NPC wa Eiyuu no Yume wo Miru ka? (MMORPG : Elysia Online)

After completing the Armored Beetle hunting quest, Lyra and I finally returned to the city with satisfactory results. The sun was already leaning westward, signaling that the day was almost over.

As we walked through the city gate, Lyra stretched her arms upward and let out a long sigh. "Haaah~ finally done. Not bad for a warm-up, right?"

I simply nodded slightly. "Yeah, but we need a better strategy for the next hunt. The Armored Beetle is slow, but its defense is too tough."

"At least we managed without major injuries. Besides, this is just a beginner quest. There are much harder ones out there," Lyra replied with a relaxed smile.

We walked towards the guild to report the quest results. When we arrived inside, the guild was already bustling with players returning from their hunts. I could see several other groups of adventurers also turning in their spoils.

"Alright, hand over the results here," said a receptionist NPC in a flat tone. Lyra deftly pulled out several pieces of the Armored Beetle's exoskeleton and handed them over to the counter.

After waiting for a moment, a system notification appeared in front of me:

QuestCompleted!QuestCompleted!

Rewards: 500 Gold, 200 EXP, Reputation +5

I glanced at Lyra, who looked satisfied as she checked her own notification. "Good. We got quite a bit for a small quest. Want to look for another quest right away, or rest first?" she asked.

I thought for a moment. We did need more money and experience, but my body was starting to feel a bit tired after the earlier battle.

Before I could answer, a loud voice suddenly came from the information desk.

"Attention all adventurers! A new intermediate-rank quest has just been opened! We need a strong enough team to handle this!"

Lyra and I exchanged glances.

No one said anything for a few seconds, but our expressions were enough to conclude one thing—-this was interesting.

"So?" Lyra crossed her arms with a slight smile. "Interested in joining, or do you still want to be a regular NPC who just carries stuff?"

I sighed while glancing at the announcement board in the middle of the city. Players were starting to gather in front of the holographic screen that had just appeared in the air. Large golden letters displayed the details of the new quest.

QUEST:GOBLININVASIONINRAVENWOODVILLAGEQUEST:GOBLININVASIONINRAVENWOODVILLAGE

Ravenwood Village, located on the western border, is under continuous attack from a group of Goblins stronger than usual. Adventurers are requested to help defend the village and eliminate the threat before a major disaster occurs!

▶ Main Target: Defeat the Goblin Chieftain

▶ Rewards: Gold, Equipment, & EXP Bonus

▶ Requirements: Minimum Level 15

▶ Time Limit: 48 Hours

I frowned. Goblin invasion? This sounded like a standard quest in an RPG game, but for some reason, my gut told me this wouldn't go as smoothly as a regular quest.

"Ravenwood, huh?" I muttered. "Isn't that quite far from here?"

Lyra nodded. "Yeah, it'll take at least half a day to get there. But if we join, we can gather more information about this world."

I thought for a moment. As an NPC, I didn't have level restrictions like the players, but I also didn't know how strong I was compared to them. Maybe this is a good opportunity to test my abilities further.

Suddenly, someone pushed me from behind. "Hey, are you guys interested in joining this quest too?"

I turned and found a girl in a long blue robe, shoulder-length blonde hair, and an expression that looked too relaxed for a situation like this. From the emblem on her clothes, she seemed to be a mage.

"My name's Celine," she said with a sweet smile. "I'm looking for a party for this quest. Are you interested in joining?"

Lyra glanced at me, as if waiting for me to make the decision. This could be interesting...

I looked at Celine with a bit of suspicion. Not because she seemed suspicious or anything, but... someone suddenly approaching and offering to join our party? There's usually something fishy going on.

"Why do you want to join us?" I asked, making sure I wasn't walking into a social trap.

Celine smiled faintly. "Because out of all the players here, you guys seem the most interesting."

I raised an eyebrow. Interesting? In what way?

Lyra chuckled softly. "If you mean interesting as in strong, okay, I'll take the compliment. But if you mean interesting in another way, I think I need to ask what you mean."

Celine just shrugged. "Intuition."

I exchanged glances with Lyra. There was no harm in accepting an additional member, especially if she could actually help. From her appearance, she was a mage. It would be better to have someone who could attack from a distance while we dealt with the goblin horde.

"Alright," I finally said. "If you don't mind our fighting style, you can join."

Celine smiled contentedly. "Great! Then let's start preparing!"

The three of us walked into the guild to report our participation in the quest. As soon as we entered the room, the atmosphere changed. Several players were gathering in their respective groups, discussing strategies and preparations for this quest.

