Chapter 59: First Meeting with Players
"Excuse me! Excuse me!"
"Aurelius! It’s me! Jonathan!"
As soon as Aurelius exited the mansion, a loud shout reached his ears.
Turning around, he noticed it came from a plump, round young man.
Gasping for breath with every move, he rapidly approached him while frantically waving his hands.
His demeanor... was sneaky.
The sentence "I have impure intentions" was practically written on his face.
Combined with the interface hovering above his head, Aurelius immediately grasped his identity.
He had already expected such an encounter.
Although it came sooner than expected, he calmly accepted it.
Even so, he was faintly surprised. The other party’s name was extremely familiar to him.
[World_Builder]
Aurelius had to admit that this person’s appearance perfectly matched his expectations and the comments this man had made.
But comparing the greasy man to the promised beauty created to attract his attention, he couldn’t help but feel strange.
Had Selene shattered this man’s dreams? Or did he simply think he had better chances with such a... more unconventional appearance?
Countless thoughts raced through Aurelius’ mind, though he was wise enough not to voice them.
Glancing at the fat man, who was practically ready to charge at him, he expertly took a step to the side, dodging his intimate greetings.
Then, he asked calmly.
"What’s going on? Why are you stopping me?"
World_Builder sensed his distrust.
Suppressing his impulse to hug the Hidden NPC’s thigh, he chuckled awkwardly before clearing his throat.
"Hehe, Aurelius, it seems that you don’t recognize me."
"It’s me—Jonathan! Your favorite classmate from Ernst Academy!"
Aurelius was speechless at first.
Did this man really want to fool him with such nonsense?
Yet the moment he heard the name "Jonathan", blurry memories surfaced in his mind.
Gradually, these memories cleared up until finally, a greasy, fat figure appeared in them.
World_Builder!
Or rather, "Jonathan"!
’Is this the so-called identity given by the game to Players? If I didn’t know any better, I would have really believed he was my classmate.’
Memory alter. This was something Aurelius had never expected.
It fully demonstrated the power behind the Nova Roma Game.
Although shocked inwardly, he remained calm.
Like an ordinary person who had suddenly been greeted by his forgotten, annoying classmate, Aurelius smiled politely, his face somewhat uncomfortable.
"So... it’s Jonathan. I’m truly happy to see you," he said before adding impatiently.
"However, I’m currently busy. If you don’t have anything important to do..."
"I do! I do!"
World_Builder hastily interrupted him, nodding repeatedly.
"Brother Aurelius... I was wondering if you have anything you need help with."
"Didn’t you say that you were busy? I can help you deal with that!"
World_Builder’s eyes shone brightly. He rubbed his hands together in excitement, his gaze locked onto Aurelius.
If anyone did not know any better, they would think that he was ogling a beautiful woman.
However, Aurelius knew better.
This fat man was not after his body. Instead, it was after his identity as a Hidden NPC!
’Do you wish to receive Missions from me?’
’It makes sense. In the Player’s opinion, I’m a powerful NPC with a mysterious background.’
’The Missions I give out are bound to be different than those of ordinary NPCs...’
Aurelius’ eyes brightened.
This played exactly to what he originally wanted to do.
To exploit—ahem— take advantage of the Players, he had to test the full extent of his abilities.
With that thought, Aurelius’ smile grew warmer.
From that shown to a polite stranger, it became what one would wear upon meeting a closer acquaintance.
"Jonathan, you really came at the right time," Aurelius sighed.
"I have to hand over some items to Professor Anna. Unfortunately, I also have some other things to do."
"If only you could do it in my stead, I’d appreciate it a lot."
The moment these words fell, a semi-transparent window appeared in front of Aurelius.
"Ding! NPC Template has been activated!"
"Mission Issued: Deliver the selected items to Professor Anna."
"Rewards: ???"
Several buttons appeared at the bottom of the window.
Experience. Items. Favorability.
Instinctively, Aurelius understood these were the available reward types.
With the idea that it was better to test it first, he added ten Experience and one Favorability.
The moment he pressed Confirm, Aurelius noticed World_Builder’s eyes light up.
Though unable to know his thoughts, he could easily guess why.
His Mission must have been issued!
Indeed. In front of World_Builder, several lines of text appeared, while a chime rang in his head.
"Ding! Mission Issued!"
"Mission—Aurelius’ Struggles: As the Protagonist, Aurelius is currently pressed for time. Please assist him in his mission to save the world by delivering the promised items to Professor Anna."
"Rewards: 10 EXP. Aurelius’ Favorability +1"
World_Builder did not know the exact value of the promised rewards. Still, he didn’t hesitate.
He proudly smacked his chest.
"Brother Aurelius, don’t worry. I will complete that mission immediately!"
Watching Mission be accepted, World_Builder breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. Then, he looked at Aurelius expectantly.
"Here." Aurelius did not keep him waiting, handing over a large leather bag.
"Be careful. The items inside are extremely precious. If anything happens to them, Professor Anna will kill us," he specifically reminded him.
Such words would have turned ordinary people greedy. Most would have to seriously consider whether to simply steal the precious items and make a run for it.
However, who was World_Builder?
How could he possibly make such an unwise choice, offending the Protagonist over a few golden coins?
Not only did he not show any greed, but his gaze grew increasingly stern, like a soldier who had been entrusted with a sacred mission.
"I will keep your warning to mind! If anything happens to them, I’m willing to suffer the consequences on my own!"
After saying this, World_Builder lingered for a little longer, hoping to trigger a second Mission.
Once he confirmed that he couldn’t, he hurriedly left.
Holding the bag on his shoulder, he walked away, scanning his surroundings every now and then like a thief.
Watching him go away in such a manner, Aurelius nearly laughed out loud.
Not only because of his behavior, but also because of the Mission itself.
Originally, he had half-expected he would have to pay the Experience reward out of his own pocket. Yet when he looked at his Player Panel, he discovered that his EXP had remained the same.
He didn’t have to pay anything!
The NPC Template could do the work on its own!
That realization filled him with excitement.
Didn’t that mean that he could continuously give Players Missions, allowing them to endlessly farm EXP to Level Up?
Imagining himself surrounded by a team of God-Level Players, guarded in the center, Aurelius had the urge to laugh.
But soon, he forced himself to calm down.
He knew that this was impossible.
Players could not be trusted. More importantly, the limits of the NPC Template were obvious.
’The Experience I can give as a reward seems to be directly related to the task’s difficulty.’
’For example, I could at most give 100 to World_Builder for this delivery Mission. Any more would be impossible.’
This was obviously a measure to prevent his thoughts from happening.
Regardless, Aurelius was already more than satisfied. Being able to issue Missions like this would greatly help in his future plans.
Moreover, was this the full extent of the NPC Template’s abilities? He strongly doubted it.
As such thoughts were swirling in his mind, Aurelius made his way through the city.
Before long, his footsteps stopped, and he slowly raised his head.
A small shop entered his sight, with a worn-out plaque hanging above the door.