A Guide to Chaos and a Peculiar Hiring

‘Even if I’m busy with work, I believe children should be allowed to play, shouldn’t they?’

“Ta-da! And with that in mind, I present your guide for a delightful journey through Portren!”

“What scheme are you cooking up now?”

“Sir Haut, we genuinely have no intention of merely playing,” Faust said.

Despite my efforts to consider their enjoyment, their reaction remained decidedly unenthusiastic.

“I followed you because I felt I was on the verge of death. Are you truly asking me to be a guide?” Nocturne asked.

“Stop being so dramatic. Who would possibly die to mere bundles of dust like them? Even if you were to plunge a knife into them, not a drop of blood would spill, nor would their skin even graze.”

“I was already aware you weren’t human, but that remark truly infuriates me,” Jack grumbled.

“When my abilities were comparable to yours, I was already soloing dungeons.”

Unlike older games, one needn’t deplete all of an enemy’s health to defeat them. A critical strike to the neck or solar plexus could be instantly fatal, even if the target’s health bar remained full. This fragility is precisely why humans and wild animals perish so readily. Monsters, by contrast, can regenerate from a blade embedded in their neck, provided they retain even a sliver of their life force. Still, if you manage to utterly obliterate them, rendering them immobile, their demise is just as certain.

Boss-level demons, consequently, present a far greater challenge. Outside of completely exhausting their health, there are virtually no methods to put them down. Their attack patterns almost invariably include instant-death strikes, and it’s impossible to instantly dispatch them while they’re constantly deploying irritating area-of-effect abilities.

‘However, after doing that for so long, it’s simply grown tedious. I crave something more engaging, more proactive…’

“Why are you staring like that? It’s true. When I was ten, I practiced my footwork by catching field mice, and then I immediately wrestled a bear bare-handed, I swear!”

“Catching a bear at ten sounds like utter nonsense, yet…”

“The infuriating part is that I actually believe you could have done it.”

“Er… well. I’m not sure where to begin with the corrections, but typically, a ten-year-old cannot catch a bear.”

Nocturne, Jack, and Faust responded in sequence. I had anticipated a delightful chaos from gathering individuals with such disparate personalities, but hearing all three echo the exact same sentiment was utterly deflating.

‘Ah, now that I consider it, Nocturne might actually be capable of such a feat.’

Reaching into my inventory, I withdrew three thousand gold coins. With the heavy pouch clutched in one hand, I extended my other toward Nocturne.

“Nocturne, I’m hiring you.”

“I recall you once said I was worth less than a mere biscuit crumb.”

“Precisely why I’m hiring you. If you’re bound to me, I’ll always know your location, and you simply won’t die. I’ll start you with a casual thousand gold per month. This three thousand gold? That’s your signing bonus.”

This was merely one facet of the game’s intricate systems. While numerous paths existed to acquire companions, the most straightforward invariably involved hiring them with a monetary offer. Dispensing with the need for affinity or trust, a simple exchange of gold was often enough to secure a new member for one’s party.

Naturally, this method was not without its caveats. Depending on a character’s inherent disposition, they might flee or even turn hostile against me. Furthermore, instances of them simply accepting the payment and then failing to perform their duties were not uncommon.

‘But even if that happens, it’s fine. Nocturne is useless anyway.’

“Sir Haut! Why are you bestowing such an exorbitant sum upon him?”

“Have you already forgotten that this scoundrel nearly killed you? You called him a swindler!”

“No, I understand what misconception you’re laboring under, but I assure you, I had no intention of killing anyone,” Nocturne interjected.

“If I were to offer you both money, would you join my party?”

A profound silence met my question. And of course, it did. While hiring a mercenary could be achieved simply by the target’s acceptance, without any prerequisites like friendship, these two were fundamentally priests of the Holy War. Even if they were to accompany me for a brief period, they could never utter words of allegiance to me.

