Out of the blue, one of the party members could no longer contain his curiosity and asked, “Say, where has Mike gone off to again?” It was SuperNova who broke the silence.
“He said his employees finally qualified to join the game, so he went to show them the ropes before heading to the village,” explained Alfred.
For beginners, going to the village to do mundane tasks might not seem worth it. In fact, one reason Alfred’s party had come here, despite being veteran players, was to take a moment of respite and refresh their minds.
Storm, looking perplexed, said, “So his boasting about owning a computer store was true all this time.”
“Better than being unemployed like you.” Prominence laughed mockingly.
“Shut up! I make more money than you working at the gas station,” Storm retorted, glaring at his friend.
“Whoa, scaarry.” Prominence held up his hands in mock surrender, one of which was swaying the new magic staff that he’d gotten from the headmaster.
This action seemed to step on Storm’s toes, as he looked pissed. “You!” He pointed at Prominence and declared, “Just wait until I have my own magic weapon. Your puny magic staff will be worth shit.”
“Calm down.” As usual, Alfred stepped in to mediate. “Brag all you want, but you still won’t hold a candle to my job as a consultant for a large corporation. You know what? I just got a 20 percent rise three days ago. Hah!”
“Shit! To think you, of all people, would mock us.”
Still, Alfred was aware that no matter how prestigious his real-world job was, it paled in comparison to the potential gains this game could offer. An ultra-realistic game like this was bound to become extremely popular, and when it went public, it would generate immense income. A single magic weapon might be worth tens of thousands, if not millions, of dollars. The possibilities were simply staggering to imagine!
Their playful banter was interrupted by the village head, who approached them with a warm but slightly anxious expression. “Ah, sir mages. My apologies for interrupting your rest… Could you assist with the preparations for the harvest festival? We need extra hands to set up the decorations and arrange the stalls. Of course, we’ll compensate you for the trouble.”
As soon as the village head finished speaking, a notification popped up on their Shadowlink Marks, detailing the new mission:
[Help the village with the preparations for the harvest festival.]
[Reward: 50 merit points & the gratitude of the village]
The reward was a mere fifty merit points — a far cry from their usual missions of hunting and dungeon exploring. But there was also another reward in the form of the village head and villagers’ gratitude. That was something to look forward to. Perhaps.
The group exchanged glances and nodded. Subsequently, Alfred smiled at the village head and accepted, “We’d be happy to help. Just guide us to the location.”
As they set off to work and reach the plaza, the group of four was spirited. SuperNova used his magic to summon shadow puppets that deftly hung lanterns high in the trees, creating a sparkling canopy of light. Prominence and Storm helped the other villagers arrange tables and booths, occasionally pausing to poke fun at each other. Alfred coordinated the efforts, ensuring everything was done efficiently and correctly.
As the sun began to set, the plaza was transformed into a festive scene. The players stepped back to admire their handiwork, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction. The villagers, now more relaxed and friendly, mingled with the players, sharing stories and laughter. They learned that the festival not only celebrated the harvest but also commemorated the deceased, particularly those who had died at the hands of bandits. Furthermore, it would commence in four days. Still, hearing about the ones who had passed away made the entire group’s expressions turn a bit grim.
Nonetheless, they didn’t want to sour the mood, so they walked away from the center of the plaza and found a quiet spot to chat.
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“Speaking of which,” Storm began, “I noticed something after going through all these missions in the village.”
“What is it?” Prominence perked his ears.
“Have you realized that some villagers have Shadowlink Marks on their wrists?”
“Oh, right. But what is the reason…?” Prominence trailed off, tilting his head a little as he tried to piece it together.
“Don’t tell me.” SuperNova gasped in realization. “They’re not just ordinary NPCs.”
“Yeah. I believe that only important villagers have those marks. Maybe they were ‘named NPCs' where we’re supposed to interact with,” Storm explained.
“Storm’s right.” Alfred nodded his head. “After all, they were also the ones that trigger missions.
“Mm.” Storm added, “I think this is the game’s way of telling us which NPCs can give us missions. Well, it’s a pretty neat system, if I do say so myself.”
“I see…” Prominence bobbed his head up and down slowly as the pieces fell into place.
