"Knock, knock."
Nash stood in front of Chisato's house and knocked it three times. He was just returning from Mr. Jenkins after getting paid this month as a lumberjack.
"Just open the door! My hand's full now!"
He twisted the painted mushroom doorknob and went inside to find an old woman overwhelmed in her kitchen. Her figure was almost buried behind the pile of unwashed dishes.
Nash approached her and stopped at the sink to wash his hand. "Need a hand, Grandma?"
Chisato's grandmother, Gressida, rolled her eyes while shrugging her shoulder. She lifted the bowl that was filled with flour dough in Nash's direction so he could see better. "Can't you guess yourself?"
"Hahaha, look like you need a hand. Let me wash the dishes."
"Thanks, Dear." Gressida continued kneading the dough and cutting it into several pieces before putting it on a large tray in measured distance—so the cookies would not stick to each other later. Meanwhile, Nash busied himself with dishes and soap, trying to finish it before Chisato returned home. Gressida was one of the people that always helped little Nash survive by giving him free food or checking on him at night whenever a winter storm came. So, Nash would never mind helping her with a little chore like this. For Nash, they were like his own family.
"What do you want to do with all these cookies?" Nash asked, just to melt the awkwardness between them. "I also see Chi went to Mr. Kleo's house to bring him a basket of wheat bread. Do you celebrate something?"
"Huh—you forget about today? Really?" Gressida stopped kneading and looked at Nash with a shocked expression. "Chi gotta punch you hard if you forget that today is her birthday."
Now, it was Nash who stopped doing his dishes and watched Gressida's face with a jaw dropped. "Today? You mean it's today?"
Gressida shrugged her shoulder. "Well, that's right." She then continued her words, "You know, she talks lot about today and wishes that she'll get so many presents. Especially from you, she adores you so much—Nash? Where'd you go?"
Before Gressida could finish her sentence, she found that Nash had already left the half-finished dishes and gone outside.
"What else?" Nash curled his eyebrows as if the answer to Gressida's question was obvious. "Of course to find a present for her. And one more thing—don't ever say that I forget her birthday or she'll sulk at me forever! I'll come back soon!"
The door left opened as Nash dashed outside to find a present, which made Gressida giggle, looking at his fast reflex. No wonder Chisato always talked a lot about Nash. Nash like this, Nash like that, Nash was the best!
"Ooops, gotta finish all of this before it's too late." She realized that she also needed to finish all the cakes and share them to all people in Camden as a part of their birthday tradition. In Terraria, when a person has their birthday, they must treat all persons close to them, even though the treat was just a cupcake or a candy. It was done purposefully to tighten the bond between villagers and brought peace in their homeland.
In return, the people who received the treat must give back a present. The present value was unimportant as long as it was given from their sincere will.
Now, Nash was bewildered to search for a present for Chi's birthday. He had to dismantle all his belongings inside the house and found nothing. Nash had zero ideas what kind of gift a girl would like. A doll? A dress? Or something like accessories?
"I remember I see one in Mom's room."
Nash went to his mother's room that located downstairs. He opened that room and went inside. The room still remained as the same when his mother still alive. Nash cleaned it every single day and never moved any single things from their position. Nash just wanted to eternalize that room as if his mother was still alive. His foot inched on the floor, avoiding stepping on the things lying there. He went to his mother's drawer and opened it. As he had expected, he found a box of gold jewelry, from necklace to their wedding ring. He picked a ring with a butterfly jewel and closed the drawer again.
"Mom, I promise I'll replace the ring later," said Nash to the empty air before walking outside his mother's room.
Bathump!
Nash stiffened in his place when something flashed inside his mind. He saw a scene where the butterfly ring fell from someone's hand and rolled on the ground, followed by a crimson fluid that made the gold colour soaked with red.
The scene shattered and Nash snapped back to reality. He limped down with a wide eyes and huge shock. He touched his head with one hand while glancing at the ring on his left palm with a scared expression. "What’s … that?”
*
“Nash, why you aren’t eating?”
Gressida's soft voice called Nash when he barely touched anything on his plate. The boy looked up with confused look. “Oh, it’s just … nothing. I’m sorry.”
He shook his head and started spooning the soup into his mouth while still in a blank state. Gressida felt strange toward Nash's sudden change of behaviour. She glanced at Chisato, which still focused on her plate, it was just a matter of time until she discovered that Nash looked different from usual.
(Is that because I ask him to bring a present? He didn’t need to do that if he didn’t want to, Chi is still glad as long as he’s here.)
She wanted to clear that misunderstanding before it got worsened, she opened her mouth to speak, “Nash, look, about the present—”
“The present?” Chisato cut Gressida’s sentence fast with a gleaming face.
