Chapter 185

Chapter 183 – Fetch – 1

‘Looks like the name hasn’t changed.’

As soon as I mentioned the name ‘Fetch,’ I felt relieved to see the mischievous smile that had been there just vanish.

In the game, the NPC Arcana was changed to Minerva, and the names of the Empress of the Empire and the Holy Kingdom’s Pope were also altered, so I was worried that Fetch’s name might change as well along with her gender.

If that had happened, I would’ve had to deal with the annoying task of buying items every time I met Fetch until parting ways.

And to be honest, I’d have felt pretty disappointed if her name had changed.

Fetch.

A legendary character who has made appearances from the very first Brightest Darkness to the fourth installment, transcending space and time.

Even that NPC who gives the Long Live the Sun gesture in BDN 1 didn’t appear directly from BDN 2 onwards, despite her immense popularity.

But Fetch pulled it off.

Whether all four who appeared in the fourth installment are the same Fetch or not is debatable, but her name, signature bald head, voice, and voice actor remained unchanged, making it nearly a widely accepted theory among users that she is indeed the same person.

Moreover, if you keep clicking to talk after buying items worth a certain amount, Fetch would casually drop hints that she’d been selling items for a really long time.

Truth be told, it’s more likely the developers knew about Fetch’s cult-like popularity and included her as fan service.

“So, how about it? Do you feel like chatting a bit now?”

“Ha, haha. I don’t know what you’re talking about. Who is Fetch?”

“You know very well that denying it with that expression is pointless. Why don’t you just start selling quietly?”

“……”

The girl with hot pink twin tails looked like she was pondering something.

Since the money I showed was real, she was probably using her usual scammer instincts to think it over hard.

While Fetch was deep in thought, I took my time observing her as well. Just like all other NPCs, Fetch looked vastly different from her in-game appearance. The first and foremost change was that she wasn’t bald.

Her hair was more of a hot pink than just pink. Claudia had pink hair as well, but the shades were completely different.

If Claudia’s pink gave off a gentle cherry blossom vibe, Fetch’s was closer to a glaring hot pink. Her eyes were also a dizzying shade of pink that made me feel lightheaded just looking at them.

The twin tails tied near her ears fell down to her hips, and her mischievousness was fully on display on her face.

Her attire also screamed ‘girl from this world.’

Not only was she wearing a pink underboob top, but she also sported pink tights that matched Lize’s dolphin shorts in length.

In terms of exposure, she wouldn’t look out of place anywhere. If it weren’t for the long red coat reaching her ankles, the amount of exposure would certainly rival that of Nix or the Pope.

Though, thankfully, her chest was rather modest, so the impact was significantly lessened. If her chest were any bigger with that outfit, it would definitely have turned into a fashion statement exposing her nipples.

She was wearing a backpack that was about the size of her own body. That was the only part that matched the game.

“Well, I suppose if that’s the case, there’s nothing I can do!”

By the time I had finished my observation, Fetch, with a big grin on her face, winked at me.

“This is Fetch! I sell everything except for one item, so take your time browsing!”

With the signature phrase “I sell everything except for one thing” that she always said upon appearing, her bag thudded down to the ground.

Fetch opened her bag with a whoosh. At first, I thought it was just an ordinary bag, but it seemed to have some kind of support inside as it opened sideways like a wardrobe.

‘In the game, it was just UI popping up.’

I left Fetch, who was chuckling to herself, and stood in front of her bag with Lize and Nix.

As I mentally calculated the prices of the familiar consumables, Lize suddenly picked up a high-grade potion and gasped, whispering to me.

“Delta. Is this girl out of her mind? She’s charging 1.5 times more than in the city!”

Lize clicked her tongue, but I wasn’t really surprised since I already had experience with the prices.

Fetch was indeed an NPC that could be found in various locations. She even popped up in specific areas in the Poison Marshlands of the southern continent!

Maybe because of that, the variety of items she sold was significant. From the Empire to the Holy Kingdom, all consumables sold in shops across the continent passed through Fetch’s shop.

In theory, if you kept meeting Fetch, you could obtain every single consumable sold in the shops.

