Chapter 11 - I Didn't Know That (4)

The Inquisitor gripped her shield and mace tightly as she watched the man fade into the darkness. A sense of duty that she couldn't just let him go, combined with the man's expression of displeasure, held her back.

"Archmage, what should we... do now?"

"Hmm, well. This old man is also facing such a situation for the first time."

"We cannot just let him go. He is already so strong, but if he were to be consumed by the demon..."

"Do you think that man will be consumed by the demon?"

"... Personally, I hope he won't. But..."

"I know. Hopes and reality are often very different."

Perhaps he had read a lot from her silence. The Archmage stroked his chin and snapped his fingers.

"I will place a mark on that young man for now. After giving it some time... let us make contact again under the guise of coincidence. Forcibly following him now and provoking him would be a bad move."

"... Understood."

It was the most agreeable compromise available.

* * *

"... I've arrived."

I made a vow at the entrance of the city I had finally reached. See if I ever travel on foot again. You Deep Sea bastards.

"..."

Walking a full day was fine. Maybe because I walked it myself, a day that should have been 8 hours felt like a full day in real-time reality, but I could still endure it.

No, I can't endure it.

This crazy Deep Sea Pearl, what kind of trick did they pull. I tend to lose track of time when I'm engrossed in a game, but not to the point of mistaking 8 hours for 24 hours...!

Still, okay. This is a good thing, so I can endure it. If playing for a short while feels like a long time, it's not a bad thing for a gamer who also needs to take care of real life.

But what kind of game implements feeling sleepy and tired? I'd understand satiety since many games implement that, but implementing sleep is unacceptable.

Or what, are they indirectly telling us not to hunt for 24 hours straight? I guess they know they made the game too realistic?

But they're regulating it in this roundabout way? If they were going to do that, they should have just banned full-dive, instead of pissing off someone who spent a lot of money preparing for full-dive...!

There were even a lot of bugs. In the dirt, between the grass, on the trees!

They optimized it so well that there wasn't a single stutter, but this was too much of a waste of technology.

Do you know how it feels to freak out because a bug crawled onto your back when you closed your eyes for a moment in the forest? Do you, you bad Pearl bastards.

It's great that you turned my dead game into a god game, but this is too much!

"Huh? You're already back...?"

Looking at Official Izren's face, I couldn't bring myself to speak.

"... Verify it."

I've been through too much. It's really exhausting.

"Why a snake... Don't tell me!"

But I couldn't cry and abandon my pride. I tossed the snake in front of the official and sat in the chair provided in front of the counter.

"A Medusa... So it was a Medusa. That's why..."

Ah, full-dive or not, I want to log out. This is the first time I've wanted to quit a game because it was made too well.

At this rate, I wonder if the feeling of fatigue will linger even after I log out. My creed is that games shouldn't affect real life, but Deep Sea Pearl is about to ruin all of that.

"We will have to monitor the situation in the forest just in case... but I believe you are right."

Even so, it'd be a waste of the money I spent to actually leave. Full-dive fluid is expensive. If you exit mid-dive, you have to replace all the fluid again too.

It was quite a sorrowful thing. The dead game became a god game, but it became too much of a god game, so it's killing me. Damn it.

"As soon as we determine its authenticity, we will process the quest as complete and issue your reward. You have worked hard, Adventurer."

Ba-bam-bam!

In the midst of this, a cheerful BGM struck my ears. It wasn't very pleasant.

Right now, my head was somewhat groggy and my eyelids were heavy, just as if I had actually stayed up all night. Even a casual gamer would find it hard to have fun in this condition.

"Um... You look tired, so may I recommend an inn?"

An inn recommendation? A recommendation is good. Originally, I was going to go to the one the trading company got for me, but staying somewhere else would be a novel experience too.

"Con!"

"Yes!"

At the official's call, the child I had run into when I first started the game came scurrying over.

"Could you escort the Adventurer to the White Wind Inn?"

"Yes. Leave it to me!"

The child looked more active and energetic than before. Even though I had become worn out and exhausted in the meantime.

"Um... Adventurer, did you just come back from hunting a demon?"

"... Yes."

"What kind of demon did you hunt? What did it look like? Was it very strong?"

The child, looking less intimidated than before, cautiously struck up a conversation with me. It was a shame. Any other time, I would have accepted the conversation as long as it didn't break my concept, but I absolutely couldn't do that right now.

"Demons are not a subject to be discussed for fun."

I tossed out a single sentence in a voice like ice. Exactly as intended, the child looked flinched and shut his mouth.

