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Asuka Empire Same as always, Yuuki dove into this VRMMO at the time they had agreed on.
For Yuuki, with her special circumstances, being able to adventure through all kinds of VRMMOs with the members of the Sleeping Knights and keep making beautiful memories that belonged to them was probably the happiest thing there was.
That feeling still had not faded, even now.
Only, today’s Yuuki did not seem to have much energy.
No—rather than just today, it had been like this for a while recently.
When her companions were not beside her, sadness and loneliness would occasionally show on her face.
But there was nothing that could be done about that.
The only family she had in the world, her older sister, Aiko Konno, had died of illness not long ago.
Having lost the sole pillar of her heart, Yuuki had been grief-stricken and lost for a long time.
Fortunately, after learning Yuuki’s sister had died, the members of the Sleeping Knights had stayed by her side the whole time and wracked their brains to make her happy.
Thanks to those reliable companions, Yuuki had not gone back to being the girl who only pretended to smile behind a strong shell and then shut her heart away on her own.
To answer her companions’ feelings, and to inherit her sister’s will, she chose to live optimistically, and decided that before her life reached its end she would do more things that mattered and create more beautiful memories.
Even so, changing her mood immediately was hard.
Compared to before, though, most of the gloom on Yuuki’s face had disappeared.
Only now and then would a lonely look slip out without her noticing.
*** Third Neutral Zone.
Tea House The instant her consciousness connected, Yuuki’s character in Asuka Empire appeared in this teahouse.
A pretty short-haired girl with a white ribbon in her hair, wearing a samurai outfit.
The whole set was quite particular.
Armor had been added especially at the vital points of the body, and yet overall it did not look bulky.
It perfectly set off the girl’s small frame and slender waist.
That was also the outward change that showed directly after she had changed class from “Swordsman” to “Samurai.” “Yuuki, you’re here.” “Ah, sorry to keep you waiting, everyone.” To keep her friends from worrying, Yuuki showed the same dazzling smile as always and waved at Siune (female character).
“Yuuki, how’s your condition today?” “Completely fine.
Even the doctor praised me for being so energetic.” Yuuki walked to Jun’s side, put her right arm on his shoulder, and answered.
“That’s good.” Jun laughed in a lively voice.
“Tecchi, Talken, Nori.
Good afternoon~!” “Oh!
Afternoon, Yuuki.” “Guild leader… good afternoon…” “Yaa~ little Yuuki is still that cute!” “Don’t~ get too close, Nori.” The second member of the guild, a woman who always liked to show a brilliant smile, hugged Yuuki with a doting look.
Luckily this was inside a safe zone.
If it was not a PK action, no attack damage would register.
Otherwise Yuuki would probably have been strangled to death by Nori, her HP bar dropping in chunks.
After the playing around settled, the members of the Sleeping Knights gathered around a round table and discussed today’s activity plan.
“Are we party-hunting a boss today too?” “By custom, it should be that.” Siune pinched her chin and thought.
“Eh…
don’t.
Grinding monsters and leveling every day is too boring.
Jun, hurry and think of something interesting.” Nori lay on the table, scratching her black hair that spread out like spilled ink, and spoke without interest.
“Why pick me to answer.
I don’t know!
Also, have I become the one in charge of finding entertainment?” “Eh?
Haven’t you always been set that way?” “Damn it!
I have not!
And I’m alive!” Jun puffed his cheeks—and glared at Nori unhappily, but there was not a trace of dislike in his tone.
He sounded even more lively instead.
“Hahaha, alright, Nori, stop giving Jun a hard time.” His narrowed smiling eyes added a comic touch to Tecchi’s usual bold look.
He laughed heartily while sticking out his protruding belly.
“In that case, why don’t we find an NPC and take a quest?” As the second leader of the Sleeping Knights, Yuuki thought for a moment and proposed that.
“Good idea.
But ordinary NPC quests are unchallenging, even dry and tedious commissions.
The ones that fit what we want are only those extremely rare quests that trigger special story events, and those you can only run into by chance.
If that’s how it is, we might as well dutifully clear a labyrinth and grind.
That’s more meaningful.” Siune, who had a fine figure and whose eyes sometimes gave off a steady light, analyzed calmly.
“Special story events?
Good!
Decided.
Today we won’t clear a labyrinth.
Everyone go look for an NPC-chan who can trigger a special story!” “You make it sound too easy.
If those NPCs were that easy to find, information brokers would be out of work.
I have to admit, the reason some high-level players become legends, with enviable legendary weapons and rare items, is not only powerful strength.
They also have luck ordinary people can’t match.” Seeing Siune still arguing against her proposal, Yuuki acted spoiled like a child: “I don’t care~ Siune just has no perseverance.
Don’t stand there talking serious nonsense.
You’re crushing my confidence.” “Nn…!?
Hah…?
