kscans

Chapter 848 - Loose Terms of Service

“Now then, Haru-sama. In seeking one of the warriors of our Thousand Memories, there are several matters I must ask you to hear.”

“Okay.”

“Therefore, I must ask for a bit more of your time. I am certain that a person such as yourself is already aware of the various circumstances, but it is our rule, so I humbly ask for your forbearance.”

“Roger that, it’s all good. I’ll listen to every last detail. Bring it on.”

Somehow, he’d looped back around from being seriously polite to being a rather amusing character. But at this point, being treated like some kind of god was making my skin crawl to its breaking point, so ignoring it was for the best.

Septra-shi then returned a respectful bow. He silently lifted his teacup, tilted it slightly, and after a brief pause, spoke again.

—The “assistance” that players can receive from the NPC-run organization, the [Civilian Guild Hall], can be broadly divided into two categories.

The first is ‘Mediation,’ which covers a wide range of services. Simply put, they help you find what you’re looking for, whether it be a player or an NPC.

For example, they can help with calls for temporary player parties and assist with the necessary procedures.

For another example, they can introduce various artisan NPCs, who are essential for creating what is a vital piece of content for us players: ‘Anima’.

And for yet another example, they manage the acceptance, undertaking, and reward distribution for a wide variety of ‘quests’.

I never ended up using the service, but these quests, which can be entrusted to the hall by anyone—be they player or NPC—apparently grant special experience points in addition to Luna and item rewards upon completion.

That experience is apparently quite good, and the better option for leveling when you get stuck in the tutorial area, the [Trial Spheres of Partition], is to do those quests.

Needless to say, I, who never once used that service, am an idiot. Acting all high and mighty against those eel jerks infesting the desert was, it seems, not the proper way forward.

—The second category, setting that aside. This is the main event for today, and the reason I knocked on the guild hall’s door: the ‘Companion’ service.

This is just as it sounds. A seasoned NPC… in other words, a powerful individual with the special title of ‘Thousand Memories,’ like Septra-shi before me, will accompany a player as a special party member to assist in their adventures.

Naturally, the question is how reliable they actually are. I had looked into the overview of the ‘Companion’ service in the past, and it piqued my interest so much that I researched it in detail…—

“Is it true they can even defeat something on the level of [Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King]?”

“The ‘Wedge-Sword,’ you say. I myself would be no match, but one with a favorable compatibility might…”

—And that was the gist of it. Whether he was being humble on behalf of his comrades or not, he didn't state it outright, but his answer implied that they could at least put up a fight.

It seemed the comments I’d seen online like, ‘He’s way stronger than me, lmao,’ weren’t lies or exaggerations after all. Well, bravo.

It meant their ‘strength’ truly surpassed that of most players. After all, my question was about a solo fight, not a party.

And this was despite the fact that, unlike players, they couldn’t use skills.

In any case, there were three things we needed to keep in mind when bringing them along… or, to quote Septra-shi’s humble words, ‘matters for which we request your consideration’.

First, to treat them as people.

Given that they were beings so convincing it was hard to believe there wasn’t a person inside, I’d like to think they could trust us who passed the personality screening to do that without being told, but whatever.

Second, the ‘power’ an NPC can exert depends on the strength of the Player they are with.

What this means is that their stats are fixed at a value below the level of the Player within a certain distance.

Whether this is just a convenient game mechanic to prevent power-leveling by simply bringing along a super-strong NPC, or if it’s due to some grand, world-related reason, is unknown.

The only thing I do know is…

“Just between us, why is that?”

“…”

When you ask about it, they respond with a meaningful smile and silence.

Nice, I don’t hate it. I’m not some hardcore lore theorist or anything, but blatant foreshadowing like this gives me the shivers, so they can drop as much of it as they want.

And so, the third point. This one, in a different way from the first, was extremely simple…—

“I see. So it’s not like a salary.”

“Correct. This is purely a necessary ‘tribute’ in order to receive ‘permission’ for us to accompany Players… As such, we ask for your understanding.”

Their activities remain non-profit. We players are required to ‘offer’ a set amount of Luna to the ‘world’.

What this stipulated was a system where a flat rate of half of all income from adventures with an NPC companion would be taken away.

Well, it’s not really a big deal. It’s not something that brings any particular thoughts to mind.

“That’s totally fine. Even among players, if you form a party, drops like materials and Luna are split evenly by headcount… Yeah, no, it’s totally fine. No problem. In fact, I feel like I should be paying you a salary or some kind of reward…”

Frankly, even taking everything into account, all I could think was, ‘That’s it???’ Are NPCs really such selfless beings?

“—…Players are all generous people. That is why we, too, wish to be a people who aid you on your journey, staking our hearts on it to the fullest extent the moon will allow.”

A nod, after hearing the full explanation.

My gesture of understanding and consent must have sealed the deal. Septra-shi, with a satisfied smile, bowed his head deeply in another show of thanks.

…So, not being a Japanese person who can just let that slide, I mimicked him and returned a respectful bow. As we raised our heads at the same time, we exchanged smiles.

What is this? Oh, well.

“Heh heh… Thank you for your time. —Now then, I would like to once again ask for your request.”

And so, after a total of just over thirty minutes—a period I found interesting and enjoyable in various ways—Septra-shi had but one question.

“What kind of ‘Companion’ do you desire?”

In response, I…

“Let’s see… —First and foremost, a reliable nice guy.”

…replied with words I’d had prepared for quite some time.