Acorn was able to shoot Acorns as if they were bullets. I remember him doing it against our foes in the past. He can also craft explosive potions made of combusting substances, or even poisonous potions and other things. However, he's an Apothecary that needs to prepare well, and today he came mildly unprepared. He still brought a decent amount of Mana and Health Potions but still. These potions were made out of the starting gift potions I gave to him, he managed to "multiply" them a lot. We actually got even more in the storage of his house. So from 40 potions we got hundreds, which is pretty amazing.
I wonder if those that pick the Alchemist Job Class can also do this to abuse the gifted Potions you get? Perhaps this is how they make their first potions that they then sell out. For now I refilled his amount of Acorns to fire so he can support us from afar at the very least. Though I wonder if Acorn had grown stronger as well… Couldn't he get at least one Skill hat could help him fight? Checking his status, he was currently Level 14, not bad at all! I think he had been earning EXP through making potions and also from the monsters we have slain together. Though I wonder if an NPC can gain EXP like Players do by doing non-combat actions.
"Acorn do you gain Experience Points by making potions by the way?"
"Oh yeah! I've leveled up sometimes when mass producing Potions."
"I see! Don't you have Skill Points or Stat Points? Maybe you could purchase some new Skills from your Race or Job Class?" I wondered. Acorn tilted his head in confusion as he raised an eyebrow."Purchase Skills? Stat Points and Skill Points? I don't know what's that…" He said. "Do you "Players" get that? My grandpa said that you people have special abilities that normal people lack. He even said you were immortal!"
"T-Technically…" I said. I began to wonder how advanced NPC in this world were… Now that I heard his grandpa talking about such things. I kind of want to explore this world and met more of its people, the NPC. I think there is something way grater than the surface level of a VRMMO Game.
Could there be Kingdoms, Empires and all of that? What about Kings or Emperors? Nations in strife? Merchants? Trades? Bandits? All of the things one would find in fantasy novel works about kids being thrown into another world such as Isekai… I heard from the guider that there is an Adventurer Guild as well. Maybe we can pick up requests there as well! Sounds like fun… But my farm comes first! And before that, completing this dungeon!
…However, the question about how NPC exactly worked was still lingering within my mind. How was Acorn able to be so… realistic to begin with? He also knows about game mechanics but don't seem to be able to see a status. But he recognizes magic and skills as something he also has. However, technical things such as Stat and Skill Points, or acquiring Skills though Skill Points and all of that… seems to be nowhere to be seen. Are all NPC limited in their growth in this way?
Well, they're certainly strong and useful though. Perhaps they're not limited but simply have their own specialties which they can develop higher and higher. But don't have the same freedom as Players. Hmm… I wish I could give Acorn such freedom so he could grow stronger, outside of just a mere Apothecary, which seems to be a Job Class he was born with, he didn't even choose it like Players can, I think. Well, I better ask him this personally.
"That's bad…" I sighed. "Well yeah, we players got this sort of power… Anyways, did you choose your Job Class or were you born with it?"
"Choose? Wow! Are Players are to choose your Talent?!" Asked Acorn excitedly, waving his tail. "For us normal folk, we are born with a Talent, it is something we can't really change… But it's not like its bad! My grandpa was an Alchemist too so he taught me a lot. Most of our folk had low quality Talents, nothing concentrated into offense, sadly. We are mostly crafters and alchemists. Our Ancestor was a messenger of the gods after all, not a fighter."Hm… Could this mean that NPC receive their Job Classes based in the ancestry they have? How interesting… Oh well, I can't just go on and on asking him stuff. Rita and Titan were listening closely as well as they seemed interested, but I couldn't delay this mission any longer, we were getting closer to the Final Boss after all-
Ding!
[Request accepted]
[NPC Acorn] has been integrated into the [Player Achlys] and [Player Titan] Quest]
Eh?! A-Acorn… got added into the quest?!
"Huh? W-What's this?"
Acorn suddenly saw an holographic window in front of him, something he had never seen on his entire life.
"I am… part of a quest?" Acorn asked in confusion.
"Eh? It worked? Well… It seems I added you into the quest we were doing." I said.
"Quest? But what's that?" He asked. "Is this some divine power "Players" have?"
"Yes… and not. It is something rare I received. Achlys and Titan here are also going through the same quest and I've added you into it… without even asking for it for some reason."
"Ooooh! Amazing! Lady Planta is really great!" Acorn happily said. I guess it was fine, if it made him happy I was happy as well.
"T-This is… you can even give quests to NPC?" Asked Titan. "I was already surprised you were a very rare Quest Giver but… to be able to add non-player characters as well… Incredible."
"I don't know if this is rare or not but based on this guy's expression, I guess it is?" Wondered Rita.
"M-More importantly! Let's move on for now, let's not delay the dungeon clear, it has been a long time now, we can't just keep delaying it any longer or it will get very boring." I said.
"A-Alright then, let's go!" Said Rita.
"I think we are getting closer to the end of the Dungeon anyways." Said Titan.
