The next day, at the time Mei had specified, members of the Jerluck Association gathered at the entrance of Trian Village.
Nearly fifty people.
Everyone was surprised by the fact that such a small village had so many players.
But if you counted those who had quit the game or the wandering lost spirits (?) in the forest, the number would be tens of times greater.
“But… are we really sure this is okay?”
“Mei did say so…”
Still, Breeze’s answer lacked confidence.
It was because of the sudden group quest they had received from the Elves today.
[* Joint Quest *]
[In the middle of the Fermasa Desert, the Elves are trying to establish a new settlement.
You must assist in the operation and lay the foundation for the construction of a new city.]
[Success Condition: Construction of a city in the Fermasa Desert]
[Reward: ×20 <Spirit Essence of epfeltz Flower>]
A massive new quest created by Jaeho.
For them, who had barely ever left Luxi Forest—more specifically, Trian Village itself—this quest was astonishingly large.
But there was no time to hesitate or be picky about favors; since Mei insisted it had to be done, everyone accepted it.
“Where exactly has Mei been, and what was she doing?”
“Yeah, it seems related to this quest…”
“Have you checked the reward properly? This is huge.”
[<Spirit Essence of epfeltz Flower>]
[Grade: High-grade]
[A high-quality recovery potion made by Spirit Essence.]
[Effect: 1. Instantly restores 10% of total stamina.
- Increases basic recovery rate by 10% for 10 minutes.]
This recovery potion was the result of Jaeho’s repeated trials, boiling, straining, and refining.
In truth, for such a large-scale quest reward, this was stingy.
But from Jerluck Association’s perspective, it was an incredibly sweet reward.
Especially the second option was incredible.
Rather than just a one-time recovery, having continuous recovery for 10 minutes was ideal for the Forest Gump Operation!
Though Jaeho had made the potion merely as part of his observation process for the epfeltz Flower, it was Mei who came up with the idea to use it as a quest reward.
She truly was the insightful member of Jerluck Association.
“It’s far superior to the recovery items you get from Elves, and you get it just by participating, so it’s perfect.”
“The quantity of 20 is a little disappointing, but… lasting 10 minutes is definitely enough.”
“Hey! You guys!”
Amidst their conversation, an Elf appeared from the forest and shouted at the Jerluck Association.
“Is there anyone here named Breeze?”
At his shout, Breeze, who had been standing among them, stepped forward with a sheepish smile.
“That’s me.”
“You must come with me to the Fermasa Desert to meet Alicia. Someone else will come shortly to guide you.”
A moment of silence followed that.
Why was only Breeze leaving the forest while the rest had to stay behind?
But no one dared to object.
They were all senior members of Jerluck Association.
They knew well that provoking the Elves would do them no good.
***
“Th-this place is a desert…?”
Oases dotted the area here and there, and grasslands stretched wider than the sand dunes.
And there were several times more Elves living here than in Trian Village, which left Breeze gasping for breath.
“Ah! Breeze! It’s here!”
A familiar voice saved him.
“Ah, Mei… huh?!”
Just as he was about to greet her warmly, he noticed a man standing beside Mei, emanating an overwhelming presence that left him breathless.
“Whooah?!”
More intimidating than hundreds of Elves, he was a being known as the ‘Luxi Emperor Clan’ or ‘Monster’!
“Has Mei really been traveling with this guy all this time?”
Thud-thud—
Jaeho approached Breeze.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Alicia.”
“…Are you mocking me?”
What on earth was this ridiculous name?
“As you probably know from the quest, we have to build a city here so the Elves can live.”
At those words, Breeze was once again stunned.
“Could it be that this person directly issued the quest?”
A player capable of creating quests was a formidable golem indeed!
But Jaeho had no idea what Breeze was thinking.
“I heard Breeze is currently the longest-standing member of Jerluck Association.”
“Ah… yes, that’s true. Those who were here longer than me have already left.”
Unfortunately, the first president had already left New World.
“Ah, may they rest in peace.”
“Eh?”
Breeze nodded at Jaeho’s words with a faint smile.
He had just quit the game…
But soon Jaeho continued explaining, and Breeze lost the chance to respond.
“Before construction begins here, there’s a problem we need to solve. That’s why I came to find you, Breeze.”
Jaeho led Breeze somewhere.
It was a deserted place.
Standing in front of an abandoned earthen burrow that the Elves refused to set foot in, Jaeho pointed inside.
“Hmm, what is this…”
Breeze’s expression stiffened as he looked inside.
Inside was an ant that had become disabled!
“Hehe… I’m worse than spirit poop… humans are all poop…”
Muttering to himself.
“…It has progressed to level 4.”
“Huh?”
Since Jaeho didn’t understand, Mei explained instead.
“It’s the self-esteem rating. Jerluck Association classifies people to take care of each other. I don’t know the details either…”
It sounded surprisingly professional.
Breeze added an explanation.
“Jerluck Association’s intensive care has five levels. They consider a newbie who just arrived in Luxi as level 1.”
“Ah… I see…”
“Anyone who sees the cold and contemptuous attitude of the Elves risks mental collapse. Moreover, regardless of gender, the beauty of the Elves makes one feel like an amoeba.”
Jaeho couldn’t relate to that at all.
“Level 2 is when people try to overcome it through effort but soon become discouraged. Level 3 is when self-loathing breaks the spirit.”
“…And what about after that?”
The more he listened, the more curious he became about levels 4 and 5.
If a person was finished at level 3, how much worse could it get?
“Level 4 is the stage of recognizing reality. You accept that you are trash.”
