In the vibrant light of midday, Michael, accompanied by Locktekei and MsMelody, waited at the edge of the forest for the supplies the headmaster had purchased. It was hot and uncomfortable to stand below the sun for long, so they sought shade under the towering trees. The natural symphony of the forest’s wildlife spoiled their ears, while the picturesque village in the distance pampered their eyes.

  Locktekei inhaled deeply and sighed in amazement. “So refreshing… It feels like I’m in the countryside.”

  Michael nodded in agreement, appreciating the serene view. “Agreed. It’s really pleasing to the eye, too.”

  Locktekei and Michael had befriended in the game, and after playing together for some time, they were quite close. But what took his attention the most was the pretty green-haired female player, MsMelody. She had an average build but possessed a certain charm that Michael found familiar. She was a bona fide gamer girl, indeed.

  Michael once proposed a marketing campaign in his store to promote all sorts of helpful services for gamer girls. However, the idea was outright rejected by his employees, especially by Lisa. What a waste of a brilliant idea.

  Nevertheless, waiting idly was unbearably boring. For Michael, who was once a veteran MMORPG who would grind for hours, doing nothing made him restless and feel like he was missing something. He wondered how the players taking the night watch were able to hold their boredom—especially since, at this stage, the game didn’t allow access to the internet.

  Locktekei suddenly broke the silence with a suggestion. “I don’t think the supplies are going to be here any time soon. Why don’t we seize this opportunity to mingle with the villagers?”

  “Good idea,” Michael agreed enthusiastically. “I’ve spotted several interesting spots around the village. It could be interesting to explore.” He had been mulling over this since the headmaster NPC had assigned them this task.

  “B-But the headmaster said—” MsMelody stammered, hesitant to agree.

  “Oh, come on. He’s only an NPC,” Locktekei said, downplaying the potential consequences of ignoring an NPC headmaster’s directives. “Besides, we won’t be away for long. We already know where the supplies will be gathered, and I bet villagers know that too.”

  Mike agreed, “He’s right. My guesstimate is we have about an hour before the supplies arrive. If we head back in half an hour, we’ll still be ahead of time.”

  “Uh…” MsMelody still appeared uncertain, torn between caution and curiosity.

  Sensing her reluctance, Michael urged, “Let’s not waste time debating. The longer we wait here, the less time we’ll have to explore the village.” With a decisive adjustment of his robe, he stepped forward to lead the way. Heh, I must have looked cool there.

  Hearing the conviction in his voice, MsMelody finally relented. “Okay. But please don’t take too long.”

  Locktekei grinned. “That’s the spirit! Let’s head out!”

  The trio then carefully made their way into the village, or more accurately, toward a cluster of houses just on the outskirts of the village center. Opting for subtlety, they chose a spot that was less likely to draw attention.

  Even though it was the game world, the village was impressively authentic, rivaling the ones in the real world. The architecture was quite rural, with thatched roofs and cobblestone paths weaving between the buildings. In fact, Michael could distinctly feel the gravel crunching under his feet and even sensed the smoky aroma emanating from a nearby house.

  As they walked further in, they saw the NPCs engaged in various activities. Some were diligently tending to their lush gardens, full of vibrant flowers, while others engaged in lively discussions about what seemed to be local issues. The culture and lifestyle of these NPCs were reminiscent of what they had often seen depicted in history documentaries.

  Off to the side, a young boy was playing a wooden flute. The melody he produced was hauntingly beautiful—a tune unfamiliar to Michael but one that resonated with him deeply. It brought back memories of playing Minecraft as a child and when the soundtrack “Mice on Venus” would play in the background. It brought up a sense of nostalgia for one of his first gaming experiences.

  The first block you placed, the first house you made, the first cave you mined, the first dog you tamed, the first diamond you mined, the first villager trade you did… were all there, somewhere. Maybe this game was just like that in its own way.

  “Why don’t we try initiating a conversation with one of the villagers here? Who knows, we might trigger a hidden mission,” Locktekei eagerly suggested, breaking his nostalgia.

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  Mike shrugged. “We could, but I doubt it’ll lead to anything.”

  “Mhm. Remember when we were left to guard outside the two houses before?” Even MsMelody voiced her agreement from the side.

  That was the case. While waiting for the headmaster outside the blacksmith girl’s and the village head’s houses, they had attempted to strike up a conversation with the pedestrians. However, rather than telling them their troubles and giving them tasks, most merely bowed their heads, hastened their steps, and left without engaging in any meaningful conversation. Not all of them were like that; some offered basic greetings but nothing more than that.

