Chapter 3 - I Shouldn't Have Done That (3)

"First... a while ago, a problem arose in the sewer, so I sent several workers. But none of them returned. I sent someone else down, and they said a demon's den had taken root in the sewer."

My bewilderment was brief. The middle-aged NPC spoke first and explained the situation.

At a glance, it was clearly a tutorial part meant to teach combat, item acquisition, and so on. Because it was identical to the original game, I even felt a deep wave of nostalgia.

It was like this back then, too. It was really nice. Until the 2nd-anniversary patch, anyway.

"So, what you want is for me to clean the sewer?"

"That's right. And... if possible, I want you to find the workers. Of course, I don't think the workers we sent in first are still alive. But for the sake of their families, I want you to recover their corpses, or at least their belongings."

Workers, huh. Is this a sub-quest?

I sneakily opened the quest window. I wondered if it had been updated. But unfortunately, nothing was written in the quest window yet. It seemed the quest would only pop up after I accepted it.

"I tried sending a few demon hunters earlier, but they all got beaten. I even contacted the temple, but they only replied that it would take time. So I called for someone who supposedly had good skills... Hmph, can you even do it? With such a scrawny body."

"S-Sir!"

"Do not compare me to such weaklings."

"Such arrogance..."

Oh... I mean, I *did* want to come off that way, but getting evaluated like that by an NPC gave me a weird feeling.

I felt a bit offended, yet amazed. I found the situation amusing, yet getting such a realistic reaction made me want to make excuses for no reason.

"Siiir..."

"Whose lackey are you?"

But no matter how well-made they were, an NPC was an NPC.

With that one thought, I cleared away the awkwardness of roleplaying in front of such realistic NPCs. And as if compensating for it, I started feeling good.

Players often broke the immersion with things like "What are you doing, bro?" or "Wow, your roleplay is insane," but I realized these guys would never do that.

I could roleplay even more enjoyably with this.

"Ahem, so will you accept the request, Adventurer?"

"Yeah."

"Then I will begin drawing up the contract."

The official Izren pulled out a piece of paper and began scribbling something down at lightning speed.

"The objective of the request is to eliminate all demons present in the sewer. A secondary objective is to recover the belongings of the workers who went in. Ah, how many workers went in?"

"It was 13."

"Understood. Then the deadline is..."

"The maximum deadline is one month. And the start date of the request... Since you've traveled a long way, I'll give you two days of free time to recover from your travel fatigue."

"Yes."

As the Q&A between the official and the middle-aged NPC continued, the quest details were summarized quickly, shortly, and specifically. It was a request that proceeded in a very unique way, considering they could have just popped it up in the quest window.

"The reward is 400,000 Gal. After taking a 5% brokerage fee, it will be 380,000 Gal. Now then, Adventurer. Will you proceed with the request?"

'Why are they giving me so much money? And what's with them taking a brokerage fee on top of it?'

Watching official Izren summarize everything, I tapped my fingers while keeping my arms crossed. Taking a 5% brokerage fee was pretty audacious, but if it was the game's setting, it couldn't be helped. It wasn't like I could reject the quest just because I hated that.

I snatched the pen and signed the signature line.

"Yes, the contract has been established. Please report your mission completion through our guild. You can come to the guild building and look for me."

The official smiled and got the old man's signature as well. Then, a window popped up in the corner of my vision.

「❖ That Which Defiles the Sewer

◆ Eliminate demons 0 / ??

◆ Bonus: Find belongings 0 / 13」

Sure enough, it seemed the quest would only be registered in the quest window after accepting the contract.

"... I've booked an inn under the trading company's name."

At that moment, the old man, watching his documents being collected by the official, spoke up. It was quite a welcome thing to hear.

"I've only paid for two days' worth, so if you're going to stay any longer than that, you'll have to use your own money!"

Aside from that, why was this old geezer so crooked?

"I have no intention of dragging this out either."

I retorted reflexively while slightly furrowing my brow.

