"I'm Baldy. I travel around this world as a tailor, doing production work," he explained.
"I see! That's why you were in such a pinch with that sudden request earlier," Violet remarked.
"Yeah… I have work in Elb coming up, so to be hit with something like that in the middle of the plains was really inconvenient. You saved me," Baldy said gratefully.
As the two of them chatted, the dolls could no longer hold back and sprang into action. The bright girl in white, Wyn, leaped from my shoulder to my head. Giggling, she playfully tugged at the cat ear band I had on.
"Wow, beast ears! Look at the ears!"
"Hey… stop that!"
Following her, the girl in pink, Spring, hopped up to my head too. Together, they pulled at the band repeatedly, seeming to believe it was real. Unfortunately, it wasn't. The band easily came off my head and ended up in Wyn's hands.
"Wow, it came off!"
"Aww, it's fake!"
"Boo hoo!"
So that's how it is when it turns out to be fake, huh? It's just a headband…
As I adjusted the band back on my head, the boy doll, Sarma, jumped from Violet to me. "Are you strong?" he asked curiously.
"Ugh... you're weak."
"Pathetic! Lenny, you're so weak!"
It was Spring who wouldn't stop teasing me. Couldn't she just leave me alone? It hurt…
I also hated how she kept mocking me. I had to put on a brave face.
"Ugh... you're so noisy. I'm going to get stronger!"
"Oh really? When's that going to happen?"
"Someday!"
When Spring heard that, she leaned over to look into my eyes. For the first time, our gazes locked.
"Then it's a promise! You have to get stronger, okay, big brother?"
"Ah... y-yeah! Of course!"
This was bad... I made a promise I couldn't guarantee. I couldn't betray that pure, innocent smile. Dealing with kids was really exhausting.
In the end, the Term that had been riding Ivy jumped over to join us. While surrounded by four little figures, I walked through the meadow, my ears being tugged and my hair tousled. It was quite a scene.
Why were they so clingy? I really disliked kids. I just wanted a break.
We traveled alongside Mr. Baldy and finally arrived at the rural village of Elb.
After battling several monsters, my level had finally risen to six. The clock showed 1 PM, and somehow, lunchtime had come and gone.
We stepped into the small settlement surrounded by fields. According to Violet, this was a quiet village brimming with nature. But things felt different now.
A group of formidable warriors stood around, their fierce expressions keeping a vigilant watch over the players in the village. We felt their piercing glares, trapped in a tense silence where any misstep could spell trouble. Clearly, the atmosphere was anything but normal.
"It's quite noisy, isn't it?" one player remarked.
"Isn't that the Capital's Vigilante Guild, Gold Rush?" another replied, eyes wide.
"Wow, you're right. They've brought quite the entourage… I wonder if there was a PK incident?"
Gold Rush was the formidable second-ranked guild in the guild standings.
Now that I think about it, when I logged in earlier, I had seen two players being chased by this vigilante guild. I had gotten fairly familiar with this world, but this aspect was still a mystery to me. So, I decided to ask Violet.
"What exactly is the Vigilante Guild?"
"In this game, the administration doesn't regulate malicious players. Instead, they track players with poor conduct and reward those who capture them. The Vigilante Guild is basically a group that apprehends players marked for misconduct to fund their operations."
In other words, they could be seen as a righteous organization or, from another perspective, a group of bounty hunters. Among them, Gold Rush, currently present in the village, likely comprised some serious powerhouses.
What could have brought them here? That question was about to be answered by an outsider.
"Well, well! Fancy seeing you again!"
"You are Merrick," Violet said, her eyes narrowing at the figure she recognized in the bustling arena. Merrick, who worked part-time in the arena, seemed to appear and disappear at will.
He might know about the situation in this village. Violet turned to the jester, a hint of concern in her voice. "Do you know what happened?"
"Yes, it's a declaration of intent. Apparently, a letter arrived at the Gold Rush stating that soon the village of Elb would be engulfed in flames. Scary, isn't it? Terrifying, in fact."
His poker face, combined with a lack of urgency, robbed his words of their weight. Yet, what he said felt alarmingly true. The members of Gold Rush were on edge, their eyes darting around as if they were monitoring every corner of the village, clearly engaged in a search for the culprit.
"This might be a good time to leave," Violet suggested, glancing around warily.
"Ugh, a sea of fire? How dreadful! This is unacceptable!" Ivy exclaimed, fury bubbling under her surface. Violet's words resonated with me; staying was indeed perilous. While Ivy seethed with indignation, my primary instinct was to escape. I had no chance against such a ruthless criminal.
"Well, I have my work to do, so I'll take my leave!" Merrick announced, wrapping up the conversation before sprinting off, a whirlwind of activity. Truly, he was a busy man.
We decided to grab lunch while heading to the guild branch that Baldy intended to visit. He was a member of the information board guild, 7net. Consequently, the workshop utilized guild branches in various towns and villages for its production activities.
However, something felt off. I was sure that [7net] was a gathering of players uninterested in clearing games. Yet, Baldy was treating production as his job. Perhaps his initial passion for crafting had always been different, but it seemed to have slowly changed over time.
