Chapter 2 - I Shouldn't Have Done That (2)

"Irina!"

「It started with my little sister, who ran out thinking our father had come home.

The white dress I bought her for her birthday was dyed red. At the center of it was a black blade that didn't even reflect light.」

"No!"

「Next was my older brother, the lead knight. He rushed out after seeing the blade pierced through Irina's body, only to fall to the same blade without even swinging his sword once.

The memory of his shouting voice being cut off, and his body tilting before collapsing, remains vivid.」

"Arthur!"

「My mother's voice calling out for my brother echoed in my ears.」

"You son of a bitch!"

「My older sister, who took the top spot in the knight class following my brother's, grabbed the mace leaning against the wall and charged out. As she rushed past my frozen self, it seemed like tears were welling up in her eyes.

But even that was swallowed up by blood, by fresh blood, by the red water that was the very proof of life itself.」

"Run, hurry!"

「My mother cried out something. Was she holding my father's sword in her hand? Or was it a kitchen knife?」

"I'm a knight too!"

"No, at least you have to run!"

"What's going on!"

「My father, my father seemed to have arrived too.」

"Hurry up and run, ──!"

"At least get yourself to safety!"

「My memories after that are unclear. I gripped a sword, the world turned red, then white again, then black, before being illuminated by a faint ray of moonlight.」

[What a fine vessel.]

「The black blade pierced through my right arm writhed and squirmed, squirmed, squirmed right under my skin...」

[You will become a good...]

「Ah, I pray.

May a soul capable of overcoming malevolence, a strong being who will not crumble before evil, a person who can triumph over demons...

Please...

.

.

.

... Can you hear my voice?」

"Gasp!"

The moment I heard that final voice, my vision brightened, and air filled my lungs.

"Get off!"

What pierced my ears next was a clamorous uproar, as if I had entered a marketplace, and a booming shout ringing out right in front of my nose.

「Tatara: Trading Post」

Right on cue, a heavy, dull bell-like sound rang in my ears, snapping me back to my senses.

It was the moment the prelude to 'Legend of Heroes' finally began.

"Ah..."

I unconsciously opened and closed my hands repeatedly. It was because the lingering impact of the opening cinematic was too overwhelming.

Could modern games really make cinematics like this... where it went beyond simply watching and actually felt like reminiscing? It was so vivid that I felt as if the very emotions of that moment had been injected into me.

I rubbed the back of my neck for no reason. I usually tried not to use vulgar language, but really, it was fucking awesome.

"Hey, you."

Was I too immersed in the aftertaste of nostalgia and improved technology? Someone's voice approached me.

Only then did I snap back to reality. The opening cinematic was over, and the window showing the region name had popped up earlier, so the game must have started.

"Are you gonna get off or not?"

When you've played all sorts of games, a crooked tone of voice is practically cute. Even more so if it's an entity you'll only see once and never again.

So instead of feeling offended, I quickly rolled my eyes to grasp the situation.

People unloading cargo from a wagon, and me, still sitting on top of it. And one person glaring at me.

In that moment, the nostalgia of those old days welled up within me. It had only changed from 2D to 3D; it was the exact same scene as the original Demon Knight tutorial.

Stimulating my nostalgia right from the tutorial? Will I be able to immerse myself in my concept? I'm already getting choked up, you know?

I forced my thoughts in another direction. Even if I couldn't over-immerse myself, I couldn't exactly cry.

Of course, there was no way tears would actually be implemented! What I mean is, even if it wouldn't be reflected in the game, I still needed to manage my facial expressions.

TAP.

So I insincerely stepped down from the wagon. It wasn't because I was conscious of the official 'sensitive and sharp-tempered' setting, or the concept I had built based on it.

There was a bit of that, sure, but it was closer to a thoughtless action since no prompt window telling me how to answer had popped up, and it didn't seem like a section where I particularly needed to react.

"Stuck-up bastard."

However, seeing my action, the wagon owner—probably?—clicked his tongue and cursed at me. For a moment, I wondered if he was a real person.

The beta testers had all been raving about how incredible the NPC interactions were, and it seemed they weren't just making empty claims.

"You need to pay more..."

