Lundel (2)
The man named Shaura, who used a level 10 sword as his main weapon, let out a deep sigh as he looked out over the barren landscape of Lundel.
With his tanned skin, shaved head, and bulging muscles, the Indian-looking man had been the one to suggest entering Zone 2 a full day early instead of resting.
He had decided it would be best to claim a hunting ground before any other parties and accelerate their leveling. But the rugged terrain, the beasts that swooped down from the sky at any moment to target the party members, and the living quarters that gave him zero confidence in their habitability…
At his grim assessment that this wouldn’t be easy, the rest of the party members shook their heads in agreement.
“Wouldn’t it be better to just keep our residence in Startia?”
“If you’re confident you can climb up and down this mountain every single day, then sure, go ahead.”
“I was kidding. Just venting a little.”
“Let’s head in for now. Maybe the interior isn’t so bad.”
Just as Shaura had said, having come this far left them with no other options. The party descended the slope and arrived at the entrance of Lundel.
They had expected it to feel gloomy, but the atmosphere of Lundel that greeted them was far better than anticipated.
“What the…? Are they having some kind of festival?”
Loud, cheerful laughter echoed from inside, and the savory scent of food tickled the party members’ noses.
At that exact moment—
Gurgle.
They had already been climbing the mountain for hours, so their stomachs were painfully empty. None of them understood why the game would go so far as to simulate hunger, but the four men were drawn inside Lundel as if hypnotized.
What they found there was a brilliantly blazing bonfire and people dancing around it.
“W-wait… that person…”
“It’s them. Ian!”
“What? When did she get up here?”
“And… was she always dressed like that?”
And there was Ian, being carried aloft on a litter as if she were some kind of divine being.
Ian’s eyes widened the moment she spotted Shaura’s group.
“P-put me down right now!”
Of course, that didn’t happen.
After finally escaping the villagers and managing to speak with Shaura’s party, Ian told them everything that had happened.
The four men burst into uncontrollable laughter the moment she finished.
Ian’s face turned beet red as she glared at them.
“Stop laughing.”
“Bwahahaha! Th-that outfit though—!”
“Hey! I said stop laughing!”
But the men showed no sign of letting up.
It wasn’t just the story itself…
“That outfit is seriously bold. Looks nice and breezy, huh? Bwahahaha!”
“I told you to stop!”
“Pfft—! Hahaha—!”
Because Ian’s face had gone as red as a ripe tomato right in front of them.
Another wave of laughter erupted from the men.
Ian ruffled her already messy hair in frustration and recalled what had happened earlier that afternoon at the old man’s house.
That afternoon, at the elder’s home.
“I am Halvar, chief of this village, Savior.”
The old man’s identity was that of the village chief who governed Lundel.
But Ian had been incredibly flustered by the overwhelmingly respectful treatment she received from Halvar and the rest of the villagers.
“W-wait, why are you calling me the Savior?”
Ever since meeting Halvar, the villagers had continued to address her as the Savior and looked at her with eyes full of reverence.
Thanks to that, she couldn’t help but wonder if hidden camera shows existed in this world too.
In response to her reaction, Halvar gave her a kindly smile.
“Hehe. I understand. It must be very confusing for you.”
After taking a sip of tea, Halvar began his explanation.
“We are a tribe that worships the Earth God.”
Originally, this rocky mountain range—what they called Valtor—had not been an unlivable place until ten years ago. Though not abundant, they had lived by raising crops and livestock under the god’s protection.
But for some unknown reason, the Earth God had vanished, and the divine protection that had once covered all of Valtor disappeared along with him.
On top of that, trade with Startia had been completely cut off. The people of Lundel had lost all hope.
However…
“A few days ago, I had a dream.”
Even after all this time, Halvar remembered the dream’s contents with perfect clarity.
In it, a girl who came from Startia would lead Lundel to salvation. She would restore the lost protection of the Earth God and bring prosperity back to this land once more.
“It was a divine oracle. And I am certain that the one who matches that oracle is none other than the Savior standing before me.”
“What? Based on what?”
“Because the person who appeared in my dream looks exactly like you, Savior.”
“Huh…?”
The old man took both of Ian’s hands in his own.
“Savior! Please, I beg you—save this land! I will offer you anything in return!”
Faced with the old man’s desperate gaze, Ian was completely stunned. Being called the Savior based on nothing but the contents of a dream was simply too absurd for her to accept.
But then—
Lundel’s Crisis
📍 Objective: Ten years ago, Lundel fell into crisis when the Earth God disappeared. Uncover the truth and restore the divine protection to Lundel.
🎁 Reward: Unknown
Staring at the window that had appeared before her, Ian thought to herself.
Could this be an opportunity?
When she looked at the situation objectively, it wasn’t all that bad. Unlike Zone 1, where she had needed to put in considerable effort just to receive a quest, here in Zone 2 she had been handed one right from the start.