"... I'm sorry."

'Aaaah! It's not something you should apologize for!! Rather, the adult is sorry!! If it were a real-life child, maybe, but I'm sorry I'm not an adult with a big enough heart to show kindness to an NPC boy...!'

I writhed in internal guilt as I reached the inn. Fortunately, despite my prickly attitude, the boy even flattered the innkeeper, asking him to take good care of the Adventurer, before leaving.

He was a truly wonderful child who could put aside his personal feelings.

"...! Thank you!"

And I was a very un-wonderful adult who could only express praise through a tip...

"... Should I stop."

I pondered this as I handed the boy a generous tip and staggered into the inn room.

I had to. Roleplaying my concept was fun thanks to the NPCs showing diverse reactions, but the game itself was making me too tired.

It would probably be accurate to say it felt less like enjoying a game and more like an experience, or filming an extreme job documentary. This impression was hard to shake off, even when combined with nostalgia filters and gratitude.

"Phew..."

No... I might just be like this because my fatigue has hit max. Of course, the game company that made me actually feel this is the worst of all...

I collapsed face-down onto the bed. Then, a window smoothly popped up.

「 ▲ Sleep 0 Hours 00 Minutes ▼ 」

I set the count to a reasonable 6 hours. I intended to sleep first and then make a judgment—whether to continue the game or not. From experience, I know that decisions made when tired have a high chance of being regretted.

Ah... Come to think of it, I need to wash off the blood on my body too...

They made equipment auto-clean over time, so why didn't they make the stuff on my hair and skin disappear...

Unfortunately, by the time that thought occurred to me, I had already pressed the sleep button, so my vision quickly went dark.

* * *

'I need to wake up.'

「A target harboring hostility exists within a 10m radius.」

My eyes snapped open. Seeing that the light flowing through the window was less than when I fell asleep, I figured it must be the middle of the night. A silence where not even a cricket chirped filled my eardrums.

More importantly, did my enemy detection skill just pop up an alert?

... In the first place, I never opened a window or anything.

I stopped blinking and gripped the sword I had placed next to me. Smack! A heavy blow landed on the blade I reflexively raised.

A chill ran down my spine. A presence so clear that it was a wonder I only realized it just now was behind me.

"Damn it!"

A voice I had never heard before spat out a curse. That was what I wanted to say. This damn skill only rang after the enemy was right in front of my nose.

"Die!"

The heavy thing that touched my two-handed sword fell away, then poured out murderous intent along with the sound of wind.

Naturally, I had no reason to just take the hit. I quickly raised my upper body. True to a game character, my eyes quickly adapted to the darkness and clearly illuminated the surrounding situation.

Smack!

A club struck the empty bed, and I twisted my raised upper body to face the enemy.

Then, I swung my two-handed sword at the enemy. Due to my posture, there wasn't much force behind it, but I managed to slice a piece of the enemy's skin.

"Gaaah!"

The enemy grabbed his chest and backed away. Since the distance had widened, the momentum of victory shifted to me.

With my two-handed sword pointed at the enemy, I groped downwards and found the lantern I had hung at my waist. I could see well enough even now, but I wanted to get a look at the exact face of the human who pulled this stunt.

"D-Damn it!"

Inside the lit room, there was a human with a hooked nose whom I was seeing for the first time.

In his right hand, he held a club studded with iron pieces, and with his left hand, he clutched his chest where blood was spreading.

"S-Spare me."

He staggered backward and trembled in fear. What a funny guy. Who was the one who attacked me first?

"I, I just wanted the coin pouch..."

"It seems coin pouches drop when you smash someone else's head in these days."

What would I have done if I hadn't leveled my enemy detection skill? It's better to have my skull crushed by the Inquisitor; getting my head smashed in while sleeping isn't cool.

I ground my teeth and aimed my sword.

"Drop it and put your hands on your head."

Wow, I didn't know I'd be delivering lines fit for a cop with this concept.

But what do I do now?

"I, I'll drop it, so just spare my life..."

"Will you move faster if a blade digs under your chin?"

When I spoke low like a growl, the opponent jumped up. Thud. The club dropped onto the wooden floor, and both hands went up over his head.

Keeping the blade pointed at him, I walked around the bed and approached. It was very convenient that the sword was long enough for me to keep it aimed while moving.

Thwack.

The club I kicked rolled into the corner of the room, and I grabbed one of the man's arms. He was keeping his hands firmly on his head, so even when I pulled, his grip didn't loosen much.

