Hey! What are you looking for today?
Non-player characters...
Clerk Hey!
People in the game that aren't players.
Clerk What are you looking for today?
They say only predetermined lines,
Welcome to the village of Arb.
have no personalities,
Where's the inn?
Welcome to the village of Arb.
and exist merely to fulfill their game roles.
Hey! You're totally hot! I'm in love with you!
Welcome to the village of Arb.
In Elder Tale, players are called adventurers,
and NPCs are known as People of the Land.
But after the Apocalypse, something changed.
Serara, you're okay, right?
I'm so glad...
I'm really relieved.
Yes, I'm sorry I worried you.
Goodbye.
I really am safe now, aren't I?
We went over the Lyport Channel.
They don't have griffons.
We'll be fine now.
Now that I'm safe, I just feel kind of...
Thank you, everyone!
Now that she feels safe, you feel hungry!
D-Don't blame it on someone else, stupid Naotsugu!
I'm hungry, too.
Return to Akihabara
Return to Akihabara.
So we're supposed to set these up ourselves?
Naotsugu, spread out the ground sheet.
Uh, Shiro, since when have you been into camping?
I once read about it in a book.
Though I'm sure in the real world, it wouldn't be this easy...
You never know what'll come in handy in this world.
A wild deer?
So there are animals that aren't monsters?
This is my time to shine.
All right!
We have a place to sleep!
If this were the game, we'd only need to log out and go to bed.
Since we're here, we might as well have fun doing it the hard way.
But...
Our food...
It looks so yummy...
But it doesn't taste like anything.
Serara and Nyanta are late.
Something smells!
What's gotten into you?
What's this?
The smell of cooked meat?
Looks like our hungry campers could smell the food cooking.
But I don't know about tasteless meat, even if it does smell good.
Yum!
This is... I can't describe it! Amazing!
The texture when you bite into it...
The delicious juices...
The sweetness of the fat!
Just the right amount of salt, with rosemary for a secret ingredient...
This is, without a doubt...
The taste of real food!
Meow.
You're amazing, Chief! More!
Now, now...
Don't be in such a rush. There's plenty.
But how...
Meow.
Prepare the ingredients, and pick the item you want from the menu.
And it will make you a food item that looks just like the real thing.
Yes, exactly like the game.
But it doesn't taste like anything.
Get away from thinking of this in terms of a game.
Ingredient items like fruits and vegetables taste like the real things, right?
So just do what I've done here...
Don't make it from the menu.
Prepare and cook the ingredients with your own hands.
We tried that, as well.
But look...
Just look at it!
Try to boil it, and it becomes a weird paste.
No matter what we did, none of us could make anything.
So we thought that was the rule in this world.
That happened because the person who made it wasn't a chef,
or didn't have the requisite cooking level.
Which means...
That's correct.
My subclass is chef.
Nyanta Race/ Cat-man Swashbuckler, Lv. 90 Subclass Chef Lv. 90
I see...
Then to make it for real, someone with the appropriate skill must do it?
He's right.
Until now, I've been thinking of things in game terms.
Which means...
Master Nyanta...
M-Master?
Allow me to introduce myself properly.
My name is Akatsuki.
My class is Assassin.
I'm level 90.
You were splendid back there.
Not at all.
I was impressed by the way you fought.
What?
That isn't how you acted toward me...
Of course not, Morontsugu.
Don't shorten it!
Then, Talltsugu.
That isn't better.
I see you have good companions, Shiroe.
You, too, Serara...
Ah, right.
I apologize for not properly introducing myself.
I'm Serara, with the Crescent Moon Alliance.
I'm still a novice druid, at level 19.
My subclass is maid.
A-And...
I'm sorry for the trouble I caused with my poor healing skills!
It was more than enough.
Thank you.
And, Shiroe, thank you...
Thank you so much!
Uh, no... I didn't do anything special.
Shiroe's always been easily embarrassed.
Let me guess, Serara.
You've always been told you're the third cutest in class,
but you get more love letters than anyone!
H-Huh?
My lord, I kneed that rude man in the face.
Enough with the knees, and enough after-action reports!