For one thing, all the new NPCs back at the academy possessed Shadowlink Marks without exception. Maybe the developers intended to ensure that only areas already conquered and opened had missions, thereby limiting the total number of key NPCs to a manageable number. Now that I think about it, I don’t think any of the villagers have these marks before… Huh, it seems that Storm has come to the same conclusion as well.
“Once I log out, I’ll make a post about this on the official website forum. Can’t let that Black Bunny outshine me when it comes to game expertise,” Storm declared with determination.
“Haha. There he goes again with his competitiveness.”
“…”
The group continued their conversation into the night when the village head invited them to a sumptuous meal prepared by the villagers. Afterward, they went back to the lodgings that had been prepared for them beforehand to log out.
***
When the festival came, Alfred and his party members gathered at the plaza to join the merry band of villagers. The atmosphere was vibrant, with lanterns casting a warm glow over the cobblestone square. The sounds of laughter, music, and the clinking of mugs filled the air, creating a joyous ambiance that was hard to resist.
Alfred looked around, adjusting his nonexistent glasses out of habit. “This place is crowded,” he remarked. “It feels like Comic Con but with medieval attire.”
SuperNova nodded. “True, true. I could get used to this… Have you been to one before?”
“Once. I’m not really a big fan, but both Storm and Prominence over there like to go there often, I heard.”
“Hah! I always make time for every Comic Con in my city,” Storm said with a grin. “There’s always a lot of pretty girls in anime cosplay, and it’d be a waste not to try to hit on them at least once or twice.”
Prominence chuckled, patting Storm on the shoulder. “As I thought, we’re very alike.”
“Get lost, dude.” Storm pushed Prominence away. “Hmm, speaking of girls, can you believe Mike actually went ahead and got himself a girl? That son a bitch actually did it.”
“I still can’t believe it,” SuperNova said, shaking his head. “Mike of all people.”
This had become one hell of a shock for them all. Despite only being away for one day, Mike had become familiar with a girl in the village and had been helping her set up a stall. They had checked on them once or twice during this time but didn’t disturb him, as they adhered to the sacred rule of, “Don’t violate the bro code.”
“Well, technically,” Alfred interjected, “an NPC girl.”
“Whatever. You get what I mean.” Storm made a self-deprecating smile. “Being a Discord moderator for years has given me many online girlfriends, but I haven’t had much luck in the real world.”
“How about this, let’s have a bet.” Prominence smirked.
SuperNova creased his eyebrows. “Somehow, I have a bad feeling about this…”
Piqued, Storm questioned, “What’s the bet?”
“Here’s the deal, we’ll split up and try to hit on the village girls. Whoever manages to score themselves one in the shortest time wins,” Prominence explained, then a confident smile formed on his face. “As for the stakes, how about the losers give five mana crystals to the winner each?”
“You’re on!” Storm declared eagerly.
“Uh-oh, my bad feeling is right on the money.” SuperNova sighed.
Before the bet began, Prominence warned his friend, “Storm, try not to scare them off with your degenerate habits. We don’t want to be known as a degenerate bunch.”
“That’s you!” Storm retorted, narrowing his eyes.
“Um, guys, I think I will skip this one; my girlfriend is already back from work, and I still want to keep my neck in place.” Alfred held up his hands in resignation. He was more willing to lose five mana crystals than play with fire, even though his actions here couldn’t really be known either.
“Aight. Please hold the fort while we’re gone.”
“Yeah, someone’s gotta make sure that we have a table when one of us comes crying after being rejected.”
Prominence and Storm nodded at each other and ran toward the crowd.
“Hey, wait for me!” SuperNova swiftly followed them.
“Oh well, there they go,” Alfred muttered, shaking his head.
Two hours later, none of them managed to actually score themselves a girl. Alfred noticed that while the NPC girls in this village were somewhat respectful toward them, there appeared to be a social barrier separating the players and them. Perhaps it had something to do with their status as acolytes of a mysterious and powerful Magus, but the three of them failed spectacularly to even get close to any of the girls.
Ironically, while sitting alone on an empty table, Alfred was approached by several village girls who mistook him for a wandering merchant. Because Alfred had no interest in winning the bet, he politely refused their invitations to dance, which just so happened that the plaza began crowding with couples dancing.
After hearing his part of the story, the three of them clutched their heads and cursed loudly:
““Damn it!””