NoveLight ™
Most players in Cilia Online don’t particularly like escort quests.
First off, they take too long.
Though the duration varies from quest to quest, it could take anywhere from half a day to several days, during which the player is bound to the task. Unless you’re incredibly patient, it’s inevitable that you’ll get bored.
The second issue is the rewards.
While some quests offer generous rewards, it’s often more beneficial to spend that time hunting monsters instead. This is especially true for lower-level players.
Of course, there are many other reasons players avoid escort quests…
But the primary concern for most is the time investment.
In Cilia, time flows almost the same as in reality. That means if you’re stuck in an escort quest for hours, you’re also spending those hours in real life. For people who can only play games briefly after work before going to bed, there’s no way they’d have the free time for such quests.
[Escort quests are OP though??]
Skip the bad ones, take the good ones, and after a week, the rewards are insane! Why doesn’t everyone do them?
[Comments]
Not everyone is a jobless bum like you... ┗ "Time Gates" is what they should call you. ┗ Unemployed loser. ┗ WTF;
Why do so many people live in this “life online” trash game? Just go outside! ┗ Please, step outside!!!
This kind of post was inevitable.
Anyway, because of those reasons, escort quests are often completed by NPCs, the native inhabitants of Cilia, rather than by players.
Journey was no exception.
For someone like Journey, who seemed to be constantly on the move, escort quests were like shackles on her ankles.
Yet, she still took on escort quests.
Why? Because she was a streamer.
While she wasn’t exclusively a gaming streamer, streaming while playing games was a way for her to make a living, so she didn’t feel the same time constraints as most other people.
‘That’s a privilege of having a large following…’
Journey knew all too well that smaller streamers, often referred to as "hakko" streamers, couldn’t make a living off broadcasting alone. They had to juggle other jobs alongside their streams.
“Whether I take the quest or not doesn’t change much.”
Kana, after all, wasn’t a player.
As long as Journey traveled with Kana, she’d have to spend time anyway.
“I’ll get Kana’s opinion and get the quest rewards. I guess this is what they call killing two birds with one stone?”
“It’s not a bus, more like a shared ride? Pfft! …Oh, sorry.”
“Please, spare me.”
Journey muttered weakly, recalling the past.
‘…Even if it was just yesterday.’
It was as if she’d hosted a celebrity fan meet-and-greet; people flocked to catch a glimpse of Kana.
‘And to make it worse, there was a bizarre rumor that if they beat me in a fight, Kana would give them a souvenir…’
Fight after fight after fight.
Every time one fight ended, another would start, and then another. And Kana, far from stopping it, egged them on, which left Journey feeling particularly aggrieved.
But the most unfair part?
“Why didn’t I get any gifts? I wanted something from Kana too!”
Journey pretended to sob.
The chat’s reaction, however, was ice-cold.
Journey was, after all, the only person who could travel with Kana right now.
Sure, she didn’t receive a gift like the people who beat her in combat, but she could do something they couldn’t even dream of.
For example...
“Kana.”
“?”
Poof.
‘…Like hugging her like this.’
Journey wrapped her arms around Kana, who was sitting beside her in the carriage.
“…”
Even though Kana’s hood hid her expression, Journey had a good sense of what Kana’s face looked like beneath it.
When Journey finally let go, Kana shuffled further away to the opposite corner of the carriage.
Not that it made any difference—it wasn’t like they could avoid each other in the small carriage.
Journey, grinning as if she were looking at a cute little animal, stuck out her tongue.
“Hah. Jealous?”
The viewers, egged on by Journey’s teasing, exploded with frustration.
Completely ignoring the chaos she’d caused in the chat, Journey continued as if nothing had happened. Only the poor moderators bore the brunt of the fallout.
A mercenary riding in the carriage with them spoke up with a warm smile.
“You two seem close. Are you sisters?”
“That’s right. Not blood-related though.”
“That’s still lovely to see.”
“Thank you!”
Journey lied effortlessly in response to the mercenary’s remark.
But no one in the carriage could reveal her little fib.
“It’s rare to see an Apostle so close with a Silian.”
“Is that so? Oh, please, just call me Journey.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course.”
“Well then, I’ll call you Journey. My name is Catherine.”
“You can just call me Journey, no need for formalities…”
Catherine smiled softly.
“As someone chosen by Edel, how could I?”
“Haha…”
Journey awkwardly scratched her head at Catherine’s polite refusal.
Catherine’s attitude wasn’t much different from that of other NPCs when dealing with players.
Most NPCs treated Apostles with reverence.
Though some were more casual, when you spoke with them, you could still feel the difference in how they treated players versus other NPCs.
‘To the people of Cilia, Edel must be a significant figure.’
After all, there were even stories about Edel descending to the mortal realm. It made sense that the people would hold such strong beliefs, though Journey, as a player, didn’t really connect with it on a personal level.
