Vol 1 Chapter 5 (1/2)

Chapter 5: Escape

1

Serara was hiding in a composite roo roo roo

The civilization of the old world had been lost after the world fell apart, and you could only see the architectural relics of its culture scattered around the world Serara, as a player, knew this world was recreated in the ie of modern japan with Susukino based on one of the cities of Sapporo You could see hints of the real world city everywhere

Susukino was an urbanized place in the world that had s They have all been reinforced with cold steel as part of the Elder Tales setting,them look more like fortresses

The angular design gave it a retro n ame

The buildings strengthened by screws, braces, nuts and bolts were able to withstand the wind and snow, but not the cold That's why the people of Susukino would construct additional insulation houses within the buildings, places that arm and suitable to live in

This was highly inefficient if you took into account the population and the area available It wouldn't work in japan, but was possible in the world of Elder Tales

One of these insulation houses was the hiding place of Serara, a rental from the person who helped her

She had been cleaning this home separated into rooms by screen doors all day

She didn't do it because she liked to clean or because the place was dirty She just had nothing else to do In this place with no TV or internet, it was hard to kill time

Serara's subclass was Housekeeper This subclass had the ability to clean zones, arrange itee ite a place clean and tidy

( Why did I pick such a minor, useless subclass?)

Serara sighed for the countless ti

In Elder Tales, theyour character and could not be changed However, if you were fine with giving up all your subclass EXP, you could change subclasses easily

Serara's main class was Druid, a type of healer

Serara wanted to experience the feeling of doing business in this co

There werewith other players and earning cash by doing business offered a unique sense of fun, it was one of the ways to enjoy Elder Tales

But most players anted to focus on business would choose Merchant or Accountant as a subclass These subclasses would provide additional benefits when trading, allowing you to get discounts when dealing with NPCs

Another choice would be a production subclass Crafting all sorts of items to sell was also a proper way to play

But according to the beginners' guide Serara had read online, you needed to have certain levels of stats and some quests cleared before you could choose Accountant or Merchant as a subclass You would need to have soo the production subclass route

So Serara was saving upthe level of her Druidso or far for items after all, so Serara decided to choose the siht in mind

Sih an elimination process

(Boohoo If I kneould be like this, I should have chosen a crafting subclass, such as Artisan or Tailor)

Serara's mind wandered as she cleaned the table

The composite room made from insulation parts had a country-style interior

It wasn't really a style, it was just that things were simply made frorain patterns, and the walls were built with logs while planks covered the ceiling

According to the ga, Ezzo E the japanese server with its forestry andindustries

The wooden floors and reddish tables were all unique products of Ezzo Ehly

In the wood cabin style co hair tied in a bunch Serara orking hard Her flannel shi+rt and deniave the impression of cleanliness and tidiness She was not utterly beautiful, but looked like a neife from afar

(Eh, I' up)

Serara sighed as she opened theHer housekeeper EXP was increasing today too The EXP for main class and subclass were independent Subclasses were n than main classes, you would level up if you accumulated 10 EXP, and the limit would either be level 90 or 100

Serara's Housekeeper level was 42 yesterday, but it was 44 now Recently her subclass had been rising 3 levels every day, an incredible speed Shein Susukino

(I don't want to be a NEET, grinding levels That would be so sad)

She had been doing laundry and house chores the whole day, of course her level would increase But ht rose in Serara's e, but the feeling of embarrassment was more prominent

(No way! No way! Maybe I a for my kitty-husband to come home!)

Serara started polishi+ng the tableware to hide her embarrassment

This way of killing time wouldn't trouble others and looked very peaceful from the side

”Serara-san, I'm home nya”

The door opened and an a man returned

This zone was an independent space with monthly rental fees, so only players authorized by the owner could enter Thethe house was a werecat

His slender figure and green corduroy jacketbooks His long liure His round head had a pair of triangular ears on top like a mischievous cat from fairy tales The whiskers on either side of his face made him look majestic and cute

He was Nyanta

A demihuman with cat features from the 8 races available for the players to choose, werecats

”Welcome back Nyanta-san”

Serara bowed

”Hoas the town?”

