Shaking with excitement, kururin carefully inspected the folded paper in her hands, her eyes wide with anticipation.
The letter was so simple, so unassuming, yet she could feel the weight of its significance in every crease.
The crisp, almost too rough texture of the cheap paper sent a thrill up her spine. She read the item description again, letting the words sink in.
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Mysterious Letter - Quest Item
Description: A mysterious letter, an invitation written on a cheap paper, it's stiff and a little rough to the touch.
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A delighted grin spread across kururin's face. She couldn't believe her luck. Just reading the description was enough to send her heart racing with joy.
This was her first open world VRMMO, and the experience was so vastly different from her usual go-to genre of VRVNs (Virtual Reality Visual Novels).
In those games, she was used to making choices, solving puzzles, and unraveling mysteries in the comfort of reading or making decisions from a third-person perspective. But now, she was living the story.
The immersive world, the sense of actual danger, and the possibilities of what could happen next were all new to her.
I'm so glad I got this game! My detective instincts are tingling!
She couldn't resist any longer. She unfolded the letter with trembling hands. The paper felt rough under her fingertips, and she could hear the soft rustling sound as she opened it, almost as if the letter itself were whispering secrets.
Inside was the message:
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To the fated one reading this letter, I have been expecting you. My name is of no importance, as I am but a pawn in the grand scheme of things. Though in your case, it may not be the same... Only time will tell. In any case, fated one, find me! Journey to the deepest part of this forest, find me, and we shall begin your trials.
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"Jackpot!" she exclaimed.
Her detective instincts were spot on! countless hours spent playing narrative driven games hadn't failed her!
But now wasn't the time for celebrations. After all, based on what she gathered from the letter, it seemed there would be some sort of trial in the deepest part of the forest.
The idea of asking for help by posting the hidden quest on the forums crossed her mind, but since the trial was still unknown, she decided to go to the quest area first to figure out what the challenge would be.
After a while of walking, she reached a clearing where a decrepit ruin stood. The remains of what were once grand, ornate walls and pillars were now rubble, overgrown with moss and vegetation.
Just outside of it stood a man, sporting a frock coat, a bowler hat and a cane in his hand, a person that looks very out of place in this forest.
In a closer look she can see the man's eyes, it looked dead, she suddenly remembered the image of hikigaya 8man from a visual novel she used to play.
Without any hint of fear, kururin approached the mysterious individual, quest item in hand, ready to hear them out.
Finally!!
Cillian celebrated inwardly. He'd been waiting for so long that he was starting to doubt the integrity of his plan. As he looked at the player, he pondered.
kururin huh.. her name doesn't ring a bell at all.
It made sense. If his memory served him right, most forerunners who made a name for themselves in the early versions of the game were slowly forgotten in time, except for a select few who got really, really lucky. The rest faded into obscurity.
The game had only just been released. Even joining one of the orthodox churches and being bestowed authority was a huge achievement at this stage of the game. In the future, however, gaining authority would be considered a basic necessity rather than an achievement.
Seeing kururin approach, Cillian used his super ultra acting skills to probe her for her name, even though he already knows it through the interface, he's an npc after all, he has to play his part properly.
"Ah, you found my invitation, you pass the initial test lady..."
"kururin"
"Ah, well met lady kururin, since you've come this far I assume, you know what you're signing up for..."
kururin blinked, confused. She had no idea what this NPC was talking about.
She assumed it was part of some trial to join an organization, but she had no clue what this organization's purpose was or even its name.
Her mind raced with possibilities. She had heard about that one player who'd doomed his account by getting arrested by guards on day one.
But at the same time, this could be a huge opportunity. Regardless of the risks, though, kururin's curiosity overpowered her caution. She had made up her mind.
Moving to the other side of the coin, Cillian also has no idea what his talking about, he got a general gist of what he's going for but he didnt make a script, he figured he'd just go with the flow so he's just acting as edgy as possible.
Seeing how enamored kururin was in his speech, he just continued aimlessly, going with the flow, after all no matter what bullshit he says he only has one goal and that is to use kururin and clear the hidden dungeon.
"I am."
"Perfect. Below us is a ruin from the Age of Heroes. The great ruler Canute unified the three kingdoms of the north into an empire and fought against the Gigants emerging from the icefields to the north. As you can see, this ruin is ancient, a relic of that era. I will open the hidden entrance, your task will be to guide me safely to the inner chamber, document the ruins, take what can be taken, and lead us out in one piece. There is only one condition, maintain absolute secrecy."
Cillian's explanation wasn't fabricated, he knew the ruins like the back of his hand. After all, in his previous life, he had followed a streamer who discovered these ruins.
It was the first recorded instance of a player gaining authority, and the stream had gone viral, sparking a frenzy in the community.
He could have tried clearing the ruins on his own, but he wasn't about to take that risk. He knew exactly what boss awaited in the innermost chamber, and the stakes were high, npc deaths in this game were permanent.
Unlike players who spawned with their weapon of choice, he had entered the game empty-handed. He'd gotten lucky in his trip to Lennitz, but he wasn't eager to push his luck any further.
"Understood."
"Very well let us begin then."
Just like an interface appeared before kururin.
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Quest: A Mysterious Man's Trial.
Info: You have successfully passed the initial test and met with the mysterious gentleman, he talked about the history of the ruins and wanted you to explore it with him.
Conditions for Completion:
Successfully escort the mysterious man safely in the ruins: 0/1
Failure:
Mysterious man's death.
Leaking the questline to anyone. (Message, Livestream, Forums etc.)
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Looking at the interface, kururin was baffled.
So I actually have to keep this secret not only to the npcs but also to the players??
She shuddered, to think she was thinking of posting about this on forums, she nearly lost this chance..
Luckily she didn't, so with a swift motion, kururin unholstered the brass revolver hidden beneath her skirt, her fingers steady on the cold metal.
The click of the weapon's mechanism sounded in the still air, and with a determined nod, she stepped forward, leading the way toward the ruin below.