A Curious Visitor and a Millennium’s Legacy

The fellow froze, a stupid expression plastered on his face, only his eyes darting around. I chuckled, gripping his face with one hand, forcing him to meet my gaze. Our noses nearly brushed, the distance between us almost nonexistent.

“This is how you use it. If you’re going to fumble with it, don’t even bother taking it out.”

[The Charm skill is deactivated.]

Then I released him.

It was simple.

The fellow, dumbfounded, couldn’t utter a word, seemingly bewildered by what had just transpired. Only my own chuckles echoed through the room.

‘To think I’d actually use a Charm skill on a male character, of all things. It’s certainly amusing.’

“Did you want to become The Blind One? Or was it money? Perhaps even the favor of our goddess, Debora? Let’s put an end to these games. It won’t be fun if you drag it out. Just be honest with me. I’m a little amused right now, so I might just listen.”

After a long moment, as if finally regaining his senses, he slapped his cheeks a few times before letting out a hollow laugh and responding.

“I came for the treasure held by the Shadow King.”

“I did tell you to be honest, but that’s a bit too honest.”

‘Right. This is how it usually is. Jack and Faust are just too kind. Everyone else only ever wants something from me. It’s strange, really, that someone would worry about me when I offer them something. This is the fundamental nature of the game.’

“You must have done some research. Most people don’t connect those dots.”

“I just guessed, and it happened to be right. Otherwise, I would have been out of luck.”

“So, I was your lucky break? Perhaps the Goddess of Fortune truly is on your side.”

“She’s rather fickle, so she doesn’t always grant it.”

“Still, she granted it this time.”

I retrieved a thousand gold from my inventory and placed it on the table. The man stared at it for a long moment, then belatedly flinched. It was a decent sum, but was it truly enough to warrant such shock? I tapped the table and spoke.

“So, what’s the current situation?”

The fellow swiftly swept the money into his arms and tucked it away, as if fearing I might snatch it back. He then smirked and chuckled again. ‘Yes, money is good,’ I mused. ‘With his skills, he’d have to suffer a long time to earn this much.’

“They say that until The Blind One was present, it was the best, unrivalled by anyone. To be honest, I only know these stories from records, as they happened over a hundred years ago, so I don’t know the specifics.”

“Currently, however, it’s at its worst. It’s full of petty ruffians and drifters; few even know the proper passphrases. Their headquarters, once a sacred temple, is now nothing more than a rat-infested ruin. Anyone can wander in and out, and they barely make any profit.”

“Their current leader is a man named Victor, a typical thug and bully. He’s more of a bandit than an assassin. He’s a fool who openly kills people, then brags, ‘I killed everyone, so it’s an assassination!'”

“It’s practically impossible to call them a proper organization. It’s more like a bunch of thugs who’ve set up a drinking party in an abandoned house.”

“But why did you bother memorizing the passphrase? You don’t need it. And you’ve got their insignia properly tattooed on your neck.”

“I joined because I wanted to find the Shadow King’s legacy. Aside from people like me, everyone else there is just a clumsy pickpocket or petty thief.”

‘There’s no such thing as a “legacy.” The game system must have been working too hard.’

“To risk your life for something so trivial, it’s a terrible waste.”

“Since I can’t rise above ground anyway, wouldn’t it be better to hit rock bottom properly?”

“That’s almost endearing.”

‘Wait, was there ever an event like this? I’ve never seen it before. I’ve played as the Shadow King previously, but an event like this has never popped up. To come looking for me to find something that doesn’t even exist… What kind of comedy is this?’

“When you first came looking for me?”

“I was just passing by, heard there was a blind easy mark, so I thought I’d make a little pocket money…?”

I shrugged, making a gesture as if dusting my hands clean.

“I don’t know where these strange rumors originated, but there’s no such thing as treasure or anything of the sort. If there was anything, it was everything that was already there.”

“From my perspective, you seem to have more than enough, overflowing even.”

“Money? Anyone can earn this much. If they work hard, that is.”

‘In the game, if you possess above a certain amount of money, the chance of encountering robbers increases. If your reputation is high, the likelihood of receiving good quests and rewards increases. If your infamy is high, assassins will come after you, and so on; such events do exist.’

‘However, because I held the achievement of the Shadow King, I had never been targeted by assassins or thieves.’

“It’s strange, you know. That you’d seek me out. I’ve never run or hidden anywhere.”

“You’re no longer human, are you? Someone from a legend would certainly be a worthy target for treasure.”

“Anyone can see I’m a human man, right?”

“Normally, a human man doesn’t live for over 700 years.”

‘Over 700 years? Has that much time truly passed? I did some quick calculations. I created this character after all the expansions were released, roughly five years ago in real time. One real year is approximately 150 in-game years, but if using teleportation or skipping time for quests also counts toward the total…’

“Good heavens, has it truly been that long already? My Bebe lived a long life. It’s about time she went.”

‘Even with a rough estimate, it’s easily over 800 years. Exaggerate a bit, and it’s a millennium. Wow, have I really been playing this game for so long? This is just for this character’s time; if I include my previous play records, I’ve practically written the history of humanity all by myself!’

I was dumbfounded, even by my own doing. A hollow laugh escaped me naturally.

“You actually believed such a preposterous old tale? And you even openly identified me as ‘The Nameless One’? You really have quite the imagination.”

“I found out that ‘The Nameless One’ was the only person who called The Blind One ‘Bebe’.”

“To risk your life over something like that. You’re truly, ridiculously ill-prepared.”

