Bastard NPC Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It was completely incomprehensible. What does it mean that the lock is unlocked? What phone call?

I did get a call from Adam last night, but it wasn’t related to what I just heard.

“Huh, didn’t you hear from him early this morning? I told you to call her.”

“Of course I did.”

Colin, tilting his head at my expression, turned to look at Adam. Adam, casting a dissatisfied glance at me, continued speaking.

“This woman, with her lack of fashion sense, hung up before even hearing the message.”

“Excuse me, but didn’t you just mention raiding to the lab?”

“Though the chili stew last night was horrifically bad and made me sad, it was still the main dish. Isn’t it proper conversation etiquette to lighten the mood before getting to the important matter?”

I had no idea what he was going on about stew, but it seemed like his words from last night were just small talk. I barely managed to hide my frown at his strange analogy and forced a smile.

“Ah, yes. But, um, sir, I have something important to discuss with your brother. I’ll hear all about the chili stew later.”

“Sir? Haha, looks like you want to be my disciple. Fine. I accept.”

“What? Now you’re suddenly okay with it? Why are you so fickle, bro?”

Burke, who had been rubbing his sore back, suddenly jumped in. Adam, clearly annoyed, shot him a glare, but he couldn’t shut Burke’s innocent mouth. 

If only Burke would keep quiet for once, things would settle, but his mouth was always the problem. It was a shame.

If Colin had the solid, upright image of a mom’s friend’s son—someone who excelled in studies and was devoted to his parents—Burke, on the other hand, had a vibe that was more difficult to pin down. 

With his short, styled hair, trendy tattoos, sun-kissed skin, and athletic build, he sometimes looked like a sexy sports star, and other times, like a mischievous troublemaker.

“Ahhk, why are you hitting me again! You said it yesterday, remember? You said she was rude! You told me to chase her off by throwing salt if she came around!”

So what was I supposed to do? Every time he opened his mouth, he sounded like the village fool who fell from the persimmon tree.

Clearly feeling unjustly punished, Burke kept grumbling as he ran off, while Adam shook his fist and chased after him. 

As for me, I shot a sulky glance at Adam’s retreating back. Hmph, not only did he trash the chili stew, but I guess he trashed me too, huh?

“I didn’t know Riley was so timid.”

Hearing a voice filled with amusement, I turned around to find Colin staring down at me. When he tilted his head, as if asking for clarification, he squinted his eyes into a soft smile.

“You don’t have to worry. Even though they fight like that, they always end up sticking together.”

I had never really worried about those two running around the front yard, unless I was cursing them in my head. However, I nodded along anyway.

“You must have a lot on your plate. Looking at it this way, you seem like the oldest brother. Ah, not that you look older, but you’re the most reliable.”

I meant to say that he must have it tough taking care of his silly brothers. But for some reason, Colin bit his plump bottom lip and quickly turned his gaze away.

Just then, a breeze blew, tousling Colin’s bangs. The combination of his soft, brown hair gently swaying and the subtle smile on his handsome face made it look like a scene straight out of a youth drama. 

But understanding that was a different matter. What made him so drama-worthy? Why was I feeling this way?

“One moment.”

As I was feeling a bit distant from the strangely odd three brothers, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I asked for Colin’s understanding and checked my phone. 

Unlike the other NPCs who even had their photos clearly printed on them, it was an unfamiliar number that wasn’t even saved. However, I could guess the sender just by the short message. 

Is this what they mean when they say that speech is like a fingerprint? No NPC would send such a blatant message unless it was the man who turned my house and my head upside down last night.

When I pretended not to know, the sign that the other person had checked disappeared right away. A reply arrived before I could even leave the chat window.

 

He speaks as if it’s natural that I know his identity, only saying what he wants to say. Maybe the overflowing narcissism isn’t a trait of the egg-shaped trio, but rather a characteristic of NPCs in this world. 

And so what? Why would he need to know where or what I’m doing? As long as I don’t run away, that’s enough. Does he really need to track my location?

“Oh, I’ve been getting a lot of spam lately.”

Ignoring Theo’s message, I put my phone back in my pocket and smiled brightly. Colin kindly agreed, “Yeah, there’s a lot lately.”

