Chapter 2

"Huh? Just production skills? We don't need you in our clan."

"Well, I don't see a reason to let you join the clan by exchanging you with one of our members."

"I plan to join another clan anyway."

"Where's the funny part in that?"

One week after leaving the clan, these were the responses Hayato received from the players he approached. He had talked to many more players, but almost all of them gave similar answers.

It made sense. Every clan wanted to win as much as possible. Even if they didn't aim to be at the top of the rankings, it was natural to aim for victory to earn monthly rewards.

This game operated on a subscription model. It cost about 1,000 yen per month just to play. If a clan could win the clan wars, not only would the subscription fee be waived, but there was also the potential to earn a reward that could cover a month's living expenses if managed carefully.

There was no need for a clan to include a player with only production skills and no combat ability.

Of course, there were players who played the game for fun without aiming for the rewards. However, they did not join clans because losing a clan war meant losing all the clan's shared in-game currency to the winning clan.

For these reasons, Hayato couldn't join an existing clan, nor could he get anyone to join the clan he created.

And so, a week passed without any change.

In the morning, when Hayato logged in, he woke up on the second floor of the log cabin he had built as a base.

Hayato got out of bed, sat in a chair, and drank coffee. Although it had no special effects as an item, he liked its smell and taste, and often drank it when he was in a dilemma.

After finishing his coffee, he placed the cup on the table.

(Oh no. It's already been a week. The clan's opponent will be decided in about two weeks, and if I don't gather members by then, we'll definitely lose the clan war. Was it too reckless...? Should I disband the clan and try again next time?)

If he disbanded the clan now, he would become unaffiliated and wouldn't have to participate in the clan war. However, if he disbanded the clan, he would have to wait about a month before creating a new one.

Hayato was torn between continuing to participate in the next clan war or disbanding the clan.

But he couldn't decide.

Just as he was about to get another cup of coffee, the doorbell rang, announcing a visitor.

"From the Maid Guild. Is Hayato-sama at home?"

"Yes, I'm here. I'll open the door now."

The Maid Guild was a guild that dispatched maids. There were several guilds in the game, and the Maid Guild was one of them.

Hayato had requested a maid from the Maid Guild right after being kicked out of his clan, as he needed someone to help with some of his tasks.

When he opened the door, a woman in her twenties, dressed in a maid uniform, stood there.

She had long black hair tied back in a single braid, and was about 160 cm tall. Her eyes were slightly sharp, but Hayato thought she was quite beautiful.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Esha Crown from the Maid Guild."

"Um, yes. I'm Hayato."

"First, I apologize. I'm sorry it took so long to find a maid that matched your conditions."

"No, no, I asked for a lot, so don't worry about it."

"I'm relieved to hear that."

Hayato stared at Esha, who bowed slightly with her skirt held up.

Because this maid was an NPC, a non-player character.

This character was controlled by AI, not a human. It was a character that could think and act on its own, even though it was a program.

(That's impressive. I didn't know much about NPCs because I rarely interacted with them, but it seems they can handle any conversation.)

Hayato had heard that the NPC AI in this game was exceptionally well-developed.

They weren't like the characters in ordinary games that just repeated the same lines. Their responses changed each time, and they could be found in different locations unless they were working in a store.

It also seemed that each character had a set affinity level, and they would share information if you got along well with them. Conversely, if you got on their bad side, they would ignore you, and in extreme cases, they might even call the guards in town.

There was a story about a player who had hired several maids and had them live in his house. Although the game didn't allow harassment, he had essentially created a harem.

As a result, he was blacklisted by the Maid Guild and could no longer hire maids. He was also disliked by the towns, and eventually, he couldn't enter any of them.

The game did not allow creating multiple characters with the same account or owning multiple accounts. Using biometric authentication, each player could only create one character for life, and they couldn't remake their character.

Thus, this player was effectively stuck in the game. Since player-versus-player battles outside of clan wars were not allowed, he couldn't even role-play as a bandit or thief, and he eventually retired.

Remembering this, Hayato decided to be a good player.

"Um, you've been staring at me. Is there something...?"

"Ah, sorry. It's my first time hiring a maid, so I was a bit fascinated. Anyway, let's talk about the job. Is 100,000 per month okay? That's what I was told."

"Yes, that price is fine. Please pay in advance. Also, please note that there will be no refunds if you terminate the contract early."

"I understand. Here you go."

Hayato handed the money to Esha.

The money was not a physical item like coins but a data transaction. In the game, money was conceptualized as data, and it could be transferred between players. The unit was G.

