Emily

By the time I dragged my exhausted body back to the village, it was already well past eight in the evening.

“Thankfully, nothing much happened on the way back.”

What if I’d run into another black bear?

If that had happened, I might really have just collapsed on the spot and started crying.

Not that I would have died, exactly.

Anyway.

I waved to the guard who had taken over the shift and stepped into the village.

But the atmosphere in the village was very different from before.

“Why are there so many people?”

It had always been such a quiet village that you could tell at a glance who was walking around and where they lived.

But now the streets were packed with people.

And not NPCs, either—all of them were players.

Instinctively, I pulled my hood down.

Why on earth had so many people gathered in the village?

Just then, I spoke to the NPC at the general goods store beside me, who was closing up shop for the day.

“Hello, mister. Is something going on today?”

“Hm? Ah, it’s you, Miss Ian. I don’t know the details myself. People suddenly started gathering around evening.”

“Really?”

“By the way, your clothes have gotten quite dirty. Shall I give you some new ones?”

“Later. I’m a little tired today.”

“Then it can’t be helped. Get some good rest.”

After that, I asked a few other NPCs I was acquainted with, but I couldn’t get any meaningful answers.

And so, without satisfying my curiosity, I arrived at Ms. Kate’s inn.

As expected, the first-floor dining hall was packed with people.

It was already well past dinnertime, so the tables were filled with bottles of alcohol, and the place was noisy with the voices of people pleasantly drunk.

Still, luckily, the counter seat where I usually sat was empty, so I took my place there.

“Oh my! You’re very late today, aren’t you? And why are your clothes such a mess again?”

“Something happened. More importantly, I’m hungry. Do you have any food left?”

“I figured this might happen, so I saved some for you, miss. Drink this while you wait a bit.”

“Thank you.”

While Ms. Kate went off to the kitchen, I took a sip from the cup she had given me.

“Blegh! This is alcohol, isn’t it?”

A hot, bitter taste lingered in my mouth.

I thought it was some kind of sweet drink, but the moment I drank it, I knew it was liquor.

To be blunt, however, I couldn’t exactly call it tasty.

I wasn’t particularly well-versed in alcohol, but as someone who usually drank highballs or cocktails, this cheap liquor was far too bitter.

Just then, I heard an unfamiliar woman’s voice from beside me.

“How is it? That’s good, right?”

It was a woman with her hood pulled low, just like me.

The blond hair spilling out from beneath her hood, her reddish skin, and her blue eyes were enough to tell me she was from the West.

Of course, I had no idea what kind of person was actually inside.

She could be a man, she could be Black, she could be older, or she could be all three.

She could also really be a Western woman.

But her taste buds, at least, were something I simply couldn’t accept.

“This is?”

“Of course. In a dogshit place like this, it’s practically a sweet drink.”

“Ah, yes…”

I agreed that this place was dogshit, but saying that made the alcohol sweet?

What are you, some old-timer telling me I’ve lived too comfortably to know what real alcohol tastes like?

In any case, the fact that I could casually have a conversation like this with someone was once again strangely amazing.

Arcadia Online.

That was because in this place, where two hundred thousand players from all over the world had gathered, conversations with others were automatically translated and transmitted.

On top of that, even the voice was analyzed by waveform and conveyed, so it felt like I was talking to someone from the same country.

But…

“Who are you?”

“Now that I think about it, I skipped the introduction.”

The woman smiled faintly.

“Hello. My name is Emily.”

After giving her name, she abruptly held out her hand to me.

“Would you like to join our party?”

“…Pardon?”

What was this? Did I hear her wrong?

Telling me to join her party out of nowhere?

I was dumbfounded.

Ah, could it be that?

One of those cult-like types you often see in front of stations.

Or maybe human trafficking?

“That look in your eyes is incredibly rude.”

“Well, anyone would react like this. I don’t even know what you do.”

“I’m saying it because I do know.”

She pointed at my waist.

“You’re wearing a sword. We happen to be looking for a melee damage dealer. Or do you already have a party?”

“I don’t, but…”

Still, trying to recruit someone so recklessly didn’t exactly seem sane.

