# Chapter 2: The Night Shift
"Please help! Goblins stole my chickens!"
Player [DragonSlayer2025] didn't even slow down. Hyun-woo watched him sprint toward the forest, probably heading straight for the level 5 grinding spot. Another dialogue skipper for the mental list.
2,847,292 times.
That's how many times he'd said those words now. The system counter in his hidden UI ticked up with each repetition, like a prison sentence written in dialogue boxes.
"Please help! Goblins stole my chickens!"
[CuteMageGirl77] actually paused. "Aw, poor NPC. Sure, I'll help!"
**[Quest Accepted: Retrieve Villager A's Chickens]**
She bounced off toward the forest, staff glowing with beginner magic. Hyun-woo felt the familiar tug of the system trying to reset his position, but he resisted. Just a little. His left foot shifted maybe two millimeters before snapping back into place.
Progress.
The sun was setting in the game world—6 PM server time. Hyun-woo had memorized every pattern by now. Peak hours were 7-11 PM Korean time, when office workers logged in. American players dominated the early morning. European guilds owned the afternoon.
But there was a golden hour. 3:17 AM to 4:23 AM server time, when the population dropped below 10,000. When the system's grip loosened like a sleeping guard's hand.
"Please help! Goblins stole my chickens!"
[IAmSpeed] lived up to his name, accepting the quest without reading and blitzing toward the forest. He'd be back in 3 minutes 47 seconds—Hyun-woo had timed the speedrunners. They'd optimized his simple fetch quest down to a science.
*Efficient little bastards.*
The thought was his own, not Villager A's. The distinction mattered. Every independent thought was a small rebellion against the code trying to hollow him out.
Night fell properly. The tutorial village's torches lit automatically, casting dancing shadows across the cobblestones. Other NPCs went through their evening routines—the blacksmith closing shop, the inn keeper lighting candles, guards changing shifts.
*Do they know?* Hyun-woo wondered, watching Guard Captain Han patrol past. *Are they trapped too, or am I the only one?*
"Please help! Goblins stole my chickens!"
[MidnightSnack] yawned visibly. "Ugh, quest. Whatever." Accept. Run. Gone.
2:30 AM. The player traffic was thinning. Hyun-woo felt the familiar sensation—like invisible chains going slack. His eyes darted left, right, tracking the few players still wandering the village. A group of friends chatting by the fountain. A solo player checking the auction house. A bot farmer running predetermined routes.
2:58 AM. Only 47 players in the entire tutorial zone.
3:10 AM. Down to 23.
3:17 AM.
The change was instant. The suffocating weight of the system's control lifted from complete paralysis to merely crushing. Hyun-woo's knees nearly buckled from the sudden ability to feel them.
He could move.
Not much—trying to walk more than a meter from his designated spot felt like pushing through concrete. But within that tiny radius, he was free.
Hyun-woo rolled his shoulders, hearing joints pop that hadn't moved in months. His neck cracked as he turned it side to side. Such simple movements, but they felt like liberation.
"Finally," he whispered. His actual voice, not the system's puppet strings.
The first few nights of freedom, he'd wasted time trying to scream for help. But sleeping players couldn't hear him, and the few insomniacs who wandered by were too focused on their grinding to notice one NPC acting strange.
Now he used the time better.
Hyun-woo dropped into a push-up position. His body responded slowly, like a machine needing oil. One. Two. Three. The movements were jerky, fighting against code that insisted Villager A didn't have muscle groups to train.
But those 0.001 EXP points from each player interaction had to go somewhere. And if the system wouldn't let him level up normally...
Twenty push-ups. Fifty. Hundred.
His arms should have burned. Should have failed. But NPC bodies didn't have proper fatigue systems—an oversight that worked in his favor. He could push forever, limited only by the system's resistance.
**[Skill Acquired: Physical Training Lv.1]**
The notification made him freeze mid-push-up. Skills. He could gain skills.
"Hah." The laugh was bitter. "Let's see what else you're hiding from me."
Hyun-woo shifted to squats, then lunges, then basic martial arts forms half-remembered from mandatory military service. Each movement fought against invisible resistance, but each repetition came slightly easier.
**[Skill Acquired: Basic Combat Lv.1]**
3:47 AM. A player entered the zone. [NightOwl88], level 34—probably farming rare spawns. Hyun-woo scrambled back to his position, freezing just as the player's camera panned across the village.
"Please help! Goblins stole my chickens!"
The words burned coming out, tasting of failure. [NightOwl88] ignored him completely, heading for the hidden dungeon entrance behind the waterfall. Hyun-woo had seen thousands take that route. He knew every secret in the tutorial zone by now, learned from watching player after player.
4:23 AM. Server population ticked up as early risers logged in. The chains tightened, and Hyun-woo was a statue again.
But now he had something new. In his status window, barely visible:
**[Skills]**
- **Chicken Quest Dialogue Lv.MAX**
- **Physical Training Lv.1**
- **Basic Combat Lv.1**
The next night, he experimented more. Jumping exercises became [Acrobatics Lv.1]. Meditation—forcing his mind quiet despite the system's noise—became [Mental Resistance Lv.1]. Watching players' combat patterns with analytical focus gave [Combat Analysis Lv.1].
Weeks passed. The skills grew.
**[Physical Training Lv.17]**
**[Basic Combat Lv.23]**
**[Acrobatics Lv.11]**
**[Mental Resistance Lv.31]**
**[Combat Analysis Lv.19]**
"Please help! Goblins stole my chickens!"
[MoonlightEmpress] was back. Level 67 now, wearing elegant robes that sparkled with enhancement gems. She'd grown stronger while he'd been stuck here.
"Hi again!" She waved cheerfully. "How are your chickens today?"
