A Chance to Shed the Stigma
“A chance to shed the stigma...? What do you mean by that?”
Rakipe, the chief of the Ran-hu Tribe, looked perplexed by my words, but at least he seemed intrigued by the proposal. And why wouldn't he be? Anyone could see that the Ran-hu Tribe's standing in the Northern Plateau was far from enviable.
Just looking at Tonpe's reaction made it clear they yearned to reclaim their past glory.
“Baekya is in the Iron Kingdom, as Tonpe said. But it's not in perfect condition. If you know anything about Baekya, tell me.”
“Baekya is in the Iron Kingdom...? How can you be so certain?”
“That's...”
I fell silent, unsure how to respond to his question. Of course I couldn't say I'd found Baekya's materials in the Iron Kingdom's treasury in a dream of the future.
Quest is being modified.
Collecting quest data.
Searching for NPCs.
“You don't need to force us into anything. Don't take a child's words at face value, ruler of the north.”
But Rakipe shook his head at my question.
“The honor of the Ran-hu Tribe is our own affair. If I may be so bold, please forget about it, Do-hyun.”
NPC join failed.
That was when it happened.
Failed to generate quest.
'Damn...'
I frowned slightly at the alert.
“This isn't something we can resolve here in the north alone. Who knows... If you make a bigger name for yourself across the continent, maybe you'll find a way.”
Rakipe rejected my proposal.
'There's definitely a quest here... Is it a fame requirement? But what does "failed to generate quest" even mean?'
In games, players leveled up by tackling assigned quests as the basics. Hidden quests might pop up occasionally beyond the standard ones, but they were still pre-existing in the system.
“...”
I stared at the red-flickering alarm as it vanished, deep in thought.
“Understood. The north has an unwritten rule against interfering in each other's tribal affairs, so I'll leave it to you.”
It was a shame not to uncover clues about quest generation, but sensing the less-than-friendly atmosphere in the tent, I realized there was nothing more to gain here.
'If I need an opportunity...'
Meeting Tonpe. To make that happen, I should leave the tent quickly.
“No need to see me out. But Rakipe, if you truly want to find Baekya, you'll need my help someday.”
His expression darkened at my words. But his tightly pressed lips seemed unyielding, even to my Northern Ruler title.
“Farewell.”
I left the tent.
“D-Do-hyun!”
As expected, Tonpe came running toward me from outside the tent.
“Let's find somewhere quiet.”
He nodded eagerly at my response.
“Whew... Where do I even start?”
Once we'd left the Ran-hu Tribe's entrance and entered the deep forest, Tonpe licked his lips, hesitating.
“...”
But I had something more pressing than his story.
'What's that?'
A black-bordered, empty window had appeared above Tonpe's head—something that hadn't been there moments ago.
System alerts varied by color—red, gold, silver, and so on—but an utterly blank message window like this was a first.
'Is this related to quest generation too?'
The blank window flickered like an old CRT screen, static crackling with faint afterimages appearing and vanishing repeatedly.
'Nothing like this over Rakipe... Maybe it's affinity with me or the NPC's willingness for the quest.'
Even as I talked with Tonpe, I closely observed the changes in this bizarre new phenomenon.
“In the past, our Ran-hu Tribe was the one that safeguarded the insignia of the tribal kings who unified the north and south alongside the Kalun Tribe.”
I tore my eyes from the irritating black alert and looked at him.
“I see.”
I nodded. This matched what Black Eye had told me so far.
I pulled the
[Kalun Tribe's Insignia]
from my inventory and showed it to him. His eyes widened as he nodded.
“As expected... The Kalun Tribe chose you, Do-hyun.”
“Where's the Ran-hu Tribe's insignia?”
His face darkened at my question.
“Tonpe. As one who holds the tribal kings' insignia, I believe they must be gathered in one place again. For that, I need your help.”
Crackle...Crackle crackle...
Tonpe (NPC)'s heart wavers.
As if reflecting his emotions, the empty window above his head churned violently.
