I Became an NPC That Rankers Are Obsessed Over

“Shall we head out now?”

I carefully stacked potions into the bulky backpack.

It was a merchant’s backpack I bought for a hefty price at the night market.

Grade: ★★☆
Effect: Reduces the weight of its contents by 30%.

Though it was only a 30% reduction for now due to my limited means, once I succeeded, hunters would seek me out on their own.

To achieve that, it was best to roll up my sleeves and take action myself for now.

I pulled my hat down firmly and put on a black mask.

My destination was Sindorim D-Cube City.

Technically, it wasn’t a city anymore but a place that once was.

It used to have a bustling department store and plenty of people, but now, it was a hideous ruin.

This was because a 3rd-grade monster species, Gigas, had emerged in its underground.

Most residents had left, and now it had become a lair for Night Stalkers (wolves).

Since they usually roamed at night, raids typically took place during that time.

I put on my earphones.

Noise would alert me when monsters passed nearby.

Using that, I planned to find the safest route to locate the hunters.

The sun had fully set.

The ruined city was painted solely in black and blue.

As if it knew I was coming, a full moon shone brightly in the night sky.

I walked lightly over the rubble, watching the dust glint in the moonlight.

「The temperature has dropped to 0 degrees.」

Every exhale seemed to release white breath.

At that moment, I realized my target was near.

The temperature always dropped when approaching the wolves’ vicinity.

A temperature this low meant I was maintaining just the right distance.

If confronted directly, the temperature would plummet to minus 10 degrees, so caution was necessary.

I carefully hid behind the rubble and peeked out.

“—!”

A sharp screeching sound echoed in an open clearing.

The source of the noise was three hunters.

Each wielded their weapon as they valiantly fought against a pack of wolves.

“Mister, now’s the time!”

A man wielding a greatsword shouted.

At his signal, a bald middle-aged man raised his shield high.

“Here I go!”

With all his might, he slammed the shield into the ground.

A powerful shockwave rippled outward from the impact.

Startled by the sound, the wolves glared with yellow eyes and charged at the man.

As if he had been waiting for this, the man flipped his shield like a turtle shell.

Then he lay flat on the ground.

The wolves struck the shield repeatedly with sharp claws.

But the shield must have been expensive, as not a single scratch appeared.

“Mister, hang in there a little longer!”

A girl in a cape climbed a broken pillar.

Although I couldn’t see her face, her voice revealed that she was a young girl.

Flames flickered at her fingertips.

Against Night Stalkers, it would surely be an effective strike.

But…

The fireball fell onto the group of wolves.

The wolves emitted a simultaneous blue light.

The light converged and transformed into a massive barrier.

It completely absorbed the falling fireball.

Bringing pack-living wolves together naturally enhanced their magical cohesion…

In the end, their magic resistance had only increased.

“—!”

The girl, shocked by the ineffectiveness of her attack, pulled back her hood.

The youthful face of a red-haired girl was revealed.

The wolves, now agitated, stomped on the shield with even greater intensity.

The once-sturdy shell began to buckle.

“Mister—!!”

She called out to her comrade trapped under the shield.

But the monsters didn’t stop.

“…”

I watched the scene in silence.

In the end, that tanker would die.

Because of a poorly thought-out plan that only considered the match-up between wolves and the girl.

It was a typical rookie party’s mistake.

A rookie party…

Memories flooded my mind.

They were fond memories.

Perhaps because of those memories, my hand unconsciously reached for my backpack.

I unzipped it and pulled out a glass bottle.

Since it was my first customer in a while… I decided to lend a hand just this once.

Grade: ★☆
Effect: Reduces the drinker’s HP by 50%.
Increases all physical damage dealt by 2x.

* When ignited and thrown, it creates a sea of fire in the area.

I lit the cloth with a lighter.

Then I hurled it at the wolves with all my strength.

“—!”

The sound of shattering glass pierced through the silent ruins.

The wolves yelped and scattered.

But it was too soon to be relieved.

Being 8th-grade monsters, they wouldn’t be defeated by a mere firebomb.

It was merely to disrupt them.

The rest was up to those inexperienced hunters.

