“Screech! Squeak squeak!”
A rat-faced creature sniffed with its nose.
A beast equipped with shabby gear on its ashen-gray body.
The Ratman glanced around the Smelly Sewers with its red eyes.
It was sniffing around as if searching for the source of a scent.
Ssshhk, crunch! Squawk!
[You have defeated Lv. 4 Ratman Warrior.]
[You have defeated Lv. 4 Ratman Warrior.]
Of course, they weren’t difficult opponents.
“Phew. Looks like this is a Ratman dungeon. Even in places like this, they thrive. These rat bastards.”
After taking down dozens, I paused to catch my breath.
The pungent stench of the sewers made my head throb.
“Wow! You know about Ratmen! You see, Ratmen—”
“I know. They were common in my world too.”
“Oh, my apologies. I just can’t kick my habit of overexplaining. Hehe.”
Gobori scratched his head and laughed.
Ratmen were monsters I was familiar with as well.
They lived in forests but also adapted well to cities.
In fact, they were the kind of monsters that would suddenly explode in population wherever there was abundant food, especially in the city.
If a child or pet went missing, it was almost always these guys.
With a sense of familiarity, I continued walking.
“Heh. Our Dolsoe sure is hard-working. What did you do back in your home world? Mercenary? Or knight? Your basics are solid.”
Rose, perched on my shoulder, asked.
I stepped in blood-tinged water and focused on the sounds.
“I was both a mercenary and a knight. In the end, I even did assassinations and played the role of Leader of the Rebellion. I was the Only Swordmaster of Hille A in my world.”
“Oh my, a Swordmaster? You don’t look like one.”
“Huh? How so?”
“You know, those five-star Swordmasters? They use sword aura, split the earth, cause all sorts of chaos. You use a sword too, but… I feel like something’s missing? No offense. Even among Swordmasters, their background can make a huge difference. I’m just saying.”
Rose shrugged as she replied.
So even Swordmasters vary depending on where they come from?
I was a bit offended, but I didn’t show it.
It was a world I’d have to learn more about as I went.
“Heh! Easy for you to say. My bro here is way more amazing than you think! And what were you, anyway? Let’s hear about you. What did you use to be?”
“Hoo. You really want to know? I was a queen! Dated a blonde prince, had some drama but overcame it all. We owned a whole planet! I was the queen of that planet!”
“Ha! Anyone can say they were a king or queen. Don’t pay attention, bro. You get all kinds of liars here, though sometimes the real deal is mixed in. She’s probably lying too. A planet, my foot. Probably just an asteroid the size of a room!”
“Oh my, how did you know? It was an asteroid! Called Planet Bi-Yukil…”
“Ack, Ratmen! There, bro! Ratmen!”
Gobori, chatting with Rose, pointed with his finger.
Crunch! Squawk!
[You have defeated Lv. 4 Ratman Warrior.]
[You have defeated Lv. 4 Ratman Warrior.]
I finished them off and wiped away the blood.
The endlessly stretching sewers showed no sign of ending.
“Huh? You’re hurt. You’re bleeding.”
“Yeah?”
I noticed a wound on the back of my hand.
Rose flew over and fluttered her wings.
Where her wing dust touched my hand, the wound slowly healed and closed up.
“What was that just now? Was that a skill? Or magic?”
“Eh, can’t you see my traits?”
“Traits? What traits?”
“Oh, right, you said your status window was broken? My wings release healing powder. I’m not just catching a free ride—I’m working hard too! Working hard!”
Rose grinned as she answered.
A trait, huh.
Now that I think about it, there was something like that, wasn’t there?
With some spare time, I pressed on Rose’s portrait on the screen.
[★★★★ Rose Fairy] Lv. 3
[Rose Blossom Pollen]
[Adorable Fairy Wings]
[Thumb Princess]
[Equipped Gear]
[★★ Necklace of Protection]
The information popped up.
Something about it…
I had a feeling.
I clicked on ‘Rose Blossom Pollen’ at the top.
[Rose Blossom Pollen]
Sprinkles powder that heals every 5 seconds.
Just as I thought.
So this was the trait Rose mentioned.
‘A trait that automatically heals you?’
‘Maybe that’s why I could save potions while defeating a hundred Goblins.’
Either way, this was good.