Nyanta tilted his head slightly and gave a vague smile His slit-like eyes made her feel at ease, but Serara was unable to see other es in his expression

”Saood, it wasn't bad”

Serara's expression sank at his words Nyanta said it wasn't bad, but since it hadn't improved, it meant the situation was still atrocious

Susukino's security continued to deteriorate With the small population, they could notworld

The andia A congregation of notorious people expelled from Akiba and Nakasu, it had a nasty reputation since the Elder Tales days

Prioritizing profits, their aggressive style turned theroup of bandits after the Apocalypse

PK was norht not be satisfied with half the iteot from their victims They would use intimidation and harassment to extort more money from other players

They were nasty to both players and NPCs

For many reasons, there was no point for players to uards for instance, their battle prowess and levels were high and they could fend off normal players with ease

The NPCs in the field zones like merchant caravans, farmers, and citizens which provided inforth but no wealth to speak of

These NPCs would also provide crucial hints for quests, so normal players wouldn't attack them

But this group had no qualnored the fact that the NPCs had nothing valuable on the them as slaves

Players were able to employ NPCs in the world of Elder Tales They were hired for various reasons, but the most common would be to take care of player residences In Elder Tales where you could purchase a hoed and cleaned your place had a fixed demand in the market

Be it renting or buying a zone, the o up if you didn't clean your place periodically

Soht on the battlefield, but could serve well in activities such as guild events It was common to employ NPCs

One of the reasons Serara's Housekeeper subclass was unpopular was due the job being outsourced to NPCs

If you hired a NPC800 gold a month It was understandable for the Housekeeper subclass to lose popularity

Elder Tales was just a well-made online RPG Only a select few NPCs like maids, harvesters, and assistants had unique skills to help the players You could not employ other normal NPCs

Their appearances used the same base models as players, but their communication ability was lience They could say predeterh a few select options They were simply not worth the effort to attack

But all sorts of common sense was overturned after the Apocalypse

The gahtmare

There were est being the changes of the NPCs They had an actual soul and body in this world

Their conversational skills and actions were no different from players

Unless they had special settings, their battle proere h the status screen, it was hard to tell players and NPCs apart

Another major difference was the number of NPCs

NPCs were uild Brigandia treated these two facts as ripe fruits to be harvested The act of selling people as a tool of entertainment started in this world

This was not a profitable business model in Susukino with only 2000 people It was just an action thatmoney

Even the low-class act of capturing NPCs for sale was just a way to kill time

Just like the evolution of other foolish ideas, these actions gradually got out of hand They shi+fted their focus fro people from NPCs to female players like Serara

Serara turned pale as she thought about this Her vision di her head and her temperature dropped

If the man in front of her had not come to her rescue, she would definitely be in deep trouble

”No, don't think so hard about it Serara-san If you let it bother you, you'll turn old easily nya”

Nyanta waved his hand in front of Serara as he spoke

”Don't think too much about it, eat some fruits nya Here eat this”

Serara nodded as Nyanta offered her an apple

The fragrance from the red fruit made Serara relax

”This house is so clean I'reat wife someday nya”

”That isn't true Really”

Nyanta sat on a chair by the dining table and commented casually His words made Serara's temperature rise

Nyanta referred to himself as an old man

Fro of his voice, Nyanta was h school, would not have been surprised if Nyanta ice her age

But even so, Serara didn't think Nyanta was as old as he said Serara shared this thought with hiiven to the well-designed characters in the game But Serara didn't think so

(Nyanta-san entleman Cool, wise, mature and cheerful)

Even if this was a gans, Serara felt that appearance didn't really ether And after the Apocalypse, Serara was very certain of Nyanta's character, since they were living under the saency situations)

Nyanta gave off the feeling of a dependable andand Serara felt a sense of security when she ith hi like a noble cat, his slender figure was so cool

(Nyanta-san is so in shape, I look kind of fat being next to hiht)

Objectively speaking, Serara had a norhts formed when she looked at Nyanta

Nyanta has muscles all over his body, but it felt like he was made from pencils

”How are those people who are co nya?”

