An Irresistible Offer
It was well past eight o'clock by the time I dragged my exhausted body back to the village.
“Thank god the trip back was uneventful.”
If I had run into another black bear? I might have actually collapsed right there and cried. Not that I would have died, though.
Anyway.
I waved to the new guard on duty and stepped inside the village.
Yet the atmosphere was completely different from before.
“Why are there so many people?”
It had always been a quiet place where you could recognize every face and know exactly who lived where. But the streets were now packed. And every single one of them was a player, not an NPC. I instinctively pulled my hood lower.
Why were so many people gathered in the village?
I spotted the NPC from the general goods store closing up for the day and called out to him.
“Hey, mister. Did something happen today?”
“Hm? Oh, it’s Miss Ian. I don’t know the details myself. Folks just started pouring in around evening time.”
“Really?”
“Your clothes are filthy, though. Want some new ones?”
“Later. I’m pretty tired today.”
“Can’t be helped, then. Get some good rest.”
I asked a few other familiar NPCs as well, but none of them could give me any useful answers.
Still curious, I finally reached Kate’s inn.
As expected, the first-floor restaurant was overflowing with people.
Dinner time had long passed, so the tables were covered in liquor bottles and the air rang with the loud voices of those already pleasantly drunk.
Fortunately, my usual seat at the counter was empty, so I claimed it.
“Oh my! You’re quite late today. And why are your clothes in such a mess?”
“I had some work to do. More importantly, I’m starving—is there any food left?”
“I figured you’d be back late and saved some for you. Sip on this while you wait.”
“Thank you.”
While Kate headed into the kitchen, I took a sip from the glass she had given me.
“Ugh! This is alcohol?”
The hot, bitter taste spread across my tongue. I had assumed it was a sweet drink, but one swallow told me otherwise.
That said, I couldn’t exactly call it good. I wasn’t an alcohol expert, but someone who mainly drank highballs and cocktails found this cheap stuff far too harsh.
That was when a stranger’s voice spoke from beside me.
“How is it? Tastes good, doesn’t it?”
It was a woman wearing a hood just like mine. Golden hair spilled from beneath it, and her reddish skin and blue eyes marked her as Western.
Of course, there was no way to know what the person behind the avatar was truly like. Could be a man, could be Black, could be older—or all three. Or she might actually be a Western woman.
But my taste buds simply could not accept this.
“This?”
“Obviously. In a dump like this, it counts as a sweet beverage.”
“Ah… I see.”
I agreed it was a dump, but that didn’t make the liquor taste sweet. What kind of old-timer doesn’t understand the taste of alcohol because they lived too comfortably?
Still, the fact that I could freely converse with someone like this felt strangely new.
Arcadia Online. With two hundred thousand players from around the world gathered here, conversations were automatically translated. The system even analyzed voice patterns, so talking to others felt like speaking with someone from the same country.
However…
“Who are you?”
“Now that you mention it, I skipped the greeting.”
The woman gave a faint smile.
“Hello. My name is Emily.”
After introducing herself, she thrust her hand toward me.
“Would you like to join our party?”
“…Pardon?”
What? Did I mishear her? To invite me so suddenly—I was completely taken aback.
Was this some kind of cult recruitment you saw outside train stations? Or human trafficking?
“Your eyes are incredibly rude.”
“Anyone would look at you like this. I don’t even know who you are.”
“I’m speaking because I already know.”
She pointed at my waist.
“You’re carrying a sword. We happen to be looking for a melee dealer. Or do you already have a party?”
“I don’t, but…”
Still, trying to recruit someone this aggressively didn’t seem entirely sane.
At my blatantly suspicious gaze, Emily simply shrugged.
“If you’ve made it this far, it means your level is decent, right? You must have plenty of combat experience too.”
That much I couldn’t deny.
The forest nearby was a place where high-level beasts frequently appeared even in Area 1, and I had spent the last two weeks hunting without rest.
“Or are you the type who needs to verify everything yourself? What’s your level?”
I didn’t have to answer, but she didn’t seem like she would leave me alone if I stayed silent, so I told her.
“Level 8.”
“Level 8? Hmm… a little low, but it barely passes, I suppose?”
What did she mean by “passes”? She was already counting her chickens before they hatched. Anyone listening would think I had already agreed.
“So, what do you say? Will you join our party?”
Emily’s expression was brimming with confidence. Her face said she was certain I would never refuse.
But from the very beginning, I only had one answer.
“No.”
“Just as I—wait, what?!”
“I said I’m not joining a party.”
I knew. In this world that had become a death game, party play offered enormous advantages.
Even the bear I had faced earlier—if I had been in a party, I could have defeated it easily.
A tank would block the front so I wouldn’t need to dodge. Ranged attackers would harass the enemy and land hits to make my attacks connect. In dangerous moments I could receive help, and hunting speed would increase dramatically.
Of course, experience would be split among members, meaning more monsters were needed to level up, but the benefits far outweighed solo play.
Even knowing that, I had not joined a party. No—I could not join one.
Besides.
“You haven’t even told me the party’s goal. Why would I trust you and join? I’m not interested, so please leave.”
From the way she spoke, she seemed to be at a fairly high level. If someone like her was recruiting, it likely meant they were heading somewhere dangerous.
In that case, I wanted even less to do with it. I had not picked up a sword to throw my life away.
My words wiped the relaxed expression from Emily’s face, replacing it with panic.
