"It's like he became a stranger. 'Deranged' may even be a fitting term for him." Harrington clenches a fist. "He started spouting nonsense like this world was a lie, that we NPCs were only being used. Nobody could calm him down or even defeat him; he just slaughtered anyone who passed his way, even innocent players, for months. He kept telling everyone who was present that it was for the purpose of purification, that he was saving them from suffering."

"Strange," Scott murmurs.

"Thankfully, the developers eventually got a hold of him by apprehending him themselves," Harrington says. "They can't erase an NPC from this game world, but they seemed to have succeeded in fixing his terrible glitch. The developers had to compensate the KO-ed players and apologize for the commotion. It's hard enough for them to add NPCs to this game because of the complex and time-consuming process, so they had a difficult time figuring out how to balance the population once more."

"Then how do NPCs get added into this game?" Scott asks. "Is it like the real world as well?"

Harrington nods. "We can get married and make families in this world. Keep in mind that only NPCs can do this, though!" he warns.

"You say that as if I were actually planning to make babies here," Scott deadpans, looking severely unimpressed.

Harrington grins in amusement. "Teenage boys have raging hormones, after all. Isn't that right?"

"Yeah, but unfortunately for me, I'm not interested in that kind of excitement," Scott says monotonously, propping an elbow on the table and resting his chin on his fist. "I'm asexual."

Harrington sighs. "Such a boring guy..." he almost wails.

Scott ignores the unnecessary quip. "Tell me more," he says quietly. "Where is Damian now? Is he still prowling anywhere?"

"Not really," Harrington replies somberly. "He's positioned at the fortress now, but he gets missions to travel to cities every once in a while to monitor crimes and all that stuff. He changed back to his old self, but... I don't think he's the same kid I knew anymore."

"..." Scott averts his gaze. "So the developers are sure that he isn't dangerous anymore?"

"Yeah, they are," Harrington responds with a wry smile. "The developers usually don't declare things like that without making sure of their information, so I trust them. I don't wanna die a meaningless death; I have a personality too, you know."

A brief screech can be heard as Scott pushes his chair back while standing up. Unbuttoning the top two buttons of his vest, he turns to Harrington. "Can you spar with me today?"

Harrington blinks. "What's with you? I thought we were going to hunt monsters in the grasslands?"

"I don't feel like it now." Scott smiles slightly. "I want to know more about this world, and you can tell me while we fight."

Harrington stares at him, then chuckles. "You really are a curious and detail-oriented person, aren't you? Well then, I can't just refuse the offer of a sparring match. It's the first time we're going up against each other, after all."

Soon, they're out in a clearing. Harrington unclasps his X-Blade and holds the two swords in his hands. "All right," he says. "We can talk while we fight, like real men."

Scott says nothing, but a glass sword materializes out of thin air in front of him. He deftly catches the hilt with his right hand and takes on a defensive pose.

Interesting... Harrington thinks to himself. Eager young boys usually start off by charging at their opponent, but this guy is trying to analyze my first move.

A rush of excitement drills through his veins. I'll give him what he wants, then.

Harrington runs forward in quick speed, swinging his swords at Scott. The latter's eyes widen before he deflects the blades' attacks with his long sword.

The attacks collide against my sword, but they aren't heavy at all, Scott realizes. I get it. A weapon weighs nothing more than a feather when equipped, and impacts with other weapons feel the same...

Harrington pierces a sword through Scott's chest, taking advantage of the momentary distraction. "You're wide open!" he declares.

Scott immediately backtracks, causing Harrington to pull his sword back.

I don't feel the pain, and there's no blood rushing out. Scott grows stiffer by the second as his hand tightly clasps the front of his shirt. But that piercing sensation... I definitely felt it. It's like fighting monsters all over again.

Feeling things like this makes me damn uncomfortable.

Harrington smirks as he raises the sword to his chest, letting the blade lean on his shoulder. "We were planning to talk, right? What other questions do you have?"

"...I can't think of any at the moment," Scott replies tersely as he forces the discomfort to go away. He cautiously brandishes his sword, narrowing his eyes at Harrington.

...This game is sensational.

It makes me want to know more and more about this world. The curiosity is almost eating me alive.

For the first time in most of his life, Scott grins in anticipation.

"Come at me again, old man."

Harrington is staring at him, startled. Then he can't resist a chuckle.

He should really smile more often.

"All right. Be prepared, Scott!" he warns before charging at him again.

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end of introduction i