Dark Magician Isekai: Return and make Fantasy World into a VR Game

[Brave Jean]

While passing through Third Street as per usual, Hugh Potter called out to you.

You learned about a former member of the Duchy of Shiga's border guards by the name of Jean. Hugh Potter greatly missed this comrade from Camore.

Obtain more information about Camore: 0/1.

———

Shortly after Ji Tang received the quest, the others in their small team were called together, and they gathered at Butcher Manan's place.

When Jia Luo heard that one of their own had received a hidden quest, she got really excited. "Fantastic! It's our turn to receive a major quest! Ji Tang, you're a real lucky star!"

"Oh…" Ji Tang and Yang Ying nodded at this new understanding.

Zheng Qingyue (Unceasing Entropy), the undisputed strategist within the group, had meticulously inquired about the dialogue with the zombie NPC that triggered the quest. She said, "Both 'Gold' and 'Hugh Potter' who are mentioned in this quest are members of the border guards. Previously, when we did the worldview breakthrough quest, the zombie general himself said that some of them were members of his troop, while others were part of the Pioneer Corps.

"From the perspective of NPCs, 'us' that they refer to isn't just the players but also zombie NPCs too. If we seek and converse with a zombie NPC that used to be a border guard, we should be able to obtain information."

"That's simple. We just have to interact with all the zombie NPCs. There aren't that many of them altogether," Tang Jia rubbed her fist and declared confidently. "We can skip the one near the riverbank, Bierda. That NPC is a former member of the Pioneer Corps."

It was currently 11 P.M. real-time and 9 P.M. in-game. The advanced NPCs had already "knocked off work," and many reputation-grinding players had logged out. However, there were still plenty of players online. The first batch of players who had leveled up and completed their job advancements were increasing, which stimulated players who had enough reputation but lacked Potential to work harder. Even some laid-back players had begun to put in extra effort.

In their little five-person team, everyone apart from Unceasing Entropy had successfully completed their job advancements. As the saying went, the boldness of execution stemmed from superb skill. Thus, this small team hadn't considered asking any others for help and started to get busy on their own…

There were a total of 15 zombie NPCs, including the zombie general. Excluding Bierda, who had been confirmed as a member of the Pioneer Corps during the breakthrough quest, and other than Hugh Potter, who had issued this hidden quest, there were only 13 NPCs left to interact with. The four girls accompanied Ji Tang as they interacted with each zombie NPC one by one. By the seventh NPC, they received a response.

This particular zombie NPC, named Raphael, who usually assigned players with a quest of manual labor, spoke slowly, "Brave Jean? That's a truly nostalgic nickname. Comrades, why have you become interested in it?"

"Um… Actually, we wanted to ask about Jean's hometown, Camore," Ji Tang made an effort to mention the keywords he believed would be useful.

"Camore? I know that place. It's known as the 'Cotton Country' in the eastern region of the Duchy of Shiga," Zombie Raphael replied stiffly, with a hint of mockery in his tone. "As long as enough taxes and tribute are paid, neither the Grand Ducal Court nor those of the faith would care if the people there had their land taken or if the Goddess of Prosperity's doctrines were desecrated."

The five players were taken aback.

While they knew a little about the various gods in the game's background from how NPCs like the Treasure Expert Finley would often exclaim, "O Lady Gold Coin," much like how people on Earth shouted "My God," a mere zombie NPC caring so much about the Goddess of Prosperity's doctrines and getting upset about the desecration of said doctrines was a little absurd…

Zombie Raphael continued fervently, "The divine duty of the Goddess of Prosperity is wealth and contracts, and her doctrine grants believers the power to accumulate wealth and engage in fair trade! Those scoundrels in Camore have taken away the people's opportunities to accumulate wealth and are nothing more than heretics and blasphemers. They ought to be sent to the guillotine!"

