Only I’m the solo player

Chapter 13 – The Shepherd Girl and the Black Dog

—–CROW—– 

There were a total of nine wolves surrounding the shepherd NPC.

Five were the ‘Gray Field Wolves’ I had seen before, and three were ‘Yellow Plains Wolves’ with a different fur color.

The only visual difference between the two types of wolves was their fur color, but I heard that the yellow ones were a bit faster and stronger.

And I didn’t recognize the last wolf. It wasn’t in the 2nd-floor information posts in the open community.

It was probably a limited-edition monster that could no longer be found in other towers, like the black horned rabbit on the 1st-floor field.

Those limited-edition monsters were generally stronger than other monsters, but they also dropped better rewards and experience.

Since there was no information about it, it would be best to deal with it first.

-Thud.

I took out a heavy stone from my inventory. I didn’t have any throwing skills, but my strength stat was high enough that I could throw it roughly.

I was able to take down a 1st-floor elite monster, the Goblin Royal Guard, with a single throw, so it should work here too.

“Huup!”

First strike wins. I threw the stone with all my might from outside the wolves’ detection range.

Thanks to the strength stat I acquired as an achievement reward, the stone flew even more powerfully than before and hit the unusually large wolf.

-Yelp!

The large wolf fell with a yelp that didn’t suit its size. I immediately rushed into the pack of wolves.

Normally, surrounding yourself with enemies in such an open place is suicidal.

Even the strategy guides in the open community emphasized that this was the most dangerous situation. But I was rather used to this formation.

-Slash!

Without even using a skill, I swung the straight sword in my hand, and one wolf was instantly cut in half.

The yellow wolf, which was said to be more agile than the gray wolf, quickly leaped and aimed for my neck, but my shield was faster.

Instead of blocking the wolf’s teeth, I smashed my shield into it. With a crunch, the wolf’s jaw was shattered in one blow.

“Aaaah!”

Two wolves fell in an instant, and the shepherd girl finally screamed in surprise.

Then, as if in response, a wolf rushed towards the girl.

This was bad timing. I had never fought while protecting someone, so my reaction was delayed.

-Snarl!

At that moment, the black dog that was guarding the girl threw itself forward. The dog, which had thrown its body with all its might, pushed the rushing wolf away.

Because of the weight difference, it was only pushed back a couple of steps. But buying one turn was enough.

-Crack!

The sword I swung split the wolf’s head open. I pulled out the sword stuck in the bone and swung it again towards its back.

The wolf that was aiming for my back hesitated and retreated, and I didn’t miss the opportunity and rushed in to continue my attack.

Even after going up to the 2nd floor, ordinary monsters were still no match for me.

**

It took only a few minutes to kill all the wolves. The difference in basic stats was too great.

[Gray Wolf Hide]

[Yellow Wolf Hide]

[Broken Fang]

The dropped items were ordinary. I thought something different might drop from the unusual wolf, but there was nothing special.

Hides could be used to enhance armor, and fangs could be used to enhance weapons, but I already had enough enhancement materials, so they were just junk.

But I didn’t fight expecting loot in the first place, so it didn’t matter. The important thing was the quest.

-Slash!

I shook the blood off the sword, put it in my inventory, and approached the shepherd girl.

“Eek, eek…!”

A green icon and name floated above the shepherd girl’s head, indicating that she was an NPC.

[Shepherd Girl Nora]

I heard that the names and appearances of NPCs are slightly different for each tower. Was the shepherd girl in this tower named ‘Nora’?

According to the information posts in the open community, the shepherd girl on the 2nd floor gives several stages of wolf hunting quests.

It starts with the weakest gray field wolves, and as the stages progress, you have to defeat stronger wolves.

It’s said that the final stage gives a leather belt with random options as a reward. I was interested in the quest because my belt slot was empty.

But I had never heard of a shepherd NPC being attacked in the field outside the village. And above all.

“I, I… I don’t know who you are, but thank you so m-much, eek.”

