"For now... A while back, we had some trouble in the sewers and sent in several workers. But none of them came back. So we sent more people, and they reported that a demon nest had taken hold in the sewers."
My surprise was short-lived. The middle-aged NPC spoke first, explaining the situation.
It was obviously the tutorial section meant to teach combat, item acquisition, and the like. Being identical to the original game stirred up a wave of nostalgia.
It had been like that back then too. So good. Right up until the 2nd Anniversary patch.
"So, you want me to clean out the sewers?"
"That's right. And... if possible, find the workers we sent in. Of course, I don't expect those we sent last time are still alive. But for their families' sake, at least bring back their bodies—or even just their belongings."
Workers, huh. Was this a side quest?
I casually opened the quest window to check if it had updated. No such luck—nothing was listed yet. Guess it only appears after accepting.
"We sent in a few demon hunters before, but they all got wiped out. We contacted the temple too, but they just said it would take time. So we called in someone said to be skilled... Hmph. Think you can handle it? With that scrawny build."
"E-Elder!"
"Don't compare me to those weaklings."
"Such arrogance..."
Oh... I'd hoped to come off that way, but getting that assessment from an NPC felt oddly satisfying.
It made me feel bad, then surprised, then amused at the situation, and now I kinda wanted to defend myself.
"Elder..."
"Who asked you, lackey?"
But a well-made NPC was still just an NPC.
I summed up my unease about role-playing with such a realistic NPC in that one line. And just like that, my mood lifted.
Other players would butt in with stuff like "What're you doing?" or "Wow, your concept's on point," ruining the immersion—but these guys wouldn't.
That realization meant I could role-play even more enjoyably now.
"Ahem. So, will you take the commission, Adventurer?"
"Yeah."
"Then we'll proceed with the contract."
Clerk Izren pulled out a sheet of paper and scribbled away.
"The commission objective is to eliminate all demons in the sewers. As a bonus request, recover the belongings of the workers who entered. Ah, how many workers went in?"
"Thirteen."
"Right. And the deadline..."
"Maximum one month. And the start date... Since you've traveled far, I'll give you two days to rest and recover."
"Got it."
As the back-and-forth between the clerk and the middle-aged NPC continued, the quest details were neatly summarized in short, precise bursts. It was a commission handled in a strangely unique way instead of just popping up in the quest window.
"The reward is 400,000 gal. After a 5% brokerage fee, that's 380,000 gal. So, Adventurer, will you proceed with the commission?"
Money? They're giving this much? And what's with deducting a brokerage fee?
I crossed my arms and tapped my fingers while eyeing Clerk Izren's summary. The 5% cut was annoying, but if it was part of the game's setting, nothing to be done. Couldn't refuse the quest over that.
I snatched the pen and signed the signature line.
"Contract established. Report mission completion through our guild. Come to the guild building and find me."
The clerk smiled and got the old man's signature too. Then, a window popped up in the corner of my vision.
「❖ The Thing Defiling the Sewers
∎ Demon Elimination 0 / ??
∎ Bonus: Find Belongings 0 / 13」
Sure enough, the quest only registers in the window after accepting the contract.
"...I've booked an inn room in the name of the merchant house."
Just then, the old man spoke up while the clerk collected the paperwork. Pretty welcome news, all things considered.
"Paid for two days only—if you stay longer, it's on your coin!"
Why was this old geezer so prickly?
"No plans to drag this out."
I shot back reflexively, furrowing my brow slightly.
Two days? Two days... Right, he'd said to start within two days earlier.
I'd thought about it during the contract, but a tutorial with a time limit was a first. No intention of dragging it out for two days anyway, so it didn't matter.
They'd thrown in a lot of unconventional elements.
"Where's the sewer entrance?"
I was curious what would happen if I overdid it, but the remake synced game time to real time at 3:1. Eight real hours equaled one in-game day.
Meaning two days meant 16 hours passing. Better to just knock out the tutorial. I wanted to savor the game's true flavor ASAP.
