Novel Bin Chapter 2: I Shouldn't Have Done That (2)
Chapter 2: I Shouldn't Have Done That (2)
“Irina!”
[Everything began with my younger sister, who ran out thinking our father had returned.
The white dress I had bought for her birthday turned crimson. At the center of that crimson flower was a black blade that didn’t reflect a single ray of light.]
“No!”
[Next was my brother, a Knight captain. Seeing the blade sticking out of Irina’s body, my older brother leaped out, falling victim to the same before he could swing his own weapon even once.
His loud voice immediately cut off, and the sight of his body slumped lifelessly against a wall spread out before me.]
“Arthur!”
[Our mother’s voice calling out my brother’s name echoed in my ears.]
“You bastard!”
[My older sister, a strong Knight just below my brother, ran out, wielding a mace that had been leaning against a wall. Tears seemed to be forming in the corners of her eyes as she passed by me, still completely frozen.
But even she was swallowed up by blood, fresh blood, the red liquid that proved life itself.]
“Come on, run away!”
[My mother shouted out to me. Was she holding Father’s sword in her hand? Or was it just a kitchen knife?]
“I’m a knight, too!”
“No, you have to run!”
“What is happening?!”
[My father. It seems he came back as well.]
“Quickly, run away—!”
“You take cover too!”
[My memories after that are rather blurry. When I gripped my sword, the world turned red, then white, then black before it was lit up again by the faint rays of moonlight.]
> “What a good vessel.”
[The black blade was stuck in my right arm, squirming beneath my skin, just squirming and writhing…]
> “You’ll… suffice.”
[Aah, I was praying.
For a strong individual with a soul that could overcome all evil, someone who would not falter before evil, someone who could thwart these evil forces.
I beg you…
.
.
.
…Can you hear my voice?]
“Urgh!”
Upon hearing that last line, my vision filled with light and my lungs filled with air.
“Get off!”
Next, the loud clamor of a busy marketplace and an annoyed voice right before me entered my ears.
「Tatara: Trading Post」
Right then, a dull bell rang out, waking me from my stupor.
That was when the curtain to the prelude of Legend of Heroes was raised.
“Ah…”
I unconsciously clenched and unclenched my hand repeatedly. That was how overwhelming the opening had been.
Were all games like that these days…? Was it even possible to fabricate this sensation of recalling memories I didn’t even have, far beyond just showing me a movie or something? It was so vivid that I felt like even the character’s emotions from then imprinted into me.
I simply rubbed the back of my neck. I was trying not to let out any vulgar words, but I felt really, really bad.
“Hey, you.”
Perhaps because I was a little too immersed in the afterglow of these memories and my admiration for this highly improved technology, I was surprised to hear someone’s voice.
Finally, I fully returned to my senses. The opening scene should have ended, and that System Window I saw just then likely showed my current location, meaning the game had started.
“Aren’t you going to get off?”
After playing so many games, that rough speech seemed almost cute, especially since it’s something heard and seen everywhere.
Instead of feeling displeased, I quickly looked around to grasp the situation.
I saw people unloading the wagon I was still sitting in and one person standing before me who seemed to want me gone.
At that moment, an extreme nostalgia arose in me, because this was exactly like the original Demon Knight tutorial, only changed from 2D to 3D.
How did even the tutorial feel so nostalgic? Could I even immerse myself in my character like this? I was already getting so emotional, you know?
I forced myself to change pace. While I shouldn't immerse myself too much in the game, I should also never just randomly start crying.
Of course, I couldn’t let my tears be seen! Although I knew the character’s face wouldn’t reflect my expressions, I still felt the need to control them.
Tak.
So, I just got off the wagon without saying anything. I wasn’t really doing it to act out the sensitive and sharp temper described on the official site or for the setting I had based on it.
It was more of an unconscious action, as there wasn’t any Window telling me how I should answer the guy, and it didn’t seem like a scene where I had to show any type of reaction.
“What a bastard.”
However, the wagon owner watching me clicked his tongue and cussed me out, making me momentarily wonder if he was actually a real person.
The beta testers had harped on about how the NPC interactions were incredible. It looked like those weren’t empty words.