“Right! The present.” Nash snapped back to reality as he picked something from his pocket and gave it fast to Chissy. “Here, your present.”
“Wow, it’s a ring! Grandma, look! Look! It’s a beautiful ring!” Chisato jumped out from her chair and showed the butterfly ring to Gressida.
But, instead of feeling happy, Gressida was worried. “Nash, is that a gold ring? You don’t need to do that! Just give her a random ring made from flower, not the gold one please.”
Chisato pouted at her grandmother's words and tried to hide the ring behind her back, not wanting to give it back because it was so beautiful. She wanted to keep it forever.
“It’s fine, Chi could keep it.” Nash shook his head and smiled. He bet his mother would also do the same if she was alive.
“But—”
“Grandmother, I want it! I want it! I want it!”
Gressida was just about to throw another protest when Chisato pulled her skirt with an almost sobbing face. Then she turned to Nash and saw that boy shrug his shoulder as if telling her she had no other option except to accept the gift. Gressida heaved a sigh. “Huft, alright. But I’ll never receive any kind of this expensive gift anymore. And you, Chi, better you keep it safe or I will give it back to Nash. Do both of you understand?”
“Got it, Grandma.”
“Yes, Grandmother.”
“Huft, alright. Let’s eat the dinner before it gets cold.”
RUUUUUMBLEEE—
Suddenly, a low rumbling began to grow beneath their feet. The dishes rattled on the table, and Nash looked up in alarm. He had felt this before. He knew it—in his dreams.
“Grandmother!” Chisato hurried to get up and reached for her grandmother that looked surprised and almost stumbled from her chair.
The earthquake was brief, lasting only a few seconds before it faded away, but Nash couldn't shake the sense of unease that had settled over him. He looked around at the others, searching for some sign that they had felt it too, but they seemed unfazed.
“What happened?” Gressida could not help but frown at the strange earthquake that had just happened a second ago. Both Nash dan Chisato shook their head in confusion. But before the three of them could compose themselves from the sudden shock, a loud shrieking scream came from outside, followed by others screaming.
“MONSTER! THERE’S A MONSTER ATTACK! THE VILLAGE IS BURNING!”
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The NPC Got A System 4. System Appeared
“No—this couldn’t happen.” Nash stood frozen while seeing all the horrendous scenes with his own eyes. “MONSTER! THERE ARE MONSTERS EVERYWHERE!” “EVERYONE PLEASE RUN!” “WHAAAAAA!” “MAMA!” Nash did not even move from his standing place when seeing the village getting attacked by monsters. His feet were glued on the ground when the ugly monsters destroyed house after house, eating people mercilessly, snapping their flesh, and making their blood scattered everywhere. “M-m-m-m-monster! Monster! The monster has come and they’ll kill us! They’ll kill us!” Pierre, the little brat that lived beside Mr. Jenkins’ house, now cried like a madman, passing through in front of Chi and Gressida’s house and running toward the forest. His mind went blank when seeing all those nightmarish scenes. The village drowned in fire, and people ran back and forth to escape from the monster attack, kids cried because their parents died, and Nash still stood like a statue watching all of that. He remembered
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In Nash’s sea of consciousness… “Where am I?” White mist surrounded Nash and made him could not see anything except the endless mist. The area where he stood now was a clear sea, Nash could see his own reflection on its surface but did not have ideas how deep it was. Snapping from his amazement, Nash remembered that he had died due to blood loss, so it meant that he was in the afterlife now? He smiled bitterly and murmured softly, “I hope Chi and Grandma still alive. So my sacrifice would not be in vain.” Nash accepted his miserable death with an open heart because what was important to him was the fact that he was free from that pain and could meet his parents soon. “Alright, time to go.” Wooooossssh! When Nash tried to touch the mist cloud, it disappeared quickly in spherical, showing what was hidden there. Nash could not help but feel confused when he saw nothing there. It was only him and just himself. He tried to walk forward, it might be that he would find someone or so
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A tingling sensation approached Nash’s pale cheeks, making them flush a dim red under the cast of warm sunlight even though it had entered the late autumn season in Terraria. Some of the sun light rays shone upon Nash closed eyelids, making it twitch a little. The eyeballs inside it move from side to side at a fast pace, as if they experienced a bad dream. Snap! Suddenly the eyes were opened and showed both jade pupils that grew wider from shock and fear. (What is it? Am I … really getting back to this world?) He could see a clear azure sky unfolded above him, with some hazy and pearl-white clouds painted on it. Nash tried to blink several times and looked closely at the sky, but the scenery remained the same. He did come back to life, even after his lungs got pierced by his own ribs and died alone because of blood loss underneath Gressida’s house ruins. Oh, right! Gressida! Chisato! Nash quickly got up and found that he was lying on the grass in the middle of the forest. Where