Nyanta arranged the ite table and asked Crescent Moon Alliance, the guild Serara belonged to, had already sent a 3 man team from Akiba to Susukino for her Serara and Nyanta both knew about this and it was their common topic of conversation

Nyanta was ih they couldn't contact the teauild master Maryele would contact Serara several times daily, so Serara knew their approximate position

”Yes, they are doing fine, they'll probably arrive before noon tomorrow”

Serara reported

She wouldn't be able to stay here anyo back to Akiba

What plans did Nyanta have? Serara was afraid to ask

Nyanta only aided her out of kindness, so Serara wasn't sure how much she could ask of him She was unable to repay hiht this up, he would dis ones is the obligation and joy of the elderly'

(Even though I am happy he said that he only treats me like a child after all)

”Please bear with this a little while longer nya Serara-sanconfined in such a small house, so just endure it a bit ”

Nyanta's sain

2

Another day passed

shi+roe's group had set up their base dozens of minutes away from Susukino for surveillance as scheduled

Susukino was a city zone located in Ezzo Empire Ezzo Empire was equivalent to Sapporo in the old world and was set as a field zone

It was a fortress city with far zones, and many NPCs resided here

To be safe, shi+roe found an inconspicuous collapsed house in the suburbs to use as their base, with a view observing the entrance into Susukino

”There is no need to be on guard right now, my lord”

”But there is a fishy atmosphere, this place is lifeless”

shi+roe nodded in agreement with both their assessments and took out a piece of paper froh sketch of Susukino

”Susukino has onelike this The uptown area is in the east, the central square is to the east of this place As for us,” shi+roe drew an arrow ”We are going in from the west”

”Can't we meet up outside the city?”

”That's a bad idea shrimp”

”Is that so, pervert Naotsugu?”

They each refused to back down, calling each other shrimp and pervert shi+roe only soothed them this one time as he explained

”Our respawn point is in Akiba since that is the last city we visited If we ht, ould respawn in the Akiba cathedral after some time but Serara-san would respawn at the Susukino cathedral So if we et wiped out, ill return to Akiba while Serara-san would stay at Susukino We will need to start all over, which I want to avoid”

”I understand”

Akatsuki nodded while Naotsugu had a s 'I told you so' look on his face

”Next up is our formation Akatsuki I would like you to hide yourself with Sneak and Silent Move, please”

”No 'please' my lord”

”Eh, I understand Naotsugu and I, with Akatsuki who is hiding her presence, will enter the city nor Akatsuki will find a hiding place with a vantage point covering the whole building Contact ”

The serious girl with black hair nodded with a serious expression

”Naotsugu will guard the entrance Try to find a spot that overlooks both the road and the interior of the building Wait there and be prepared for any e, u as fast as possible”

”Okay Eh, what about the third party who helped?”

”I have not ascertained his identity yet, but I hope he will leave Susukino with us We will leave his decision to go to Akiba until later”

shi+roe thought for a

”It is highly possible Serara-san is on the friend list of a Brigandia guild member”

Unlike what its na someone to your friend list You could determine whether a person on your friend list was online, and you could also check to see if they were in the same zone as you

”If that is the case, they'll locate her and send pursuit thespot The best case will be to leave Susukino before that happens They probably won't find us if we are two or three zones away”

Serara was currently hiding in an independent zone of a building Put simply, Serara wouldn't be detected by people who added her to their friend list if she was hidden there

But if she left and went into the Susukino city zone, they would notice her presence The group would need to go through the Susukino city zone in order to return to Akiba

shi+roe had already planned for this on his journey here and explained it in detail to the others Hisit safe, but shi+roe didn't think anything would actually go wrong

But everything depended on how unscrupulous the proble etting wiped out

(There are tons of bad scenarios This is the reason people say I think too much and I am an introvert)

It wouldn't be a proble shi+roe nodded at Naotsugu and Akatsuki as he thought about this