And judging by the contents, it seems connected to this zone’s boss as well.
On top of that, the NPCs were all favorably disposed toward her. If she took advantage of that, she was confident she could locate the boss without wasting too much time.
Still, why did it have to be her? That question wouldn’t leave her mind.
Is this Arka’s doing?
No matter how lifelike they seemed, these were AI-based NPCs. If Arka was also an NPC, couldn’t she interfere?
No. I shouldn’t overthink this.
Ian cleared her head.
Whether it was Arka’s scheme or not didn’t matter. She decided to make the most of the current situation and nodded.
“Alright. All I have to do is help, right?”
“Oh… thank you. Thank you so much.”
Quest Accepted.
It took a tremendous amount of effort to calm Halvar, who had started crying again. Once she finally managed to settle him down, Ian let out a quiet sigh.
“So… where should we start?”
“First, we have prepared a welcoming ceremony.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Grandmother! Come in!”
At Halvar’s call, the door opened.
The person who appeared was an elderly woman. Two younger women followed behind her.
They all bowed deeply toward Ian.
“It is an honor to meet you, Savior. I am Ingrid, wife of Chief Halvar. We have come to help you with your adornment.”
“A-adornment?”
“Girls, let’s begin.”
“W-wait! What are you—!”
There was no time to protest. In an instant, Ian was seized by the women and had no choice but to submit to their hands.
The completed look was nothing short of shocking.
“W-what the hell is this?!”
A bra top that left her stomach and chest completely exposed, paired with a loincloth that barely qualified as underwear.
Having to participate in the welcoming ceremony in that state—and then running into Shaura’s party—had pushed Ian’s sense of shame to its absolute limit.
For the first time, she truly understood what it felt like to want to die.
“Ugh… my life is over…”
Ian, who had woken up early in the morning, let out a sigh instead of a yawn.
Just thinking about moving around in her current outfit made her head throb.
◈ Strength +3
◈ Agility +3
◈ Stamina +3
◈ Physical Defense +10
◈ Magic Defense +10
◈ Can only be equipped in the Valtor Mountains
◈ Cannot be removed until the related quest is completed
The equipment raised a total of nine stat points. Looking purely at the specs, it was far too good to be considered Zone 2 gear.
The problem was how ridiculously little fabric it had. A piece of clothing that even a woman born as one might hesitate to wear had to be worn by Ian, who still had the mind of a man.
“I swear I’ll find a way to finish this quest within a week.”
She also resolved to avoid people as much as possible. Especially Emily’s party—she absolutely did not want them to see her like this.
That was why she had woken up so early. She figured that if she moved quickly, she could slip out of Lundel without anyone noticing.
But the moment Ian stepped outside, she heard a familiar voice.
“Good morning, Savior.”
“H-Halvar? What are you doing here so early…?”
“Old men don’t need much sleep, you see.”
Her plan had crumbled from the very first step. Ian clutched her forehead. At least Halvar looked at her with respect; if it had been anyone else, she might have actually run away.
But then—
“Who’s that next to you?”
Ian’s gaze shifted to the man standing beside Halvar.
He wore similar clothing to Halvar, so he seemed to be a villager, but she hadn’t seen him at yesterday’s festival.
“This man is…”
“Yes. He is the Savior who will save us.”
The man stepped forward and thumped his chest with a fist.
“I am Hakon.”
A man with short brown hair and a massive, bear-like build. Faced with someone nearly twice her size, Ian swallowed nervously.
“I’m Ian. But why did you bring him along?”
“He will serve as your escort from now on. As the greatest warrior in the village, he will be of great help to you, Savior.”
“It is an honor to fight alongside you, Savior.”
“Escort…?”
Ian fell into deep thought.
Should I refuse?
She had already decided not to party with anyone. That was why she had turned down Emily’s offer and come all the way to Lundel alone.
But now they were talking about forming a party. Even if the other person was an NPC, was it really okay to team up?
While she agonized over it, Hakon, who had been looking her in the eye, spoke.
“Are you troubled?”
“…A little?”
It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Hakon. This was Ian’s own issue—specifically, whether it was acceptable to exclude NPCs from her “no partying” rule.
At that moment, Hakon opened his mouth again.
“Then how about this?”
“How?”
“Let us have a match.”
“A match?”
As Ian tilted her head in confusion, Hakon continued.
“I am the greatest warrior of Lundel. The strongest among all the warriors here.”
THUD!
Hakon slammed the spear strapped to his back into the ground with tremendous force.
“To think you would treat someone like me as weak… As expected of the Savior.”
“N-no, I didn’t mean it like that…”
“Therefore!”
Hakon pointed his spear at Ian.
“I will prove myself! Savior, I challenge you to a spar!”
His booming voice echoed throughout all of Lundel.
“If I lose, I will follow your wishes.”
But—
“If I win…”
His eyes burned with a fighting spirit as fierce as flames.
“I will accompany you, Savior.”