Two days? Two days, huh... Come to think of it, he did say to start within two days earlier.

I thought about it when writing the contract, too, but this was my first time seeing a tutorial with a time limit. Not that it mattered much, since I had no intention of dragging the tutorial out for two days anyway.

It seemed they put a lot of unconventional features into the game in many ways.

"Where is the sewer?"

It wasn't that I wasn't curious about what kind of development would unfold if I went over the time limit. However, the remake version had set the ratio of in-game time to real-world time at 3:1. That meant 8 hours in reality was a day in the game.

In other words, 16 hours had to pass for two days to go by. I'd rather just do the tutorial instead of waiting. I wanted to hurry up and enjoy the true taste of this game.

"Are you going to dive in right away?"

"Are you telling me to spare any more time for the bugs in the sewer?"

I looked at them with contempt. Unlike other games, it felt less like I was putting on a one-man play, so the lines flowed right out.

The middle-aged NPC, who had turned his head for a moment, flinched and looked forward again.

"... I will guide you."

Niiice. Then let's get going.

* * *

The inn we briefly stopped by was exactly the same as the original game. Its main functions were saving and recovery.

「Inn │ Sleeping at the inn will save your progress up to this point and restore some of your health.

Health recovery speed increases while inside the inn.」

There were other functions too, but they weren't very useful. Storing items carried a risk of theft, and taking a bath or eating cost extra money.

Since I had neither items to entrust nor money, it was a function I didn't need to care about yet.

"Is this it?"

So we headed straight to the sewer. A complex stench—both foul and sour—rose from the river connected to the sewer grate.

But I had a roleplay persona to uphold; I couldn't just lose to a smell.

A character who lived and died by their pride didn't plug their nose no matter how bad something smelled.

Therefore, I remained calm without even grabbing my nose. The merchant beside me, who was firmly plugging his nose, looked at me like I was a monster.

"Are you truly going to be alright?"

Wow, an NPC was worrying about me.

With that heartwarming sentiment, I glared at him sharply.

It was a look that roughly translated to, 'If you run your mouth one more time, I'll make sure you're not alright first'... Of course, there was no way facial expressions were actually implemented, and no way an NPC would recognize them, so I didn't need to ans—.

"Ahem... Then take this."

—I really didn't need to answer?

My heart was right on the verge of bursting with awe.

I had my suspicions, but this confirmed that players were also capable of unhindered facial expressions, and even the NPCs could recognize and react accordingly to those expressions.

This game was seriously crazy, absolutely crazy. How did this kind of technology even come out?

Hah. Thank goodness I'd made a habit of acting out my facial expressions too. I probably hadn't completely ruined my face at any point.

Suppressing my trembling heart, I scrunched up my face and reached out my hand. Whatever the merchant was handing over was snatched into my hand. It was a folded piece of paper.

"It's a map of the sewer. However, since the demons infested it, some of the paths have deformed and been blocked... so it won't be exactly the same."

I rustled the paper as I unfolded it. At the early parts of the convoluted paths, various things were marked in red ink.

Which paths were blocked, which paths had demon nests, from which paths certain things would appear, and so on.

"The initial sections are based on information brought back by the demon hunters who went in."

It seemed that since there was no minimap function, they provided information this way. People with a bad sense of direction might suffer quite a headache.

It didn't matter to me since I was on the side of finding my way well, though.

Anyway, it didn't hurt to have it.

I folded the paper again and slipped it into my coat's inner pocket. I'd done it absentmindedly because everything felt so realistic, but surprisingly, it worked.

You could store things even if it wasn't strictly in your inventory? That was seriously awesome.

"A pen."

Ah, could I perhaps mark things on my own just like the paper already had? If it were a normal game, I wouldn't even bother trying, but the 'Legend of Heroes' remake was different. I had a hunch that it might somehow be possible in this game.

And a truly vague belief that the NPC would give it to me if I asked.

"Here it is."

Holy shit, this actually worked.

