In a place—an endless blue place. Everything was blue. Yes, it was a vast, boundless sea stretching endlessly under a sky just as blue. As the waves rose and fell in rhythmic harmony, a young man stood amidst them, or perhaps the waves crashed against him. Either way, after standing alone in this infinite sea for some time, a girl suddenly emerged from beneath the waters.
She was a short girl, with long white hair and imposing black horns. Her pure blue eyes gazed at the young man standing before her as she approached slowly, walking atop the water in a white robe lined with black fur. She was elegant—stunningly beautiful—her beauty beyond that of any ordinary human. Her bare feet barely rippled the surface of the water, unlike the boy, whose body was half-submerged. At last, she reached him.
"Hello, Laos," the girl said, staring directly at the figure before her.
"Th...Thalesa!" Laos muttered.
Without hesitation, he rushed toward her, arms outstretched for an embrace. But in the blink of an eye, the girl vanished, causing Laos to fall forward, splashing into the water. A moment later, she reappeared behind him, a faint smile on her lips.
"Looks like you missed me," she teased.
"Thalesa, what happened? Where have you been?!" Laos asked, coughing up the water that had gotten into his mouth.
"Well, I thought you'd be smart enough to realize that when you use the Secret Ability, it drains all my power, forcing me into sleep," Thalesa explained.
"But you were asleep for a whole week! And I couldn't feel your presence inside me like usual. Of course, I'd be worried!" Laos raised his voice so his words wouldn't be drowned out by the roaring sea.
"That's because my power hit zero," Thalesa said with a shrug. "And when a spirit's power reaches zero, the minimum recovery time to regain even a single point is a week."
"Yooh! You're finally back! My god, I'm so happy!" Laos exclaimed.
"My god?" Thalesa smirked. "Are you so pathetic that you rely on a sword with only one ability?"
"Of course I am! You don't understand what it means to have an NPC class, you ignorant spirit!" Laos retorted.
"Ignorant? The only Ignorant here is you, you dumb human!" Thalesa shot back, her voice slightly raised.
"Besides, this NPC class of yours is actually one of the legendary classes. If it weren't, you wouldn't even be able to talk to me right now. So stop blaming your incompetence on your class."
"Yeah, yeah, sure. Now NPC is a legendary class, huh?" Laos muttered. "There's no way I could even explain to a spirit like you what an NPC is..."
"Change the subject," Thalesa commanded.
"By the way, we escaped from the palace," Laos said.
"I know. I haven't sensed any of the auras from those people back at the palace. But why did you even escape?"
"I was living a miserable life there," Laos replied.
"Hmm. What happened to Gaziel? There's no way he died from that last attack, right?"
"No, I didn't defeat him. We barely escaped with our lives. But two spies from the Kingdom of Deryal showed up and kidnapped him."
"The Kingdom of Deryal?" Thalesa mused. "During my time traveling with Gaziel, I discovered that Yarum had conflicts with that kingdom. So their feud is still ongoing?"
"Seems like it... Oh, wait! Thalesa, why was the Water Slash I used against Gaziel so much weaker than the ones I fired at the slimes in the ruins?"
"..." Thalesa suddenly fell silent, her face clouded with sadness.
"Oh, you noticed..." she murmured. "Well... you idiot, of course, it wasn't as strong! There's a massive difference between a slime and a Swordmaster!" she shouted.
"I see..."
"So, Gaziel was kidnapped," Thalesa said after a pause.
"Yeah."
"Do you think they'll kill him?"
"Of course. They're spies from a rival kingdom. I'm guessing they'll interrogate him first, then execute him," Laos replied.
◆ ◆ ◆
Thalesa is finally back! Yooh, I feel so happy—so fucking happy! This is amazing! Now I can finally start hunting monsters and become an adventurer! Hah, adventuring won't be that hard, right? Astral should be a powerful sword. I just hope my optimism doesn't turn into bad luck... I really hope not.
I suddenly heard the sound of approaching footsteps—it was Maris. She walked toward me, drying her damp hair. Fuck, she took a bath without me! A mischievous grin spread across my face as I stood up straight, turning toward her. Maris, in turn, gave me a confused look, as if to say, What's with this sex-crazed lunatic? Yooh, I can't wait to see her reaction!
"Maris, Thalesa is back!" I declared confidently.
"What?! Really?!! Show me! Show me!" Maris shouted, stumbling over her words in excitement… Yoooh!
