Mythos Of Narcissus: Reborn As An NPC In A Horror VRMMO

"Still, I won't be adding or doing anything that would break the contract we have," Kuzunoha continued, her tone now more serious, yet with an underlying edge of sassiness. "You know me; I prefer to keep my promises, even if they tend to come with a touch of chaos."

"Right, because chaos is your specialty," I muttered, trying to mask the uncertainty in my voice with sarcasm.

"Indeed," she replied, leaning forward slightly, her posture embodying an eerie grace that contrasted sharply with the madness around me."But chaos and order are merely two sides of the same coin. I can dance along that edge without ever losing sight of the ground beneath my feet."

"Just remember that ground you're dancing on isn't just yours," I reminded her, feeling a hint of defiance spark within me. "You may enjoy the chaos, but some of us prefer a bit of stability, thank you very much."

A chuckle echoed from her—soft, unsettling, and laced with an authority that sent chills down my spine. "Ah, my little stability seeker, it's cute that you think you can control what exists in the depths of madness." Her tone shifted, taking on a teasing quality. "But it seems the more you cling to that illusion, the more you become tangled in the very web of chaos you wish to avoid~

"Still," she continued, "I will always respect our agreement. I'm not here to shatter your delicate little world; I merely want to explore the boundaries of this reality. Your suspicion of me can be a little bit disheartening at times~"

Kuzunoha playfully sighed.

This means that something above the two of us interfered with the action that was at play.

For now, I will adhere to this mysterious will as I continue to play the role I decided to take. These former books of guidance, now called as the Scripts, shall be handed out to the recruits.

"Keep an eye on the recruits, always," I told Kuzunoha.

"They won't even realize they're chanting it," Kuzunoha mused. tapping the edge of one of the Script with her slender gloved finger She seemed to mistook my word of intention.. "Ingenious, really. You're quite the manipulator, Narcissus. Remind me to never get on your bad side."

I glanced at her, amused. "Said the manipulator."

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"How preposterous of you~ My heart is pure and devoid of trickery, you know?"

"I doubt that you even have a heart to begin with."

I also told Kuzunoha to give all of the Scripts later, an hour before the Ordeal. So as of now, she would be in charge of storing it.

With that taken care of, I turned my attention to another pressing matter—arming the recruits. We needed to outfit them with durable weapons. Wood and metal from below would suffice for temporary pikes, though they were far from ideal.

After all, I couldn't bear seeing them using their former equipment. Not only that they were low quality, they were ragged and almost beyond repair. The fact that they were still alive with weapons of that quality amazed me.

"Verina," I said as soon as I entered the hallway of the barrack, glancing at Verina who was socializing with the new recruits, probably praising me behind my back. "We're going mining."

Her violet eyes lit up with a mix of anticipation and curiosity. Though, she just seemed to be happy to have a private time with me. "I take it we're not just digging for treasures today?"

"No," I said, guiding her outside of the barrack. I continued after we were far enough from the bonding recruits. "We need to gather materials for weapon crafting. Pikes and crossbows, specifically. Our new recruits need something to fight with, and a defensive spear unit is the best temporary solution."

Verina nodded. "Should I show the new spell I crafted for this fortunate occasion?"

"Huh, I don't see why not." I grinned.

Using the Broken Gloamkeeper's Beacon, I went to the designated site in search of ore veins or deposits. The power of the highlighting might have been weakened, but it was still useful nonetheless.

Verina's violet eyes gleamed with excitement as she stood firmly.

"I've been refining this spell for some time. Thanks to Kuzunoha's lesson of the arcane, I went through a drastic enlightenment," Verina began, her tone casual but carrying an undercurrent of pride. "It's a combination of precise thermal manipulation and controlled kinetic force. Perfect for efficient mineral extraction without damaging the surrounding environment. I call it Thermobaric Fracture."

Seeing her already naming the spell, it seemed that the spell was already finished.

Also, I didn't expect her to refer to Kuzunoha with her own name. I guess that was an improvement in their relationship?

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Sounds impressive. How does it work?"

She seemed to hellbend on sharing her creation, so it would be better of me to listen to her discovery.

After all, I was the one who taught her modern physics and chemistry. Her view of me should be high enough to be regarded.

Verina chuckled softly, clearly enjoying my curiosity. "Well, the principle is pretty straightforward—at least to someone like me. First, I'll use a controlled burst of heat to weaken the molecular bonds within the inanimate target. This lowers the structural integrity, making it more malleable.

"Then, I'll apply a focused pulse of kinetic energy to fracture it cleanly, directing the force through the will of the arcane, sharing my thought to ride the wave of the kinetic energy like a captain of a ship."

She paused for a moment, a slightly mischievous grin tugging at her lips. "Think of it as precision mining, hehehe. Isn't that something that we really needed for today?"

I grinned, amused by the whole idea. "No need for picks or shovels when you can make the rock practically fall apart on command, huh."

After the nerdy talk, we began enacting our mining operation

With a fluid motion, Verina raised her hand, and I watched as the air around her shimmered with a sudden, intense heat. Her eyes gleamed with concentration as she enacted the formula under her breath, her fingers tracing intricate patterns in the air and her very own musket.

The atmosphere around us shifted dramatically—first rising, then dropping in rapid succession. The ground beneath us seemed to hum in response, the vibrations subtle but unmistakable. Soon after the, the land in front of us began to glow faintly, the heat seeping into its very core.

"Now, watch closely," Verina said, her voice low and focused. "This is where the fun begins."