Walking down the dirt path toward the southern gate, Rin's eyes caught movement.
Someone was near a small medieval-style house—half-hidden, clearly up to something. The figure had striking hair, half-red and half-blue, and was glancing around nervously as if making sure no one saw him.
Rin's gaze narrowed.
Should I ask what he's doing… or kill him?
He looked around.
No one.
Most players were still at their designated formations, scattered around the village's borders. This part of the village was almost deserted.
Too risky to kill him right now. Better to use this.
A thought crossed his mind. A better idea. A smarter one.
What if I tell Hairu—our shining 'hero'—about this? That might earn me some trust. And trust is currency.
As he continued walking toward the gate, Rin casually opened his inventory to finally check the reward from his earlier quest.
A new item sat there.
---
[Item: Puppet String]
Description: Allows temporary control over a target. Can be used 10 times. Disappears after final use.
---
Rin's eyes gleamed.
A perfect item… for my quest.
Then he heard it.
A soft, familiar voice from behind.
"Rin… you're here."
He turned. Nariku stood there, looking slightly breathless but relieved.
"Where've you been?" Rin asked with a warm tone, though his thoughts were already moving.
"I just spawned farther than everyone else," Nariku replied. He hesitated, then added, "Oh—oh yeah. I killed some goblins."
Rin blinked, tilting his head in mock surprise. "Goblins?"
"Y-yeah! They were green and small—like children. But fast. Their speed was listed as 2."
"Thanks for the info, Nariku," Rin said, gently patting his shoulder.
Nariku smiled. His first real smile since all this began.
Then another voice cut through.
"There you are, Rin. Where've you been?"
The voice was unmistakable—calm but firm. It was Hairu.
Rin turned toward him, smiling as always. But his tone dripped with condescension.
"Hey, Hairu. I've been scouting, like my role says. You do remember assigning me that, right?"
Hairu frowned slightly. "Really? Then give us your report."
Rin raised an eyebrow.
"Calm down," he said, waving his hand lazily. "I'll tell you. But how about a trade? Let's say… 50 gold."
Hairu's expression hardened. "That's the price of killing fifty goblins. You'll get ten gold."
So one goblin equals one gold, Rin noted internally. Good to know.
"Fine," he said with a smile. "Ten gold it is."
A small pouch appeared in Hairu's hand, shimmering with the system's interface. Rin took it without hesitation.
Then, he spoke calmly, his voice soft and casual—like someone revealing trivia.
"There's a goblin village just ten minutes north of here, tucked away in the forest. Also, I saw a player—half-red, half-blue hair—snooping around near a house, away from the others. Suspicious."
Hairu's expression changed.
His brow furrowed, eyes sharp.
Serious.
Didn't expect that reaction, Rin thought. That good, huh? Maybe I could've asked for more gold.
Hairu stepped forward. "Thanks for the tip. Don't forget to check the shop, Rin. You still don't even have a weapon."
Ah, a shop?
Rin smirked. "I know there's a shop. No need to babysit me."
Still, as Hairu walked off, Rin thought the word: Shop.
And just like that, a glowing blue interface popped into existence in front of him, listing items, weapons, armor, and consumables—each with their own prices.
He scanned through them briefly, then looked back toward the village.
Nariku stood beside him, waiting. Trusting.
And the Puppet String pulsed faintly in his inventory.
This game keeps getting better.