Chapter 7
Around that time, players who had heard rumors of a witch’s appearance began to show up one by one.
Behind trees here, rocks there, inside ruined buildings—just seeing the faintly glowing auras scattered in every direction made it obvious.
Yeah, go ahead and enjoy the show…
Thanks to the toxic gas effect of [Witch Transformation], getting any closer would be difficult anyway.
As the initial heat in her head subsided, Mona started wondering how she could make herself look more convincing. If she had to do it, shouldn’t it feel as real as possible?
By tomorrow, it was obvious that every kind of site would be flooded with pixel-by-pixel analyses of “that witch thing.” She could endure most criticism, but she really didn’t want to hear comments like “It feels kind of laggy.”
Maybe green skin would actually be better.
“Oh my, did you recognize me?”
“Hehe, what lovely claws…”
“This cave is calling to me.”
“A great being will awaken.”
Lines like these, especially, made Mona’s face feel like it was turning into a roasted sweet potato. Still, judging by how the players were squealing, it didn’t seem too bad.
The original script had actually been much more dramatic, but Mona’s terrible acting was the problem. She’d be doing fine, then suddenly blurt something out and completely fluster the administrators and the team lead.
After an intense meeting, the script was adjusted to a more moderate level.
“Kehehe, I’ll wipe everything out!”
“Ah—w-what am I doing right now? The power of darkness is devouring my mind!”
This was finally the climax. It seemed they wanted to portray the inner conflict between “good Mona” and “witch Mona,” but whether it came across properly was anyone’s guess.
Mona hesitated and glanced around.
That part was really important… Did I do okay? Should I repeat it for anyone who missed it?
As if answering her thoughts, messages from the operator arrived in quick succession.
[The script is being displayed individually on each user’s screen.]
[The reaction is good. Just keep going.]
[…]
[Stop looking around so much. You look weird!]
Ah—o-okay… I guess. But it’s just so scary.
The cave-opening event followed these steps:
Mona plays the witch and delivers her lines.
Village NPCs spread rumors everywhere. Some even hand out quests.
Players piece together the dialogue and rumors to deduce the conditions to open the cave.
Selected players解除 the seal and clear the dungeon.
In truth, those “hints” didn’t really matter. Team Lead Oh had said they could just pick anyone.
As long as the conditions were cobbled together properly, it’d be fine—or something like that. Mona vaguely remembered responding, “Uh… is it really okay to do it like this?”
Whatever. As long as I get paid properly.
Her thoughts kept drifting. Even now, Mona took a deep breath, replaying the numbers flickering in her mind.
<SYSTEM> Skill activated: [Aerial Flip]!
<SYSTEM> Skill activated: [Gas Spray]!
<SYSTEM> Skill activated: [Acid Rain]!
“[Taming]!”
She suddenly came to her senses and realized she was swinging her arms so hard she was sweating…
Well, they’re watching this seriously.
Spurred on by the players’ enthusiasm, Mona got even more into it and shouted again.
“When the moon rises tomorrow, we will take one step closer to that being!”
* * *
Perhaps because anticipation for the Black Cave had grown so high, Mona’s shop was packed. Most players were trying to raise affinity using [Wolf Claws].
Thankfully, most of them approached things reasonably, believing that high affinity was essential.
But as if the law of conservation of jerks applied even to a zero-and-one world, there were always players who acted like tomorrow didn’t exist.
“Do you prepare green makeup separately? Mona’s warm-toned, so it doesn’t suit her.”
“You’re the witch! Just stop it already! Stop!”
“Um… where can I get that skull staff edition? No matter how much I search, that’s the only thing my heart responds to. So please… I’ll keep watching here until you tell me.”
Still, humans are adaptable creatures. Mona quickly learned how to fend them off with a smile.
“I’m not sure about that.”
—using NPC-exclusive evasive dialogue.
“That’s rude.”
—dropping their affinity into the negatives.
“Uh, do you enjoy eating prison food?”
—or just calling the guards outright.
Even though the workload increased, the guard unit cooperated well. With manpower short, even [NPC: Serious Guard] showed up several times.
He seemed oddly pitiful as he silently struck poses with a beaming smile, saying it was better than standing around doing nothing, and even asking to be called again while handing over his own NPC code.
Team Lead Oh and the higher-ups were in great spirits too.