I witnessed an NPC, who normally wouldn't give you items unless they were quest items or rewards, obediently offering a pen after a single word. I felt like I was going to cry a little.

I didn't know how many times I was saying this, but Deep Sea Pearl was a god.

"Then, I leave it to you."

I secured the pen in my coat's inner pocket and shot a sideways glance at the merchant.

"As long as I have agreed to receive a price, there is no failure."

Leaving those words behind, I slid down toward the sewer entrance—or, to be exact, the connected river. Of course, I had no intention of falling into the sewage, so I landed on the path next to the drain.

CLANK.

The iron grate, which had been left unlatched, swung open, revealing the path leading into the depths of the sewer.

To be honest, the sewer pipe was so huge I wondered if it even needed to be this big.

「Tatara: Underground Sewer」

I only understood it because it was a game; normally, wouldn't it be incredibly tiny?

I had those kind of idle thoughts as I heard the *DOONG* sound of a bell. My hand was rummaging through my bag, pulling something out.

「Lantern │ A light that illuminates dark spaces to guide the way. Equipping it at your waist will leave both hands free.」

It was an item I'd checked earlier when inspecting my inventory.

Hanging the lantern at my waist as described, the dark sewer brightened. As with most light sources, I could feel a slight warmth. It felt like I was holding a hot pack, which wasn't bad.

Except for the side effect of the light shining awkwardly because it was obscured by my coat.

"Should I hang it on the outside?"

In the end, I hung the lantern on my coat. Even so, depending on the direction it hung, the other side still received less light. It was better than before, though.

SQUEAK.

SQUEAK.

Checking the map periodically as I headed further inside, rats slowly began to come into view.

Even taking into account that they were covered in filth, there was something strange about these rats, which were about half the size of my forearm.

For instance, parts where their skin had rotted away to reveal flesh, or worse, their bones and organs dangling out. Or how, despite their small eyes on their small bodies, the stark red color was far too visible.

STAB!

It was all because they had been demonized.

I thrust my sword apathetically. Just as I intended, the two-hander didn't just pierce the rat, it cleanly sliced it in half.

If there was a problem, perhaps it was that because of the damn realism, the two-hander went straight through the rat, scraped the floor, and lightly hit the wall.

CLANG!

Anxiety washed over me at the clear sound. Was the edge going to chip off from this?

I kicked the bisected corpse away and examined the True Two-Hander. The blade, gleaming bright red under the lantern's light, looked like it could cut something just by looking at it.

「True Two-Hander of Destruction │ A greatsword that crushes and ruins all existing things with its long, straight blade. It instills fear in all who oppose it.」

Looking at the weapon information, I saw detailed stats recorded alongside the general description. Things like Attack Power, Durability, and Sharpness.

Attack Power aside, Durability and Sharpness probably started at 100. Right now, Sharpness had dropped to 99.

Sure enough. In this type of game, Durability and Sharpness decreased just from hitting walls.

"The space is too cramped..."

If I kept using a two-handed sword, I would end up eating away all its durability because the space was so tight.

Swallowing my regret, I slung the two-hander on my back and rummaged through my bag. It was because, in addition to the True Two-Hander of Destruction I received from pre-ordering, there was one more weapon I received as a starting weapon.

「Longsword │ The most widely used, representative sword. The balance of its averagely crafted blade, handle, guard, and pommel allows it to respond in most situations.」

I attached the longsword's scabbard to my waist and tried twirling the sword around. The combat correction seemed to be working well, as the sword spun smoothly in my hand.

SLASH!

The rats were cut down easily too. Befitting early-game mobs, it seemed they were a one-hit kill even with a starting weapon. This was a good start.

SQUEAK!

The fact that they didn't drop money or items was a bit annoying, but... I figured it was just because they were early-game mobs.

They'd probably give some later on. The quest reward paid a ton of money, too.

SCREEEECH.

As I relentlessly pushed further inside, the sounds of real demons began to echo slowly.

There were also guys quietly poking their heads out or preparing to ambush.

