RPG Veteran Possesses Their Main Character

Lumiel took her gaze away from the sky and turned her head towards the direction of the voice.

A person was approaching, pushing through the grass.

Above his head floated an info window that read [Lv.5 Village Guard].

Lumiel blinked.

'...Wasn't that NPC originally standing like a map background?'

A male guard NPC with armor that looked incredibly heavy at a glance, holding an old spear.

The NPC who always guarded the same spot near the village entrance was now moving on his own.

"Hey, you there! Are you okay?!"

He ran over urgently and started catching his breath while looking down at Lumiel.

Seeing how frantic he was, he must have thought Lumiel was being attacked by monsters.

Lumiel slowly got up and answered.

"Yes, I'm fine."

He looked Lumiel up and down, then made a confused expression.

"...What? You're really okay? I'm sure I saw you collapsed just now..."

"I was just lying down."

"...Lying down?"

He blinked as if dumbfounded.

Lumiel answered with a slight smile.

"Yes. The sunlight was nice."

"..."

He seemed at a loss for words for a moment.

His gaze shifted to Lumiel's surroundings.

Small red creatures were quietly looking at Lumiel from within the grass.

They were Totos.

"...Don't tell me you didn't realize you were surrounded by monsters?"

He asked with a troubled expression.

Lumiel shook her head, slightly lifting the Toto she was holding.

"No, I knew."

"..."

His gaze turned to the Toto.

Lumiel gently stroked the fluffy Toto and said:

"They're cute, aren't they?"

"..."

"Want to touch it?"

"...No, I'm good."

He turned his gaze away, looking troubled.

Lumiel quietly observed his reaction.

'...This is interesting.'

Seeing an NPC who had been standing still like a map background now talking and changing expressions made him feel like a real person.

'So this NPC had this kind of personality.'

Lumiel naturally brightened her eyes as she looked at him.

He flinched slightly and avoided her gaze.

"...What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Just because it's interesting."

"Me?"

"Yes."

He sighed while trying hard to avoid Lumiel's gaze.

"Anyway, it's dangerous here, so let's go back to the village."

"It's fine though."

"What do you mean it's fine? You're just a kid."

"...That's true."

Lumiel shrugged.

He still had the look of someone looking at a clueless child.

Why was that? She hadn't done anything particularly strange.

"This is a place where even novice adventurers need to be careful. There are level 5 slimes roaming around here. It's fortunate that you're safe, but don't wander around alone in places like this from now on."

"..."

Lumiel thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Okay. Let's go together."

Only then did he seem relieved, letting out a deep sigh.

"Good thinking. Let's go."

Lumiel carefully put down the Toto she was holding into the grass.

The Toto looked at Lumiel's hand regretfully, but soon disappeared into the grass with the other Totos.

Lumiel looked at them one last time, then followed the guard towards the village.

"By the way, what's your name?"

On the way to the village, the guard asked Lumiel. She tilted her head and answered.

"Lumiel."

"Lumiel? That's a name I've never heard before... You don't seem to be a child from this village."

"Right. I'm traveling."

"Traveling?"

The guard tilted his head.

"All by yourself?"

Lumiel nodded lightly.

"Yes."

He was about to say something but closed his mouth.

They walked silently along the dirt path.

The village scenery was gradually getting closer.

Stone paths gleaming in the sunlight and small flags swaying in the wind. As they approached the village entrance, the guard looked at Lumiel again.

"You said you're traveling, right? Do you have any specific goals?"

Lumiel thought for a moment before answering.

"For now... I just want to look around various places. That's all."

"I see? If you need anything in this village, let me know."

He said calmly.

Lumiel smiled at his words.

"Does a guard help with that kind of thing too?"

"Ah, well... Usually not, but I'm a bit concerned seeing a child like you wandering alone."

Lumiel quietly laughed at his words.

"Thank you."

He somehow avoided her eyes and cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Anyway, stay quiet in the village. Don't cause any trouble."

Lumiel nodded and answered.

"I understand."

With that, they arrived at the village entrance.

The guard returned to his original position and added one last thing to Lumiel.

"And... don't wander around alone too much. It's dangerous."

Lumiel nodded with a smile at his words.

"Okay. I got it."

Leaving the kind guard behind, Lumiel slowly looked around the village.

Familiar streets, small flags swaying on the stone pavement, and for some reason, people passing by while glancing at Lumiel.

"...I'm back."

Lumiel took a light breath.

Clean air seeped deep into her lungs.

"For now... shall I look around slowly?"

Although it wasn't intentional, since she had returned to the village, she might as well take a light look around.