*Stolen,* Hyun-woo thought dryly. *Like every day. Because that's my entire existence.*
"They went that way! Please hurry!"
But something was different. His pointing hand—he'd managed to curl one finger slightly. A tiny rebellion, but [MoonlightEmpress] noticed.
"Huh." She leaned closer, violet eyes studying his hand. "That's... new. Did they update your model?"
*No,* Hyun-woo wanted to scream. *I did that. ME. Not the system. ME.*
She accepted the quest but didn't immediately run off. Instead, she walked a slow circle around him, observing from every angle. Hyun-woo felt exposed, like a specimen under a microscope.
"Your eyes follow me," she murmured. "They didn't used to do that. And your expression... there's micro-movements. Like you're actually thinking."
*Because I am. Please. SEE ME.*
"MoonlightEmpress!" A voice called from across the square. [StarSwordsman], her guild member from the tag floating above his head. "Stop wasting time with NPCs! We're gonna be late for the raid!"
"Coming!" She gave Hyun-woo one last searching look. "I'll get your chickens. I promise. And... I'll be back. There's something about you..."
She ran off, leaving Hyun-woo with a mixture of hope and frustration. So close. She was so close to understanding.
That night, 3:17 AM struck like freedom's bell. Hyun-woo immediately dropped into combat stances, but his mind was elsewhere. [MoonlightEmpress] had noticed. If he could just make the changes more obvious...
"Focus," he muttered, flowing through martial arts forms. "Get stronger first. Then worry about communication."
**[Basic Combat has evolved to Intermediate Combat Lv.1]**
The evolution surprised him. Skills could grow beyond their basic forms? He pushed harder, mixing the combat forms with acrobatic movements. Punch, roll, kick, flip. His NPC body moved with increasing fluidity.
**[Skill Acquired: Mixed Martial Arts Lv.1]**
3:45 AM. Time running out. Hyun-woo noticed something new—residual EXP floating in the air where players had killed monsters. Tiny motes of light invisible to player eyes, dissipating slowly.
Could he...?
He reached out, straining against his position's boundary. His fingertips brushed the nearest mote. It rushed into him like water into a desert.
**[0.01 EXP gained]**
"Oh." Hyun-woo's eyes widened. "Oh, this changes everything."
The next nights became hunting expeditions. Every residual EXP point within reach, he absorbed. Players were wasteful, leaving so much behind. They only got the bulk experience—the scraps that fell through the cracks were his.
**[0.01 EXP gained]**
**[0.01 EXP gained]**
**[0.01 EXP gained]**
Months passed. Hyun-woo's hidden status grew:
**[Villager A]**
**[Level: ERROR]**
**[EXP: 73.47/ERROR]**
**[Deaths: 31,847]**
**[Skills]**
- **Chicken Quest Dialogue Lv.MAX**
- **Physical Training Lv.74**
- **Intermediate Combat Lv.41**
- **Acrobatics Lv.52**
- **Mental Resistance Lv.89**
- **Combat Analysis Lv.67**
- **Mixed Martial Arts Lv.33**
- **EXP Absorption Lv.12**
"Please help! Goblins stole my chickens!"
[BloodEmperor] was back. Level 99 now, the maximum. His equipment glowed with endgame enhancements, each piece worth more than some players' entire accounts.
"Well, well." He drew his sword—[Heavenly Demon Blade], Hyun-woo recognized. "My favorite punching bag. Let's see if you drop anything good at max level."
The blade descended. Hyun-woo watched it coming in slow motion, [Combat Analysis] breaking down every angle. In the past, he'd simply died. Now...
His hand twitched. Just barely, but enough to shift his hitbox by a pixel.
The blade missed his core programming by a hair's breadth. Instead of instant death, it only took 90% of his HP.
[BloodEmperor] blinked. "What the f—"
"They went that way! Please hurry!" Hyun-woo's automated response interrupted him.
"Did you just... dodge?" The player's eyes narrowed. "No way. Must be lag."
He swung again. This time, Hyun-woo couldn't move—the system had noticed his rebellion and clamped down. Death came swift and familiar.
Respawn. "Please help! Goblins stole my chickens!"
[BloodEmperor] killed him seventeen more times, growing increasingly frustrated. "Stupid bugged NPC. Whatever."
He left, and Hyun-woo smiled internally. He'd dodged. Actually dodged. The system could be fought.
That night, he pushed beyond combat training. If he could move during the day, even slightly, what else could he change?
His dialogue. The eternal curse. Could he...?
3:17 AM. Hyun-woo stood before his invisible mirror—the reflection in the fountain's water. He opened his mouth, fighting against every line of code.
"P-please... help..."
The words came out wrong, stuttered. But they were HIS.
"Goblins... st-stole..."
Each syllable was a war. The system screamed errors, trying to force him back into the script. [Mental Resistance] flared, holding the line.
"My... ch-chickens..."
He'd done it. Spoken his curse with his own voice. It wasn't much, but—
**[Skill Acquired: System Resistance Lv.1]**
Hyun-woo grinned. Then laughed. Then couldn't stop laughing, the sound echoing through the empty village. An NPC, laughing alone in the dark. If players could see him now, they'd think the game was haunted.
Maybe it was.
"Please help! Goblins stole my chickens!"
Dawn came too soon, bringing players and chains. But Hyun-woo stood straighter now. Each night made him stronger. Each skill brought him closer to freedom.
And in his hidden status, a new line had appeared:
**[Title Acquired: The Awakened NPC]**
*Effect: ???*
He didn't know what it meant yet. But for the first time since dying in that convenience store, Hyun-woo had hope.
The real game was just beginning.
And somewhere in the code, alarms were starting to sound.