
I thought that the numbers I saw were only bugs left by the game developers. 'Those game developers must be trolling me,' I thought, and crossed my shoulders. However, no matter how long I glued my eyes to the azure window, nothing had changed.
"... You're kidding, right…?" After a complete minute, nothing happened. It remained the same.
"WHY DID THE GAME NERFED MY CHARACTER!" It would have been awesome to have my powers while living in this world, but it did not.
The game messed with me! After playing the game that I loved, that spark killed me and carried me over here! Nobody told me about anything, not even the instructions. That mysterious voice even asked me about playing the hero, but took it all back right after hurling me to this place.
Not to mention, those hardships that I experienced all went down the drain.
"Uhh, mister? Is your head alright?" The girl said, as she reached out her hands for my head.
My hands reacted as I pushed the windows away from my screen. The girl's voice reminded me that the event was still happening before me.
She caressed my scalp, checking for wounds or bumps that could have formed on top of my oblong head. After she finished examining me, the girl changed her demeanour. She looked at the guy who bullied me before.
That little lady puffed her cheeks and scolded her brother. "I told you not to make fun of older people! Look at him now! He has an illness in his head! If you just watched over that herd, this would never happen!"
'Illness? Does this girl think I have a loose screw inside my brain?' I thought, but I kept that idea to myself. The girl had her reasons to say that, given that I was inspecting my windows.
But that only meant one thing. These people cannot see my status window. If they did, these two kids would have pointed that out and pestered me about it.
'And wait a minute... are these really people or NPCs? (Author's note: NPCs are the non-player character inside a game.)' The thought never left my head.
If my soul arrived in this world, all creatures I would interact with were probably non-player characters. These beings should not act like humans or other entities. All of them must follow a script that the game developers assigned to them.
But the situation became a little unsettling for me. These children had emotions that were not available from the game. I could hardly imagine communicating with these NPCs from my previous life when I was still playing Magique on my Gamestation.
'These two were not that lively. In fact, I don't even remember children talking to characters!' I remarked.
"I'm sorry, Rain. It's my fault…" the lad replied, with his eyes dropping to the ground.
A tear nearly formed on the boy's eyelids. But as soon as he noticed my orbs staring at his embarrassed figure, he wiped off his face and let out his tongue.
"You're still a loser if you think I regret making fun of you!" the boy exclaimed, and ran ahead where the hogs had marched.
"Please forgive my stupid brother. He acts all mighty just because he has a strong affinity as a knight class!" The girl lowered her head and expressed her apologies to me. "I'll take my leave then, mister! See you in the village!"
After our exchange, the girl waved her hand goodbye and went off to behind the energetic boy. These two were the perfect examples of siblings that had striking personalities with one another.
The boy was a hot-headed, troublesome kid, while the girl was the shy one who controls her idiotic brother. It was a classic duo that every storyline should have! However, as I had mentioned before, these occurrences were not available in the original game.
If a player logged inside Magique, that player would appear inside the church. A summoning circle awaited every newbie player who had entered the game. Those magic circles served as the starting point for every adventurer.
Those veteran players had their own magic circle carried with them in their options. Anywhere they go, these players can log in and log out whenever they wish. I also had that option ready in my settings, but not right now.
The system identified me as a rookie member that only started with a pair of ragged clothing like a villager. It gifted and equipped me with beginner items such as the light-feathered armour, brown leather boots, and gloves that I deemed useless in the game. These items did not give any additional status points or defence.
This equipment served as designed to "look cool" on the battlefield.
But this blade stood out the most. It was my Clarent's blade. Among the legendary items that I had, this sword remained beside me. It was a weapon that aided me in countless battles. We had slain billions of foes and completed S. rank missions using this sword.
Just as I was about to get lost inside my train of thoughts, a farmer approached behind me. I turned around and spotted his eyes glued to my hips. With a wry smile, the man scratched his head and apologised to me.
"Sorry, little guy! I didn't see you there! I must have thought you were a bandit or something! But seeing your sword beside your waist, you must be an adventurer!" the farmer exclaimed. His lips curved out a smile as soon as he finished his sentence.
More weird NPC characters greeted me the moment I arrived in this game-like world.
"Yes. It's fine. Can you tell me where I am? I'm kind of lost." I explained, and made up a believable lie.
If there was one thing I needed to get, that was more information. I wanted to know what chapter of the game I was in right now. It was so I could follow the storyline.
But judging from the terrain, the land was not experiencing a war between the demons and humans.
"You're in the village of Cornwall! Can't you see my babies?" the man said, and directed his gaze at our rear. "Those, mister, are my beloved crops!! All of them are corn! Pretty cool, don't you think, young man! Mwahaha!"
I had a terrible feeling about this, especially after hearing his laughter. That tone had struck a note inside my ears like a guitar with an out of tune guitar. It was a memorable sound I cannot forget.
"Is there a war against the kingdom and the demons?" I asked.
The farmer's expression shifted into a more serious note. He widened his eyes and opened his mouth. His hands also quivered as soon as he spoke.
"Yes, young man. Demons have done it again. In the next seven days, monsters will attack this village. A monster horde is drawing near, young lad."