Inauguration

"Essential?"

Annera could not take Bob's words seriously.

"Do you mean like an Essential NPC?"

"NPC, if you are referring to the people who aren't adventurers, then yes. I am one of them."

Bob revealed his biggest secret that he spent no effort to keep. Unlike the usual novel protagonist, where they're aware that their secret could be taken advantage of, Bob is simply an idiot in that sense.

"Surely, you're joking, right?" Annera found it ridiculous.

"No. I am not."

Bob uttered in a serious tone. He wouldn't lie about it as he has so much more to learn in the virtual world. As innocent as a child.

"Then prove it to me." Annera stated.

-

*The secret is out.

"What?!?"

Within a dimly-lit room. A woman who was relaxing hurriedly stood from her seat and rushed to her desktop.

[Surely, you're joking, right?]

She could hear the conversation between an NPC and a Player. When she reached her desktop, the scene played right before her eyes.

*Remedy the situation quickly. Or else this would be detrimental further down the line.

"I know!" She screamed at the intercom.

[No. I am not.]

Clack Clack~

She mashed her keyboard systematically. It was questionable whether she was even typing properly.

{System Override Succesful.}

Clack Clack~

She continued typing away. Despite only a few seconds coming to pass, she was already sweating profusely.

[Then prove it to me.]

{Text Box Implemented.}

"Phew."

After that prompt. She relaxed for a bit. She bought enough time for her to keep things under control.

-

"Then prove it to me."

[System Prompt: I will take it from here.]

"EH?!"

"Oh, hey there System."

Annera was surprised by the sudden prompt. It was an unusual prompt as it appeared during a conversation where it was not supposed to appear.

[System Prompt: Initiating Quest Sequence.]

"What?"

"Nice! A quest!"

Things got even more confusing. The unexplainable prompt suddenly began generating a quest for no reason.

"What is this about?" Annera asked.

[...]

"I don't know. Just wait for it to say something." Bob replied.

[....]

The usual fast-responding system was slow. So much so that it created doubts within Annera's head.

'Is this conversation moderated?'

She was right.

'Oh my god. Did I just unlock a major secret?'

Now she was excited. Annera thought that her discovery of Bob's secret would lead her to an unimaginable questline that had someone moderating.

[....]

The system was still unresponsive. Annera could not wait for the response, while Bob still had no inkling as to what was happening.

"Bob! I believe you!"

"You do?"

There was no doubt in Annera's mind that Bob was an NPC. The conversation they had led to the system's prompt, and that could only mean one thing.

[System Prompt: You have accepted a quest.

-You have uncovered the secret of Bob. Your task is to keep Bob's secret to your grave. The quest is not limited to Immersion online but real life as well. The quest will fail if Bob tells another player.

-Quest Reward:

-Quest Failure Penalty: Indefinite Ban]

".... What!?"

Annera's vision was filled with a red prompt. Although it stated that she accepted a quest, she got a warning instead of a proper quest. Shocked, she couldn't control her voice and scream.

"Keep it down. You're too loud." Bob warned her.

"Oh. Sorry."

After Bob's warning. She read the prompt once again to make sure that she didn't read it wrong.

'I hope I read it wrong though.'

But that wasn't the case. She received a prompt stating that she will be banned if she failed to keep Bob's secret. What's worse, there was no quest reward.

"Isn't this a bit too unfair?" She complained.

[System Prompt: Quest Rewards are to be determined by a moderator.]

"Oh. At least there's that."

Annera found the silver lining to her situation. She was determined to get her reward.

'How long could a quest stay active anyways?'

And just like that, Bob gained a comrade. One that would help him keep his secret a secret. Poor Annera, she doesn't realize what she just got into.

-

*Hahaha! You just gave her a prompt!

"Shut it. It's the best I can do to rectify this situation."

The woman within the dimly lit room relaxed. She did her best acting according to the situation and it worked.

*Oh? I'm complimenting you. You're a genius!

"Hmm? You noticed?"

