CHAPTER 42: PRIVATE SIDE-QUEST INSIDE EVENT

Nuwa still had to obey him no matter what. Ethan was the strongest in their guild team, and none of the members dared to go against him.

With their current levels, trying to fight him would be difficult—if not impossible. If they tried, they’d fail easily.

After finishing off the defeated enemy team, Ethan stayed in the forest to watch the situation.

He had already collected some Star Essence, though not much.

[Team Name: Sword Liberation]

[Rank: 30,789]

[Star Essence Count: 4]

"We should move again. Stay alert," Ethan said. Nuwa nodded, though she still couldn’t shake her suspicion toward him.

They walked deeper into the forest, passing small trees, crossing a shallow stream, until they reached a small village.

Both crouched down, hiding behind bushes, their attention fixed ahead.

Through the gaps in the leaves, Ethan saw that the villagers didn’t have green cursors—but yellow ones.

"Their cursors... are yellow?"

"NPCs don’t have cursors, and players have green ones. Then what are they?" Nuwa asked.

Ethan stayed silent. The Thousand Stars Event reminded him of the Essence Cave Event he had joined before.

But he remembered clearly that villages back then were only populated by NPCs as decoration.

Now, things were different. The people in this village weren’t NPCs, at least not in the normal sense.

They were... more than NPCs.

Could it be...

"What?" Nuwa asked quietly, curious.

Ethan glanced sideways at her. Their eyes met briefly as he thought about who these people really were.

"They might be NPCs with their own awareness," Ethan answered.

"Awareness? You mean they have souls?" Nuwa asked.

It was only a theory, based on their yellow cursors and this strange event.

The biggest difference between NPCs and players, aside from cursors, was how they interacted.

NPCs acted stiffly, always following pre-written algorithms. They couldn’t behave differently unless it was coded into their systems.

Players, on the other hand, acted freely. Their consciousness—their soul—was tied to their in-game character.

"Is it AI?" Nuwa asked suddenly.

"AI?" Ethan repeated.

"Yes, artificial intelligence. It’s the new tech they developed last year. The progress was huge—it can help with many human jobs," Nuwa said.

If what Nuwa said was true, then maybe the villagers’ algorithm had AI built into it.

That would explain why they could react more naturally than NPCs—but still not quite like players.

The Tower of Ascension was a massive project, and there was no way they’d skip using AI technology. Nuwa’s theory made perfect sense.

Even though Ethan had a guess about why they had yellow cursors, he still wasn’t sure whether these villagers were aggressive or peaceful.

It was better to test it than to just stand around.

Ethan suddenly stood up, startling Nuwa beside him.

The moment he stepped out from behind the bushes, several villagers noticed him.

They raised their spears and pointed them at him—five men in total, ready to attack.

"Are you a player who came to destroy our village?" one of them asked.

"What? No! I came to look for my friends. They’re lost," Ethan replied.

The tension rose quickly as more villagers showed up. Ethan was surrounded. Nuwa hurried to his side, trying to calm them down.

Just when neither of them knew what to do, a yellow panel—like a system interface—appeared in front of them.

A yellow system panel?

[Side-Quest]

[1. Save the Village Chief’s Daughter on Mount Mordor]

[Reward:]

[100x Star Essence || 2000 EXP || 2000 Gold || Allies]

[Accept the mission?]

Ethan was stunned. He just realized that the yellow panel was a Side-Quest system from within the event.

He was impressed. This event had smart NPCs and even unique side quests—it was way more complex than he expected.

It made him even more certain that the rewards for the event winner would be rare and valuable.

Ethan looked at Nuwa; she nodded. Without thinking twice, he accepted the quest.

[Side-Quest Accepted]

[1. Save the Village Chief’s Daughter on Mount Mordor]

[Duration: 00:23:59:45]

Once Ethan and Nuwa accepted the quest, the villagers’ attitude changed instantly.

An old man walked toward them, hunched over with a wooden cane, followed by two strong men.

"So, you’re the ones who will save my daughter?" the old man asked. He introduced himself as Jared.