With that in mind, Lumiel quietly moved her steps.

After walking for a while, a wide square appeared. The central square that was the heart of the village.

In the square, merchants had set up small stalls and were trading with people.

Indeed, the NPCs here were conversing too naturally to be called NPCs.

"We've got a lot of fresh apples in today! Three thousand gold for a bag!"

"Hey, it was a thousand gold yesterday! Did it go up again already?"

"Apple farms are in a recession these days. But don't worry, the taste is still top-notch!"

Lumiel smiled as she watched this scene.

"...Really, they all seem so alive."

Muttering in a small voice, she walked a bit further and saw a familiar building.

[General Store]

Lumiel opened the door and went inside.

A small bell rang as the door opened, and the shopkeeper inside looked at Lumiel.

"Welcome, adventurer!"

He greeted her with a bright smile.

Lumiel responded with a gentle smile, then looked around the store.

Various items were organized on the walls, and potions and bread-like items were placed on shelves behind the counter.

"Is there anything you're looking for?"

Lumiel thought for a moment, then answered with a smile.

"I just came to look around."

"Haha, I see. Feel free to do as you want!"

Lumiel slowly looked around the store. It still had the same structure as the general store in Lumiel's memory. But everything felt more realistic.

Each product was more detailed, and the herbal scent in the store was pleasantly fresh.

After slowly looking around the general store, Lumiel went back out to the street.

This time, she headed towards a small pond in one corner of the village.

This was a place players usually passed by when receiving quests, but now it was quiet.

Gentle ripples were swaying on the surface of the pond.

Lumiel looked at her reflection on it.

Her white hair still swayed gently in the wind.

Blue eyes were reflected in the clear water.

Lumiel looked at that image with a bitter expression and sat down at the edge of the pond.

A frog jumped up by the water's edge.

Lumiel found it quite cute, so she smiled softly and reached out to scoop up some water.

A cold and refreshing sensation.

Water droplets rolled down between her fingers.

Lumiel sat there for a while, looking at the ripples. She smiled again and looked up at the sky.

'...What should I do now?'

There was no rush, and no need to hurry to do anything.

She wanted to make the most of this opportunity to properly enjoy the RPG atmosphere after a long time.

Lumiel decided to slowly look around the beginner's village that she hadn't fully explored yet.

Following the small stone paths, she took in each scenery that caught her eye into her memory.

In the central square of the village, some residents were gathered, chatting. Water was trickling from an old fountain, and children were running around it, playing excitedly.

In the distance, the sound of a blacksmith hammering weapons with a large hammer could be heard.

"The price of iron ore has gone up so much lately that it's hard to get raw materials. What on earth are those miners doing?"

"That's why I told you to stock up on inventory usually."

The merchant NPCs around were also moving busily.

Perhaps because time had passed, there were new faces that weren't visible in the morning.

It was still fascinating to see the NPCs behaving as if they were alive and breathing.

Lumiel looked at these scenes with interest.

That's when it happened.

Coughing sounds started coming from one side of the road.

"Cough, cough... Haa..."

A girl was sitting weakly, leaning against the wall.

A pale face, a frail body taking labored breaths, and a small medicine bottle placed on the ground could be seen.

'That's definitely...'

A name that suddenly came to Lumiel's memory.

Lillian.

"..."

Lumiel quietly stopped walking.

Lillian's quest was a typical quest that novices often undertook.

Moreover, it was a quest with a tragic story designed to leave a strong impression on the game.

The pitiful girl, Lillian, who keeps coughing on the street.

If a player accepts the quest, she asks them to find medicine ingredients.

A quest to procure medicine three times.

But even if you complete all the quests, you only learn that Lillian's disease is incurable, and her illness doesn't get cured.

-...It's okay. This was probably my fate anyway.

With that sad voice line that sounds like she's given up, the reward the player receives is 5000 gold and the Sick Person's Ring that increases strength by 3.

Because the performance was good and the reward wasn't bad, many beginners undertook this quest.

And if you visit this place again after reaching level 100, all you find is an empty alley.

There's no way to see her after that, but given that they even included the detail of the NPC disappearing, it's easy to infer that the meaning is death.

Anyone who played this quest when first playing the game would have felt emptiness and bitterness.

Lumiel remembered that feeling from back then.

"..."

Lumiel looked at Lillian.

Whether she accepts the quest right now or not, according to the game memory, she will ultimately die without being cured of her illness.

But this was no longer just a simple game.

Lumiel quietly opened her inventory.

And took out one of the many items.

The legendary elixir, of which tens of thousands were piled up in the inventory.

The Power Elixir.