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“Twelve, thirteen, fourteen. What? Is that all you have in your pocket? Just fourteen coins?” Slap! Nash, who was now sitting on top of those unconscious thugs, slapped their faces using empty wallet bag that Nash had taken from them. If someone saw them right now, Nash looked more like a real thug than the one that fainted beneath him. This might not be stated in detail because Nash was just a mere NPC with less exposure in Heaven of Terraria, but the real thing is—Nash was a total menace in his village. Of course he was an orphan, but it did not mean he would just stay quiet like a coward if another kid said something mean about his dead parents or Chisato. Nash beat all of them with his strength, and when he entered his adolescence era, no one in the village or neighbour village dared to insult him. That explained why Nash was an expert being a lumberjack, his arm strength was not a joke. “T-that’s all we have.” “Ughh, uhhhh—please let us go.” They groaned in pain with all th
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The NPC Got A System 11. Entering The Tower
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Latest Chapter
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125. The Begin of Chaos (2)
"Hmm... seems like the situation ain't good for us to talk anymore," said Aurora, glancing at Snow and Elaine suspiciously. "Meet me after the evening feast in the VIP room later. My private guard will take you there. That is if you're still interested in my offer. Farewell, Hero."Aurora gave a thin smile, leaving a charming impression as she walked out of the barracks where Nash rested. True to her name, snow traces lingered wherever she stepped, turning the room into an instant ice-bound mountain.A moment after Aurora's departure, Elaine wasted no time and approached Nash with a skeptical look. "You... how do you know the princess from the Arctic region? Have you been meeting secretly behind my back?""Re-really! Tell me, Nash! Princess Aurora is my idol! I'm willing to do anything, even endure this damn competition to get her attention. But why is she interested in you? Tell me your secret!" Snow joined in, pulling Nash's hand and making him sigh tiredly due to this sudden interr
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124. The Begin of Chaos (1)
The system had clearly and explicitly explained to Nash what Third World View was—a dimension where Nash could observe events in a location by projecting himself, but whatever Nash did or said could be conveyed to the real world due to the very thin barrier between them."Why can I only do this now?" Nash protested. If he had known that he could do this for a long time, Nash could have used this skill to locate his friends and Chisato.[Answer: That is because Player Nash has just fulfilled the conditions and requirements for using the exclusive skill: Third World View.]The system's answer made Nash furrow his brow. He then opened his information window and looked at his current player information. He hadn't seen it for quite some time because he was busy training Elaine in the forest and participating in the Sylvan Cup tournament.\\[Player Information]Name: Nash Ledger (LV. 40)Job: Swordsman, The Far AnalystTitle: Web-Weaving Warrior, Low Meat Slayer. The Toughest Of Them All (
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123. After Battle (4)
Nash had a strange dream. He was in the midst of a great battle where monsters escaped from the tower where they were imprisoned and attacked everyone, including civilians and players. The dream felt incredibly real as Nash could hear people screaming as the monsters chased and tore them apart, while the players were busy defeating the monsters and couldn't save the trapped civilians in the chaos. "What is this? Why am I dreaming such terrible things again?" Nash still remembered the last time he had a bad dream, which turned out to be a reality. However, that was because the dream was a memory of Nash as an NPC repeating a game script, but this time Nash was no longer just an NPC but also a part of Heaven of Terraria. So, what did all of this mean? "In a little while, Heaven of Terraria will reach its final arc." A voice suddenly came from beside Nash, causing him to spontaneously turn and see the figure. Nash was taken aback when he realized that the figure was someone he knew.