I then summoned the Astral sword. Ahhh, I missed you, my weapon. It was exactly the same as before—its pure blade and that unforgettable blue gem. After that, Maris completely ignored everything else. She didn't even glance at the sword; instead, her eyes were locked onto my head. What the hell? The sword is right here, so why are you staring at my head?!
"Oooh, you look absolutely gorgeous with white hair!" Maris said, patting my head with a wide smile.
"Oh, right. My hair turns white when I use the sword. But didn't you see me during the battle?" I asked.
"I couldn't see anything in that chaos, plus I was too shocked to even notice your hair color," Maris replied.
"Oh," I muttered.
"Alright, with this, we'll become adventurers, Maris! I'll be the swordsman, and you'll be the healer!" I declared with excitement.
"Yeah, yeah... it's great that the spirit is back now. We only have one day left, so let's head to Iveleth tomorrow!" Maris responded.
"Wait, can I see the spirit?" Maris asked in a calm voice.
"No, it seems she can't come out of the sword and only appears in my dreams," I answered.
"I see. Well then, I'll go check on the carriages heading to Iveleth," Maris said as she left.
And just like that, my life keeps getting better brick by brick! Thank you, Thalesa. This is amazing. Yes, I'm sure life won't get any worse, right? I mean, I have an amazing weapon, and I'll only be fighting weak monsters like slimes and goblins. But wait… if weak monsters were profitable, wouldn't everyone in the world become an adventurer? Fuck, my logical thinking is making the future look bleak!
"Who was that?" Thalesa's voice suddenly echoed in my head.
"Eh… she's my wife," I replied. We were communicating telepathically, so no one could hear our conversation.
"Wow, a failure like you is actually married?"
"Oh, come on! You're so harsh! Can't you be kind for once? You're so toxic!"
"Really? Well then, goodbye. I'm going to sleep now. See you tomorrow."
After that, the sword disappeared, but I could still feel Thalesa's power within me. Whatever, let the toxic spirit sleep. For a moment, I felt an urge to go to that small forest, so I left my bed and stepped outside the house. The sun was shining brightly, and the heat was a bit intense. The villagers were working as usual, but I had zero motivation to work. I just hoped no one would ask me for help.
After walking for a while, I finally reached the forest. Phew, I made it without anyone talking to me. The place was beautiful and quiet, with the sounds of birds filling the air. God, I love the color green. I wandered a bit through the towering trees until I reached the grave of that traitor hero. Then, I picked up a small rock and threw it at the grave—just like any dumbass in this village would do. After that, I picked up the rock and removed it from the grave.
Sorry, hero… I mean, curse you! I continued exploring until I came across a rather large hole, covered by a fallen massive tree. I peered inside, trying to see how deep it was. Suddenly, I spotted a body rushing out of it at high speed, coming straight at me! Instinctively, I jumped back, but I still felt it brush against my hand. When I touched the spot where it hit me, I realized it was a wound—I saw blood on my palm.
"Thalesa, wake up!" I jumped back, and immediately, the Astral sword appeared.
What the fuck was that?! It was a hedgehog, but its quills were ridiculously long! And its eyes… those were some scary-looking eyes. It locked onto me, preparing for its next attack! I gripped my sword tightly and waited for its leap. And sure enough, it lunged at me, but I managed to swing my sword at just the right moment. However, I didn't kill it. It was just a wound on its stomach. It crashed to the ground, and it was obvious its speed had decreased. Is this some kind of Pokemon or what?!
"What is this thing, Thalesa?"
"Oh! It's an urchito, a tier 1 monster. It's just a normal hedgehog, but wild and with longer, sharper quills," Thalesa answered, laughing. Oh, great. This is embarrassing. I look like some weak-ass femboy who doesn't know how to fight!
The wound stung, and I also felt a little pissed off. So, I fired a Water Slash, cutting that fucking hedgehog in half. Eat shit, you fucking urchito!! After that, I left the forest… So that's why Ciole's wife was screaming at her daughter last night. Well, yeah, this place is dangerous for kids… and for me too. Fuck, this wound hurts.
As I left the forest, I saw Maris talking with a group of women, so I called out to her from a distance. She approached me—it looked like she was working hard to find us a carriage to Iveleth. Alright, we need to work hard to build a solid ladder to reach our goal! When she finally reached me, she quickly said: "Laos…"
"Wait, heal my wound first!" I said, showing her my injured arm.