“You have to pay me more…”
“Then my profit will…”
“You hear about the rebels…”
“Those Demons…”
Immediately after disembarking, I realized something even more important just by looking around the trading post.
“…Deep Sea Pearl, did you actually find alien technology or something?”
The devs did everything right.
“They really went ham on the graphics, didn’t they?”
Those dirt roads marked with wheel treads, the texture of the buildings’ outer walls, the various light sources and shadow effects… What’s more, the tickling I felt when the wind brushed my skin, the dust floating in the air, and all these foreign smells stinging my nose.
But that wasn’t all. If one paid close attention to the NPCs filling this place, then one would see that none were duplicates. Neither their faces nor their clothes were the same.
I’d thought this game would be awesome when watching the trailer, but I didn’t know the real thing would exceed my expectations like this. It was like an actual virtual ‘reality’!
“There are so many objects moving around, but there isn’t any lag or drop in frame rate…? What the hell?”
I had wondered why the file was so huge when I downloaded it, but it turned out to be relatively very small. How the hell did they manage to optimize the graphics to such a degree? Were they actually aliens or something?
“Crazy, this is actually crazy…”
Deep Sea Pearl were real bastards. Were they trying to kill people by drowning them in a wave of emotions? That was clearly their intention. It was legal, too.
“Sigh.”
I clenched my fists as I felt my emotions crash over me like a tide wave. That was the best I could do. I felt like I wouldn’t have any regrets even if I were to die now.
“Don’t just stand in the way!”
Fortunately, someone rescued me from my drowning state. It was a passing NPC.
I used their words as a signal to gradually overcome these feelings.
The words that left my mouth and the actions I took could no longer be rescinded, but my pride as a roleplayer couldn’t tolerate any further character breaks. Now was the time to relax and thoroughly enjoy this game.
And to do so, I had to hypnotize myself first. It was one of my habits that helped me get into character.
From this moment on, I was a Demon Knight with the Demon who killed my whole family sealed in my arm.
I was always on the edge, never knowing when the Demon would devour me. Because of that, I forcefully pushed everyone away, not caring what kind of anger they would harbor against me. I was the type of person who hid his vulnerable and soft inner core with a rough and hard outer shell reflected in my sharp and sensitive nature!
The character setting based on the trailer videos, leaked information, and the official settings covered me like a mask.
That marked the start of my roleplay.
* * *
* * *
Shiing.
I killed my expression, not because the game character’s expression would actually change, but to better immerse myself. I then returned the sword to the sheath on my back.
I wondered if it was because the sword was too long, but for some reason, it almost felt like my body was moving on its own to sheathe it.
Well then, what was I supposed to do now? One would usually just look for someone with a question mark floating above their head, but strangely enough, I couldn’t see anyone like that.
While attempting to look at my Minimap, I discovered the game lacked that function, and upon opening the Quest Window, I found it completely empty.
In that case, would the NPC who’d progress the plot find me on their own or something?
“Aah, Adventurer!"
Someone appeared before me. It was a little kid who barely reached my stomach.
“Erm… Mister Adventurer, are you… Mister ‘Demon Knight’?”
The name leaving the child’s mouth was both my class’s name and the nickname I gave this character.
I did this purposely to demonstrate that I had abandoned my name after that incident. There was no better fitting way to address me right now.
Incidentally, I waited a moment for a System Window to pop up. Usually, they would give you dialog options, prompts, or keywords necessary to progress the story, even if they allowed free dialogue.
“A-am I wrong?”
But nothing like that appeared.
Despite feeling a bit surprised, I decided to simply answer the kid’s question for now. No matter how I looked at it, this was the start of a Quest I shouldn’t miss.
“…No, you’re right.”
When I answered them coldly, taking the character settings into consideration, the child’s body trembled slightly. I felt like I could see what they were thinking just by looking into their eyes.
The kid seemed so realistic that I almost kneeled down to comfort them and tell them not to be scared.
“Th-then please follow me. I’ll show you to the Adventurers’ Guild.”
Wow, what a well-made character. Holding such admiration in my heart, I followed the young NPC rushing forward.
