Chapter 92 092

"What do you mean I hid my…" Maya was about to make excuses, but then she shook her head. "It's no use since you've already seen me in action. Why did you test me, adventurer?"

"I knew you were hiding your powers. I just wanted to see for myself."

"How did you know?"

"Trade secret, sorry. And your answer?"

"I'm the same. I have a reason to hide it."

"Can you tell me that reason then?"

"If you see my power, you'll keep pushing me to go outside Shahav."

"I thought you needed a lot of money."

Seojin remembered how Maya argued with Jin over a single customer. Maya sighed a little.

"That's true."

"So, can my money change your answer?"

"In principle, no."

"What if the check is big enough to break those principles?"

"Well, I'll think about it. But, sir, the cost won't even compare to Shahav."

"I want to hear the price."

"I haven't even thought about it, and even if I wanted to, I couldn't name it right now."

"So, you can give it some thought?"

"That's…"

Maya's expression became even more complicated.

"I really can't after all. I won't ask you to act like you never saw me, but that's really out of the question." Maya said firmly.

She had only hesitated in the first place because the situation was so unexpected. Principles were principles because they couldn't be broken.

"Okay, that's a shame. By the way, it's quite windy and my eyes are stinging. Do you offer any other services besides guidance to Shahav? Perhaps a tour in the area?"

'Did he give up?'

Maya thought about it for a moment but then realized that the adventurer couldn't just venture out on his own without her help.

'Even adventurers wouldn't walk into certain death blindly…'

Seojin still recognized Maya's true strength, which made her feel better.

'I'd rather stay with him either way. It's safer than letting him wander off alone.'

Maya flashed her gentle, cheerful smile once again.

"For only five gold, I can offer an eight-hour tour of Shahav, sir!"

* * *

"You wouldn't believe how much I've explored this time."

"Master! There are two more cacti over here!"

"On my way!"

"What's taking you so long?!"

"Just be patient! Are you always this quick-tempered when you're adventuring?!"

The Flower of the Desert, Shahav's best pub, was a boisterous mess, filled with both players and NPCs. Despite the dusty outside, the interior was clean. Maya explained that there was magic in place to keep the sand out.

"The owner invested a lot of money to keep this place clean. That's why it's so popular. It's one of the few places where you can escape the sand completely. As a resident, I shouldn't say this, but you know how it is with sand…"

Maya, the mysterious guide, had started talking non-stop ever since they arrived.

"In fact, my guidance fee wouldn't be that high if the price here wasn't that expensive."

"I don't sell anything to those who say my service is overpriced!"

The owner shouted, but that didn't discourage Maya one bit.

"I didn't say it was overpriced! Did my compliments fly over your head? Stop being petty and act like the owner of the best pub in the Shahav!"

"Is that so? Haha! Well then, that's a different story! Please take extra care of table number sixteen."

With a hearty laugh, the employees began serving them various dishes, including a few bottles of cactus liquor that could only be found in Shahav.

"Hee, today's your lucky day. You've never tried this before, have you? It's amazing. Some adventurers come to Shahav just for this."

"Is it alcohol?"

"The strongest alcohol in Shahav. The owner must be in a good mood today. He's not usually the customer-friendly type."

Maya immediately popped the cap on the bottle and downed it. Seojin took note of her lack of hesitation and finally realized that she was not a child.

In Midgard, minors were banned from drinking to avoid problems, and NPCs were no exception. That meant Maya must have been an adult despite her appearance.

Seojin had already confirmed that she was the key NPC, but even if she wasn't, the combination of her looks and behavior was suspicious.

'So, you look like a child but are actually older and have tremendous power… just who exactly is she?'

Maya kept chatting desperately as if she wanted Seojin to forget about what happened earlier. Seojin, however, had no intention of giving her a break.

"Maya."

"Yes, sir!"

"Who are you?"

"I can't tell you. You can think of me as a guide or a kid hiding something special."

"You just drank a bottle of alcohol."

"Think of me as a grandmother then. A great guide like me even considers their customer's tastes. Shall we plan today's tour course as we eat?"

Seojin couldn't help but snort at her continued dedication to her job as a guide.

"You said that you didn't need money, right?"

"Money? No way, I need it a lot. A lot!"

Maya flashed a radiant smile as she clutched a second bottle, prompting Seojin to rise from his seat.

"I'll be right back," he said.

"Where are you going?"

Maya asked.

"Adventurers need to take contracts. I'm not here to tour," Seojin replied.

"Oh, I see! I'll wait here!" Maya gulped down yet another bottle as Seojin shook his head and left the pub.

