Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer?

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

“First… The other day, we learned there was some problem with the sewer system. I sent out several workers to deal with it, but none returned. So I sent another person, and they located a Demon’s den in the sewers.”

After being flustered for a while, the other NPC opened his mouth and explained the situation to me.

At a glance, this seemed like the part of the tutorial that taught you about the combat system and item acquisition. As it was following the original’s progression, I felt insanely nostalgic.

It had been like that before as well. It really was a great game. Until the 2nd-anniversary patch, that is.

“So you want me to clean up the sewers?”

“That’s right. And… we want you to find the missing workers, if possible. Of course, we don’t think the first batch of workers is still alive, but we want you to collect their bodies or belongings at the very least to give back to their families.”

Workers, huh? Was that a Subquest?

I covertly opened the Quest Window, checking in case something had popped up. However, I unfortunately couldn’t see anything new. I guessed that it might appear after I accepted the Quest.

“I’ve sent in some Demon hunters before, but they all came out worse for wear. I also contacted the Temple, but they only said sending someone out would take some time. That’s why I requested a skilled adventurer be sent here… Hmph, can you even handle this? With that corrupted body of yours.”

“S-sir!”

“Don’t compare me to those weaklings.”

“Arrogant brat…”

Oh… While it was true I wanted to appear like that, it sure felt strange being judged by these NPCs.

Despite being really surprised, I felt kind of bad. Even if this situation was pretty fun, I wanted to apologize because of these realistic responses.

“Sir…”

“Are you some kind of bootlicker?”

But in the end, NPCs were just NPCs, no matter how well-made they were.

Having summarized these overly realistic NPCs in just a few words, the awkwardness of roleplaying before them practically flew away, replaced with a more comfortable feeling.

Other players usually caused me to break character by saying things like, “What the hell are you doing?” or “Wow, are you some kind of roleplayer?” However, I realized that wouldn’t happen here.

This way, I could have even more fun roleplaying without any hindrances.

“Ehem, will you accept our request, Adventurer?”

“Yes.”

“Then let me start drafting a proper contract.”

The clerk, Izren, took out a piece of paper and wrote something on it.

“The quest’s objective is to remove all the Demons infesting the sewers. They also hope you can recover the belongings or bodies of the workers who entered before you. Ah, how many were there?”

“There were 13 of them.”

“Okay. As for the deadline…”

“The deadline is in one month. As for when to start… We’ll give him two days to rest, seeing as he’s had a long journey.”

“Okay.”

As the Q&A session between the clerk and the other male NPC continued, the contents of the request were quickly summarized and organized on the paper. The whole process was pretty unique for something that could have just been put into a Quest Window.

“The reward is 400,000 Gals. Taking off the 5% broker fee, that’ll make 380,000 Gals. Well then, Adventurer. Will you proceed with the request?”

Why were they giving me so much money? What was with that broker fee?

With my arms folded, I tapped a finger while looking at Clerk Izren’s drawn-up document. It felt kind of dirty how they took 5%, but if that was the setting of this game, it couldn’t be helped. I couldn’t just turn down the Quest because of that.

I took a pen and wrote my signature on the document.

“Alright, the contract has been signed. Please report the completion of your mission through our Guild. Just come to the Guild and look for me.”

The clerk laughed before getting the old man’s signature as well. After that, a Window appeared in the corner of my vision.

「❖ Clean the Dirty Sewers

∎ Demons Eliminated: 0 / ??

∎ Subquest - Keepsakes Found: 0 / 13」

As I thought, the Quest got registered in the Quest Window only after establishing the contract.

“…We have reserved an inn room for you under the name of the merchant company.”

As the old man reviewed the documents the clerk had taken from me, he spoke up once more. That was quite the pleasant piece of news.

“We’ve only paid the fee for two days, so if you want to stay there any longer, you’ll have to pay for it with your own money!”

By the way, why was that old man like this?

“I have no intention of dragging this out any longer.”

As I responded reflexively, I raised my eyebrows slightly.