Walking through the sewers, I checked the rest of the traits.
Rose and Gobori were bickering again.
[Adorable Fairy Wings]
You can change your allied heroes’ equipment during battle.
That must be the trait that let her bring Gobori’s shield.
[Thumb Princess]
‘Has a certain chance to dodge all attacks, except for area or AoE attacks.’
‘So she can dodge attacks at a certain probability?’
It must be because of her small body.
Not just naturally, but as a trait, it seemed.
Now, Gobori’s turn.
[★★ Goblin Sentry] Lv. 2
[Goblin on a Wire]
[Collector’s Cunning]
[Equipped Gear]
[★ Heater Shield]
Unlike Rose, Gobori only had two traits.
Do higher star heroes have more traits?
That must be why five-star heroes are treated so well.
[Goblin on a Wire]
When facing special Goblins, betrays allies and switches sides.
At the end of battle, receives full experience points as reward.
[Collector’s Cunning]
Has a chance to steal items from defeated opponents.
I checked Gobori’s traits.
I felt a bit bad for Gobori, but…
I shouldn’t say anything.
They were such pitiful traits, I’d feel sorry even mentioning it.
Alright, lastly, my traits.
My traits are…
“Bro! Over there! Over there!”
Just then, as I was strolling leisurely, Gobori shouted.
“Help! Please help!”
There was a woman locked in an iron cage.
She must have been the one who shouted earlier.
“Gobori. Cover me.”
“Of course!”
Splish splash!
I dashed through the soggy puddles.
In a flash, dozens of Ratmen closed in,
Crunch! Crunch! Ssshhk!
[You have defeated Lv. 4 Ratman Warrior.]
[You have defeated Lv. 4 Ratman Warrior.]
I took them down in an instant and wiped off the blood.
Just like with the Goblins, they were nothing special.
“Thank you! Is this my necklace? Thank you for finding it!”
[You have returned the Fallen Necklace!]
The woman who came out of the cage said.
Her bright blonde hair and blue eyes revealed the bearing of a noble.
‘Was she from a high-ranking family?’
Even in plain clothes, she couldn’t hide her elegance.
“My name is Dolores! I’m so glad we met like this! If you hadn’t saved me, I would have—”
But the woman was speaking, looking into the air.
‘What’s this?’
‘Why is she looking at nothing?’
Ah, she must be talking to the user.
Her face was enlarged on my screen too.
‘So that’s how it is.’
At last, I understood what Gobori meant.
This story mode was a play.
That’s why Rose and Gobori weren’t bothered by anything.
“Now, follow me! I’ll guide you to the exit! Hurry!”
Dolores finished speaking and ran off.
“Huh? If you want to get to the exit, we could just go back…”
“Hurry up!”
Ignoring me, she disappeared.
‘What the…?’
‘Is she dumb?’
She could just go back the way we came.
As I hesitated, Gobori came up to me.
“Just do as she says. She’s just doing her job, you know.”
“Doing her job? What do you mean?”
“How should I put this… That woman, this is her job.”
“Her job?”
I looked at Gobori curiously.
Rose fluttered over and perched on my shoulder.
“She’s a hero like us. But she gave up fighting. Still has to make a living, so she participates in these plays. Don’t you feel the noble aura? She’s not some country girl. It’s kind of sad, honestly.”
Rose pouted her lips as she spoke.
It was a bit of a dizzying story.
“She gave up fighting? Then she’s a hero too? One brought by the Valkyries?”
“It’s common. Maybe she was something big in her own world, but there are differences between worlds. Hey, don’t take it too seriously.”
“Actually, she’s probably happier than those 2-star guys shuttling back and forth between the Crushing Machine and the warehouse. Plus, named NPCs have solid fanbases. Sometimes, thanks to their popularity, they come back with high-performance buffs. That’s what they’re aiming for.”
Rose explained.
“What’s an NPC?”
Unfamiliar with the word, I asked again.
“That’s what we call heroes who act in these roles!”
Gobori helpfully translated.
Man.
I was feeling more and more doubtful.
Heroes who give up fighting to act in a play.
I thought it was the War of God, but it seemed to be the gods’ little war game.
‘But what could I do?’
The war had already begun.
I had to clear it as quickly as possible and seize the ultimate victory.
That was my only goal.
Thunk!!