At the very least, money alone would not suffice. Their loyalty could only be secured by increasing our bond level or by undertaking a shared mission through a quest. Furthermore, as event characters, it was uncertain if their data would even persist, a fact I had yet to test.

‘But Nocturne can be swayed by money. And I possess an abundance of it!’

“What possible advantage do you gain by going to such lengths?”

“None. Absolutely nothing. Well, aside from the sheer amusement, that is.”

“I find that utterly incomprehensible…”

“You don’t have to do a single thing. You can even take this and flee if you wish. But if you simply indulge me and ‘play along,’ a steady stream of money will be yours. As a bonus, you won’t ever truly die.”

Nocturne, though wearing a perplexed frown, nevertheless grasped my outstretched hand, and I promptly passed over the heavy money pouch. From their clasped wrists, a shimmering ring of light materialized, coiling like a bracelet and etching an enigmatic symbol. Nocturne flinched, attempting to withdraw his hand, but I tightened my grip, holding him fast.

“Do you know what is most crucial for a player?”

I chuckled, uttering the words with an air of profound nonchalance.

“It is to challenge. To commit the forbidden, to venture into the proscribed, and to constantly seek out the novel.”

“Is ‘player’ a term referring to you?”

“Perhaps, it could even be you.”

‘Yet, ultimately, it would not be them. They were incapable of calculations beyond their predetermined parameters, for that was how they had been forged.’

Only then did I finally release his hand.

‘Ah, I’d forgotten I couldn’t perceive the map. Still, it hardly matters. I can sense it by instinct.’

As I channeled mana into the wrist emblem, a faint crimson thread of light extended, connecting to the other side. This, at least, would prevent me from losing him entirely.

Upon becoming a companion, one gained the ability to discern the NPC’s location, read their health and other vital statistics, and, crucially, they would not perish—so long as I, the player, remained alive. Naturally, the NPC himself gained no such information, being utterly unaware of how to utilize this linked ability.

While a companion NPC would inevitably perish if dismembered and utterly annihilated, I could always resurrect them later, of course. I possessed the ability to revive them once; it was merely a bothersome chore.

“Well then, go have a good time. Play nice, won’t you?”

I immediately activated my stealth ability and went on my way, abandoning the three of them there. After all, I had a plethora of tasks awaiting me at the Magic Tower—enchanting, refining, and so much more. The trio, predictably, failed to detect me even with my most rudimentary stealth. Honestly.

I pondered various enchantments, ultimately deciding to unify them all to a simple +40% for both Health and Stamina recovery. I realized that no matter what intricate enchantments I placed, these individuals likely wouldn’t be able to utilize them effectively, so I settled for a practical solution to bolster their deficient vitality.

My plan was to let them use these for a while; if any deficiencies became apparent, I’d compensate with accessories. If even that proved insufficient, I could always re-enchant their gear, though it would undoubtedly be a nuisance.

As an added measure, I also fashioned a new set of equipment for Nocturne, mirroring the design of the others. However, since no suitable black leather was available, I was compelled to combine green leather with numerous bat wings to achieve the desired effect.

[ ‘Traces of Wind’ – Light Armor / Upper Body / Legendary / Set

Defense 28 / Weight 6(12) / Value 2300 / Durability 100(100)

Description: Crafted from green dragon scales and countless bat wings. Thousands of tiny bat wings were meticulously fragmented and then bound together with minute quantities of black serpent bone and sinew. This armor was forged by a master artisan, demonstrating exceptional craftsmanship.

Granted Effects: Stealth +100 / Evasion +30% / Critical Hit Resistance +10% / Magic Resistance +10% / Weight halved due to material properties / Immune to Wind-attribute attacks.

Additional Effects: Currently Enchanted Properties – Health Recovery +40% / Stamina Recovery +40%.

This is a set item: Upper Body / Lower Body / Boots / Gloves.

