"Well, what do you think? What do you think?"
"..."
The newbie was momentarily speechless.
At first, the fairy's idea seemed quite insightful.
'Anyway, with this outfit, you're basically advertising that you're an outsider!'
'But if not this, then it's just the beginner's outfit... and that's the same thing, right?'
'Hmm... That's true... Ah!'
'Is there some way?'
'The time has come to show you my great magic!'
So he decided to trust the fairy's magic just this once...
Ting!
[Your current outfit's appearance has changed!]
[Skin: 'Just Look at Me!' equipped.]
She immediately regretted it.
It was an indescribably bizarre outfit.
It felt like someone had gathered every color from the entire map and stitched them together into a dress.
Especially the target-shaped design on her chest, with the phrase 'Hit the heart for 100 points!' written on it – it was clearly not meant to be taken seriously.
"You're basically a walking target!"
"You don't get it! If you walk around this flashy, people might treat you weird, but who'd think you're an outsider?"
"Kuh..."
Annoying, but... kind of makes sense.
But... still!
"No way!"
After over 30 minutes of arguing, we reached one conclusion.
And so, another attempt was made...
Now, the result of that attempt was being put to the test.
Before they knew it, an entire village welcomed them.
[ABC-47th Street Village]
"The village name is weird, huh?"
"I heard villages belonging to the kingdom are trendy for naming things like this street address style."
"What the heck is a street address..."
"No idea. They say it's a word learned from outsiders? Then you should know better, right?"
What the hell is wrong with this game world?
Seriously, it was a world where knowing one thing led to ten more questions.
Anyway, that wasn't the important part.
The important part was the village guard glaring right at him.
"Halt. State your identity."
"Ah, hello? My name is Ryubi. I'm a traveler wandering here and there."
"And that beside you?"
"This is my summoned beast."
"Hmm, well, it's not unheard of for travelers to have summoned creatures with them..."
Newbie recited the lines he'd learned beforehand from the fairy.
His practiced, natural speech seemed to satisfy the guard, who looked somewhat convinced.
Then, suddenly, the guard frowned.
"Well, that's one thing, but what the hell is this?"
"Huh?"
"Look at your outfit."
A cloak that looked like it was patched together from rags.
It was undeniably a fashion statement that would draw criticism.
But there was nothing they could do about it.
Right now, neither of them possessed exceptional sewing skills.
It was a makeshift outer garment, hastily cobbled together from scraps of beginner's clothing that had been torn apart.
Thanks to that, the guard's sharp eyes immediately latched onto the cloak.
"Just looking at it, it's suspicious. If you throw a cloak over your head..."
As the guard lifted the cloak...
Bling bling. Sparkle sparkle...
...the problematic garment itself.
For a moment, the guard looked stunned for about ten seconds...
Then he started clearing his throat repeatedly.
"Uh... Hmm, hmm! Well, travelers do have things they need to hide, after all."
Somehow, this collaboration between the rags and the provocative outfit worked perfectly.
"See? The outfit I recommended worked out great!"
"Seems like they just treated you like a lunatic though..."
"Whatever! It wasn't me."
This guy?
Thwack!
Newbie's special honey punch landed squarely on the fairy's head!
"Gah! What the hell!"
"Pain is meant to be shared, right? Share the pain of my embarrassment."
"What kind of nonsense is that!"
Just as they were about to start bickering in earnest again.
The sight of the bustling square momentarily left them speechless.
"Whoa!"
Even Newbie, who had assumed this was just a small village, couldn't help but gasp at the sight.
Brick buildings straight out of fantasy were everywhere, and strangely modern-looking rectangular buildings were also common.
In a way, it was a town straight out of a theme park.
The ornate fountain in the center of the square was particularly impressive.
The problem was, just like a theme park, this place also required money.
[Honey Bread
[For 1 Gold, Change is Given in 100 Silver]
Just looking at the menu board right outside the restaurant door was enough to make you sigh.
"Ugh... This is bad."
"Why?"
"Why? You need money to eat and find a place to sleep, don't you?"
"I heard outsiders don't need to eat or sleep? Isn't that right?"
"How... how do you know that?"
"Well... I heard it in the forest. Those shady guys, like the one I met before, patrol around."
Patrols...
Considering that place was originally the tutorial area for newbies starting the game.
The newbie felt goosebumps rise unconsciously.
If things had gone wrong, he could have easily run into a whole pack of those bastards.
"I need to eat and sleep, if only to avoid meeting those things again."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Think about it. If a traveler doesn't eat or sleep for days in a village... wouldn't that be totally suspicious?"
"Ah! You're right."
Players didn't need to sleep or eat.
They could consume food, but it was only as a substitute for healing potions or for the sake of taste.
But that was solely a system for the game's convenience.
In other words, it was a privilege exclusive to players.
NPCs, the insiders, were different.
For realism, they had stats for hunger and fatigue.
In short, to avoid suspicion, even newbies had to adopt the same daily rhythm as NPCs.
The problem was, for that to be possible...
"Where to get money..."
Of course, getting money in the game world was easy.
Even just killing a random mob would drop coins, right?
Unfortunately, those good old days were long gone.
[All monsters in this hunting ground are property of the Kingdom Resource Management Agency]
[Unauthorized hunting will result in punishment by the Kingdom Guard]
In a different sense, the hunting grounds were now controlled.
Worse, those signs were plastered everywhere near what looked like the hunting ground entrance.
"Damn NPC bastards... Now they're controlling hunting too?"
"Well, I heard since monsters drop money all the time, the Kingdom is cracking down on inflation or something... I don't know. What's inflation? Some kind of boss monster?"
"It's scarier than a boss. Knowing won't help, it'll just give you a headache. Don't even try."
'Seriously, are these guys learning economics in a fantasy game?'