The five players. "…"

"Well… Does this mean that the dispute in the Duchy of Shiga, related to our undead background story, involves the orthodox and new interpretive factions?" Jia Luo said with a wry smile. "It's just a game. We don't have to get involved in any religious conflicts. I despise movies with strong religious themes. No matter how exciting the plot is, if it gets tangled up in religious undertones, it inevitably goes down the path of absurdity."

"You're overthinking it. It's obviously a story about local tyrants hiding the truth and taking advantage of the common folk!" Tang Jia objected. "It's common for them to deliberately misinterpret scriptures when it suits their interests. For centuries, whenever a child does something wrong, it is always the child's mother that is blamed even if the Three-Character Classic says, 'It is the father's fault if a child is not taught.' Even our own history is filled with such hypocrites."

Yang Ying remarked with astonishment, "Hey… I never realized that despite your usual boisterous behaviors, you two actually had such a depth of cultural understanding."

Jia Luo and Tang Jia were speechless, while Zheng Qingyue turned away to suppress her laughter.

While the players were engaging in idle chatter, zombie Raphael had already expressed his dissatisfaction with the upper class of Camore and instructed the players to seek out zombie general Lancelot as the next step.

The team went to zombie general Lancelot who was at the corner of a street a short distance away from the spawn point. The zombie general didn't beat around the bush and immediately revealed the subsequent plot. First, he reminisced about Jean, then expressed regret over not having lived and died alongside his old comrade.

Finally, he asked the five players, "Fellow compatriots, would you be willing to fulfill our late comrade's unfulfilled wish?"

Ji Tang selected "yes" on the quest interface that popped up, but strangely, the quest text didn't change. Just as he started to wonder, the zombie general suddenly started moving and said, "In that case, let's go make a request to the Lord. Follow me, comrades."

Without hesitation, Ji Tang and Yang Ying, who had less gaming experience, followed after zombie general Lancelot at once.

Zheng Qingyue, Tang Jia, and Jia Luo, who were all experienced players, exclaimed in unison, "Damn it!"

"What's wrong?" Ji Tang and Yang Ying were slightly puzzled, but they turned back to urge the others, "Come on, we've got to continue the quest at the Lord's place."

Jia Luo stomped her feet and ranted, "You two newbies still don't get it! When this zombie general moves, even idiots would be able to see that a plotline quest is underway. Our small team won't be able to reap the benefits on our own!"

"Oh…" Ji Tang and Yang Ying dawned on this new understanding.

Sure enough, five of them had only followed the slow-moving zombie general for less than 50 meters when players at a nearby construction site noticed them.

After traversing a little over 200 meters, around 30 to 40 uninvited players had joined them.

Before the languid zombie general reached the entrance of the Town Hall, even the bunch farming in the Spider Cave had rushed back. Chattering players now surrounded the Town Hall.

Ji Tang was speechless, Yang Ying looked bewildered, Zheng Qingyue remained expressionless, while Jia Luo face-palmed.

"Qingyue…" Tang Jia muttered weakly, "With things this way, how should we handle the situation?"

"…Let's form a larger group. Tang Jia, pass me the leader position. Let's activate group mode first." Zheng Qingyue was somewhat annoyed. It wasn't because they wouldn't be able to monopolize the quest rewards, but because she still had some lingering fears from the chaos during the previous worldview breakthrough quest.

Give Me Medicine had been criticized on the forums for keeping that dagger for himself, and Zheng Qingyue didn't want to find herself in that same sort of situation.

After becoming the team leader, Zheng Qingyue activated the group mode. In this game, a team could have up to 11 members, but different teams could join a larger group, allowing them to see each other's IDs and health bars.

Once group mode was established, Zheng Qingyue stepped forward and shouted to the crowd of players, "Everyone, please quiet down and listen to me for a moment. Our team has triggered a hidden dynamic plotline quest, the same sort as the previous [Rebellion Suppression] dynamic quest. If any teams are interested in joining to complete it together, please have the team leader come to me and join the group."

Brother Lahong and Qin Guan were mingling among the other players. These two who already had the mentality of being big shots in the game had been subtle…

They hadn't come forward at the start because they noticed Unceasing Entropy was among those following behind the zombie general.