At my suspicious gaze, Emily shrugged.

“If you’ve made it this far in the first place, doesn’t that mean your level is guaranteed? You must have a fair amount of combat experience too.”

I couldn’t deny that.

The forests around here were one of the places in Area 1 where high-level beasts frequently appeared, and for the past two weeks, I had hunted without taking a single day off.

“Or are you the type who won’t be satisfied unless I ask directly? What level are you?”

I had no particular need to answer, but it didn’t seem like she would let me go if I didn’t, so I revealed my level.

“Level 8.”

“Level 8? Hmm… It’s a little low, but I guess you barely pass?”

What was with this talk of passing and whatnot? Why was she already counting her chickens?

Anyone listening would think I’d already accepted.

“So, how about it? Want to join our party?”

Emily’s expression was extremely confident.

It was the face of someone certain that her offer would never be refused.

But from the very beginning, there was only one answer I had for her.

“No.”

“As I thought, you—huh?!”

“I said I’m not joining a party.”

I knew.

I knew that in this world, which had turned into a death game, party play brought tremendous advantages.

The bear I had fought earlier was a good example.

If I had been in a party, I could probably have taken it down easily.

A tank would have stood in front and blocked it, so I wouldn’t have needed to avoid every attack myself.

Ranged members would have kept it in check and landed effective hits so my attacks could connect more easily.

In dangerous situations, I could have received help, and hunting could have proceeded at a much faster pace.

Of course, when hunting in a party, experience was distributed according to the number of members, so the number of monsters needed to level up increased. But it was definitely true that there were more advantages than solo play.

Even knowing that, I did not join a party.

No, I couldn’t.

Besides.

“You haven’t even told me the purpose of the party in the first place. What am I supposed to trust before joining? I’m not partying up, so please go away.”

From the way she talked, she seemed to be fairly high-level, and if someone like that was looking for a party, it probably meant she was planning to go somewhere rather dangerous.

In that case, I declined even more.

I did not pick up a sword in order to die.

At my words, Emily’s previously relaxed expression turned flustered.

“N-no. Then why did you come here?”

“Because this is my base. Do I need permission to come home too?”

“That’s not what I mean… Wait, then you don’t even know why people have gathered here?”

“I don’t.”

“Oh, my head…”

Clutching her head, Emily downed the alcohol in her cup in one go.

She drank all that harsh liquor at once.

She must be quite the tough one herself.

“You said you don’t know why people have gathered here, right?”

“Yes. Why exactly have they gathered?”

“Because a boss was discovered in the forest around here.”

“Then the Area 1 boss is…”

“That’s right. The lord of the forest is the boss here.”

So that was why so many people had gathered.

Those who wanted to participate in the strategy, those who wanted to support them, and those who wanted to cheer them on were all in this village now.

Wait, then the fact that this woman named Emily was looking for party members meant…

“And I’m one of the people who decided to participate in the strategy. For the strategy, I need a melee damage dealer like you.”

Recruiting for a raid party to clear the boss.

“I’ve explained this much, so you understand now, right? This is an opportunity to participate in the strategy. If this place is your base, then you must be fairly interested in clearing it. This is an opportunity that won’t come again.”

Certainly.

For people who considered themselves part of the leading group, this was the perfect opportunity.

If they managed to clear the boss, they would gain the attention and respect of countless players.

But there was one thing she had overlooked.

“I’m not interested in the strategy.”

Of course, I had no intention of belittling the people actively trying to clear it.

On the contrary, the more I fought, the more I came to respect them.

However, to me, talk of noble missions and the like was nothing more than chasing clouds.

“Then couldn’t you just stay inside the city? Why are you here?”

“To become stronger. Strong enough that no one can touch me.”

That was the reason I wielded a sword.

I had no intention of losing my life to something as dangerous as a boss strategy.

Emily let out a deep sigh.

Probably because she realized that no words could persuade me.

“All right, here’s your food~. Miss, would you like some more alcohol?”

“No. I’m fine.”

Just then, Ms. Kate came out of the kitchen and handed me my food.

