I Accidentally Became the Guild's Therapist
Chapter 8: Too Many Confessions
Livia Marcelline Quinn, freshly promoted to Mental Supporter Lv. 3, was drowning in her own Therapist's Log. Its pages were a chaotic diary of the Bloodbath & Beyond guild's neuroses: Bron: Plushie obsession, existential dread. Nyx: Dark phobia, awkward crush. Phina: Slime romance. Alaric: Betting everything. Guild: General insanity. The guild's base camp was a fever dream of glowing runes, scattered enchanted gear, and a sentient slime now attempting synchronized swimming in a mana puddle. Livia slumped on her crate, her silver-trimmed robe a faint upgrade, muttering, "If I hear one more 'Empath Eternal,' I'm defecting to the slimes."
The camp roared with its usual chaos—players screamed about "bugged quest chains," NPCs droned glitchy lines like "Error: Sanity Module Corrupted," and a mage's stray fireball ignited a stack of crates, prompting a chorus of curses. Livia's introverted soul begged for a cave to hide in, but her HUD flickered with notifications, and the guild's lunatics kept her chained to her role. I'm their shrink, mascot, and subreddit star, she thought, her dry humor kicking in. Flunked psych, memed across worlds, and now I'm the emotional janitor for a guild of disasters.
A notification pinged:[Achievement Unlocked: Overworked Empath. +10 Stress Points (Overflowing)]"Accurate," Livia muttered, swatting the air. Her progress bar read Mental Supporter Lv. 3: 400/3000 EXP. She'd racked up EXP soothing Bron's existential crisis, Nyx's fear of the dark, Phina's slime romance, and her own viral fame, which had spawned a subreddit, ASMR videos, and a cursed Livia plushie. Her new Empathic Insight Lv. 1 let her sense subtle emotions, but it only amplified the guild's chaos. I'm one sob story from a breakdown, she thought, scribbling: Issue: I'm losing it. Approach: Coffee?Her crate was now Grand Central Station for guild complaints. Bron stomped up first, his Livia plushie tucked under his arm. "Buffer! I'm bored again. Immortality's pointless without meaning." His voice cracked, and Livia's Empathic Insight pinged: Patient Distress: Existential, High. She sighed, deploying Soothing Aura Lv. 1. "Bron, try a hobby. Like… not crushing tents?" He nodded, muttering about "philosophical blacksmithing," and wandered off.
A ping:[You eased an immortal's boredom. +300 EXP] Before she could catch her breath, Nyx slunk over, his Hello Kitty flashlight glowing. "Livia… the dark's back. Worse now." His blush hinted at his crush, and her Empathic Insight screamed:Patient Distress: Phobia + Romantic Tension. She tried Phobia Breaker Lv. 1. "Nyx, picture the dark as… a cozy nap. You've got this." He managed a shaky smile, but his lingering gaze made her squirm. [You calmed a rogue's fears, again. +200 EXP] Phina glided in next, her slime Glimmer jiggling behind. "Empath Eternal, my bond with Glimmer falters! It jiggles… distantly." Her poetic despair hit Livia's Empathic Insight like a tidal wave. "Phina, maybe give Glimmer space? Slimes don't… emote much." Phina gasped, composing an ode to "gelatinous independence," and rolled off with Glimmer. [You soothed a slime romance crisis. +400 EXP] Alaric staggered over, reeking of ale. "Buffer! I bet my holy shield on a troll race. Lost. Fix me!" His slurred desperation was overwhelming. Livia snapped, "Stop betting, Alaric! Try… praying?" He hiccuped, vowing to "smite the odds," and stumbled away. [You redirected a paladin's addiction. +200 EXP] Livia's HUD buzzed, her progress bar climbing: 1400/3000 EXP. But her head throbbed, her notepad was a mess, and her introversion was screaming. Too many feelings. Too many lunatics. She scribbled: Guild: Emotional black hole. Issue: I'm burned out. Approach: Scream into void. Her Empathic Insight was a curse, amplifying every guild member's distress until she felt like a sponge wrung dry.
Miles Vexley sauntered up, his smirk sharper than his psychoblade. "Rough day, Buffer?" he teased, leaning against a tent pole. "You look like you're one sob away from quitting."
Livia glared, her sarcasm flaring. "Congrats, Smirk. You've cracked the code. I'm drowning in your guild's baggage." She waved her notepad. "I'm not a miracle worker. I'm barely a therapist."
Miles raised an eyebrow, his smirk softening. "You're doing better than you think, rookie. This guild's a mess, but you're keeping us from imploding." His Empathic Insight pinged: Patient Distress:Hidden, Moderate. She froze. Miles has issues? Before she could probe, the camp erupted. Bron's "blacksmithing" sent sparks flying, igniting a tent. Nyx hid in a crate, his flashlight flickering. Phina's ode to Glimmer caused a slime stampede, and Alaric bet his flask on the fire's spread. Livia's head spun, her burnout hitting critical. "I can't do this!" she snapped, slamming her notepad shut. "I'm not cut out for this! I flunked psych, I'm a meme, and now I'm babysitting a circus!" Her HUD glitched, static crackling.
A voice boomed:Therapist Awakening Initiated. Emotional Overload Detected. Choose Path: Empath Surge or Emotional Barrier. A holographic menu appeared, glowing with two options. Empath Surge: Amplify emotional connection, +20% breakthrough chance, -10% mental stamina. Emotional Barrier: Reduce emotional overload, +10% mental stamina, -5% empathy.
Livia stared, her chest heaving. Empath Surge would make her better at helping but drain her faster. Emotional Barrier would protect her sanity but dull her connection. Her old life flashed—always falling short, never enough. I'm not enough here either, she thought, her throat tightening. But the guild's chaos—Bron's sparks, Nyx's crate, Phina's slime, Alaric's bets—felt like her chaos now. She wasn't just an NPC. She was their NPC.
She chose Empath Surge. Her HUD flared, her robe glowing brighter, now with faint blue runes.
A notification blared:[Therapist Awakening Unlocked: Empath Surge. +1500 EXP. Achievement Unlocked: Burnout Breakthrough] Her progress bar surged: Mental Supporter Lv. 3: 2900/3000 EXP.
Livia exhaled, her exhaustion mingling with a spark of resolve. "Fine," she muttered. "I'll keep fixing your messes. But I'm getting a coffee skill next." She scribbled: Issue: Burnout. Approach: Chose Empath Surge. Regret TBD.
Miles clapped, his smirk back. "Knew you wouldn't quit, Buffer. You're stuck with us." His Empathic Insight pinged again, but he turned away, dodging her gaze. The guild's chaos swirled—Bron doused the fire, Nyx emerged, Phina hugged her slime, Alaric bet on the cleanup. Livia's burnout lingered, but her new skill hummed, amplifying her connection to their madness.
A final notification flashed:[You survived a therapy marathon. Achievement Unlocked: Emotional Sponge] Livia closed her notepad, muttering, "I'm either a saint or a masochist." As the guild's chaos roared on, and Miles' hidden distress lingered in her Empathic Insight, she knew her role was no longer just a job. It was a lifeline—for them, and maybe for her.