I Accidentally Became the Guild's Therapist
Chapter 9 : NSFW Side Quest from the Outside World
Livia Marcelline Quinn, Mental Supporter Lv. 3 and accidental server celebrity, was drowning in her Therapist's Log. Its pages were a chaotic testament to the Bloodbath & Beyond guild's madness: Bron: Existential blacksmithing. Nyx: Dark phobia, awkward crush. Phina: Slime romance. Alaric: Betting on fires. Today, she'd escaped the guild's chaotic base camp for a quieter corner of the MMORPG world—a sprawling marketplace hub called the Nexus Bazaar, where players bartered for legendary gear, NPCs spammed holographic quest boards, and a glitched wyvern hologram flickered overhead, advertising "Epic Loot Crates: 99% Off!" Livia perched on a stone bench near a mana fountain, its glowing water humming with energy, muttering, "If one more NPC calls me 'Empath Eternal,' I'm hacking this game myself."
The Nexus Bazaar was a sensory overload—vendors hawked enchanted cloaks, a bard bot strummed a lute with a looping "Buy Now!" jingle, and a leaderboard floated above, flashing Bloodbath & Beyond: #1 Guild. Players haggled over rare mounts, while a system avatar—a faceless figure in a glitching cloak—announced, "Patch 3.2.7: Happiness Subroutine Disabled." Livia's introverted soul craved a logout button, but her HUD buzzed with notifications, and the guild's lunatics were never far. I'm their shrink, meme queen, and burnout survivor, she thought, her dry humor kicking in. Flunked psych, memed across dimensions, and stuck gluing a guild of psychos together.
A notification pinged: [Achievement Unlocked: Bazaar Escapee. +10 Serenity Points (Temporary)] "Temporary's right," Livia muttered, swatting the air. Her progress bar read Mental Supporter Lv. 3: 2900/3000 EXP. She'd earned EXP calming Bron's boredom, Nyx's fears, Phina's slime love, and her own viral fame, which had spawned a subreddit, ASMR videos, and a cursed Livia plushie. Her Empath Surge amplified her therapy skills but drained her stamina, and her Empathic Insight Lv. 1 made the guild's emotions hit like a raid boss.
She'd hoped the Bazaar's bustle would give her a break, but her crate-free bench was already drawing attention. A player nearby whispered, "That's the NPC from r/LiviaWaifuHub!" Livia's face burned, her sarcasm flaring. "Great. Even the Bazaar knows I'm a meme." She scribbled: Issue: Can't escape fame. Approach: Hide in plain sight.
Before she could blend into the crowd, a figure sprinted through the Bazaar, dodging a holographic quest board and tripping over a vendor's mana crystal display. He was a player—Lv. 45, Rogue class, name tag LiviaFan69—decked in garish armor plastered with heart emojis and neon spikes. His eyes locked on Livia with manic glee. "Empath Eternal!" he shouted, waving a Livia plushie with winking cartoon eyes. "I hacked the server to find you! Sign my plushie! And can you say 'breathe in for four' for my ASMR channel?" He brandished a digital sketchpad with NSFW fanart of Livia in a very skimpy robe, grinning like a goblin on a loot spree.
Livia's jaw dropped, her introversion imploding. "You hacked the game for me?" Her sarcasm kicked into overdrive. "Wow, nothing screams 'fan' like breaking reality to sketch me in a bikini." She scribbled: Patient: LiviaFan69. Issue: Deranged obsession. Approach: Panic.
A notification blared:[Warning: Server Breach Detected. Achievement Unlocked: Stalked by a Superfan] The Bazaar's chaos paused as Bloodbath & Beyond stormed in, their guild banner glowing. Bron "Bronie" Ironslam charged forward, his armor clanking like a collapsing forge. "Nobody creeps on our Buffer!" he roared, clutching his own Livia plushie like a battle axe. Seraphina "Phina" Duskveil glided in, her slime Glimmer pulsing with arcane light. "Away, defiler of the Empath's grace!" she declared, runes flaring. Nyx Shadowmint slunk from behind a vendor stall, his Hello Kitty flashlight trembling but his daggers drawn. "Uh… back off," he mumbled, blushing furiously.
Miles Vexley stepped in front of Livia, his psychoblade humming with menace. "You've got guts, Fan69," he drawled, smirk deadly. "Hacking our server for our therapist? Bad move." Livia's Empathic Insight pinged: Patient Distress: Protective, Intense. Her stomach twisted—not at the fanboy, but at the guild's ferocity. They're ready to nuke this guy for me? LiviaFan69, undeterred, waved his sketchpad. "I just want a selfie! Livia's the ultimate NPC!" He lunged, only to be body-slammed by Bron, whose bulk flattened him into the cobblestones. Glimmer oozed over, slathering goo on his face, and Nyx's daggers hovered inches from his neon armor.
Livia's panic surged, but her Empath Surge flared, sharpening her resolve. "Stop!" she shouted, her voice echoing over the Bazaar's din. The guild froze, and even LiviaFan69 stopped squirming under Bron's weight. She took a deep breath, channeling Phobia Breaker Lv. 1. "Fan69, I'm… flattered, I guess, but this is too much. I'm an NPC, not your waifu. Go back to your world, post your memes, but leave me alone."
The fanboy's eyes dimmed, his voice small. "Your videos… they helped me feel less alone." Livia's Empathic Insight caught a flicker of genuine pain, and her old life—feeling invisible, worthless—echoed back. She softened, but stayed firm. "I'm just doing my job. No selfies. Go home." Her Charisma +1 carried her words, and LiviaFan69 nodded, crestfallen.
Miles snapped his fingers, and a portal opened, sucking the fanboy out with a pop. The Bazaar erupted in cheers—players chanting "Buffer!" and vendors offering free mana crystals.
A notification pinged: [You rejected a deranged fanboy with professional grace. +1000 EXP. Stat Unlocked: Mental Defense +10] Her progress bar surged: Level Up! Mental Supporter Lv. 4: 900/4000 EXP. Her HUD chimed: Mental Defense +10: Reduces emotional impact of external threats by 10%. Livia scribbled: Fan69: Hacker creep. Issue: Obsessed. Approach: Guild squashed him, I said no. She muttered, "I need a firewall for my life." Her Mental Defense dulled the fanboy's sting, but the guild's protectiveness left her rattled. They're fighting for me like I'm one of them.
Miles clapped her shoulder, his smirk softer. "Solid work, rookie. You sent that creep packing." His Empathic Insight pinged: Patient Distress: Protective, Lingering. "Nobody messes with our therapist. Ever."
Livia's chest tightened, not with gratitude, but with the weight of their loyalty. Her old life had taught her to be a shadow; here, she was a beacon. She masked it with sarcasm. "Great. My fan club's a walking tank, a gooey poet, a blushing rogue, and an edgelord with a sword. I'm untouchable." The quip was fresh, sidestepping her old bodyguard lines, but the guild's intensity made her feel exposed.
The Bazaar's chaos resumed—players mobbed the leaderboard, vendors haggled, and the wyvern hologram glitched, now advertising "Slime Mounts: 99% Off!" Bron flexed for "security," Phina composed an ode to Livia's "defiant aura," Nyx hid behind a stall, and Alaric bet on the next hacker.
A final notification flashed:[You survived a fanboy invasion. Achievement Unlocked: Boundary Boss] Livia closed her notepad, muttering, "I'm either a hero or a glorified bouncer." As the guild's madness swirled and Miles' gaze lingered, she felt her NPC shell fraying. She wasn't just code—she was their linchpin, and that role was heavier than any fanboy's sketchpad.