The wolves tried to regroup by sniffing each other out and securing an escape route.

But the smell of oil and surrounding flames left them bewildered.

Thanks to that, the party members could begin their individual hunts on the confused wolves.

The young man, a swordsman, sliced a wolf in two with his longsword.

The girl with fire abilities manipulated the flames from the cocktail, sending waves of fire over the monsters.

Meanwhile, the shield man remained curled up on the ground, silent as a mouse.

“They’re decent fighters…”

They might just barely qualify as B or C rank.

If they gained some achievements from this raid, they could certainly rank up.

Of course, the girl was leveraging the flames I had created.

But still, it showed she knew how to utilize her surroundings.

That in itself was a talent.

When I was a healer, I never had such hunting instincts.

As I analyzed their battle, I pondered which cocktails to sell later.

By the time I finished my calculations, the city had grown quiet.

The tanker man finally peeked out from under his shield.

After confirming the fallen wolves, he cautiously stood up.

“What took so long? I almost died!”

He scolded the red-haired girl.

She apologized, bowing her head deeply.

“Come on, we caught them. We didn’t know either, right? That wolves get stronger when grouped together.”

The swordsman tried to smooth things over with a flippant tone.

But the middle-aged man’s face remained red with anger.

“That’s why I said not to use unproven rookies. There’s a reason they dropped out of the academy!”

As he vented, the girl’s face grew sullen.

She looked on the verge of tears.

Watching her expression from afar, I felt a twinge in my nose.

She reminded me so much of someone I once knew.

Perhaps because of that, I rose slowly from the rubble.

Then I carefully approached them.

“Ha-ha… Congratulations on the successful raid.”

As I approached with a smile, the hunters startled and readied themselves.

Judging by my masked face and hat, they seemed to consider me a threat.

“Who are you?”

The young swordsman asked coldly.

I removed my hat and lowered my mask to show I meant no harm.

“Just a wandering merchant. I thought you might need help, so I stopped by.”

“A peddler?”

The older man scowled.

A peddler… That stung a little.

“I’m not just a peddler… more like a potion master.”

“You’re not a hunter killer, are you? They ambush hunters after raids when they’re exhausted.”

The man glared suspiciously.

It seemed approaching them wouldn’t be easy.

It was clear I needed to act rather than talk.

I turned my bag around and unzipped it.

“You there, swordsman.”

I pointed to his left arm.

“You were bitten on your left arm by a wolf earlier, weren’t you?”

The swordsman’s blade wavered slightly as if startled by my question.

He nodded his head hesitantly.

“Has the wound been itching and stinging since earlier?”

“Uh… yeah. How did you know?”

The swordsman asked, dumbfounded, as I accurately pinpointed his symptoms.

“Wolf teeth contain neurotoxin. If you don’t treat it immediately, you might end up with permanent tremors.”

I pulled out a prepared potion.

Bubbles rose to the surface, and fresh mint leaves floated in the liquid.

Grade: ★★☆
Effect: Removes symptoms of poisoning.

Details: Replaced rum with soda and added mint leaves and herbs for a disinfecting effect.

I confidently handed the potion to the swordsman.

His hands began to tremble as he took the bottle.

“T-Tremors?”

I advised him seriously.

It was reliable information.

In the past, Ji-soo noona often hurt her arm while hunting Night Stalkers.

She used to fuss, saying that tremors would set in if she didn’t treat it quickly.

I still remember her adorable fussing clearly.

I’d tell her to stop making a big deal and would grind herbs and mint to apply to her wounds.

The pleasant memory made me smile unconsciously.

But my smile quickly faded when the older man, glaring disapprovingly, interrupted.

“Hey, kid. What kind of nonsense are you spouting here? How can a drink like that cure an abnormal condition?”

His scolding made me shrink slightly.

It was as harsh as Hyun-soo hyung’s tone.

Though his bluntness was intimidating, it oddly felt familiar and comforting.

Thanks to that, I quickly recomposed myself and approached him.

“Come on, just trust me and drink it once.”

I looked up at him quietly, squinting my eyes with a smile.

“W-What’s with you?”

The bald man seemed flustered as I approached instead of backing off, avoiding my gaze.

