Chapter 125: Earned a new nickname [VIP]
The thick fog completely dissipated, and the players stood at the edge of an unfamiliar coniferous forest. A chill wind whipped up fine snow, hitting their faces. The air was cold and dry, a stark contrast to the moist mountain forests of Kyushu.
"That's all~" the player waved at them.
"Qiaodou sack!" Clue number three suddenly stretched out Erkang's hand, his voice a little panicked, "Where is this place?!"
After he shouted like that, the others realized that the environment had changed drastically.
Natsume Takashi looked around. There were dark green firs, tundra covered with thick snow, and the faint outline of snow-capped mountains in the distance - this was definitely not the Yahara forest he was familiar with!
Duojitou subconsciously clenched his fists and looked around curiously. The cat teacher pricked up his ears alertly and made a low purring sound in his throat.
The player opened the system map and glanced at the coordinates. He said calmly, "It seems to be in Sapporo."
"So it's in Sapporo..." Clue Number Three repeated subconsciously, then suddenly realized it and raised his voice, "That's not right?! How did we get from Kyushu to Hokkaido?! It takes a whole day to take the Shinkansen!"
Players were surprised by the NPCs. They hadn't been scared when they'd been following the artifact, no matter how bizarre the destinations, so why were they so shocked when they returned to the real world?
"It's different," Clue Number Three tried to reason with the spatially impaired player. "Under the influence of the scroll, our sense of distance is distorted, perhaps even nonexistent, as we follow it. But this is the real world! From Kyushu to Hokkaido, that's literally thousands of kilometers! Transportation, time, accommodations... I can instantly calculate how much this trip will cost."
"Eh..." the player said, sounding as if she hadn't considered the matter at all. She tilted her head, deciding to be the good guy. "Then I'll take you home."
Considering that some NPCs had previously complained about her somewhat bizarre teleportation method, a very considerate player decided to take a gentler approach. "Close your eyes and take three steps forward."
The fat cat monster stared at her suspiciously: "What are you trying to do?"
"Just do it, hurry up." The player was too lazy to explain. His fingers moved quickly in the air, and an invisible stream of data flowed along with his fingertips. [Ether Editing] was silently activated, accurately locating and writing the code for a one-way space channel leading to the vicinity of Clue No. 3's home.
The four NPCs closed their eyes doubtfully and took three cautious steps forward.
step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
Open your eyes.
In the familiar courtyard, the warm light of Duogui's house shone through the windows, and the faint sound of voices could be heard from the neighboring house. The evening breeze carried the familiar scent of grass and trees, without even a hint of the icy cold of Hokkaido.
"..." The NPCs looked at each other, speechless for a moment.
This wasn't just a matter of speed; it completely defied common sense! The fat cat monster rarely complained, simply glancing at the player with a complicated expression.
The players were in a good mood as they watched them arrive home safely.
After a chaotic day of Pokémon recycling, she felt that these NPCs had barely escaped the category of background NPCs that no one would pay attention to when they walked on the street, and they were worthy of having their own code names.
After all, for players, most NPCs are just data that make up the numbers and increase the experience.
A small number of NPCs are involved in the player's tasks, or require player contact, and will have a nickname similar to [Position/First Impression/Characteristics].
Such as scientist NPC/chatty NPC/teacher NPC and so on.
After players spend a long time with NPCs, as players get to know the NPCs more, they will give them more nicknames.
For example, Chuuya, in addition to obtaining the gravity NPC, also won the good entry NPC.
The evolution of other NPCs is generally Loli NPC—Smart Loli NPC—Little Smart, like this.
Occasionally there will be a special case, for example, Oda got his exclusive growth task not long after he was picked up, and he quickly got the treatment of having his real name remembered!
Dazai had only been a Shota NPC for a few days when he asked the players to change their name, and his real name was quickly remembered by the players.
Only when the player has a real name or nickname that is different from the first impression can it be said that the player has singled it out from ordinary NPCs.
By the way, players are quite fond of the nicknames they gave the high school trio, thinking they perfectly reflect their characteristics and are quite interesting. Therefore, generally speaking, players won't change their names.
Generally speaking.
The player cleared his throat and began to take roll call.
"You," she pointed at the fat cat lying on Good Fist's shoulder, "cat bodyguard."
The cat bodyguard instantly exploded: "Impolite brat!"
Players ignored protests, pointing. "
A good punch doesn’t make people happy…”
Clues 2 and 3: "Passerby A, Passerby B."
Clue No. 2: “…”
Clue number three: "...so perfunctory!"
The player shrugged and said, "I can't go. It's because you didn't have any particularly outstanding features on this trip that impressed me."
"Then, I apply for a description of the characteristics!" Clue No. 3 immediately raised his hand, his eyes shining.
The player nodded: "Approved!"
