On the way back, Victor was in a good mood. The six players who came with him were in equally high spirits as they excitedly conversed among each other. The prospect of finally getting another NPC seemed to have gone to their heads as they occasionally stole glances at Eleanor, speculating about her role and abilities.

  “So that is Thornwood Village, huh? It really does capture the feel of a real medieval village so far,” Locktekei commented, pulling one of the carts with Thunder.

  “Mhm, I think so too…” Zero, nodding in agreement, absentmindedly reached for his glasses that weren’t there. “Without Storm’s precise analysis, I can only offer an imperfect analysis in his place. Today’s expedition was likely a test of not just the trading system and the new friendly settlement but also NPCs’ responses. Like what the guy on the official website forum speculated, there’s likely to be new additions of NPCs into the game, which seems to be unfolding right before us.”

  “This reminds me of what the unreliable game promotional manager once told us…” Mike added. “He said that the game aims to create an economic system in Magus Academy Online that’s both realistic and immersive, mirroring that of the real world with supply and demand.”

  Thunder agreed with a nod. “Correct. And it will also heavily rely on interactions with nearby settlements for sustainability, and the exchange of materials with these places is essential. But there’s an important aspect we shouldn’t overlook: currency. Currently, the game only provides one type of currency—merit points—so trading with these places may not come in the next update.”

  “Damn! This is making me impatient for the open beta!”

  Zero, however, shook his head at the response. “I think it is still too soon for an open beta. This game company has grand ambitions… Even the event from the previous update is just a fraction of the content that needs testing. But the game already offers a rich experience as it is.”

  “U-Um…” MsMelody, who had been quiet until now, hesitantly voiced a concern. “Are you sure that the game manager and moderator wouldn’t be able to hear you calling him unreliable?”

  Mike let out a startled gasp, and the other players mirrored his reaction.

  “Shit! You’re right… Cyber, I was wrong! Please forgive me!” Mike shouted to the sky. “Zero, if you can contact him, please say that I didn’t mean what I said.”

  “I can’t. I haven’t been in contact with him for a while.” Zero just gave him a pitiful shrug, to Mike’s dismay.

  Victor was at a loss for words. Forget it. I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear it.

  As a conscientious NPC, Victor did not participate in the discussion between the six players. His eyes were always on the lookout, observing the shadows for any hint of lurking danger. However, this was not the case for the other NPC, Eleanor, as she seemed piqued by the players’ conversation and jumped on the gun to join them.

  Eleanor tapped the shoulder of the nearest player. “Watcha talking about?”

  “Miss…” Locktekei was that player, but he seemed not to know how to address her.

  “Call me Eleanor.” She smiled a toothy grin at Locktekei, leaving him shaking and at a loss for words. No, it seemed the player was more than just flustered; he was wound up with extreme tension, much to Victor’s confusion.

  Oh right, I haven’t formally introduced her. He had thought of waiting until they were back at the academy so he could do it in one go… But this could become a test to see how she would mix in with the players; any potential issues should be corrected as early as possible.

  Zero noticed the situation and came to Locktekei’s rescue, simply explaining, “It’s nothing, Miss Eleanor. We were talking about how excited we were about visiting the village. It’s a change of pace from our usual routine inside the academy, so…”

  Eleanor’s eyes lit up at this. “Ah! Is that so? How about I share some of my experiences from the village with you all?”

  The players immediately showed interest.

  “Please tell us!”

  “Yes! We’d love to hear your stories!”

  The players chorused in tandem, erasing the initial awkwardness. Victor silently observed, believing they were expecting a hidden plot or something from her. Eleanor, for her part, seemed to relish the attention, sharing anecdotes about her life as a blacksmith and living in the village. Even though she was chatty, she didn’t mention anything about the academy nor about Victor.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Well, at least she knows how to hold back. Victor was initially worried that she might say something out of line, but she played her role pretty convincingly, like a high-end NPC with advanced AI would have. If she were to lapse one day, he could cover it up by claiming the NPCs were designed with advanced, individualized AI scripts.

  As the group traveled the familiar path through the forest, the atmosphere gradually became more and more silent. The usual symphony of birds and rustling leaves was conspicuously absent. Except for the idle chatter of the players and Eleanor, there was nothing else of note. To an outsider, the scene might appear serene, but not for Victor.

