Chapter 0
Chapter 0
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 0
Chapter Title: Used Bookstore's NPC
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Creak. The door opened with a familiar groan, and a customer stepped inside.
"Welcome..."
A woman with beige bobbed hair and a blue beret rose lazily from her seat, her expression drowsy.
She'd stood to greet the customer, but the face that entered the shop was all too familiar.
Recognizing him, her face fell flat, and she plopped back down.
"What? It's just you, Old Man."
Her tone carried a peculiar note of disappointment, making one of the old man's eyebrows twitch upward.
It was his signature habit when he got sulky.
"Tch, tsk. The customer service around here's downright lousy."
"So, sir, what brings you here?"
"Huh? To hang out, obviously."
"Out."
The old man grinned mischievously as he sauntered further into the shop.
The woman, seated without protest, seemed to accept it as their usual greeting ritual.
Sitting across from her, the old man flashed a sly smile and pulled something from his bag, placing it on the table.
"What do you think? How much is this worth?"
The woman's eyes widened like saucers at the item the old man set down.
"This is..."
It was clearly no ordinary book.
The cover was intricately designed, and the material had a rich, heavy texture unlike any other book.
She couldn't pin the exact grade without a proper appraisal, but at a glance, it seemed to surpass even Mythic rank at minimum.
"A skill book from legend alone. They say its blazing inferno mimics the eternal hellfire that never dies, filled with the ceaseless screams of burning souls."
The old man began his tale with a bright, innocent smile—one more fitting a child than an elder.
To outsiders, the sight would have been shocking enough to make them gasp.
The old man was revered as the Tower's Sage.
He led the charge in uncovering the Tower's secrets, ascending its floors without a shred of hesitation. Countless admired him for it.
His stern demeanor and earnest approach made him seem unapproachable.
But now? His face lit up with irrepressible joy just from chatting.
He spread his arms dramatically and bellowed.
Like a kid imitating a TV hero.
"Its name is Inferno!!"
Familiar with the antics, the woman ignored him and examined the book.
Sure enough, it was a used skill book, showing signs of once being activated.
Nothing to be done about that. Unopened skill books were hard to come by.
Even if you could snag one, the price was exorbitant.
Used ones, on the other hand, weren't nearly as pricey.
Of course, collectors could drive the price sky-high, but still cheaper than unused.
To get skill books affordably, used was the way to go.
Skill books were one-use items. Once read, the skill was acquired, and the book was discarded.
"It's definitely top-notch. Legendary grade means it's thick, and the content looks incredibly detailed."
"So, how much are you offering?"
"For this?"
She pulled a stack of bills from under the table and set them down.
"Hmm. A shop full of dust somehow always has plenty of cash."
It was a hefty sum, a bit burdensome. But this cranky old man wasn't one to get sentimental.
If the offer didn't meet his standards, he'd turn and walk out without a second thought.
My entire savings...
No helping it. I'll skip meals today.
Humans could survive without food for about three to six weeks.
Hm, plenty of time. I can last until the next subsidy.
Still, no need to show it. She feigned annoyance.
"Can't you keep rude thoughts to yourself?"
'Damn old geezer.'
Stuff like that, keep it inside like I do.
Grumbling, she opened the purchased skill book.
A skill book was essentially a manual. It detailed the packaged skill's usage in full.
Most people tossed it without reading.
Made sense, thinking about it.
I wasn't one to pore over manuals either.
It chronicled the skill's creation, origins, and usage in detail.
Diary-style, it felt like an essay or a fantasy novel.
Sometimes poetry.
Mostly, though, straightforward nonfiction, like a textbook conveying pure info.
People ditched them because rereading didn't grant or upgrade the skill.
No benefit, so out they went.
"Kids these days don't read books. That's the problem. Why avoid them?"
Thanks to that, the shop saw zero customers. Her sole regular only sold books, never bought, keeping her perpetually in the red.
