The castle courtyard was eerily very quiet at night.
The once-bustling courtyard, Crowed by may people ,where servants scurried and knights barked orders, had now fallen into a Quite gloomy place . The only sounds were the fox and distant hoot of an owl and the faint clanking of armor from a patrolling guard near the courtyard
Ethan sat on a big pile of hay outside the servant quarters, his body was aching from pain from a full day of back-breaking labor. His arms throbbed from chopping wood, his legs felt like jelly from running around the castle, and his hands blistered and raw stung with every movement.
He let out a long breath and opened his status window.
[Name: Ethan]
[Race: Human (NPC)]
[Class: Servant]
[Stats:]
Strength: 2 (+1)
Endurance: 2 (+1)
Agility: 1
Intelligence: 3
Luck: ???
I actually gained stats today.
Ethan frowned at the screen. In the game, NPCs didn't level up. Their stats were pretty much fixed, and they existed solely as background decorations to make the world feel like alive.
But here he was, growing stronger.
That meant one thing this world wasn't entirely bound by the game's rules it has some loop holes.
A small light of hope ignited in his chest. Maybe he wasn't just some disposable background character. Maybe... he could actually change his fate.
But before he could get excited, reality around him hit him like a bucket of cold water.
Even with these stat increases, I'm still pathetically weak.
A single knight could kill him with one swing of a sword. He had no weapons, no combat training, and no special abilities. If this world followed the game's storyline, it was only a matter of time before things got dangerous.
And when that will happens?
NPCs like him were the first to die from the calamity.
Ethan knew Kingdoms of Eternis inside and out he had played this game for years.
The game had a beautiful world, deep lore, and immersive romance routes but beneath that was a brutal and unforgiving reality.
This was a kingdom on the brink of war.
The main plot revolved around the Hero gathering powerful allies including multiple female leads to fight against the impending invasion of the Demonic Legion.
Throughout the game's story, NPCs suffered.
'Villages were burned down.'
'Castles were attacked.'
'Servants were slaughtered in the crossfire.'
If Ethan followed the script, he was doomed.
I need a plan.
He clenched his fists. If he wanted to survive, he needed to do more than just work as a lowly servant.
He needed to become stronger.
But how?
Training wasn't part of an NPC's daily routine. He couldn't just ask a knight to spar with him they would laugh in his face. And if he openly defied his role, someone would notice.
There has to be some other way…
His thoughts were interrupted by a soft thin voice.
"Hmm! You're still awake?"
Ethan turned slowly his head to see Anna standing nearby. The torchlight from the castle entrance cast a warm shinning glow on her face. She was still in her servant uniform, but she had taken off her apron, letting her short brown hair fall naturally.which looked like a an angel from heaven to Ethan.
"Aah! Couldn't sleep," Ethan admitted.
Anna walked over and sat down beside him. "Hah, I know. After a day like this, it's hard to get any rest."
Ethan studied her.
In the game, Anna was a unknown nameless background character one of many servants who never had any meaningful interactions. But here, she felt… very real.
Her tired expression, the way she rubbed her sore arms, the way she let out a deep sigh which expressed her exhaustion it was all too human to be called as an npc.
"How long have you been working here Anna?" Ethan asked curiously.
Anna gave him a small smile. "Haah Since I was a kid. My parents were farmers, but when a heavy drought hit our village, we had no choice but to send me here to work in the castle.It was either that or starve to death for us."
Ethan felt a pang of guilt. Back when he use to play the game, he never thought about the NPCs' lives beyond their scripted lines. But now, hearing Anna's story, he realized these people weren't just normal background decorations.
They also have their own dreams,Struggles,Pain.
And yet, the game treated them as nothing more than disposable pieces.
"Hmm.Do you… ever think about leaving?" Ethan asked carefully.
Anna snorted. "And to go where? Outside the castle, life is even worse. At least here, I get food and shelter."
Her expression darkened. "Not all the servants are that lucky."
Ethan frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
Anna rolled here eyes and hesitated for a moment before lowering her voice.
"Not all nobles treat their servants as well as we are treated," she whispered. "Some of them… do terrible things."
A cold chill ran down Ethan's spine.
He remembered Devil like person 'Baron Gorth', the noble who had nearly whipped him earlier that day.
In the game, he was pretty infamous for abusing his servants brutally .and in certain side quests, there were hints that some nobles indulged in… darker pleasures.
Ethan's hands clenched.
This world really is cruel to NPCs.
If he wasn't careful, his fate wouldn't just be dying as a background character. It could be something much, much worse, which he couldn't dreamt of
Anna suddenly yawned, breaking the tense atmosphere between them.
"UUgh, I think I should now head to bed," she mumbled, stretching her arm slowly. "You should also get some rest too. We've got another long day ahead of us,huh!"
Ethan nodded his head absently, watching as she slowly walked into the servant quarters.
He remained seated, staring up at the night sky.
The stars twinkled brightly, untouched by the struggles of the world below.
This isn't just a game anymore.
Ethan had always thought of NPCs as nothing more than side characters in the hero's journey. But now, he understood they were real people too.
People who lived.
People who suffered hardship.
And people who died struggling, forgotten and unimportant.
But he refused to be one of them.
If this world had mechanics similar to the game mechanics, then there had to be ways to grow stronger.
NPCs had fixed fates, but Ethan had already broken that by gaining stats.
The game followed a script, but Ethan was already deviating from it.
That meant he had a chance.
He didn't know how yet, but he was going to break free from the role of an NPC.
He wasn't going to stay a weak servant.
He wasn't going to be another forgotten background character.
He was going to change his fate.
And this world's rules… were going to have to change with him.