This girl had a sharp mind and was rather opinionated. She wasn't the type of person who could be easily swayed by a few words and come running over to join forces. Moreover, her few companions were all skilled players. Not to mention, Tang Jia, Yang Ying, and Jia Luo, even the newly recruited Ji Tang, had made a remarkable impression during the "night of rampaging."

Therefore, these two big shots had chosen to blend in among the players first and observe the situation. They wanted to see if Unceasing Entropy would prioritize cooperating with them; given the current state of the game, it was impossible not to at least choose their factions for any large-scale quests.

Yet, never did they imagine Unceasing Entropy would simply disregard their presence and completely overlook the need to show any special attention to these two big shots that lead so many players.

As soon as Unceasing Entropy had spoken, some parties who were originally doing quests or farming monsters had their leaders approach her and integrated their own teams into the group. Those who didn't belong to any parties quickly teamed up with people they knew and joined the group as well.

Brother Lahong and Qin Guan were still contemplating whether to hold back when they saw party leaders from their own factions running over eagerly to join the group…

"Fine, all team leaders should join the group," Brother Lahong said, observing the situation and deciding not to nitpick. He voluntarily disbanded his monster-farming party and headed over to Unceasing Entropy—he, too, was a team leader.

Seeing Brother Lahong make his move, Qin Guan silently did the same.

Soon, the group led by Unceasing Entropy had more than a dozen teams join, some fully filled, while others not yet fully formed. Unceasing Entropy glanced at the interface displaying the members of each team and then called out to the team leaders, "For teams that are not yet full, combine with other teams to fill up."

Some team leaders readily recruited strangers, while others shouted to Unceasing Entropy, "Group leader, my teammates logged out to call others. I'm reserving the few slots here!"

Unceasing Entropy didn't mind and responded, "Alright, just make sure to have a full team by the time the dynamic quest line starts."

She then shouted to the solo players who were anxiously seeking teams, "Those without teams, form groups among yourselves and have the team leaders join the group!"

The two big shots, Brother Lahong and Vanilla Pudding, were pretending to be lowkey since they arrived on the scene, and Zheng Qingyue knew exactly why they acted this way.

Her five-person team had the intention of clearing this quest on their own and reaping all the rewards for themselves at the start. Thus, it was only natural for Brother Lahong and Vanilla Pudding, who had been leading large groups in monster hunting, to have such thoughts as well.

Zheng Qingyue was genuinely unwilling to let either of them take control either… Just like how Give Me Medicine hadn't hesitated to take the dagger previously, how could she not prioritize her own, given that she held the position of leader for this quest?

While the players here were excitedly chattering and forming teams, the zombie general was completely unperturbed and slowly made his way into the Town Hall and engaged in a leisurely scripted conversation with "Lord Yang."

Illusion Lord Yang listened attentively to the zombie general's request and solemnly addressed him in front of the players who had crowded into the room to watch. "Lancelot, I can understand your desire to fulfill the wish of your former comrade. However, we cannot guarantee whether the people of Camore will accept the friendship of the Undead race from Exile Town."

"Are zombies considered the same race as us skeletons?" a player muttered under his breath.

"I guess so, since the zombies refer to us as compatriots," another player said.

"Why don't we get to choose zombies then? Zombies are much stronger than skeletons," grumbled a player.

"Please no! I absolutely don't want to see a zombie among my teammates!"

The zombie general continued with the scripted dialogue, "Revered Yang, I understand that our appearance may result in our former compatriots misunderstanding us, but that cannot be an excuse for us to ignore the ongoing suffering of our former compatriots. My comrades and I are willing to take the risk of leaving the safety of Exile Town to meet the people of Camore. We should give our former compatriots a chance to choose."

"Ah, a holy light!" a player exclaimed dramatically. "This zombie is radiating with a holy light!"

