I've been playing Nikke for a few days now and damn, this game grew on me immediately, the lore is insane tho I hate how grindy going through chapters in normal difficulty is

Tho I'm wondering if the stories that branch of the side of the chapters are something I should pay attention to? Would that effect how I'm going through the game or are they just side stories that sometimes can be happening in the same time as the events of a chapter? Like a different pov?