Chapter 2
HolyKnightKnight remained in the party matching window without disappearing. This was expected. After all, with everyone having to share loot, there was no reason any party would want to bring along a Holy Knight.
[Anbouyoung: Ah..]
[Anbouyoung: Sorry, we’re full ㅜㅜ Please look for another party]
HolyKnightKnight was being rejected from parties in real time. Criticized by parties gathered on the left, criticized by parties gathered on the right. The ones making excuses about being full were polite in comparison; other parties simply departed without saying a word.
Like other games, Arc Serenity had trash-tier classes that players avoided. The performance gap between classes was even wider than in other games, making some classes difficult to get into parties at all, and Holy Knight was one of them. No, calling it “one of them” would be embarrassing—it was a class that ranked dead last in the annual user statistics by profession.
If you invested moderately, you couldn’t even break even, and even if you poured all your money into it, its performance was disappointing compared to other classes. In boss fights, the ultimate skill cooldown was too long to be effective, and since guild wars revolved around damage dealers, there was nowhere for Holy Knights to shine. Not to mention dungeons where everyone needed to quickly pull their own weight.
Yet this person was level 175 as a Holy Knight. Even content creators usually abandoned the class after reaching level 130. Watching the Holy Knight user still wandering around unable to find a party, Ji-won seemed to make a decision and turned on the whisper function.
[Whisper][Hando→HolyKnightKnight: Hello, if you]
[Whisper][Hando→HolyKnightKnight: Haven’t found a party yet, would you like to go together?]
Seemingly having checked the whisper, HolyKnightKnight, who had been wandering around, suddenly stopped in place. Shortly after, a reply came.
[Whisper][HolyKnightKnight→Hando: Yes]
[Whisper][Hando→HolyKnightKnight: Please send me a party invitation]
As soon as Ji-won listed himself as a party leader in the matching window, party applications began flooding in. Probably because of Ji-won’s level that stood out among the average numbers. Or perhaps because of his nickname.
“Where is it?”
After continuously rejecting incoming party requests, the notification for HolyKnightKnight’s party join request finally appeared underneath. As soon as the two-person party was formed, Ji-won immediately closed party recruitment and moved his character onto the magic circle to enter the dungeon.
But HolyKnightKnight didn’t come over, just standing still in place. Does he not know how to move?
[Party][Hando: Come over here]
[Party][HolyKnightKnight: ? Are we going with just two people?]
[Party][Hando: Yep hahaha]
[Party][Hando: It’s for 2-6 people so there’s no problem]
[Party][HolyKnightKnight: Ah..]
Seeing this, Ji-won couldn’t hide his excitement at what appeared to be a novice who hadn’t entered the dungeon many times.
[Party][Hando: Is this your first time here?]
[Party][HolyKnightKnight: Yes, I haven’t been level 170 for long]
At level 175, they must have hit level 170 at least a week ago. Well, everything is slower when you play solo. Quickly understanding, Ji-won pressed the dungeon entry button. The screen went black, and after a brief loading period, both characters were summoned to a familiar place.
[Party][Hando: Sasa, please handle the monsters on the left]
[Party][Hando: Don’t need to kill them all, just take it easy. I’ll finish quickly and come back]
Ji-won moved his character to the right and cleanly disposed of the swarming monsters using hunting skills. With the high mobility that came with his class concept of riding spirits, it didn’t even take a minute to clear everything.
After checking that no monsters remained, Ji-won used a skill to move to his party member’s location to help HolyKnightKnight who would likely be struggling.
“What…?”
Just as he arrived beside HolyKnightKnight, ready to start hunting, there were only a few monsters left. These weren’t mobs that a level 175 user could easily one-shot, and Holy Knights had short attack ranges. Ji-won was slightly impressed. Good gaming sense?
Ji-won dispatched the remaining monsters with a single skill and continued to show fast, flashy gameplay afterward. Like someone who runs dungeons mechanically every day, his fingers moved familiarly following the sequence his brain remembered, and before he knew it, they were in front of the final boss room.
[Hando: I’ll take care of it, so you can just stand still]
[Hando: Going in now]
Despite clearly saying they could just stand still, HolyKnightKnight’s character began moving around, breaking the glowing magic orbs. They must have read a guide. Breaking the orbs slightly weakened the boss monster’s attack power, but the effect was so minimal that no one actually bothered doing it. Better to use that time for more attacks.
“A true natural newbie.”
