Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Quest (1)

Creak. Creak.

A space filled with nothing but strange sounds.

Amid an indescribable sensation, I stiffened and stared ahead. Something was taking shape before my eyes.

Ah. How long has it been?

The voice came suddenly.

The air outside is as clear as ever.

It sounded like a woman's voice and a man's voice at the same time.

It was also the voice of an old person and that of a child.

It was a bizarre voice formed from countless voices mixed together.

Was it you who woke me?

It approached like a ray of light and completed its form in an instant.

Its build was the same as Theo's. However, its face was made entirely of light.

Nice to meet you. I am Theo Homer. However

The being that had come close glanced around and tilted its head.

You have quite a unique body, don't you?

A brighter light gathered upon its face of pure light and formed expressions.

Almost like an emoticon.

Hmm. Hmmmmm. This is. Hmmmm.

The face that had been cycling through various expressions suddenly showed surprise.

You're an Outsider, aren't you? I thought all of you had been wiped out, but there are still some left. That's a relief.

My mind sharpened instantly.

'Outsider?'

I felt certain this was a clue I could not afford to miss.

The reason I was trapped inside the game.

There was so much I wanted to ask.

But no voice came out.

As I struggled desperately to make a sound, he clicked his tongue.

I'd like to have a conversation, but I haven't been awake for very long either, so this is my limit for now.

Bzzzt.

But we'll meet soon.

Within the space that had begun to distort, he smiled brightly.

I am the Tower Keeper Banished from the Tower.

Crash.

O righteous one who will return me to the Tower, and the last player of this world.

The space shattered into pieces.

Fragments scattered through the air as the darkness gradually retreated.

It took only a few seconds for the darkness to disappear completely.

When the scenery returned, I was lying sprawled pitifully on a bed.

I look forward to the day we climb the Tower together.

Then I caught Theo as he fell limply into my arms.

I stared at the boy sleeping soundly with steady breaths, and before I knew it, I fell asleep as well.

*

[Theo has acquired the Epithet 'Tower Keeper Banished from the Tower'.]

[Tower Keeper Banished from the Tower]

[Can maintain sanity under any circumstances.]

[Theo's Mental Strength increases by ??.]

[Theo's latent abilities awaken.]

[Theo has awakened the Unique Ability, 'Spirit Possession'.]

[Spirit Possession]

[Can guide successfully bound spirits to a desired location.]

[However, a successfully bound spirit cannot terminate the bond without the consent of both parties.]

[Bound Spirits 0/1]

[※ The number of bound spirits may vary depending on Mana.]

[Theo has awakened a Unique Ability and receives an additional bonus.]

[Theo's Mana increases by 5.]

[The number of Bound Spirits increases by 1.]

[Bound Spirits 0/2]

=============

Name : Theo

Epithet : Tower Keeper Banished from the Tower (NEW)

Rank : Wood

Affiliation : Earth Mercenary Company (NEW)

[Strength : 3] [Speed : 3]

[Health : 3] [Durability : 3]

[Mana : 10(+5)] [Mental Strength : -]

▶ Skill

Ghostly Wail

▶ Unique Ability

Spirit Possession

=============

–

[You have obtained 1 Player Coin.]

[Owned Coins : 2]

“Ugh.”

I opened my eyes to a splitting headache.

It felt as though I had drunk myself unconscious.

As I sat up while clutching my throbbing head, I felt someone's gaze on me.

“Senior?”

“You awake?”

It was Cream.

Why was she in my room?

Before I could even process the situation, something leapt into my arms.

“Hyung!”

It was Theo.

Cream let out a sigh and shook her head.

“He thought you were dead.”

“Huh?”

“He said you wouldn't wake up no matter how much he tried. He thought you were dead and came looking for me.”

“…Ah.”

“You were like this before too. You're really frail. You look like you couldn't even catch a goblin, let alone a magical beast.”