The woman crossed her arms. She didn't think that the other person would find out.

*Of course. Instead of just fixing the problem, you even made her an accomplice.

"You found me out. Aren't you also a genius?"

*Not as much as you. But how are you going to implement the quest? You just gave her a prompt, right? You didn't give her an actual quest.

What showed up in Annera's vision was not a quest prompt. It was simply a text box filled with quest details. The woman did not have the time nor the authorization to fiddle deep enough.

"I didn't have the time so I just did what I thought was the best way out. I may be a genius, but I can't program a quest within a couple of seconds."

Clack Clack~

The woman once again began typing away at her keyboard.

"Implementing parameters takes time you know."

[Incorrect parameter count in the call to native function (##)]

"Fuck."

Being a programmer is hard.

-

"Did I keep you waiting?"

Fera came back. She did not take long because the church was not against Bob's admittance. In fact, they were happy that Bob was joining the church.

"Not really. How did it go?" Bob replied cheerfully.

Although Bob was crying like a baby earlier, he realized that the world did not end. There was so much to life than a loss. He may mourn but he should never feel despair.

"You're in. Bob, starting today, you're part of this church." Fera stated.

"So, what does Bob need to do?" Annera butted in the conversation with a question.

Annera wanted to keep Bob within arm's length. She knew her circumstances and wouldn't let Bob fuck things up, so she had to be a part of everything Bob was a part of.

"Officially, he's a knight. However, he has the status of an adventurer so he could not be held by the church." Fera stated.

"And that means?" Annera asked.

"Therefore, he would have the freedom of an adventurer while enjoying the benefits of being a knight."

'Lucky!'

Annera rejoiced. That would mean that the church is not an obstacle to her reward.

"Really? I'm becoming a knight?" Bob was excited.

"Yes." Fera responded with a smile.

*You are about to change classes from 'N/A' to 'Rare: Gourmet's Knight'

-Do you accept?

*Congratulations. You have switched classes to 'Gourmet's Knight'. A rare class.

"Oh wow! Do I get a mace too?"

Bob liked the fact that he was now a part of something big. And he saw how cool the knights were with their matching armor and weapons.

"Well, yes and no." Fera answered as she held her chin.

The class 'Gourmet Knight' was only a knight in the name. In actuality, they did not need a specified weapon to use.

"As you can see, I'm using a big knife as a weapon." Fera added.

"Fair point." Bob accepted her explanation. "Does that mean I can use a spear?"

"Yes."

"Cool."

"How about me?" Annera interjected.

She was feeling left out of the conversation. The conversation was not about her but she felt that she had to say something.

"For you, there's nothing. Well, I thank you for your bravery tonight."

Fera bowed her head and thanked Annera. The high and mighty big knife-wielding blonde-haired woman who dominated the battle earlier was being respectful.

"A- I didn't do anything useful." Annera replied as she waved her hand in panic. She was flustered that Fera bowed before her.

Fera stood straight once again. Annera could see that Fera's eyes were soft and moist.

"No. Your entire party was crucial for that encounter. I would have thanked everyone properly but they're no longer present."

"It's alright. I'll tell them about it."

"Okay. Thank you once again."

The conversation was no longer about Bob's inauguration as a Gourmet's Knight.

"I'll be going now." Fera said. She still had some stuff to do.

"Okay!" Annera and Bob replied.

"Cluck!"

Once Fera left, Annera began her attack.

"Hey, Bob. I need you to keep quiet about being an Essential." Annera went straight to the point.

"Why?" Bob asked.

"It's a matter of life and death! I'll die if you tell another soul!"

Annera was obviously exaggerating. But it wouldn't be too far off for Bob. If Bob tells another person, she will be banned from the game, which is Bob's entire world.

"Oh no! I'll keep my mouth shut!"

Bob took Annera's words seriously. How simple he is.

"Good. By the way, you said you were an Essential right?"

"Yes. But you told me not to say anyone about it."

"Then what do Essentials do?"

"I don't get your point."

"They don't die. Let's go and level up!"