Illusion Lord Yang fell silent for a moment, then sighed. "I understand, Lancelot. I respect your views. Let our undead prepare enough supplies and set out. If… your former compatriots are willing to accept your goodwill, then bring them back. Taranthan is a land of warmth; it will not refuse any new guests who come with kindness. If your goodwill cannot be accepted, then bestow them with a gift, at least making their lives a little better for a short period of time."

As Illusion Lord Yang finished speaking, Ji Tang's quest panel indicated the quest was completed. The zombie general turned to Unceasing Entropy's team and handed over a piece of equipment.

Unceasing Entropy accepted it without letting any others get a chance to see—she had made it clear when forming the group that her team was responsible for the subsequent dynamic plotline quest, and there was no reason to share the rewards for the preliminary quest.

At the same time, all the online players received a system prompt:

———

Dynamic plotline [Taranthan's Embrace] has been triggered.

Zombie general Lancelot Edgar hopes to fulfill the final wish of his deceased friend Jean and take care of the people of Camore.

Participation method 1: Heed General Edgar's call and join the expedition team. Under the leadership of General Edgar and the quest initiator Ji Tang, carry the supplies provided by Lord Yang, head to the desolate desert west of Taranthan, and establish a base to receive the people of Camore.

Participation method 2: Repel the pursuers and escort the people of Camore back to Exile Town.

Escort Mission: All participating escorts will receive 50 points of territory prestige for each person from Camore successfully escorted. For every Camore person that dies, all participating escorts will lose 50 points of territory prestige.

Repel the Pursuers: For each pursuer slain, the killer will receive 20 points of territory prestige. For each pursuer captured, the captor will receive 200 points of territory prestige.

Undead, who lost their lives, understand the value of life more than those living and wish departed spirits a smooth journey.

———

After reading the introduction to the dynamic plotline, Brother Lahong and Qin Guan both turned their sights to Ji Tang, who was on Unceasing Entropy's team.

They would have to listen to this fella during the quest—naturally, General Edgar was filtered out because zombie NPCs didn't vie with players for attention. Clearly, they would follow Unceasing Entropy's lead during this activity, but they still had to listen to this guy during the operation!

Brother Lahong pinched himself. How had he missed out on such a promising newcomer?! What a waste!

Qin Guan pinched himself as well. When would Unceasing Entropy's team be willing to play with them? Clearly, Qin Guan's side had a great atmosphere and plenty of benefits. What was the point of playing with random players!

Qin Guan poked Give Me Medicine on his shoulder and leaned in to whisper, "Medicine, head offline and give Blossom a call and tell her to come online."

Give Me Medicine hesitated. "But she said she wants to focus on writing and asked us not to disturb her…"

"It's okay, just ask her to come online briefly, then log out away from the respawn point. We'll carry her character and join the main troop together," said Qin Guan. "Logging out away from the respawn point only results in losing stuff in the personal log, which isn't a big problem. Then, she can join us for the quest once she's back online."

"Alright." Give Me Medicine nodded.

The official website had warned against forcibly logging out, but players inevitably encountered situations where they had to log out suddenly due to helmet removal or urgent matters. It wasn't uncommon for players to log out without sinking into the ground, leaving behind a scattered pile of bones.

Players had complained about clothes, waist packs, and equipment being able to be picked up by others after temporary logout countless times. However, there was no official response addressing the issue. This forced many lone wolves to find teammates to stick together. If they had to log out temporarily for some reason, at least teammates could help keep their belongings safe so they wouldn't come back online only to find themselves picked squeaky clean.

The realization that this quest actually required leaving Exile Town for an "expedition" didn't only occur to Qin Guan. Many others quickly went offline to call for reinforcements…

The NPCs paid no heed to the players' antics, and when the plotline scene ran its course, General Edgar led the players to collect the supplies.

And then, as the players followed along the plot, they were taken to the foot of the mountains on the western side of town, where they saw two long rows of neatly arranged shipping containers.

All players present. "…"

The jaws of all members of Unceasing Entropy's small team, who were by the zombie general's side, dropped to hit their collarbones.