Thanks to the event, [Newbie]’s performance metrics had risen significantly. Not just new player inflow, but activation indicators like quest completion rates had apparently blown past previous graphs.
Watching them exchange compliments with satisfied smiles made Mona feel strangely uncomfortable… but for some people, results mattered more than anything.
Mona counted the days until the event ended—while also admitting she was getting used to her green-skinned appearance.
Monster taming isn’t even that hard.
With that arrogant thought, even the clattering skull hanging from her dark staff started to look kind of okay.
She’d even asked the administrator whether she could tie a ribbon on it since the design looked a bit plain—only to be shut down with a “What nonsense are you spouting?” attack. Maybe she’d gotten too immersed.
Anyway, things were going more smoothly than expected.
Now she just had to hand out the keyword…
Even if they say “give it to anyone,” how am I supposed to do that?
Too much randomness wouldn’t work either. Mona had her own standards—but the problem was she couldn’t find anyone promising.
And where was Mr. Riota, anyway? He hadn’t shown up for days.
I hope he’s okay.
It happened on the final day—while Mona, transformed into a witch, was gathering monsters and spraying poison gas.
Just as she was about to use [Taming] on a vine monster, a field boss appeared out of nowhere.
As tree branches lashed out and struck her several times, Mona briefly listened to the unnecessarily grand sound effects.
No way… it can’t be, right?
But it was.
Lightning suddenly split the clear sky, and through the swirling dust appeared a massive silhouette.
This isn’t a desert field, is it?
The moment she saw the enormous claws, Mona’s mocking smile—about a setting inconsistency—vanished.
I-it can’t be… but I have to do something.
As she frantically scanned her skill window, the number of players had doubled, and murmurs spread among them.
A low growl brushed past her sweat-soaked ear.
“Grrr…”
Then the wind died down. A signal of arrival.
“GRAAWR!”
With the ominous background music ending, a gigantic wolf burst forth, flexing its muscular body. Its ash-gray fur bristled as it exhaled rough breaths.
Mona quietly lowered the arm she’d raised to cast [Summon Storm Clouds].
<SYSTEM> Field Boss ‘Giant Mutant Wolf’ has appeared!
<SYSTEM> Field Boss ‘Giant Mutant Wolf’ has appeared!
<SYSTEM> Field Boss ‘Giant Mutant Wolf’ has appeared!
The alert window flashed and blared as if delivering a final verdict.
Why here? Why now?!
Mona wanted to grab someone—anyone—and ask.
After smacking the chattering skull on her staff into silence, she realized the field was eerily empty. Even the monsters she’d tamed had fled for their lives.
Clutching her staff tightly, Mona stared ahead with desperate eyes.
We’re… on the same side, right? Right? Please.
The boss monster swayed its massive body sensually, then began scanning the area with its bright yellow eyes.
“Uh.”
Their gazes seemed to meet. She hated exchanges like this.
In NPC mode, basic information about the boss appeared in her vision.
‘[Giant Mutant Wolf] is a [Semi-Raid]-grade [Rare] field boss… Usually spawns in wolf habitats… Party play recommended…’
Mona skimmed it and immediately sent an SOS to the operations team.
Please save me!
One hit from that thing and she’d be done. She didn’t even want to imagine what came after. Why did it have to be the last day?!
She’d planned to take a gourmet tour with her bonus! Forget the money—she’d be lucky just to survive.
She desperately tried [Taming], but it didn’t work at all.
My level’s too low…
Was this level of detail really necessary? She wanted to shut everything down and log out.
No… I can’t, can I.
She forced her fingers to stop. A bad feeling told her she’d get smashed while waiting for logout anyway.
“Grrr! GRAAAH!”
Sensing its prey might flee, the perceptive wolf was already casting [Heavy Slash].
A flash of déjà vu made [Quest Assignment] cross her mind—but she dismissed it immediately.
“GRAAAWR!”
BANG!
The giant wolf’s skill shattered a massive tree in front of her.
Nothing remained between them now. A vicious tension passed through the air between Mona—on the verge of passing out—and the wolf.
And then their eyes met again.
“!”
Like a scene from an old western, the wind swept through, carrying an unfamiliar reed leaf.
Even in this dire situation, Mona unconsciously followed the fluttering leaf with her eyes.
Wait—reeds? Where did those even come from?
And then, the hero of justice appeared.
“Mona-ssi!”