“Originally, the Ran-hu Tribe consisted of the ruling class called 'Ran-hu' and their followers.”
I nodded. Most northern tribes were structured that way—no surprise there.
“But shamefully, we are not true Ran-hu.”
“Hm.”
“The reason we're branded as having sullied the north's honor... is because we killed the Ran-hu.”
“...!!”
I swallowed dryly to hide my shock at Tonpe's words.
“So you staged a rebellion?”
But he shook his head.
“We killed them to survive.”
Crackle...Crackle crackle...
The window above his head began to flicker more intensely.
“It all stemmed from greed. The Ran-hu, trusted enough by the War God to safeguard the tribal kings' insignia... betrayed his faith and abandoned his body.”
“Gullak's body?”
Tonpe nodded at my question.
“On the day the War God drew his last breath, the Ran-hu sought the final sword form of Chil-ya alongside the heroes. But they failed, and tensions arose between the heroes and the Ran-hu. The heroes blamed us for abandoning the War God's body—and even pinned the disappearance of Baekya on us.”
“And then?”
“Facing expulsion from the north, we had to make a choice. By northern law, tribal matters are handled internally. Executing the traitorous Ran-hu ourselves was the only way to stay.”
'No matter the justification for betrayal, beheading their leaders would look like rebellion to the other tribes. Now I understand why the Ran-hu Tribe was so ostracized.'
I finally pieced together what had happened.
“And there was one more problem.”
“What?”
“The tribal kings' insignia the Ran-hu guarded vanished. We searched everywhere but found nothing, and the secrets of the insignia were known only to them... We tried to protect the tribe, but our honor hit rock bottom, branded as a tribe that couldn't even fulfill the War God's command.”
Black Eye growled, barely containing his rage as he listened to Tonpe.
He wasn't wrong. But truthfully, little was known about the War God's death. I didn't think it was simple either.
This could lead to a new quest uncovering the secrets of the War God's death—before even gaining the Ran-hu Tribe's trust.
'Tonpe's potential is the highest in the north. Even Kael Harun, called the tribe's top hunter, or Aishira are just Rare-grade NPCs...'
My eyes gleamed as I regarded him. A long shot, but worth betting on.
“Tonpe. You don't think joining the dragon hunt alone restores the Ran-hu Tribe's honor. If you truly want honor in the north, you need to etch your resolve into them.”
Crack...!Crackle crackle...!
“But for that, you need power.”
The rippling empty window above Tonpe's head finally cleared for the first time as he heard my words.
“Tonpe.”
I looked at him.
“Make the north yours.”
Connector's authority applied.
Quest is being generated.
The same alerts as with Rakipe appeared.
'Now's the crucial part.'
I exhaled lowly.
“M-Me... the north?”
Tonpe's voice trembled.
“Yes. More realistic than chasing Baekya or the tribal kings' insignia. First, you need to get stronger.”
His talent was Heroic-grade. With a stable foundation, he could grow plenty.
“I'll leave word with Kael of the Kalun Tribe. Go learn the sword from him. With your exceptional eyesight backed by swordsmanship, you could become the strongest in the north.”
“Me...?”
“Then there's more to do.”
“What is it?”
“Find where War God Gullak's body is buried. But keep it secret. Those involved in his death might not be just the Ran-hu. Still, his death will give you clues.”
Tonpe Halan has discovered a quest.
[Quest: War God's Corpse]
[Difficulty: A-SS]
In that instant, the blank window sharpened into vivid color. The hazy black alert above Tonpe's head had turned purple.
'Heroic-grade A-rank difficulty.'
But this was just the starting quest—it could change, linking to chains that might evolve it to S-rank.
'As expected...'
I confirmed my hunch.
Solo players sometimes hired mercenary NPCs for quests, but no one thought of them as quest partners. Just tools.
Yet NPCs weren't mere side characters. Quests weren't player exclusives.
If NPCs drove Dimension World's history alongside us, their stories and events surely existed.
I clenched my fist tightly.
And Tonpe's generated quest was proof.
Who decided NPCs give quests and players just solve them? If not, create it.