Recruitment
Eve's camp was set deep within the encampment — the most secluded spot of all.
I walked slowly, with Kals leading the way and Baruel hidden just behind me.
I could feel the stares following us.
'Eve's girls.'
In my absence, Eve Wyler had gathered all these girls to her side.
Honestly, that alone couldn't have been easy.
'Impressive. She must've prepared a lot.'
While I was thinking that, Kals suddenly stopped walking.
"Here, Shan."
Before us lay a small clearing — a dozen tents surrounding a single campfire.
And at the very center—
"..."
A girl lay leisurely on a carpet, reclining on her side.
Eve Rot Wyler.
Known in the original as the "Genius Young Lady."
But according to the Wyler Duchy scenario, she should have long since disappeared.
Yet here she was — very much alive and breathing before my eyes.
Brazenly established within the heart of the Revolutionary Army's encampment, she had her own following and presence.
"Hm."
Eve was munching on dried fruit while warming herself by the fire.
When she noticed me, she turned her head slightly and sat up.
The orange glow of the flames illuminated her face, and I swallowed dryly.
'She looks exactly the same as she did on screen.'
Though everything around her was dyed orange by the firelight, her eyes gleamed an icy blue —
not the clear azure of Kals's eyes, but a deep, cold navy.
Those eyes looked straight into mine.
It took everything I had to suppress the flood of questions threatening to spill from my mouth.
Now wasn't the time.
"...You're late."
Eve rested her chin on her hand, speaking lazily.
So she'd known I was coming — and waited.
I nodded.
"Had a lot to take care of."
Eve let out a short laugh and sneered.
"Oh, really? Should I feel honored that someone so busy graced us with their presence?"
What the hell?
'Why the attitude?'
Something was clearly off. I could feel it.
"Let's talk privately," I said quietly. "Everyone else, clear out."
I had too many questions for her —
but not with all these NPCs surrounding us like guards.
It'd be impossible to speak freely otherwise.
But Eve shook her head.
"No."
"What?"
"If you have something to say, say it here."
"...Right here?"
"Yeah. They're all my friends. We don't keep secrets. So go ahead."
Her voice was firm — and that firmness meant don't talk about it.
With NPCs listening, there was no way to discuss quests, strategies, or player matters.
"..."
I had no choice but to fall silent.
"Hm."
Eve's eyes swept over my companions, and a thin smile curved her lips.
"Some new faces since last time, huh?"
Her gaze settled on the boy standing beside Kals.
"Ah... Baruel Hejit? Yeah, that makes sense."
She barely nodded — but it sent chills down my spine.
That she knew him could only mean one thing.
'She remembers the original game, too.'
Eve, like me, possessed knowledge of the world of God-Forsaken World.
Which meant every move she made set my nerves on edge.
If she became my enemy, she would be the worst possible opponent.
But I steadied my breath.
'It's fine.'
Back when she tricked me using the name Irgal,
I'd already confirmed something important —
she didn't know as much about this world as I did.
'First, I realized it when we escaped the Imperial Territory.'
'Then again when we robbed that black market dealer.'
So even if Eve was similar to me…
'I've got the upper hand.'
No reason to panic.
"Eve L'gal."
I deliberately used the false name she'd chosen this time.
"Oh? Finally found your voice?"
Surrounded by her little entourage like a queen, Eve met my gaze without the slightest flicker.
She was beautiful, confident — just like her original character setting.
'Right now, she probably thinks she has the advantage — since she entered the quest first.'
But I looked her dead in the eye and spoke firmly.
"Sorry, but you're backing out of this quest."
You said to speak here?
Fine, I'll speak here.
"...What did you just say?"
Eve frowned.
But I didn't hold back.
NPCs could hear or not — didn't matter.
"Your method's wrong. So stay out of this quest."
"Hey! What the hell are you—!"
"It's simple."
I raised a finger and pointed it directly at her deep blue eyes.
"The route you're taking — the Detached Squad route to clear this quest."
"...?"
"It only leads to a partial success. So drop it. I'm not saying it again."
And with that, I turned my back to her and walked away.
"Hey! Gilroshan!"
Her startled voice echoed behind me, but I didn't look back.
I didn't want to.
We returned to our campfire spot.
Tyrbaen was already there waiting.
"En, everything okay? Did you talk to Shark Lobren?"
"Yeah. That guy's got a story of his own."
"Right — the Quarter-Orc with the berserk condition."
To cure that madness, he needed something called the Orc Warrior's Soulstone.
And by retrieving it for him, we could win his loyalty.
"But before that, looks like we've got a fight coming. Damn it."
I slumped down near the fire's warmth.
Staring blankly into the flames, my heart thumped heavily in my chest.
Regret came rushing in.
'I had so much I wanted to say.'
I'd planned to talk with Eve Wyler about everything —
How she ended up in this world.
What she knew about this strange phenomenon.
And... whether she'd travel this endless road with me.
"That's what I wanted to ask her…"
But she refused.
Instead of a quiet, private talk, she surrounded herself with NPCs and sat me down at a public table.
If that's not rejection, what is?
'Then there's nothing more to say.'
If that's her stance from the start, then there's no more talking — only a clash of wills.
Because this quest we were both on… wasn't something we could clear our own separate ways.
