Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
âHua Laââ
âHua Laââ
A tiny crawling insect was sprawled on the wall of a corridor.
As the sound of chains dragging was heard, the insectâs feelers quivered twice, and three furry Hamsters carried their hand chains and walked to a room door.
âResting Room 09â
The words were written on the door.
âI want to go home... My fruit...â
The eyes of the middle Hamster were full of aggrieved tears.
âArenât they going to give us our meals?â The Hamster at the back was full of grievances.
âDonât give up! We can escape this prison!â the Hamster at the forefront said firmly.
They heard voices coming from within the resting room.
âYou can climb on his head and use the weapon to stab his eyes.â
âWhat if our equipment is swallowed?â
âNo problem. Iâll distract him. If I die, use the opportunity to kill him.â
âIâll stab his heart!â
âKoo loo...â
The foremost Hamster swallowed hard. The Hamsters behind were trembling in fright.
The foremost Hamster raised his paw and knocked on the door.
âIs it our turn?â
âOpen the door.â
âI wonder when the mission ends.â
Voices were heard from within, and someone came to open the door. Two Goblins stood at the doorway, and three Goblins sat on the horizontal benches meant for the competitors.
As the Goblins were short, their feet were unable to touch the ground when they sat on the benches.
The scene should have comical. However, seeing the Goblins wearing shiny armor, wielding sharp swords, and looking at them with razor-sharp gazes, and after hearing the discussion just now, it was a different story.
The three Hamsters trembled once again.
âZi!â
âZi!â
âZi!â
The three Hamsters said to the Goblins consecutively.
The Goblins were taken aback by the words of the three Hamsters.
NotWearingPants was the first to recover as he had a sharper acuity.
âThis is a mission!â
âI said that holding us in this room for tens of minutes with all the drawers locked wasnât normal!â BurningChestHair said confidently.
âWhat do you mean?â Peasant looked puzzled.
âYouâre dumb.â Sylvanas pointed at the three Hamsters and said, âTake a look at the three Hamsters. Theyâre not taking small roles. Theyâre the crux to the Plot. And what about this!â
Sylvanas raised the paws of a Hamster and pointed to the metal handcuffs as she said, âThey say âWinterfell death row inmates!â In games, death row inmates usually have missions! Theyâre mostly NPCs with missions!â
âPom.â
As the paws of the Hamster were too small, the handcuffs that were placed on them fell to the ground when Sylvanas lifted the paws.
The Hamster immediately picked up the cuffs and placed them on his paws. He shook his head and emitted panicked noises.
âZi!â
This kind of sound.
Arthur nodded and said, âI agree. How do we communicate with them?â
The three Hamsters looked at the five Goblins talking. Though they understood their words, they couldnât understand what they meant.
âDo you have missions for us?â NotWearingPants stood out and said to the Hamsters, but they only emitted anxious sounds.
âZi!â
This kind of sound.
âThat isnât right.â Sylvanas stood up and said, âYou asked for missions the moment you met an NPC? And youâre a professional game broadcaster? You have to pay attention to the sense of immersion. Didnât games let you kowtow and do odd jobs? Isnât that a sense of immersion? Let me try.â
Sylvanas pushed NotWearingPants away and looked at the wide-eyed Hamsters as she said, âWeâre warriors from Eternal Kingdom. Weâre the heroes who rescued the Underworld from Cramer and vanguards who resisted the Void Legion! How can we help you?â
âZi!â
The three Hamsters only made the same sounds.
âForget it, theyâre just ordinary Hamsters.â BurningChestHair didnât harbor any hope.
âWhy isnât Sherlie here yet? Weâve waited so long. Do we have to wait for a day? Iâm going out at night for a movie date,â Peasant complained.
âAre the daily missions too easy or is Lord Sherlock too generous to allow you the free time to fall in love?â
BurningChestHair had just finished teasing when the three Hamsters immediately spoke.