Set Bonus: When all pieces are equipped: Additional Stealth +50 / Suppresses all sound and presence / Lockpicking +30% / Critical Hit Chance +30% when using a one-handed dagger.

Crafted Item. Creator: ‘I Want to Bang Faust’ ]

Frankly, these options aligned far more closely with the item’s inherent purpose. After all, this was meant to be the attire of the Shadow King. The previous iteration, which yielded bizarre properties due to my use of overly sacred materials, had been the anomaly.

Upon arriving at the Magic Tower, I was initially denied entry. I had to pay a fee to use a workbench, which granted me access. As I sat engrossed in my work throughout the day, I gradually noticed a small crowd beginning to gather around me.

Having roughly completed my task, I rose from my workstation, only to find someone addressing me.

“Excuse me, but what kind of enchantment did you just perform?”

‘Uh… is a wizard actually asking me about magic?’

‘I couldn’t fathom why everyone was staring so intently. There was no such event in the game’s lore, was there? Were they angling to dump another pointless side quest on me?’

‘Their grim expressions certainly indicated it wasn’t a significant quest. After all, the NPCs assigned to truly worthwhile quests always possessed a certain charm, regardless of whether they were conventionally handsome or beautiful.’

“Is that an Intermediate-grade enchantment, and is it stacked?”

“No. It’s a Special-grade enchantment, and it is stacked.”

‘What is this? It’s acting strange again. I don’t understand why everyone is so utterly shocked. Someone, please enlighten me.’

‘First, they failed to recognize me when I entered the Magic Tower, which was irritating. Then, I had to pay to use their facilities, which was equally vexing. And now, they’re spying on my work and demanding to know what I did? Why would I possibly feel good about such an event?’

“I-Impossible! Engraving even one Special-grade enchantment is a stroke of divine luck; to stack them is unheard of!”

“What on earth is wrong with these people? Check the logs. Why are you questioning me?”

‘Are they insane? I have no idea why the atmosphere has grown so bizarre.’

When an enchantment workbench was used, it left behind a trace of magic. This was merely a lore detail; in the actual game, it manifested as a function that displayed a list of enchantments I had previously applied. It was a convenience feature, designed to spare me the tedious repetition of complex formulas and balancing acts if I wished to use the same enchantment again later.

I was aware that NPCs could also utilize this feature. Occasionally, when I created something truly exceptional, NPCs would secretly copy and employ it themselves. However, the enchantments I, as a player, performed were typically far beyond what an ordinary NPC could replicate. Even if they copied my work, they could only ever manage something akin to a beginner’s practice piece. I used to wonder why they sometimes used the same attributes as me.

‘Honestly, I don’t know what’s wrong with this system. It’s meticulously twisted in every corner, truly.’

Everyone seemed to be losing their minds. As I gathered my equipment to leave, they kept grabbing at me and chattering incessantly. I pushed them away, telling them to leave, but a dull ache throbbed in my wrist.

Curious, I glanced down to see the glowing inscription on my wrist had turned pitch black. It signified that Nocturne was on the verge of death.

‘What on earth is Nocturne doing to be on the brink of death?’

Though I was the one who set things in motion, this seemed a bit excessive…

I immediately used Blink to escape, fleeing from the scene. Then, I followed the faint, shimmering thread of light. I had anticipated something like this, but it seemed the situation had escalated more than I’d expected.

“But why isn’t a quest popping up?”

Typically, if a companion was in danger, a system alert would appear, assigning a quest to rescue them. Yet, even with Nocturne teetering on the brink of death, no such alert appeared.

‘Right, well. If I think about it, unless it’s a truly critical alert, it probably won’t pop up. I’ve turned off notifications for minor quests anyway.’

‘Perhaps it’s because, system-wise, Nocturne is such an insignificant character, and we haven’t spent much time together.’

I dismissed it casually. I’d encountered enough oddities by now; why would this situation be any different? I simply had to save him first, and then I could think. It was a straightforward conclusion.