‘Huh?’
Just as I was about to chase after the woman, I was suddenly returned to the stage.
[★★ Wandering Swordsman’s level has increased!]
[★★ Wandering Swordsman → Lv. 10]
[★★ Goblin Sentry’s level has…]
[★★ Goblin Sentry → Lv. 3]
[★★ Goblin Sentry → Lv. 4]
[★★ Goblin Sentry → Lv. 5]
[★★★★ Rose Fairy’s le…]
[★★★ Rose Fairy Lv. 4]
[★★★★ Rose Fairy → Lv. 5]
[Mission Clear!]
[+300 Gold]
[+1 Regular Card]
And the rewards were distributed.
The battles were as dull as the rewards.
“What the? Did we get kicked out?”
“Hmm? No, it was cleared. Feels empty, right? Just when you get immersed, they cut you off like this.”
Rose shrugged and answered.
“Haha! You’ll miss this later on. It’s all just grinding in the late game. The real content is card gacha and PVP, but for guys like us… Anyway, not just anyone can do PVP. I haven’t tried it either.”
Gobori slapped my waist and laughed.
Card gacha and PVP?
Gobori sounded a little lonely as he spoke.
Well, I shouldn’t think too hard about it.
I decided not to flip the card I got as a reward and to save it.
I wanted to collect ten and meet a 4-star.
Now that I thought of it, didn’t the giants mention something strange?
‘Was it called an Event?’
Remembering, I decided to check it out.
I clicked ‘Event’ on the left side of the screen.
[To participate in this event, you must clear [Lv. 65: Burning Fortress]!]
But I was blocked.
So that’s what it was.
When they said you had to grind all week to catch up, this is what they meant.
No wonder the giants gave up—there were restrictions like this.
“Gobori, do you know anything about Events? I heard about them from a user before.”
I asked our walking encyclopedia.
“Yes? An Event? What kind?”
“On the left side of the screen… No, I mean the Events users get hyped about. With tons of rewards. Do you know about those?”
“Reward Events? Of course! They give out cards, diamonds, limited heroes—users love them! It’s the main content for users, yup.”
Gobori answered as if he’d been waiting for the question.
As expected, this guy knows everything.
“Wow. The more I get to know you, the more amazed I am. How do you know so much? Really amazing!”
“Knowledge is power! That’s what they say. I picked up a lot while wandering around. I thought I could do anything if I tried… but turns out I can’t. I learned that while studying.”
“Hey, don’t get down! For all you know, you could suddenly get a Goblin buff and some crazy combo! Just gotta hang in there, hang in there. That’s all you can do!”
“Tch! Getting comforted by you is a disgrace!”
“Hahaha! Be even more embarrassed! Hah!”
Rose teased and laughed.
Yeah.
This was Valhalla.
Where underperformers were just fodder or locked away as apprentices.
NPCs who gave up fighting and only performed.
Valhalla, which I thought would be an honorable battlefield, was merely a playground for the gods.
‘Wait.’
‘Isn’t this more fitting for the legend?’
A battlefield where you can fight as much as you want, drink as much as you want, and even if you die, you revive to fight forever.
‘Maybe this paradise just doesn’t suit me.’
“Alright. We’ve had enough rest, right? Then let’s get moving again. Gotta reach the Event if we want to do anything.”
“What? Why do you sound like you’re the one making decisions?”
“N-no! I just meant the user would probably think that! Let’s go!”
Flustered by Rose’s comment, I realized I’d need to be more careful to fool them both.
“Huh? But what’s that? In your pouch?”
Just as we were about to leave, Rose spoke.
I stopped what I was doing and turned around.
“What? What’s up?”
“This guy brought something. What is it?”
Rose flew over and started rummaging through Gobori’s bag.
Gobori himself looked clueless.
“What is it? What’s in there?”
“If you don’t know, who would? Hold on! Eek! What is this!”
“Whoa, what the—! What is that!”
Gobori and Rose freaked out.
[★★ Goblin Sentry: Collector’s Cunning effect!]
[Huh? It looks like something was stolen!]
[★Brave Ratman Junior]
Thunk!
“Kyuuik?”
A small creature dropped onto the stage.
A furry hamster, bigger than my palm.
No, a Ratman Junior had been brought onto the stage.
“What the heck is this?”