Chapter 1 ✠ NPC Energy

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Our unwilling POV often like to think herself as simple lang na tao. Yung tipo na tanging isip lang ay:

Kung ano pwede kainin sa susunod na oras na pwedeng kumain.

Kelan ulit yung next weekend para itulog buong maghapon.

Kung may silbi ba talaga buhay ko.

May pera ba ako pang snacks?

Is that a sale on secondhand books?

Ooh Kittyyyy! Can I pet?

...u know. Mga minumuni ng isang typical adulting freelancer living alone sa Manila.

She never stood out. Walang parte ng katawan niya ay considered above average or note-worthy and I know na ito ang pinaka overused opener ng isang typical Mary Sue. But not this time.

When I say plain, I mean siya ang base model ng every filipino city girl in their 20s. I mean it. Certified NPC!

So.

She just wanna know.

Why.

Is.

She.

Plainest Asian Woman of all Humanity.

Is in a Bird Cage!

Smack dab in the middle ng napakacreepy na cathedral-esque room sa buong mundo!?

No answers? Hints? Cheat sheet? ... Sigeee!! ganyanan ah!

With no clear goal in mind of this as always. Go with the flow tayo! How? Any normal oddly chill person would do, they try to make sense of the situation by taking stock ng immediate surroundings.

I.e 'The Bird Cage'.

It was a simple oddly-smooth wrought iron cage na malaki enough na pwede siya tumayo at isang dipa niya lang abot na niya sa bawat kamay yung rehas. At yung sahig, bato with a five circles and some BS she cant undersrand, engraved in it.

She thought she's in a cathedral at first kasi ang taas nung ceiling na she can vaguely see how it curved up to a dome. Sa simbahan/templo lang siya nakakakita ng mga napakadetalyado carvings/statues na nakalinya sa may mga dingding. That o museums! Pero masyado similar ang style nila to count as a worthy set for an exhibit. Lalo na yung humongous lincoln-looking statue sa tapat ng pinakamalaking pinto na nakita ko sa buhay ko! Katulad sya nung scene sa Hercules' Temple of Zeus scene. Medyo madilim so she cant see the full thing but sa dingding, may nakapaint ata o engraved din na sort of battlefield? Story ni jesus? Pero he's buff-er at kung ang christianity ay one big battleroyale lang talaga.

Hala! Pwersahan na ba ako ni lord pagsisimbahin?! Excagge naman to JC!

Looking around beyond the obvious. Wala naman siyang makitang tao na nagsisimba which She thought is okay since akala niya nung una gabi na kasi napaka madilim pero nung tinary nung icheck any view of the outside. Nakita niya na wala naman bintana na titignan pa labas, kahit maliit na basement window wala. Wala rin mga upuan o altar. Is she in an underground Mosque? Bagong hukay na Lumang greek temple?

Except for the growing moss in some places bit of cracks in the joints, mukhang naman bago lahat. Amoy bago. 'Bago' like..

Not one living thing has been here.. ever.

Wait. Why is all this so familiar? Ano culto nakatira ba dito?! WHY THE STATUES!? Lincoln here is starting to creep me out. Nasaan ba ako?

Habang busy siya magpanic 2.0 at trying to remember ano kagagahan ang ginawa niya para mapunta dito.

The big ass door opened. Making blue flames sprout from the ring fire bearers na she just noticed mounted paikot sa dingding.

She looks back on the people. Real people!

In casual clothes! But ..with swords. And chest plates.

Mas approriate ba na sabihin party of adventurers? Did she become some ornament for some rich DnD shmucks?! Well! I refuse to be part of this game! Bala sila dyan magfantasya!

At least, binuksan nila yung ilaw at mas marami na sya nakikita.

Curioser and curioser. San ko ba nakita to lugar nato? Heh.. parang boss room to ng dungeon ah.. ha.. ?... !?!?!!!!

Oh no.

She almost got whiplashed at the speed of her neck sharply turning to look at Not-Lincoln.

OH! No!

Scratch that she wishes to unsee!!

This you have to understand dear readers, kung bakit matagal magload utak ni ate natin. We have to establish that:

One, Things perceived in an actual setting ay napaka iba kesa just perceiving the setting in a painting.. or in this case a webcomic panel.

Two, till this point you never wondered. Why not speak up? Nasa weird place ka and the first people you see you dismissed them?

Three, What does she look like? Especially sa mga tao na nakitingin sa kanya ngayon. Why do they look at her so confused and impatient?

Na parang iniintay nila yung Boss ng dungeon na ito to come and attack.