"Yes," Ethan replied.

"Good, good."

"Bring them into the village," Jared ordered.

The villagers lowered their spears and no longer threatened them. Instead, they welcomed Ethan and Nuwa into their small settlement, which had about thirty-seven houses. Each house had three to five family members.

"Who are you people, really?" Nuwa asked, curious.

"We’re the people of Duqu Village. We’ve lived and grown in this forest," one man answered.

"No, I mean your yellow cursors. What do they mean?" Nuwa asked.

"Yellow cursors? Where?"

"Above your heads. All of you have them," Nuwa said.

Surprisingly, the villagers looked confused. They said they couldn’t see any yellow cursors above anyone’s heads—and they didn’t even know what a cursor was.

"I don’t see it. And I don’t know what that even is."

"How can you not see it? The cursor—"

Ethan raised his hand to stop Nuwa from asking more. There was no point in pressing them after seeing their genuine confusion.

"It doesn’t matter. What’s important is saving the chief’s daughter," Ethan said.

"I understand," Nuwa replied, still a bit disappointed but understanding the situation.

They stopped when they reached the village square. More villagers had gathered—men, women, children, and elders—all watching Ethan and Nuwa curiously.

"Everyone, listen!" Jared said loudly.

"They’ve come from the forest to save my daughter from the Red-Eyed Spiders. So, I ask you all to support them," he continued.

"Red-Eyed Spiders?" Ethan asked.

"Yes. They’re the original monsters living in Mount Mordor. Their poison is extremely deadly," Jared explained.

"Where is that mountain?" Ethan asked.

Jared raised his hand and pointed south. Ethan and Nuwa looked in that direction and saw a dark mountain covered in black trees.

The villagers called it the Black Mountain, but its real name was Mordor.

"Did anyone else take this side quest?" Ethan asked.

"Yes. They left before you," Jared replied.

"How many?" Ethan asked. Jared answered—five people, one team.

So, there’s a chance Nuwa and I will run into them there.

Since the mission was to save the chief’s daughter, it was likely a private side quest.

"Alright. We shouldn’t waste any more time. We’ll go now," Ethan said.

Jared nodded, waving his hand as Ethan and Nuwa left toward Mount Mordor. The other villagers waved too, and Nuwa felt touched by their kindness.

"Why don’t we rest in the village first?" Nuwa asked.

"Because the target is unique. I think this is a private side quest."

"Private side quest? Does that exist?"

"It does."

"A side quest that doesn’t repeat. Once it’s completed, it disappears forever."

"Oh, like a guild mission?" Nuwa asked. Ethan nodded, clearing his throat.

They stopped when they reached the mountain’s valley. The trees had black leaves with red sap dripping from their trunks—an eerie and strange sight.

Thick fog and muddy ground made the terrain hard to cross. Ethan and Nuwa had to move carefully.

"There’s a good chance the mountain’s monsters are dangerous," Ethan said.

"AAAKKHH!"

A loud scream echoed from above the mountain, reaching even the valley where they stood. The sharp sound made Nuwa tremble in fear.

She had never been on a mission like this before, even in the Sword Liberation Guild.

"W-What was that?" she asked.

"A wounded player... or a dead one," Ethan replied calmly.

"What should we do? I don’t want to fail," Nuwa said.

"We won’t fail. Don’t worry."

"Hissy."

The Venomfang Queen snake slithered out from Ethan’s sleeve, crawling up to his right shoulder. She waited for his command.

"Can you help me absorb the poison mist ahead?" Ethan asked.

Hissy nodded as if she understood, then opened her mouth and began sucking in the toxic particles floating in the air. Nuwa was amazed by it.

"What about the fog?" Nuwa asked.

"The fog disappears with fire!"

Ethan summoned the Fire-Pillar Sword and swung it horizontally, releasing a crimson slash forward.

The fog split in two, then faded away completely.

Nuwa was impressed once again, starting to believe that she and Ethan could finish the mission safely.

No matter what happened, she had to stay cautious and follow Ethan’s lead.

"The fog’s gone."

"Let’s go."