"Heallisial," Maris chanted. Yoooh, is that a midspell?
The wound closed up beautifully, leaving only a scar. What an amazing spell. I ran my fingers over the scar—it felt like an old wound. Truly impressive! I didn't think Maris could cast a midspell. That's awesome! As I kept touching the scar, Maris suddenly asked: "What happened?!"
"I ran into an urchi... urchito in the forest," I replied.
"Alright. It looks like the price to get to Iveleth is twenty nova," Maris said.
"And we have ten? So we just need ten more," I replied.
"Yeah, so where are we going to get them from?" Maris asked, shielding her face from the annoying sunlight.
"..."
"I have no idea."
So, here's where the problem begins. Anyone might suggest going to Ciole or some villager to borrow ten Nova, but… that's a suggestion only social people would make. As for me, it's absolutely impossible for me to ask someone for money. No way! And I don't want Maris to ask either, because relying on my wife for something like this makes me feel terrible.
"So, what do we do? How about Ciole's request?" Maris said.
Fuck! What do I do?! This is a really tough situation I've gotten myself into. I have to answer Maris' question, and if I agree to Ciole's request, I'll have to go ask him myself—and that's harder than defeating a Tier Million monster for me… Why am I like this?! Why am I this weak?! ...Wait, wait—could this… could this be why I'm an NPC?!
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Unlike the other eight, I'm the most isolated and introverted person. I'm pretty sure I'm even more introverted than Stephanie! So that's why I got the NPC class. This means a person's strength is measured by their social skills! If that's true, then I must be the most cursed person in history… Fuucckk, why am I so introverted?!!!
Actually, my introversion isn't the problem… It's the difficulty I face because of it… and I won't just stand here and do nothing about it!
"Alright, I'll go ask Ciole," I said as I turned to leave.
"Great! I'll sit with the village women for a bit. When you're done, call me—I'll be near the field," Maris replied.
Oh, my god. Where did I suddenly get this courage from?! This is my chance to stand up to my introversion and crush it! I'll definitely overcome it! I headed toward the house and knocked on the door. The place was quiet, as if no one was inside. Then, I heard a voice say, "I'm coming." The door opened, and a short woman appeared. It was Ciole's wife. As soon as she saw me, I suddenly said: "Is Ciole here? I need to talk to him."
"One moment," the woman said, turning her head into the house.
"Ciole, that adventurer wants to talk to you!" she shouted.
After that, the woman invited me inside. I quickly stepped through the door. This house had two doors—one that Maris and I used to go up to the second floor and another leading to this floor where I was now. Ciole was sitting and eating oatmeal soup, dipping boiled beets into it. What the fuck is this mix, you fatass?! Do overweight people just eat anything?!
"Come… sit, Laos!" he said with his mouth full, making bits of food fly onto the table. Disgusting.
I sat on one of the chairs, and then I felt a massive wave of anxiety—an overwhelming tension, like I was about to enter an unwinnable battle. But I had made it this far, and there was no turning back. I had to speak. Even though getting the first word out was difficult, I had to do it, no matter what. Otherwise, I'd be a completely useless man.
"Ciole, I only have one day left before I leave the village. We decided to go to Iveleth since it's a good place for adventurers… but the carriage fare is twenty Nova, and we only have ten. So, can you lend us the remaining amount to get to Iveleth?" Oh my god, that was the hardest request I've ever made in my entire life.
"Ten Nova… That's a big amount. Sorry, but I can't lend you that much. I'm sorry, man," the fat guy said after swallowing his food. He looked serious now.
I had a feeling he'd refuse, especially from his expression. He was completely opposed to the idea. So, I left the house. Fuck, they're real monsters. Those bastards… Do they want me to walk all the way to another town on foot? No mercy at all. They're complete dumbasses! Seriously, what do you expect me to do?! There's only one day left before you kick me out of this fucking village—where the hell am I supposed to go now, you bastards?!
Suddenly, Titta ran out when she saw the door open. She looked really excited. Then, her mother ran after her, yelling: "Titta! Come back! I told you the forest is dangerous!!"
But the little girl didn't listen and kept running toward that small forest… And as I watched the scene unfold, a light suddenly shone through the darkness of my mind… Yes, I had an idea. No, not just an idea—this was a plan. A plan that would get me to Iveleth!
You villagers showed me no mercy, so I won't show you any either!