Waiting for her.. wait ako?!

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Song Chi-yul has been in many dungeons in his time as a hunter. He led multiple parties in clearing low-level gates and he was proud to say that he got the privilege to assist in higher ones due to his expertise and calm demeanor. But he is confident, never in his life did he encounter a situation quite like this.

"Leader, what should we do?" Kim Sangchik, an old D-rank hunter, asked stiffly. He got a bad feeling about all this.

Everyone tensed when they saw the girl- no creature in the cage noticed them. Before it turned away again in ... annoyance?

"I'm not sure what to do really. Even in the higher level gates, I've been in.." The swordsman looks around the room again before looking back at the caged girl. "A cage is a first."

At the back, a couple of young hunters stood uneasily, feeling the tension of those older than them.

"Do you think it's a new type of boss?" Joohee, a B-rank healer, asked

"I don't know.. but" Jinwoo, E-rank hunter, replied shakily, "I think .. it is more confused than us?"

The couple looked at the thing that looked too much like a typical elf girl you see in media. A white long sleeved dress covers the pale white skin the same shade as their ankle-length hair. Even has long ears and big round blue eyes peeking out it.

Upon seeing them it perked up kneeling, its paper white hands clasping the bars of their cage, head eagerly pressed up between the bars not quite fitting. Their glowing blue eyes squint at them in shock then perplexed.

The sudden action scared them enough for some to take a step back. Others brandishing their weapons

It sat back down cautiously noticing their hostility. Before its head sharply turned to the big sitting statue and back at them bewildered.

This action confused the young hunters anew. Despite the hesitance of the majority, they decided to approach their mysterious creature.

"Hey! What do you think you tw- ?!" Sangchik yelled but Chiyul put up a hand to stop him from saying more. For as long as he knew, Jinwoo had an innate ability to know when to retreat. Maybe it is due to the kid's weakness, it kept him alive despite being considered "the weakest of humanity". So he trusts the gentle boy's instincts.

The rest can only watch as the two young hunters approach the cage.

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Ay hala! Bat sila nalapit ha!? Bat parang si kuya kinaladkad dito? Nakidnap din ba sya? Ah! Ate ang ganda mo pero di pa ako ready mag social interact! Hieee!

In a flurry of panicked movements, napatayo bigla siya at malakas na natumba palayo sa dalawang tao papalapit.

The girl upon seeing her reaction, stopped approaching and while the boy raised their hands in surrender but continued.

".. 괜찮아! [Its okay]" Sabi bigla ng lalaki, lumuhod sya ng mabagal habang nakataas parin yung mga kamay nya "우린 당신을 해치려고 온 게 아니에요.. [Were not here to hurt you]"

Huh? .. oppa? Korean ka? What in the fantasy squid game am I doing in effin Korea!? Ahh! Pang kdrama level lang korean ko!

"저는 성진우예요. [I'm Sung Jinwoo.]" He spoke, "이름이 ..뭐예요? [What's ..your name?]"

She feels sorry a bit, mukhang nagpapakilala ata ang lalaki pero hindi niya malaman kung ano sa sinabi ang pangalan o ang tanong.

"진우 [Jinwoo]" His friend spoke pointing at him then with a hand on her chest. "이주희. 주희 [Lee Joohee]"

Kuya Jinwu.. at his Ate ay Joohi? Ah gandang mga pangalan. Now.. sabihin ko din ba pangalan ko? Ganun naman diba normal na pakikitao diba?

Yeah!

"A- .."

..Ah. Wait lang. May nakalimutan ako itanong.

Sino ba ulit ako?

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The boy, Jinwoo asked hesitantly at the cowering girl in the cage. He is fairly sure now that it can't understand him. Which he reported back to the group.

He can't help but stare at the scared crystal eyes. It looks so familiar but not. Maybe it is the same scared eyes of his that he often sees in reflected back at him whenever he tackles a dungeon but it is also mixed with something else. He took out the E-rank essence stone he got from the goblin he killed earlier and held it in the light. He looked back at the eyes of the creature and shuddered at a thought he had.

Those eyes, glinted like the essence stones that monsters drop in dungeons they were in. This one, although non-hostile.. for now, is no ordinary monster.

He was startled out of his thought not expecting his friend to join him so suddenly. Her presence and clearer introductions seem to calm the creature but despite this, they don't seem to be replying back. He thinks it tried to make a noise but instead, it's holding its head like it's trying to remember something till.. It got distracted upon realizing that they have long ears.

Pfft.. The way it flops its ears frantically is so weirdly amusing.