According to her, the reason for the 1.5 times markup was exactly that. She traveled around the whole continent while maintaining the highest quality, so it was unavoidable.

Of course, due to her unpopularity among users, most reactions were saying to stop talking nonsense.

“Oh! Wait, wait! Just a moment! You touched that, right? You have to buy anything you touch!”

Just as Lize was about to put down the potion she just picked up, Fetch blocked her with a squeak! and raised one hand. Lize frowned.

“What? Are you kidding? Where’s the logic in that?”

“For customers, touching things is natural, but I have to meet dozens of those ‘one-time touch’ customers every day! What do you think happens if I touch the potion dozens of times? It gets all dirty and becomes un-saleable! So, by rule, anything touched once must be purchased!”

Fetch emphasized “therefore” by breaking it into syllables, pushing her virtually non-existent chest forward as if to assert her stance.

It was pitiful comparing her with Lize and Nix standing next to her. Of all people, standing in that pose between those two.

‘But she is still bigger than Ceres.’

I wondered how Ceres was doing right now. It’s hard to tell if the effects of the enhancement potion were still lingering. In the game, the effects lasted until defeating the final boss, so it means they lasted quite a while.

“What the crazy—ugh!”

“Fine, I’ll buy it, so put it down!”

“Hehe. Thank you!”

I covered Lize’s mouth with my palm and casually tossed the potion I just picked up. Catching it easily, Fetch gently set it down on the floor.

Anyway, to trigger the event I wanted, I had to spend a certain amount of money at Fetch’s shop. I grabbed anything within reach and tossed it towards Fetch.

Fetch skillfully caught the flying items and organized them nearby.

When the total amount I mentally calculated reached the target, I stopped shopping. The items I selected were lined up in front of me. A smile never left Fetch’s lips.

“So, how much is it all?”

“Yes! The total comes to 15,620 gold!”

A cheerfully bright voice responded. Without a word, I handed over the bags full of gold coins. Fetch, taking the bags, started counting the coins one by one.

After some time passed, Fetch bowed deeply with a grin that looked like it would split her face in half.

“I’ve verified it! Thank you for your purchase, customer!”

‘Strangely, I don’t feel like I got ripped off.’

In the game, every time you bought something, the comparison to the original item price would make you feel extremely regretful.

‘Is it because of her appearance and attire?’

With her smooth 11-pack abs showing through her underboob top and tights resembling panties, the smiling pink-haired girl thanking me didn’t really feel like a scammer.

In the game, there were plenty of stories of players getting annoyed at the bald male character calling them ‘bro’ and retaliating out of frustration. Many users questioned if she was indeed a scammer.

In the end, she was the same kind of scammer to me. But I’d never fall for it, swaying around due to looks and then failing at what I had to do—that would never happen.

“Can I ask just one thing? I bought a lot.”

While Nix was teleporting the pile of consumables, I leaned in and whispered to Fetch.

“I’m sorry, but I’m a non-sale item. No matter how much money you offer, I won’t engage in that kind of work, so please don’t suggest it.”

I was momentarily taken aback by the response I received.

“……So don’t get any weird ideas, alright?”

“Oh, I’m sorry! I’ve just been asked that way too many times while wandering around by myself. But then I must answer anything you ask! What’s your question?”

“I want to see some items that only you have.”

“Ah! I see! Understood!”

Fetch replied cheerfully and stretched her hand to the back of her bag. Maybe because she just had someone spend over 10,000 gold, she seemed really lively.

This is why it’s hard to see the Fetch event in the first run. Since there are so many expenses in a first playthrough, few would spend such a significant amount of money on just one character.

From the perspective of first-time players who need to save every coin, it feels awkward to rely on Fetch, who’s charging 50% more.

In contrast, in subsequent playthroughs, the conditions become quite simple. Even if you lose half of your gold upon dying, 10,000 gold becomes pocket change just by beating some street mobs.

‘But then what do I do? The critical seller lacks trust.’

However, first-time players often get scammed for a hefty amount before they can even enjoy a shopping spree with 10,000 gold, returned only to have their frustrations culminate in wanting to kill Fetch.

Some players have reported being so enraged by the betrayal during the first encounter that they killed Fetch every time they met her in subsequent playthroughs, so it makes sense.