This kingdom of NPCs had a surprisingly well-organized system.
Survive in the cracks of this capitalism.
The newbie instinctively realized this wasn't as easy as he'd thought.
" Hmm... Right. Hunting isn't the only way to make money. Quests! There must be quests!"
Quests.
The very essence of fantasy games.
Every town has its problems, and every problem needs a fixer.
No matter how twisted the game got, that truth remained unchanged.
"Let's find a request."
But even in this game world, not reality, it was cold.
"I'm sorry, but someone without Kingdom citizenship..."
"What makes you think I'd entrust my business to a traveler?"
The NPCs were oddly realistic.
They wouldn't give a single request to a complete stranger like Newbie.
Let alone...
"Then do you have any other skills?"
"Uh, well..."
"None? Good grief! How do you expect to take on any job without any skills? Get out now!"
This damn world.
Even in a game world, you can't survive without skills.
"Is this right?"
"Well... surviving isn't exactly an easy problem, is it?"
"No, that's true. But this is just..."
Hearing that from a fairy, a creature straight out of fantasy, left the newbie feeling rather... peculiar.
The last thing he could count on was now just one thing: the quest board.
But even that dashed his hopes within five minutes.
"Looks like it hasn't been maintained in ages?"
Just as the fairy said, the quest board was worn down to the point of collapse.
A quick glance confirmed it was no wonder.
Security issues were handled by the kingdom's guards anyway, and personal problems were resolved within the village itself.
There was no room here for the game's protagonist or hero to get involved.
"Whoa! Wait, look at that!"
Amidst this, the fairy's eyes sparkled with hope.
"What? There's a request?"
Despite having zero expectations, there was exactly one request posted.
[Hunting Request – Please Capture a Slime]
[Please capture a specific slime in the former outsiders' beginner hunting grounds area]
"Hunting? That's weird. Didn't they say hunting was forbidden?"
"Look below!"
[This is an officially permitted specimen by the Kingdom Guard]
[As this is a permanent request, you may attempt it anytime. Please prioritize completing this request]
"Hunting permit... says I can catch it anytime..."
"The paper looks old. Isn't this a pretty old request? Maybe it's already been caught?"
It does seem suspicious to jump into this rashly...
[Success Reward: 10,000 Gold, Property Tax and Income Tax Excluded]
"10,000 gold?"
"With 10,000 gold, I could buy one honey bun from that restaurant earlier, ten, a hundred... Ugh... not enough fingers."
"That's 100,000 pieces."
"Ooh! That could keep me fed for years... Hmm... though eating only honey buns might get old... Hmm..."
The fairy curled and uncurled her tiny fingers, letting her imagination run wild.
In that situation, the newbie started thinking hard.
Even a rough estimate showed it was an absurdly huge sum.
There was definitely a reason behind all that.
But...
"If I don't have the money, there's no solution anyway."
There was no choice anyway.
Even if he left for another village like this, the number of people who'd find him suspicious would only grow.
Regardless, the funds to reach that place called the guild were essential.
"Let's just go for it."
"Huh? Wait, the math still..."
"We have to resolve this first before we can even think about getting that money."
"Right! Let's go!"
*
The journey there was easier than expected.
The guards firmly stationed there spoke about the request.
"Hmph, hmm! Hmm! Ah, the fixers have arrived. Alright, pass through."
"Good luck, heh heh..."
They let them through very easily.
With a strange, mocking laugh.
"What the hell, that's annoying."
"It's fine. If something goes wrong anyway, we can just bolt right away."
After walking for about five minutes, something felt off in the newbie's head.
"Something feels off?"
"What? The air's fresh and the day's clear."
"This is supposed to be a hunting ground? A place for outsiders like me back in the day."
"It was?"
"But why aren't there any monsters in sight?"
"Huh? You're right."
Usually, hunting grounds in games place monsters in small clusters.
That way, players can hunt smoothly and share the loot fairly.
In short, monsters should be visible the moment you enter a hunting ground...
"What the heck is going on?"
"Look over there!"
Where the fairy pointed, the bushes began to stir slightly.
Soon, something small emerged, scattering leaves as it appeared.
"Is that it?"
A liquid monster with a luminous, pale green sheen.
To the untrained eye, it looked like a giant, moving green jelly.
Its squishy body even had a cute expression floating on top.
It was clearly a slime, a monster designed for beginners.
There was just one minor problem.
"Something's weird about that slime?"
"Yeah. There's this crackling thing going on? I don't even know what to call it!"
Just like static on a TV screen, parts of the slime were distorted.
It felt like something out of a game where the graphics glitch.
Anyway, now that the enemy was visible, it was time to fight.
"Alright! Here I go!"
"Fighting!"
Swoosh!
[You selected 'Beginner's Sword' from the Beginner's Weapon Selection Box!]
[Beginner weapons can be changed anytime!]
"Don't let my looks fool you—I'm a pro newbie. I'm good at the first part."
With that, the newbie struck a rather convincing pose and aimed his sword.
"Haah!"
A surprisingly sharp sword strike, uncharacteristic for a beginner, flew toward the slime.
Clang!
"Kyeek!"
The blow clearly landed, as the slime let out a pained cry.
"Alright! "
"Kiiyyaaah!"
With that, the slime charged forward, its expression angry.
"Alright, I can take one hit..."
I'll take this one hit, then strike back with a powerful blow!
Slaughter the flesh, spare the bone...
-Thud!!!
"Guh-!!!"
"Wh-what?! Hey!"
...My ass.
It ended up giving up both bone and flesh.
The slime had merely charged head-on, yet the newbie's body shattered completely.
His body dissolved into light and vanished.
[You have died!]
[You will resurrect in a nearby village in 24 hours!]
As expected, anything that pays well is bound to be suspicious.