For two days? Two days… Now that I thought of it, didn’t they say I should start after two days?

I had noticed it when the contract was written up, but this was the first time I’d seen a tutorial with a time limit. I didn’t want to drag it out for two whole days, though, so it didn’t really matter.

It seemed they’d put in a lot of weird details.

“Where’s the location of the sewers?”

While I was curious about what would happen if I finished the Quest faster, my real reason behind this was different. The remake had set the time difference between the game and reality to about 3:1. It had been revealed that eight hours in reality would equate to one day in the game.

In other words, for two days to pass in the game, sixteen hours had to pass in real life. I'd prefer to just get the tutorial over with. I couldn’t wait to enjoy the meat of this game, after all.

“Are you going to rush in there right away?”

“Are you telling me to waste even more time on these sewer worms?”

I looked at them with contempt. Unlike other games, I didn’t feel like I was acting alone, so these kinds of lines just naturally left my mouth.

The other male NPC, whose head had been facing another direction for some time, looked forward once more.

“…I’ll show you around.”

Nice. Then we should go now.

* * *

* * *

The inn I briefly stopped by had the same functions as in the original, Saving and Recovery being the main ones.

「The Inn │ If you sleep in the inn, your game will be saved and some of your HP will be recovered.

The rate of HP recovery greatly increases within the inn.」

There were other functions as well, but they weren’t as useful. One could store things there, but there was a chance they might get stolen, and there were extra fees if you wanted to bathe or eat there.

They were functions I didn’t have to think about yet, as I had no items to store or money.

“Is that it?”

And so, I went straight to the sewers. The sewer and connecting river gave off a weird stench, a sour odor mixed with the scent of copper.

However, I had a setting to act out, and well, I wasn’t that sensitive to smell.

A cool character never holds his nose, no matter how smelly it is.

So I remained calm without holding it. The merchant, who tightly blocked his nose while standing next to me, looked at me as though I were a monster.

“Will you be okay?”

Wow, was that NPC worried about me?

I raised my eyes to look at him, showing my sincere appreciation.

I glared at him as if to say, ‘If you say that one more time, you’ll be the one who won’t be okay…’. But of course, that expression wouldn’t translate to my character’s face, and the NPC wouldn’t understand what I was going for, so I had to answ—

“My apologies… Just take this.”

—I didn’t have to say anything?

My heart was on the verge of exploding.

Although I could scarcely believe it, I was now convinced that players could freely convey their expressions, and NPCs could even recognize them and react accordingly.

This game was actually crazy, crazy, I tell you. How did they create something like this?

Phew. I’m so glad I had made it a habit to act with even my face. I was sure I hadn’t shown any weird expressions up until now.

I tried to settle my trembling heart and reached out to the merchant, frowning. I quickly snatched the thing he was holding out for me from his hands. It was a folded piece of paper.

“It’s the map of these sewers. However, some roads may have been deformed or blocked because of the Demons… So it might not be entirely accurate anymore.”

I unfolded the paper. At the start of the winding roads were various places marked with red ink.

Some signified blocked roads, others places with Demons’ nests, and some were roads leading to certain places, and so on.

“This is information we received from the Demon hunters who first explored this place.”

It seemed I would receive information about the location and topography of dungeons like this rather than through a Minimap. Those blocked roads could become quite troublesome.

Well, I didn’t care much since I had a pretty good sense of direction.

Anyway, there was nothing wrong with this.

I refolded the paper and put it in my coat’s inner pocket. The game was so realistic that I didn’t even think about what I was doing, but surprisingly, it let me do it.

Could I keep things on me even if I didn’t put them in my inventory? That was seriously amazing.

“Pen.”

Ah, could I actually mark stuff on there myself, like on regular paper? If this were any other game, I wouldn’t have even tried, but the Legend of Heroes remake was simply different from normal. I had a gut feeling it would be possible.

And I had a vague hunch this NPC would give me a pen if I asked him for one.

“Here you go.”

Woah, crazy. For real?