”If we are fast, we can say goodbye to Susukino in an hour”

”I support my lord's battle plans”

After tying down the hand signals for actions and the encies, the trio headed for Susukino

The entrance was designed to look like a reinforced castle gate Angular braces were bolted to the gate at all angles, giving it an inti look

The young Ezzo Es of the japanese server, it was a strong and warlike nation Weapons were hung all over the cities and the colorful standards gave off a military atmosphere

(This is different fro it like this is totally different from what I remember)

The decor, atround in the gau felt the same as he looked around with interest while wrapped in his thick woolen cloak

The long road led into the city zone

The NPCs walking in the streets were lifeless and the occasional players they saw had gloomy expressions

”The atmosphere is terrible, I wouldn't want to live here”

”Yeah”

Naotsugu whispered and shi+roe replied in the sa of frustration in his heart burned stronger

He had felt this sensation during his journey here, but he was losing control of it right now He felt irritated and his tes

Although he wanted to do so to improve the situation, he didn't have any practical means or the ability

The wary shi+roe looked behind himself every now and then, but he couldn't feel Akatsuki's presence or location She must have been nearby, but for her to have erased her presence so completely made shi+roe feel uneasy

After traveling a distance, he saw an abandoned building with a broken sign saying '-raoke BO-', the landnaled with his hand and entered the building with Naotsugu

There were steel braces reinforcing the cracks in the concrete walls everywhere The buildings here looked more structurally sound than Akiba's

Naotsugu turned right just after entering the lobby and found a security guard post shi+roe listened intently for any sound as he , up the stairs to the 2nd floor

After contacting Maryele by telepathy, shi+roe was told 'Our guildas planned so far, which put shi+roe at ease It had been 6 minutes since he entered Susukino

shi+roe turned around casually when he heard 2 sets of footsteps approaching A young girl wearing leather arreeted hi hair tied back in a low ponytail and looked up at shi+roe with guilty eyes This, along with her panicky de its head out of the forest”Umm, hello!”

shi+roe smiled

”I a”

”Nya”

”Wait, is that you Chief?”

Even though it was rude to Serara as bowing her head in thanks, shi+roe couldn't help retorting loudly

”Hey, I was thinking who it ht be, isn't this shi+roe-chi nya? That explains how you arrived so quickly nya”

This was the e' in the Debauchery Tea Party, the Swashbuckler with cat ears Nyanta

3

Nyanta was a player that gave off a unique air during his days in the Debauchery Tea Party He was steady, cool, and had a kind nature

He could also be described as a sunbathing cat Anyway, he was the one rare sensible person restraining the playful group that tended to go out of control

Nyanta referred to himself as an old man and behaved like one with his steadfast maturity

With voice chat being the uess soh their voice

The self-proclaier than 50, should be a bit older than 40, and was 30 plus years of age at best

Online ga

There was no surprise in finding players older than 30, but you would be hard pressed to see any over 40 Nyanta probably called hie, which differed from how shi+roe saw it

In this case, an adult had nothing to do with biological age

Others thought of Nyanta as an adult because of his character and experience

'Adult' in this case didn't mean someone who couldn't read the at tiave you advice when you consulted them

Nyanta would help any comrade that came to him for advice, but he would not overdo it with his aid They would pull the his warm voice and work hard on their problem This was the reason Nyanta was loved and respected by the younger players

His nicknaood will by the other players

The Debauchery Tea Party was not a guild, it was just a group of players

Many players there were not in any guild, but souilds with strict rules frowned on theiron such close terms with outsiders

This was not because of discrih it could be), it was just concern aboutthe high-level uilds, it would be better to teach the beginners in your own guild Guilds were meant for mutual support after all

Taking this into perspective, Debauchery Tea Party regulars were either frouilds or not in one

Nyanta belonged to the guild 'Cat Food'

But shi+roe had never seen any other players frouild

Whenever shi+roe asked Nyanta how his guild was doing, Nyanta replied 'I love sitting on the porch, but the house was getting old So like that nya' with a smile