"Thank you, I have received it. I'll do my best for the next month."

"Thanks. Can I ask you to start working right away? I need you to manage the store."

Hayato invited Esha into the log cabin.

On the first floor of the log cabin, there was a small counter, a few display cases, and various weapons hanging on the walls. The items displayed were those Hayato had crafted using his production skills.

The second floor was his living space, but the first floor was set up like a store. While direct transactions between players were the norm, it was also possible to set up a store, but it required a shopkeeper.

In his previous clan, Hayato had managed the store and sold items, but he didn't have the time now. That's why he had asked the Maid Guild for a maid to manage the store.

"Managing a store? Wouldn't it have been better to ask the Merchant Guild instead of the Maid Guild?"

"That's a fair point, but the Merchant Guild is expensive."

Hayato had initially considered the Merchant Guild but gave up when he heard the price. Since he was currently earning less, he had decided to cut costs wherever possible.

"It might not be a maid's job, but could you please do it? I asked for someone who could read, write, and calculate prices for this reason."

"I see. I was wondering about the detailed conditions when I received the request... Understood. I'll manage the store. The items for sale are here, right?"

"Yes, that's right. Thanks a lot—Is something wrong?"

After asking Esha to manage the store, Hayato was about to reconsider his clan situation when he noticed that Esha had stopped moving.

But Esha didn't respond at all.

(Could it be a bug? I've never heard of such a thing before.)

This game was famous for having no bugs. While there were updates for new features, there had never been any bug fixes or maintenance updates.

Curious, Hayato moved in front of Esha and was surprised.

Esha was staring at a point with drool running down her chin.

While drooling might not be too strange in manga or anime, it was quite unsettling to see it in such a realistic way. He thought it might be a bug, but then Esha, still drooling, looked at him.

"Hayato-sama, are you selling this food too?"

The item Esha pointed to was a chocolate parfait made with the cooking skill.

Sweets like this gradually restored HP and MP, making them popular among players who fought using magic and swords. Even with a maxed-out cooking skill of 100, the success rate was only 50%, and the higher the quality, the longer the effect lasted. The parfait being sold here was the highest quality, five-star.

Esha must have been drooling at the sight of such a parfait.

"I was planning to sell it, but do you want to eat it?"

"No, that's not it."

"But you're drooling?"

"Where's the evidence?"

"It's happening right now, isn't it?"

After this exchange, Esha wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. After putting it away, she made fists with both hands and slammed them on the counter.

The counter didn't break, but it made a loud noise.

"Because I want to eat it! The highest quality chocolate parfait! This is a miracle!"

"Ah, sure. Here, have it as a welcome gift."

Esha's expression was completely different from what Hayato had expected, and the contrast made him a bit scared, so he decided to give her the parfait.

Esha looked up and stared at Hayato with hopeful eyes.

"Really, for free?"

"Sure."

The market price for a top-quality parfait was about 5,000G, but it could be made with materials that NPCs sold, and the difficulty of gathering materials was relatively low, so Hayato didn't feel too bad about giving it away.

Esha picked up the parfait, held it up with both hands, and smiled broadly. She then placed the parfait on the counter, took a spoon from somewhere, and sat down. With each bite, she put her left hand to her cheek and kicked her feet in joy.

(NPCs can eat food too. And they look so happy eating it.)

Even after playing the game for over a year, Hayato had never encountered such a situation. He had always seen NPCs as mere entities that sold items or provided information.

Watching Esha's actions, Hayato had a sudden idea.

(Can NPCs participate in clan wars? I remember hearing that tamers can bring their tamed monsters to clan wars. Since monsters are like AI, maybe NPCs can too?)

"Sorry to interrupt your meal, but can I ask you something?"

"Yes, what is it? If you let me eat a parfait every day, I'll swear even more loyalty to you, Hayato-sama."

"That's fine, but let's talk about that later. Actually, I have a question. Do you know about clan wars? And is it possible for you to join my clan and participate in them?"

Hayato hadn't thought about what he would do if he could bring a maid to the clan war. He just wanted to confirm if NPCs could participate.

Esha seemed to think for a moment, then smiled and looked at Hayato.

"Yes, it's fine. However, if you want me to participate, there will be certain conditions."

Hayato made a mental fist pump. He felt a glimmer of hope.

(If players won't work, maybe NPCs will. I should try to recruit as many strong NPCs as possible to win the clan war. I remember there were legendary swordsmen, mages, heroes, and even demons among the NPCs.)

Hayato began to seriously consider which NPCs he should recruit.