While I was at it, I confiscated his meat.
I can't move...
You ate too much, Pigtsugu.
So you two have known each other a long time.
Right, Nyanta and Shiroe?
Naotsugu, too.
When this was a game, we were all in the same group.
It was called the Debauchery Tea Party.
That's right...
I heard about a legendary party that completed many difficult quests.
That was my lord and Master Nyanta?
And me, too!
Then you were all in the same guild?
It wasn't a guild. More like a hangout.
Each of us was in a different guild, and was quite different than the others.
We had nothing in common.
We just happened to enjoy adventuring together.
That explains it...
How my master and his friends have griffons,
a high-level quest reward.
And the way they work so well together.
I've fought with my lord several times.
But I couldn't even approach that...
I must practice more.
Akatsuki?
Did you eat too much?
No...
But just now, you told a lie.
Naotsugu couldn't possibly have been a member of such a legendary party.
It's true!
That said, we went many different places.
We also had many friends. It was fun!
Meow.
Nyanta is so cool!
A handsome young man, kind and always willing to help!
No, I think he's older... A handsome middle-aged man?
But he's so in shape!
Next to him, I look kind of fat!
I am a little overweight.
But! But!
So obvious...
Meow.
So she's after middle-aged guys?
He just seems like an adult.
All that meowing is annoying, though.
Serara has good taste.
You feel the same way about him?
The master is a first-class swordsman.
That said...
Chief Nyanta is all right with them?
My lord, my lord.
You aren't a swordsman, but you are very talented, as well.
Oh... Are you trying to console me?
Nope.
When you see her like this, she really does look young.
How old do you suppose she is?
In this world, you can't tell by looking at them.
Just based on looks, you'd say Akatsuki was in elemen—
Middle school, maybe?
Which would make her the same age as those twins.
Twins?
I ran into them when this was a game.
The girl was a shrine maiden, and the boy was a samurai.
Mister! Mister! Hey, stop!
Um, may we ask something?
Question!
My magic is too weak to heal my little brother's wounds.
Supposedly, we should buy items.
But we don't know where they're sold...
I want skills, too.
If you know where to get them, tell us!
Is this your first day?
Yes.
That's right!
Have you always been that nice?
I don't like it when people come to me because they want something...
Meow...
But those two were beginners.
They seemed to be having a great time adventuring.
So I showed them the ropes for a while, using the Teacher System.
Teacher System?
A system that lets high-level players lower their levels
to play with lower-leveled characters.
Teacher System
Hardly anyone used it.
It was risky.
All your stats took a huge hit, even if only temporarily...
Why would you drop your level?
Wait, I see.
You're pretty smart, Akatsuki.
And where are those two now?
On my Friend List.
Tohya Minori Shigeru Crusty
The sister is Minori, and her younger brother is Tohya.
I saw them after the Apocalypse.
Then they were caught up in it.
I was with them right up until it happened.
Then, the next thing I knew, I was back in Akihabara.
And they were gone.
I was also teleported, into an abandoned building.
You should have said something to them.
I'm sure they've been having a hard time.
Yeah.
Well, I'm sure he had his reasons.
We had our hands full.
I doubt we had the energy to spare...
And when I saw them, they were both in a guild.
Yeah?
At the time, they were level 8.
Now, they might be a little higher.
If they're in a guild, they should be fine.
By the way, Shiroe...
Was Minori cute?
I don't know...
In the real world, all I could hear was her voice.
And when I saw her, I couldn't see her face.
No, no, no.
You can tell some things from the voice...
Stupid pervert Naotsugu.
Better than being a closet pervert!
Shut up... You're making my tea taste bad.
So let's talk about which is better, being closeted or open!
Hey, Shiro!
The rain clouds are closing in.
Shiroe, we should probably find some shelter soon.
Yes.
In this zone,
I think there's a village past those woods.
Where are we?
The south end of the Arb Highlands.
Shiroe...
Yes?
Have you been alone since then?
Without joining any guilds?
Wh-What about you? What happened with that guild?
Um, you know...
The Cat Food guild!
What's that?
A proud organization comprised solely of cat people.
