Chapter 4: Helmet of Resolve: Confronting the Abyss in NewD

After logging out of NewD, I immediately threw myself onto the bed.

“I’m so tired…”

I can’t believe I was exhausted to the point of not being able to move, just from completing basic quests.

I’ll investigate the questions that arose today after I wake up. Right now, I’m too tired to even look something up on the computer.

Thinking about it again, there were just too many difficult demands. After harvesting the barley, I had to go to the brewery and have a conversation with the owner.

What kind of terrifying game is this…

With that thought, I quietly closed my eyes…

…wait. Now that I think about it, it’s absurd.

I consider myself to be a rather generous person.

If you ask for proof, I could give so many examples that it would be hard to list them all.

But no matter how I think about it, I can’t understand the current situation.

Even someone as forgiving as me couldn’t let this one slide.

When I reincarnated with memories of my past life?

That’s fine.

God is omniscient and omnipotent but also has a surprisingly human side, so it’s understandable that mistakes happen sometimes.

I can forgive the fact that I was reincarnated without having my past life’s memories erased.

Reincarnating me as a woman?

That’s fine too.

I’ve learned countless times in my previous life that life doesn’t always go the way you want it to.

Even though I’m a woman now, my memories and identity as a man haven’t disappeared, so it doesn’t really matter.

Actually, I could understand everything.

Even the fact that I, with my modern earthly values, had to become an inquisitor and smash people’s heads.

That was fine too.

For some reason, I was suddenly sent back to Earth.

That’s fine too.

I have no complaints.

But if you’re going to send me back to Earth, shouldn’t there at least be some after-sales service?

I’m not even asking to be turned back into a man.

But at the very least, you should have fixed this personality flaw so I could live normally on Earth.

I can’t enjoy games because of this personality that came from *you*. Does that make any sense…

It’s unfair, but there’s no way to resolve this unfairness.

If I ever get the chance, I will definitely smash that woman Iah’s head in.

She’s evil.

I can’t leave things like this.

After a deep reflection upon waking up, I came to that conclusion.

Of course, this is a game I invested half a year’s worth of living expenses in.

Giving up a game just because I can’t talk to people? If someone else heard this reason, it wouldn’t be strange if they laughed at me.

No, to be precise, it’s not even “people.”

I’m quitting the game because I can’t talk to *NPCs*?

What kind of nonsense is that?

If Iah, that evil woman, saw this, she’d probably clutch her belly laughing.

In other words, I had to find a solution.

So what I must do right now is… Internet research.

If all the world’s knowledge sleeps in one place, surely the answer will be there.

【Can’t talk to people | Search】

As soon as I searched, posts flooded the screen, one after another.

I clicked on the very first post at the top of the list.

**[Traits of People Who Can’t Hold a Conversation]**

The title already gives off a professional vibe.

The author must be someone who studied psychology or some other impressive subject.

**[The key trait of people who can’t hold a conversation is that they don’t listen to others well.]**

Cutting off others and rambling on about themselves… blah, blah, blah.

…So what?

This is just a description of someone who’s bad at conversing, not someone who can’t converse at all.

I’m the fool for reading it all the way to the end just in case.

Sure, it might be helpful advice for people struggling with this issue, but it had nothing to do with me.

I took a deep breath and moved on to another post, but they all said the same thing.

“Listen to the other person,” they say.

“Don’t interrupt and butt into the conversation,” they say.

“Think about whether what you’re saying fits the topic at hand,” they say…

From the start, listening is the one thing I’m actually good at.

It’s not like I can speak well, so there’s nothing else I can do except listen.

“What should I do….”

Should I just ask for a refund? It’s not like the thought hasn’t crossed my mind.

But they say once your physical information is registered in the reverse capsule, the refund process is complicated, and you can’t get the full amount back.

・Sure, even with that considered, if it’s a game I can’t enjoy, it’d still be better to get a refund and at least get half the money back.

But I’ve already fallen for the scenes I saw in the PV.

That’s why, if possible, I wanted to find a way.

“What should I do….”

Step by step. Let’s think from the beginning again.

I can’t hold a conversation with people.

In that world, because of my unusual silver hair, people avoided me, and as someone who worked as an inquisitor with no one to talk to, I gradually became uncomfortable with looking at people’s faces.

Having to bring down a warhammer on someone staring at me—at first, it was unbearable.

Even though the priests would heal the heretics after the inquisition was over, with my modern values, it was still incredibly difficult for me at the time.

Of course, I eventually got used to it, but by then, my communication skills were wrecked.

Now, if someone so much as looked at me, my body would freeze, and the moment our eyes met…

Ugh, I shouldn’t have thought about that.

Anyway, the bottom line is, I can’t hold a conversation with people.

“…Ah.”

Wait a second.

That was the problem all along.

Now that I had realized the perfect solution, I immediately logged into NewD.

Nothing could stop me now.

I headed straight to a blacksmith shop tucked away in the corner of Barley Town in NewD.

There, the shopkeeper, a dwarf, was slouching with a tired expression. Even when he saw me come in, he didn’t seem to have any intention of getting up.

At the very least, shouldn’t an NPC shopkeeper offer some kind of greeting when a customer comes in?

For a moment, I had such a thought, but honestly, the fact that they didn’t care about me was actually comforting.

Anyway, turning my gaze away from the lazy shopkeeper, I saw various weapons lined up, indicating that this place was indeed a blacksmith’s forge. From ordinary swords to shields, spears, daggers, and protectors. Among them was exactly what I had been looking for.