The shepherd girl was sitting on the ground, trembling, and showed no signs of giving me a quest. Was something wrong?

Did I need some kind of special interaction? I opened the open community and started searching for ‘shepherd girl’ as a keyword.

[What’s the last stage of the shepherd girl quest?]

[This fucking shepherd bitch, why did she give me this kind of belt???]

[How’s the shepherd girl’s face in our server?]

[Why is she called a girl, she’s an old hag…]

But most of the posts were completely useless. Because she was an early NPC, there were too many mentions of her.

“Ah, fuck, really…”

“I, I’m sorry!”

When I muttered a curse under my breath, the trembling shepherd girl jumped up and apologized. What was that?

Come to think of it, this NPC’s reactions have been too realistic from the beginning.

I heard that elite NPCs act much more human than regular NPCs, but this shepherd girl’s reactions were beyond human-like.

Her trembling figure, hugging the black dog, didn’t have the mechanical and lifeless feeling typical of NPCs.

Maybe I should treat this shepherd girl completely differently from other NPCs.

I heard that talking to an NPC is the most foolish thing you can do, but you never know.

“Excuse me.”

I cautiously spoke to her.

**

The trembling shepherd girl reacted dramatically when I spoke to her.

“I, I I don’t have any m-money! You won’t get anything even if you rob me!”

It was a reaction that I couldn’t believe was from an NPC. She called me an adventurer earlier, but now she was treating me like a robber.

It seemed to be because I was staring at the community without saying anything. I had never heard of an NPC recognizing that.

-Woof! Woof!

The black dog in the girl’s arms barked as if it wanted to say something. The shepherd girl stroked the dog’s back with a pale face.

“F, Flanders… what’s wrong? You shouldn’t bark, uh, what? R, right…!”

No, come to think of it, it really seemed like it was saying something. It seemed that this shepherd could understand dog language.

“I, I actually have money! I don’t have it now, but I’ll definitely bring it if you let me live!”

It even seemed that the dog was a little smarter than its owner.

By the way, I hadn’t said a single word since I said ‘excuse me’ earlier.

I felt like I should say something to calm her down, but what should I say in this situation?

I had been cooped up in my room for so long that I had forgotten how to have a normal conversation.

And this wasn’t a normal situation. I was being treated like a robber by someone I had never met before.

“I’m not a robber.”

“Yes, yes?”

“I said I’m not a robber.”

The shepherd girl blinked her teary eyes and exchanged glances with her sheepdog.

After a few seconds, the shepherd girl’s face turned red. She stood up from where she was sitting.

“I, I actually knew. But Flanders kept saying you might be a robber!”

-Woof! Woofwoofwoof!

“Be quiet, Flanders. We misunderstood a good adventurer because of you. You should apologize to him!”

I thought I had acquired a new skill without realizing it. I understood what the dog was saying for a moment.

The shepherd girl bickered with her dog for a while, then calmed her flushed cheeks and cleared her throat.

“I’m sorry, adventurer. My disobedient dog was rude to you. Thank you so much for saving us from the wolves.”

The shepherd girl bowed her head in apology. I also awkwardly bowed my head slightly.

-Woof.

Even the dog bowed its head in apology. No matter how I looked at it, this dog seemed smarter than its owner.

So when was she going to give me the quest? I was already uncomfortable even though we hadn’t talked much.

I had thought it would be nice to have someone to talk to, whether it was an NPC or not, but now that I was actually talking to one, it didn’t feel that way.

Seo Jinhyuk Lv.40 (Warrior)

I wanted to increase even one more stat in my status window and climb even a little higher in this Tower of Trials.

I felt a tingling sensation in my hands, wanting to feel that exhilarating sense of accomplishment I had felt a little while ago once again.

“Um… adventurer, would it be okay to ask you for a favor, even though I’m being shameless?”

The shepherd girl hesitantly started to speak. Then, the blue interface I had been waiting for suddenly appeared.

[Quest: The Shepherd Girl’s Request – Wolf Pack]

Thus began my first quest on the 2nd floor.

—–CROW—–