In the central region of the Eastern Continent, there was a colossal pit as large as an entire city.
Some claimed that it had been created by a war in the distant past, while others said that a volcano had erupted there before vanishing and leaving the pit behind.
Some said that it had once been a dragon’s nest, while others insisted that the land had been low since the beginning of time. However, since no separate records of it existed in history, there was no way to confirm the truth.
There was only one thing that could be said with certainty.
At present, this colossal pit was used as a dumping ground by the great cities scattered across the Eastern Continent.
Indeed, life in Mekal Town, a gigantic sinkhole rivaling an entire city in size, was garbage.
Wherever one looked, mountains of junk, refuse, and scrap metal rose in every direction.
They had not been piled up entirely at random.
Relatively thin and flat pieces of junk served as roofs or doors, while long and sturdy pieces acted as pillars that precariously held up the sky.
Unidentifiable sticky substances served as both adhesive and walls, and sheets of gaudily colored plastic clung to the fronts and backs of those walls.
All of those elements came together to form a single house.
To reiterate, those heaps of junk were not merely heaps of junk. They were the homes and foundations of Mekal Town’s residents.
As few as five or six people and as many as several dozen lived packed together inside each one. It was a horrifying sight at first, but people gradually became accustomed to it.
Everyone did.
Outside the junk houses, the air was perpetually submerged in pitch-black exhaust fumes and unidentified dust. The metallic stench stabbed deep into the lungs with every breath, and even a faint trace of some unknown poison lingered within it.
For that reason, anyone who wished to leave a junk house had to cover their mouth and nose with a thick cloth or borrow one of the worn communal gas masks kept at each base…… but that was now a thing of the past.
If someone wandered outside and returned carrying an infectious disease, the entire base would be wiped out.
Now that the contamination had grown even worse, the wisest course was simply not to venture outside at all.
Thus, the residents chose to travel between bases by walking among the rusted sewer pipes.
They also cut openings into either side of the pipes, dug through the earth, hauled away the contaminated soil, and created new homes underground.
Mekal Town could now be regarded as one enormous anthill.
There was only one source of hope within that bleak ant burrow.
Amid the crude junk houses clustered together like colonies of mushrooms, an immense Scrap-Metal Tower rose from the center of Mekal Town.
They said that only the tower’s summit, which barely reached the surface, offered a view of the sunlight, the moonlight, and the stars in the night sky.
They said that a cool breeze blew there instead of the exhaust fumes and dust that tormented the lungs.
They said that the air was clean.
The residents of Mekal Town dreamed of the day they would climb that tower. They made beds of the garbage heaps, used the unidentified fog as blankets, and fell asleep─
“─and that is the background of this city. What do you think? Fascinating, isn’t it?”
A man as thin and shriveled as a stick insect set his Mana Stone-embedded staff on the floor, bringing his lengthy explanation of Mekal Town’s background to an end.
“And we discovered that the Scrap-Metal Tower is at the heart of Mekal Town’s signature quest!”
A short and stout Warrior Player chimed in as he rapped his one-handed sword against his shield.
There was not the slightest trace of dignity about him.
“The problem is that we don’t know how to begin the quest. We went to the Know-It-All Alliance and the Red Wire separately and asked whether they had any intention of taking control of the tower, but they either cursed at us or threw garbage. It isn’t as though we can simply teach them a lesson.”
A freckled Archer Player wearing square spectacles sighed as he assembled an arrow.
As I thought every time I saw him, the man was hopelessly clumsy with his hands.
Those three men were a group of Players who operated under the Party name ‘The Three Idiots.’
Apparently, they had named themselves after a film they had enjoyed.
“So what exactly do you expect me to do about it?”
I responded curtly while stirring the cauldron.
The lanky Mage immediately shouted.
“Good grief, there you go hurting people’s feelings again! We went to all this trouble to tell you an entertaining story, and that’s all the reaction you have?”
“When did you tell me an entertaining story?”
“Mekal Town’s history is fascinating! It’s entertaining, tragic, and…… well, it’s full of drama!”
“Good grief. What kind of Player doesn’t even read the lore for the region where he operates……?”
Grid had already told me about Mekal Town’s background, and I had personally read the full entry as well.
The Three Idiots’ story told me nothing that I did not already know.
“And did you forget that I’ve been active in Mekal Town longer than you have? If anyone knows more about it, it would be me, you idiot.”
“L-Listen to the way this man talks?!”
The fat dwarf sprang to his feet and waved both arms through the air.
Was that what they called a snack stick?
I thought I remembered hearing something like that. His movements certainly did resemble a stick-shaped snack.