She was talking about what had happened in front of the Mercenary Guild.

I had nothing to say.

Of all people, why did I always end up showing this side of myself in front of Cream?

As I lowered my head, she added one more remark.

“Get yourself together and come downstairs. You should fill your stomach before using your strength.”

“Using my strength?”

“You wanted a quest.”

“Ah, right.”

“For reference, I've never assigned a quest to anyone below a Silver Badge Mercenary.”

“Huh?”

“It means I'm not confident in adjusting the difficulty.”

As she said that, mischief filled her emerald eyes.

“You can look forward to it.”

“L-look forward to what?”

I stared blankly at the spot where Cream had disappeared after closing the door, then let out an awkward laugh.

'She's probably just joking, right?'

At least, I wanted to think so.

But somehow, if it was Cream, she seemed fully capable of showing no mercy.

“Theo, come down now.”

“Hyuuung. You can't die.”

“I'm not going to die. It's fine, so come down. You're heavy.”

When he finally let go, his face was covered in tears.

While wiping Theo's face clean, memories from the previous day flashed through my mind like a montage.

'I look forward to the day we climb the Tower together.'

What had that been?

A Tower Keeper Banished from the Tower?

As I recalled those scenes that had swept past like a storm, my head started aching again.

“Hoo.”

“Hyung! Are you really okay?”

“I'm okay. It's just my head…”

Suddenly, something felt off.

It came from the boy staring at me with a tearful expression.

“Theo. You.”

“Yes?”

“You aren't stuttering anymore?”

“Ah, yes!”

Theo smiled brightly.

“I'm not scared anymore. Not of that mister. Or that noona. Or that hyung. Or that grandpa…”

As he spoke, he pointed to various spots in the empty air.

There were seven of them in total.

Which meant there were seven ghosts in the room.

Unlike me, who felt uneasy about it, Theo looked cheerful.

“I can't hear what they're saying very clearly anymore either. I can hear them when I want to.”

So that was it.

Theo had been timid because of the ghosts and had stuttered because of them.

With all kinds of voices constantly reaching him from every direction, normal thought had been impossible.

And now that problem had been fixed.

'Why?'

The reason was visible in Theo's Status Window.

[Mental Strength : -]

Theo's Mental Strength stat had disappeared.

In other words, he would no longer panic under any circumstances.

Whether there were a hundred ghosts or a thousand.

Even if countless voices spoke around him.

'That's one hell of an awakening.'

The effect of the Mercenary Points was incredible.

“That's a relief.”

I also examined the newly awakened ability Theo had gained.

[Spirit Possession]

The description alone didn't tell me much.

It seemed he could bind two spirits.

Possess spirits and then what?

Wasn't the most important information missing?

I was just about to ask Theo if he knew anything about it when—

Grrrumble.

Both his stomach and mine growled loudly at the same time.

“Ahahaha!”

Theo burst out laughing as though it were the funniest thing in the world.

I ended up laughing too.

Food first.

Besides, I couldn't keep Cream waiting any longer.

*

[You use Review Viewing on Cream.]

[Viewing history exists.]

[Additional costs will be incurred when viewing reviews of the same target.]

[Would you like to proceed?] [Yes/No]

[Cost: 2 Coins (Owned Coins: 2)]

What was this now?

“Making that face the moment you see me—is that your old-man side showing?”

Apparently, I had frowned without realizing it.

At Cream's remark, I hurriedly relaxed my expression and shook my head.

“No. I still have a headache.”

“I'm not going easy on you anyway. Recover by the time the meal is over.”

“Yes, Senior.”

I sat across from Cream with Theo.

'Two coins, huh.'

I wondered whether it was really worth that much when Cream spoke.

“I'm paying, so just eat.”

“Thank you!”

I was completely broke right now.

What were two coins compared to a noona who bought me meals?

Especially when I didn't even know whether she was an ally or an enemy.

[You have paid 2 Coins.]