I loved sitting on the porch, but the house was getting old.
Something like that...
How wonderful!
But it couldn't handle the bad weather,
so half the house caved in.
Then it basically disbanded...
Hello!
We're travelers.
Could you put us up for the night?
Oh, my... Adventurers?
That's a rare sight.
Yo!
Welcome to the village of Arb.
A non-player character? A Person of the Land?
My name is Fedor. I'm the village ombudsman.
Nice to meet you.
Eh? So you have a name...
You may use this barn as you like.
Thank you.
Straw!
Move. We have to give everyone some.
What?
Do you have a hearth?
Right over there.
Let's go prepare dinner, Nyanta.
Give me more!
This is for my lord!
What?
Your friends are quite lively.
Yeah...
Oh... So you're going to Akihabara.
Yes.
We People of the Land travel little.
If you want to hear tales of our travels, we have plenty!
I'd love to hear them.
Don't just stand there... Come in.
Don't be afraid.
Hi!
Hello.
You're cute...
Who are you?
Mischa!
Ivan!
Mischa and Ivan, huh?
Good names!
A ninja?
A ninja!
It's a ninja!
Throw a shuriken!
Come on...
I guess they like her.
They're all kids—
They're my grandchildren...
When they were born, it was very difficult.
Oh, really?
There was a blizzard outside.
And their father had gone to the town market.
I was the only man here,
so I carried their mother to the doctor, on the other side of the mountain.
Come here, grandpa!
Oh, right...
So even NPCs not part of events have that kind of a backstory.
The more I talk to them, the more human they seem.
They are human.
They have names... Families, feelings, and memories.
We adventurers have powerful bodies,
and can revive, no matter how often we die.
In this world, wouldn't that make us the abnormal ones?
I guess so.
They live as one with the land.
That's how they get their name.
Ever since the Apocalypse, it seems like I've seen far more of them...
Maybe we just never noticed when it was a game.
Maybe.
Ta-dah!
Look at this!
We went around to some neighboring houses.
They were nice enough to sell us some food.
Isn't this great?
Cheese! Sausage!
They aren't crafted?
Then how?
No, come to think of it, those are ingredient items.
Some strange parts are just like the game...
There's butter and eggs!
I bought salt in Susukino...
So we can make cookies. Right, Nyanta?
Meow.
Cookies?
What are these?
So good!
Get moving!
We need to get back before the triffids respawn.
Our healer was sent to the Cathedral...
Jeez, why do I have to babysit these guys?
My luck sucks.
You okay?
I'm sorry.
I just feel kind of lightheaded.
That guy...
Two of us died today because of that guy!
But...
I hate to say it, but it's because we're weak.
My luck sucks...
We didn't hit our quota.
It's because your levels are too low!
No, it's because his level is too high, so we stand out.
What do you mean?
I don't really understand it,
but he attracts all the enemies.
As the tank, drawing their attention is my job.
That's why our formation always falls apart.
Now that you mention it, you're right.
I get it.
That's why he used that Teacher System thing.
Hey, stop talking and walk!
Come on, we're almost to Akihabara.
We can do it.
Yeah.
After a while, those wounds will heal on their own, but...
Every day is rough for you, Tohya.
What about you, Minori?
These injuries...
I spend the whole day sewing.
Why did we join this guild?
We couldn't do anything else.
There's so much we didn't know.
It's time...
Show us what you've got.
You're lucky...
You're useless, but you can still earn three meals a day.
At a time like this, what would he do?
What would Shiroe do?
Shiroe...
Okay, everyone's here.
Let's go. Don't screw up today.
Got it?
Serara! I'm so glad you're all right! Thanks, Shiro!
Thank you!
You don't need to thank me, Mari.
That voice... It must be.
It's Shiroe!
Hey! What are you doing?
Come on!
We returned to Akihabara,
which seemed to be regaining a measure of peace.
But it was a false peace, in which the powerful stole from the weak.
Are there some who realize it, but can do nothing?
Is Shiroe one of them?
Can he do nothing but watch, as the world becomes twisted?
Resolve
Next time: Resolve.
This is our reality.