Seong had expected to run into Becky in Ninyaru.
But not this quickly.
At least he had known Becky would be here.
Becky, on the other hand, had never expected Seong to show up.
The rchant cat’s mouth hung open, both paws raised in shock.
Was it really that surprising?
As Seong greeted Becky, the citizens of Ninyaru chattered among themselves, eyeing him with curiosity.
"Did he wander through the labyrinth and end up here by chance?"
"He doesn’t look like a lost traveler, though! His outfit is too well-kept!"
"He must be quite skilled, nya. There’s no other explanation, nyaong."
"Maybe we should entrust him with so of our trickier tasks, nya?"
One by one, they ward up to him before returning to their business.
It seed his Whistle and Knight Title had subtly raised their favorability toward him.
And… it looked like his titles were also working in his favor.
『Butler of Ninyaru』
→ 《Epic》
→ A title given to the first player to reach Ninyaru, the City Above the Labyrinth.
→ Increases favorability with Ninyaru NPCs.
→ Raises affinity with all beastfolk by 20%.
→ Increases movent speed by 10%.
『One Who Steps into the Unknown』
→ 《Rare》
→ A title given to the first player to discover a hidden city.
→ Enhances all effects within hidden cities.
The bonuses weren’t amazing.
But in Ninyaru, they were definitely useful.
At the very least, it was good to know that NPCs already had a favorable impression of him.
After scanning the effects, Seong raised his head.
Becky was still frozen in place.
"N-Nyaang! I haven’t even sent you an invitation yet! How did you get here, nyaong!?"
"Ah."
So the Whistle’s special effect had acted as an invitation.
He had suspected that.
But since Helena already knew the way, he hadn’t thought much about it.
The trip had been fun, the quest had been entertaining, and now he was here.
"Nyaong! Well, in any case—welco, nya! I knew you were a skilled custor, nyaong! Please enjoy your ti in Ninyaru!"
Becky’s excitent was short-lived.
As soon as the greeting was over, the rchant cat turned to leave, ready to resu work.
Seong hesitated.
Should he let Becky go and explore on his own?
Or should he stick with Becky for now?
It wasn’t a hard choice.
In gas like this, it’s always better to follow an NPC you know.
If nothing else, it would make getting quests easier.
Right on cue—
"Seong, I think following that cat would be fun," Helena remarked, a mischievous glint in her eye.
That confird it.
Seong nodded and walked toward Becky.
"Becky?"
"Nyaang? What is it, nyaong?"
"May I ask where you’re headed?"
It was a bit of a forward question.
But Becky didn’t seem to mind.
"Nyaang? Of course, nya! Ninyaru always welcos guests, nya!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
"Nyaooong! Yes, nya! I was on my way to visit Master Paul, so this works out perfectly, nya! He’d love to et you, nya!"
Paul?
That didn’t sound like the na of the city's ruler.
Judging by Becky’s tone, it wasn’t a matter of extre importance.
More of a casual visit.
"Who is Master Paul?" Seong asked.
"Nyaong!!? O-Oh, I forgot to explain, nya…"
So it was just a simple mistake.
It was almost too fitting.
Watching Becky flail in embarrassnt nearly made Seong chuckle.
Becky crossed his short arms and nodded, as if realizing the explanation was actually important.
"Master Paul is the rchant Overseer, nyaong! He manages all the rchants in Ninyaru—including , Becky, nya!"
"Oh?"
An overseer?
That was a high position.
Seong was glad he had chosen to follow Becky.
Interacting with a high-ranking NPC would be incredibly useful for quests.
He had co to Ninyaru partly because of Nyao, the NPC Helena had known.
But at the core of it all—
He was here to do quests.
The more high-level NPCs he t, the better.
"Normally, he stays in his office near the Upper District Portal, nya! But I haven’t seen him at all the past few days, nyaong!"
"Hm?"
Seong’s instincts tingled.
He hasn’t been seen in days?
That was an imdiate red flag.
This reeked of a quest trigger.
He followed Becky, his thoughts racing.
Sothing was definitely going on.
And whatever it was—
It was waiting just ahead.
2.
A dark, cavernous hall.
The space was lined with rare, luxurious, and powerful artifacts.
And resting atop this hoard, curled up as if it were a re nest, was a massive entity.
The towering figure slumbered soundly, undisturbed.
As a lone knight entered, their feline silhouette stood in stark contrast to the lean, agile bodies of the rchant cats of Ninyaru.
This was no ordinary beastfolk.
A black puma, clad in full plate armor.
Compared to the city’s gate guards, there was no comparison.
This knight was on an entirely different level.
Every movent was precise, honed.
Their presence was barely perceptible, as if they had mastered the art of moving soundlessly.
Reaching the great being before them, the black puma dropped to one knee, bowing their head.
"The rchant overseers have not shown themselves in recent days. While investigating, I discovered sothing unusual and have co to report it."
The massive being exhaled lazily.
For a mont, one might have thought it was still asleep.
But it had been listening all along.
The black puma continued without hesitation.