"You said she wasn't human, right?" Seojin asked.

"Absolutely not. After watching her… I'm quite sure now. How should I put this, she's a little like me. The look in her eyes was at least hundreds of years old."

"Hundreds of years?" Seojin asked incredulously.

"She's like… yes, a retired veteran mercenary. Y'know, the kind that leisurely enjoys their remaining lives."

"Yeah, I didn't think she really needed the money either," Seojin agreed.

Although Shahav was an open settlement, the Sleeping Desert right next to it was still shrouded in mystery. Maya could easily have made a fortune guiding curious, wealthy players.

'Even I tried to. If money was the problem, they would've paid as much as needed.'

It wasn't easy to find NPC allies around Level 200, let alone hire them. Seojin would have dismissed Maya as a random guide if it weren't for Flappy.

"But her appearance is a young girl."

"What's inside is not human. You better watch out. There aren't many great beings out there who stay sane.

"Would you like to keep an eye on her for me?"

"You want me to keep an eye on her?" Flappy repeated incredulously.

"Because she'll keep up the guide persona when I'm around," Seojin explained.

"How am I even…" Flappy trailed off as she clapped her hands. "Oh, I didn't tell you about that. She's vaguely noticed me."

"…Oh my god. She noticed you?"

"That's why I've been speaking using telepathy. If I say anything, she might find out."

"Damn it, that was the reason," Seojin muttered.

Flappy was a high-class spirit with an undetectable stealth skill.

"How great must she be to see through it?" Seojin wondered aloud.

"I wasn't complexly exposed. She probably just felt there's something around you,"

Flappy reassured him.

"That's surprising enough."

Seojin stopped talking as he saw another message.

Information obtained about main NPC, Maya

Bookmarks Added.

A system message appeared before him, indicating to him about something called a bookmark. The middle of the story started appearing in front of Seojin's eyes.

Maya possessed a unique ability to sense beings and see through falsehoods. Lying to her was futile, but luckily, I didn't make that mistake. Keep her on your side for truth-seeking missions!

"So she did notice you."

"Told ya. Why the surprised face?"

"Nothing much."

Seojin responded at random and turned his eyes to the content of the story again.

'So that's what a bookmark is.'

He now had a vague grasp about how stories, previews, and bookmarks worked.

And also,

"I need to obtain quests first."

…how to unfold the story from here.

* * *

Main Quest: Supply Run

*Surviving in the barren land of Shahav requires resourcefulness. The residents have adapted to the harsh environment, but they need your help to gather monster meat for sustenance.

*Basic Reward: A hearty soup made with mysterious meat.

"Then I'll trust you on that!"

"Of course, I'll get as many as I can," Seojin replied, double-checking the quest after waving to a passing merchant.

As he reviewed the quest, he realized that he had been eating monster meat all along.

Although it was a bit surprising, Seojin didn't mind as he knew it was just a game and the taste was all that mattered.

However, Flappy received a huge shock.

"Blergh! Bleeeergh!"

"Y-you alright?"

"I'm not al… urgh!"

She threw up everything underneath a tree. Out of curiosity, she had eaten a few pieces of the meat when they received the food from the Flower of the Desert.

"Want me to pat your back?"

"You plannin' on breaking mah back? Urgh, cough! Phew…"

Only after she calmed down a little did she float in the air again. The way her wings flapped according to the rhythm of her ragged breathing made her look quite pitiful.

"Does it feel that bad?"

"Don't even… Let's stop this talk. I feel like I'm going to throw up again. Gosh, this is why I can never come to like the desert! Damn the desert! Damn the monsters!"

Seeing the little fairy punch in the air for a while, Seojin looked around with a smile on his face.

'Everyone's forming parties.'

The level recommendation for Shahav was 70. Naturally, it was hard for solo players to do quests.

The resting area next to the oasis was like a plaza for players looking for groups.

'Looks like I'll have to hide my identity. It'll be troublesome if they flock to me saying AM this and AM that.'

Since he couldn't even discover Maya's true identity by himself, he definitely needed some help. Seojin opened the friend screen and looked for his companion.

-Bunny

-Yes, I'm here,

-Please look into something for me, I'm looking for any kind of secret organization comprised of NPCs in Shahav.

-A secret organization?

-Like an unofficial mercenary group, or an assassin organization, or something like that. Their members should be very high-leveled, around 200, I think?

-I'll have it looked into

Seojin had a vague hope that there might be some good information, and BunnyRabbit didn't disappoint him this time either, proving the skills of the planning and strategy department.

-We found it. The info costs 160 million won!