So, Journey changed the subject.
“By the way… What rank are you?”
“I’m a silver-ranked mercenary. And you, Journey?”
“I’m gold-ranked.”
“Wow, you seem younger than me, but you’re already gold-ranked…”
‘As expected of someone chosen by Edel.’
Or,
‘As expected of an Apostle.’
Journey could easily guess the unspoken words behind Catherine’s praise.
‘Although the real prodigy is right beside me.’
Journey’s eyes briefly flickered toward Kana before returning to their original position.
It felt strange to receive compliments with someone even more talented sitting next to her.
Catherine lowered her voice.
“I was worried because we were short on guards, but I’m relieved now that you’re here, Journey.”
“Ahaha…”
Journey, who was really just another passenger along for the ride, laughed awkwardly at Catherine’s relieved tone.
Clunk, clunk.
The carriage rattled along the uneven dirt road.
Whenever one of the wheels hit a bump, the whole carriage shook, causing the passengers inside to groan in pain.
“Ow, ow… My butt is killing me. How come we can reduce pain perception during combat, but not for stuff like this?”
Naturally, one of those passengers was Journey, who was seated beside me.
If she weren’t, I wouldn’t have bothered referring to the passengers as a group.
Watching them bounce up and down with each bump reminded me of something from my previous life. It was a round amusement park ride that shook wildly…
I bit my lip as I struggled to recall the memory, only to eventually give up and shrug it off.
“Kana, are you okay?”
While I was lost in thought, Journey turned to me with a worried look.
At that moment, the carriage hit a particularly bad bump, and Journey’s body flew upward, slamming into the ceiling.
Bang!
“Ouch!”
“Are you alright?”
“Ugh… I-I’m fine...!”
Despite the obvious pain in her voice, Journey’s words weren’t slurred, so at least she hadn’t bitten her tongue.
Rubbing the head she’d just whacked against the ceiling, Journey gasped in surprise.
“Kana, how are you sitting still? How are you not moving?”
“…?”
Had the impact somehow affected her ability to speak?
I clicked my tongue, and Journey quickly waved her hands in denial.
“No, no… The carriage is bouncing, but you’re sitting perfectly still. How?”
Ah, it wasn’t that her language skills had deteriorated—she just couldn’t find the right words.
It was still odd, but at least I understood what she was trying to ask this time.
She was probably impressed that, despite the carriage’s constant shaking, I remained perfectly steady in my seat.
But even if I told her, she wouldn’t be able to imitate it.
“You just use mana.”
“Mana? How?”
“….”
Would you even understand if I explained it?
I gave her a long look, filled with meaning.
If Little Chick was a bright and eager student with both talent and drive, Journey was the opposite—lacking in both curiosity and ability.
Of course, that only applied to combat.
As expected, Journey quickly lost interest in the topic.
Instead, she shifted closer to me, pressing herself against my side.
“…What are you doing?”
“If I stick close to you, I’ll be fine too.”
Without a care for my annoyed stare, Journey went so far as to hook her arm through mine, locking arms with me.
…Seriously?
“This should work—Whoa?!”
Clunk!
Journey’s butt shot into the air and hovered there briefly before she came crashing back down.
“Why isn’t it working…?”
‘…Of course it wouldn’t.’
My arm isn’t a seatbelt.
Sigh.
When I sighed and pulled my arm free, Journey let out a small, disappointed sound.
“Your sister seems a bit shy.”
“That’s right! It took ages for her to open up to me. Ugh, it’s my fault for falling for her first… Wait, that’s not what I meant! Are you guys seriously going to twist it that way?”
This conversation doesn’t sound promising.
Sensing something off, I looked ahead.
It seemed the two of them hadn’t noticed yet, but soon enough...
“Huh?”
“Hm?”
As I predicted, the carriage came to a stop.
The two women, confused, exchanged glances before they heard the shouting outside and quickly jumped out of the carriage.
“Monsters! We’re under attack!”
“Everyone, prepare for battle!”
The mercenaries in the other carriages leapt out, and the peaceful atmosphere immediately shifted into chaos.
Squeal!
The sound of pigs being slaughtered echoed from all sides.
“Well, I guess we don’t have to worry about dinner.”
“Ugh… Please don’t say that…”
Muttering under my breath as I leisurely stepped out of the carriage, I watched as Journey, sword in hand, gagged in response.
She ate it just fine when she didn’t know what it was. Why is she acting all sensitive now?
“Are you going to help?”
Journey whispered the question, and I tilted my head.
“A little.”
I’ll pull my weight since I’m hitching a ride, but I don’t plan on doing more than that.
More importantly, my goal of making Journey stronger still stands.
People grow stronger through trials.
You know what they say—adversity builds character.
Maybe this is the perfect chance for her to understand why the old saying exists.