“Ah, no. Then why did you come here?”
“Because this is my base. Do I need permission to come home?”
“That’s not what I meant… Wait, you really don’t know why everyone is gathered here?”
“I don’t.”
“Ah, my head…”
Emily clutched her temples and downed the liquor in her glass in one gulp.
Drinking that strong stuff all at once. She must be quite the tough one herself.
“You said you don’t know why people are gathered here.”
“Yes. Why exactly are they gathered?”
“Because a boss was discovered in the nearby forest.”
“Then the Area 1 boss is…”
“Correct. The Lord of the Forest is this area’s boss.”
So that was why so many people had gathered.
Those planning to join the raid, those offering support, and those simply there to cheer them on—they were all in this village.
Wait. If this woman named Emily was recruiting for her party, then…
“And I have decided to participate in the raid. We need a melee dealer like you for it.”
Recruiting for a boss raid party.
“Now that I’ve explained this much, you understand, right? This is a chance to join a raid. Since this is your base, you must be interested in clearing it. An opportunity like this won’t come again.”
It was certainly a golden chance for those who considered themselves part of the vanguard.
Clearing the boss would bring them the attention and respect of countless players.
But she had overlooked one thing.
“I’m not interested in the raid.”
I had no intention of belittling those who actively challenged it. On the contrary, the more I fought, the more I respected them.
Yet talk of noble missions meant nothing to me.
“Then why aren’t you staying inside the city? Why are you here?”
“To become stronger. Strong enough that no one can touch me.”
That was why I held a sword. I had no interest in dying through dangerous actions like boss raids.
Emily let out a heavy sigh. She must have realized nothing she said would persuade me.
“Here comes your food~. Miss, want another drink?”
“No, I’m fine.”
Kate emerged from the kitchen at the perfect moment and handed me the plate.
I had been looking for an excuse to drive Emily away, so this was convenient. To make it clear I wanted no more annoying conversation, I silently picked up my fork and knife.
But Emily, still groaning, refused to give up.
“Then let’s make a deal.”
She reached into her inventory, pulled something out, and set it in front of me.
“What is this?”
It was an earring with no special decoration.
Just a plain accessory. At my questioning look, she smiled brightly.
“Did you know? In this world, there are also pieces of equipment that raise your stats.”
A simple earring once worn by a humble country woman. Though ordinary, it gained special power after becoming imbued with a soul.
Agility +2
Binds when equipped
I nearly screamed.
Leveling up granted three stat points. The fact that simply equipping an earring could grant an effect close to an entire level was unbelievable.
“You said you wanted to get stronger, right? I’ll give it to you.”
“T-this?”
“Yes. If you join our party.”
She would just give it away?
No way. Even if she didn’t use it herself, this was something that would fetch any price on the market.
“Why are you going this far?”
It wasn’t as if I were rank one or someone valuable enough to warrant handing over such an item.
I simply could not understand Emily’s behavior.
She smiled bitterly.
“Well… let’s call it intuition. I know it doesn’t make sense, but something tells me I absolutely have to recruit you here. My intuition has usually been right.”
It still wasn’t a convincing story.
But it was also true that refusing such a valuable item would be foolish.
After fierce internal debate, I made my choice.
“I will only participate in the raid.”
“That’s acceptable. Deal sealed.”
Now it was mine… I wasn’t sure if I had done the right thing.
Tomorrow I would have to face the Area 1 boss. If I died, everything would be pointless.
Besides.
“Sigh… I never thought I’d be in a party again.”
I had sworn never to join one again. A sigh escaped at how the situation had changed in only two weeks.
“Do you want to know about the other party members?”
“No. I’m tired today, so I’ll meet them tomorrow.”
“Understood. Then let’s meet here at seven tomorrow.”
Seven o’clock. I would have to wake up earlier than usual.
“Oh, right. What’s your name?”
“You’ll find out tomorrow.”
In this game, party members’ names and status appeared below your own health bar in the upper left corner.
So there was no need to tell her directly. Once we formed the party tomorrow, I would know anyway.
“But I want to hear it from your own mouth. It feels more romantic that way.”
Right. This was the person who had recruited me based solely on intuition. Nothing she said could surprise me anymore.
I could not give my real name from the outside world. So I gave the name I had been forced to grow used to over the past month in this world.
“Ian. It’s Ian.”
“Ian…”
Emily repeated my name as if savoring it, then stood up.
Before heading upstairs, she turned back to me.
“That’s a good name.”
After parting with Ian, Emily climbed to the second floor and entered the room where she was staying.
When she removed her hood, golden hair like sunlight spilled out, revealing her beautiful face.
Two women inside the room came forward to greet her.
“Y-you’re back.”
A freckled girl with light red hair and a petite frame.
And.
“So? Any results?”
A lioness of a woman with well-defined muscles and bronzed skin fixed her gaze on Emily.
She nodded.
“We’re meeting tomorrow. You’ll see her then.”
Emily walked deeper into the room, picked up the liquor bottle on the table, and drank straight from it.
Despite the drink’s strength, her throat accepted it without pause.
The freckled girl watched timidly while the bronzed woman shook her head as if to say she was beyond help.
The woman draped an arm around Emily’s shoulder and asked.
“Are her skills solid?”
“Naira, don’t tell me you doubt me?”
The corner of Emily’s mouth twisted slightly.
“She’s good enough to use and throw away.”