Chapter 55: Character Quest - Grace's Hometown 5
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
Illustrations: Here
There were no major twists in the quest.
All I found were roaming orcs, so thin they looked starved.
Following their footprints and the broken branches from their campfire, I discovered a small burrow.
Perhaps they had taken it over from another creature.
Given their state, I didn't need to do anything.
These orcs were unlike any I'd seen before, horribly underfed.
That might explain why they had been hanging around the village.
Even the most savage monsters can sense danger.
They didn't dare attack the village for food or risk going after the herb gatherers.
The cunning nature of these wanderers made them anticipate the consequences if their hunting attempts failed.
Of course, their intelligence only went so far.
While they cautiously refrained from attacking humans, they carelessly devoured live rabbits and left behind traces of their presence, lighting bonfires in the wild.
'It's somewhat awkward... Is this it?'
I wasn't expecting to come across such weak creatures.
At this point, the lack of a twist is more than disappointing; it's practically going to ruin the stream.
I traveled for three days, only to encounter malnourished orcs, a mere four of them.
All I can gain from this is Grace's favor and the completion of a quest.
From a party member's perspective, it's not bad: nothing horrible is happening in Grace's village.
But it's a letdown when I think about Han Se-ah's stream.
Still holding out hope for something more, I left the frightened orcs alone and continued.
There must be a reason why the quest window instructed me to help Han-Se-Ah with her quest.
'I didn't expect the problem to be this easy.'
I rushed out, concerned about Grace's feelings, and now I'm running around, worried about Han Se-ah's live stream.
It would have been better if there were dozens of orcs, and I could thin their numbers beforehand.
But there are only four malnourished orcs barely clinging to life.
If they're that starved, they're weak enough to be killed by moss wolves or helmeted deer.
In terms of the hierarchy, they're roughly on par with weak goblins, weaker than horned wolves.
I scoured the entire mountain range in case there was something else, but besides the four orcs, the area remains peaceful.
I check the mountain peaks and checked other mountains nearby just in case, but the outcome remained the same.
Besides the four wandering orcs, there was only a newly matured bear.
It's a peaceful place.
"Grace? She should be in that building."
"You're back already?"
At this point, I have no choice but to return to the village in disappointment.
If there were an ogre or something similar, I could have incapacitated it and left it near the orc nest.
One of the village guards looks at me, puzzled, then points me in the right direction.
In front of me is a solid stone house, a standout among the mainly modest wooden homes in this charming village.
At first glance, it seems like it belongs to someone important in the village.Ñøv€l--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.
It's more impressive than the huts in a country village, but in the city, it would be just another simple craftsman's shop.
As I head for the door, my teammates come out of the house together.
Among them is a man dressed in leather garments.
His disheveled chin-beard and keen eyes hint that he was quite the adventurer back in his day.
Unfazed by their reactions, she continued to promote her idea.
She caught hold of Grace's sleeve and gently pulled her towards me, her face wearing a cunning smile.
Just as she had during the night watch, she subtly encouraged physical contact between Grace and me.
"Roland's the fastest among us, so if he carries a skilled explorer like Grace, they can search the mountain together. Irene, Kaiden, and I will look around the village, just in case."
With firm belief that a party of 3456 couldn't be defeated by mere orcs, Han Se-ah didn't hesitate to split the party.
Or maybe she fully trusted my report of finding orc traces only on the mountains.
Grace didn't object much; her cheeks tinted slightly pink as she let Han Se-ah lead her.
It seemed fitting to match their pace, so I stepped closer to Grace.
Viewers would prefer watching NPCs flirting with each other rather than a beatdown of malnourished orcs.
"Not a bad idea."
"Not bad, right?!"
When it's time to show off, do it with a bang.
Without a moment's hesitation, I reached out and gently wrapped one arm around Grace's waist and the other across her shoulders.
She gave a startled flutter as I lifted her, but to me, she felt lighter than a feather.
I hoisted her up, and naturally, we fell into a princess carry position.
Her outstretched arm shyly wrapped around my neck before bashfully tucking in, resting in front of my chest.
"You, are...?"
"I'm Roland, a senior adventurer and kind of a guide for the party. It's been a while, but let's focus on finishing the search first."
I feel like a barbarian abducting a maiden in front of her father.
Ignoring the surprised look on the old man's rugged face, I strode forward.
I have enough self-control to avoid wreaking havoc in this delicate village.
As I effortlessly leap over huts and fences, Grace's delighted screams echo in my ears.
"Kyaah!"
"Careful! You could bite your tongue!"
"Then run more smoothly!"
As I accelerated, I notice a hint of anxiety, her neatly folded hands grip my neck like a safety handle.
As a result, I can feel her chest, previously out of reach, slightly trembling beneath her leather armor.
I never realized it could jiggle even when compressed like this.
And I'm not the only one enjoying this.
-Our ranger seems to have some large magic pouches.
-They're on a date, and they even brought a camera.
-Han Se-ah really knows how to put on a show.
-As soon as she discovered the multi-camera feature, she been capturing golden shots, lol.
The semi-transparent camera drone hovering in front of me faithfully tracked my movements.
The problem was that from this angle, as the camera looked down at my face, Grace's bosom took center stage.
The chat begins to fill with comments like 'Wow,' as viewers realize there's a reason this game is rated 18+.
'She really is a streaming monster.'
There's a reason she's a popular streamer with a large fanbase even before this VR game.
***
Bruh.
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