Chapter 3

 

At first, I only saw the names of people I was close to, and I thought they were visible or hidden based on closeness. Most of them were white, meaning they were either incapable of fighting or unwilling to engage. Iris’s name was also white.

 

Then I started to see names of people I didn’t even know, from the day I started selling information as a test.

 

The sequence was always the same. When the coin I gave for the quest glowed, a name of a certain color appeared above their head.

 

It was like a game.

 

‘There’s no reason for people to attack me if they’re supposed to be doing quests in the game.’

 

Antheia, the signature model, should not be killed over a trivial incident, right?

 

Moreover, the moment anyone turned against me, their name would turn red.

 

‘It’s hard to explain this to others because they can’t see it.’

 

Being able to distinguish between people who might harm me and those who don’t have the heart to do so was a useful skill, but it was not something I could easily share with anyone.

 

“Stop fretting! Stop making these parchments.”

 

“Oh, what if someone brought the parchment with them?”

 

I quickly snatched the familiar parchment from Iris’s hand. I hid the parchment in my arms and averted Iris’s piercing glare.

 

“Have you opened it?”

 

“Isn’t it time you stopped daydreaming?”

 

Iris had seen it.

 

Almost like I knew what she was thinking. It probably was nothing like what she thought, but I couldn’t think of a good excuse.

 

“You’re an adult now, get a grip on reality.”

 

A few months ago, I became an adult. And then…

 

‘I will die before my next upcoming birthday.’

 

Not just me, but everyone in this town, including Iris.

 

In a real game, you could restart after dying, but that’s not always the case.

 

Even in the original game, NPCs die and that’s it. They only came back to life if the developers gave them another role.

 

And I certainly don’t want to remain a character that only lives and breathes in the protagonist’s memories.

 

💫

 

After escaping Iris, I went upstairs to my room on another floor. As soon as I entered the room, I saw my reflection in the window.

 

My hair, which I haven’t kept long in years, cascaded down to my waist.

 

My undergarments, given to me by a wandering merchant who visited some time ago, were tight and molded to my figure. With these, I hid the curves of my frame as best I could, and wore a baggy shirt over it. 

 

To a casual onlooker, it might look like the appearance of a young man—nothing remarkable about the slender wrists under sleeves folded up out of habit.

 

If it weren’t for the unique color of my hair, I might have been just pretty. But the older I grew, the more I felt distinct from others.

 

There was something innate about it that I couldn’t hide. It was something to look forward to.

 

“So for what?”

 

I was meant to die young.

 

Spitting out a curse, I roughly pushed aside the parchments on the floor with my foot, pulled out the jar I had hidden behind the table, and opened it. The jar was filled with shiny coins.

 

“Phew…”

 

Sighing heavily, I tossed the silver coins I’d just earned into the jar.

 

The coins glistened like honey. This shine was one of those things that only I could see. Unlike the colors of the names, the meaning of why these coins glowed was beyond my knowledge.

 

“In a world where names appear above one’s head, I suppose it doesn’t matter.”

 

As I lay sprawled out on the straw-stuffed bed, I pulled out the parchment I’d taken from Iris earlier and unfolded it.

 

“This is the most important thing right now.”

 

Inside was a portrait I had drawn to the best of my ability.

 

“Emperor Adelaine.”

 

Saying the name out loud sent goosebumps all over my body.

 

“The one who will come to kill me.”

 

The man who was coming to take my life.

 

By landing with a menacing band of pirates, turning the coast into a sea of fire, killing everyone I care about, and then, at the very end, plunging a sword into my heart.

 

“Ugh…” 

 

The thought of it made my heart ramble. 

In an attempt to calm my frantic heart, I sat against the wall next to my bed and leaned my back against it, pressing my hand over my chest.

 

It was a future I’d seen countless times while making the game, so I could picture it clearly with my eyes closed.

 

I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them, staring at the parchment again.

 

“My skills aren’t bad, but I can’t replicate the real thing.”

 

Half of the parchment rolling across the floor was the quest, and the other was the failed attempt to draw Adeline.

 

Even the portrait I hold now doesn’t convey a fraction of Adeline’s beauty.

 

Iris would probably think I was wasting my time perfecting a handsome fictional man.