  “Something isn’t right,” he mused, unable to shake the feeling of unease. The silence was more than just tranquil; it was unnerving. Eerily so.

  Alas, Victor couldn’t use mana sense yet—a natural ability that an official Magus would have. He could detect creatures, especially ones with mana, in his vicinity with ease, but he couldn’t expertly and subtly release his infused mana to probe more distant or subtle anomalies; it was beyond his grasp, as it required a high level of mana control.

  Except for this one…

  [A dangerous elemental life form has been detected!]

  [The life form is expected to be capable of sending third-stage Initiate Attunement acolyte a run for their money.]

  [This life form’s power is extremely mysterious, capable of causing supernatural phenomena; it is advisable to be careful.]

  Cold sweat trickled down Victor’s back. The messages were vague, but whatever this was, it must be formidable to get specifically called out by the System like this. He may have been a third-stage Initiate Attunement acolyte, but he couldn’t discount that this may be a tricky foe to deal with.

  Victor didn’t waste a single second as he commanded, “Acolytes! Prepare to cast your spells! We are under attack!”

  “Yes, sir!” they all shouted in unison.

  The players were quick to react and prepared to engage any possible enemy coming their way, quickly putting the two carts down in a safe location. Evidently, their experience from the invasion and hunting had come in handy.

  “Wh-What’s happening? Is there danger?” Eleanor was a bit perplexed by the sudden tension, but she didn’t panic.

  In response, Mike reassured her, “Fear not, Miss Eleanor, for I have your back!” His pose, though somewhat contrived, was clearly an attempt to make himself look cool and impress the NPC.

  “Mhm, I believe you.” Eleanor gave him a thumbs up, clearly amused by this.

  Moments later, three floating orbs of light danced playfully from a distant tree. Despite their seemingly harmless appearance, as they drew nearer, an instinctual alarm triggered within Victor, his hair standing on end. He didn’t know what they were capable of, nor did he know how to take them down.

  This… Victor thought in horror, I saw this one when I used {Demonic Eye} to scout the forest… To think I would encounter them here. What are the chances?

  Unable to devise a strategy against this mysterious adversary, Victor commanded the players to unleash their spells on the orbs. A barrage of spells, each varied and potent, rained down upon the floating lights. However, their efforts were futile as the orbs nimbly evaded most of the onslaught, flickering and vanishing into thin air, rendering the attacks ineffective.

  “Shit! What are these floating orbs?!”

  “Is it not a magical beast?”

  As frustration and confusion echoed in the air, a realization then struck Victor. The System had identified these orbs as a singular entity, suggesting that they were different manifestations of the same being. This meant that there should be some kind of weakness that he could exploit. But would he have the time to think of a countermeasure and devise a strategy before it was too late?

  The answer came in the form of a thick mist that suddenly enveloped the area, causing the players to tense up. They quickly adopted a defensive formation, circling protectively with Eleanor safely ensconced in the center. As expected of veteran players, their eyes darted to the trees, watching for any signs of attack from the floating orbs.

  Victor was some distance away from them, ready to cast a spell at a moment’s notice. He tried to manipulate the elemental particles to disperse the mist but achieved minimal success. Each time he managed to disperse a section, the mist would reform almost instantly. Then, his attention was snatched by an unexpected sight.

  “Huh, what the?” There, amidst the swirling mist, stood the figure of his most despised adversary—a red-haired young man donning an ornate acolyte robe. Undoubtedly, it was Graviel Merlin. Strangely, the players and Eleanor were nowhere in sight, as if they had vanished, leaving only the mist and this loathed figure.

  “Die! {Flame Dart}!”

  Resentment clouded Victor’s mind as he subconsciously summoned a small, fiery projectile, shooting it at the figure, which dissolved into a cloud of mist upon impact. Bizarrely, the same image of Graviel and two of his cronies then materialized in multiple locations around him. Rage consumed Victor, and he was on the verge of unleashing a torrent of spells, but a sudden glow from the pendant magic tool on his chest halted him. Its radiance pierced through the fog of his anger, bringing a moment of clarity.

  “Wait! What am I doing?” He bit his lip as he realized that this was all an illusion. If I didn’t have this Twilight Moon Pendant, things would have become ugly… He had known that the pendant had this kind of power, but it was still a pleasant surprise that it would be this effective at clearing one’s mind.

  Bang!

  There was a loud crash, and a muffled grunt echoed nearby. Had something happened to the players?