Lyra walked ahead and greeted one of the receptionist NPCs, a young brown-haired woman in a guild uniform. "We'd like to register our party for the Ravenwood quest."

The NPC smiled warmly and started recording our data. "Alright, may I know your party's name?"

Lyra and I exchanged glances. Party name? I had never thought about something like this before.

"I'll leave it to you," Lyra said casually.

I sighed. "Alright... how about 'Shadow Strikers'?"

Celine looked at me with a strange expression. "Sounds cool, but a bit over the top."

"Then you come up with a name," I retorted.

Celine thought for a moment, then smiled mischievously. "How about 'Troublemakers'?"

"...No."

The receptionist NPC just chuckled softly while waiting for our decision. Finally, after a few minutes of discussion (and a brief argument), we agreed to use the name "Silver Stride" as our party name.

After the registration was complete, a system window appeared in front of me:

SilverStridehasofficiallybeenregisteredasaparty!SilverStridehasofficiallybeenregisteredasaparty!

Quest:GoblinInvasioninRavenwoodVillagehasbeenaccepted!Quest:GoblinInvasioninRavenwoodVillagehasbeenaccepted!

Lyra folded her arms and looked at the system screen with a satisfied expression. "Good. Now we just need to prepare to depart."

I nodded. This journey would be a new test for me. Was I ready? I didn't know. But one thing was certain, I would keep moving forward and seek answers to all the questions in my mind.

Lyra let out a long sigh. "Alright, then we need to prepare before we leave. It'll take half a day to get to Ravenwood, so we better stock up on supplies before we go."

We agreed and split up briefly to buy equipment. Lyra went to the weapon shop to make sure her weapons were in prime condition, while Celine headed to the magic shop to buy potions and catalysts. I decided to check on survival gear—-food, tents, and other items that might be useful on the journey.

However, as I walked through the crowd, I felt something strange. For some reason, I felt like I was being watched.

I stopped for a moment and pretended to look at items in a shop window, but secretly observed my surroundings through the glass reflection. There was someone at the corner of the street staring in my direction.

A figure in a black robe, their face hidden in the shadows of the hood they wore.

I swallowed hard.

Who was that?

The figure stood still among the crowd of adventurers, not speaking, not moving. As if they were just a shadow trying not to draw attention. But precisely because of that, I felt something was off.

Celine, who was on the other side, only glanced at us briefly before turning her attention to the black-robed figure. There was no look of surprise or caution on her face, just a curious gaze.

The guard captain NPC spoke again, giving instructions about the journey to Ravenwood. But my attention remained fixed on that figure.

They weren't like the other adventurers. Their movements didn't show any interest in this quest, as if they were just observing something... or someone.

Then, suddenly—-

The figure turned and disappeared into the crowd.

I flinched. "Wait—-!"

Without thinking, I tried to step forward, but Lyra quickly grabbed my arm.

"What are you doing? Chasing them?" she whispered sharply.

I paused for a moment. She was right. What would I do if I managed to find them? I didn't even know who they were.

Celine suddenly chuckled softly. "You two are too tense. People like that are common in this world. Maybe they were just curious about the quest."

I glanced at her. "Or maybe they're after something."

Lyra snorted. "Let it go. If they're really someone dangerous, sooner or later we'll meet them again."

I wanted to argue, but in the end, I could only sigh.

"You're right."

A system notification sounded again. The convoy was about to depart. The adventurers began to prepare, while I remained wary of the black-robed figure.

For some reason... my gut told me I would see them again.

I sighed and looked ahead again. The black-robed figure had disappeared into the crowd, leaving more questions than answers.

"If it's a goblin, they shouldn't be smart enough to hide for this long."

Celine swallowed hard. "Should we attack first?" she whispered.

I shook my head slowly. "Wait... let's see what comes out first."

Lyra also prepared her stance, but her expression looked uncertain. "If this is a trap, we could be in trouble."

I agreed with her. But without more information, attacking blindly wasn't the best option either.

Then, in a matter of seconds, something leaped out from behind the bushes—-

A white-furred rabbit.

The three of us stood in awkward silence. The rabbit stared at us with its big black eyes, its ears twitching as if sensing danger, before it... simply hopped away.

"...Seriously?" Lyra clicked her tongue, lowering her hand.

I let out a long sigh, releasing the tension from my body. "Well, that was... disappointing."

Celine chuckled softly. "Hey, better this than something actually dangerous, right?"

I didn't have time to respond because suddenly—-

A heavy rumbling sound echoed from another direction.

The ground shook slightly. Birds perched on the trees suddenly took flight. The rabbit that had been in front of us suddenly bolted into the forest as fast as it could, as if fleeing from something far more dangerous.