"While searching for the missing overseers, we found traces of Basilica."
The mont that na was spoken—
A reaction.
A deep, rumbling growl.
KRrrrrrrr——
The very castle trembled.
The black puma flinched instinctively.
This thing… was beyond comprehension.
It had rely expressed a sliver of anger.
And the castle had shaken.
Still, the knight steeled himself and pressed on.
"The Black Knights will take full responsibility for tracking down the traces of Basilica."
The mont those words were spoken—
A shimr filled the air.
A presence that had been there all along revealed itself.
Two enormous, sun-like golden eyes burned in the darkness.
They locked onto the black puma, their heat nearly tangible.
Under that searing gaze, the knight trembled violently.
"This is troubleso. The Black Knights will handle it well."
"YES!!! I shall obey the will of the throne!!!"
With just that single sentence, the black puma roared his devotion.
His voice echoed through the great hall.
Yet the being with golden eyes rely closed them again.
As if the matter was of little concern.
Satisfied, the black puma turned and left the chamber.
Their mission was clear.
Find and capture Basilica’s spies.
3.
Seong and Becky finally arrived at Paul’s residence.
A rather impressive estate.
At least three stories tall.
"Paul must be a rich cat."
"Yeah, seems like it."
Helena whispered her thoughts, and Seong nodded in agreent.
In a city like this, owning a mansion of this size ant serious wealth.
As soon as they reached the front door, Becky pounded on the knocker.
BANG BANG BANG BANG!
"Master Paul, nya! It’s Becky, nyaong! Open up, nya!"
Unlike how Becky politely addressed Seong, his tone was much more casual when calling for Paul.
Despite the honorific Master, Becky’s speech was clipped and informal.
He knocked and shouted.
But…
Nothing.
No response.
Seong remained silent, watching Becky tilt his head in confusion.
"Nyaooong?? This is strange, nya. I thought he was just sleeping since he hasn’t been outside for days… but there’s no response, nyaong."
"There’s no sign of movent inside."
"Even if he were asleep, he should have woken up by now, nya. This is weird, nyaong."
Growing uneasy, Becky reached for the doorknob.
CLICK.
The door swung open effortlessly.
Seong narrowed his eyes.
Sothing was wrong.
Becky imdiately panicked.
"N-Nyaong!? I-I’m not a thief, nya!"
"I know. The door was already open."
"Y-You believe , nyaong?!"
He was touched over sothing so trivial.
But now wasn’t the ti for that.
"Of course. Let’s go inside."
"A-Alright, nya…"
After calming Becky, they stepped into the house.
Creeeak…
The hinges groaned.
Dust hung in the air, swirling in the dim light.
No one had been inside for a while.
Even breathing felt unpleasant.
And more than that—
A distinctive odor clung to the air.
Becky sniffed but couldn’t identify it.
Seong and Helena, however, imdiately recognized it.
Both of them scowled.
"I have a bad feeling about this."
Helena’s usual playfulness was gone.
And Seong agreed.
He gestured for Becky to stay behind him.
Advancing carefully, he scanned the living room on the left.
The decor was cozy.
Rustic furniture.
Instead of a couch, a rocking chair sat near the fireplace.
A charming, old-fashioned room.
But—
Helena’s ominous feeling hadn’t been wrong.
The rocking chair had bloodstains.
Not much.
But enough.
Sothing had happened here.
Becky’s eyes widened.
Then—
"Nya—NYAOOONG!? B-Blood, nyaooooong!!!"
The rchant cat jumped in shock, his fur standing on end.
He was terrified.
Seong scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"C-Custor, d-do you think sothing happened to Master Paul, nya?"
"Hmm. Seems likely."
"Nyaaaong! W-We need to look for him, nya! Master Paul is in danger, nyaong!"
Becky was panicking.
Right as he started rambling—
A ssage appeared before Seong.
[Hidden Chain Quest 『Ninyaru’s rchant Overseer』 has been generated.]
『Ninyaru’s rchant Overseer』
→ 《Hidden-Chain》
→ The majority of Ninyaru’s citizens are rchants.
They venture beyond the labyrinth city to sell items to lost players and NPCs in need.
Overseeing these rchants are rchant administrators.
They are responsible for taxing monster parts, managing transactions, and assisting rchants.
Becky sought out his administrator, but after days without contact, he ca here.
Yet all that remained were bloodstains and tufts of fur.
Sothing must have happened.
Assist Becky in finding Paul, the rchant Overseer.
→ Requirents:
Affinity with a Ninyaru rchant.
Possession of the Labyrinth rchant’s Whistle.
→ Rewards:
Massive EXP.
Next quest in the chain.
A Hidden Chain Quest.
Normally, Seong would’ve been thrilled.
But right now—
He just scratched his head.
"This is… troubleso."
And then—
A voice.
"Hohoho… Becky, you’ve brought a fated one."
Seong froze.
Becky stiffened.
And at that mont—
A faint, ghostly glow shimred in the air.
It wasn’t just any presence.
It was Paul.
But not as a rchant.
As a ghost.
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