"Tsk tsk. Folks hear you say that, they'll call you a boomer. Live young! Why act like an old fogey?"
"You know I've outlived you, right?"
She'd run this used bookstore since the Tower appeared. Fact.
Longer than I thought.
Arriving here had been disorienting at first.
She'd thought she died, only to wake in an unfamiliar place—in a strange woman's body, no less.
She'd adapted now, but early on, she'd desperately wanted to die again. More than once.
"And yet you look younger than me. Jealous of your secret."
"You're the weird one, Old Man."
Time froze upon entering the Tower. No more aging or growing.
With his high survival rate, elders like him were rare inside. Kids, even rarer.
"Heh heh. Is that so? I try to stay youthful. MZ generation or whatever?"
A hollow laugh escaped her.
Ancient slang. Stuff from outside the Tower, now here?
"Hm. You react like you know it."
His gaze turned appraising.
It felt uncomfortably probing.
"Of course. Old lingo from outside. I know that much."
"Heh heh, I see."
I'm an NPC. Not a Player, an NPC.
This was a game world, with Players and NPCs.
NPCs weren't emotionless or mindless.
The difference? Status windows, and climbing rights.
Maybe that's why.
No need to read when a few clicks granted skills.
Easy come, easy skip.
"Collecting empty shells post-use? Vanity or curiosity."
Mostly vanity.
Bragging rights. "Look at my skills." Or decoration.
"And you?"
"Guess."
"Curiosity."
"Why?"
He answered without hesitation.
"You're book-obsessed. Would drag one from hell itself. That's you, from what I've seen."
"Spot on."
His insight pierced her; a smile formed unbidden.
What else to do over endless years?
Only reading. A fondness turned obsession.
"Crazy person."
"Why the insult?"
"Hoarding books like this? Not crazy, what is? They don't even sell."
"Can't sell my babies to just anyone."
"No wonder no customers."
He shook his head with a sigh.
Why couldn't he understand?
Her face soured instinctively.
"How do you even make money?"
"Tower subsidies. NPC perk!"
She thumped her chest proudly. "No worries!"
Tower and NPCs complemented each other.
NPCs couldn't climb but aided in various ways.
Handled security, crafted and sold goods, improved Player quality.
No NPCs, Tower grinds to a halt.
Thus, subsidies flowed.
Hers was a tad different.
Like victim compensation?
Meant to be a Player, but a dead soul—couldn't. Best they could do: reconstruct as NPC woman.
No need to spill all that.
The old man's face twisted pityingly as he listened.
"So, what do you do for the Tower?"
"Me? All sorts. Circulate the economy. I spend, they earn, they spend—round and round."
She scratched her head sheepishly. Even she felt the guilt.
"Leeching off the system, huh."
Deep sigh from the old man.
"Shopkeeping's tough. Chasing bookworms, dusting shelves daily. Even posting promos on the boards sometimes."
Talking it up, she sounded diligent. Confidence swelled.
"Especially bookworms. Tricky. Can't use pesticides—ruins books. Monthly inspections too; too many, shop shuts."
"Got it. Got it."
He paused again.
"What? Spit it out."
"Actually, besides that, there's another book."
"What?!!"
Her body lurched forward. She slammed the table and shot up.
Too hasty—her knee banged hard.
"Ow!!"
"Whoa! You trying to give this old man a heart attack?"
"I'm fine. You're not dead."
"What is this... No respect for elders?"
"I'm older."
Speechless.
She pivoted quickly.
"Anyway, I'd love that book, but my situation's rough right now."
"Need help?"
"If you would."
"From a frail NPC like me?"
She hugged herself, voice as delicate as possible.
"Frail, my ass."
"Eek. That hurts my feelings."
His face soured.
Weird. Don't grandpas melt for granddaughter cutesy acts?
"Fine, no helping it. Guess that book's off the table."
"Heh heh, when did I say no? I'll do it! I will!"