After only seeing experienced players steamrolling with pure damage, this kind of play was somehow touching. Usually, when getting carried, people just stand there or, feeling guilty, try to contribute with what little damage they can, but this was the first time Ji-won had seen someone using such a textbook strategy.
When the final boss fell, a treasure chest dropped. After spamming the attack key to open the box, numerous items fell to the ground. Mostly useless junk, but… as Ji-won quickly scanned the rewards, he spotted a necklace mixed in and let out a small exclamation.
[HolyKnightKnight: Thank you]
[HolyKnightKnight: I’ve only read guides and this was my first time here, couldn’t have cleared it without you, Hando]
[HolyKnightKnight: You can take all the items that dropped]
[Hando: ???]
Why is he giving me the items? Ji-won typed question marks in disbelief. He was max level while the other was only 175, so it would make more sense to ask if they could have the items, not offer them up. Amazed at finding such a kind newbie, Ji-won quickly moved his fingers.
[Hando: No, I don’t need any of these items haha]
[Hando: That necklace there is good for warrior classes, so take it]
Ji-won was generally generous to newbies. If he encountered a clearly poorly equipped user asking for money or items while passing by, he always gave them something. He knew that while Arc Serenity might not have a high barrier to entry initially, it became increasingly difficult the more you played, especially with PVP existing.
[HolyKnightKnight: I’m fine, I have another necklace]
[Hando: Just pick it up and you can sell it if you don’t need it haha]
If this was their first time entering this dungeon, there was no way their current necklace was better than this one. Newbies usually aren’t good at comparing equipment. Besides, their continued refusal only made Ji-won want to give more. He already had better gear anyway. And it was specifically for warriors. Usually, people would say “thank you” and accept after being told once that it was okay, but this was the first time someone had so persistently refused.
[HolyKnightKnight: Ah, I’m really fine]
[Hando: If you don’t pick it up quickly, it’ll disappear ã… ã… After all our hard work]
After continuing to politely decline for a while, HolyKnightKnight finally picked up the item at Ji-won’s urging. HolyKnightKnight was silent for a moment as if checking something, then soon displayed another speech bubble.
[HolyKnightKnight: Thank you, I cleared it thanks to you]
After thanking Ji-won once more, HolyKnightKnight soon initiated a trade request. Is he trying to give back what he just took? Once consumed, items become untradeable though.
[Hando: Sasa, dungeon drop items can’t be traded once consumed]
[Hando: ?]
[Hando: You don’t need to trade with me hahahahahahaha]
Despite clearly saying the items were untradeable, HolyKnightKnight kept sending trade requests, so Ji-won entered the trade window wondering what this was about. As soon as Ji-won’s character entered, HolyKnightKnight immediately offered gold.
[Hando: ???]
Who gives 100,000 gold for running a single dungeon? This seemed like the type of person veteran players would love to exploit, which worried Ji-won. It probably represented a significant portion of the savings a Holy Knight had been carefully gathering to equip proper gear.
[HolyKnightKnight: I don’t know how much the necklace is worth]
[HolyKnightKnight: Should I give you more?]
[Hando: No, don’t press the trade button]
[Hando: I really don’t need this, so use it when gearing up]
[Hando: When you level up more, your current gear won’t be enough]
HolyKnightKnight kept pressing the trade button as if insisting Ji-won accept, but it felt like swindling a newbie, so Ji-won absolutely couldn’t accept it. Finally, after exchanges and cancellations went back and forth amicably, HolyKnightKnight acknowledged and turned away. Seeing that resolute departure, Ji-won hurriedly spoke up again.
[Hando: Where are you going now?]
[HolyKnightKnight: Going to hunt at the Witch’s Cave]
[Hando: ?]
[Hando: At level 175, wouldn’t the newly opened River of Truth be more efficient??]
[HolyKnightKnight: Really?]
That was a close one. They would have been in trouble if I’d let them go. Even if they didn’t use the game forums or communities, someone would have told them, but it seemed they didn’t do that either.
There had been no plans to recruit new guild members, but suddenly Ji-won thought of his guild members who had been whining about needing something new. Coincidentally, there was no mark above HolyKnightKnight’s username. In Arc Serenity, which strongly encouraged guild membership, this was a rare solo player with a fairly high level.
Maybe it’s because my class got nerfed today. The Guild Master of the 29th ranked server guild, filled with nothing but stagnant veteran players, decided to indulge in an unexpected whim for the first time in a long while.
[Hando: Sasa, would you like to join our guild?]
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