Trudge, trudge.
I could hear the sound of my heels hitting the dry dirt road.
Actually, where would they have put the Adventurers’ Guild? With this in mind, I sneakily tried to check my own appearance, wanting to see if the game properly reflected the changes I made.
The outfit I received as a perk from the deluxe edition and put on the character during character customization, the True Zweihänder of Destruction from the pre-order bonus, and the bags strapped to my leg, thighs, and waist for inventory space.
I wondered whether I was actually wearing the eyepatch given my seemingly unaffected sight, but when I went to touch it, I could feel it was definitely there. The hair visible at the edges of my vision was also two-colored, which appeared to reflect the appearance settings I had made precisely.
It really was perfect.
“This is it!”
「Tatara: Adventurers’ Guild」
How long did it take me to check myself out? We actually reached the Adventurers’ Guild right when I finished.
Considering what I had seen while passing by, it didn’t seem like they made the city smaller but rather that the trading post and Adventurers’ Guild were somehow connected.
“Shouldn’t this be just right for us?”
“Did you hear the news? Panine’s older brother went to escort that corps and ultimately disappeared along with them.”
“There seem to be a lot of missing people these days…”
The inside of the Adventurers’ Guild was extremely loud and noisy. In particular, there were many people gathered before a massive bulletin board. From the murmurs, it seemed to be the mission board.
“Miss Clerk! I brought the adventurer!”
“Ah, so you’ve arrived?”
Anyway, the child took me to one of the open windows. The person who had just been answering others seemed delighted to see me.
“Thank you. You should get to work now. And… nice to meet you. I’m Izren, a clerk of the Tatara Adventurers’ Guild.”
The clerk gave me a light bow after sending away the child and the other person she had been talking to.
It seemed she hadn’t used this skill of delegating work to the remaining personnel servicing another window just once or twice before.
“Sir Demon Knight, correct?”
“Yes.”
“While it’s easy to recognize you given your very distinctive characteristics, could you show me your adventurer’s card just in case? There are so many people impersonating adventurers these days that this verification process is a necessary procedure.”
As she was speaking, a System Window blocked a part of my view.
「Inventory │ You can activate your inventory by putting your hand in your bag.
Visualize what you want to take out and simply grab it.」
It was a tutorial that taught one the basics of the game.
I followed its instructions and placed my hand in the bag. The inventory UI then popped up and took up another part of my view.
It was a Tetris-like inventory system, with each item occupying a certain number of spaces within. As I could see the total weight of the objects inside, it seemed they restricted it by both volume and weight.
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It would have been nice if it were a slot-type system, but the game was still incredibly well-made. I found an adventurer’s card among the items in my inventory and took it out.
“Your identity has been confirmed.”
The clerk I handed my adventurer’s card to turned around, checked it, and quickly returned it to me.
“Welcome to Tatara, Adventurer.”
It was the kind of hospitality that made me really feel like I was playing Legend of Heroes.
“I know you’ve come a long way, but may I assign you a request right away? The client said it’s very urgent.”
Hmm. I thought she would tell me about the board over there and how to use it, but that seemed to be something for later. Well, the system didn’t seem to have changed much from the original, so I kind of had an inkling.
“Guide me there.”
And I was sure that this was also part of the tutorial. I immediately agreed. The clerk stood up at once and led me to the place.
It wasn’t that far from the guild.
I followed the clerk into a building with a sign that read “Mabel Company.” Several merchants were walking around, as expected from a merchant company.
It was as noisy there as in the Adventurers’ Guild, but the graphics were simply too amazing for me to care about that. I followed the clerk, barely keeping myself from looking around too much.
“Chairman, the adventurer you requested is here.”
“Come in!”
The room I was about to enter seemed magnificent, judging just by the entrance. Considering she had called him Chairman, he had to be this company’s owner.
“A cyclops?”
But why was the guy picking a fight right as he saw me?
“It seems your manners are quite lacking.”
I sighed as I checked over the NPCs in the room. I wasn’t looking for any particular reaction. It was just a mild line I prepared that fit my character settings.
