Chapter 32
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Back Alley Thief Faye
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"Huuu...."
The day was starting to grow dim.
Yoon Young had settled his hunt for the day.
Experience: Level 8, 86%.
Once he claimed the rewards from the missions and quests he'd just completed, he'd hit Level 9 without issue.
'The stat point from Level 9 goes straight into Magic Power.'
The biggest hassle in his hunting right now was running low on mana.
His Aura Sword kept fizzling out due to insufficient mana.
The difference in hunting efficiency with the Aura Sword on versus off was like night and day.
A bit more investment in Magic Power would cut down on needless downtime and let him farm experience way more efficiently.
His equipment drops had been knuckles and a staff.
Neither was for him, so off to the shop they went.
Selling drops was nice pocket change, but it felt like everything except knight longswords ever dropped.
'Hmm... Do I really have to buy weapons from shops? Kinda pisses me off.'
If only one dropped in the hunting grounds.
Gritting his teeth and holding out would just lead to gradual losses, so it was a nagging dilemma.
"Hee~ Looks like you cleared them all. I can see a glint of insight in your eyes now? That's the process of gaining experience and wisdom."
[Experience gained.]
'Nice.'
Thanks to his bare stats passive, he felt power surging through his body the instant he leveled up.
He dumped the bonus point into Magic Power.
Tomorrow's hunts would be even smoother.
'That's the thrill of growing day by day.'
Claire handed him the next quest right away.
"Alright, time for your third training session?"
[Again?]
"Don't make that face—it's the last one! For the finale, go around town helping out with residents' requests."
[Work for free?]
"Hey now. It's all experience. Trust me and follow through. You'll gain something priceless that money can't buy."
Dialogue choices popped up now and then with NPCs.
He didn't know the triggers, but they added immersion and fun, like deeper bonding with the NPCs.
<Final Training for Novice Knights>
📍 Description: Knight trainer Claire wants you to gain experience. Listen to the city's residents' troubles and help them out.
⏰ Objective: Fulfill requests from 5 city residents.
'Fulfill residents' requests, huh....'
Total of five targets.
Reddia and Eri came to mind first.
Amael too, maybe?
Bound to find some if he looked.
Too late today anyway—better tomorrow.
Next, he headed to the Adventurer's Guild, turned in missions, and collected his pay.
'Free time from here.'
This hour always felt like clocking out—pure bliss.
Dinner then play with the girls, or train for tomorrow.
'Training today?'
His class change quest had drilled the forms into muscle memory.
Habit's a habit—time flew till nightfall.
"Huu."
Sweaty Yoon Young stepped from the lot beside the guild into the square.
Midnight hush, no NPCs in sight.
Standing alone staring at the sky, he felt utterly isolated, like the last soul on earth.
'Yeah... I'm lucky. NPCs at least. Girls to mingle with every night....'
Yoon Young imagined.
What if he'd dropped into MineXcraft?
A blocky world crawling with monsters, zero interactive NPCs, just him alone....
'Chills just thinking about it.'
As a kid playing MineXcraft, he'd felt an odd dread.
A chill healing game—why the fear?
Isolation, probably.
The game world so vast and boundless.
That utter solitude, no purpose, endless—terrifying to him.
This world might be no different....
Still, he believed.
It had a clear end.
Clear quests, push the story—ending credits eventually.
Worry about after later.
Thus lost in thought under the moon.
[About Deep Night]
[It is currently deep night.]
[Deep night brings various changes to the world.]
[On days with low public order, hostile NPCs like 'pickpockets' or 'robbers' may appear in the city.]
[Special merchant NPCs selling suspicious items may appear.]
[In hunting grounds, monster sounds and presences decrease, lowering player accuracy and evasion, making combat harder.]
[Weather, time, etc., viewable in 'Today's Status.']
"Hm?"
"Heh."
Didn't know this existed.
Let's check it out....
'Today's Status.'
Yoon Young checked today's status.
'Whoa, what? Didn't know this was a thing.'
Not new—must've missed it before.
'Explain stuff like this sooner.'
Today's Luck explained the two gear drops.
Hunt on high luck days, do other stuff on low—solid plan.
'Hostile NPCs, though.'
He'd suspected as much.
NPCs not all harmless?
Probably not.
Core of fun in stories: conflict.
Novels, games, comics, films—all thrived on it.
Enemies, villains, monsters.
This game too.
Villain NPCs for sure.
Fight them eventually maybe.
Didn't expect confirmation so soon.