âLord Sherlock?â
âIs that superior Devil Sherlock?â
âZi?â
The Hamster sitting at the front raised his paw and knocked on the head of the last Hamster as he shouted, âWhy are you chirping? Canât you see the situation clearly? If we find Lord Sherlock, weâll be saved. And we get to eat!â
The hammered Hamster quickly asked, âWhereâs the food?â
The eyes of all the Goblins, including Arthurâs, lit up.
...
âSo you were sent here to find Lord Sherlock, and you canât divulge the identity of the creature who sent you?â
The three Hamsters sat their fat buttocks on the benches. In front of them were five fully-armed Goblins who were surrounding them. NotWearingPants was posing a question to them.
âYes, thatâs correct!â
âWe canât tell you!â
âIf we tell, we wonât get any more food!â
âPerhaps, you can tell us your names?â Sylvanas asked.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âBig Boss.â
âSecond Boss.â
âFat Otaku.â
The three Hamsters replied with their names readily.
âWeâll help you!â BurningChestHair said frankly.
The three Hamsters were surprised. They looked at the five Goblins as though they were their benefactors.
âThank you!â
As they gazed at each other, Peasant said, âWeâll help you to escape and look for Lord Sherlock!â
The three Hamsters were moved to tears.
âThank you!â
They were quiet for a few seconds.
âWeâve accepted this mission, accepted this mission,â Sylvanas repeated the words twice.
The three Hamsters looked at each other and bowed deeply to the five Goblins.
âThank you!â
Peasant wanted to say something but was stopped by NotWearingPants. He grabbed the other gamers and led them to a corner for a discussion.
âWhatâs up? Pants, arenât you experienced? Think about it. Why isnât there a mission notice and mission rewards?â
âVanas Bro, you wanted me to stay away, and now youâre asking me? Donât ask. I donât know.â
âStop bickering. According to, my, the Peasantâs, gaming experience, this must be a Strange Encounter System!â
âStrange Encounter? Whatâs that? Tell us more.â
âChestHair Bro, didnât you play something with a Strange Encounter System before? Itâs in the online games where you obtain an item without any mission notification. During the discovery of the mission, the rewards are either bountiful, or thereâs nothing at all!â
âYouâre saying that this is a Strange Encounter?â
âYes! Arthur Bro, this is most likely a Strange Encounter!â
âI think Peasant is right.â
âI agree!â
âLetâs help them first. I hope itâs not a mission by the producers to taunt us.â
While the gamers were talking, the three Hamsters were also chatting amongst themselves.
âTheyâre very curious. Why are they repeating themselves?â
âThey look insane. Do we believe them?â
âThey look insane. Do we believe them?â
The two Hamsters slapped Fat Otaku.
They heard the voices of the gamers coming from behind.
âBig Boss, Second Boss, Fat Otaku, donât worry. Weâll help you! We accept this mission!â
NotWearingPants stood akimbo and stuck out his thumb. With his armor and the sword at his waist, he looked like the protagonist of a popular comic.
âGosh, that looks cool. Iâve always wanted to have such feelings,â NotWearingPants turned his head and said to his companions.
âThat...â
Big Boss Hamster asked courteously, âHow do you intend to help us escape?â
The five Goblins looked at each other. Then, they gazed at the three Hamsters.
âSqueeze a bit... should be able to squeeze in?â Arthur said as he went into deep thought.
...
âThe Goblins are ready!â
A Gnome carrying a script walked to Resting Room 09 and shouted at the metal-canned Goblins, âYouâre up next. Perk up and perform your best. Fight your best. The spectators were listless the entire day, so shout with more passion. Do you understand?â
The Goblins stood up quickly. Three of the Goblins were walking awkwardly and looked uncomfortable. As the five Goblins followed the Gnome out of the resting room, there were three Goblins in the resting room that had the following words above their headsâPeasant, Sylvanas, and BurningChestHair.
âWhy did I use rock in rock-paper-scissors?â Sylvanas shouted in frustration.
âForget it, Vanas Bro. Arenât we cheating in broad daylight? Arthur and NotWearingPants said theyâll share the rewards with us.â
BurningChestHair knelt down in anguish as he hugged his head and sighed.
âAi, I wanted to fight in the arena so much...â