He looked at back Joohee, she seemed to be more worried now about the thing than scared. Which is understandable for the healer. It's more like a panicked rabbit than anything they've seen, eyes brimming with tears. Not only that but the large hand-shaped bruises on its neck and wrists are truly a cause for concern.

Painful dark purples and yellowing greens colors in stark contrast to their paper-white skin. Like grim watercolor on canvas.

"Um.. Hey? Can I.." Johee points to her wrist "heal you?" She pointed back to its wrists and made a motion to have a look.

"Joohee" he warns lightly. They don't know if it'll attack once it gets a hold of something. But Joohee insists, He cant help but readies his broken knife behind his back. Just in case.

Again with an expression of having just noticed the ugly bruises, the creature seems to get what his friend wanted to do and his apprehension. It slowly extended one of their hands past the bars and to Joohee's waiting hands.

"It's okay, Jinwoo. She's hurt and a lot more confused than us it seems" She says to him. A green glow shone in her hands and the creature's bruises slowly fades.

Its interest in Joohee's magic shone with wonder like that of a child with jingling keys. It pressed its head in between the bars with thunk, enthusiastically offering its other arm to the giggling healer.

"It seems you two made a friend" Mr. Song remarked. Eyeing the childlike expression the odd elf has in its face, and smiled.

Their healer smiled back and nodded. "Ive never even heard of a friendly monster in dungeons"

"Thats cause there isnt one, seems were extremely lucky to find one, instead of a strong boss"

Jinwoo agreed on that.

Joohee gestured for its neck, and it flinched slightly when it touched it. It let Joohee press lightly on it to heal and after, it akwardly let her check her face for anymore.

The others begun to curiously approach them seeing that the creature wasnt hostile, which for the past decade since the emergence of the gates, is a wonderful discovery. Although some still wary of it and chose to wander around and look for loot instead.

They look in wonder at the twitch feathery ears where Joohee brush away some of its hair to show its face more. Perfectly symetrical, almost uncanny, with big eyes that changed in a blink from the scared glowing gold into soft mana crystal-blue eyes that reflects the light like a pair of identical cut diamonds. Quite a pretty thing.

"Maybe thats why its locked up" Park Beom-sik, another D rank hunter and buddy of Samchik, theorized. He sat besides the kids, getting a good look at oddest creature he'd ever encountered.

"You think so? It does look harmless.. like a child almost." Samchik added, looking at the creature's blunt nails on dainty hands and the dopey fangless grin it has shown when Joohee was healing it. It reminds him of his daughter almost.

"Why are you calling her an 'it' ? She's clearly female. Seriously you old geezers, show the girl some respect" One of the ladies who bent down beside Jinwoo, admonished. "Do you think she need anything, Joohee? Food? Water?"

"She looks quite thin.. Maybe an energy bar?"

One of the other heal joined them, giving it a bottle and another offering a granola bar -things it seems to know how to open much to their surprise- they were back again trying to think of their current situation.

"Theres nothing of value here, Mr. Song" Someone reported from across the room.

"Odd not even a single monster.

"Maybe this thing can give us something?"

Suddenly, one of the men with a bar knuckle striked a blow of the bars. Causing a loud clang and earning a frigtened yelp from the thing inside. Joohee was quick to comfort it.

"HEY! What was that for?!"

"Yep, she's really stuck there"

"Well no more! leave her alone! Will ya?!"

"Hwan, that was reckless! We dont know what you might have triggered by attacking it" Chiyul scolds at the tanker.

" Sorry leader. I had to check. It looks like its just wrought iron but its strong as steel." The brute apologized ignoring the glares of the startled females, looking over the cage. "No gates or locks aswell"

"Yeah even if there was, we cant really take her with us since she's clearly not human" says one of the men who stood at a distance eyeing the thing in disdain. Seriously, women sees something cute and they want to adopt it.

"Im worried. Do we need to kill it to complete the gate?"

"Oh no! God I hope not! The poor thing is already caged. Maybe just stay clear of it"

"Well too late for that. Someones already attached"

"Come on! I just gave it food!"

Jinwoo looked at his party and around the room, in contemplation. Something is very wrong here and it all points to the caged creature in front of him. One who after the fright, is now poking his cheek. Likely checking if he is real and tangible.

"What ya got there hun? A magic circle?" Chiyul whispers softly to the creature. Kneeling beside Joohee to look at the runes and sigil on the floor of the cage.

"Magic seal?" Jinwoo asked their leader looking at the engravings on the floor.

Joohee motioned the girl to stand so the men could have a clearer look.