I watched the NPC, an entity that wouldn’t give you anything beyond a Quest item or reward, meekly hold out a pen. I seriously felt like I was about to cry.

I didn’t know how often I’d already said it, but Deep Sea Pearl were actual gods.

“Please take it.”

Taking the pen, I also placed it in the coat pocket before glancing at the merchant.

“As long as you pay me what you owe, I won’t fail.”

Leaving him with that remark, I turned around and slid down toward the entrance of the sewers—to the connected river, to be exact. With no intention of placing my feet in the disgusting sewage, I took the road leading up to it.

Clank.

I opened the already unlocked steel chute, revealing the way into the actual sewer system.

Honestly, the pipes were so huge that I wondered if it was really necessary.

「Tatara: Underground Sewers」

I mean, I know they did it because it was a game, but weren’t they way smaller in the original?

I entertained such idle thoughts as I heard a cheerful bell chime in my ear. I rummaged through my bag and pulled something out.

「Lantern │ A light source that can illuminate dark spaces and guide the way. If you fasten it to your waist, you can use both hands.」

I’d seen that item earlier when looking through my inventory.

As the Description Window explained, the dark sewer system was instantly lit up by the lantern hanging from my waist. As with most light sources, I could feel some warmth emanating from it. It wasn’t unpleasant, more like a hot pack.

However, because it was hanging from my waist, the light was blocked by my coat in some places.

“Should I move it up?”

I eventually decided to place the lantern over my coat. Depending on which direction I was facing, some areas were still less visible. Well, it was better than before.

Screech.

Squeak.

I quickly checked the map after entering and began seeing some rats.

They were half the size of my forearm, but even considering they were dirty, there was something odd about them.

For instance, parts of their skin had rotted off, exposing raw flesh or even bones. Some had their intestines hanging out. Even though their eyes were incredibly small, I could see they were very red.

Snap!

They were all Demonized.

I lightly swung my sword. As desired, the Zweihänder bisected the rat before even piercing it properly.

If I had to name one problem, it would be this damn realism. After going through the rat, the sword scratched the floor and slightly dinged a wall.

Kang!

That clear sound made me slightly uneasy. The sword wasn’t going to break, right?

I checked the Zweihänder, kicking aside the two pieces of rat carcass with my feet. The sword’s blade glowed red under the light of the lantern. It felt like one might get cut just by looking at it.

「True Zweihänder of Destruction │ A greatsword that can break and destroy anything in existence with its long, straight blade. It strikes fear into anyone who opposes you.」

As I reviewed the weapon’s information alongside its general description, detailed stats were displayed before me, such as Attack Power, Durability, and Energy.

Attack Power aside, the starting value of both Energy and Durability should have been 100. And sure enough, the Durability had fallen to 99.

That’s how it was. In these types of games, even hitting a wall would decrease the weapon’s Durability and Energy.

“This space is too narrow…”

If I continued using this two-handed sword in such a narrow space, its durability would probably decrease by a lot.

Swallowing my regrets, I sheathed my Zweihänder once more and rummaged through my bag. Aside from the True Zweihänder of Destruction, I had also received another starting weapon.

「Longsword | The most widely used sword. The balance between the blade, handle, and pommel is average and allows its user to respond to most situations.」

I fastened the Longsword’s scabbard to my waist and tried swinging the sword. Since the combat correction was working rather well, the sword felt pretty good in my hand.

Cut!

It could cut through the rats really well, too. Like any mob enemy at the beginning of the game, they could be one shot with a starting weapon. What a good start.

Squeak!

I was a bit upset that they didn’t drop money or items… Well, maybe it was like that because they were just tutorial mobs.

The later enemies would probably drop some. I was also getting paid quite a lot for this Quest.

Kuwaaaaik.

As I went in further, I could hear the roars of real Demons echoing in the sewers.

I could also see some sneakily poking their heads out, perhaps preparing a surprise attack.