Tang Jia raised a trembling hand. "Hey, hey, is it just me, or is my eyesight failing? These things… Why do they look so much like shipping containers?"

Jia Luo, while propping her jaw back up, responded in bewilderment, "You aren't seeing things. Those are indeed shipping containers, and they come in both red and blue."

"How absolutely ridiculous!" Tang Jia held her head with both hands. "How can there be shipping containers as props in a game full of undead? Isn't it out of place? It completely breaks the immersion!"

Ji Tang, who knew everything, had his lips tightly sealed together.

He was actually astounded as well. The "target" didn't even bother to disguise anything and simply brought the supplies exactly how they had been sent.

The "target" has completely given up trying, huh? He can't be bothered to continue concealing his black technology!

In truth, Yang Qiu realized that it was just absurd to have just one person handle so many supplies after obtaining them. Thus, he simply didn't let it bother him…

The zombie general, with extremely low intelligence and only capable of acting according to pre-set processes, paid no attention to the hanging jaws of players. He stepped forward, opened the container doors, and instructed the players to unload the contents.

The first container was filled with… a batch of cargo tricycles.

That's right. It was those pedal tricycles used by elderly workers to navigate through streets and alleys to collect garbage. These were produced by a renowned domestic bicycle manufacturer and were sturdy, durable, and had a large cargo capacity…

With frustrated expressions, the players pulled out the neatly stacked cargo tricycles from the container. The zombie general opened the second and third containers.

The contents of these two containers were supplies, all packed according to Yang Qiu's requests, with thick canvas wrapping them and secured by ropes. Once delivered to the destination, the thick canvas could be used to set up tents…

The players found this quest segment of the game incredibly frustrating, and they couldn't help venting as they helped move the packed supplies onto the tricycles.

"I can't for the life of me figure out whether the damn designers are aiming for realism and immersion or just trying to mess with us. Can't they make things easier for the players? Couldn't they have made this transport activity interactive with just the press of a button?"

"You are too naive, Brother. Don't forget, we players built the houses for NPCs to live in, brick by brick."

"I think the damn designers have a misconception about the sort of gaming experience us players want. Yeah, we like farming and whatnot, but not to the extent that we want to build our own houses!"

"If it weren't for the fact that accounts in this game are as precious as gold, I would seriously consider quitting!"

The players finally finished loading the supplies with great effort, and when they were asked to take turns pedaling the tricycles to transport the goods, the players didn't even have the strength to complain at all.

Of course, this highly flexible and frustrating method had its advantages. Players who had other commitments and couldn't stay online through the night could wrap their "remains" in clothing and pile them onto the tricycles and be pulled along together.

"Wait a minute. There's a giant rat blocking our road out of town, and it's all ruins there. How are we supposed to get our tricycle expedition team out?" murmured a player as the group set off in a grand procession.

And when the tricycle expedition team arrived at the ruins south of town, they saw Lord Yang waiting there.

"Is the Lord coming along with us? Should we test whether we can stab him on the way? This NPC surely drops some amazing equipment!"

There were some players that were always eager to court death, and one exclaimed excitedly while rubbing his palms in glee.

Illusion Lord Yang, without any expression, stared at the player who had spoken out of turn.

The other players were quick-witted and quickly distanced themselves from this troublemaker.

Fortunately, as the expedition was about to begin, Lord Yang didn't bother with this foul-mouthed individual. Instead, he turned to General Edgar and said solemnly, "Lancelot, let me pave the way out of town for you all."

Then, this NPC lord, who rarely interacted with players, raised both hands and began chanting an unknown incantation.

The ruined grounds that led to the outside of town started shaking. As the NPC lord chanted, the earth rose, pushing aside the debris that covered the ground, forming a dirt road wide enough for two tricycles to run side by side.

"Whoa, damn!"

Once again, the players' jaws dropped to the floor when they witnessed such large-scale magic in the game for the first time.

The player who had contemplated stabbing Lord Yang earlier tightly covered their mouth with both hands so as to not say anything stupid again.