Instead, he let go himself and pulled out a dagger from his chest pocket.

"How utterly ridiculous."

Is this NPC crazy with a death wish? He has zero learning ability.

I used the two-handed sword as a shield to block the dagger. Then, I tripped the thief's legs with my foot and broke his balance.

Just as the opponent's body swayed and was about to collapse, my right arm drove an elbow strike into his back.

"Kuh-hurk!"

Anyway, criminals never act nicely when you treat them gently. That's not what human rights were meant to protect, you know.

"Ugh..."

I kicked the fallen human's hand, or more precisely, the dagger he was holding. I stepped on his hand a bit, but I achieved what I wanted. The dagger rolled across the floor just like the club had.

"Did you think you could kill me with such a paltry blade?"

I bent over briefly and gripped the NPC's nape with my gauntlet. He let out a yelp as if it hurt, but I just ignored it.

That robber bastard should be thankful he isn't dead.

"Hey."

Holding the attacker's nape, I strode downstairs. There was a single NPC dozing off at the counter.

Crash!

Instead of raising my voice at that, I kicked a chair in sight. Clatter-crash! The sound of the chair falling echoed through the hall.

"Oh my goodness!"

I'm sorry for throwing a temper. But since you guys were the ones who slacked on security, I'm not sorry.

"W-What?"

I slammed the thief I had dragged down onto the floor. Startled, the clerk jumped up, looked back and forth between him and me, and screamed. It was a scream a horror movie director would love. Very crisp.

"W-What's going on...!"

The entire inn soon began to murmur. Some of them poked their heads out of their rooms or even burst out into the hall.

"M-Murder...!"

No, um. It's true that I have blood on my head, but this is dried blood.

If it was blood I just got covered in, there's no way it would be dried. How exactly do you program an NPC so they even misunderstand facts like a real human?

"Your eyes must be for decoration, shouting that he's dead when you see that—."

I tried to point at the groaning robber while raising my sword. Him trying to get up was an action of a living person, meaning they shouldn't misunderstand.

「A target harboring hostility exists within a 10m radius.」

"Did you commit murder in that brief moment!"

I would have done so, if not for the ringing alert and the familiar voice interrupting.

"As expected, a zombie maintaining its ego is—!"

Hey, this is the one I met in the forest, right?

"No questions asked!"

Whoosh!

Before I could even grasp the situation, a mace smashed into the spot where I had been. I dodged it by a hair's breadth, but it was a bit close. Having taken off her plate armor and put down her shield, the Priest was truly fast.

"You...!"

"This time, I will eliminate you for sure!"

I have no idea why she is here, but I know she is misunderstanding again.

She's truly a headache-inducing NPC. It's not easy for the situation to be like this every time we meet.

Or is this part of the story too? It feels too contrived and reliant on luck to be a story, though.

After all, if the player hadn't woken up there, they might have died right then and there.

"I'm certain I said I'd kill you if you followed me...!"

Or maybe not waking up was the intended flow. Something like cooperating to find the stolen coin pouch.

Even that is a development that gets ruined if the player levels their enemy detection skill first like I did, so the probability is a bit low.

"Filthy demon!"

"... This time, I'll cut off your jaw and rip out your tongue!"

Regardless, whenever that Priest lady shows up, my over-immersion switch turns on and it's so much fun. How does she only pick words that trigger my complex every time she appears?

"Die in the name of God—!?"

"Waaait!"

The moment the Inquisitor and I were about to clash, white and blue chains shot out from the floor and bound our bodies.

Binding. A mage class skill and a CC that binds enemies to buy time for casting magic. It automatically breaks over time, but resisting can shorten that time even further.

Well, it should still bind us for at least 2 seconds, though. Because that's how it was in the original game.

"Hold on a moment!"

Figuring I should still try to resist, I coated my two-handed sword with a skill and swung it. It was almost simultaneous with the Archmage's shout reaching my ears.

"A-Archmage, why—"

Crash!

My movement inevitably shattered the chains, and my two-handed sword collided with the floor.

Crack!

The wooden floor, split by the blade of my two-handed sword, created a trench that cut across half of the hall. The thief I had thrown to the floor barely avoided the path of that trench and trembled violently.

"H-Hiiiiek!"

"M-Monster...!"

"..."

... Oh, well... So...

This, this actually works. A skill that constantly received complaints about being broken in PVP and needing a nerf in the original game gets shattered this easily...

A momentary silence hovered between the Archmage and me.