I Accidentally Became the Guild's Therapist
Chapter 10 : The System's Curveball and a Smirking Secret
Livia Marcelline Quinn, Mental Supporter Lv. 4 and unwilling server icon, was clinging to her last shred of patience. Her Therapist's Log was a chaotic chronicle of the Bloodbath & Beyond guild's dysfunction: Bron: Plushie mania, existential dread. Nyx: Dark phobia, awkward crush. Phina: Slime romance. Alaric: Betting addiction. Miles: TBD—probably smug. She'd fled the Nexus Bazaar's fanboy chaos for the Twilight Arena, a sprawling MMORPG coliseum where players dueled for leaderboard supremacy, NPCs hawked "PvP Buff Potions: 50% Off!", and a glitched holographic dragon roared stats like "Kill/Death Ratio: 9.7!" Livia sat on a cracked stone ledge overlooking the sandy arena, her blue-rimmed robe glowing faintly under mana orbs, muttering, "This place makes the guild's camp look like a meditation retreat."
The Twilight Arena thrummed with chaos—players clashed below, swords flashing with elemental bursts, while faction recruiters bellowed about "Exclusive Guild Trials!" A system avatar—a floating orb with a glitchy smiley face—drifted past, chirping, "Patch 3.2.8: Emotional Subroutine Enhanced." Livia's introverted soul craved a server crash, but her HUD buzzed with notifications, and the guild's lunatics were a teleport away. I'm their shrink, meme queen, and burnout survivor, she thought, her dry humor kicking in. Flunked psych, memed across worlds, and stuck as the emotional glue for a guild of walking disasters. A notification pinged:[Achievement Unlocked: Arena Wallflower. +10 Observation Points (Passive)] "Observation points for surviving this circus?" Livia muttered, flipping open her notepad. Her progress bar read Mental Supporter Lv. 4: 900/4000 EXP. She'd earned EXP calming Bron's boredom, Nyx's fears, Phina's slime love, Alaric's bets, and a deranged fanboy's invasion, unlocking Mental Defense +10 to dull external threats. Her Empath Surge and Empathic Insight Lv. 1 turned her into an emotional radar, but the guild's chaos was a relentless storm.
As she scribbled Issue: Arena's too loud. Approach: Earmuffs?, her HUD glitched, static crackling. A robotic voice boomed: System Update: Therapist NPC Enhancement. New Skill Unlocked: Therapist's Insight. A holographic panel appeared: Therapist's Insight Lv. 1: Reveals hidden emotional issues in patients. Cost: 20% mental stamina per use. Livia's sarcasm flared. "Fantastic. Now I'm a psychic sponge. Just what I needed." She glared at the dragon hologram, now glitching into a "Slime Duel League" ad. "Even the ads know I'm doomed."
A notification flashed:[Achievement Unlocked: System's Favorite Lab Rat. +5 Curiosity Points (Risky)] Before she could process, the guild teleported in, their banner glowing over the arena. Bron "Bronie" Ironslam landed with a thud, waving his Livia plushie. "Buffer! Found you! Raid's coming—need your vibe fix!" Phina glided down, her slime Glimmer juggling mana orbs. "Empath Eternal, your aura shall harmonize our spirits!" she declared. Nyx slunk in, his Hello Kitty flashlight glowing, mumbling, "Uh… you okay?" Alaric staggered behind, reeking of ale, shouting, "I bet 300 gold we wipe unless Buffer therapizes us!" Livia's Empathic Insight pinged, overwhelmed by their emotions, but she activated Therapist's Insight on instinct, targeting Miles Vexley, who leaned against a pillar, his smirk as sharp as his psychoblade. The skill flared, her HUD displaying: Patient: Miles Vexley. Hidden Issue: Trust Deficit, Rooted in Past Betrayal. Severity: Critical.Livia froze, her notepad slipping. Miles? Mr. Smirk has trauma? Miles caught her stare, his smirk faltering. "What's that look, Buffer? Trying to crack my code?" His tone was teasing, but Therapist's Insight caught a flicker of unease. Livia's introversion screamed to back off, but her new skill pushed her forward. She scribbled: Patient: Miles. Issue: Trust problems, deep. Approach: Tread lightly.
"Uh, just… checking in," she said, her voice cautious. "You seem… off. Anything you want to share?" Her Charisma +1 softened her words, but Miles' eyes narrowed, his smirk tightening.
"Off? Me?"b he drawled, stepping closer. "You're the one juggling a guild's baggage in a duel pit." But Therapist's Insight pinged: Patient Deflection: High. Livia took a breath, deploying Empath Surge. "Look, Miles, you don't have to talk, but… if something's weighing you down, I'm here." Her words felt awkward, but her skill amplified their impact.
Miles froze, his smirk vanishing for a heartbeat. "You're digging deep, rookie," he said, voice low. "Careful. Some scars don't heal easy." He turned away, but Therapist's Insight caught a crack in his armor—pain, buried deep. Livia scribbled: Miles: Deflected. Issue: Betrayal trauma? Approach: Don't push… yet.
The arena erupted before she could probe further. A player's meteor spell misfired, showering sparks over the pit. Bron roared, "Protect Buffer!" and tackled a nearby crate, mistaking it for a threat. Phina's slime rolled into the fray, sparking a mana orb explosion. Nyx hid behind a pillar, his flashlight flickering, and Alaric bet his flask on the meteor's trajectory.
Livia's head throbbed, her Mental Defense +10 barely cushioning the chaos. "I'm not a raid boss, stop shielding me!" she snapped, her sarcasm flaring. But her Therapist's Insight kept humming, picking up the guild's deeper issues: Bron's fear of irrelevance, Nyx's longing for acceptance, Phina's need for connection, Alaric's escape through gambling. They're all fractured, she thought, her burnout creeping back. And I'm their glue? She activated Group Therapy Lv. 2, her voice cutting through the chaos. "Everyone, focus! Save your energy for the raid, not… this mess!" Her Empath Surge amplified her command, and the guild paused, Bron dusting off his plushie, Phina calming Glimmer, Nyx peeking out, Alaric pocketing his flask.
A notification pinged: [You stabilized a pre-raid meltdown. +1200 EXP] Her progress bar climbed: Mental Supporter Lv. 4: 2100/4000 EXP.
Miles clapped, his smirk back but softer. "Not bad, Buffer. You're keeping us sane—barely." His Therapist's Insight pinged: Patient Trust: Slightly Increased. Livia's chest tightened, not from loyalty's weight, but from the burden of seeing their hidden pain. Her old life—failing, fading—hadn't prepared her for this. She wasn't just an NPC; she was their mirror, reflecting wounds she barely understood.
The arena's chaos resumed—players dueling, recruiters shouting, the dragon hologram glitching into a "Slime PvP League" ad. Livia scribbled: Guild: Emotional landmines. Miles: Trust issues. Approach: Survive their baggage.
A final notification flashed:[You glimpsed the guild's hidden pain. Achievement Unlocked: Trauma Detector] Livia closed her notepad, muttering, "I'm either a therapist or a masochist." As Miles' gaze lingered, his smirk hiding a crack she now saw, she knew her role was no longer just a job. It was a dive into their darkness, and she wasn't sure she could swim.