Faster Than Expected
It was 7:56 p.m.
Kang Tae-jun logged into *Origin Fantasia* a little earlier than the agreed time.
The familiar login screen flashed past, and Arc Saber’s character materialized in the center of the small square. It was the beginner village where players who had just started the game gathered—not the usual bustling metropolis he used.
Low wooden houses stood in a neat circle, and around the tiny fountain in the middle, users wearing basic gear bustled about. Characters queued up in front of the NPCs hovering question marks above their heads, hoping to pick up quests.
Tae-jun didn’t bother looking around. He immediately opened his friend list.
[ Lunabel – Online ]
Min Chae-ah was already in the game.
The problem was her current location.
[ Lunabel – Forgotten Forest ]
Tae-jun’s brows naturally furrowed.
He had clearly told her to wait in the village. Yet Chae-ah had already entered the hunting grounds that even low-level players should avoid, before the promised time even arrived.
He sent a whisper right away.
[ Arc Saber : I told you to wait in the village. ]
The reply came seconds later.
[ Lunabel : I’m near the village. ]
[ Arc Saber : Why is Forgotten Forest near the village? ]
[ Lunabel : I walked here quickly. ]
[ Arc Saber : What’s the monster level there? ]
This time there was no immediate reply.
Instead, Luna bel’s health bar on the friend list began to drop rapidly. The red bar that had been over half full plummeted in an instant.
[ Lunabel : Hold on. ]
[ Lunabel : I’m busy right now. ]
Tae-jun let out a short sigh.
He placed Arc Saber on a movement portal. Blue light enveloped the character. The moment he selected the destination, the screen blurred, and a few seconds later a new area appeared against a backdrop of dense forest.
It was the entrance to Forgotten Forest.
A lone character in a red cape sprinted frantically between the tall trees. It was Lunabel. Right behind her, five large wolf-type monsters closed in, narrowing the distance.
Even in the midst of running for her life, Chae-ah recognized Tae-jun’s character.
[ Lunabel : You came. ]
[ Arc Saber : We can talk about that later. Just keep running. ]
[ Lunabel : Don’t I get to catch them? ]
[ Arc Saber : Check your health first. ]
Lunabel’s remaining health was at 7 percent.
One brush with a wolf would send her crashing. Yet she still glanced back, searching for an opening to attack.
Tae-jun moved Arc Saber forward.
Just as the leading wolf lunged at Lunabel, Arc Saber’s sword swung in a blue arc, sending the monster flying sideways.
A moment later a wide-area attack followed.
When Arc Saber slammed his blade into the ground, blue light spread out in a fan shape. The wolves rushing in were swept away, and several damage numbers floated up above the forest path.
The moment the last wolf fell, the once-noisy forest entrance fell silent.
Lunabel stopped among the fallen monsters and casually spun her character in a full circle.
[ Lunabel : As expected. ]
[ Arc Saber : Why did you come all the way here? ]
[ Lunabel : I got bored waiting. ]
[ Arc Saber : The promised time hadn’t even arrived yet. ]
[ Lunabel : There were four minutes left. ]
Tae-jun checked the time displayed in the upper right of the screen.
It was exactly 7:59.
[ Arc Saber : You couldn’t wait four minutes? ]
[ Lunabel : I was only planning to watch. ]
[ Arc Saber : You almost died to the wolves. ]
[ Lunabel : I didn’t die. ]
[ Arc Saber : Because I came. ]
Chae-ah’s reply arrived shortly after.
[ Lunabel : That’s impressive skill. ]
Tae-jun’s hand froze above the keyboard.
[ Arc Saber : What skill? ]
[ Lunabel : The skill of calling for help on time. ]
Tae-jun stared at the monitor and let out an incredulous laugh.
Min Chae-ah wasn’t that different from when he met her at school, or in the game. She didn’t hesitate to talk to complete strangers, and she didn’t feel ashamed of being in danger. Instead, she picked up the conversation without hesitation and steered the mood her way.
Tae-jun could understand a little why Chae-ah had so many friends at school and blended in so naturally anywhere.
He turned Arc Saber’s direction toward the village.
[ Arc Saber : Let’s head back to the village first. ]
[ Lunabel : Aren’t we supposed to do it here? ]
[ Arc Saber : We need to change our gear first. ]
[ Lunabel : Can’t we just keep wearing this cape? ]
[ Arc Saber : We’ll replace everything except the cape. ]
[ Lunabel : That’s a relief. ]
The two characters exited the forest path side by side.
Lunabel leading with her red cape fluttering and Arc Saber following behind looked almost natural, aside from the obvious level difference.
*
Back in the beginner village, Tae-jun checked Lunabel’s character information one by one in front of the equipment shop.
Her status had already been bad when he saw it on Chae-ah’s phone during the day, but the actual numbers and detailed effects were far worse than he expected.
Magic attack gloves that weren’t needed for the job.
Cloth armor with almost no defense and only a movement effect.
High-speed movement shoes that were hard to use in the early game.
Each piece of equipment had a completely different direction. The choice seemed based more on eye-catching numbers and flashy appearances than on actual growth.
The skill setup was even worse.
Points were spent on attack, defense, and movement, as well as auxiliary techniques that weren’t ready to be used yet. It felt like she wanted to try every skill, but none of the results had been properly upgraded.
Tae-jun stared at the skill window for a long time before typing a message.
[ Arc Saber : Let’s reset the skills first. ]
[ Lunabel : It’ll cost money. ]
[ Arc Saber : I’ll cover it. ]
[ Lunabel : It’s fine. I have money. ]
[ Arc Saber : How much? ]
[ Lunabel : 3,000. ]
Tae-jun checked the reset menu again.
[ Arc Saber : The reset costs 5,000. ]
Lunabel’s character stayed still for a while.
