MMORPG: Rise of the Peerless Pumpkinmancer

━━━━━━ POV ━━━━━━━

On that fateful day, the New Leaf plaza was filled to the brim with players. The CPR dude was in the very first row: he would never miss his boss's grand exit!

Jack was the man that had made him want to play Infinite actively. He wasn't just trailblazing for the peeps in Desolate Desert anymore. Nowadays, he genuinely freaking loved playing!

Heck, he even found himself unconsciously signing CPR dude on parcels IRL! A nickname he once hated was now a mark of pride. He was THE CPR dude of Demonic Legion.

He was now patiently awaiting the man who was a mentor, a leader, and a friend to him.

He could hear the faction members murmur:

"Why are we in the village?"

"Isn't the Demon King still red?"

"Yep, even after the Field Boss Event."

"Won't the village chief attack him then?!"

"Why don't we just all swarm the chief at once?!"

"Yeah, we should kill the bastard! He's so old he should just die!"

They were worried about their leader. They had orders to avoid trouble, to boycott the chief's shop, and to let Jack handle the rest. Why was he shouldering all the weight?

CPR dude reassured them:

"Remember that he knows more about this world than any of us. He's already taken care of everything." He was totally an NPC, after all.

CPR dude only knew part of the story, after pestering Igor for a while.

Killing the village chief wasn't that simple, precisely because he was the village chief.

His title gave him backing and power over the New Leaf village area (primarily defensive, but still). The consequences for getting rid of him would be disastrous, even if it were possible to do so.

But this title also provided an opportunity. The NPC had to follow a specific set of rules.

Once per week, when the sun was at its highest, he had to establish a link with the Empire and send them any promising braves. They had to be as willing as worthy (level 10). But as a training instructor, Igor had the right to evaluate the players' potential.

This all led to this current situation.

The village chief looked like a man who had just eaten shit. Soon, he'd have to open a portal for this Jack bastard. This asshole had cost him so much business and made him lose so much face!

Even now, D.L. was telling players that he was trying to scam them with the gear he sold. But it was barely enough for him to turn a profit considering the enormous loan he took to buy all the stuff!

But no matter what, he wouldn't be able to kill Jack right now as it clashed with his duties. This was all because that shithead Igor vouched for him and insisted that he enter the portal!

If it weren't for that guy, he could catch the annoying brave as soon as he stepped in his domain and toy with him! This was so damn insulting!

CPR dude on the side was now pointing at the village chief:

"See? The Demon King has everything under control. Look at how crazy the village chief is going. Sometimes mental torture is even better than physical one to get revenge." He explained wisely.

"Ah! So that's how it is!"

"How domineering! That's why he's coming to the village!"

"He's gonna be showing off, and there's nothing the dumb NPC can do about it, haha!"

The D.L. members happily rejoiced, especially when they saw their leader appear with the crowd parting on his way. He looked so suave, peaceful, and elegant with Igor, a pink-haired girl, and an orange wolf escorting him.

Jack even cheekily waved at the chief as if an old friend:

"Hey there! o/"

"Woo!" (Gentlewolfly greeting!)

Moon Moon wouldn't lose its cool either! It was showing its impeccable manners. It had trained specially for this moment, observing its reflection in water!

But the NPC didn't seem to appreciate the effort:

"You're there, you bast— Let's finish this." He spat out, looking as angry as dejected.

"You sound so grumpy. You should work on that if you want to show a good example for the people." Jack suggested, sounding so very innocent.

"Pfft—" The bystanders couldn't help but chuckle.

His actions and his mannerisms made him look like an adult kindly advising a child. He seemed so honest, but they all knew it was 100% a taunt! He wasn't considering the other party as an equal at all.

Jack made sure to look as angelic as possible for this brave sending-off ceremony. But the more innocent he looked, the more it infuriated the opponent.

"Y-you! You b—!" The chief felt like cursing but restrained himself.

The NPC slowly took his place in the middle of the plaza, brought out a golden token representing his village chief authority, and began the ritual.

He was grandly moving his arms as he mumbled mystic words of power— only to be rudely interrupted.

"Is there any need for the theatrics? We all know it's a one-word activation magic tool that even a braindead person could use." Jack cut him off.

The NPC's face became even cloudier. How had he known?! Was this guy born to mess with him?! He had planned to impress the braves, making them believe he was also a mage. But now, they were chuckling as they gave him looks filled with ridicule.

"Wow, talk about shameless!"

"Guys, don't make fun of him. It's not his fault he's a Chuuni."

"Eight-grader syndrome at what…60?! Talk about a late bloomer!"

"Be quiet, all of you! Let him concentrate! It might just be one word, but what if he stutters?!"

They all erupted in boisterous laughter.

A random rock would have been more fit to be village chief than that dumbass! After all, a pebble wouldn't have made an enemy of D.L.

As he heard their mocking shouts, the chief was reminded once more of why he hated them all. The bastards wearing the D.L. emblem were the absolute worst!

What had he done to deserve this?! Was selling slightly expensive gear a crime?! No way! This was all that fucker's fault! But he could only bide his time and hope for a miracle.

Seeing the disgraced chief not even daring to speak up made the players laugh even more. But they quickly stopped as the Demon King waved.

What profound wisdom would he share this time?....