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122. After Battle (3)
"Ugh, why are there so many people? I can't even find a way to escape," Chisato muttered as she got trapped in a crowded crowd at the waiting area for the qualifying participants. Prince Hassan had ordered Chisato to buy some snacks because he was hungry, despite the fact that Hassan had been eating all day, but he was still hungry. Chisato wanted to refuse, but she knew deep down that she was only surviving on Hassan's kindness as the prince of Iskandarien. Chisato would definitely be a homeless person on the streets if Hassan hadn't offered her a job at that time, although sometimes Chi felt that Hassan just wanted to toy with her."Sigh, I better get out soon and find some snacks before that food-loving prince comes looking for me and ends up disappearing who knows where." Chi clenched her fists earnestly before gathering the courage to step through the sea of people.Were they so curious about the masked participant?"Excuse me, coming through.""Excuse meee.""Sorry, sorry. Excus
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121. After Battle (2)
"Hurry, come in here. It's safer here!"A girl pulled the overwhelmed young man's hand, pushing through the crowd that tried to reach out to interview him. Without hesitation, the young man followed the girl's lead and entered a closed room that wasn't crowded—only a few participants who had made it through the second round were there."Whew, that was close. Wasn't it?"The young man then removed the mask he had been wearing for approximately 22 hours in the labyrinth and revealed his face covered in sweat."Yes, you're right. I didn't expect there would be so many journalists waiting for us at the finish line." He paused for a moment, then suddenly touched the girl's cheek. "El, your cheek is bleeding. Did you get scratched earlier?"Elaine blinked in surprise when Nash suddenly touched her cheek. She quickly pushed Nash's hand away and covered her reddened cheek out of embarrassment. "Ah, it's nothing. Just a small scratch.""Tch," Nash scoffed at Elaine's stubbornness. He then put
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120. After Battle (1)
"Excuse me, oops— I'm sorry."An orange cup with a white plastic straw fell to the floor when someone hit it with her elbow, and she received a death stare."Do you wish to die now, huh?" The cup owner, a big man three times her size, looked at her menacingly. He had just lost a bet when his pick died on the battlefield, resulting in the loss of nearly 50 gold coins. Now, a petite-looking girl stood in front of him with a half-dumbfounded expression after making his last orange cup fall to the floor. "I'll—""Please, let her go, mister. Here's a small compensation for your loss."From the girl's side, a young man hurriedly stood in front of her, as if protecting her from the big and somewhat intimidating man. He held out a pocket to the man, causing the big man to raise his eyebrow in confusion. However, when he heard the heavy clink from the pocket, he decided to take it quickly."Now you understand, boy! I forgive you, I forgive you, hahaha!" The big man left with a wide smile on hi
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119. Meeting With Them Again (3)
“We surrounded all of them!”“Guard them so no one can escape!”As the crowd gathered, Nash stood triumphant, the victor of the intense battle against Vexul, Nekron, and Morgrath. The defeated members of the Arcane Guild were now bound, surrounded by a group of nearly ten individuals, ensuring their capture. Nash, wearied from the arduous fight, wore an expression of exhaustion and fatigue, yet a sense of satisfaction shone through.Vexul, his teeth gritted in frustration, refused to accept his defeat, his eyes filled with a fiery determination that mirrored his unyielding spirit. "This... this cannot be! I will not accept this outcome!"Nash, with a stoic gaze, addressed Vexul, his voice laced with weariness yet an unwavering resolve. "Your arrogance blinds you, Vexul. Accept your defeat with some semblance of grace."Meanwhile, Morgrath, filled with desperation, made a futile attempt to escape the clutches of his captors. However, his efforts were in vain as he found himself surroun
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118. Meeting With Them Again (2)
“Keurgh!”Nash engaged in a fierce battle against Vexul, the master of spatial manipulation, Nekron, a half-necromancer with dark magic at his disposal, and Morgrath, a relentless melee fighter with devastating burst skills. The clash between their abilities pushed Nash to the brink of exhaustion.[Warning: Your HP is in dangerous state. Please take a rest or drink a Health Potion to restore your HP.](Damn! I don’t have time even to pull a potion right now!)“Come! Flame Slash!”Unleashing his flame sword, a powerful weapon he had acquired from a previous battle, Nash fought with all his might. The flames danced and crackled, striking at his opponents with searing intensity. However, Vexul's space skill proved to be a formidable defense, as he effortlessly dodged and evaded Nash's fiery onslaught.“Keh—it’s that all you got after babbling and bragging? You’re just a trash, Nash. A big trash.”“I’ll kill that motherfucker with my fist!” Morgrath charged forward and released a hard blo
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117. Meeting With Them Again (1)
117. Meeting With Them Again (1)As the excitement of their victory subsided, Nash felt a sense of exhaustion creeping in. He yearned for a moment of respite at the Safe Point, where he could recover and strategize for the next phase of their journey, as well as reunited again with Elaine and Snow. Turning to Dragonclaw and Gron, he voiced his intentions.“I think it's time for me to head to the Safe Point and take a breather. We've earned it after that intense battle."Dragonclaw grinned mischievously, his eyes gleaming with playful sarcasm. "Oh, so The Mimic, the mighty fire-wielder, needs a little rest, huh? Can't handle the heat anymore?"Gron chuckled a little, joining in on the banter.Nash rolled his eyes, a playful smirk forming on his lips. "Oh, you two are just jealous of my newfound fiery skills. But don't worry, I'll save some enemies for you to defeat."Dragonclaw feigned offense, placing a hand dramatically over his heart. "Me? Jealous? Never! I'll just find a way to han