Honestly, looking at the grand scale of Fetch event’s history of betrayals, it’s understandable.

“Over here! Come take a look!”

Having finished displaying the items, Fetch waved her hands. She went to the back of the bag. You could clearly see consumables displayed that would cost quite a bit.

All items here were ones that could only be bought once per playthrough in the game. So if you didn’t buy items when this shop opened, special dialogues would occur.

“I’ll take this.”

I picked up the rolled map at the very back. The price tag read ‘Fetch’s Treasure Map!’ in crooked handwriting.

When I picked it up, Fetch looked surprised.

“Uh… are you sure you want to pick that?”

“Yeah. Why? Is there a problem?”

“No, not at all. Just surprised, that’s all.”

Fetch seemed to be hesitating slightly.

It was a treasure map designed to betray whoever chose it, but seeing how much of a fool I appeared to have been, she probably considered letting me keep it to milk me for all I’m worth later.

I waved the map in front of me.

“So, are you going to sell it or not?”

“I’ll sell it. Well, it’s meant to be sold anyway.”

The indecision was brief. Considering the price she set, it would be a lot for anyone to refuse to sell to someone who asked to buy it.

“How much?”

“One million gold.”

Even though I had already been explained about it, Lize and Nix gasped at the outrageous price, while I responded nonchalantly.

“One million for a single map? That’s too expensive!”

Of course, I knew what I was doing. And in the game, there was a dialogue option stating that it was too expensive upon hearing the price.

“No, no! If you hear my explanation, you’ll change your mind!”

“Oh really? Then go ahead and explain.”

“This treasure map is from a location I personally explored! It’s an ancient ruin that only I know about, and the total value of the treasures inside would easily surpass two million gold!”

Fetch spread her arms wide, explaining with plenty of enthusiasm.

“Two million gold, huh… If there’s such a ruin, why haven’t you explored it all and taken everything?”

“Ah, um… it’s a bit embarrassing to say, but I lacked the skills to fully explore the ruins. But since leaving it alone felt wasteful, I only marked its location and kept it until someone who could recognize its worth appeared! The entrance is well concealed, so don’t worry!”

Holding the map up like a mask in front of her mouth, Fetch peeked out with only her eyes showing, wearing a face that looked embarrassingly innocent enough to make someone think she was just shy.

“Alright, I’ll trust you. Here, take it.”

I handed over the big pouch again, and Fetch checked the contents for a much longer time than before, her grin reaching her ears as she bowed her head.

“Yes! Verified! I’m not sure if you can reach the ruin just by looking at the map, but shall I guide you there?”

“I’d appreciate that. I’ll pay, so let’s go by carriage. Here, go and rent one. You can keep the change.”

“Understood! I’ll be back right away! Ah, could you please hold onto my luggage for just a moment? I’ll be super quick about it!”

Taking a pouch of gold coins that felt significantly heavier than it looked, Fetch swiftly dashed off towards a nearby city.

As Fetch vanished completely, I fluttered the map in my hand, laughing.

“She probably thinks I’m some rich and totally naive young master, right?”

“Looks that way. Wearing such an expression and pulling that off?”

“Hehe, right?”

Lize and Nix already knew. They were aware of the fact that this girl was a scammer and that the ruins marked on this map were filled with traps.

This is why I said I didn’t want to use other people’s money. Completing the Fetch event requires being fooled once, but getting scammed with borrowed money isn’t a good deal.

If I’m going to get fooled, I should be the one using my own money.

“So, what do you need to do? Start with you, Lize.”

“I’ll tell her that I sent you back to make sure we’re not found, then I told her to follow the carriage without being discovered.”

“Good memory. Nix, what about you?”

“Hehe, I’m not confident about hiding, so I told her to send a signal, and I’d teleport over.”

Patting their heads as a compliment for their good answers, I gestured. Nix disappeared in a flash, and Lize found a place nearby to hide.

It was surprising that she could perfectly conceal herself with a chest that size.

‘How should I greet her after getting out of the ruins?’

I leaned against a nearby tree, waiting for Fetch to return. I had already told Lize not to kill Fetch no matter what when they met again, so she should be safe for now.