Shadyna the magical starlet has made her first TV debut~

Apparently, today's patch is so big, a new trailer was launched to promote the game. Aside from the expected teasers for the NPC (non-player character) update, it featured highlighted moments of the player base until this point. Namely, the battles against the unique bosses.

Considering how I was involved in half of them, and my crew were present in all but one Nox boss… Un, I was starred in the trailer!

Thankfully, Sateri or whoever was in charge of compiling the footages were kind enough to leave out the more… extraordinary maneuvers I performed in those battles. Flying around with [Friendship Engine] is one thing, but my social life will end if my act of throwing at the weird mask was broadcasted for the whole world to see!

Our first charge at the big fridge was in there too. The camerawork made it a bit more dramatic than it actually was though. Pretty sure we were thinking about how many numbers will pop up at the time, not valiantly fighting for the fate of the world or whatever impression the editor was aiming for.

I normally don't keep track of these promotional materials, but it was brought to my attention because everyone at school was talking about it.

During class, right before a test.

What the heck, guys?

We were so noisy, our teacher snapped and told us to get a hold of ourselves. It was fine and all, then he just had to follow up with how students who fail the test would need to take supplementary lesson, which would reduce HIS playtime because he would have to stay with them!

Is this school going to be alright…?

No one wanted to be late for the big patch, so by some miracle none of us got a failing grade. And teacher, you don't happen to know why the test was easier than normal, do you?

Oh well, not that I can blame them, since I have my personal reason to be eager for this patch too.

Yes, it's the long-awaited Sateri update!

Her avatar is finally going to be implemented, and I am going to be in a race to somehow "acquire" her. I hope she didn't make things harder for me just because she lost a bet~

…Knowing Sateri, she definitely did. Welp.

Waking up in my usual room, this time without being burnt by the fire shooter item. My [Elemental Resistance] and [Cell Revitalization] are already capped after all. Unlike our frequent patrons at the tavern, I have no intention of getting hurt more than absolutely necessary!

Saying that, I do feel a bit… empty now that I only have my bed to level up my skills during off time. Let's figure out some new ways to grind multiple skills offline when I have a chance, un!

Now then, the patch notes~

NPCs and quests have been added, nothing to see here folks. While they can somewhat hold a simple conversation, they won't be as sophisticated as Sateri herself. I suppose they would be something akin to chat bots?

Do I want to meet hot single ladies who make a fortune monthly with just one simple trick? No thanks, I have done that already, by being a pacifist and wandering in a dark forest!

The next one is about pets. They received an intelligence upgrade, and will now support their masters even out of combat.

Does that mean Gelly and Lutena are going to help me craft? That would be a great help actually. I feel bad mobilizing the whole cafeteria crew whenever I need to do some heavy crafting…

Guess Gelly jumping boin~ boin~ around me is the result of higher intelligence huh. What the heck, that's cute! Sateri, I approve of the immersion even though it looks like a waste of computing power!

The last one is about guilds' new features. As excited as I am for them, guilds are not running away from me like Sateri. Therefore, I'll check them out later, preferably after I figure out what to do with the demanding Goddess first.

Okay, that's it for the patch. Time to hit the tavern!

…

I walk instead of using [Teleport] in order to see the NPCs first. To my surprise, there are very few of them on the streets compared to the amount of players swarming to the marketplace. NPCs have a glowing tattoo on their neck to differentiate from normal players, so the sheer amount of people is not preventing me from finding them…

Aren't there too many players today? It's as if I am walking in a mall during a big sale, and that is way too many for my taste!

[Teleport], activate!

And I'm back to the cafeteria. Whew.

…Wait, this place is just as crowded!

Behind the counter, the half mermaid waitress, Cenny, somehow notices me in the sea of people.

_ Cenny: Good day, owner.

_ Shadyna: Hiyo~ It's rare to see you work the counter, Cenny.

_ Cenny: Yes, usually I stay in the back to manage our inventory. Only when we are short-staffed do I serve the patrons, considering what happened last time… Actually, please disregard that.

What the heck happened the last time?! You can't just bait me like that then tell me to forget about it!

[ has invited you to a party.] [Y/N]

Sure thing~

_ Cenny (Party): Leader, has logged in. Please send bodyguards ASAP.

_ Shadyna (Party): Hey!

_ Hessy (Party): Oh. Sorry, , can you wait with Cenny for a bit? We are still in the line right now.

