NM 15

Chapter 15

After settling the chaotic atmosphere, Kingsmaker brought forward the chef to accomplish the purpose for which she had summoned everyone.

“As I mentioned earlier, having a production class doesn’t mean you can’t fight. Goat! Over here, over here!”

Thanks to his sleek black chef’s uniform and the flamethrower strapped to his back, his identity was unmistakable.

Looking at the weapon on his back—which clearly wasn’t intended for cooking—Hye-yeon quickly accepted the idea.

“It seems like chefs are a strong class.”

“…That’s not necessarily true.”

The chef himself tried to correct her misunderstanding, but Kingsmaker interrupted before he could explain further.

“Anyway! We have both combat and production classes here, so this will be super useful for helping Duck choose a class!”

Kingsmaker looked completely confident.

Hye-yeon wanted to say that they really didn’t have to go this far for her…

But Kingsmaker’s sparkling eyes stopped her.

Honestly, it would’ve been easier on Hye-yeon’s conscience if Kingsmaker’s advice had been mediocre.

Instead, every piece of information she provided was incredibly valuable.

Despite being people she’d only met by chance, Kingsmaker was treating her far too well.

“First, Duck. Please take a look at the Holy Knight standing before you.”

At Kingsmaker’s words, Hye-yeon looked toward the man in white armor.

The red-haired knight wore an impossibly cheerful smile.

He, too, was absurdly kind.

Maybe these people were simply veteran players who enjoyed hanging out with newbies?

That was the best explanation Hye-yeon could come up with.

And it was correct.

They were simply bored veterans who genuinely enjoyed raising newbies.

Well…

To be precise, the only ones who truly loved it were the red-haired Holy Knight, “Doesn’t Your House Have Any Newbies?”, and Kingsmaker.

The others simply enjoyed watching those two.

“Let’s start with the Holy Knight, the representative tank class for combat! This red-haired guy right here! His class is Holy Knight, his weapon is that holy grail he’s holding, and one of his representative titles is—”

“‘Divine Stage Capacitor’! My title skills are ‘Parsifal’s Prayer’ and ‘Longinus’s Fate’!”

As though he’d been waiting for the opportunity, he seamlessly continued Kingsmaker’s explanation and proudly listed his specs.

Was it really okay to reveal all of this to outsiders so casually?

Unlike Hye-yeon’s concerns, he seemed to be having the time of his life.

He explained the Holy Knight’s basic skills and demonstrated them using the holy grail in his hands.

Kingsmaker added an explanation.

Weapons were essentially tools that determined action animations.

However, depending on the weapon, their compatibility with certain titles could vary.

Hye-yeon briefly thought about the relationship between chefs and flamethrowers.

Then she decided not to think too deeply about it.

When he finally demonstrated one of his title skills, Hye-yeon understood why Kingsmaker had said titles were the most important part.

Using the title skill Longinus’s Fate, Doesn’t Your House Have Any Newbies?’s appearance transformed instantly.

His armor turned pitch black.

The white holy grail transformed into a long black spear.

If his previous appearance had been defensive and support-oriented…

Now he looked entirely focused on offense.

“Using this skill lets me switch between tank and damage dealer depending on the situation.”

Hye-yeon’s eyes widened.

Kingsmaker grinned.

“Now you understand why classes are just the foundation and titles matter so much, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“But not all titles are equal. There are common titles anyone can obtain, and rare titles with limited ownership.”

“Oh…”

“And the highest-ranking titles are those that only one person can possess.”

“They’re called Opera Titles.”

“Opera Titles?”

Opera?

As in the opera she knew?

Wondering whether there was another meaning to the word, Hye-yeon looked puzzled.

Kingsmaker smiled fondly.

It had been a while since she’d seen someone react that way.

“Yep. This game really lives up to its name. It’s called Märchen—a fairy tale. While there are exceptions, most quests are based on fairy tales.”

“And quests prioritize storytelling more than combat.”

“Like Bi-yeon’s quest?”

Kingsmaker nodded.

Bi-yeon’s quest had been beginner content, but it had also been designed specifically to highlight this aspect.

It contained no combat at all.

Though precious Duck had somehow encountered strange monsters anyway…

Kingsmaker set that thought aside for later.

“And depending on what kind of story leads you to obtaining a title, the skills attached to that title can change.”

“The quality and nature of the story behind the title matter.”

That sounded more complicated than Hye-yeon had expected.

As the explanation grew increasingly confusing, she simply smiled.

It would work out somehow.

When problems appeared right in front of people, they figured things out eventually.

No need to understand everything immediately.

“Because of that, even people with the same title can end up with different skills…”

“You’ll understand once you experience it yourself.”

Noticing Hye-yeon’s slightly lost expression, Kingsmaker wrapped up the explanation.

Hye-yeon mentally reviewed what she’d learned.

The best titles were Opera Titles.

Since they were incredibly difficult to obtain anyway…

Maybe she didn’t need to worry about them yet.

Kingsmaker nodded approvingly.

She had been exactly the same.

Eventually, experience taught you everything.

“Most of the people who currently possess Opera Titles are rankers.”

“And there probably aren’t many left undiscovered.”

“So it’s okay if I don’t really understand them?”

“Exactly!”

“Oh, and for reference…”

“Me, him, her, and this guy are all Opera Title holders.”

Kingsmaker pointed in sequence.

First, Doesn’t Your House Have Any Newbies?, back in white armor.

Then the woman in the black suit.

And finally…

The man Hye-yeon had mistaken for a fairy.

Meanwhile, Ethte continued affectionately hovering around him.