“Life is an adventure, after all. Though I didn’t expect you to admit it so easily.”

“And if I hadn’t?”

“I would have died, I suppose. What’s the difference between dying here or being caught and killed anyway?”

“Die?” I repeated, and the fellow chuckled.

“Actually, I was on the run. Otherwise, why would I have been in that backwater village?”

“How did that happen?”

“I stirred things up, trying to pull off a big score, and ended up burning down the main base of ‘Frisk’.”

“Remarkable, truly.”

This was pure admiration, not sarcasm. The fellow merely shrugged, as if it were nothing significant.

‘According to the game’s lore, ‘Frisk’ is the largest organization in the city of Portren. They’re involved in everything from theft to assassination, exploiting every possible illicit activity. They also own successful casinos, making them incredibly wealthy. I had a tough time trying to overcome them back when I was raising The Ravens of the Riverbank.’

‘I thought they’d been completely ruined, but when did they grow so large again?’

‘Indeed, the Ravens of the Riverbank probably didn’t receive Bebe’s blessing because I wasn’t there. Then their downfall would have been swift, and it would have been no trouble for Frisk, which was originally the strongest according to the lore, to rise again.’

“I’m going to hunt demons, so honestly, there’s nothing for you to gain by latching onto me.”

“Demons? For someone who just called my imagination excessive, isn’t that a bit too far-fetched?”

“Why do you think I haven’t been out and about all this time? It’s true.”

“What’s the difference between being captured and killed by a demon-like bastard, or being killed by an actual demon?”

‘You’ll regret it, though…’

‘Considering the system is supposedly glitched, isn’t this all a bit too elaborate?’

‘『The Garden』 was always strange. From its odd title for a fantasy game, to its perversely well-designed everything else, yet a combat system that felt like it belonged in another world, set to an excruciating difficulty. Even after five expansions and consistent updates, there were no nerfs, no easy mode. User-created difficulty mods were practically considered essential to play.’

‘I wouldn’t know, since I never installed them.’

‘Time is merely a numerical value. It’s only a minor element that I see when it shows how many hours I’ve slept, when day turns to night, how many days it takes to travel a distance via teleportation, or rarely, for time-limited quests or specific conditions.’

‘Even if I played for hundreds or thousands of years, the game world shouldn’t change. Most quests, excluding meaningless trivial ones, always persist. Nameless NPCs without significant existence pass time, raise children, grow old, and die, but named characters of a certain caliber or higher never die.’

‘That’s the natural order of this world, and no one ever attached meaning to time. Everyone, players and NPCs alike, had always treated it that way. It’s just a game, after all. A role-playing game with an almost absurd amount of freedom.’

‘But now they’re calling one of my past achievements a ‘legend’ and seeking me out? Just because a lot of time has passed?’

“Anyone would hear that and call it nonsense, yet it aligns strangely well.”

‘If I weren’t a player, I might actually have fallen for it. Even within the game, they do interact with each other to some extent, albeit on a simple level.’

“I don’t think it’s particularly important…?”

“You’re right. It doesn’t really matter since I find it amusing.”

But why is this fellow getting so close?

He stood up, and I thought he was leaving, but then he abruptly sat down on my thigh, facing me. I simply watched, wondering what he was trying to do.

This game is an adult game, but it’s not an erotic one. If you try to do anything explicit, a short kissing event appears, and time is forcibly skipped. Roughly two or three hours? Even then, I’ve barely seen it. Why would I bother watching such a crudely implemented event? Only beginners get excited about those at first. Even veteran players like me, after playing for so long, wouldn’t bother with such things.

“Hey, you can go now.”

“Are you pretending not to know, or do you genuinely not realize?”

“Being seduced by a human man, not even a demon, is certainly a surprising experience in many ways, but I don’t really need it. I’d rather spend my time deciding what to wear tomorrow.”

The fellow chuckled at my words and placed a hand on my chest.

When did sensory implementation become so good? Did the sensitivity increase when the pain limiter was removed? When his hand touched me, I felt a sticky sensation. How strange. Normally, I should only be able to feel the mere touch. It doesn’t seem like he used a Charm skill either.

“I risked my life to get here, chased by Frisk. Shouldn’t I be rewarded for my efforts?”

“I didn’t ask you to come. I’m only tolerating this because it’s amusing. Did you dislike the money? Do you need jewels?”

“Those are tempting too… but if I leave right now, I’ll definitely die.”

I knew something was amiss, but I’d intended to ignore it since it seemed so trivial. It seems those are the ones who followed this fellow. I chuckled and said,

“Oh, come on—who would die from that? You’re trying to con me.”

“I’m actually more dumbfounded. I’m not joking.”

“Goodness… I thought Jack and Faust were the weakest ones until now.”

He grunted, trying to push me away, but when I didn’t budge, he looked at me with a pout. What kind of trick is this from such a big kid? When I gently nudged him to move, he only clung tighter. He cupped my face with both hands, leaned in, and slowly parted his lips.

“You’re not asleep yet, are you? Let’s talk a little.”

Suddenly, the door burst open without a knock. Jack and Faust, who were entering the room, froze in place like broken cats, stiff and creaking. Jack trembled like an unwound doll, pointing a finger at us.

“W-what, what is this?!”

“Hmm… I’m not entirely sure yet. But it seems like it’s going to be interesting.”

“Isn’t that the same guy from before? Why are they like that?”

“He came here to scam me.”

It wasn’t just the two of them. The fellow sitting in front of me also stared at me, dumbfounded. I tilted my head. I thought I’d explained it properly, so why were they all reacting like this?