“Have you forgotten that we’re regulars at this workshop? What kind of shopkeeper treats his regulars like this? Do you want your business to fail?!”
“It’s already on the verge of failing. I sell potions so cheaply that there’s barely any profit left. Perhaps I should raise the prices drastically? Or would it be better to close the shop altogether? What do you think?”
“What? You’re raising the price of the potions? You’re closing the shop? Are you serious? Is that really true?!”
“You can tell from my customer service, can’t you? I’m not suited to running a business. Even my regulars are disappointed in me, so what’s the point?”
“Akkun, you…… seem to be gravely mistaken about something. As for that particular matter, we—!”
The three Players exchanged glances through the air.
A moment later, they lowered their heads simultaneously, as though performing rehearsed choreography.
“We are always grateful to you…….”
“You’re the reason we manage to survive, sir…….”
“We’ll never throw our weight around again, so please keep the shop open…….”
A chuckle escaped me.
How wonderful would it have been if every Player were as foolish as these three?
“Enough. What was the point of this conversation again? Did you only want someone to listen to your story? You should go to a tavern for that.”
“No, we were only thinking that perhaps you might want to try the quest with us, Mr. Akkun.”
“Tr-what?”
“Try. Try.”
“……?”
I cleared my throat, covered my mouth, and glanced sideways at the black screen.
‘What does try mean?’
[It seems to mean a fried egg.]
‘Why are eggs coming up all of a sudden? What am I supposed to say?’
[Refuse. Use the line you learned previously.]
I turned back toward the Three Idiots.
“Sorry. I’m not particularly interested in quests.”
“I knew this would happen.”
“Who does he think he is, some aloof young lady? He’s always playing hard to get.”
“This is heartbreaking. Truly heartbreaking.”
The Three Idiots openly displayed their disappointment, but there was nothing I could do about it.
I already knew that they were exceptionally kind and somewhat bumbling even among ordinary Players. We had also grown reasonably close.
However, that was only because they did not know my true identity.
I was both a Red Player and an NPC.
If I became needlessly close to them and they discovered that I was a Red Player, it would hardly have been strange for those idiots to suddenly turn against me and try to kill me.
Moreover, if they discovered that I was an NPC, I was destined to be eliminated by the administrators rather than the Players.
I had to act alone, if only to survive.
To be honest, even having this conversation with those idiots was not a particularly welcome situation.
“Stop making so much noise and take the items you ordered.”
I scooped a viscous liquid out of the cauldron with a ladle and poured it into an empty glass bottle.
A message appeared before my eyes, announcing that some sort of potion had been crafted, but I immediately dismissed it.
I then took several potions out of the display cabinet and placed them all on the rectangular table.
“Twelve Level 30 Health Potions, nine Level 30 Mana Potions, six Level 40 All-Purpose Antidotes, and one Level 35 Strength Enhancer, Intelligence Enhancer, and Agility Enhancer each. Correct?”
“Sir?”
The freckled Archer raised his hand.
“Where is the Level 40 poison?”
“How many times do I have to tell you? I don’t sell poison.”
“Please sell us some.”
“No. It goes against my principles.”
I never sold poison to my customers.
I had no way of knowing when, where, against whom, or for what purpose they would use it.
Moreover, the ring was watching me.
Whatever else might have been permitted, I was not allowed to use poison as a means of making money.
“Come on…… We’re going to use it to hunt Monsters. The Monsters here are far too strong for us. We cross the line between life and death every day.”
“Find another hunting ground, seek out ‘that bastard’ operating in the Scrap-Metal Tower, or make it yourselves.”
I gave a faint laugh before adding another remark.
“Although with your craftsmanship, you wouldn’t manage it in your entire lifetime.”
“Ugh…… This is infuriating. You’re insufferable. Boooo~”
“Should I raise the prices starting today?”
“Sorry. Never mind.”
The Three Idiots placed several dozen Silver coins on the table and divided the potions among their respective Inventories.
“By the way, Mr. Akkun, exactly what is your Apothecary Crafting Level?”
“That’s right. I was curious too.”
“It’s at least above 60, isn’t it?”
The talkative Three Idiots simply did not know how to leave without making a fuss.
Still, it was not as though they had asked something that must never be asked.
A Crafting Level was a numerical measurement of how skillfully someone could produce potions, weapons, accessories, armor, food, and other crafted goods.
It was not something one needed to hide. It was something to boast about wherever one went.
Doing so increased the chances of forming connections with major guilds and earning a vast fortune.
‘Not that I have any intention of doing that…….’