"You're heading in right away?"
"Are you saying I should waste more time on those sewer vermin?"
I glared at them in contempt. Unlike other games, it didn't feel like solo theater—the lines flowed smoothly.
The middle-aged NPC, who'd briefly looked away, flinched and faced forward again.
"...I'll guide you."
Nice. Let's get going.
* * *
The inn I stopped by was identical to the original. Mainly for saving and recovery.
「Inn│Sleeping here saves your progress and recovers some stamina.
Stamina recovery speed increases inside the inn.」
There were other functions, but they weren't that useful. Item storage had a theft risk, and baths or meals cost extra.
With no items to store or money, no need to worry yet.
"This it?"
So I headed straight to the sewers. A murky, sour stench wafted from the river connected to the sewer grate.
But with my concept locked in, I couldn't lose to a smell.
A character who lives and dies by GAO doesn't plug his nose no matter how foul it is.
Thus, I stood there calmly, nose unblocked. The merchant beside me, pinching his nose tight, stared at me like a monster.
"You sure you're okay?"
Whoa, an NPC worrying about me.
My chest warmed at the sentiment as I shot him a sharp glance.
The look screaming, "One more word and you'll be the one not okay..." Of course, facial expressions wouldn't render, and the NPC wouldn't recognize it anyway, so no need to—
"Ahem... Take this, then."
—respond?
My heart swelled enormously.
I'd half-doubted it, but players could freely emote expressions, and NPCs recognized and reacted to them. Now I was certain.
This game was insane. How did they pull off tech like this?
Phew. Good thing I'd trained my facial acting. Wouldn't mess up much.
Suppressing my trembling chest, I scowled and extended my hand. I snatched what the merchant offered—a folded paper.
"Sewer map. But since the demons moved in, some paths are altered or blocked... It won't be entirely accurate."
I rustled it open. The early twisted paths were marked in red ink here and there.
Some blocked, some with demon nests, some spawning certain things from here on.
"Entry section info from the demon hunters who went in."
No minimap, so they gave info like this. Directionally challenged players might struggle.
I was good with paths, so no issue.
Anyway, couldn't hurt to have it.
I folded the paper and slipped it into my coat's inner pocket. So realistic I almost forgot, but it worked.
Could store without inventory? Insane.
"Pen."
Hey, could I mark it up like the existing notes? Normal games, no way I'd try, but 'Hero Legend' remake felt different. Gut said it'd work.
And that the NPC would provide if asked—pure hunch.
"Here."
Holy crap, it actually worked.
I watched an NPC who wouldn't hand over non-quest items or rewards just give me a pen on command. Almost teared up.
No idea how many times I'd say it, but Deep Pearl was a god.
"Then, I leave it to you."
I tucked the pen into my coat pocket and glanced at the merchant.
"With payment secured, failure isn't an option."
I left those words and slid down toward the sewer entrance—precisely, the path beside the river grate. No intent to plunge into sewage.
Clank.
The pre-opened iron grate swung open, revealing the path into the sewers proper.
Honestly, did it need to be this huge?
「Tatarra: Underground Sewers」
Game logic, I get it—IRL it'd be tiny.
I shook off such thoughts with a dull thung and rummaged in my bag.
「Lantern│Light to illuminate dark spaces and guide your path. Attach to your belt to free up both hands.」
Item I'd checked during inventory review earlier.
As described, I hung it on my belt, and the dark sewer lit up. Like most light sources, it gave a slight warmth. Like a hot pack—not bad.
Except the coat blocked it, scattering light awkwardly.
"Should hang it outside."
In the end, I hung the lantern outside the coat. Still, depending on angle, some directions stayed dimmer. Better than before, though.
Squeak.
Drip.
Checking the map intermittently as I advanced, rats started appearing.
Arm-thick ones—filthy with muck, but something off even accounting for that.
Like rotting skin exposing flesh, or bones and guts dangling. Tiny eyes glaring blood-red.
