Chapter 4 : What… Just Happened?
I'm Really a Cheater! Not a Pro Player!
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Comedy, Adventure
Chapter 4 : What… Just Happened?
Arka remained seated.
His posture was relaxed, almost lazy even. One hand supported his chin, his elbow resting lightly against the table, his sharp gaze fixed on the man sitting across from him. To an outsider, it looked as though he were merely observing, calmly weighing the situation as if it were nothing more than a mild inconvenience.
Inside, however, his mind was on fire.
"Why did it turn out like this?!"
"I just wanted a drink! Not to recruit an entire underground faction!"
Unfortunately, Arka's silence was interpreted very differently.
What had once been confusion among the NPCs slowly curdled into Hostility.
Within seconds, the atmosphere inside Raven's Roost shifted.
Chairs scraped harshly against the wooden floor as several figures stood up at once. Weapons were drawn. The air thickened, sharp and suffocating, pressing down on Arka's senses.
The first to step forward was a broad-shouldered man with a rugged face. A long scar long on his left cheek, pale against weathered skin. His dark coat was worn thin, marked by countless journeys and battles. In his hands, he gripped a massive axe with a reinforced wooden handle. The blade caught the dim light of the bar, its edge gleaming with the unmistakable sheen of a weapon that had tasted blood more times than it could count.
To the side, a woman with short, silver hair moved with quiet agility. Her eyes glinted beneath the dim lamps, sharp and calculating. Twin daggers rested in her hands like extensions of her fingers. More akin to a serpent's fangs than a blades. Her build was slender, but the way she distributed her weight told a different story.
From the far corner of the room, a man cloaked in dark robes lifted his bow in silence. His face remained hidden beneath his hood, but his presence was unmistakable. Long fingers drew the bowstring back smoothly, an arrow of faint blue light forming at its tip, humming softly with restrained energy.
And standing among them
Was the man who clearly led them all.
Tall. Solid. His presence alone exerted pressure. Dark green eyes scanned Arka with measured intensity, as though calculating probabilities. A thin beard lined his chin, giving him the appearance of someone who spent more time burdened by decisions than concerned with his own appearances.
Arka swallowed.
These NPCs felt more alive than any game character he had ever encountered.
The leader's gaze locked onto him.
"Who are you?" he asked.
His voice was low and steady. Not loud. But aggressive.
Yet every word carried weight.
Arka said nothing.
His eyes shifted subtly from one NPC to another, searching for an opening. There was none. Every angle was covered. Every movement he might make had already been anticipated.
The weapons remained trained on him.
One wrong move, and this would turn into a fight he had absolutely no chance of winning.
The leader scoffed softly, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned back slightly.
"Lost your tongue?" he said casually. "Or are you deciding which lie sounds the safest?"
Arka paused.
He couldn't tell them the truth. That he was just a player, dragged here by bad timing and worse luck.
NPCs didn't understand the concept of players.
Say the wrong thing, and he ended right here.
Before Arka could speak, the man continued.
"Or perhaps you're pretending to be someone insignificant," he said, eyes sharp with scrutiny. "High-Humans do enjoy that game."
Arka frowned.
"High-Human?"
He didn't have time to ask.
The leader lifted his chin slightly, his tone shifting into something closer to command.
"All High-Humans carry an emblem," he said. "Show me yours."
The world froze.
A translucent screen unfolded before Arka's eyes.
⋟────────────────────╮
→ System Notification ←
– Hidden Plot Triggered: Emblem of the High-Human
– Hidden Feature Unlocked: [Emblem]
– As the first player to discover this feature, your name will be recorded as the initiator of the first hidden system in CFTL.
╰───────────────────⋞╯
Arka freezed and stare at the system.
"…System? Seriously? Now?"
Before he could even process that, another notification followed.
⋟────────────────────╮
→ World Announcement ←
❖ A long-hidden feature has finally been revealed!
❖ Player PhantomArk has activated the [Emblem] system, unlocking previously inaccessible interactions between players and NPCs!
╰───────────────────⋞╯
Arka's mind blanked.
"What… did I just press? "
Another screen appeared.
⋟────────────────────╮
→ System Information: Emblem ←
› Every High-Human (player) possesses a unique Emblem that serves as their official identity within the world.
› The Emblem contains fundamental information, including name, race, affiliation, and social standing.
› This feature remained inactive due to the absence of any player triggering the related plot within the first month after server launch.
╰───────────────────⋞╯
Arka's eyes widened.
"…You're telling me this system existed the whole time, but nobody unlocked it for an entire month?"
As a veteran MMORPG player, he immediately understood how absurd that was.