[Viewing reviews.]

[Target: Cream]

'Let's see.'

The reviews were arranged by title and recommendation count.

Even after skimming through them, nothing stood out.

'This is looking bad.'

I only needed a tiny piece of information.

As I scrolled down, hoping at least one would hit the mark, something caught my eye.

[Isn't this Cream from Beginning Village?] [♥ +3]

This is it.

The thought came to me immediately.

I took a spoonful of vegetable soup and clicked on the review.

[Title: Isn't this Cream from Beginning Village?]

["The Great Sage Pripa Franz discovered that somewhere on the continent existed a passage connected to a demon nest. To locate the passage, he dispatched special police units throughout the continent…"]

[[Image]

Doesn't this look like Cream?

The man beside her looks like James too.

Or maybe not.]

[♥ +3]

“…Huh.”

The attached image showed a scene inside a palace.

A great mage delivering a speech.

Ten individuals receiving orders.

The poster was referring to two people standing in the center of those ten.

'They look alike?'

I compared the image with the Cream sitting in front of me.

Maybe.

Maybe not.

The burly man the poster claimed was James was clearly a completely different person.

That wasn't even worth considering.

But as for Cream, I couldn't dismiss it outright.

'The eye color is similar. The hair color is similar too.'

However, the overall atmosphere

“What?”

When I looked up, emerald eyes were staring directly at me.

“It's nothing.”

I quickly shook my head and buried my face in the soup.

But my mind was spinning furiously.

'Anyway. Assuming, just assuming, it's true… a Special Police Unit?'

When discussing the strongest military organizations in the game's world, two groups were always mentioned.

The Royal Knights who served the Emperor.

And the Special Police Unit responsible for the Empire's underworld.

'Wasn't each member supposed to be equivalent to a Platinum Badge Mercenary?'

According to Min-gyu, those people only appeared when the [High Demon] or [Archdemon] scenarios were unlocked.

“Does your head still hurt?”

“…No. I just don't have much of an appetite.”

“Eat anyway. James's cooking is famous even in the city. Your appetite will come back once you start eating.”

“Yes.”

I nodded and took another spoonful of soup.

'It could be a coincidence.'

Maybe only the silhouette looked similar.

How many pairs like that could there be?

The review only had three recommendations.

People clearly didn't agree with the theory.

But

'If Cream really is from the Special Police Unit, then at the very least she isn't subordinate to demons. In that case…'

I swallowed hard.

'I need to recruit her somehow.'

I allowed myself to dream big.

*

I stood at the village entrance.

One of the militia guards stationed there greeted us warmly.

“Well, if it isn't Theo.”

“Hello!”

“Oh my. You're speaking so well now.”

Theo gripped my hand tightly and waved.

I gave the guard an awkward smile and bowed my head.

“I'm Iseo.”

“Hans. Heard you became a mercenary. First quest?”

The news had already spread.

Cream snickered.

“A quest? Hardly. It's just a little warm-up to kill some boredom.”

Hans and another militia guard burst into laughter.

“Go easy on him.”

“Don't worry. Even if something happens, Master Cream will take care of it.”

Half-listening to the guards, we passed through the entrance and walked a little farther.

Once we had put some distance behind us and stopped, Cream turned toward me.

Then she handed me a dagger.

“The magical beast you'll see most often around here is the Corrupted Rabbit. Calling it a magical beast is almost embarrassing, but a magical beast is still a magical beast.”

Cream spread one hand wide.

“Go hunt five Corrupted Rabbits and bring back proof.”

At the same time, a flash appeared before my eyes.

[Quest!]

Quest: Hunt Corrupted Rabbits

Description: Hunt five Corrupted Rabbits and collect their proof.

Difficulty: ★

Reward: One Copper Coin. Beginner's Dagger. Entry Ticket (Skill)

[Entry Ticket]

[A ticket that allows entry into the Tower.]

…What is this now?