NPC Fell onto My Bed C38

Chapter 38

—The light of dawn has guided you here. This is Aeir’s temple, where the light of healing flows.

Noah stared fixedly at the character “Hildegart” on the monitor—an avatar identical to himself. The lines spoken and the mannerisms were exactly what Noah had used when welcoming adventurers. Seeing this, Noah finally understood.

So that was why no adventurer ever knew his full name.

He was named Hardiel Noah Hildegart, but only in the brief tutorial did that full name appear. There was no reason for adventurers to know it—nor could they witness those rare private moments when close companions addressed him as simply Noah.

Noah moved the mouse and keyboard to bring SteelWarrior1234 close to Hildegart. Once within range, he clicked, triggering interaction.

—You are not yet ready to receive the light of healing, Adventurer.

SteelWarrior1234 was level 3. Class advancement required level 10. With a gentle smile, Hildegart refused him, and the dialogue ended.

Iron burst into laughter beside him.

“Hah! Trying to change class right off the bat—truly something only a class instructor would do. I, too, tried to have my avatar advance. Failed, of course. Low level.”

Once you left Etheon, you could reach the second city, Volcanoes, where the warrior instructor and others were. Typically, reaching level 10 on the way was easy.

But Iron, who had gotten to level 3 by killing rabbits near the village, had quit almost immediately. The warrior revered as having reached the pinnacle of martial strength in his world could not stomach the idea of hunting mere rabbits. Nor did it serve as any real training.

“Hmph. And with a name like SteelWarrior1234, obviously this one should be a warrior, not a healer—”

“Lord Jeonghyeok, may I ask you something?”

Noah set down the mouse and keyboard. Turning toward Jeonghyeok, he spoke.

“Yes? Me? What is it?”

“Have you been playing this game recently?”

“Oh, yeah. I played yesterday. I do my dailies before bed.”

Daily dungeons—so-called “chores”—required logging in daily. Jeonghyeok shrugged like it was obvious. Noah continued:

“Then… can adventurers marry now?”

In Noah’s mind flashed the phone screen he’d glimpsed last night, Taeheon’s notification:

(Ad) [Last Chronicle] Marry now for huge buffs♥ Marriage system upda—

Though unfamiliar words made it confusing, it clearly implied adventurers could now marry.

Yet, as far as Noah knew, marriage among adventurers was not permitted.

“Marriage? No, Last Chronicle doesn’t have romance systems. It’s weird—it’s common in other RPGs, but not here.”

“……”

“Why? Is it getting updated? Do couples get bonus EXP?”

Noah fell silent, deep in thought. If marriage still wasn’t possible here, then what exactly had he seen? He would need to speak with Taeheon.

Setting that aside, Noah returned to the screen and resumed controlling SteelWarrior1234.

“Oh, gonna hunt rabbits? Of starter weapons, the club has best damage.”

“No, a dagger’s better—to end them in one strike.”

“Starter dagger sucks—slow and low durability.”

Noah began playing as an adventurer. Jeonghyeok rolled up his sleeves and helped. Iron also chimed in—usually with advice useful only in real combat, not games.

But once they arrived at the hunting grounds, SteelWarrior1234 simply stood there. Noah’s hands hovered motionless.

“You attack by clicking—like this.”

“I… cannot.”

“Huh?”

Just one click would swing the club at a rabbit. With a crit, it would die in one hit. But SteelWarrior1234 did not move.

“I cannot kill a living being…”

“This is just a game.”

“But to us, this world is a living one.”

Noah sighed and turned the character back the way he came. SteelWarrior1234 trudged away, shoulders oddly slumped.

“Is there a way to level up without hunting?”

But he still wanted to change class. Noah looked hopefully at Jeonghyeok.

“You can craft or interact with NPCs for EXP, but it’s tiny. Hitting level 10 fast that way? Hard.”

“I see.”

Noah navigated SteelWarrior1234 deeper into the beginner zone instead of toward the portal back to Etheon.

“What are you doing?”

“It seems leveling without combat will be difficult. I will… explore.”

The beginner zone was at Tyrel Forest’s entrance. Noah knew the paths by heart. Mouse and screen made it unfamiliar, but he ignored the minimap and explored every corner.

Eventually, he reached the farthest edge—where not even rabbits spawned. Beyond lay unimplemented map data.

Noah stared at the forest beyond. He knew what lay past that invisible wall—something no ordinary adventurer could know.

SteelWarrior1234 approached an ordinary-looking tree whose branches were subtly thicker and longer than the others.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, the character teleported. The effect was identical to entering a portal.

Jeonghyeok’s eyes widened.

“A hidden dungeon…”

A system window filled the screen.

Hidden Dungeon Discovered!
Hidden Quest — Explore the Depths of Tyrel Forest
Objectives
Wild Rabbit 0/10
Wild Fox 0/10
Wild Wolf 0/10
Time Remaining: 12:59:59

At the hospital, Gu Taeheon waited with a strangely tense expression.

Not long ago, he had come here constantly. This was the clinic where the doctor who’d tended to him since he began judo practiced. His parents trusted this doctor; so did he.

But he hadn’t seen him in eight months—not since his injury, when hearing bleak prognoses became unbearable.

Today, he had to come. There was the rut issue… and he also needed to check his leg.

His primary doctor wasn’t a specialist in endocrine matters like rut cycles—he handled bones, ligaments, and muscle. Usually, after general evaluation, he would refer Taeheon to the proper specialist.

“Gu Taeheon-nim, please come in.”

Taeheon walked briskly. Watching him, no one would believe he’d once been hit by a truck. He pushed open the door and entered. The doctor inside greeted him.

“Taeheon, been well?”

Gray hair sprinkled the doctor’s head. Taeheon nodded quietly and sat.

“You said you’re here about rut issues. Something wrong?”

“I went through a rut without suppressants for the first time in a while. But it was… excessive.”

As a dominant Alpha, Taeheon knew his rut strength. It was stronger and longer than regular Alphas, but he had never lost control so completely. That was why he’d come.

“You were taking inhibitor injections, right? What happened this time?”

“I took pills instead. The ones you prescribed last time.”

“Hm. Then it makes sense. Pent-up rut energy likely rebounded. Was it difficult?”

“…This time… I had a partner.”

Hesitating, he confessed. The doctor froze mid-typing.

“Did you knot?”

“…Yes.”

“Hm.”

He resumed typing. A short silence.

Calm, but glancing at Taeheon carefully, the doctor asked:

“And your leg? Is it alright?”

Footnotes

Rut / Knotting — Terms from Omegaverse lore; “rut” = heat cycle for Alphas, “knotting” refers to physical tying during climax.