The Thieves Who Didn't Die
Thwack!! The corpses had vanished. Or had they never been there to begin with? I definitely sensed something when I swatted down with my forepaw, but when I dug into it, there wasn't a single body. All that remained in that spot was the pile of gold coins and jewels the thieves had stolen. Scratch, scratch. No matter how much I clawed at the ground, not even a drop of blood turned up.
"You know something about this?"
"Uh, well..."
As I tilted my head and asked, Haring scratched her cheek and averted her gaze, looking like she was agonizing over whether to spill it. Did she know something?
"I-I'm not like, super knowledgeable about it or anything..."
"What is it?"
"You said the thieves were dressed kinda like me, right?"
"Yeah. Three of them."
"Then those guys were probably... no, Otherworlders. Have you heard of Otherworlders?"
Otherworlders? Come to think of it, the fairies mentioned that a bunch of them had flooded into this continent. They were people who came from another continent, and given their bizarre behavior, I'd figured Haring was one of them too.
"Otherworlders each have special abilities. Like, I can take photos and stuff, or pull things out of thin air like this..."
Rummage. Rummage.
Haring stuck her hand into empty space and pulled out a long sword. It looked pretty fancy for a newbie mercenary to be carrying. It was awfully similar to the subspace magic the thieves had used.
"Like pulling out items."
"That's handy. No incantation needed."
"Hehe. Anyway, that's one of their special abilities too—the way they vanished. They didn't die. They probably just relocated to a nearby village."
Haring put the sword back. So the vanishing corpses were part of their abilities... It was intriguing, but even hearing the explanation didn't fully clear up my doubts. Haring, and those thieves from just now—they were the same.
For the power they have, their abilities are...
They had decent physical prowess for mana-less humans, but no-incantation subspace magic and spatial relocation? Those were high-tier abilities. Not something weaklings like these could handle.
"Who gave them abilities like that?"
"Huh?"
"They weren't born with them."
"Uh..."
If there was a race called Otherworlders whose powers were passed down through generations, that might make some sense. But in my 300 years of life, I'd never encountered a race with such abilities. Sure, they could have popped up while I was hibernating in my nest, but a clan with this much power springing up in just a few decades? Unlikely.
Something's fishy.
Otherworlders weren't a naturally occurring race. They were definitely created through someone's intervention.
Haring's face grew even more troubled, and she fell silent. As the silence dragged on and impatience set in, I was just raising my fist when...
"Aish. Is it okay to tell you this? Even the gallery's iffy about it..."
"What're they saying?"
"Well, you see... the Goddess..."
"Goddess?"
That batty old hag?
(Photo of a dragon yawning peacefully while lounging in its nest)
(Photo of a dragon staring intently at Haring)
(Photo of a dragon swishing its tail)
So cute, right? We've gotten super close now, so I can snap pics right in her face and she doesn't complain. There are even cuter shots, but those are for my eyes only lol go away ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Oh, and some people showed up today trying to raid the nest, so chill out;; Little Flame Dragon's pissed.
Questions about NPC reactions keep popping up in the gallery, so I figured I'd write a guide.
First, regular NPCs. Y'know, your average civilians. Farmers, merchants, low-rank mercs, traders, slaves, etc... Low power, low status—they're limited in what they can comprehend. It's like there's a lock on them; no matter how much you talk about the game or real life, it goes right over their heads. They don't even know we can respawn, which is why quest fails count as deaths. Funny part is, when you go back, they act all thrilled like "You're alive?!" lololol
Anyway, regular NPCs are chill to deal with, but the problem is high-ranking NPCs. Nobles, knights, high-ranking non-humans, elite mercs, etc... The strong, high-status ones recognize us as players. They know we're from somewhere else, that we respawn, and big shots like dukes or knight captains even know we treat this place like a game. So don't go poking high-rankers thinking it's just a game, or you might get perma-killed. Be careful.
+No need to hide it too much tho. If you're upfront but chill about being a player, they accept it and treat you right. Scouting ahead properly is key.
"Goddess... Goddess, huh..."
The day after Haring left, I munched on the cookies she'd left behind, lost in deep thought. What delusion had that batty old hag fallen into to create so many apprentice heroes like this?
"Impressive results, sure, but..."
That was just her being exceptional, not because the goddess bestowed power. Plus, from what I'd heard, it wasn't just a few—she'd handed them out to tons.
Even roughly estimating, over a hundred at least...
Spreading power that thin, they wouldn't shine or even survive. What was she thinking?
"She planning a gacha or something? But even then, no way."
A once-in-ten-thousand-years prodigy showing up twice? No chance. Nom nom.
"Huuuuaaaahhh..."
Yeah. Guess I'd have to pay her a visit soon. If all these weirdos showing up weren't from bad upbringing but the goddess's handiwork... Then at least that former hero needed to rein it in. The goddess up top wasn't coming down, so off the table.
"Tired... so tired..."
"Draaaagon laaaaady!!!"
Haring? I lifted my head at the sudden shout echoing through the nest. Had she come back already? But that voice sounded pretty masculine for her...
"I've arrived!"
"?"
Thud! Some guy leaped high and landed in front of the nest. He had a bold, rugged face, a bow slung over his back, and was dressed like Haring or the thieves. From his agility and aura alone, he seemed stronger than the previous visitors. He even had a bit of mana.
This guy's an apprentice hero too.
What was this, some kinda meeting spot? Why did they keep coming?
The man grinned ear-to-ear with joy, glancing around. After scanning for a while, he spotted me lounging in the nest and his eyes went wide.
"Wha—whaaa...?"
"Who're you?"
Haring had come for training, the three thieves for robbery. So what would this guy do?
Robbery? Nah, training?
His looks and vibe fit training better than theft. I wasn't asleep, and seeing me awake and polymorphed, he didn't seem the type to try robbing anyway. Though now that I was in this form, he might underestimate me and pick a fight.
"Ahh..."
"What's up?"
"Aaaaaahhh...!!!"
Thump. The man dropped to his knees, clutching his head. He wailed in agony as if seized by immense pain, though I hadn't done a thing. Finally, he clenched his fists.
"This is..."
"Huh?"
Bam!
"This isn't a dragon!!"
"What?"
"What I want is a dragon massive enough to blot out the sky with its wings, something badass! A dragon that's just some puny brat?! This fucking little—"
Bam!!
"Thwack!!"
The man's head caved in.