Clue number three puffed out his chest and introduced himself earnestly, "My name is Duoji Tou, and my ancestors were Onmyojis! I know a lot about monsters, and I can draw formations and talismans to use as protective amulets! Although you can't normally see monsters, as long as I draw a formation, I can clearly see the monsters that enter the formation! Also, I really—love furry and soft things! I'm a big cat lover!"
As she spoke, she couldn't help but glance at the cat bodyguard.
"Oh!" The player suddenly realized and waved his hand proudly, "I see! So you're a cat lover!"
The cat lover was stunned for a moment, then laughed happily: "Wow! That sounds great! I like it!"
Clue No. 2 watched his companion gain instant recognition, sighed, and resignedly said, "...Why do we have to carry out this kind of activity?"
He cleared his throat. "My name is Kaname Tanuma, and I live with my father in the temple. Although I'm not as sensitive as Natsume, I can vaguely sense the presence of monsters. Most of the time, I can't see the actual entity, and I can only see the shadow outline occasionally..."
The player touched his chin and said, "Little monk?"
Clue number three immediately shook his head: "Absolutely not!"
"Well, let me suggest one?" The cat lover interrupted with a smile, "Most of the time when I meet Tanuma-kun outside, he's in the forest! He's quiet and peaceful, like the guardian spirit of the forest! I'll quietly call him the forest elf!
The player's eyes lit up. "Huh? I didn't expect you to have a talent for naming. Let's call him Forest Elf!"
The forest elf watched the players and the cat lover reach a consensus. Although he felt the name was a bit subtly childish, compared to "Little Monk" and "Random Person", he could only reluctantly accept it: "...at least it's better than Little Monk."
He glanced at Hao Quan next to him, and the other party gave him a sympathetic look.
At this point, the players are satisfied.
It was almost dusk, and the setting sun gilded the courtyard with a warm golden hue. The cat lover, cradling the scroll, sighed, "It feels like only a few hours have passed, yet I feel as exhausted as if I'd been working non-stop for days..."
The forest elf nodded: "Yes, this experience... I will probably never forget it until I grow old, right?"
Hao Quan looked at the player with complicated eyes, and finally just smiled gently.
The teenagers waved goodbye to each other in the sunset and walked in different directions. The cat bodyguard lay on Haoquan's shoulder, its tail swishing lazily.
The player watched them walk away, her vigorous energy showing no sign of fading. She opened the map and teleported directly back to Tokyo Jujutsu High School.
The player appeared precisely at the door of the first-grade classroom. Dead Fish Eyes was holding an unlit cigarette, lazily leaning against the window, staring at the sunset in a daze.
Seeing the player suddenly appear, she simply raised her eyelids, not even showing surprise: "Hey, you're back? Are you having fun?"
"Not bad." The player walked up to her, his red eyes sparkling. "Come on, let's go out and do the experiment together."
Dead Fish Eyes raised an eyebrow: "Experiment? What experiment?"
She had a bad feeling.
"Your technique," the player said succinctly. "I used it briefly on a non-living object a few days ago. Today, I'm going to try it on a living object."
Dead Fish Eyes was stunned and almost dropped the cigarette.
She grew up in the world of sorcery, and after awakening the reversal technique, she was closely guarded. Everyone told her that it was a precious gift from the gods to heal her companions, a vital pillar of the sorcerer's front line. She only needed to stay behind and provide treatment.
As for the principle? It's too rare, no one understands it, and there's not a single word about it in ancient books. As for using it against cursed spirits? It's unheard of, and I've never thought of it. What if such a rare strategic talent gets into trouble in the battle with a cursed spirit?
"Are you kidding?" Dead Fish Eyes frowned, and instinctively retorted, "The reversal technique is for healing, how can it possibly be used against cursed spirits..."
"You'll find out if you try it," the player interrupted her, his tone casual. "Reversal spells multiply cursed energy to create a positive output, and cursed spirits are essentially a collection of negative cursed energy. When positive and negative collide, it could cause annihilation, explosion, or ineffectiveness."
The player stared at her intently, "You haven't tried it yet, how do you know it won't work?"
Glass was stared at by the player's red eyes, which were purely thirsty for knowledge and had no distractions. Listening to her analysis that subverted common sense but was logically sound, the concept of "treatment first" that had been instilled in her for a long time began to crack for the first time.
She looked at the player, silent for a few seconds, and finally, a very faint, almost mocking smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. She put out the cigarette that had not even been lit.
"Heh... lunatic." Dead Fish Eyes stood up and stretched his neck. His eyes, always half-lidded and weary, seemed to light up with a faint but curious light. "Alright, alright, I'll just go crazy with you for once. Where are we going to catch the experimental subjects?"
Deep in her heart, the door to the possibility of white-skinned techniques that had never been opened before was kicked open a crack by the player's simple and rough kick.
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