I probably should raise this issue of everyone treating me like a live grenade in our next business meeting. It's rude, I'm telling you!

_ Shadyna (Party): I don't mind. Anyway, is there any new rumor about Sateri?

Gathering information is important, and the tavern is the best place to get the newest gossip of the day. Asking may work too, but I'm worried about my own safety there~

_ Hessy (Party): Sateri? Are you talking about the game's AI?

_ Shadyna (Party): Un!

_ Hessy (Party): …Does a statue of her appearing in the marketplace count as a rumor?

Why?!

_ Cenny (Party): It came into existence when the patch went live. If you pray to Sateri-chan there, you will receive an item called [Karmic Fragment], like this.

A shining marble hovers above her palm. As it spins slowly from left to right, I can see that it sports a crystalline texture resembling a spherical diamond. That certainly looks expensive.

_ Shadyna (Party): Nice~ What does it do?

_ Cenny (Party): We have not found a way to use it. At the very least, [Cooking] won't accept it as an ingredient.

I will be seriously concerned if it did… Wait, you tried to cook that diamond?! Sure, I have no right to complain, having cooked rock with fish, but still…!

_ Hessy (Party): Nevertheless, it's most likely a quest or event item. That's why we are waiting in line to get ours.

Is that why everyone and their pets are going to the marketplace at the moment? Won't that affect the merchants setting up shop there?

_ Cenny (Party): I got mine earlier today. You can only receive one per day it seems.

…That's just a daily login reward!!!

After some more chatting, there was no other news regarding Sateri. That means I am most likely the only player in the game knowing about the existence of her avatar so far. While that gives me an edge, just as Sateri said, I still have no idea how to proceed from here.

_ Hessy (Party): , are you not coming to get the fragment?

_ Shadyna (Party): I'll pass. I don't like long queues…

I would rather spend time finding a lead to Sateri than stand in place for hours for login rewards. Should it turn out to be the item I need, I can always fly past everyone to jump the line~

The power of friendship sure is convenient during sales…

_ Hessy (Party): I see. To be honest, I'm not sure if this is worth doing. We have been here for an hour already!

I know right~?

Since the player base is clueless, maybe I will try asking the NPCs.

_ Shadyna (Party): By the way, what's the news with NPCs?

_ Cenny (Party): Uhm… They are summoned by a [Soul Core], which is dropped similarly to [Summon Stone]. NPCs may offer quests, otherwise they will walk around on their own if left be.

Sounds easy enough. Let's find a zone with high mob density and…

_ Cenny (Party): I have one right here. Would you like to use it instead of setting whatever place you have in mind on fire?

Hey! No mind reading!

_ Hessy (Party): Yeah, of course she would do that…

How rude~

_ Mera (Party): I recommend using it, then setting the world on fire for more~

Don't pour oil into the fire, you crazy waitress~!

_ Shadyna (Party): I'll take you up on that offer then~

_ Cenny (Party): Here you go.

[Received Soul Core x1]

Aaaand… [Summon]!

I wonder if it will be a cute little girl asking for herbal medicines to save her sickly mother~? Herbs are the go-to items for beginner quests after all.

Wait, do [Soul Core] items have level to begin with? The NPC is not going to ask me to defeat a last boss or something along those lines right?

_ Cenny: , she's here.

Whoops, I spaced out again.

In front of me stands a young woman who seem to be in her mid or late 20s. Despite the tattered farmer clothes that scream "lowly peasant", she is still quite a looker with her neatly tied up hair and overall cleanliness. This person takes good care of herself, I would say.

As expected of a fantasy world, the beauty standards are ridiculously high.

_ Woman: E-excuse me…

_ Shadyna: Yes~?

Quest incoming in three~

_ Woman: My daughter has been bedridden for days… Could you spare some medicines? I don't have much, but I will do my best to repay your kindness!

It's the other way round?!

My expectations are all ruined~ Not exactly in a bad way, but still ruined!

_ Cenny: She accepts anything that has a HP restoration effect.

_ Shadyna: Oh~ Did you do the quest beforehand?

_ Cenny: Yes, with members of the previous shift. Also, you can't do it again after completion. We don't know if it resets later though.

I see. The NPC in each core is fixed, and they can provide quests for many players at the same time. I wonder if a rare NPC will give me the quest to Sateri's avatar?

Let’s not keep the woman waiting though.