 

“There’s no way my greatest masterpiece is anything less than this.”

 

In reality, Adelaine was a masterpiece that would go down in gaming history. And maybe even my legacy.

 

Adelaine was the last part I developed before the spectacular Season 1 finale.

 

Antheia was taken from her family as an infant and raised in the imperial castle for mysterious reasons, and her maid, Iris, fled from the castle with Antheia shortly before they were murdered.

 

Adelaine has been tracking Antheia since the escape, and their reunion set the stage for the final events of Season 1.

 

‘Adeline is actually the final boss.’

 

The Final Boss in the game was like a natural disaster. No matter how much effort players put into avoiding it, it’s an inevitable ordeal.

 

“Stalker, that’s it, a stalker.”

 

Just kill me. Why bother setting the whole town on fire?

 

“Well, the villagers… it was the pirates that followed Adelaine who were the problem.”

 

I glanced at the faces on the other parchments.

 

These were the faces of key members of the pirates who had followed Adelaine. I drew them in case I ever ran into them.

 

Although I drew them roughly, not quite as well as Adeline’s, they were easy to recognize. I added scars and tattoos to their faces and bodies to give them distinct identities, making it easier to remember them.

 

Among them, the character of the arsonist who set the entire town on fire was notable for his features, but for the large X-shaped scar across his face. On the parchment, I circled his nose and drew an X.

 

“I wasn’t meant to kill him until I started planning it.”

 

To create an unforgettable and exhilarating experience for those who play the game, an extra sacrifice was needed, and Antheia was chosen. It was an arranged ploy by those playing the game.

 

So here’s what I planned to do to survive.

 

First, sell quests to adventurers gathering at the harbor to earn money.

 

Second, pick a good ship and acquire it with money and information before the main story begins.

 

Third, I, Antheia, the cause of the mayhem, leave town by boarding the ship and disappear.

 

‘I also timed my departure from the village before the start of the fateful first main storyline.’

 

[Urgent Recruitment Announcement for the Town Guard.]

 

That was also the title of the tutorial quest.

 

The story began when the protagonist was adrift at sea and dramatically washed ashore and rescued. The protagonist was encouraged by Antheia, the woman who saved him, to go to the recruitment center.

 

And a few days later.

 

While knocking on the door of the Academy, I found the recruitment notice.

 

💫

 

The guardhouse and the inn were nearby, about two blocks apart.

 

Normally, the guardhouse would be in the center of town, but since the town bordered the sea, it was near the ocean in case of pirates.

 

There was an old bulletin board next to the gate of the guardhouse, with a new piece of parchment hanging on it that I hadn’t seen before.

 

At that moment, Gabe quickly snatched my basket from my back. 

 

Dropping the basket I was holding.

 

“Oops, Antheia, you better be careful!”

 

“Oh, Gabe!”

 

“Yeah, lunch errand, huh?”

 

Gabe grabbed the largest sandwich in the basket and stuffed it in his mouth.

 

“Hey, mister, when did you get this job?”

 

“…What, the job recruitment?”

 

Gabe finished chomping down on his sandwich and swallowed before he spoke.

 

“Yeah! This wasn’t here until yesterday, was it?”

 

“It didn’t.”

 

I read the announcement carefully. It matched exactly what I knew.

 

“It’s summer, and pirate ships have been landing more often than usual lately.”

 

Gabe paused and eyed me up and down for a moment. It was more of a simple check of my attire than anything else.

 

“Antheia, no matter what you do, you will never be allowed to join the Guard…”

 

“I’m not joining.”

 

Before Gabe could finish his sentence. I could only imagine what he was thinking, seeing me still dressed like a boy.

 

“Yeah, well, I don’t think the Captain would approve.”

 

Even though he was interrupted by a young girl, Gabe didn’t seem offended. Having lived a long life as a sailor, he was more at home on deck and at sea than he was ashore.

 

Gabe was a man of many words, and when I didn’t respond, he kept talking to himself, but none of them reached my ears.

 

‘I let my guard down.’

 

I’d thought this year would be a breeze. I’d forgotten that there was time between the arrival of the main character and Antheia’s death.

 

My spine tingled. I felt like Adelaine was waiting to strike at any moment.