NPC Fell onto My Bed C37

Chapter 37

“Hff… huu… haa.”

Noah’s face flushed beet red. Sweat trickled down his forehead in heavy drops, and in the end, unable to endure, a tear slid down from the corner of his eye. His mouth hung open, trembling, drool and faint sounds spilling from between his lips.

Watching him, An Jeonghyeok clicked his tongue sympathetically.

“It’s that spicy?”

“At first, huff, it was definitely, s-seemed fine, but…”

Jeonghyeok refilled Noah’s now-empty water cup. Noah immediately grabbed it and gulped down the water in one breath. After draining it again, he absently rubbed his lower belly, feeling oddly full.

“I figured it’d be spicy, so I went easy on the gochujang for you.”

“I-it’s okay. I can, huff, manage…”

Noah stared into the white takeout box in front of him. The sanchae bibimbap mixed beautifully with red sauce hadn’t even been eaten halfway. He forced himself to lift the spoon again and take another bite.

It wasn’t that it tasted bad—far from it. As expected from a place Jeonghyeok highly recommended, the bibimbap itself was delicious. When he first tasted it, he’d been surprised mountain vegetables could be so bold and flavorful.

The problem came after his fifth bite—when his tongue and lips suddenly felt aflame, like they had caught fire. Experiencing the delayed burn of Korean spicy food for the first time, Noah collapsed helplessly.

“I can’t waste such precious food…”

Leaving behind food painstakingly grown by farmers was unthinkable. Even scripture officially issued by the Temple of Aeir forbade such waste. As Noah forced the spoon toward his lips again, Jeonghyeok stopped him.

“If you leave it, Iron’s gonna finish it anyway.”

“Yes, Noah. If it’s too spicy, I’ll eat it for you.”

Noah glanced at Iron’s container—already scraped clean. Yet, handing over a dish he couldn’t finish, and one even he found too spicy, felt like an insult. Sensing his hesitation, Iron patted his shoulder.

“Come now, Noah. I’m from the South, remember? This level of spice is nothing.”

“Oh…”

Only then did Noah recall Iron was from a southern region known for spicy food, easing his conscience enough to pass him the meal. Iron grabbed a spoon and dove in like a predator, prompting Jeonghyeok to speak up.

“Southern region? That’s part of your lore?”

“Oh, yes. Iron is from the South—Solmar, by the sea. Famous for spicy cuisine.”

“South Solmar? Huh? Isn’t that an unexplored zone? Pretty sure that area hasn’t been patched in yet.”

Having played Last Chronicle until dawn just yesterday, Jeonghyeok spoke confidently. Noah nodded.

“That is correct. As far as I know, adventurers are not yet permitted to enter the southern region.”

“Permitted? By who?”

“Why, by the Goddess Aeir, of course.”

Jeonghyeok blinked. The Goddess Aeir—a name every Last Chronicle player knew. The central storyline was the Divine War, and Aeir stood as the benevolent patron deity of the adventurers’ side.

Still, talking about an in-game god like she was real felt strange.

Seizing the chance, Jeonghyeok continued asking questions.

“So where are you from, Noah-nim?”

“I am from a small village called Aiglor in the North. But I only born there. After the first war, I lived solely in the temple within the capital.”

Aiglor sat between the North and capital, a strange in-between. After the First War, it had been devastated—now barely clinging to existence.

“Aiglor? Never heard of it.”

“Yes, it is far too remote for adventurers to visit. Adventurers only travel where dungeons appear, do they not?”

“They do?”

Jeonghyeok looked clueless. Most adventurers Noah had seen were too busy leveling up to notice they were restricted to permitted zones. Noah added with a nod:

“As I understand it, that is the case. The portals adventurers use are all pre-designated. And wherever they appear, invisible boundaries are set so they cannot cross. Isn’t that right, Iron?”

“Burp. Huh? What was that?”

Iron set down his spoon after a loud belch. Clearly, he hadn’t listened at all. With a sigh, Jeonghyeok began cleaning up, and Iron reluctantly helped while commenting:

“Instead of explaining, wouldn’t it be faster to let Noah try that game?”

“Oh. True.”

With that, they quickly cleared the table and led Noah to the computer room.

Jeonghyeok’s PC setup looked quite different from Gu Taeheon’s sleek black one. One press of a button and vibrant RGB lights flared across the computer, then the keyboard and mouse, glowing with multicolored luminescence.

Startled, Noah grabbed Iron’s arm.

“Is this… Lord Jeonghyeok’s magic laboratory?”

“Huh? Pfft.”

“Hahaha, Noah, you innocent soul. There is no magic here.”

But it looked like magic—the way lights burst at a touch. Iron sat Noah in a soft chair, and it enveloped him pleasantly.

“I’ll use the character Iron made last time. I don’t want to make a new one again.”

“What! That avatar is my alter ego! Why give it to Noah?!”

“Oh shut it. He’ll only play a little.”

As Noah sat bewildered, Jeonghyeok’s hands flew across the keyboard and mouse. In a flash, the Last Chronicle logo filled the 32-inch monitor. The familiar distant sight of Tyrel Forest left Noah stunned.

“‘SteelWarrior…1234?’”

Standing in all his noob-gear glory, striking a heroic pose, was SteelWarrior1234. Muscular, tall, same hair and eyes—anyone could see it was Iron’s virtual twin.

“When I told him to make his own character last time, this is what he did.”

“To think another ‘Steel Warrior’ exists in this world! I was speechless. Only by adding 1234 could the title be created!”

Iron grumbled behind them. In his world, Steel Warrior referred only to him, hero of the Last War. Jeonghyeok selected the character and the screen transitioned—

Into Etheon, the great city of beginners.

Noah recognized every building. The tavern mercenaries frequented, the humble inn for poor adventurers, the massive fountain at the center, the general store, restaurant, blacksmith… Everything.

He was speechless at the sight of home.

“…I know exactly how you feel. This really is the ‘Last Chronicle’ we lived in. Hard to believe, isn’t it?”

Within this tiny screen lay Noah’s homeland. His fingers trembled as he clumsily reached for the controls, and Jeonghyeok offered a quick explanation—keyboard to move, mouse to guide direction.

But Noah already knew where to go first. Jeonghyeok even started explaining the minimap, but Noah didn’t need it. Etheon, the City of Healing, was more familiar to him than his own name.

“Ah, that’s right—you were in Etheon before arriving here. I was stationed in Volcano City, so I never learned these streets well.”

Clumsy though his movements were, Noah soon guided SteelWarrior1234 into Tyrel Forest via a portal.

Through the dense woodland, a lone temple came into view—the Temple of Aeir. Noah sent the character straight inside. In real life, he would have prayed at the entrance. But a game avatar could not do so.

Sunlight streamed diagonally through stained windows, bathing the sacred interior. SteelWarrior1234 walked the long aisle toward the back.

There, he saw:

<Healer Job Instructor – Hildegart>

His own face, gentle and serene, welcoming adventurers.