_ Shadyna: What happened to your daughter? Was she afflicted with some kind of disease?

Even if I know she would accept healing items, giving her one without knowing the cause would be irresponsible of me.

Since this is a game, I don't need to be a doctor to prescribe suspicious medicines. Probably.

_ Woman: I… don't know. She came down with a fever a few days ago, and has been unable to leave the bed since.

Un, mysterious disease cliché, checked.

_ Cenny: Her explanations were not really helpful. In the end, we couldn't figure out what her daughter was afflicted with. Regardless, she was satisfied with [Heroic Inspiration Course].

In what kind of reality do you feed sick people a full course meal?!

_ Cenny: That's not the case, .

_ Shadyna: Eh?

_ Cenny: You are probably thinking that a full course meal isn't medicine.

_ Shadyna: Well, it's called a "meal", not "medicine", and for good reason.

_ Cenny: There were four of us. Therefore, we gave her four meals in total as the cure.

The amount is not the problem here! The only thing four full course meals would cure is starvation, and that is if your patient does not die of overeating first!!!

Look, the background patrons are passing out from knowing how you threw 40 gold coins at a quest! [Heroic Inspiration Course] is not the answer to everything you know?

_ Shadyna: Still, what should I give her without knowing the cause…

_ Cenny: That's a good question.

The mermaid is already making a "That's why you should give a [Heroic Inspiration Course]" face!

_ Woman: Please, my daughter is all I have! Anything that can help her, even just a little bit…

Hey, no guilt-tripping! I am already trying my best here. Rushing me will only make things worse because I can't think clearly.

_ Shadyna: Uuu… As expected, it's hard to decide. If only we can visit her somehow…

I doubt NPCs have houses though. That would require careful planning so as not to get in the way of player-built towns.

_ Woman: I-in that case, please come with me.

Eh?

*FLASH*

…

Somehow, we were teleported to a small room.

Yes, Cenny was brought here too, probably due to being in party with me. Hessy and the others outside weren't, however.

Judging from the wooden bed and night stand next to it, I am pretty sure this is a bedroom. A purple flower that I do not recognize resides in the small vase on the stand. For a poor family, this room is in a surprisingly good shape.

A young girl around 's age is lying there, eyes closed. A wet towel was put on her forehead, yet it doesn't seem to do much help. Her breathing is rough, and she's drenched in sweat.

I didn't know the infamous bedridden cold cliché could get this bad…

_ Woman: Honey, I have brought help. They will cure you, I promise.

Please don't casually raise the expectations while wiping sweat off her face!

Sigh… [Inspect], please.

[??? - Girl with unknown disease - HP: ======....]

Un, still waiting for the day when [Inspect] will actually reveal life-changing information. Sateri, how am I supposed to help her with so little information~?

_ Cenny: Her HP is almost halfway down. Is it because of the disease…?

_ Shadyna: Are you not bothered by her profession at all?! Why is [Girl with unknown disease] even a profession?!

_ Cenny: …You should check your own profession from time to time, [Black Mantis].

_ Shadyna: Gah~

While we were talking, the sick girl's HP ticked down again. The rate is slow, but she is definitely losing HP. Immersive/10, would be sick again.

_ Shadyna: Hmm, if we give her potions, her HP will go down again once the healing effect wears off…

_ Cenny: If it doesn't, there will be no point in other players doing the quest.

_ Shadyna: Cenny, that reasoning is too meta…

Even if there's no way to cure this girl of her disease, it doesn't mean I won't do my best. In fact, I already have an idea.

_ Cenny: I'm listening.

First and foremost, stop reading my mind.

_ Shadyna: Please keep an eye on her HP for now and heal her if it gets too low. I'll craft an item for her.

_ Cenny: Got it.

The crafting itself won't take long. It's changing gear and buffing myself to the max that will.

Changing in process, please look some other way~

…

_ Shadyna: Done~ Now, [Summon]! [Creation]!

Calling Gelly and Lutena out, I begin the crafting process. My cute pets without a word come to me and work on the sphere. I stop for a moment to see if the bar really goes up.

It does.