“Just in case—if you ever end up in a situation where you have to fight an Opera Title holder…”

“Just run.”

“I probably shouldn’t be saying this, but most of them have extremely annoying skills.”

“That’s right,” Doesn’t Your House Have Any Newbies? agreed.

“Especially one particular mage.”

“That guy has skills specifically designed to drive people insane.”

“Never fight him, Newbie.”

Hearing both Kingsmaker and the Holy Knight warn her, Hye-yeon shrugged.

“Even if I met them, I wouldn’t recognize them anyway.”

Since this was virtual reality, players’ nicknames weren’t automatically visible.

Unless they introduced themselves first.

Kingsmaker shook her head.

“You’d know immediately.”

“You’d look at him and go, ‘Ah. So that’s him.'”

“…?”

“That guy’s whole concept is ‘The Boy Who Lived’ from a magical world.”

“…Harry Potter?”

That certainly would make him easy to identify.

“…Oh.”

Then maybe That Nameless Person hadn’t been joking with his nickname either.

Maybe it had been part of a concept.

Then again, every game had people obsessed with roleplaying weird character concepts.

Actually…

Now that she thought about it…

Kingsmaker herself…

Glancing at Kingsmaker, who was busy chatting with her guildmates, Hye-yeon suddenly turned toward the sound of Ethte snorting.

Then she panicked.

“Ethte!”

Oh no.

Her beautiful unicorn…

…was chewing on the fairy-like man’s hair.

“I’m so sorry! Ethte, don’t do that! Stop it! No! Ethte—!”

Watching Hye-yeon desperately cling to Ethte, the man spoke calmly.

“It’s okay.”

“I’m used to it.”

Why are you used to this?!

Hye-yeon stared at him in disbelief.

The man gently stroked Ethte’s muzzle while Ethte continued gnawing on his hair.

His composure only made her feel more flustered.

Fortunately, Ethte soon released him.

Neither his hair nor the leaves caught in it had suffered any damage.

Relieved, Hye-yeon let out a sigh.

The man gave her a faint smile.

He carried an atmosphere like mist drifting through a forest.

Perhaps because his coloring resembled Ethte’s…

Or because of the leaves caught in his hair…

He still seemed like a fairy.

Maybe that was why Ethte liked him.

Or perhaps…

There was another possibility.

Maybe Ethte’s affection toward him had always been high.

Ethte was a shy unicorn whose affection toward Hye-yeon had started at –3%.

And the one who had introduced her to Ethte…

Hadn’t been an NPC.

It had been this player.

“…Were you in Ethte Forest because…”

“I was looking for the unicorn.”

“And the unicorn you found…”

“…is the unicorn standing beside you.”

As expected.

Hye-yeon glanced between Ethte and the man.

Even though he had taught her how to tame Ethte…

She couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d stolen something that belonged to someone else.

Seeing her restless expression, the man smiled gently again.

“It’s okay.”

“But still…”

“In the end, you’re the one who tamed the unicorn.”

He’s such a nice person.

Hye-yeon thought, deeply moved.

For Ethte to be this affectionate, he’d clearly raised its favorability quite high.

Someone else had immediately tried to steal Ethte from her simply because she lacked power.

Yet this man had willingly given up something he’d worked so hard for to someone he’d just met.

Hye-yeon’s heart tightened.

Touched.

Guilty.

Complicated emotions twisted together, leaving her with a strange expression.

Watching everything unfold, Kingsmaker quietly approached.

Timing her move perfectly while Hye-yeon’s heart had softened.

“Duck.”

“If you don’t have anywhere specific in mind…”

“…would you like to join our guild?”

“Huh? Suddenly?”

She’d heard this kind of proposal before.

The difference was that last time, it had been a personal invitation from That Nameless Person.

This time…

It seemed to be the guild’s collective invitation.

Hye-yeon glanced around.

Despite her sudden appearance as a random newbie…

Everyone looked welcoming.

After a moment of consideration, she asked the same question she’d asked before.

“Uh… what’s your guild called?”

“Newbieses Maker.“

“…What?”

Kingsmaker beamed.

Hye-yeon looked completely confused.

The one who addressed her next was the man in white armor.

He wore a solemn expression, as though he were about to reveal something extremely important.

Looking around, Hye-yeon noticed:

The fairy-like Guild Master was playing with Ethte.

The chef and the others simply watched.

They all seemed indifferent either way.

It was obvious who truly wanted her to join.

“Now, Newbie.”

“Listen carefully.”

“Our guild’s name contains a truly tragic epic.”

“…That name does?”

If that were true…

That would somehow be even more shocking.

Ignoring Hye-yeon’s dubious expression, he continued.

“Every game eventually enters a stagnant period.”

“When stories run out and content dries up, game companies try to retain players by throwing meaningless events at them.”

“…”

“But the more they do that, the more affection players lose.”

“Players leave.”

“Developers struggle.”

“And the vicious cycle continues!”

“I see…?”

“Eventually, games decline and come to an end!”

“So what do we need to prevent that?”

“We need players with enough patience to wait until the developers get their act together!”

“Players who entertain themselves!”

“…?”

Seeing Hye-yeon’s half-dazed expression, Doesn’t Your House Have Any Newbies? asked her solemnly:

“Newbie!”

“Do you know what the ultimate endgame content of every game is?”

“…Server shutdown?”

“…That’s a little too extreme.”

For the first time during his dramatic speech…

He looked genuinely flustered.

And seeing his reaction, Hye-yeon realized she’d probably jumped a bit too far ahead in her reasoning.