"We meet again," she said.
"So you really are here, NPC Help…"
This was the NPC I encountered yesterday through the help feature, who had endured my barrage of questions. With an expressionless facade, she explained the reason I had been summoned to this place.
"Whenever I appear before a player again, it means you have met the requirements to acquire a special skill."
"Unique skill...?"
"This refers to a skill that is one-of-a-kind in this world. You have the right to receive this skill."
Could this be the so-called cheat skill? A special skill that only I possess. The most powerful skill that, with it...
"I can become strong!"
"You will not. Not at all."
"Wha—hey!"
My hopes are shattered in an instant. A skill that can't make me strong. Is it a crafting skill? Or perhaps an exploration skill? It seems it's neither.
"This skill affects your heart. It has no tremendous power or influence to change this world. It may only be a skill that leads you to suffer and inflict pain upon yourself."
"What use is such a skill...?"
"Even so, I want you to accept this skill. You, who have given solace to the lives born and faded with this [Deepguard]..."
Solace... Could it be that the condition to acquire this unique skill is to build a grave?
What a heart-wrenching condition. Indeed, under such terms, the number of those who can obtain this skill would be quite limited.
However, the fact that it's just me feels off. Anyone who chooses a job that manipulates NPCs, like a summoner, should have some experience with this. It may be rare, but in a game with a large player base like this, there must be at least one other person out there.
"The requirement to acquire this skill is to create a grave, right? Is there no one else who has obtained it?"
"Everyone here is used to the game. A single NPC's death doesn't bother most people. Still, two players have received this skill in the past, but it seems both have quit the game."
"Does that mean the skill was the reason they stopped...?"
"Well, that's likely."
No way, that's terrifying. Anyone who accepts this must be a complete fool.
And apparently, I'm that fool.
Maybe this is fate. Even if this skill is a negative one, it could spark a change in me. If I fail, then that's just my destiny. It's as simple as that.
"I understand... I will accept that skill."
"Very well, then please accept the exclusive skill [Miracle]!"
In an instant, my vision is engulfed in bright white light.
I can see nothing—only a blank, white sky. Amidst it, I catch sight of familiar shapes.
No way… But that figure is unmistakable…
"Everyone..."
Am I hallucinating? No, this is real.
Spring, Sarma, Tarm, and Win are slowly ascending to the heavens.
They climb through the curtain of pure white light, heading towards some distant place I don't know.
"Wait... please, wait for me...!" I shouted, but Spring and the others never looked back. Perhaps that was the rule for the dead. Soon, the four of them faded into the light. So, they made it safely to the other side... Just knowing that was enough for me right now.
My vision returned to the familiar digital expanse of Sky. This was the effect of the skill [Miracle]. I had no power to defeat enemies or influence this world; all I felt was a painful tightness in my heart—a skill of death. What a troublesome burden they've placed on me. No wonder I wanted to quit the game...
"Are you alive...? Do the NPCs in this world really live?" I asked a female NPC. She smiled faintly and replied, "You must already know the answer to that…"
With her words, my consciousness sank back into darkness. I found myself once again at the graves of Spring and the others. For no particular reason, I pulled my goggles down over my eyes, really, for no reason at all. Ivy and Violet were saying something, but I couldn't focus on their words. Right now, something far more important occupied my mind—something that was crucial to everything in this [Deepguard]...
"I understand... I understand the truth of this game..." The NPCs are alive. Their souls exist.
This game is utterly mysterious and bizarre, far beyond the ordinary.
"Deepguard isn't your typical game," he mused—not a guess or a speculation, but a conviction.
In the dark of night on the Ceradon Plain, a man stood apart from Lenny and the others, his head hung low. Alone in the empty field, he cried, consumed by regret and confession.
"Why... how did it come to this?"
Baldy, the tailor, had successfully retreated from the onslaught of the Gold Rush. But now, he found himself depleted of both spirit and strength. He had lost his beloved creation and the trust in his relationships; nothing remained for him now.
"I just wanted to perfect my craft... If my skills could bring joy to others, that would have been enough... So why..."
Suddenly, a voice cut through his despair. "Ah, that's because we gave you the power!"
With that, an arrow struck Baldy's right shoulder. In the darkness, its trajectory was flawless. The marksman was clearly a master of the Night Vision skill.
Baldy felt a surge of pain as he was hit, his body pushed to its limits. Gripping the wound-less, punctured shoulder, he turned to see the archer—
"Ugh... You..."
"The skill Awakening. It was amazing, wasn't it? So thrilling!"
A cute boy wearing a beast mask—Lillie, the archer. He looks down at the incapacitated Baldy with a pure, innocent expression.
"Wow, gamers are really so simple, right? Even if it's something cheat-like, they'll still resort to it for power. Foolish, foolish."
"Everyone wants to feel special. They wish to be better than others."
"That's why they're so easy to manipulate!"
Alongside Lillie is the thief Idema from the Odd Ivy. With a red scarf fluttering, she discusses human psychology, her demeanor cold and ruthless as she gazes at the world.
Both Idema and Lillie belong to a certain organization, secretly working behind the scenes to achieve their goals in this world.
