Stealing the Sub Quest
Moon Junil was undoubtedly the person on Earth who knew the most about elves.
Even so, he couldn’t guess.
Why do they run away the moment I speak to them?
Elves have extremely long lifespans, which gives them an equally large amount of mental composure.
They don’t particularly reject strangers who approach them.
They don’t exactly welcome them with open arms either, but they don’t run away or push them aside.
They simply want to take one step back, take their time, and observe the other party.
If an elf suddenly showed a reaction like bolting away, there had to be a significant reason behind it.
I’ll just have to talk to her to find out.
Even Moon Junil couldn’t perfectly grasp their behavioral patterns, so the best option was simply to speak first.
“Hey.”
She’d probably run.
If that doesn’t work, I’ll just use Flash Step to catch up and tackle her…
Moon Junil thought this and was already preparing to chase after the fleeing elf when—
The Constellations were mocking him.
Well, he couldn’t help it.
This was a genuine matter of survival.
“Ugh…”
As expected, a slightly displeased reaction.
But—
“Why?”
The elf turned around and tilted her head.
“???”
What? Why isn’t she running?
“Did you call me? Why are you crouching like that?”
What the…?
Why wasn’t she answering?
At any rate, Moon Junil quickly straightened up into a proper stance and nodded.
Snap!
“Ah, yes. Um…”
He was about to speak when—
“Ugh.”
The elf suddenly frowned and took a step back.
Huh?
Contrary to the Constellations’ hopes, the elf did not suddenly sprint away. However, she was clearly trying to put more distance between them.
“Why… why are you acting like that?”
“You’re shooting something sharp and stinging at me.”
“……?”
“All the humans here are shooting it. It hurts…”
The Constellations had no answers either.
“What exactly are you referring to?”
“The glowing rectangle.”
“……!”
Moon Junil immediately understood.
Whoosh.
He opened his inventory and tossed his phone inside.
Only then did the elf’s expression soften again.
“Haa… Yes. That. That strange object.”
“So that’s why you kept running away?”
“Yes.”
The elf nodded while looking straight into Moon Junil’s eyes.
Her eyes were emerald green, the same color as her flowing garments. Her skin was dazzlingly white, and her hair shone like golden sunlight. She possessed the classic beauty of an elf.
“This is something every human in this dimension carries, right?”
“Apparently. Ugh. I hate it anyway.”
The elf shook her head vigorously.
But why did she answer me?
The answer to that question came immediately.
“But you’re different somehow.”
“……?”
“Something warm. Nostalgic. Have I seen you before? That familiar scent…”
The elf leaned in close, sniffing.
Her golden hair fluttered brightly, carrying the fresh scent of the forest.
The chat window exploded.
The Constellations were losing their minds with excitement.
Insane.
Moon Junil unconsciously closed his eyes and recited the mantra he had memorized throughout all seven rounds of his life.
I have no emotions. I have no emotions. I am a machine that kills the Demon King…
“What the fuck…”
Ram’s expression had become downright demonic.
“Hey!”
She grabbed Sam by the collar and started shouting.
“Is that guy the protagonist!? Huh!? What the hell kind of development is this!!! What is that favoritism!? Did you tamper with his luck stat!?”
“N-nooooo…!?”
Sam flailed as he desperately tried to explain.
“Kek! His luck stat is still complete trash! Even now, if he goes to the bathroom he runs into the toilet at least five times! It’s true!”
That explanation helped absolutely nothing.
“Then what the hell was that! Nostalgic feeling? Warm? How the hell does an F-rank get to hear those words from a drop-dead gorgeous elf!? That only happens in special harem-genre stories where you dump a mountain of coins into it!”
The kind of development where stunning women flock to a protagonist who has neither charm nor ability.
“Fuck, why is it a ‘because she’s kind’ plot!?”
It was the sort of thing that required burning an enormous amount of special-genre coins labeled Because She’s Kind.
And that was only when the target was the actual protagonist.
How could it happen to a worthless F-rank extra?
The problem was that Ram wasn’t the only one thinking this.
The Constellations naturally felt the same.
Beep—!
The unsubscribe bell rang.
“Ugh…”
Sam’s face turned deathly pale.
Every single word struck like a dagger.
“Haha… ha… Y-you have a sharp eye, dear Constellation. Haha. I really hate this…”
Sam tried to change the mood somehow, but—
Beep—!
A calm, devastating comment that crushed them completely.
It didn’t stop there.
Beep!
Beep—!
Beep—!!
Ram’s face flushed crimson before turning an ashen gray.
Her eyes began spinning.
“Ugh… ughhh…”
Her body was gradually turning pitch black.
It was the blackening phenomenon.
“R-Ram! Snap out of it!”
Even her pupils had turned a dark crimson.
“Ugh… just burn it all.”
