I ACCIDENTALLY BECAME A GUILD THERAPIST
Chapter 8 – Too Many Confessions
ARC I: THE ACADEMIC EXILE
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SYNOPSIS: Livia Marcelline Quinn, now Mental Supporter Lv. 3, is drowning in the guild's endless sea of neuroses. Rapid, back-to-back therapy sessions, combined with her new Empathic Insight Skill, push her to a critical breaking point. Facing total chaos, Livia is forced to choose a defining Awakening path: protect her sanity, or fully embrace her new role as the guild's emotional conduit.
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Livia Marcelline Quinn, freshly promoted to Mental Supporter Lv. 3, was drowning in her own Therapist's Log. Its pages were a chaotic diary of the Bloodbath & Beyond guild's neuroses: Bron: Plushie obsession, existential dread. Nyx: Dark phobia, awkward crush. Phina: Slime romance. Alaric: Betting everything. Guild: General insanity.
The guild's base camp was a fever dream of glowing runes, scattered enchanted gear, and a sentient slime now attempting synchronized swimming in a mana puddle. Livia slumped on her crate, her silver-trimmed robe a faint upgrade, muttering, "If I hear one more 'Empath Eternal,' I'm defecting to the slimes."
The camp roared with its usual chaos—players screamed about "bugged quest chains," NPCs droned glitchy lines like "Error: Sanity Module Corrupted." Livia's introverted soul begged for a cave to hide in.
I am their shrink, mascot, and subreddit star.
Flunked psych, memed across worlds, and now I'm the emotional janitor for a guild of disasters.
A notification pinged: [Achievement Unlocked: Overworked Empath. +10 Stress Points (Overflowing)]
"Accurate," Livia muttered, swatting the air. Her progress bar read Mental Supporter Lv. 3: 400/3000 EXP. Her new Empathic Insight Lv. 1 let her sense subtle emotions, but it only amplified the guild's chaos. I'm one sob story from a breakdown, she thought, scribbling: Issue: I'm losing it. Approach: Coffee?
Her crate was now Grand Central Station for guild complaints, and the line moved fast—too fast.
Bron stomped up first, his Livia plushie tucked under his arm. "Buffer! Immortality's pointless without meaning. I'm starting philosophical blacksmithing to cope." His voice cracked. Livia's Empathic Insight pinged: Patient Distress: Existential, High. She deployed Soothing Aura Lv. 1.
"Bron, that's great," Livia said. "But do it away from the tents."
Too late. Bron, demonstrating his new craft, slammed a piece of scrap metal onto a rock. A spark flew—not a blacksmith spark, but a cartoonishly large yellow one—which immediately set a nearby sign ablaze: "Welcome to Bloodbath & Beyond: Where Safety is Optional."
Livia sighed, reaching for a bucket of water. "Just… try philosophical basket-weaving for five minutes." Bron nodded, muttering about "temporal entropy and yarn."[You eased an immortal's boredom and averted minor property damage. +300 EXP]
Before the steam cleared, Nyx slunk over, his Hello Kitty flashlight dim. "Livia… the dark's back. Worse now." His blush was intense, and her Empathic Insight screamed: Patient Distress: Phobia + Romantic Tension.
"Nyx, picture the dark as… a cozy nap," Livia said. He tried to nod, but his anxiety made his Ghost Rogue Stealth Cloak glitch. For a full three seconds, he flickered in and out of view, each flicker leaving a neon purple silhouette that screamed "ROGUE HERE."
She quickly tapped his arm, stabilizing his glitch. "You've got this. Flashlight on, for now." He managed a shaky smile, his lingering gaze making her squirm. [You calmed a rogue's fears and fixed a skill glitch. +200 EXP]
Phina glided in next, her slime Glimmer riding on her shoulder. "Empath Eternal, my bond with Glimmer falters! It jiggles… distantly." Her poetic despair hit Livia's Empathic Insight like a tidal wave.
Glimmer, hearing its name, suddenly extended a small, gooey pseudopod and placed a miniature, poorly-carved wooden heart on Livia's notepad. It jiggled expectantly.
