### Chapter 5: The Rival NPC
Elrik met his nemesis: Tobin, an NPC so irrelevant he made Elrik look like a main character. Tobin's job? Holding signs for merchants. His catchphrase? "Eh, whatever." Tobin's beige cardigan was *beiger* than Elrik's, his dialogue so generic it hurt. "The weather's nice," Tobin droned, holding a sign for "Grok's Discount Potions."
Elrik, enraged by Tobin's effortless irrelevance, vowed to out-NPC him. He took a sign-holding gig, standing opposite Tobin. "I'll hold this sign so hard, I'll be legendary!" A wind gust blew his sign into a river. Tobin's sign stayed upright. "Eh, whatever," Tobin said, sipping tea.
Kael's party passed by, planning to fight a Sky Fortress. Elrik, desperate, followed, sign in hand. The fortress was a floating nightmare of lasers and golems. Elrik waved his sign ("Buy One Sword, Get One Free!") to inspire the party. A golem crushed it. Kael's team won, naturally. Tobin, somehow there, held a sign reading "Victory Sale!" and got a nod from Zane. Elrik sulked. "How is *he* better at this?"
Mira, handing him a coffee, said, "Maybe stop competing with Tobin. He's… nothing." Elrik's ambition twitched. *"I can be less than nothing."*