Miss Yuuki, could you please repeat what you just said?” “Eeh—!
Obasan Siune is so scary~!” “O-ba-san!?
Yuuki!!!” After hearing the true feelings Yuuki let slip without thinking, Siune’s expression started to collapse.
A pair of sharp, cold eyes glared at Yuuki.
“Uwah~!
I’m sorry!” Memories of being “doted on” by Siune rose in her heart, and a nameless fear appeared.
Before Siune’s fury fully broke out she hurriedly apologized.
“Hmph.
Remember.
Don’t let it happen again.” Siune’s clenched fist made a creaking sound, scaring Yuuki into nodding again and again like a quail.
“Um…?” Just then Talken, who had been worrying about not finding a good moment to cut in, aimed for this gap, raised his hand, and spoke timidly.
“Nn?
What’s wrong, Talken?” The earlier horseplay had only been to heat up the atmosphere.
On the surface Yuuki was rough and casual, but she had actually been watching every member’s every move well.
“Um…
that…
an NPC who can trigger a special story.
I think I found one.” Including Yuuki, the other guild members froze first, then seemed to understand something and looked at each other.
After that, intense discussion exploded.
“Eh, eh, eh…!?” “Real or fake?” “Not bad!
Talken kid!” “If little Talken were a girl it’d be great.” “Hehe~!
Eh!
Wait!
Don’t mix in weird lines!” “I say, if you don’t want the information leaking, you’d better control your volume.” While everyone was talking over each other because of the information Talken had provided, Siune’s words dumped cold water on all of them, and everyone snapped awake at once.
“Shh~” “Shh~” “Shh~” “Shh~” “Shh~” Looking at this group of guild members with the personalities of three-year-olds, Siune covered her forehead with her hand.
A helpless yet relieved smile appeared on her gentle face.
“Alright, everyone calm down first.
Let’s hear what Talken has to say.” “That’s right.
Talken, as guild leader of the Sleeping Knights, I authorize you to report your war merits.” “”Hahahahaha!”” Yuuki’s goofing made everyone laugh without stopping.
After Talken had arranged his words, he began telling them slowly: “I logged into Asuka Empire very early today.
Before everyone came online, I went out into the field to grind and kill some time.” At that, Talken got excited: “When the agreed time was about to come and I started heading back, an old-woman NPC came up to me and asked if I was willing to take her commission quest.” “Wait!
You’re saying the NPC came to you on its own to give a quest?
That’s too strange.
I’ve never heard of that.” Yuuki suddenly cut Talken off, unable to help asking.
“Indeed.
Normally players are the ones who look for NPCs that can give quests.
This kind of spontaneous NPC behavior—could it be a system bug?” Just as Siune said, in a large-scale VRMMO like this, when a quest story had not been triggered, NPCs generally stayed in place without moving.
Without a system command, NPCs would not act on their own.
Precisely because of that, the old-woman NPC Talken had met gave people a nameless sense of wrongness.
And though she did not want to admit it, Siune’s curiosity had indeed been hooked by this strange phenomenon.
“Forget those boring details.
The point is, Talken, did you accept the NPC’s quest or not?” Nori yawned and glanced at Talken from the corner of her eye.
Stared at so fixedly by Nori, Talken immediately lowered his head and said shyly: “I did.
I was too curious, so I couldn’t help accepting.
Incidentally, this quest supports multi-person party completion.” “Uu~ well done!
Talken.
Come on, share it so we can see.” The “share” here was not simply sending the quest text to everyone’s quest window.
After each person received the story side quest Talken shared, they could choose whether to take part.
After completing the story quest, rewards would be given according to each party member’s contribution.
“Okay.” Talken had never planned to keep it to himself from the start.
Special story quests like this were usually very hard, so choosing to complete the commission as a party was the smartest choice.
Fingers too slender to look like a man’s slid quickly across the panel.
A moment later, the others all received the side quest Talken had shared.
[Ten thousand years ago, the Demon King of the Night, who slew hundreds of powerful gods in a mortal body, was also gravely wounded.
His soul was damaged, and he had no choice but to lie dormant in the Great Abyss Rift to recover.] [Ten thousand years passed.
The Demon King finally recovered his former peak power.
He swore to ignite war across the entire continent once more.
Let hatred, fear, anger, and despair corrode the human world.
Let the name of the Demon King of the Night resound through the whole world again.
Let all who dare defy him become feed for the abyss and strengthen the invincible Night Demon Army under his command.] [Now, in this age when the gods have fallen, who can still withstand the Demon King’s momentum?] [O warriors~ even so, do you have the courage to raise your swords?] [Quest requirement: Slay the Demon King of the Night, or do something that gives the Demon King supreme pleasure, and thereby make the Demon King abandon the thought of destroying the world.] [Quest reward: Realize any wish you hold in your heart.] —–<>——
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