But before he could explain, a shout for his attention echoes the room.

"Mister Song! I think theres something written here! Youll have to take a look at this!"

The party gathered infront of the lone winged statue who stood with its hood obscuring its face holding a tablet of some kind. Runic writing etched on it barely legible on most place except the title..

"Runic text?" Chiyul wonders. Its been so long simce he encountered one that he worries he might mistranslate. "Let see... The Commandments of the.. Temple? Of Ca- Car.. teee. non?"

"The Commandments of the Temple of Carthenon. Whats that?"

At this question, an ethereal voice they don't recognized echoed in answer.

"The commandments of the Temple of Carthenon. Listen well and heed its words"

They all turned back to the creature in shock.

It stood unmoving looking at them and reciting the commandments. Like a doll whose string was pulled. Wide eyes glow a golden blaze.

"First, Worship the Lord"

"Hey, what the fuck is wrong with her!?" One shrieked.

"Second, Praise the Lord"

"Something wrong Jinwoo! Someone's controlling her" Joohee held Jinwoo's sleeve in fright as they watch their creature speak fluent albeit archaic Korean.

"Third, Prove your Faith to the Lord"

At the corner of Joohee's eyes she sensed movement from the massive statue and saw its eyes looking at them.

"Jinwoo! The statue! Its eyes!" She hurriedly turn her friend to look. But it was back to its original position.

"What? No way!" Someone who heard Joohee shakily scoffed.

Jinwoo felt a harsh shiver in his spine at Joohee's words.

"Huh? You must have imagine-"

"No wait! Listen!"

"Those who do not obey these

commandments.."

The people tensed alert at the sudden changed of atmosphere. Looking at their creature intently.

Jinwoo knew this feeling well. Having been in many life or death situations. Its what kept him alive despite being the weakest.

"Will not be able to return Alive"

At the same time, the large doors shut close with a sharp bang!

"Marvel at his work and let

HOPE be your guide"

When those final words echoe and die, the creature fell to its knees exhausted. Joohee ran to it with Jinwoo in tow.

The people began to panic.

"Who closed the doors!?"

"It did it on its own!"

"How are we gonna get o-" one of them asked before being shoved aside by tha brute from earlier.

"THATS IT! Ive had it with all this nonsense!" He angrily said as he strides hurriedly to the doors. "We fucked up coming in here in this worthless place! Im done!"

He reached for the door, ready to push it open.

"WAIT DONT TOUCH THE DOORS!!" Song Chiyul saw movement from the stone guards a moment too late. The brute already gripped the handle.

In a blink, blood painted the door and half a body slumped against it. One dismembered hand hangs from the handle.

Cries of horror rang out. As the hunters stood in fear and disbelief. Role have been reversed in that blink. The once gloomy statues now stood menacingly, standing in attention. Ready to shepherd this newly acquired flock. All for their god.

"AHHHHH!!"

"FUCK! ARE WE SUPPOSED TO FIGHT ALL OF THEM?!"

"EVERYONE GET READY!"

HEY!

"WHAT DO WE DO!?"

"That dude was almost a C-ranker! And He got one hit!!"

All of Jinwoo is silently screaming at him to get out. Run. Danger.

YOUR GONNA DIE IF YOU DONT--

"If those things move.. then what about him"

Jinwoo turned his head sharply to the biggest statue.

Eerily familiar glowing eyes left him stone still. The blaze shone different from their creature, like its powering up--

Death---

"EVERYONE GET DOWN!"

He manages to yell at the party before getting swiftly drag down himself by a hand on his sleeve.

A brilliant golden laser beam shoot out at them leaving a scorching curve on the cold stone floor.

Those who reacted quick survived, but those who did not... where burned into pieces of ashes and coal-like lumps of human parts.

Everyone is on high alert! Screams of Panic and despair, as the smell of burnt flesh hung thickly in the air affecting the weak willed more than others. Like Lee Joohee.

Coughing, Jinwoo crouched next to the trembling Joohee. He was so close to death! A second to late and his head wouldve be burnt off. He felt a shaking hand gripping his sleeve.

It was the creature in the cage. The one who dragged him to the ground. He looked at their violently shaking form similar to Joohee, one pale hand shielding their head. They looked up at him with continuous stream of tears pouring from haunted eyes.

"What do we do?" He ask himself, at a loss.

A pained voice leaked out of its mouth in a whimpering whisper. He watched, for a moment in awe by how its terrified blue crystalline eyes shifts into frightened glowing golden eyes. Repeating a sentence in shock of its own voice, till it felt right.

"Worship him"

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