I had no desire to draw the attention of a major guild for no reason.
I looked at the Three Idiots and smiled.
“It isn’t low.”
That was not a lie.
My current Apothecary Crafting Level was 71.
Considering that the maximum level was 100, it was by no means a low number.
“What a petty man…….”
“We didn’t even ask for your Player Level. What’s so difficult about telling us your Crafting Level……? This hurts. It truly hurts.”
“I think his level is lower than that man’s in the Scrap-Metal Tower. He must be hiding it because his pride is wounded. Let us be magnanimous and understand him.”
The sulking Three Idiots began whispering among themselves.
THUD!
I slammed my hand against the table.
The potions in the display cabinet trembled slightly.
“I can hear every word. Or are you deliberately saying it loudly enough for me to hear?”
“Eep!”
“Ah!”
“Gasp!”
The Three Idiots jumped into the air.
“A joke! It was only a joke! You’re the best, sir! Thank you again for today!”
“Hurray for Mr. Akkun, Mekal Town’s greatest Apothecary!”
“Hurray for Mekal Town’s greatest workshop, ‘Marigold’!”
The Three Idiots bowed deeply and fled from the workshop.
JINGLE, JINGLE-
The sound of the bell attached to the door gradually faded away.
Approximately thirty minutes passed, but there was still no sign of anyone near the workshop.
Only then did I lock the door and reach for the thing hanging above the window……
[Curtain.]
I lowered the curtain.
Afterward, I cleaned the cauldron and began wiping the workshop’s floors and walls with a mop and a cleaning cloth.
It was then that Grid displayed a black screen before my eyes.
[KK]
I hesitated briefly before resuming my mopping and moving only my mouth.
“Keu-keu. Ki-ki. An expression of laughter. An expression of mockery.”
[HH]
“Heu-heu. Gentle laughter. It can also sound lecherous. It can also be appended when mocking someone.”
[NN]
“No-no. Nee-nee. A casual expression meaning no. Derived from the English NO NO.”
[GAPBUNSSA]
“Hmm…… ‘Suddenly taking a manure dump’? Is that right?”
[If I had genitals, I would have hurled excrement into your face by now.]
“Stop spouting bullshit and tell me the answer. Before I throw you into the privy again.”
Grid and I spent our spare time studying the Players’ language in this manner.
If I could naturally use expressions spoken exclusively by Players, no one would suspect that I was an NPC.
The friendlier I appeared, the less likely people were to suspect that I was a Red Player as well.
Studying the Players’ language was not a choice for me. It was a necessity.
There was simply far too much to learn.
I had to study popular phrases and internet terminology. I also needed to learn simple Japanese phrases such as yamete and gomen, as well as simple Chinese phrases such as xiexie and ni chi bao le ma.
Finally, there was English.
That language of twisting letters needed to be studied in meticulous detail.
Players mixed it into their speech more than any other language, and English was also frequently used in game terminology.
What was truly surprising was this.
Mekal Town was English.
Even Monster was English.
Even the ‘potions’ I made every day had an English name.
‘The villagers did call potions elixirs, though.’
Master had called them potions.
According to him, the word simply felt more familiar.
In other words, the NPCs within Amuse had been mixing English into their speech without even realizing it.
They never once questioned where those words had originated.
“Why the hell do they mix so many languages together? It only makes everything more confusing…….”
[If you lack the power to change the system, stop complaining and conform to it, Akkun.]
“I was talking about you.”
English existed within Amuse because of Grid’s whims.
Apparently, they had simply wanted to give things such as potions and Monsters English names.
That was the entire reason.
I could not understand it.
Wouldn’t it have been cleaner and easier to use only the common tongue?
Grid was not even an Apothecary. Why had they insisted on mixing everything together?
[Amuse is my world.]
“You said you handed it over to your younger siblings on a silver platter, you idiot.”
[The right to name all things belonged solely to me.]
“Why don’t you claim that you named me as well?”
Grid did not answer.
By now, I was accustomed to that sight.
Instead of urging them to respond, I finished cleaning and washed my hands.
Afterward, I wedged my hand into the narrow gap between two display cabinets that had been pressed tightly together.
When I pushed them to either side, the ground and the cabinets moved apart with an unnatural sound.
GRRK, GRRRRK-
No dust fell from them.
“Whew.”
I wiped the sweat from the back of my hand.
A section of wall had been concealed behind the two display cabinets.
At its center was a sewer pipe filled with impenetrable darkness.
I tightly gripped a Luminous Stone and pushed my body into the pipe.
I had finished the day’s business, and I had finished my studies.
It was now time to live another life.