Pffft!
All demonized.
I thrust my sword indifferently. As desired, the two-hander didn't just pierce the rat—it cleaved it in half.
Issue: damn realism had the two-hander scrape the floor and nick the wall beyond.
Clang!
The sharp sound spiked my anxiety. Hope it doesn't fly off?
I kicked the bisected corpse aside and inspected the True Two-Hander. Under lantern light, the blade gleamed blood-red, razor-sharp just looking at it.
「True Two-Hander of Destruction│A greatsword with a long, straight blade to smash and shatter all that exists. Instills fear in all foes.」
Beyond the usual description, detailed stats: attack power, durability, sharpness, etc.
Attack power aside, durability and sharpness probably started at 100. Now sharpness was 99.
As expected. In these games, even grazing a wall dinged them.
"Space is too cramped..."
Keep using the two-hander, and I'd wear it down fast.
I sheathed the two-hander on my back with a sigh and rummaged again. Besides the prize True Two-Hander of Destruction, there was the starter longsword.
「Longsword│The most widely used standard sword. Balanced blade, grip, guard, and pommel handle most situations.」
I belted the sheath and spun the drawn sword. Combat assists worked great—it twirled smoothly.
Slash!
Rats cleaved fine too. Fitting early mobs, one-shot with starter weapon. Good start.
Squish!
No drops annoyed me a bit... but early mobs, whatever.
They'd come later. Quest reward was huge cash anyway.
Screeeeech.
Deeper in, real demon cries echoed.
Some peeked out, others prepped ambushes.
「Goblin│Wandering demons hunting in packs for food. Small and weak, they're stupid—but don't get careless.」
Window popped on sight, and goblins crawled walls and ceilings toward me.
Creepy even on PC—VR didn't help.
"Filthy demon spawn..."
True concept players stayed in character even against mobs.
I dove into immersion, scowling, gripped the longsword tight, and charged.
One goblin in my sights—red target mark appeared on it.
Arm, leg, torso, head. I aimed torso.
「Hit Zones and Strikes│All enemies have zones with varying damage. Some zones differ in toughness—may need to target specifics.
Accumulate limit damage on a zone for "Zone Destruction".
Target effective zones.」
Brief system tooltip. No time stop, so no time to read. Experience let me grasp it at a glance anyway.
Slash!
Window vanished as the blade bisected the goblin's torso. Remake upped the gore beyond expectations.
Felt too easy too. Tutorial or not, one-shot zone destruction?
Mook, so whatever—but nagging doubt. Too hard sucks, too easy bores.
"Die, you trash."
Cold logic in mind, contempt on face and tongue. Basic for concept play.
Splurt!
Second goblin leaping from ceiling—pierced its head. Kicked the body to free the sword, then last goblin.
Dodged its wall leap with a step, stabbed its landed body. Spine first, stomped to yank, stabbed again.
No HP bars due to realism—insurance hit. Twitching goblin slumped dead.
「LEVEL UP!」
Good—skills intact.
Considering my game break finishing the novel, solid performance.
I shook blood off the sword, kicked corpses aside. Level-up window blocked view briefly then poofed.
"Skill window."
'Hero Legend,' original or remake, auto-allocated stats on level-up—no need to fuss. Only skills mattered.
"Attack, defense, life..."
Ex-online gamer? Skills galore.
No clue on max level, but maxing all would hurt.
「Close Combat│Warrior basics. Certain chance to counter enemy attacks.
Effect: Combat Assist」
I prioritized defense. Attacks all active, and flats one-shot mobs so far.
Plus, not flash skills game—basic moves weighted more. Company said so.
Defense useful now and later.
Allocated points moderately, turned to the path. Galemaze appeared—missed during goblins.
Pulled the map. Left hand on sword, so right hand—gauntleted grip awkward on paper.
Left blocked, right normal route?
Decision instant.
Always left first! Can't progress without checking items!
Loot everything, even if I die!
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