「Goblin │ Wandering Demons that are always in search of food in groups. These small and weak Demons have very low intelligence, but it won’t do you any good letting your guard down around them.」

As soon as I saw the Goblins crawling along the sewer walls and ceiling, a System Window popped up.

Even when playing the game on PC, I always thought these things were a bit creepy. In VR, they seemed even more disgusting.

“Dirty Demon bastards…”

Anyway, even while dealing with simple mobs, it was only proper to faithfully stay in character.

I immediately immersed myself and grimaced at them. Then, firmly gripping my sword, I leaped forward.

When one of the many, many Goblins came into view, red target marks appeared on its body.

Arms, legs, body, head. Among the given targets, I aimed for the body.

「Body Parts and Strikes │ All enemies have body parts, and the damage they receive from each is different. Some enemies might receive less damage in certain areas, so there may be a need to avoid targeting certain parts.

If a body part accumulates more damage than it can take, you can cause a 《Part Destruction》.

Find the most effective part to hit and attack it.」

A brief description of the combat system appeared in my mind. I couldn’t really read it because time didn’t stop or anything. My experience accumulated from playing many games hadn’t disappeared, though, so I got the gist with just a quick glance.

Kakaaang!

When I hit the target, my blade cut right through the Goblin’s torso. I’d thought so when slicing through the rats, but they’d set my level higher than I expected in the remake.

At the same time, I also felt like the difficulty level was really low. Even though I was still in the tutorial, I was causing 《Part Destruction》 with just a single hit.

It was probably because I was just facing trash mobs, but I felt a little uncomfortable for some reason. While I didn’t really enjoy the difficulty level being too high, it just wasn’t that fun to play if it was too low.

“Die, you lowly scum.”

Either way, even though I was a little disappointed inside, I openly expressed my contempt with my face and words. That was just the basics of the basics as a proper roleplayer.

Chwank!

With my second strike, I pierced through the head of a Goblin that jumped down at me from the ceiling. I knocked away its torso with my foot to free my sword so I could take down the last one.

After stepping back to dodge the thing pouncing from the wall, I stabbed its body after it landed on the floor. After severing its spine, I stepped on its body and stabbed once more.

I gave it one more hit just in case I hadn’t fully depleted its HP, no matter how realistic it was. After trembling for a bit, the Goblin eventually fell limply to the floor.

「LEVEL UP!」

Alright, I survived.

Considering that I’d stopped playing games for a while to focus on my job, I felt like my skills were still pretty decent.

I shook off the blood from my sword and placed my foot on the last enemy. The level-up notification covered my eyes for a while before disappearing as quickly as it appeared.

“Skill Window.”

In both the original and remake of Legend of Heroes, your stats would automatically increase upon leveling up, so I didn’t have to worry about stat point allocations. The only thing one had to keep in mind was skills.

“Attack, Defense, Survival…”

Maybe it was because this remake was based on an online game, but there sure were a lot of skills.

While I didn’t know what the max level was, I suspected I wouldn’t be able to get them all.

「[Melee Combat] │ Basic skills of a warrior. You have a certain chance of responding to enemy attacks better than usual.

Effect: Combat Correction」

After thinking about it some more, I decided to prioritize Defense skills. All the Attack skills were active ones and for now, I could kill all the mobs in a single blow.

Furthermore, flashy moves and the like weren’t the thing to focus on in this game. One’s basic movements were far more important. At least, that was what the company announced.

Thus, getting Defense skills that could be used from the early to the late stages of the game was much better.

I modestly distributed my skill points with such thoughts in mind and continued along the way I needed to take. After encountering the Goblins, I arrived at a crossroads.

I took out the map with a clatter. With my left hand holding my sword, I naturally used my ironclad right hand to pull it out, awkwardly fumbling with the paper.

Going left would bring me to a blocked road, and going right would lead me down a normal road, huh?

I quickly made my decision as to which road to take.

I had to go left no matter what! After all, I didn’t know what kind of item would be left there, even if it would slow my progress!

I had to get all the items in this dungeon, even if I ended up dead because of it!