— Ding! —
⋟────────────────────╮
→ World Announcement ←
❖ Major World Change Detected!
› Keyword [High-Human] has been activated.
› NPCs across the world have now become aware of High-Humans as a distinct existence.
› Player–NPC interactions will henceforth become deeper and more realistic.
╰───────────────────⋞╯
Arka froze.
"…I did what? 2 WORLD ANNOUNCEMENT IN ONE MOMENT?"
So because of him, every NPC in the world could now recognize players as something else?
— Ding! —
⋟────────────────────╮
→ World Announcement ←
❖ The Emblem Identification System has fully activated!
› Judgement Scale is now an integrated world system.
› NPC behavior across all continents will be affected by a High-Human's Judgement Scale.
› High values may inspire respect or reverence.
› Low values may provoke hostility, without prior contact.
╰───────────────────⋞╯
"And thare's goes the third ...."
With His shock remain, suddenly. His hand moved on its own, touching the cold surface on his chest.
An emblem.
Smooth. Flat. Etched with delicate patterns.
He pulled it free, and it floated lightly above his palm, glowing softly.
Another screen appeared.
⋟────────────────────╮
› Emblem Identification ‹
Name: PhantomArk
Status: High-Human
Level: 2
Class: ???
Affiliation: Unknown
Global Reputation: Neutral (0)
Judgement Scale: Balanced (0)
Title: -
Heirs of: ArkZurei
╰───────────────────⋞╯
Arka stared at the last line.
"Heirs… of ArkZurei?"
The silence around him deepened.
"…An heir," someone whispered.
Another drew a sharp breath. "This was a thing, that hasn't been spoken since the old era."
The leader's expression finally changed, layered with something else.
Respect.
"So," he said slowly, "the legacy truly remains."
Arka's mind raced.
Legacy?
Old era?
Why do they know this?
As if this information wasn't a rumor … but a doctrine.
Another drew a sharp breath. "That name—ArkZurei?"
Recognition spread like a spark catching dry grass.
"The battle ancestor of the previous era…"
"I thought the Heirs of that name were only remnants, echoes left behind by history…"
"To think a successor tied directly to ArkZurei would appear before us …"
Their voices overlapped, disbelief turning into something dangerously close to certainty.
Arka felt his thoughts spin out of control.
This is wrong.
This is just a system tag. A legacy label from an old account.
So why did they speak of it like a scripture?
Why did it sound less like a title, and more like a prophecy fulfilled?
The leader stepped forward at last.
The casual composure he had worn until now was gone, replaced by a sharp, focused intensity. His eyes searched Arka's face, not for fear or hesitation, but for confirmation.
"So," he said slowly, deliberately, "you are the successor of ArkZurei."
The words settled heavily between them.
Arka swallowed.
"I—"
Before he could continue, the world itself responded.
The sky beyond the bar's windows ignited with a soft, overwhelming blue.
Arka instinctively looked up as the atmosphere trembled, flooded with cascading notifications only he could see. Layer upon layer of system logic rewriting reality in real time.
No. Not now.
Then silence fell again.
Every gaze in the room fixed on him.
"…Damn it," Arka muttered under his breath.
He scrubbed a hand down his face, frustration finally breaking through the careful mask he had maintained so far.
He knew.
He really, truly knew.
This wasn't small thing.
This wasn't some minor hidden feature or optional side system.
This was something fundamental.
And the worst part?
He didn't even have time to understand it.
The moment the announcements vanished, the NPCs moved. They stepped forward together, almost in unison.
The hostility that had once filled the room was gone, now, it's feel more like a Reverence.
"We never imagined we would meet the heir of ArkZurei in a place like this."
"To stand before such a lineage…"
"What an honor…"
"Is this destiny finally turning its gaze toward us?"
Arka felt his throat tighten.
He wanted to cry. He wanted to laugh. He wanted to log out now.
"Why did my cheating days have to turn into this?!"
Back then, he had only wanted to enjoy everything.
To break the system just enough to have fun.
He had never thought of himself as a hero. Never imagined his actions would survive as myth.
And yet—
That legend was now reflected in the eyes staring back at him.
Eyes filled with expectation. With hope. With history he had never asked to inherit.
As if someone—or something—had prepared them for this moment long before Arka ever logged in.
Arka forced his voice steady. And decided that the move smart move is for searching an information, anything that could him.
"…You seem awfully familiar with High-Humans."
The leader met his gaze.
"We serve a world shaped by Her design," he said quietly. "And we remember what we are told to remember."
Arka didn't understand.
Yet.
But one thing was clear.
This wasn't a coincidence. And The Tribe wasn't just another group of NPCs.
›› TO BE CONTINUED ‹‹
– KS