Although Nyanta was the adviser for the Debauchery Tea Party, he was not a h authority or status shi+roe could sense that Nyanta was concerned about how the trend of the Tea Party would affect him

Nyanta maintained a calm and playful demeanor, but he definitely liked the festive events of the Debauchery Tea Party, right? He probably wanted to enjoy hi ones' That's how shi+roe felt

”Ah, sorry about that Serara-san, please call e”

”That's right Serara-san, this is shi+roe-chi, a s man nya The plan is sure to ith him here nya”

”I see you still meow all the time, Chief”

shi+roe gave a teasing smile

Making fun of Nyanta'shad been a joy of shi+roe since the Tea Party days

”What are you talking about shi+roe-chi nya? This is the correct way for cat people to speak, a wonderful way to end a sentence nya”

”Is it 'wan' or 'nya', just stick to one okay?”

The light-hearted chat between shi+roe and Nyanta surprised Serara She calmed herself and asked

”You know each other?”

”We were very close nya shi+roe-chi used to check me for fleas”

”I did not”

Serara could only nod with a stunned expression

”Since shi+roe-chi is here who are the other 2 nya?”

”Naotsugu is here, the other is a girl nah 10 days and 160 training sessions, she is good”

”Then Naotsugu-cchi is here too nya, and a new friend? This is excellent nya shi+roe-chi is finally at this phase nya”

Nyanta, who always squinted his eyes into a slit while s, looked at shi+roe with a deep smile

”Chief Nyanta What happened to Cat Food?”

”The house couldn't handle the bad weather and half the house caved in nya Perhaps it is a sign fro me to relocate to Akiba nya”

”That Ah, wait a minute”

Nyanta's answer sounded randiose than sad Just when shi+roe was about to ask further, a soothing ringtone sounded in his ears

”AThey have 3 weapon-based classes and 2 healers, probably in the sa to surround you They will reach you in about 2 minutes”

The concise words brought up the sketch of Susukino in shi+roe's mind

”Our allies detected a party of 6 led by a Monk approaching, any idea who they are?”

”That's - !”

”That should be the guild andia, Demiqas nya He is a level 90 Monk, so are his teammates nya He is the mastermind behind all this, the enemy nya”

Nyanta used the term enemy clearly

He had never addressed any player this way in the game before, which cleared up any doubts shi+roe had,

”Is there a back door here? We will fight our way through if there is a need”

4

”This way nya”

”You doing okay Serara-san?”

”Of course!”

Serara chased after Nyanta, as leading the ith the rescue team member shi+roe behind her

(So he is Nyanta-san's friend He looks hard to get along with, but seems very smart)

Serara judged based on shi+roe's sharp eyes

Peeking behind, she could see shi+roe watching the vicinity while talking through telepathy His feet were steady and fast, definitely experienced in this

Brigandia h the areas they found suspicious

They'd probably found her whereabouts through the friend list

That's what Serara concluded

It would only be a matter of time before they were found The layout of Susukino was very sirid like a chess board No matter what route they took, they would be surrounded if the enemy had sufficient numbers

shi+roe and Nyanta decided to force their way through even though they knew this

They said this was a necessary gamble to return to Akiba

shi+roe was contacting Naotsugu and Akatsuki, ere not here The three of them moved fast but steadily towards the main road that led west

The city gate was full of Brigandia members, as expected

”Fighting is prohibited in the streets of Susukino nya What are they thinking?”

”They will let us through the first time”

shi+roe ive way, but that was just this one tiroup was outside and then attack That was Brigandia's plan Serara was sure shi+roe and Nyanta understood this too

”That's how it is nya”

Nyanta didn't ask shi+roe further about his bad premonition out of concern for Serara

But the kind attitude of Nyanta differed from his tiave her the chills

”What Should I do?”

Serara's voice was trerabbed her wrist once, and Serara lost her courage just recalling hissmile

”About that”

shi+roe looked far ahead, and you could see his expression fading from his profile shi+roe, who looked , scared Serara

”If they're letting us leave, then we just go That s easier”

” Eh?”