I slyly revealed a second potion to him.

Grade: ★★★☆ (Epic)
Effect: Restores 25% of the drinker’s health.
Increases movement speed by 25% for 5 minutes.

Details: Added more whiskey and an extra sugar cube. A sweet and refreshing “adult” flavor.

“Uncle.”

I politely handed him the glass bottle with both hands.

I leaned closer to his ear and whispered conspiratorially.

“I gave you a higher-grade one, especially for you.”

The man coughed, covering his mouth.

The term “uncle” seemed unfamiliar, as his face turned bright red.

“Ahem, you seem to know who’s in charge here.”

The middle-aged man accepted the cocktail potion with a self-satisfied expression.

He seemed to relax, taking a sip from the bottle without hesitation.

“…”

“How is it?”

I tilted my head and asked.

The man’s face scrunched up as if displeased.

“This is…”

Everyone eagerly waited for his reaction.

I swallowed nervously, clasping my hands together.

“It’s delicious! It tastes like some kind of herbal tonic!”

He laughed heartily, his face softening.

Phew…

Thankfully, the grimace must’ve been a good sign.

“You all should try it too. I feel lighter already.”

He lifted his shield high and attached it firmly to his back, then began bounding around energetically.

It seemed this was his first time receiving a movement speed buff.

Considering how expensive it would be to hire a supporting buffer, he likely hadn’t experienced it before.

Seeing the previously grumpy man bouncing around like a child, the swordsman began drinking his potion as well.

He drank half the bottle in one go, wearing an ecstatic expression like he’d just discovered a miracle.

“The itching is gone… How is this even possible?”

The young man swung his arm vigorously.

I crossed my arms proudly, watching the enchanted customers enjoy the potions.

If their reactions always turned out this way, I’d pay off my overdue rent in no time.

“—.”

As I pondered, someone tugged at my jacket sleeve.

I turned to see who it was.

“Um… Miss, do you have any potions I could buy too?”

The girl shyly asked, pulling her hood down further.

Her timid appearance made me smile.

“Is it because I was useless, and you think I’m not worth giving one to…?”

She muttered despondently.

Her words froze me in place.

Useless.

Not worth it.

Words someone often used to describe themselves.

And I knew exactly who that person was.

“How old are you?”

“I… I’m seventeen.”

Perhaps because it had been a while since I met someone at eye level, I felt a sense of kinship.

“What’s your name?”

“Se-ah. Lim Se-ah.”

If Hyun-soo hyung were here, he’d be scolding her like the older man did.

But Ji-soo noona wouldn’t.

If noona were here…

What would she have said to this girl?

I gently removed Se-ah’s hood.

Then I patted her flattened hair.

“You don’t need something like this. You can still grow stronger on your own.”

That was the best I could manage.

Not as well as noona, but I hoped my words would comfort her.

“Really…?”

Se-ah’s black eyes widened.

Her clear, moist gaze searched mine for assurance.

“Yeah. So don’t lose heart. Even rankers make mistakes sometimes.”

I said, recalling the Executor who had been cut down by Anna.

Though it was likely just a dummy, and he let his guard down.

“There’s no point regretting mistakes that already happened.”

“Just focus on not repeating them again.”

“Your teammates probably hope for the same.”

I wiped away a smudge of black ash from her cheek with my finger.

Se-ah’s face turned redder by the second.

The red-haired girl covered her mouth with her hand and lowered her head.

She whispered softly.

“Thank you…”

Her shy gratitude warmed my heart.

Though I hadn’t been paid yet, her tearful smile felt like a reward already.

I decided to give her a little gift.

I discreetly handed her two glass bottles.

“What’s this…?”

“My secret weapon.”

“If someone truly awful bothers you, just use this.”

I handed her the bottles carefully, as if they were actual bombs.

Come to think of it, they were pretty close to being bombs.

Se-ah clutched the glass bottles tightly as if holding precious jewels.

I clenched my fist resolutely while looking at her.

She smiled brightly and mirrored my gesture, clenching her fist in return.

The last thing I said wasn’t inspired by noona.

It came from me, someone who had always been weak and timid.