Led by Baldy, we entered the [7net] guild branch, where a crowd of players had gathered. There were various job classes: fighters, mages, and more, but the one commonality among them was that everyone wore cloth equipment. The moment they saw Baldy, they surrounded him eagerly.
"Ah, you're here! Baldy, can you make something for me?"
"I'd like a Sun Robe!"
"And I want the Flash Garb!"
It seemed they had somehow learned that Baldy would be here. With such excitement, his work was sure to be booming. However, the number of requests was overwhelming. He would have to turn some away, but knowing his personality, that would be nearly impossible.
"Uh... okay, I understand..."
Baldy looked flustered, clearly overwhelmed by their enthusiasm. Did he really intend to fulfill all those requests? The sheer magnitude of it was mind-boggling.
"That kid has it rough..."
"Can't he just whip up something like my grenades—boom, done?"
"The difference between using Ivy items and equipped Ivy items is enormous. Of course, the returns are significant, but equipment doesn't get consumed; the added abilities last forever. It's not like bombs or healing potions."
They probably receive some compensation, but even so, the amount is excessive. Baldy can't possibly handle this. This game doesn't have a stamina system, but it does require mental fortitude to keep going.
"So, they're making such challenging equipment for so many people? It feels less like playing a game and more like being forced to play..."
"That kid seems too nice, taking on every request," one remarked.
The dolls watched, silent and dejected, as Baldy was whisked away by the player. With things like that, there's no way they would be able to engage him.
"Master, you look so tired... We can't be of any help..."
"Aww, Master never plays with us anymore. It's so boring..."
As Spring and Sarma voiced their disappointment, Ivy offered a suggestion to cheer them up.
"Don't worry! Our guild will be your playmates!"
"Wait... What?"
"Wait... What?!"
Violet and I were left speechless. Ivy, you can't just decide this on your own!
"Yay! This is fantastic!"
"Big brother! Let's play!"
In an instant, Spring and Win leap onto me. Seriously? Do I really have to deal with these two for the rest of the time? My nerves are already fraying.
"Ivy... cut me some slack..."
"Come on, it's nice! Everyone seems to really love Lenny!"
It seems I've unwittingly attracted a group of enthusiastic fans. Still, being liked isn't such a bad feeling. I can't help it; it's a hassle, but I might as well indulge their playfulness. So, I resolve myself to go along with it.
We have lunch at the 7net guild branch, discussing our upcoming plans. The place has a small cafeteria and a workshop, providing a sufficient gathering spot for guild members.
Taking lunch in another guild's cafeteria feels rather audacious, like an outsider sneaking a meal at a university dining hall.
Violet takes on her role as master with dedication, organizing our plans for tomorrow. "To reach the capital, Viridian, we'll need to cross the Olive Forest. Since we're out of time today, we'll log out here in the village and set off tomorrow."
We've already consumed the entire morning, leaving us with half a day. Taking down Dan John in this time frame seems impossible. There's supposed to be a way to log out within Dan John, but we don't plan on doing that today.
However, we couldn't afford to waste time idly. We decided to rent the spare workshop from 7net to embark on our first production activity. Since we had helped Baldy, the members of 7net were more than willing to lend us the space.
Ivy focused on sewing, while Violet and I purchased the skill for crafting small items at the skill shop and immediately put it to use. Manufacturing machinery required expensive materials and held significant risks of failure, so we would have to postpone that until we progressed further.
Violet struggled with the finer details of crafting, clearly finding it challenging. Perhaps this was a fundamental difference between production roles and combat roles.
"Ugh, why do I have to do this too?"
"It can't be helped. We don't have anything else to do."
"Come on, you two, keep it up!"
While the four little puppets chimed in with encouragement, Violet and I began to mass-produce early accessories. We were currently making iron bracelets, simple items that offered a slight boost to defense.
As Ivy suggested, I crafted the small items while playing with the puppets, who also helped a little and seemed to be having fun.
"Hey, big brother, you're a mechanic, right? Make us something cool! A robot!"
"I can't afford to create anything fancy yet. Right now, I can only mass-produce grenades."
"Boo hoo!"
Sarma's complaints rang out, but what could I do? If my development caused this guild to go bankrupt, it wouldn't be funny at all.
Sometimes, the members of [7net] offer valuable advice, making the production process surprisingly smooth. It's clear that being part of a large guild is a definite advantage. With various people sharing their knowledge, it seems unlikely that anyone would struggle with production.
One of the guild members laughs as he gives us tips. "You all seem to be having a great time," he remarks.
"Absolutely, it's a lot of fun!" I reply, while Ivy is busy crafting a silk robe through her sewing skills, happily working alongside Term in his red outfit. The workshop is filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
However, over in the neighboring workshop, Baldy is likely feeling quite the opposite. He's probably swamped with production, handling a large volume all by himself. "Baldy used to enjoy his crafting too… but now he always looks so stressed. It's sad to see," I comment.
"Why has it come to this?"
"Ranked 18th in production and 98th overall. He's become a prominent high-level producer. The higher he climbs, the more others expect from him. That pressure might be weighing heavily on him, causing his struggles."