"Then the profit margin will..."

"The rebels..."

"The demons..."

But right after stepping down, I looked at the scenery of the trading post spreading out before me and realized an even more important fact.

"... Did Deep Sea Pearl finally kidnap some aliens?"

Those crazy developers had really outdone themselves.

"Are these graphics insane?"

The texture of the dirt floor with wheel tracks left behind and the exterior walls of the buildings, the various lighting and shadow effects... on top of that, the ticklish sensation of the gentle breeze touching my skin, the dust floating in the air, and all kinds of smells piercing my nose.

Was that all? Looking closely at the NPCs packed into this place, there wasn't a single overlapping face or outfit.

I thought it was no joke during the trailer, but I never expected the real thing to be even better. This was a true, literal virtual 'reality'!

"There are this many objects, and there's no lag or frame drops...? Are they crazy?"

When I downloaded it, I wondered why the file size was so massive, but it turned out to be the exact opposite. How the hell did they optimize this to pull off these graphics with that file size? Did they seriously grind up an alien?

"Crazy, genuinely crazy..."

Deep Sea Pearl really were true sons of bitches. To try and kill someone by drowning them in a wave of sheer emotion. Legality aside, this was definitely intentional murder.

"Phew."

I clenched my fists as the emotion poured in like the high tide. That was the best I could do. I truly had no regrets even if I died right now.

"Don't block the road and get out of the way!"

Fortunately, someone saved me as I was floundering in pure awe. It was a passing NPC.

Taking that as a signal, I slowly reined in my emotions.

I couldn't take back the words and actions I had already let out, but my pride as a concept fanatic wouldn't tolerate anything more than this. It was time to get a grip and enjoy the game.

And to do that, the first thing I did was give myself an autosuggestion. It was a habit of mine whenever I immersed myself into a character.

Alright, from now on, I am the Demon Knight whose arm is possessed by the very demon that murdered his family.

Always on edge because I never know when the demon in my arm will devour me, and forcefully pushing people away because I don't know what kind of disaster it might bring to those around me. A soft-on-the-inside, tough-on-the-outside arrogant prick who hides his fragility behind a sharp and sensitive temper!

The setting I had woven together based on the trailer video, the released information, and the official lore overlaid itself onto me like a mask.

It was the beginning of my roleplay.

SHING.

I killed my expression—though of course, my game character's expression wouldn't actually change. It was just for smoother immersion—and sheathed the sword I was holding onto my back.

I wondered if it would work since it was so long, but my body moved on its own and slid it into the scabbard.

So what should I do now? Usually, I'd just have to find a person with a quest marker floating over them, but for some reason, no matter how I look around, I can't see any.

I tried to check the minimap, but the feature itself didn't exist, and the quest window was completely empty when I called it up.

In that case, does the story progression NPC come find me on their own?

"Ah, Mr. Adventurer!"

Just then, someone came pattering up to me. It was a small child who only reached my solar plexus.

"U-Um... Are you... the adventurer, 'Demon Knight'?"

The name the child spoke was the name of my class, and at the same time, the nickname I had created.

I deliberately set it up like that to add the flavor that he had abandoned his true name after 'that incident.' So that must indeed be calling me.

Separately, I waited for a moment for a window to pop up. Because normally, games would either give you dialogue options or, even if it was a free-chat system, provide at least the necessary phrases or keywords needed for progression.

"A-Are you not?"

But it didn't pop up.

I felt a bit flustered by that part, but decided to give an affirmation for now. No matter how I looked at it, this was a quest progression, and I couldn't miss it.

"... No, it is me."

When I answered rather coldly in consideration of my concept, the child's body flinched. Exactly as if they were walking on eggshells around me.

It was so much like a real person that, for a moment, I almost ended up comforting them not to be scared.

"T-Then please follow me. I will guide you to the Adventurer's Guild."

Wow, they really modeled the characters well. I followed after the young NPC, who was trotting ahead, with that admiration in mind.

STEP, STEP.

The sound of my boot heels stepped over the dry dirt floor.

More importantly, where exactly was the Adventurer's Guild? With that thought in mind, I discreetly checked myself over. It was to see if my customization had been properly reflected.