After all, no game, no matter how well-crafted, could respond to every word the player might say. The potential options were simply too numerous and would just increase its capacity unnecessarily.
As such, I obviously didn’t expect this NPC to respond to my words, so I was quite surprised by what happened next.
The face of the guy who cussed me out immediately distorted, as if reacting to my lines.
“Hmph! He’s more of a wretched bastard than I’ve heard.”
“Please calm down, Chairman.”
“Y-you take it easy too, Adventurer.”
He even responded to my line instead of just changing his expression. The same went for the other NPCs my words didn’t target. They were acting like real people.
I felt like I was about to go slightly crazy. Deep Sea Pearl, did you guys really implement alien technology in this game?
“Are you that Demon Knight?”
“Who else do you think I would be?”
Just to check, I avoided giving positive answers such as ‘Yeah,’ ‘You’re right,’ or ‘Yes.’
It was similar to not inputting the needed keyword in a game. I wondered how the NPCs would react if the player just said whatever they wanted.
“Yeah, I doubt anyone else has such a sinister face. There’s no way that clerk would have made a mistake.”
To my surprise, the conversation continued. I couldn't believe it. He actually understood the connotations of my line!
“Chairman…”
“Sir, please…”
Damn, what the hell?!
I stared at the people in the room, wearing a bitter expression in an attempt to suppress my excitement. That old man with the rude mouth—probably the boss of this place—another middle-aged man trying to calm him down, and the clerk who came with me.
It was just a small number of NPCs, but that didn’t matter. Just having these three link their responses in such an appropriate and realistic manner made this game godly.
“Adventurer, please try to speak a bit more politely…”
Why should I? I absolutely didn’t want to. If my lines gave me these kinds of reactions and I didn’t act according to my character setting, why the hell was I even playing this game? That wouldn’t make me a roleplayer.
“You’re talking to the wrong person here. Why should I?”
“Adventurer…”
“Th-that insolent little…!”
Wow, this was so crazy. Did they type all these lines? No, they probably didn’t. Did an AI generate these lines on its own? But why would they give these NPCs such an advanced AI?
In old-game terms, it was like giving voice lines to Villager 1. This was just too good.
“Hmph, if he isn't as good as they say… I'll have to beat up the guy who recommended him…"
“Sir, they can hear you."
“Then let them hear! I'm only telling the truth!"
Sigh… If I knew things would turn out like this, I would have bought Pearl's stocks. Their stocks were already among the top ones, but looking at the quality of this game, it wouldn't be strange if they rose even further. What a pity.
“Ehem! Let's set that aside and start talking about the request! Isn't that why you called Sir Adventurer to this city?!"
The clerk hurriedly tried to clear out the tense atmosphere in the room. I wanted to try acting more like my character setting dictated, but I was surprised enough by all this, so I just let it go.
I looked at the elderly NPC.
“First of all, do you know the content of the request?”
Miss Izren asked, but it was quite a meaningless question. I just found out I had come to this city for a request, so there was no way I would know.
“I don’t.”
“What? How could…”
I coldly denied it. I could hear the old man swallowing the insults about to leave his mouth. If the middle-aged man hadn’t covered his mouth, he would have probably finished whatever sentence he was about to say.
“Pardon? Didn’t the Guild inform you? Did you volunteer without knowing what this was about?”
Izren seemed surprised, but I couldn’t really answer her questions.
Who in their right mind would have done something like that? I had just logged into the game, but those Pearl guys already gave me so much to do.
Oh, I wasn’t complaining, of course, esteemed Pearl Gods. I was already grateful enough that they were letting me play this game. I was loyal, absolutely loyal.
“So? Are you saying that some worms could endanger me?”
Anyway, a good roleplayer would use any opportunity to give their character personality.
I continued my mud battle with that old man by acting like an arrogant brat.
“Th-that’s…”
Then that old NPC muttered something to himself. He may have been half cussing at me and half at whomever recommended me.
From what I’d heard earlier, it seemed they hired me on someone’s recommendation.
At that point, I seriously wanted to meet the programmer personally. I really wanted to ask him if he was some kind of god.
They couldn’t just make NPCs this human-like without being a god. The Pearl Gods were the only true gods!