LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 36
#36 Episode: Server Merger and the Third Trial (3)
Creating medicine isn’t an easy task.
Even with immense time, significant funds, and the passion and effort of outstanding talents, success isn’t guaranteed easily.
Yelling for a cure while zombies are rampaging won’t magically produce a ready-made product.
Even if a remedy does come about, by that time, this trial will likely be over, and the zombie crisis will probably fizzle out.
But, what if a finished product already exists?
And what if it can be continuously supplied in quantities enough for people to bite, tear, and taste?
“So, you’re saying the new monsters rampaging in the wild are infected with some sort of ‘disease’, and this is the cure?”
“You seem to know about zombies already?”
“Well, I do.”
The alchemist, Cagliostro, adjusted his glasses.
“This place, Orcamenia, is a big city. Many people are around, and there are plenty of merchants coming in from outside. News of suddenly increased monsters spreads quickly. I didn’t know they were called ‘zombies’ though.”
“Hasn’t anyone among us outsiders explained the situation?”
“Not yet. It seems that many outsiders don’t regard us as proper conversation partners.”
“There’s an air of defensiveness, isn’t there…?”
Well, I guess that makes sense. How many of the players who perceive this place as a game treat NPCs like actual ‘people’?
This isn’t a matter of good or bad people; it’s a limitation of the genre itself.
Players who enjoy interacting and conversing with NPCs are fine, but for those who just want to hunt and level up, NPCs are merely superfluous.
Still, if major friction occurs between NPCs and players, the game wouldn’t function as a game, so NPCs are a bit indifferent and care-free in that regard… This is likely a result of changes made by the current operator, Lunara, just like Brynhildr did.
“Isn’t that a bad thing?”
Not really; while everyone else is cranky, I can be nice. This is an opportunity, I should see it as such.
“Are you a local of Orcamenia, Cagliostro?”
“Yes, I am, is there a problem?”
“On my way here, I got mixed up with some unsavory crowd. Their looks were sinister, and they were spitting phlegm on the street. It seems there are a lot of people in Orcamenia with questionable character and conduct.”
Cagliostro wrinkled his face openly.
“There are indeed such crowds in the city. But that’s just a thoughtless minority.”
“Oh, I see. I thought you were judging all outsiders based on the behavior of that ‘minority’, so I acted accordingly without realizing it.”
“…….”
“You said to be nice! You said to be nice!”
Oh, come on, that’s just a light jab.
If you have a filter on your eyes, you should slap it off first to have a proper conversation.
Plus, if the Cagliostro I know is here, he wouldn’t be the type to blush and shout, “Get out now!”
Having been involved with the locals as a sub-creator and tester, how could I be clueless about these things?
Though I can’t say all my information is 100% accurate, I’m confident about at least 70%. That’s enough for a daring gamble.
Sure enough, Cagliostro took a few deep breaths and calmed his excitement.
“I apologize. It’s indeed not good to judge the whole based on a part.”
“Well, it’s not entirely unfounded, so having a bias isn’t unreasonable. Now, shall we get back to the matter at hand?”
“Understood. May I first take a look at that medicine?”
“Of course.”
Cagliostro took the medicine from me and began various experiments with it.
From the looks of it, it seemed like it would take quite a bit of time; I wondered if I should do some extra hunting in the meantime.
Ding!
At that moment, the store’s door swung open, and a new customer entered.
Brown hair and brown eyes. Decently handsome, though not particularly outstanding… but that hardly matters.
However, what caught my attention was the equipment he was wearing.
It was impressive since the level requirement was 45.
Let me reiterate, the top-ranking players are just edging into the 40s.
But 45? I didn’t check his level directly, so it could be even higher.
Unless he’s like me and cheated a bit…
“Taking time off due to the ‘trial’ aside, it means he’s been selecting only the most efficient hunting spots without resting, maximizing the benefits of the ‘task’ system. Yerin, you’ve likely been slacking off on pure leveling in favor of other stuff.”
Meanwhile, it seems the equipment startled him as well.
“…Grim Reaper Knight Set?”
Oh, it looks like a confirmed beta tester.
“Exactly. Official play shut down before players could reach the stage for Grim Reaper Knight quests. Being able to recognize the equipment means he’s a beta tester, as players with such growth rates wouldn’t know otherwise. If he can recognize the specifics just by glancing, then he’s quite a heavy player, right?”
For a moment, we just stared at each other’s gear.
“Hello.”
“Oh, yes, hello.”
I greeted first, and he awkwardly nodded his head in return.
Nice, he seems like a player with at least minimal social skills.
I’d been thinking about gradually increasing my party, besides Nadia, so maybe I should give it a shot.