「Goblin │ A roaming demon that searches for food in packs. These small, weak demons are incredibly foolish, but it never pays to let your guard down.」

Along with the window that popped up the moment I spotted them, the goblins approached, crawling along the sewer walls and ceiling.

I'd found them pretty gross when playing on PC, and it was no less true now in VR.

"Filthy demon bastards..."

Regardless, you had to stay true to your concept even when facing mobs to be a proper concept fanatic.

Immersing myself in an instant, I grimaced. Then, firmly gripping the hilt of my longsword, I dashed forward.

When I locked onto one of the many goblins in the center of my vision, a red target mark appeared on its body.

Arms, legs, torso, head. Among them, I aimed for the torso.

「Parts and Striking │ All enemies have body parts, and the damage taken varies by part. Some enemies have different hardiness depending on the part, meaning you may need to avoid attacking specific parts.

If you accumulate damage on a single part to its limit, you can achieve 《Part Destruction》.

Find the effective part and attack.」

A brief system explanation popped up. It didn't stop time or anything, so there was no time to read it. My gaming experience wasn't going anywhere, so I grasped the contents just from a glance, making it mostly unnecessary anyway.

SLASH!

At the same time the window was dismissed, my blade cleaved the goblin's torso in half. I'd thought this with the rats too, but the remake version cranked up the gore level higher than I'd expected.

At the same time, I also got the feeling that the difficulty was quite low. Even if it was a tutorial, a one-shot Part Destruction?

I tried comforting myself by saying it was because they were trash mobs, but a lingering feeling of dissatisfaction remained. I hated when the difficulty was too high, but if it was too low, it wasn't fun either.

"Die, all of you, you trash."

Either way, while my mind was thinking coldly, I expressed contempt with my face and mouth. It wasn't a particularly difficult task. This much was basic for roleplaying.

SHWAAK!

For my second target, I pierced the head of a goblin jumping down from the ceiling. After kicking its torso to pull my sword out, I could now finish off the last goblin.

I dodged the one that bounced off the wall with a single step, then stabbed its body with my sword as it landed on the floor. After stabbing its spine, I stepped on its body with my foot and stabbed it again.

It was an extra hit just in case, since there was no HP indicator—maybe because of the realism or whatever. The goblin, which had been writhing and shivering, finally went limp on the floor.

「LEVEL UP!」

Great, my skills hadn't died out yet.

Considering I'd quit gaming for a while to wrap up a production, I thought this was a pretty decent level of skill.

Shaking the blood off my sword, I kicked their corpses aside. The level-up window obscured my vision before quickly vanishing with a *pop*.

"Skill window."

Whether the original or the remake, 'Legend of Heroes' featured a system where stats went up automatically when you leveled up, so there was no need to worry about stats. The only thing I needed to check were skills.

"Offense, defense, life..."

Maybe because it originated from an online game, there were a massive amount of skills.

I didn't know what the max level was, but it seemed like it would be quite a grind to max out all the skills.

「Close Quarters Combat │ The basic foundation of a warrior. Allows you to respond to enemy attacks with a certain probability.

Effect: Combat Correction」

After some thought, I prioritized defensive skills. Partly because the offensive skills were all active types, and because the mobs could still be killed with a single basic attack for now.

Moreover, this wasn't a game where flashy skills took center stage, but rather a game where basic movement held greater weight. At least, that was what the company had announced.

Therefore, a defensive skill that could be utilized both now and later on was better.

Having appropriately distributed my skill points like that, I turned my head toward the path I needed to take. I saw a crossroad I hadn't noticed while killing the goblins.

I fumbled around and pulled out the map. Since I wielded my sword with my left hand, the hand that pulled it out was naturally my right hand. The iron-clad hand awkwardly held the paper.

Heading left was a dead end, and heading right was the normal route, huh.

I quickly made a judgment on which way to go.

In times like this, it was always the left! When there's no telling what items might be there, proceeding without checking was absolutely out of the question!

Even if I die, I'm grabbing every single item before moving on!