  Were they that scared? Or was there some sort of action that they had to take to amass affinity or amity points before the villagers would be more open and communicative? The best way to find out would be to just go for it.

  Out of nowhere, an elderly man pulling a cart brimming with harvested wheat suddenly collapsed, his knees buckling under him. The cart’s contents spilled chaotically onto the ground. Based on his expression, it was clear the elderly farmer was in a lot of pain. Sadly, the nearest villagers were too distant to notice his plight.

  “Hey, look over there! I think he needs our help.”

  “Let’s hurry!”

  Quick to respond, The three of them rushed toward the fallen farmer like good Samaritans. “Are you okay, mister?”

  The elderly man, wincing with pain and coughing, managed to respond through clenched teeth, still staring at the ground. “I-I’m fine… It’s just my illness flaring up again… These old bones of mine aren’t what they used to be… I think I’m not long for this world.”

  “Please, don’t say such an ominous thing!” MsMelody shouted as she began to cast a healing spell on him. She had mentioned working as a nurse in a hospital, and her expertise was brought out at this moment. She adeptly calmed the elderly farmer with gentle strokes on his back while maintaining her spell.

  Not wanting to stand idly by, Michael and Locktekei got busy with reloading the scattered wheat onto the wooden cart. Thankfully, there was not too much that had fallen out.

  “Thank you, thank you for your kindness. Truly. I’m feeling much better now,” the elderly farmer expressed. He seemed to have noticed that he was being healed by something, though he was confused by what it was. He simply gazed at the three of them with a mix of curiosity and gratitude, asking, “And you three youngsters are…?”

  “We are acolytes!” Michael proudly declared.

  “A-Acolytes? Mages?” Shock colored his wrinkled face as he quickly faced the ground again. “S-Sir, I am so sorry for causing such an unsightly scene.”

  Sir? What’s going on here? Don’t tell me… The dots finally clicked inside his mind. Perhaps the reason that the villagers were reluctant to talk with them was because of this. This game truly had a very realistic setting behind it, it appeared.

  Michael quickly interjected, “There’s no need to be so formal with us, mister.”

  “Yes! We are just your average Joes,” Locktekei added. “Please, let us help you with your cart. Just show us the way.”

  “Average jo-es? Please, don’t mind me. I already feel better than ever, thanks to the young lady,” he insisted, trying to stand up and resume his task with the cart—

  “No! We will help you!” MsMelody exclaimed, planting herself firmly in front of him. It seemed that she wouldn’t hear any of the old farmer’s excuses.

  “But, young miss…”

  “There’s no but about it. Just relax and let us handle this.” Michael took hold of the cart’s reins and began pulling.

  Locktekei joined in, positioning himself behind the cart to push. “Like I said, just show us the way.”

  The elderly farmer was visibly overwhelmed and didn’t know how to react. Left with no other choice, he accepted the help with gratitude and guided the three players to the granary, which was not too far off. Nevertheless, the path was uneven, and the cart, heavy with wheat, occasionally got stuck. Even with their enhanced power, it required some effort to navigate the tricky terrain. Michael could only wonder how the elderly farmer was able to do this every day alone.

  During their walk, the farmer introduced himself as “Isak” and let out a wistful sigh. “Back in the day, I was the hunter of the village. We’d venture into the forest, tracking boars, and each triumphant return was celebrated with a grand feast. Those were the golden days…” He continued telling stories and tales of his youth as well as about the village; he sure was a talkative old man.

  Even a background NPC has so much dialogue… It feels like I am talking with a real person rather than a scripted NPC. What an incredible game. I can’t help being amazed by it… Michael was awed in his heart as he kept interacting with the farmer.

  Upon reaching the granary, other villagers stiffened and gazed warily at them, but then they saw Isak, who accompanied them and loosened their stance. After hearing the whole story, the initial reluctance gave way to gratitude as they helped unload the wheat.

  The players took this opportunity to inquire if the villagers needed any more help. But, except for a few who took up the offer, the rest were still reluctant to request anything. The ones that required help gave them wheat and vegetables in return, but they refused the offerings because they had no need for them. At least they made a good rapport with them; that was what they had been aiming for from the start.

  Hmm, the villagers aren’t giving us tasks through the Shadowlink Marks. I wonder why, Michael thought. His assumption was that it was likely to be an unreleased patch that would come in the future, or perhaps it was intentional, for whatever reason.

  In the blink of an eye, the thirty-minute time they set to mingle with the villagers was gone. As such, they returned to their original meeting point.

  “If we get another chance, we should definitely visit this village again.”

  “Agreed!”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  With that, their brief adventure in the village came to a close.

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