I immediately went on alert again. "Okay, I don't think this is a joke anymore."

Lyra drew her weapon. "This time, it's definitely something bigger."

Celine tightened her grip on her staff, her expression turning more serious. "Get ready... something's coming."

I couldn't see anything behind the bushes, but the rustling sound getting closer made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Celine gripped her staff even tighter, ready to cast a spell at any moment. Lyra, on the other hand, had already lowered her stance, her hands resting on the hilt of her weapon, ready to strike at any moment.

"Waiting too long will only give them the advantage," I whispered, sharpening my gaze toward the trembling bushes.

Celine nodded slightly. "Then let's make them come out faster."

With a swing of her hand, a small fireball shot toward the bushes, exploding in the air just before hitting the ground. Sparks of fire scattered in the air, burning the dry twigs and...

"GRRAAARGH!!"

A roar echoed through the air, and a green-skinned creature leaped out from its hiding place. Its eyes glowed red, its jagged teeth protruding from its deformed jaw. In its hand, it tightly gripped a rusty axe.

"Goblin!" Lyra immediately charged forward, swinging her sword at the creature without hesitation.

But before her attack could land, more goblins poured out from behind the trees. One, two... no, more than ten! These weren't just ordinary goblins—-some of them wore thin armor and carried weapons that looked far more dangerous than the low-level goblins that usually appeared in beginner quests.

"They're stronger than I thought," I muttered, taking a few steps back and preparing a strategy.

Celine stepped beside me, beginning to chant a spell while moving her fingers in the air. "I'll hold them back with magic. Lyra, Rei, you handle the rest!"

I nodded. This wasn't just a regular fight—-we had to work together if we wanted to get out of here alive.

The first attack came from the left. A goblin armed with a spear darted forward with agile movements, trying to thrust its weapon at Lyra. However, with a quick sidestep, she dodged to the side, swinging her sword in a circular arc—-Crescent Slash! A sharp blue light flashed through the air, slicing through the goblin's neck.

THUD!

The goblin's body fell to the ground with a heavy thud, thick green blood oozing out onto the leaves.

"There are more behind them!" I shouted, raising one of my swords to block the next attack.

Celine stepped back, her hands moving quickly to form a magical symbol in the air. "Flame Burst!" A large fireball shot out and exploded in the middle of the goblin group, causing several of them to catch fire and scream in pain. However, surprisingly, some goblins were unaffected by the explosion—-they moved quickly, dodging the magical attack as if they had anticipated it.

"Hey, these aren't ordinary goblins!" Lyra exclaimed. "They're faster and smarter than I expected!"

I narrowed my eyes, observing their movements. "They might be elite goblins... or worse, goblins controlled by something."

One of the larger goblins, wearing thin iron armor, stepped forward and raised its axe high. "RAAAARGH!" With a powerful slam, it brought the axe down onto the ground, creating a shockwave that forced us to retreat a few steps.

Damn, this is getting worse.

But before we could respond, the bushes around us began to shake again. This time, it wasn't goblins that emerged—-it was something much larger.

A pair of glowing red eyes appeared from behind the trees, followed by a heavy groan that shook the ground beneath my feet.

"GRUOOHHH..."

I tensed up. "Oh, crap... that's not a goblin."

The creature finally stepped out of the shadows—-a massive, muscular giant with bluish-green skin, wielding a huge wooden club in one hand. Its muscles bulged, and its body was covered in scars from previous battles. Its breathing was heavy, as if signaling that this creature wasn't just an ordinary monster.

A system window appeared in front of me.

EliteMonster:MountainOgreEliteMonster:MountainOgre

Level: 40

HP: 12,000

Status: Aggressive

Abilities:

✅ Earthquake Smash (A club strike that creates a shockwave, knocking back all nearby targets.)

✅ Berserk Mode (When HP drops below 50%, increases attack and speed for 30 seconds.)

✅ Thick Skin (High resistance to normal physical attacks.)

My eyes widened. "This is bad. These goblins aren't just a wild pack—-they have an Ogre as their leader!"

Lyra straightened up, a wide grin spreading across her face. "Now, this is a real challenge!"

Celine, on the other hand, looked a bit pale. "Then we need to take down the Ogre first. Otherwise, these goblins will keep getting buffed!"

I took a deep breath, adjusting my grip on my sword. "Then let's make a plan—-"

But before I could finish my sentence, the Ogre raised its massive club and slammed it into the ground with tremendous force!

BOOM!!

The ground around us shook violently, creating a shockwave that nearly knocked me off my feet! Damn! Too fast