She muttered as if possessed.
“Burn it all. Let the entire Fairy Corporation burn. I’m already ruined anyway…! Just let everything go up in flames!”
She couldn’t tear her eyes from the monitor.
Specifically, from the Constellations’ comments.
Each line dug into her eyes like kindling, feeding the dark red flames in her gaze.
“Ram! Stop reading the comments!!”
Slap!
Sam finally slapped her cheek.
“Huk?”
“That was close! If you fully blacken you’ll get demoted to the Recommendation Department!!”
Once a fairy completely blackened into a dark fairy, they could no longer work in the Planning Department.
Such fairies were inevitably transferred to the Recommendation Department.
Ram suddenly began trembling violently.
“…R-Recommendation… a-anything but that.”
The Recommendation Department’s job was simply to promote the good stories the company planned, so the work itself was easier.
However, it was a place where one had to fight the vengeful spirits of the World Tree every single day.
A place of immense mental damage.
Essentially the front lines of the Fairy Corporation.
“Right… Our overall story ratings are still trending upward. This isn’t a big deal! We can still fix this! There are still tons of sub quests left!”
“Hic… sob…”
Ram suddenly burst into tears.
“Ram?”
“I… I… I just hated that bitch Pam…”
“……”
“What kind of story fairy uses the same damn protagonist seven times? But why… why!!”
Just why was that guy named Julian so ridiculously tenacious?
“Why does he keep getting in my way!”
She had already given up on killing him.
She would be satisfied if he would just stop interfering.
“Interfering? It’s just a coincidence. That bastard just saw the elf girl from behind, got horny, and came running. Look at him right now, drooling and completely enchanted. The Constellations are all about to unsub—”
Sam pointed at the monitor as he spoke, then paused.
Huh?
He adjusted his glasses and looked again.
He had assumed Julian had rushed over after seeing the beautiful elf, but—
I actually came here to make a deal.
Julian stood there, completely unshaken, declaring that he had come to make a deal.
“He came… to make a deal?”
Even the Constellations wandering the neutral streams began showing interest.
This… this is…
Sam felt a sense of crisis.
Julian’s presence was growing larger and larger.
The fact that Constellations who simply wandered anywhere were starting to pay attention was completely different from viewers who came after seeing him on SNS.
It meant the Constellations were becoming interested in the man named Moon Junil himself, regardless of his alias Sagosul or his status.
“What? I thought you said he came drooling after the elf girl?”
“…T-that was…”
Ram, having regained her senses, began scolding Sam again.
“Ha. Whatever. We just need the sub quest to go to Hae-il. Right?”
“Y-yes!”
Ram let it slide, perhaps grateful that Sam had stopped her from fully blackening earlier.
“The sub quest is supposed to be received by Hae-il. For that to happen, he’ll need to find this elf first, though…”
Kang Hae-il was currently just sitting quietly in front of some tomb, staring up at the sky.
He didn’t seem to have any intention of looking for the elf.
“A deal?”
The elf tilted her head.
Moon Junil barely managed to compose himself and began speaking.
“Yes. Would you perhaps be interested in these…”
Whoosh.
He took out the goblins’ weapons from his inventory.
Clatter!
“Ugh. They’re steeped in magi.”
It wasn’t as bad as when she faced the electromagnetic waves, but the elf still showed clear displeasure.
Regardless, Moon Junil continued.
“Could you buy these?”
“Buy them? From me?”
“Yes.”
The elf calmly looked down at the items.
Her gaze lingered a little longer on the iron mace once used by the Champion Goblin, but—
She soon looked back at Moon Junil.
“I’m more interested in your ‘pocket’ than these.”
“My pocket?”
“The subspace.”
“Ah… I can’t sell that, though?”
“I can detach it.”
“Ah, slip of the tongue. I’m not selling it.”
“Hmm.”
“I’m only selling these. Can you buy them?”
Moon Junil knew.
She could buy them.
Elves pretended otherwise, but they were very interested in items steeped in magi.
Purifying them and creating magic crystals was practically an instinct for them.
They were born with a longing for harmony, peace, and purification.
Depending on the individual, the priority might differ, but with these items right in front of her, she would surely want to purchase and purify them.
Just buy them already.
Of course, she might not want to buy them.
Or she might want them less.
It was a matter of luck.
And as everyone knew, Moon Junil’s luck stat was trash.
So naturally the option of not buying should have come up.
However, the situation took an unexpected turn.
“Hmm. If you do me a favor, I’ll make the trade.”
“Excuse me? How much will you pay?”
“Do me a favor. Then I’ll buy them.”
“……?”
Ding.
Sub Quest Discovered!
Huh?
This was an unexpected development.
She’s giving me a quest?
He had stolen the sub quest that was supposed to go to Kang Hae-il.