The attire I received from the Deluxe Edition and set during character customization, the True Two-Hander of Destruction I got as a pre-order bonus, and the inventory leg bags on my waist and thighs.

My vision was so perfectly fine that I wondered if I was really wearing my eyepatch, but upon touching it, I definitely was. The hair color visible at the edge of my vision was also half-and-half, so my appearance settings seemed to have been reflected well too.

It was perfect.

"It's here!"

「Tatara: Adventurer's Guild」

But not long after I had taken the time to check myself over, we arrived at the Adventurer's Guild.

Considering what I saw on the way, it didn't seem like they made the city small; it was just that the trading post and the Adventurer's Guild were attached to each other.

"Wouldn't this one be about right for us?"

"Did you hear the news? Fanny's brother went to escort a merchant caravan and disappeared along with them."

"It feels like the number of missing people has increased lately..."

The inside of the Adventurer's Guild was incredibly noisy and crowded. People were gathered around a noticeboard in particular, and using my intuition, I figured it must be the quest board.

"Miss Clerk! I brought the adventurer!"

"Ah, you've arrived?"

Anyway, the place the child brought me to was a counter on one side. The person who had just been attending to someone else looked at me and welcomed me gladly.

"Thank you. You can go back to your business now. And... a pleasure to meet you. I am Izren, a clerk affiliated with the Tatara Adventurer's Guild."

The clerk gave me a light nod, then sent away the child and the person she had been handling.

The skill with which she pushed the remaining people clinging to her over to another counter was not that of someone who had only done it once or twice.

"You are the Demon Knight, correct?"

"Yeah."

"Your features are so distinct that it was easy to recognize you. Even so, could you please verify your identity with your adventurer's token just in case? There have been many cases of adventurer impersonation lately, so we've unavoidably had to make the verification process mandatory."

At the same time she spoke, a window covered one side of my vision.

「Inventory │ You can activate your inventory by reaching your hand into your bag.

Visualize the item you wish to take out and grasp it.」

It was a tutorial informing me of the basic system.

I followed the instructions and reached my hand into my bag. Then, the related UI popped up and occupied a corner of my vision.

It was a Tetris-style inventory where each item took up a certain number of slots. Seeing the weight indicated at the top, it seemed they had adopted a weight system as well as a volume one.

SWISH.

It would have been nice if it were just a slot type, but considering how incredibly well-made the game was, I figured I couldn't complain. I found the adventurer's token among my items and pulled it out.

"Confirmed."

The clerk, taking the adventurer's token, turned it this way and that to check it before soon handing it back.

"Welcome to Tatara, Adventurer."

It was a warm reception that really gave me the feeling that I was playing 'Legend of Heroes'.

"I know you've traveled a long way, but would it be alright if I guided you straight to the commission? The client is in a state of extreme urgency."

Hmm, I thought she'd finish teaching me how to use the noticeboard over there or the facilities here, but it seemed that would come later. Well, the system itself didn't seem drastically different from the original, so I was getting a good grasp of it anyway.

"Lead the way."

And since this was clearly its own kind of tutorial, I agreed immediately. The clerk promptly got up from her seat and guided me.

This time as well, it wasn't very far.

The Mabel Trading Company. I followed the clerk into the building bearing that signboard. Befitting a commercial union, there were several merchants bustling about inside.

It was incredibly noisy, just like inside the Adventurer's Guild, but the graphics were so good that I didn't even care. Barely managing to restrain my eyes from darting around, I obediently followed behind the clerk's back.

"Chairman, the adventurer you requested has arrived."

"Come in!"

The place I soon entered was a room that looked grand right from the entrance. Considering he was called the Chairman, I figured it must be the room of the owner of the trading company.

"One-eyed?"

But why is he picking a fight the moment he sees me?

"Your tongue lacks manners."

I barked out, checking the NPCs inside the room. I wasn't particularly expecting a reaction; it was just a light line that fit my concept.

After all, no matter how well-made a game was, it couldn't be designed to react to every single thing the player said. There were simply too many possible scenarios, and the file size would grow exponentially.

So I naturally didn't think the NPC would respond, and because of that, I had no choice but to be surprised in the next moment.

