Trapped in a Cursed Game, But Now with NPCs

TCGNPC | Chapter 27

Posted by Sovieee, Released on November 7, 2023

I returned to my room and took a thorough shower to wash away the smell.

Then, I also washed the dirty robe as best as I could.

Although the robe had turned into a rag, thanks to it, the precious costume I wore underneath remained intact.

After rinsing it several times and not getting any more dirt out, I put my nose to the robe to check the smell.

Sniff, sniff.

“Ah, I don’t know.”

I wasn’t sure if there was any in-game value in sniffing the disgusting smell so much, but I couldn’t tell if I was smelling something disgusting or not.

It would have been more convenient to entrust the laundry to a maid, but there were so many important items inside it that I couldn’t do that.

They said that NPC inventories could only be accessed by the operator, but you never know.

I spread the damp robe out on the bathroom floor, soaked with moisture, and then…

“Annihilation.”

「 The [Lv.999 Annihilation] skill has been activated. 」

Whoosh!

A fierce blaze shot up from the robe.

Anyone watching might think I was doing something crazy, but in this game, the players’s attacks don’t affect their own belongings.

So, the Annihilation skill that generates fire could be used as the ultimate dryer to quickly dry damp clothes in a matter of seconds!

After burning a bit of the bathroom ceiling, the flames finally died down.

‘I’ve struggled so much already. The ceiling should fix itself.’

I quickly threw on my crisp robes over my short costume.

Checking the time, I realized that about five hours had passed since I left Cassel alone in the prison.

I had given him enough potions to last for ten hours, so there shouldn’t be any problems…

‘I should probably go check on him, though.’

I was about to leave the room when suddenly…

Knock, knock―.

A knock sounded on the door.

Fortunately, unlike yesterday, there were no rude incidents of someone opening the door right after knocking.

“Come in.”

I gave a short permission, and the door opened to reveal a maid carrying a tray.

“The head maid asked me to bring the apothecary’s lunch.”

“Ah.”

I hadn’t realized it was noon since I had been busy keeping track of time based on Cassel.

The pungent odor had dissipated, replaced by the enticing smell of food.

‘Come to think of it… did Cassel ever eat?’

Even though he came here as a sinner, Adam wouldn’t let him go hungry, knowing that he was of noble birth.

But during our time together, I couldn’t recall ever seeing him eat.

As I was pondering this, I quickly interrupted the maid who was beginning to set the table with bread and soup.

“There’s no need to set everything up. Just give me one piece of bread.”

“Are you sure one is enough? The head maid mentioned that you didn’t eat breakfast either…”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

I wasn’t going to eat anyway.

I quickly pocketed a freshly baked piece of bread.

I had to check on the main character’s status right away, so I didn’t have time to leisurely enjoy a meal.

So, I consumed a high-efficiency meal in a short time, thanks to the advanced health and mana potions I had.

Ordinary players or in-game characters might risk potion addiction by overusing them, but that didn’t apply to me.

‘The stronger the NPC, the less they eat.’

With a fitting line delivered at the right moment, I was about to leave the room when…

Kururung―!

Suddenly, a loud rumble shook the room, and darkness engulfed the surroundings.

“Is it going to rain? Why did the clouds suddenly…”

The maid, who had been tidying up the table, muttered to herself while looking out the window.

‘…Rain?’

Ever since I had been trapped in the game, the sun had been shining every day.

I had suffered through drought and all sorts of hardships back in the day while growing medicinal herbs, but I had never experienced rain.

‘…No way.’

As I thought lightly about those days of herb farming, I suddenly had a gut feeling that struck me like a bolt of lightning.

In a game world that had been sunny for years without any drought concerns, why would ominous clouds suddenly gather like this, and so rapidly at that?

‘This… is a sign of disaster!’

“No―!”

I started running like a madman.

It was a godsend that I had taken the potion beforehand. I still had some stamina left.

Without hesitating as usual, I quickly reached the top of the tower in one dash and saw the open prison door, making my heart sink to my toes.

At that moment, a new set of eerie voices pierced through the door.

“Get up, you scum!”

“You’re lucky, punk. You get to eat and sleep soundly. Being a sinner pays well, huh?”

“Ugh…”

I wanted to eavesdrop and assess the situation, but the faint groans that followed made me kick the door and burst inside.

“Hey! What are you guys doing?”

“Uh…”

“What… what the hell? Who are you?”

In response to my furious shout, two men who had been crouching in front of Cassel with armored attire stood up, their faces filled with surprise.

Judging from their appearance, they seemed to be knights of the Count.

I quickly looked from Cassel to them, assessing the situation.

The scene before me was worse than I had imagined.

There were plates and utensils scattered on the floor as if they had delivered a meal.

But they hadn’t served him well; instead, Cassel was covered in a whitish liquid that covered his head and face. It appeared to be soup.

Half-closed eyelids that appeared dazed.

Perhaps they remembered they needed to prevent the sinner from sleeping, so they were using the tips of their daggers to prod Cassel’s bare upper body.

Drip, drip.

Suddenly, a drop of blood trickled down from his shoulder, and my vision went white.

“You bastards… have you lost your minds? What are you trying to do…?”

They weren’t hosts.

If they were, they would have encouraged Cassel to sleep.

As proof, their eyes weren’t cloudy; they were clear.

These were the kind of guys who engaged in such acts. They were worse than the humans who became hosts.

“Haa. Hey, what is that person saying?”

My appearance caused a brief hush to fall over the prison.

“I don’t know. I heard the Count hired an apothecary, so that must be her.”

“Hey, instead of talking nonsense, behave yourself and use some common sense. We’re in charge of feeding this sinner…”

“Onslaught.”

「 The [Lv.999 Onslaught] skill has been activated. 」

I didn’t want to use the skill in front of important characters like Cassel, but I had no choice.

“What… ugh!”

“Wait, just… agh!”

Thump, thump.

With just two punches, the two men collapsed.

I wanted to beat them up like the servants this morning, but there was no time for that.

Kurururung―!

The roar outside the tower’s window was even louder than before.

“Oh, damn it! Sir, don’t fall asleep!”

Staring at the ominously brooding sky, I turned away from the unconscious men and rushed to Cassel.

He remained motionless even in response to my shouting.

I immediately pulled out a potion from my pocket.

I didn’t even have the presence of mind to search for the monster tranquilizer gun and equip it.

“I’m not doing this because I have a personal interest in you. It’s just first aid, so please don’t misunderstand!”

“…”

“I hate you! I’ve said it many times, but I really, really hate you!”

Thump!

After emphatically expressing my hatred for him multiple times as if casting a spell, I opened the lid and poured the potion into my mouth.

“Ugh…”

Then, I immediately lifted his face and pressed my lips to his.

I deftly pried his mouth open and slid the potion into his mouth.

Using a potion in this manner was definitely faster than taking out the tranquilizer gun, equipping it, and then inserting the barrel into his throat to fire.

Gulp―.

Fortunately, Cassel swallowed the potion I handed over.

“Ha…”

I slowly parted my lips with a small sigh after handing him the entire potion.

I glanced back at the window, and to my relief, the dark clouds in the sky were slowly dissipating.

I was anxious that disaster might strike even after such extreme emergency treatment, but thankfully, it didn’t.

Except for the fact that this was technically my first kiss.

‘Shit… my first kiss happened in a game.’

The feel of his lips on mine was rough, and it didn’t feel good.

I wiped my lips roughly with my sleeve.

“Right now…”

A low, sullen growl sounded beside my ear.