“By the way, what did you mean earlier? About the lock being undone?”

“Oh, that.”

“Yes, that.”

“That’s exactly what you said. The lock I had on Riley was lifted.”

So, what does that mean?

As I furrowed my brows at the repetitive conversation, Colin looked at me with wide eyes, as if trying to figure out why I didn’t understand. He then asked if I didn’t know about the lock, and kept asking various questions about what I knew. 

Since I didn’t know anything, I simply shook my head. The more I shook my head, the more confused Colin became. His clear, bright eyes kept darting around, as if he was unsure how to handle this idiot.

I felt a bit unfair. From the way the conversation was going, it seemed like knowing about the lock or something was a vital piece of information NPCs should naturally know. 

But for me, who had just transitioned from being a player to entering this world, it was completely new and unfamiliar. However, I couldn’t exactly say that, so I gently rubbed my sore forehead and spoke.

“Actually, I had a mild concussion yesterday.”

“A concussion? Let me see.”

Colin, his eyes wide open, quickly closed the distance and bombarded me with questions. Had I been to the hospital? Was I feeling dizzy? Were there any other symptoms like nausea or tinnitus? 

As he checked my pupils, he stared intently into my eyes, then noticed the bump on my forehead and furrowed his brow in concern.

“So that’s why you’ve got a bump on your forehead. That must have hurt.”

“Yeah, a bit.”

“Let’s go inside for now. It’s better to sit down and talk.”

His reaction was completely different from someone who had forced me to leave while pressing the bruise on my forehead. For some reason, I felt a sense of solemnity. I hadn’t realized how kind this NPC was.

I followed Colin into the house, but my phone in my pocket vibrated again. This time, it wasn’t a message, but a call. The caller was, as expected, Theo. 

I quickly checked the screen, pressed the side button to mute it, and put the phone deep in my pocket.

“Do you need something to drink?”

“No. It’s okay.”

Following Colin into the room, I found myself in a workspace with six monitors set up. It was a place I’d visited countless times during missions, but somehow it felt as unfamiliar and fascinating as if it were my first time here. 

I looked around curiously, and Colin muttered, “You really don’t remember, huh?” with a hint of sympathy. Unable to think of anything to say, I awkwardly smiled. After a moment of silently pitying me, Colin lightly tapped the chair beside him.

“Here, this is your registered information in the system.”

I sat in the chair Colin offered and focused on the monitor. On one side of the screen was a screenshot of Riley’s character, automatically generated when the character was first created, displayed like an ID photo. 

Next to it, Riley’s personal information and a detailed criminal record based on achievements were densely filled out.

“Why is this registered?”

“Not just you, but all citizens are registered in the system. So, your information was being managed in a locked state to keep it hidden.”

“If it’s locked, what happens?”

“Like this?”

Colin tapped on the keyboard, and a different set of information appeared on the right monitor. It seemed similar to the central screen but with a few differences. 

In this new screen, personal information was recorded, but the criminal history had been completely erased.

“This is the system registered with the agency. Last night, your information was temporarily unlocked, and I’ve been trying to find the cause ever since. It’s not an external breach like hacking or cracking, but the fact that only your information was unlocked is strange. It’s something that’s never happened before.”

I squinted slightly, alternating my gaze between the two monitors, piecing together the elusive clues. I had woken up as Riley, suddenly ambushed by an agent who had started throwing threats at me using my achievements. 

It turned out that this information had been unlocked just as I was waking up in this world.

It occurred to me that the system might have malfunctioned and temporarily released the information when I entered this world. 

Colin had mentioned it wasn’t hacking or cracking, but perhaps I was the unintentional cause—like a DDoS attack¹.

“We discovered it quickly and took immediate action, so it should be fine. Other than the head injury, nothing else happened, right?”

Noticing my silence and the intensity of my stare at the screen, Colin spoke gently, as if trying to reassure me. I hesitated for a moment, then pulled the phone I had carelessly shoved into my pocket and took a look.

Four missed calls.

Four unread messages.

Then, looking down at the steadily accumulated numbers, I spoke with a troubled heart.

“Something happened. A very big issue.”