The face of the target who had blabbered about me being one-eyed crumpled pitifully. Just as if he had reacted to my line.

"Hmph! You're an even crazier bastard than I heard."

"Please calm yourself, Chairman."

"A-Adventurer, please calm down as well."

He didn't just scrunch up his face, he even spoke. It was the same for the other NPCs who weren't the target. They really acted like actual people.

This feels a bit crazy. Did Deep Sea Pearl seriously grind up an alien to make this game?

"Are you that Demon Knight?"

"Then who else do you think I would be?"

Just in case, I tried answering without using positive keywords like 'Uh,' 'That's right,' or 'Yeah.'

What with the game not designating essential keywords for me, and the reaction from just before. It was because I was curious if they had really designed it so that they could respond no matter how the player spoke.

"Right, there wouldn't be two people with an ominous mug like yours. And there's no way the clerk would have brought the wrong guy."

Surprisingly, the conversation continued. I had half-doubted it, but he had genuinely understood my rude line perfectly!

"Chairmaaaan..."

"Sir, please..."

Crazy, what the hell is this!

I forcefully suppressed the excitement trying to burst out and glared at the people in the room with a cold expression. A rough-spoken old man—probably the Chairman—an elderly man soothing him, and the clerk who had come with me.

Their numbers were few, but that didn't matter. The moment these three NPCs were able to chain together their own appropriate reactions like this, this game was already a god-tier game.

"Adventurer, please speak a little more gently..."

Why should I? Absolutely not. When the reactions are this good, why the hell would I play the game if not to immerse myself in my concept? I wouldn't be a concept fanatic then.

"You're trying to persuade the wrong person. Why should I do that?"

"Adventurerrrr..."

"T-That arrogant...!"

Wow, this is really insane. To think they inputted all of this. No, rather than inputting it, they probably programmed the AI to formulate the dialogue on its own, right? But who were these guys to be given this level of AI?

It was practically like giving vocal cords even to 'Villager 1' in an old game. I love it so much.

"Hmph, you better not have garbage skills... or I'll crush the bastard who recommended you..."

"Sir, he can hear you."

"Let him hear! That guy speaks right to my face too!"

Hah... If I knew it would be like this, I should've bought some God Pearl stock. It was already a stock that had peaked as high as it could, but seeing the game quality, it wouldn't be strange at all if it went up even further from there. What a shame.

"Ahem! More importantly! Let us begin the commission at once! Isn't that the reason you called the adventurer all the way to this city!"

The clerk hurriedly smoothed over the atmosphere in the room. I wanted to act like even more of a trash human being to fit my concept, but since I had already been sufficiently surprised by just this much, I decided to play along.

I glared at the old man NPC.

"First of all, you came here knowing the details of the commission, correct?"

Clerk Izren asked me. It was a meaningless question. I only just found out that I came to this city for a commission, so there was no way I would know the details of it.

"I've heard nothing of it."

"What? This..."

I denied it in a chilly tone. At that, the old man swallowed a curse. If the elderly man hadn't covered his mouth, he probably would have continued all the way to the end.

"Pardon? Did the guild not inform you? No, more importantly, you volunteered without even knowing?"

Izren asked in shock, but I didn't really have much to say.

Well, it wasn't like I wanted to do this. The ones who abruptly threw a job at me the moment I logged into the game were those bastards at Pearl.

Ah, of course, I have no complaints, Lord God Pearl. I am merely thankful that you have allowed me to play a game like this. Loyalty, loyalty.

"So? Are you saying some pathetic bugs could actually put me in danger?"

Regardless, a good concept fanatic knows how to turn even things like this into an opportunity.

Playing the part of an arrogant prick with nothing but filthy high pride, I continued my staring contest with the old man.

"T-That, that..."

At that, the old NPC muttered something. I figured it was probably half cursing at me, and half cursing at the guy who recommended me.

From what I heard earlier, it seemed like they hired me based on someone's recommendation.

At this point, I kind of wanted to see the programmer's face. So I could bow to them first, and secondly, ask them if they were a god.

After all, unless they were a god, there was no way they could make a mere NPC this human-like. God Pearl truly was a god!