Livia stared at the slime. "Did the slime just give me a gift? Is this a love triangle?"
Phina gasped, composing an ode to "gelatinous independence and complex courtship rituals." She rolled off with Glimmer, excitedly documenting the new development. [You soothed a slime romance crisis and received questionable affection. +400 EXP]
Alaric staggered over, reeking of ale. "Buffer! I bet my holy shield on a troll race. Lost. Fix me!" His slurred desperation was overwhelming.
Livia looked at him with her Empathic Insight. The skill pierced through his drunken haze, revealing a cold core of fear.
"You don't care about the gold, Alaric," Livia said, her voice cutting through the noise. "You bet because you're afraid your holy aura is flickering out. You're trading faith for risk to feel alive."
Alaric froze, the flask dropping from his hand. His eyes cleared, wide with shock. He stared at her, then stumbled away, muttering about having to confess to the High Paladin. [You triggered a major existential breakthrough in a paladin. +500 EXP]
Livia's HUD buzzed, her progress bar climbing: Mental Supporter Lv. 3: 1800/3000 EXP. But her head throbbed. Too many feelings. Too many lunatics. Her Empathic Insight was a curse, amplifying every guild member's distress. She scribbled: Guild: Emotional black hole. Issue: I'm burned out. Approach: Scream into void.
Miles Vexley sauntered up, his smirk sharper than his psychoblade. "Rough day, Buffer?" he teased. "You look like you're one sob away from quitting."
Livia glared. "Congrats, Smirk. You've cracked the code. I'm drowning in your guild's baggage." She waved her notepad. "I'm not a miracle worker. I'm barely a therapist."
Miles raised an eyebrow, his smirk softening. "You're doing better than you think, rookie. This guild's a mess, but you're keeping us from imploding."Livia's Empathic Insight pinged:Patient Distress:Hidden, Moderate. Miles has issues?
Before she could probe, the camp erupted again. Bron's philosophical basket-weaving resulted in a giant, unstable wicker man. Nyx hid in a crate, his silhouette glowing neon purple. Phina's new ode caused Glimmer to bounce uncontrollably, and Alaric reappeared, trying to bet his boots on the wicker man's collapse time.
Livia's head spun, her burnout hitting critical. "I can't do this!" she snapped, slamming her notepad shut. "I'm not cut out for this! I flunked psych, I'm a meme, and now I'm babysitting a circus!"
Her HUD glitched, static crackling. A voice boomed: Therapist Awakening Initiated. Emotional Overload Detected. Choose Path: Empath Surge or Emotional Barrier.
A holographic menu appeared.
* Empath Surge: Amplify emotional connection, +20% breakthrough chance, -10% mental stamina.
* Emotional Barrier: Reduce emotional overload, +10% mental stamina, -5% empathy.
Livia stared, her chest heaving. I am not enough here either, she thought. Always falling short. But the guild's chaos felt like her chaos now. She wasn't just an NPC. She was their NPC.
She chose Empath Surge. Her HUD flared, her robe glowing brighter, now with faint blue runes. A notification blared: [Therapist Awakening Unlocked: Empath Surge. +1500 EXP. Achievement Unlocked: Burnout Breakthrough] Her progress bar surged:Mental Supporter Lv. 3: 3300/3000 EXP.
Livia exhaled, her exhaustion mingling with resolve. "Fine," she muttered. "I'll keep fixing your messes. But I'm getting a coffee skill next." She scribbled: Issue: Burnout. Approach: Chose Empath Surge. Regret TBD.
Miles clapped, his smirk back. "Knew you wouldn't quit, Buffer. You're stuck with us." His Empathic Insight pinged again, but he turned away. Livia's burnout lingered, but her new skill hummed, amplifying her connection to their madness.
A final notification flashed: [You survived a therapy marathon. Achievement Unlocked: Emotional Sponge]
Livia closed her notepad, muttering, "I'm either a saint or a masochist." As the guild's chaos roared on, and Miles' hidden distress lingered in her Empathic Insight, she knew her role was no longer just a job. It was a lifeline—for them, and maybe for her.
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To be continued...
Chapter 9: NSFW Side Quest from the Outside World