“That’s when Jerluck Association steps in. We actively mediate to help people accept everything and embrace life itself. Then comes the final level 5… which is resignation.”
“Uh… um…”
Jaeho couldn’t bring himself to say “idiot” out loud.
“Of course, it’s not easy. Even I don’t think I’ve fully reached level 5.”
“By the way, I left with Alicia at level 2.”
Mei said proudly.
“Oh… I see…”
Jaeho responded in a trembling voice.
Though Mei had recommended summoning Breeze, honestly, Jaeho was unimpressed.
His excessive professionalism made him feel almost like a con man.
But it was too late to back out, so he decided to just leave it be for now.
“Giant is in charge of city design, but it’s already like this in just a few days.”
“Hmm… if you blindly approach the Elves, most will end up like this. With expert help, maybe they can be led to level 5…”
Just as Giant was about to finish speaking, an astonishing notification popped up before his eyes, leaving him speechless.
[* Job Change Quest *]
[You are considered an expert when it comes to dealing with Elves.
However, the Elves’ hostility towards humans is difficult to overcome.
You possess the ability to heal those wounded by the Elves.]
[Success Condition: Heal a person wounded by Elves (0/1)]
[Reward: <Elf Counselor> ]
Plop—
Breeze’s tears flowed like a waterfall.
“How long has it been since the game started for me to get a job change…!!”
Meanwhile, confused, Jaeho and Mei backed away from Breeze’s sudden tears.
“W-why are you crying?”
“Ah, maybe it’s because Alicia is so scary?!”
“What nonsense is that?”
“Huh?!”
Mei hurriedly covered her mouth.
“No… it’s not like that…”
Breeze sobbed.
“It’s just… I think I finally found a reason to live…”
He turned to face Jaeho and bowed his head.
“Thank you for giving me this precious opportunity!”
“Ah… yes…”
Jaeho didn’t really want to know what had happened.
***
The remaining members of Jerluck Association who stayed in Luxi Forest followed the new Elf’s guidance and moved somewhere.
Then they showed signs of bewilderment at the harsh reality.
“We have to do this…?”
Each of them held a traditional drum given by the Elf.
“Starting today, you all must learn the weekly harvesting of the drum here. Normally, this would never be allowed, but Spirit Essence specially requested it, so take the opportunity seriously.”
“Getting work orders from the Elves? Where have we come to…”
That was their basic mindset, but…
—Something feels off.
—It’s like… we’re being made to be laborers…
But no one dared speak out and just raised the drums.
Whack—!
“Hey, idiot! Don’t just use brute force and swing wildly!”
A shout immediately followed as they roughly swung.
Though it was hard to imagine the voice coming from Elves, for Jerluck Association members, it was nothing new.
However…
“Drum striking must be exactly 8 seconds.”
“Strike in eight directions by 10 centimeters each hit to minimize damage!”
“The drum angle must be 37 degrees!!!”
The endless coaching made their heads spin.
Still, they gritted their teeth.
By any means, they would endure and escape this filthy place!!
***
While everyone was doing their best (?) in their respective places, Jaeho was also putting effort into the flower shop.
Behind the shop was a garden.
It was quite well-maintained, with sections divided neatly and flowers planted by type.
Piririri—
[Due to <Elf Flute Play>, the epfeltz Flower receives a growth buff.]
[Due to <Elf Flute Play>, flowers receive a growth buff.]
[Due to <Elf Flute Performance> effect ]
Jaeho strolled through the garden, playing the flute diligently.
He also used skills like and to manage the flowers.
“Hmm…”
Despite this, Jaeho’s expression wasn’t good.
His worried gaze fell on those who hadn’t yet sprouted properly.
[<The Spirit of Vitality> says, ‘The sun is too strong, making growth difficult.’]
It was inevitable because it was a desert.
The only plants thriving here were weeds and epfeltz Flowers.
Unless they uprooted and planted trees from Luxi Forest, it was difficult to cultivate trees around here.
“I said I’d find saplings… but…”
It wasn’t a problem that could be solved quickly.
Though Mei had brought many new flower seeds, even the ones already planted weren’t thriving, so he couldn’t just make more work.
“We have to make some kind of plan…”
“Alicia.”
Just then, Samantha came looking for Jaeho.
“Ah, are you done tidying up?”
While Jaeho was inspecting the garden, Samantha was cleaning inside the flower shop.
“Yes, the assigned task is finished.”
“Task…”
“But about the potions piled up in the warehouse.”
Samantha was talking about the Spirit Essence of epfeltz Flower.
“Are you planning to use them only as quest rewards?”
“Hm? Why do you ask?”
“It just seems like a waste to only consume them that way.”
Jaeho was an unusual player to begin with.
He had no idea how valuable instant recovery items were in New World, nor how absurdly strong the potions he made were.
But Samantha had clearly recognized the value of those potions and felt it would be a shame to just let them sit unused.
She had already been helping Jaeho a lot, so getting involved this far might seem meddlesome.
She thought it would be fine as long as she only took what she needed for her own goals.
However, seeing the enormous events unfolding around Jaeho had changed her mind slightly.
“Even if it’s not for the job change, I think it’s better to stick around here.”
An individual with no affiliation was causing a worldwide stir.
And having a foot in such matters was hardly a disadvantage.
“Alicia probably knows this, but unlike other games, instant recovery items are extremely rare in New World, right?”
“Uh? Ah, yes, that’s true.”
Samantha, still thinking Jaeho was at least a semi-hardcore player, continued.
“If it’s a potion that instantly recovers 10% and regenerates stamina by 10%, distributing it among players wouldn’t be a bad idea.”