For it to truly resolve, one of us would have to yield.
[Quest] Stop the Kishiris Cathedral's plan and protect the children.
Special: Linked with the quest "You're the Prison Breaker, I'm the Archbishop."
Expected Rewards: 2 Holy Relics of the Eolem Grand Church.
The objective was clear:
Prevent the Kishiris Order from massacring the young boys.
'Then what method will they use?'
Of course, I already knew exactly what the Kishiris Cathedral's assassin would do.
It was…
'A monster flood.'
The culprit was likely already moving toward the depths of the hunting grounds —
the place where countless monsters would surge to the surface like a catastrophic wave.
In the original game, players called this event the "Ultra Wave."
'Once that happens, every single boy in the hunting grounds will be wiped out.'
Not that monsters could tell gender apart, of course —
but the problem was the path the wave followed.
'It hits only the boys' dormitory on its way through.'
Inside the hunting grounds, there were two dormitories in total.
And that was the heart of the problem.
No matter how teams were formed in advance,
those dorms had to be divided by gender.
Even if they weren't quite adults yet, you couldn't exactly make them all sleep together.
Though the two dorms weren't far apart, a cliff between them made crossing difficult.
That's what made such a selective massacre possible.
All the culprit had to do was wait until the maximum number of boys gathered inside…
'Then trigger the Ultra Wave — boom. Done.'
It was a frighteningly simple plan.
'The Ultra Wave will definitely happen on the first night.'
I was certain.
When most teams had returned successfully from their first hunts,
their prey secured, their spirits high—
they'd gather around their fires to roast meat and share stories of glory.
That's when the assassin would strike.
The priestess from the Kishiris Cathedral was a meticulous villain.
She'd planned every detail, predicting exactly how the children in the hunting grounds would act.
'Yeah. She's capable of even worse than this.'
To counter that kind of plan, we had to move before she acted.
That's why Eve Wyler had come here early and recruited all the girls under her wing.
Of course, I knew that route too.
'The Detached Squad strategy. No doubt about it.'
You either gathered all the boys or all the girls and brought them entirely under your command.
That triggered a powerful special event —
"Oh, So You've Done This Before?"
'What kind of karaoke title is that?'
A ridiculous name, but a terrifying effect.
'Once activated, the group's unity skyrockets — no one can leave the team.'
And that wasn't all.
'You also gain perfect command authority.'
As the group's leader, you could execute large-scale coordinated strategies —
essentially commanding a small army.
That's why it was called the Detached Squad route.
'Before the Ultra Wave hits, you lead the kids and launch a preemptive strike.'
Even if the culprit wasn't captured, you could still disrupt the ritual enough to prevent the Ultra Wave from forming.
That meant the boys wouldn't be slaughtered, and the quest would be cleared.
'Not a bad route at all.'
It was also relatively safe —
and that's exactly why Eve Wyler was gathering the girls now.
But—
"...That's not the real strategy."
My goal wasn't just to save the children or clear the quest in some halfway manner.
That was only the surface.
'I need to drag the Kishiris Order's assassin and their conspiracy into the open.'
That was the true final objective of this quest —
the perfect ending I was after.
And to reach it, the Ultra Wave had to happen.
Of course, the children couldn't die.
'But the incident must occur for the hidden mastermind to reveal themselves.'
That's why letting the Detached Squad disrupt the Ultra Wave was out of the question.
And that was why I'd told Eve Wyler to back out of this quest.
…Would she even understand that?
'No way.'
She'd definitely get greedy.
From the moment she first appeared wearing that hood,
Eve had never really cooperated with me.
She'd followed my lead in the black market, sure —
but only because she'd had no choice at the time.
So I'd stopped expecting cooperation from her altogether.
'Instead, I'll have to think about how to interfere with her Detached Squad.'
And right then, a brilliant — and shocking — idea flashed into my mind.
Just as it did—
Dum, dum, dum...
The same deep drumbeat that had called the children together earlier now echoed again from the cliffside.
Baruel, who'd been sitting quietly, stirred at the vibration.
—Looks like the team formations are finishing up!
"Yeah, exactly."
I nodded, and Tyrbaen frowned.
"Then Shark Lobren must have…"
But before she could finish, Kals raised his head.
"Someone's coming this way."
Step, step.
Pushing through the brush, a massive figure emerged — Shark Lobren.
"You are Shan Aledro?"
"Uh... yeah. Why?"
Expressionless as ever, the bald giant heaved something off his shoulder and dropped it with a thud.
A massive deer — freshly hunted.
"This is a gift. I do not know if your inventory magic has room for it."
…Guess we won't be running out of venison anytime soon.
I extended my hand to the Quarter-Orc, and we shook.
"Good to have you. Welcome to the team."
['Baruel Hejit' has temporarily joined the party.]
[Will remain until the end of the current event.]
And just like that, our five-person party was complete.
'Not a bad lineup.'
I was nodding to myself in satisfaction when—
Our eyes met.
"...!"
Across the campfire stood Eve Wyler, her expression as cold as ice.
She raised her hand slowly,
and like Baruel, she signed a message in simple hand code.
When I deciphered it, I bit my lip hard.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Her message was short — and cutting.
—You're the one who should back out of the quest.
…So that's how it's going to be, huh?