IBHJ Chapter 871

"What happened, Altera? How did a slime take you out?"

"I... I forgot... Ayaka said the beginner village slimes are stronger than even level 9 dungeon bosses. All the newbies die to them, that's why they're called 'Noob Killers'," she said, scratching the back of her head sheepishly.

He was dumbfounded.

Beginner mobs stronger than late-game bosses? Which sadist designed this game?

But if the starter mobs were this tough, how could anyone level up and beat the Gatekeeper?

"The guide says you can only do it through the beginner quests. Once you finish those, you can leave the village," she explained.

The beginner quests had three modes: Noob, Normal, and Hell. Noob and Normal were just about activating game features, the only difference being the difficulty of the mobs.

Hell mode was the one she mentioned before – risking your life to answer the Gatekeeper's questions.

Shirou had already run through most of the beginner quests and given the pastries to the Gatekeeper. They just needed to report back to the village chief.

[Quest: You have delivered the pastries to the Gatekeeper. Now please return and report to the beginner village chief.]

Shirou and Altera headed to the center of the village to find the chief.

The chief was a young man with wavy hair, dressed in a white robe.

Seeing Shirou, he began his spiel: "Oh my dear Evil Flower, have you delivered the delicious pastries to the great Gatekeeper? How wonderful..."

The chief rambled on while Altera listened obediently. But Shirou looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "You're... Merem Solomon, aren't you?"

"Hm?"

The chief paused, looking at him with confusion. "You know me?"

Shirou thought to himself, 'Of course I know you. I beat you so badly you surrendered to Morgan le Fay and became her lab rat.'

"Wait, wait! You are...!"

Merem stared at him for a moment, then pointed with a shocked expression. "You, you're that knight..."

"No," Shirou shook his head, then pointed at himself with a smile. "I'm Morgan le Fay. Don't you recognize me?"

Behind him, Altera looked up with confused red eyes. "Why is Artoria saying she's Morgan le Fay?"

Just then, Merem dropped to the ground with a thud, staring at Shirou in terror.

"Looks like you remember me now..."

He smiled at Merem, whose face turned even paler. Then his body went rigid, eyes rolling back, and he fainted.

"Artoria, did the village chief faint?"

"Hmm... I guess he recalled some unpleasant memories?" he said vaguely, folding his arms.

"Unpleasant memories?" Her eyes were filled with confusion as she looked at Shirou.

He decided it was best not to elaborate.

Over 1,500 years ago, Merem and Altrouge, under orders from the Crimson Moon, went to Britain but were defeated by him. Altrouge was tamed, while Merem suffered a worse fate. Morgan le Fay had cut off his limbs and kept him in formalin for her daily slice-and-dice research. If Altrouge hadn't asked Shirou to take him away, he'd probably still be Morgan's lab rat.

Recognizing the village chief as Merem, Shirou decided to impersonate Morgan while wearing Artoria's face. He wanted to trick Merem into giving him some useful information or benefits, but he didn't expect him to be so scared he'd faint at the mere mention of Morgan's name.

This left Shirou speechless, but it also raised a question in his mind.

Why was Merem in this game world?

And why had he become an NPC, the beginner village chief, in this game world?

With these doubts, he and Altera waited for Merem to regain consciousness.

...

"I-I won't fear you, witch! I'm not the same person I was back then. My heart is full of courage!" Merem puffed out his chest, putting on a brave front.

Shirou looked at Merem, who was hiding behind a house. "Your words would be more convincing if you weren't hiding behind that house."

After a pause, he continued: "Also, give me my quest reward, village chief!"

He held out his hand.

Merem struggled internally between his duty and his fear of the witch. Finally, choosing responsibility, he emerged with a look of martyrdom and handed Shirou a sharp sword.

"This is the beginner quest reward?"

Merem and Altera nodded vigorously.

Shirou glanced at it, and the sword's attributes appeared.

[The Best Sword in the Village: Sharpness D+ Destiny: 50/50]

It was good it wasn't numerical values, but a [Sharpness] stat instead. The [Destiny] attribute was easy to understand, probably referring to the durability of the equipment.

It's just the name... The Best Sword in the Village. Shirou's mouth twitched.

Having handed over the reward, Merem seemed to overcome his fear of Morgan and regained his dignity as village chief.