“That’s the Peleus Order Set, right? Only 100 can get it in the first come, first served basis, so you’ve done well.”
“No, it’s not as good as the Grim Reaper Knight Set. To obtain that, we needed to defeat three pretty tricky bosses, so you must have a high level.”
“My level is indeed high, but I didn’t get it from defeating bosses; I simply guessed the password directly. The password has changed from the beta test, but the context stays the same.”
“Are you sure you can say that without consequence?”
At this point, saying that I figured out the password from beating the bosses is far more believable.
It’s a bit of a petty way, but it’s not outside the realm of game mechanics.
“The context being the same?”
“Where 6666 fits, I put 4444.”
“Wow, what a lazy change. I should have gone for it too.”
“Are you a Black Knight?”
“No, I’m a Warrior. Thinking about it, I wouldn’t have been able to get it even if I realized. But I admire your thought to become a Black Knight in such a situation. The defense is so paper-thin that you might get wiped out any moment.”
“That’s why I ended up with this unique piece. And I’m quite confident in my control.”
“Is that so? Just be careful. I’ve experienced it myself, and when a person is faced with a life-or-death crisis, they often can’t display even half their usual skills.”
It was a strangely self-deprecating yet confidently delivered statement.
At that moment, the quiet older brother finally spoke up.
“Dimo. Warrior. Level 46. Skill levels are generally high, but it seems he doesn’t have a unique skill yet. His equipment is top-tier for the current level.”
What? My older brother, who I thought was only good for side commentary or whining, has suddenly become competent…?
“My bot pet I’m currently in is originally specialized in these areas instead of combat. I just added a bit of functionality. But wait, did you really think that way about me all along!? Don’t get angry, older brother.”
In any case, he’s undeniably among the top players. What’s his ranking?
“Ranked 91st for the first trial. 73rd for the second trial.”
Impressive. If this were Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he’d be on par with someone like Wei Yan.
After chatting with Dimo for a bit,
Cagliostro finished his examination much quicker than expected, looking somewhat bewildered.
“I got the gist of it. However, to mass-produce the medicine properly, we need both the cure and the infected material.”
“Infected material… So, we need to bring in zombies?”
“A complete specimen would be best, but even parts of the body would suffice.”
“What about the risk of infection spreading if that’s brought in? If you, the alchemist, turn into a zombie, that would create a disaster.”
“There’s plenty of serum available, and even if infection occurs, we can use the serum before it spreads completely through the body. I’ll do my best to prevent infection as well.”
There’s no function like monster taming in BE.
No, technically, it is possible for a few specific monsters, but those are usually treated as special bosses, which doesn’t apply to zombies.
However, thanks to someone’s insistence, this game excels in reality.
Even if a function is ‘nonexistent’ in the system, if it’s realistic enough, it can happen.
Just like how I’m trying to mass-produce serum while ignoring the original intent of the event.
Then I shall do it.
“Okay then, I’ll go catch one. It’ll be caught if I try to bring a whole one into the city, so please make do with just parts of the body.”
“Yes, I’ll be waiting. But what’s that customer looking for?”
“…….”
Dimo couldn’t easily respond to Cagliostro’s question.
He blinked as if he was savoring what he had just heard and then turned his gaze towards me instead of answering.
“So, you’re trying to ask the alchemist to mass-produce serum now? Does that even make sense?”
I shrugged.
“Isn’t the current game and our situation itself nonsensical?”
Dimo paused for a moment, and I continued talking to him.
“Priests, bards, and paladins can’t possibly fight against the virus on their own. The virus will only get stronger, and compared to priests, paladins and bards have lower proficiency with healing skills. Even now, more than half the players are stuck in the city without being able to fight properly; if paladins and bards also become useless, over 80% of the players will be out of action. Those zombies that haven’t been hunted will become ridiculously strong, and they’ll raid every city.”
The last words were directed at Dimo and simultaneously at Cagliostro.
Sure enough, Cagliostro’s bespectacled face grew even more serious.
“This trial is one that will inevitably result in many deaths if approached normally. We need to employ shortcuts or whatever it takes to prevent that, right?”
This should be enough bait.
Though Dimo isn’t guaranteed to cooperate.
If the player in front of me is the type who only cares about their rewards regardless of how others fare, he’ll simply brush me off saying, “So what?”
No, in the worst-case scenario, he might even try to hinder me.
My actions are, in a sense, an attempt to increase the number of ‘competitors’.
Still, it would be nice if he cooperates.
About a minute passed, and Dimo, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up.
“─Could you include me in your party?”
Nice.
It seems the gamble was a success.