'NPCs chasing with swords... scary.'
How to handle?
...Kill?
Yoon Young recoiled at murder.
NPCs or not, they looked human.
Normal brains reject taking lives like ours.
Killing wouldn't be easy.
'But non-lethal takedown...'
Right then.
[Lost 3 Plain Silver Coins.]
"Huh?"
Flash!
A shadow streaked past as he noticed.
[Looks like you got pickpocketed....]
"What...!"
Pickpocket?
Brain raced.
That quick shadow earlier?!
Yoon Young bolted up and gave chase.
'Dare steal my hard-earned cash!'
Three silver—shop scraps value.
Thud thud thud!
He pursued the black shadow tail with all he had.
Full sprint kept pace decently.
Swish.
Shadow turned into a dark alley.
Right as he rounded the corner after.
"Huh."
Something glaringly obvious: a flickering red portal.
Different from before.
"What the."
Up close, system message.
[Combat event ahead.]
"Combat event...!"
Clash with that pickpocket?
Gulp...
A twinge of fear.
But running? No way.
'Lost hard-earned silver to a thief, then bail 'cause combat scares me? Might as well cut my balls off.'
Worst case, rip Return Scroll.
...Probably.
All gear activated, Yoon Young stepped into the red portal.
Shrrk.
Eyes opened in a back alley.
'Huh? Can't move.'
Straining did nothing.
Looking ahead: gray-haired woman with dagger.
"Chased me all this way. Should've just gone on your merry way."
Whirl. Catch. Whirl. Catch.
She toyed with the dagger casually.
Then gripped reverse, smirking confidently.
"Won't hurt you bad. But you'll feel the sting!"
Click.
"Gah."
Body loosened up.
'Ah! Cutscene?'
Games often had forced story scenes before fights.
Probably that.
[Back Alley Thief Faye]
"Hmph, full of openings?"
She approached slow, like sizing up guts. Yoon Young raised his Mushroom Cap Shield.
'Aura Sword.'
Buff ready for instant strike.
"Take this!"
NPC lunged.
Stab!
Simple thrust.
Not high skill.
Blockable, counterable easy.
Clang!
Post-stab backstep, then prowling like before.
'Feels... not like fighting a real person....'
Pattern and AI vibes.
Yoon Young observed coolly.
"Take this!"
Stab!
Same pattern!
'Backstep and circle now?'
Bingo.
She moved exactly as predicted.
Then.
"Can't dodge this?!"
Stab! Stab!
"Whoa."
Sudden dash, double thrust.
Skill pattern apparently.
Blocked both, but startled.
'Got it. My turn to counter...?'
Shield cover, sword ready.
Some aversion to swinging at people, but stolen money fury and her robotic moves eased it.
Slash!
Not full power, moderate swing.
"Kyaa!"
Hit feel, she screamed back.
No wound.
Game-style: damage numbers, not visuals.
'Ah, gotcha...!'
Some games gore NPCs; others just deduct HP clean.
Realism vs. casual.
Plain World: casual.
No holds barred now.
"Here I come, you bitch. Ready to pay up?"
Slash!
"Kyaa!"
Slash!
"Ow...!"
Slash!
"Augh!"
Thud.
She crumpled quick.
[Neutralized Back Alley Thief Faye!]
[Combat event ended.]
Shrrk.
Darkness swallowed, then back to normal alley.
"Ugh... Lost."
Thief Faye slumped dejectedly.
'Kinda cute up close....'
Gray hair, tanned skin, tank top, capri pants.
His type exactly.
Yoon Young groped her breasts.
Squish squish.
"Sorry, just once...."
Squish squish.
"Ugh... Lost."
No reaction to fondling, same line—dumbed-down NPC now.
'Anyway, time for my money back.'
He talked to her.
"S-Sorry. Here's your stolen cash...! Just once, forgive me."
[Gained 3 Plain Silver Coins.]
"Good."
Money's money.
Choices appeared.
[Forgive]
[Hand to guards]
[Execute H Command]
"Whoa."
This one's prime for proper H Command test?
Let's.
[Tease]
[Ravage]
[Check H Status]
[Faye]
Scared, Submissive, Incapacitated.
Keywords screaming for commands.
No hesitation—dive in.
[Tease]
[Push down]
[Grope breasts]
[Push down]
"Kyaa...!"
Shoulder shove floored her; Faye looked up scared.
"W-What're you gonna do...."
[Grope breasts]
[Groped breasts.]
Hand reached for Faye's prone breasts.