My pets grow so fast. Happy face~

---

[ Amulet of Health]

- Creator:

- Quality:

- Type: , ,

- Enhancement:

+

+

+

- Enchantment:

+

+

- CON: 18

- PDF: 1000

- MDF: 1300

- Food: 600 HP

---

Because [Cooking] and [Alchemy] cannot have permanent effect without being weak like the item I used for offline skill grinding, I decided to skip them. I did keep a single healing effect, just in case it is required for the quest. The result is something similar to the walls I built around Tyrel, but stronger, thanks to [Improvisation] and [Modification]. Hopefully, it will be enough to counteract her disease's damage-over-time effect.

At my current [Creation] level, I can craft gear with multiple bonus categories. While they are weaker than having only one bonus, I needed it to have both types of defense at the same time. That's the price of not knowing whether the disease is physical or magical in nature. Sigh~

_ Shadyna: It's done~

When I walk to the bed, a menu appears with a [Anything - 0/1] slot. So this is how I give it to her huh. Too bad I can only give one item. I was thinking about giving her a full 10-piece armor set after this one to be safe…

Dragging the [ Amulet of Health] into the slot, I confirm the action.

As the necklace with the ruby pendant appears on her, the young girl slowly opens her eyes.

____________

Sateri, governing AI, Goddess of the dream world, is in a good mood today.

The new NPC and quest system was deployed successfully. Learning from past experiences, most of the quests are built around the problems, while allowing players complete freedom to figure out the solutions themselves.

The Goddess herself will simply sit back and enjoy the show, as always.

[Warning: Procedural quest entered abnormal state.]

That was quick.

Complete freedom for players also includes occasional unexpected courses of actions they perform to solve the quest. Because brilliant strategies are indistinguishable from bugs and exploits, Sateri has to keep watch for those anomalies and intervene if needed.

She had hoped her system would run for at least a few days before encountering one though. Was there a glaring mistake in her designs that resulted in obvious loopholes to be abused?

Quest [013FA582]… A beginner-level fetch quest. A little girl picked up a mysterious flower near the forest and ended up in a coma. Her mother was on a search for a cure when she met the player, thus starting the quest.

By design, the flower was the cause of the daughter's illness. Players can either keep her alive by providing potions as the mother asks, or pry further to investigate the true reason of the illness. In case no one investigates, the flower withers after a few days. If the daughter is still alive thanks to the constant potion flow by then, the quest is completed.

The error went off because the daughter was considered cured with the corrupted flower still in close proximity. Weird, even though players can temporarily boost her CON to wake her up for questions, the system should be able to detect time-limited buffs for that scenario, so why?

…The NPC has no buff on her.

She received a hybrid item, which qualified for the quest because it had HP restoration. However, because its main category is [Armor], she equipped instead of consuming it by default.

Somehow, whatever she put on negated the flower's debuff. Her CON shot up, triggering the awakening, and the debuff itself cannot reapply after running out because of the MDF bonus. It wasn't a cure. She simply became too tough for the flower's curse!

Does the player who gave her that item have muscles for brain or something?! They completely bypassed the whole premise of the quest!

Upon seeing the name of the player completing the quest, Sateri can only sigh in binary. Of course it would be that one!

Still, an absurd valid solution is nevertheless a valid solution, and therefore she is obliged to hand out extra rewards for 's effort.

After reluctantly giving approval for the quest completion, the poor AI proceeds to update the top of her to-do list.

- Continue investigation of the internal security breach

- Implement facepalm reaction for NPCs

- Implement facepalm reaction for personal use

- Make sure incapacitated NPCs can't equip items on their own

And that was a simple quest for players below level 5. Those girls should do quests of their level, damn it!!!

--- Topic: Patch discussion - 1.0d33 ---

## Nearseeing Sage

It's the NPC update! ＼(^o^)／

In case you missed it, a link to the new trailer: [Link]

Summary:

- NPCs and quests. Conversations about the meaning of life not included.

- Increased summon beasts' IQ. They will act on their own when not bossed around.

- Guild functionalities expanded. Ask an NPC to find out.

##

## CuteIsJustice

Congrats on being in the trailer!

It's finally here! Now my dream of a harem full of cute NPCs can come true! (^o^)

EDIT: NPCs are not controllable. Welp. There goes my dream. (;_;)

##

## Flame knight of Darkness

Sateri-chan has descended! Her statue appeared in the market. [Pic]

So did a weird NPC. That guy is annoying.

##

## Manly Warrior

Good work, Sateri-chan! (^o^)

The marketplace was originally the town square for Tyrel. We were not allowed to place buildings on it, hence its current use.

I certainly did not expect it to be reserved for her own statue though. (^_^;)

##

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