Chapter 68: Serendipitous NPC

Chapter 68: Chapter 68: Serendipitous NPC

The Black Fog outside the window was thicker than usual, as if silently urging Seraphina Sinclair to move on.

"Time to go."

She muttered to herself, her fingertip gently touching the Bronze Door Card as she slowly channeled 100 points of sunshine energy into it.

The patterns on the door card’s surface lit up one by one, a Dark Gold light flowing like water.

As the last bit of sunshine was channeled in, the entire mobile cabin began to tremble, the wooden floor groaning under the strain.

Seraphina Sinclair was familiar with this process. She quickly steadied herself and waited quietly for the Black Fog to surge in.

So far, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Just in case, she opened the regional channel to see what others were experiencing with the move.

Everyone was saying that although it was clearly different from before, they weren’t sure exactly how it was different.

Seraphina Sinclair: "..."

’Figures. It’s just like they say—you have to experience it for yourself. Just listening to them is pointless.’

But there were a few interesting messages.

"Weirdest thing happened today. Some guy in a suit popped out of the Black Fog and forced me to play rock-paper-scissors. Lose and give it 10 sunshine, win and get some crappy box. FFS, I lost three times in a row, and it said I was too much of a noob to play with it and just left."

"??? How can anyone be that bad?"

"What ’crappy box’? I bet it was something good! What a total waste!"

"I wish that had been me. I’ve got the skills and the strategy! I would’ve definitely won, and I’d post the item details for everyone to feast their eyes on!"

"Keep dreaming, poster above."

"Probably an NPC, right? I’ve met one before. They don’t attack and are pretty friendly."

"So did you win or lose?"

An excellent question.

Seraphina Sinclair couldn’t help but hold her breath as she continued reading, but the result was, unfortunately...

"I lost."

"Sigh... Next time, just keep it to yourself. What a disappointment."

"Honestly, you wouldn’t have been happy even if he had won."

"NPCs? I met one today too, an NPC calling itself a ’Merchant of the Fog’! You had to use Black Fog Coins to buy things. We all only have ten Black Fog Coins, me included, and I could buy a pair of talking scissors! The NPC even said it was a discount, so I thought it was something good and bought it. Now... now this damn pair of scissors is calling me an idiot! (Image)"

’What?’

’The case of the cursing scissors?’

Seraphina Sinclair frowned and clicked on the image to investigate.

It was a screenshot of the item’s detailed information.

[Tainted Scissors (F-level)]

[Description: A magical pair of talking scissors. If you happen to need scissors, you won’t be able to part with them. Trait: Mocks the Holder (Cannot be turned off)]

’Mocks the Holder...’

Seraphina Sinclair fell silent. ’The "taint" must refer to what the scissors say, right?’

’If it’s all curses... then yeah, that is pretty foul.’

Seraphina Sinclair searched some more but found no other reports of NPC encounters, though she did find a rumor-monger.

"I’ve discovered a trick. Sprinkle some salt at your door before moving, and the chance of monsters getting close drops by 30%. Don’t ask me why. If you must know, it’s because my great-aunt’s second cousin’s neighbor is a folklorist."

"Then allow me to ask, O great expert, where did you get your salt?"

"Salt? What salt? I don’t have any salt..."

"You’re not even trying to keep up the act, are you!"

Seraphina was amazed, sighing to herself, ’It really takes all kinds.’

She was patient and carefully reread the posts from the two survivors who had encountered NPCs.

Seraphina Sinclair keenly spotted a common element: they had both met the NPCs *after* moving their cabins.

’Strange...’

’Could moving increase the chance of these encounters?’

At this thought, she sent a private message to Serious Kitten and the other two. ’The thing they ran into was probably a type of NPC too, right?’

Seraphina got the answer she was looking for. They had also experienced the knocking incident only after moving.

’So... these special encounters are definitely tied to moving.’

’And this sort of thing has probably always been happening. The fact that it’s suddenly being discussed openly must mean the probability has increased.’

’But if the probability has increased, why haven’t I encountered anything?’

Seraphina Sinclair looked at her two lanterns and sighed.

’I’m moving tomorrow morning! Moving is the top priority, no matter what!’

The time came, and the first wave of Black Fog began to pour in.

Seraphina Sinclair squatted on her bedframe, resting her chin in her hand and listening intently.

’Hmm... no sound. Safe.’

’Then it should just be an F-level Supply Box.’

Seraphina waited quietly for the Black Fog to recede. Everything seemed perfectly normal—until she saw the Supply Box on the floor.

It was an E-level Supply Box.

Seraphina Sinclair stood rooted to the spot, staring at the "E" in silence for a moment.

She was certain that while the Black Fog was present, she hadn’t heard any sounds, nor had some strange, suicidal monster opened her door and leaped out.

’So this Supply Box... huh? Did the quality just go up because the novice protection period is over?’

’Impossible.’

’If that were the case, the regional channel would have already exploded with messages, right?’

Seraphina stared at the box, momentarily at a loss. Finally, on a sudden, inexplicable whim, she used Insight on it.

Maybe it was because she was genuinely baffled about where it came from, or maybe it was because the target was unique enough that the skill would simply work...

In any case, Insight was successful.

[Twisted Abomination of Flesh (E-level)]

[Description: On the surface, it is indistinguishable from a normal Supply Box, even bearing the system’s markings. However, the box’s interior is filled with serrated mouthparts and digestive fluid. When prey approaches, the lid will suddenly spring open, extending barbed tentacles to drag the prey inside and dissolve it. A one-hit kill!]

[Weakness: ???]

Seraphina stared at the panel before her in silence for a moment, then suddenly clapped a hand over her mouth.

’That was some insane, dumb luck!’

’This time, I really... If I had just opened that box without any suspicion, the one getting "one-hit killed" would have been me, wouldn’t it?’

’Oh wait, I can’t die.’

’But Auric Young definitely would have.’

’Strictly speaking, though, I only survived thanks to the monster’s own mistake... If it had been F-level, I really would’ve been done for this time.’

Seraphina took a sharp breath, her eyes fixed on the monster as she silently tore two Fire Drawing Runes.

With a flick of her fingertips, she flung the flames at the monster disguised as a Supply Box. The fire spread across the box’s surface like a living entity.

"HISS!"

The lid began to tremble violently, emitting a sharp shriek of twisting metal.

The next second, the box flew open, revealing the writhing flesh within.

It was a giant maw filled with spiraling, razor-sharp teeth. The inner walls were caked with half-melted, black, rotting flesh. Viscous digestive fluid dripped down like pus and blood, corroding the floor with sizzling scorch marks.

The moment the flames licked the monster’s inner walls, its entire "mouth" spasmed violently.

"GRIND... GRIND..."

A grating, chewing sound emanated from within the box, as if countless tiny teeth were frantically gnashing against each other.

The box shook violently, then suddenly—SPLURT!—it sprayed a stream of foul-smelling slime.

If Seraphina hadn’t been standing so far back, she would have been covered in it.

Just as she was wrinkling her nose at the stench, the spectacle unfolding before her served as a stark reality check.