"Did you hear? The guild member your brother got game-overed is desperately trying to protect him. How noble! Even after everything they've been through," Idema laughs.
"I'm so sorry... It's my weakness that caused this..." Baldy mumbles, hanging his head.
Seeing him like that, Lillie bursts into laughter.
"Love it! Playing pretend with shared guilt! When really, it's all our fault! Ah! Thank you for shouldering our sins for us! A-ha-ha-ha!"
For Lillie, joy stems from the misfortune of others.
Watching people suffer, writhe, and despair was his reason for living. Distorted family dynamics and a twisted life seemed to warp and contort his very soul.
"What on earth are you doing?" he asked.
"Don't you get it? You're no longer useful to us. Thanks to you, the gap between Gold Rush and 7net widened, helping us achieve our goal. You've pushed many players to game over and left your mark on the world. You really did well, big brother," Lillie said, punctuating her words with repeated kicks to Baldy's stomach.
"But you're going a bit overboard. If you plant the wrong kind of trauma in him and he quits the game, what then, huh!?"
"Lillie, stop it," Ideenma interjected, halting her with a firm tone. Lillie, now seemingly indifferent to the crumpled figure at her feet, complied without protest.
"Alright, what's next? I'd like to keep an eye on them while doing something in the Green Continent," she suggested.
"How about fairy hunting?"
"Whoa, that sounds brutal! It's totally my style!"
Fairies, a race of NPCs in Deepguard, resided in the Olive Forest, deep within Lenet Village, and had a strong bond with the players.
Under normal circumstances, hunting them would have been impossible. Just as players can't lay a hand on the townspeople, that's the rule of this world. However, those rules didn't apply to them.
"Take Marshmallow with you. It'll make things quicker, right?"
"Oh, so we're doing that... fine by me."
It was clear to anyone that this was an abominable act. The broken spirit of Baldy reignited with determination. He had to do something. If he didn't stop them, someone else would suffer. That thought surged within him.
"Fairy hunting...? No more... no more..."
He pressed his left hand into the ground, gathering strength. Even in this situation, he could still stand. Therefore, there was only one thing left to do: fight with all his might against the great evil.
"Not another step! I won't let you have your way!"
Baldy sprang to his feet, thrusting the large needle in his hand with all his strength. The needle pierced Lillie's head, significantly depleting her Life points—a perfect critical hit. This could turn the tide and allow for even more damage.
That would normally be the case...
"Too bad, it doesn't work that way!"
"What...?!"
Under normal rules, when a player was attacked, they would only take damage, and weapons wouldn't penetrate. This game, aimed at all ages, deliberately avoided graphic depictions of violence.
However, now Baldy's large needle pierced Lillie's head completely. Yet, there was neither blood nor injury. Instead, in the spot where the needle had entered, there was only a sequence of information depicted in ones and zeros. The penetrated area transformed into data and began to regenerate.
"Ch... Cheat...!"
In an instant, as if he were deemed unnecessary, the Idenma's knife slashed through his chest. He didn't even realize this fact as his Life points slipped to zero. This meant game over for him, returning him to the nearest village, Elb, where he would face penalties on his funds and more. Although, at this moment, funds seemed irrelevant.
"Ah, that's right. One last job," Lillie murmured as if something had come to mind. Then, she continued her walk toward the village.
With Baldy's game over, confusion reigned in Elb. Members of the [7net] guild displayed rebellious attitudes toward the [Gold Rush] knights. It was only natural; after all, Baldy was currently in the hands of [Gold Rush].
"Release Baldy!"
"Is your way really to toss someone into game over without a word?!"
The [7net] members believed that Baldy had been forced into game over by [Gold Rush]. However, that was far from the truth.
"Baldy wasn't taken down by us! He was already finished!"
Indeed, it was Ideama and his crew who had defeated him. The members of Gold Rush had no way of knowing the details.
Lillie watched the unfolding chaos with delight. Soon, he shouted a line that would only add to the confusion: "Hey! I saw it! That guy over there just straight-up slashed Baldy!"
"What?!"
At that, all the members of 7net turned their gaze toward a single Gold Rush member, who looked increasingly panicked, scrambling to defend himself. "N-no! That's not true! It's nonsense!"
But it was too late for embellishments; the 7net members were not about to believe him.
Gold Rush fought to protect their Relationships, while 7net battled to avenge theirs. What truly set them apart?
The orchestrator of the chaos, Lillie, left the village unscathed, not a drop of blood on his hands. "We aren't the ones who will turn this village into a sea of flames. It's you guys."
Everything was going according to plan. The declaration of crime was now a reality.
On the third day, as promised to Ivy, I was set to engage in combat training.
At 4 AM in Deepguard time. Unlike last time, I had logged out in the field tent yesterday, which meant I was now in the heart of the plains. Outside, it was pitch dark, the only light coming from the moon.
As I remained cautious of potential monsters, I was being coached passionately by Ivy.
"Today, I'm going to teach you about glancing blows and critical hits. Unlike typical RPGs, this game features real combat. Therefore, there's some ambiguity in how attacks make contact."