Perfect timing. I hadn’t had a good excuse to chase her away anyway.

To convey that I had no interest in any more bothersome conversation, I silently picked up my fork and knife.

But Emily, who had been groaning to herself, did not give up.

“Then let’s make a deal.”

She reached into her inventory, took something out, and held it out in front of me.

“What is this?”

It was an earring without any special ornamentation.

Just a simple accessory.

At the look in my eyes asking, What is this? she smiled brightly and answered.

“Did you know? There’s equipment in this world that raises your stats.”

And the moment I checked the information on the earring—

[Matron’s Earring]

An earring used by a modest married woman. Though an ordinary earring, it came to possess a special power after a soul took residence in it.

Agility +2

Bound upon equipping

I nearly screamed.

The stat points given by leveling up were three.

And yet, simply wearing this earring would produce an effect close to leveling up. I could hardly believe it.

“You said you wanted to become stronger, right? I’ll give that to you.”

“T-this thing?”

“Yes. If you join our party.”

She was just giving this to me?

Impossible.

Even if she didn’t use it herself, it was the kind of item that would fetch whatever price she named if she put it on the market.

“Why are you going this far?”

It wasn’t as if I were ranked first or anything, and I wasn’t someone valuable enough to be handed an item like this.

I simply couldn’t understand Emily’s actions.

She gave a bitter smile.

“Well… Maybe you could call it intuition? I know it doesn’t make sense, but for some reason, I feel like I absolutely have to recruit you here. My intuition has been pretty good since long ago.”

It still wasn’t a convincing explanation.

But it was also true that the item was far too significant to refuse just like that.

After agonizing fiercely, I made my choice.

“I’ll only participate in the strategy.”

“That much is fine. Then the deal is made.”

Mine, huh…

I’m not sure whether I really made the right choice.

What I had to face tomorrow was the boss of Area 1.

If I died, it would all be for nothing.

Besides.

“Hah… I can’t believe I’m going to be in a party again.”

I had resolved never to participate in a party again.

And yet, with the situation changing in only two weeks, a sigh escaped me.

“Is there anything you want to know about the other party members?”

“No. I’m tired today, so I’ll see them tomorrow.”

“Understood. Then let’s meet here tomorrow at seven.”

Seven, huh.

I’d have to wake up earlier than usual tomorrow.

“Oh, right. What’s your name?”

“You’ll know when you see me tomorrow.”

In this game, the names and statuses of party members appeared beneath your own health bar in the upper left.

So I didn’t think there was any need to tell her.

After all, once we formed the party tomorrow, I would know who the party members were too.

“But I’d still like to hear at least your name from your own mouth. It has a certain romance to it.”

Right. This was someone who had put me in her party based purely on intuition.

At this point, no reason she gave would seem strange anymore.

I could not say my real name here.

So what I said was the name I had been forced to become used to over the past month in this world.

“Ian. It’s Ian.”

“Ian…”

Emily savored my name as she rose from her seat.

And before going upstairs, she looked back at me and said,

“That’s a good name.”

***

After parting with Ian and going up to the second floor, Emily entered the room where she was staying.

When she took off her hood, golden hair sparkling like the sun spilled out, revealing a beautiful face.

At that moment, two women came out from inside the room to greet her.

“W-welcome back.”

A freckled girl with pale red hair and a small build.

And then—

“So, did you get anything?”

The eyes of a lion-like woman with tanned skin and well-developed lean muscles stared at Emily.

Emily nodded.

“We agreed to meet tomorrow. You’ll be able to see then.”

Having made her way to the inside of the room before anyone knew it, Emily picked up the bottle of alcohol on the table and drank straight from it.

Though it was strong liquor, her throat accepted it again and again.

Watching Emily do so, the freckled girl shrank back, while the tanned woman shook her head as if there was no helping her.

The woman draped an arm over Emily’s shoulders and asked,

“Are you sure about her skills?”

“Naira, surely you don’t doubt me?”

The corners of Emily’s mouth twisted slightly.

“She’s plenty good enough to use up and throw away.”