"Brave warrior, you have obtained the strength of the entire village. This humble place can no longer nurture your growth. Venture towards the sunrise, your destiny lies with the stars and the sea..."

As Merem passionately recited his lines, Shirou interrupted, "By the way, Merem, I remember you joined the Church's Burial Agency, right? How did you end up here?"

"...I-I don't know either. I was on a mission with colleagues when a fox caught us and brought us here. Then the system assigned me as the village chief."

"You and your colleagues were captured and turned into NPCs?"

"I'm not sure about others, but Lady Altrouge, several Dead Apostle Ancestors, colleagues from the Burial Agency, and a few Lords from the Clock Tower in London were all caught. Not long ago, I even met the Lord of the Clock Tower, Lord Barthomeloi," Merem said.

Barthomeloi, a fox capturing people...

Shirou frowned. If Merem and Lord Barthomeloi were here, it was highly likely this game world was a Connection Point. Had he and Altera been trapped by the Council?

"Um, can I continue with the script now, Lady Morgan le Fay? If I don't finish it, the system will punish me," Merem said nervously.

Caught between his fear of the witch and the system's rules, he was in a tough spot.

"System?"

"Yes. I'll continue with the script then, ahem..." Merem coughed a few times, then looked at him with a serious face, fully immersed in his role as the beginner village chief, and said passionately: "Set out towards the sunrise, your goal is the stars and the sea. Prove to this world, to all who live on this continent, that ONE PIECE truly exists!"

Cough cough...!

Shirou choked.

He expected the usual RPG opening speech, not a One Piece pirate meme.

After finishing, Merem exhaled slowly with satisfaction, then looked at him and said, "Alright, I've finished my script. Lady Morgan le Fay, you've successfully graduated from the beginner stage. It's time to set out and conquer the stars and the sea."

"Before that, do you know how to defeat the Gatekeeper in that mountain?" Shirou pointed to the distant Andes Mountains.

He suspected the Gatekeeper who dragged them here was a Council member.

"You're asking about that Gatekeeper?" Merem asked.

Shirou nodded.

"If it's that one, I suggest you give up. That's an invincible unit. I've seen countless high-level players try to challenge that Gatekeeper, but they all died and returned to the respawn point. And besides the Hell-level beginner quest, that Gatekeeper isn't involved in any other quests, so there's no need to defeat it," Merem explained, looking confused.

After a pause, Merem added, "And if you're thinking about the Hell-level beginner quest, I suggest you forget it. The rewards might be great, but it's impossible. I've seen many overconfident players try, only to die prematurely."

Merem sighed deeply. He had witnessed too many reckless players challenge the Hell-level quest, only to waste all their respawns.

There was even that stubborn golden-haired player who ignored his advice and hadn't returned. She was probably still being taught a lesson.

Thinking of this, Merem sighed again. It was a classic case of not listening to elders and suffering the consequences.

In response to Merem's words, Shirou simply said, "Oh," and then asked, "Where's a good place to level up around here?"

He was determined to defeat the Gatekeeper and return to Chaldea.

"Brave warrior, this small beginner village is no longer worthy of your presence. Go forth into the world beyond the mountains. Your destiny lies with the stars and the sea!"

Shirou raised an eyebrow. "I'm not asking for the official line, I'm asking you."

Hearing this, Merem shook his head righteously. "As an NPC, I have professional ethics! Even if Lady Morgan threatens me, I absolutely cannot leak game information!"

Shirou took a step closer.

"Oh right, why have the crops on the back mountain been trampled recently? Damn, could it be those Pigmen again? They're tough, but not as dangerous as the slimes, making them perfect for practice. For the safety of the village, it seems I need to gather the young and strong to attack them, to defend our crops and train our strength..."

As he was speaking, Merem looked confused. "How strange, why am I suddenly saying all this?"

Seeing Merem's terrible acting, Shirou didn't say anything, just pulled Altera towards the back mountain.

After Shirou left, Merem took out a tissue and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, relieved to have sent the witch away.

To think Morgan le Fay had also entered this place...

This was terrible!

"I should hide for a while. If that damn witch comes back and forces me to answer more questions, the system will really strike me with lightning... Yes, I'd better hide."

Merem then ran away.