Chapter 26: The Absurdity of the Undead Novice Village

Three days had passed since that day, since their return from the Wells ancestral home.

During this time, Eve observed Alice as if she had entered a ‘sage mode.’ Alice would often sit in a chair, cradling a cup of black tea, gazing into the distance, remaining there for an entire day.

Even at night, after Eve had washed up and settled into bed, Alice would simply embrace her and fall asleep, doing nothing more.

Perhaps Alice’s initial impression as a saintess had been too profound. Now that Alice was no longer engaging in her usual eccentricities, Eve found herself somewhat unaccustomed to it.

Of course, Eve understood the reason behind it. Upon their return, Alice, through the various clues and traces unearthed by Xien, the Lord of Yarokan City, had directly identified the mastermind behind the attack on Eve years ago: the former King of the Kingdom. Duke Wells, at that time, had been, at most, merely an executor of royal orders.

The truth of those past events had been uncovered with such unexpected ease, leaving Alice, who had come to Yarokan City specifically for this purpose, adrift in a void of emptiness and confusion.

Eve had considered comforting Alice, but it was clear her friend needed time to process everything.

With that in mind, Eve decided to leave Alice to her quiet contemplation and turned her attention to the myriad of new side quests that had appeared in her system after her class advancement.

The God-Summoning System, like many games, suffered from a common affliction: as long as a quest was present, even if Eve wished to ignore it, those accursed red dots would persist. This was particularly tormenting for Eve, who harbored a slight compulsion, causing her heart to seize up whenever she so much as glimpsed the system interface.

Soon, however, as Eve scrutinized the quests on her system panel, she fell into a deep contemplation.

“Wait a minute… are these side quests really something I can complete?”

[Side Quest: Help Glaugos the Blacksmith transport armor in the新手村. (Reward: EXP +100, Copper Coin +15)]

[Side Quest: Help Tom, the Tavern Owner, deliver customer takeaways in the新手村. (Reward: EXP +50, Copper Coin +30)]

[Side Quest: A suspicious yellow-haired traveler has arrived at the Adventurer’s Guild in the新手村. Assist Guild Master Jectir in investigating their whereabouts. (Reward: EXP +160, Copper Coin +160)]

[Side Quest: Accept the Village Chief’s request to retrieve the village’s finest Sword in the Stone from the bottom of the well in the center of the新手村. (Reward: EXP +500, Copper Coin +500, Sword in the Stone x1)]

Eve scrolled through the dozen or so side quests on the panel, examining them from every angle, feeling utterly baffled by their absurdity.

All these side quests, every single one, required completion within the新手村.

Certainly, if these tasks were in any other adventure RPG, or if they were for any other God-Summoning System player, they would be classic, beginner-friendly transitional quests for the新手村.

But!

Eve was an undead!

Damn it, her新手村 was a perfectly square coffin!

Were there any other people in her新手村 besides herself?

Did her新手村 even have a building like an Adventurer’s Guild?

Would there be a well containing a Sword in the Stone in her新手村?

No!

Absolutely not!

Even after Eve retrieved her coffin from her bracelet and repeatedly inspected it, she couldn’t discern any secret mechanisms. In fact, the more she looked at it, the more her coffin seemed to possess delicate features…

*Cough, cough*… She was getting sidetracked.

Eve then tried locking herself inside the coffin, exploring its interior for any secret spaces, but her efforts proved fruitless.

Beyond the system prompts for ‘Returning to Novice Village’ and ‘Leaving Novice Village’ when opening and closing the lid, no matter what she did inside, there were no other system notifications.

Ultimately, Eve could only conclude that this was simply an ordinary, unremarkable coffin, devoid of any imagined pocket dimension within.

“What kind of situation is this…”

“Or am I just stuck in a bug?”

“Blast it, if only there were a forum where I could check guides and learn from other players…”

Eve, deeply troubled, crawled out of the coffin.

While these quests weren’t mandatory, the persistent, unremovable red dots were truly exasperating. Moreover, being unable to complete side quests meant she was deprived of an easy and stable channel for gaining experience and leveling up.

Now, if Eve wanted to level up, she would have no choice but to engage in combat.

Not only was combat not Eve’s strong suit at her current stage—with only Holy Light dealing a modest amount of damage, while her other two skills were mana guzzlers and self-buffs.

The even worse news was that there were absolutely no ‘monster spawns’ around Yarokan City.

Located on the kingdom’s border, adjacent to the Empire, minor skirmishes would frequently erupt. This had long since turned the nearby plains into scorched battlegrounds, devoid of even a single slime.

Well, it wasn’t entirely true that the plains were empty. Occasionally, a few trouble-making cavalry might cross over from the Empire, causing mischief wherever they pleased…

All these factors combined led to a severe problem.

“I’m level-locked!”

Though Eve was reluctant to admit it, the truth was undeniable.

****

The very next day, an additional elegant figure occupied the seat beside Alice’s table.

Another silhouette, clutching a cup of black tea and gazing into the distance, sat in a chair for the entire day.

The two women sat in quiet companionship until the sun began to set. Alice finally set down her teacup, breaking the silence. “Eve-chan, tell me, am I truly so cowardly?”

“What’s wrong? Why would you think that?”

“Eve-chan, you see, I was so determined to find your killer, yet in the end, I had no power to avenge you. I couldn’t do anything…”

“…”

“Don’t you resent me?”

“No.”

Eve set down her now-cold black tea and continued calmly, “Rather, Alice, not only do I not resent you, I am incredibly grateful to you.”

“Time, as the most ruthless blade in this world, can make everyone and everything a thing of the past.”

“But Alice alone did not forget me, and you helped me reclaim my lost memories.”

“To have accomplished so much already makes me incredibly happy.”

“You’ve worked so hard all these years, Alice.”

Eve tilted her head slightly, a gentle, heartwarming smile, like a spring breeze, blossoming in the lingering glow of the sunset. A faint blush colored her pale cheeks, appearing as a breathtaking sight in Alice’s eyes.

Alice pressed her lips together, stubbornly lifting her chin to hold back the tears, but shimmering, wet droplets already traced paths down her face, like a broken string of pearls.

“Lady Eve… you’re so mean…”

‘That was a long-forgotten address.’

Eve chuckled and reached out to gently ruffle Alice’s hair. “Have you decided what you want for dinner tonight? If not, how about we go to Mother Hamm’s Tavern in the west of the city for some fries?”

“I heard they’re having a Crazy Fries Festival special today. You can get a huge plate for just fifty copper coins.”

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Don’t you want fries?”

“…I do.”

Alice’s cheeks flushed faintly as she turned her head away. “If I get fat… it’ll all be your fault.”