“Uh, uh, that…”

[Gold]

“Oh, yes…”

After paying 5 gold, half of the 10 gold I received for completing yesterday’s quest, I immediately checked its information.

《Gort’s Helmet》

《A helmet roughly forged by the dwarf blacksmith Gort of Barley Town due to fatigue》

《It’s a low-tier armor, but it performs quite well.》

《Defense +5》

《Grade: Normal》

《Durability: 100/100》

《Level requirement: 1》

…A roughly made helmet? I felt a moment of unease, but that wasn’t important right now.

I immediately put on the helmet and looked at the dwarf blacksmith, Gort, who owned the forge.

[What.]

Gort responded curtly when I looked at him.

I met his eyes directly, but I didn’t feel any discomfort.

“…As expected.”

It was about eye contact. It had always been uncomfortable to meet someone’s eyes or feel their gaze. But with the helmet on, I no longer felt that discomfort, and the sensation of being watched almost disappeared.

Of course, the visibility was slightly hindered, but that was a problem I could adjust to. In short, I had just overcome one of my weaknesses. I could practically be Selene, the Inquisitor now.

…Now that it’s come to this, I might as well wear a full set of armor to match the helmet. Thus, my new outfit goal was set.

“Damn, that’s really messed up…”

Tuni eventually ran away.

No, she had no choice but to flee. After having her head smashed over thirty times in Barley Town, her pride had completely disappeared.

Just the sound of a bell would make him drool like Pavlov’s dog, and the heavy clanking of full-body armor would make his whole body freeze.

Anyway, after fleeing, Tuni started searching for information on ‘The Inquisitor’ in various communities, having heard about how notorious they were.

The conclusion:

The player with the nickname ‘Inquisitor’ was a monster consumed by their character’s concept. They didn’t just smash the heads of priests. They smashed the heads of inquisitors, paladins, and even people who had simply entered the church for a quest.

If someone related to the Elune faith appeared in front of them, they would smash that person’s head, no questions asked.

In NewD (New Dimension), killing players inside a town would result in a PK (Player Kill) status, making it harder to roam freely in towns. But it seemed like the Inquisitor didn’t care about that at all.

“Yeah. Good thing you ran away.”

If Tuni had stayed in Barley Town out of misplaced pride, her head would have been smashed hundreds of times by now. Even veteran priest players, much more experienced than Tuni, posted warnings telling people to run away as soon as they saw him. Judging by all that, this [Inquisitor] must have been playing this role for at least a year.

To keep up such an intense role-playing act for over a year without rest—what kind of person is he? Tuni decided to quietly bury that question deep in his heart.

“The moment you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes back at you.”

Tuni wasn’t foolish enough to ignore Nietzsche’s words.

That newbie heretic hasn’t been seen around lately. Did he delete his heretic character and fully repent thanks to me? Or maybe he moved to another town? Who knows? I hope it’s the former, but since we aren’t friends, I can’t say for sure. At the very least, he must have understood my sincerity to some extent. If someone helps you this much, it’s only natural to start wondering if there’s something wrong with your profession, right?

Once that question takes root in her mind, it’ll only grow bigger. Eventually, when he runs into trouble while playing as a heretic, he’ll recall how I tried to help him, and he’ll be forced to admit that he used to be a heretic. My method of smashing heads was considered a cure-all for heretics even in that other world, so I have confidence in it.

“Hmm.”

With that thought, Tuni swung her warhammer, and with a sharp slicing sound, the Spartoai’s body crumbled. The item that dropped was ‘Spartoai’s Bone.’

That’s it. With this, my longtime friend, the warhammer, can grow even stronger. If I smash a heretic’s head with this thing, no matter how stubborn they are, they’ll definitely repent.

Self-proclaimed priests, self-proclaimed inquisitors, self-proclaimed paladins…

Ah, the world of NewD is full of heretics…

“Die!”

Swish!

I dodged the spear thrust aiming to pierce me, and as I turned to look behind me, three players were standing there.

What is this? Attacking an innocent player out of nowhere?

If we were in town and I hadn’t reacted in time, this would have triggered a PK (Player Kill) ruling for sure.

…Should I ask what they want?

“You should experience it too. How annoying it is to die for no reason.”

Luckily, I didn’t even need to ask. The spearman in the middle kindly explained why they came looking for me. Must be a heretic whose head I smashed earlier.

They’re definitely not here to express gratitude for repenting…

Yeah, if that were the case, they wouldn’t be talking about how annoying it is to die without reason.

So, it’s a heretic, huh?

I haven’t fully upgraded my longtime friend yet, but… since a heretic has appeared before me, it’s time to get back to work.

Clang!

〔ckdtnftk123 has died.〕

“Are you serious, what the hell is this game…”

Bang!

[Player ‘I Killed That Guy’ has died.]

【New Dimension Free Board】

【Title: Reporting the Cheater ‘Inquisitor’】

【Posted by: Saint】

(1v3 Battle Clip.mp4)

From the moment they reacted to the ambush, to the part where they lowered their head and perfectly timed the parry with a war hammer—none of it makes sense.

This is 100% cheating.

【Upvotes: 1021 / Downvotes: 687】

SmashThemAll: Yeah, the reactions are kinda sus.

DragonKnight: I don’t think it’s cheating though?

PriestWithABrokenSkull: I watched it a few more times, and doesn’t it just seem like the attackers were bad?

IAmHere: Ban the cheater already.