Chae-ah must have been checking her own funds.
A shorter reply came shortly after.
[ Lunabel : Then lend me some. ]
[ Arc Saber : You said you had money earlier. ]
[ Lunabel : I was just saying I had it. ]
Tae-jun opened the trade window.
When he handed over the gold, Lunabel bought the reset item without hesitation. All the scattered skill points were recovered.
[ Lunabel : I’ll pay you back later. ]
[ Arc Saber : I can earn it quickly if I do a few quests. ]
[ Lunabel : Is there no other way besides quests? ]
[ Arc Saber : Killing monsters. ]
[ Lunabel : That sounds better. ]
“Really consistent.”
Tae-jun muttered under his breath and opened the shop list.
He chose equipment that suited Chae-ah’s playstyle.
One-handed sword with balanced attack speed and physical damage.
Leather armor and pants that provided minimum defense even at low levels.
Shoes with a decent evasion distance and movement speed.
After Lunabel changed her gear, her stats looked noticeably steadier. Her defense rose sharply, and the unnecessary magic attack disappeared.
The red cape remained exactly as it was.
[ Lunabel : It’s not that pretty compared to before. ]
[ Arc Saber : You’ve become much stronger. ]
[ Lunabel : Strong doesn’t mean it can’t be pretty. ]
[ Arc Saber : Level up and buy better appearance gear. ]
[ Lunabel : When will that be possible? ]
[ Arc Saber : After doing a few quests. ]
[ Lunabel : Again with the quests. ]
Tae-jun assumed she would refuse quests again and switched to the skill window.
Even though she had paid more attention to the appearance when hearing equipment descriptions, her attitude changed the moment the skill combo was explained.
Lunabel stood in front of a training dummy.
Tae-jun input the basic attack sequence.
[ Arc Saber : Basic attack twice, then this skill. ]
Lunabel followed immediately.
Two quick sword strikes followed by a spinning strong blow. The timing between skills was almost perfect on the first try.
[ Lunabel : What about three times? ]
[ Arc Saber : If you do the third, your evasion will be late. ]
[ Lunabel : I could hit it one more time. ]
[ Arc Saber : Change that way of thinking. ]
[ Lunabel : Why? ]
Tae-jun recalled Lunabel’s combat records as he answered.
[ Arc Saber : You’d end up getting hit twice if you try to land one more blow. ]
Lunabel attacked the dummy twice more and used the skill.
This time, right after the attack ended, she dodged backward. When Tae-jun asked why again, she immediately repeated the exact same inputs.
A new message arrived shortly after.
[ Lunabel : Did Shopsop teach you that too? ]
Tae-jun’s hand stopped.
[ Arc Saber : Similar to her. ]
[ Lunabel : Is that person scary? ]
[ Arc Saber : At first. ]
Lunabel circled the dummy and stopped right in front of Tae-jun’s character.
[ Lunabel : How about now? ]
Tae-jun didn’t answer right away.
Saying that Shopsop was no longer scary would have been a lie.
In raids, she pointed out mistakes faster than anyone, and in training she raised the difficulty every time Tae-jun repeated the same errors. She didn’t use emotional words, but those short, precise corrections often left him more tense.
But Tae-jun knew now that those words were more than simple scolding.
Shopsop had kept waiting for him as long as he didn’t give up. She gave him another chance when he failed and never missed even the smallest improvement.
[ Arc Saber : I’m still a little scared sometimes. ]
[ Lunabel : But you keep playing together. ]
[ Arc Saber : Because you teach well. ]
Lunabel swung her sword again.
The combo he had just shown flowed even more smoothly than before.
[ Lunabel : Let’s check if you really teach well. ]
[ Arc Saber : Suddenly the one being evaluated. ]
Tae-jun smiled at Chae-ah’s reply but studied her movements closely.
Her understanding of the explanation was fast.
It wasn’t just quick reflexes. Chae-ah selected only the parts she needed and immediately tested them by playing herself.
Her error rate was still high, but her correction speed was clearly faster.
After the equipment and skills were sorted, the two characters moved out of the village again.
Their goal was the field boss that Chae-ah had challenged repeatedly over the past few days.
*
In the center of Forgotten Forest.
A massive orc warrior slowly patrolled between the trees.
The heavy armor covering its body and the enormous axe strapped to its back made it easy to spot even from a distance. Every step made the armor clank loudly through the forest.
[ Recommended Level : 18 ]
Lunabel’s level was still 11.
After changing her equipment, she was stronger than before, but she wasn’t ready to face the boss head-on. If she couldn’t read the attack patterns and dodge, the outcome would be no different from before.
Tae-jun placed Arc Saber outside the combat range.
[ Arc Saber : Fight it once first. ]
[ Lunabel : You’re not supposed to help? ]
[ Arc Saber : I need to watch how you move first. ]
Lunabel turned in place as she alternated glances between the boss and Arc Saber.
[ Lunabel : I could die, you know. ]
[ Arc Saber : You said you’d keep going until you win. ]
[ Lunabel : That’s right. ]
Chae-ah didn’t hesitate any longer.
Lunabel drew her sword and charged at the boss.
First attack.
Second attack.
The skill she had learned earlier was executed perfectly.
Short combo attacks landed repeatedly on the orc’s armor. The input was so fast it was hard to tell it was from a first-time player, and the character barely stopped between moves.
The boss’s health began to decrease gradually.
But problems quickly appeared as expected.
The orc raised its heavy axe overhead.
Anyone could see it was the start of a powerful attack. A red indicator showed the area of effect on the ground.
Yet Lunabel didn’t stop.
She finished the third basic attack.
[ Arc Saber : Take cover. ]
The message appeared the instant it was sent.
Kwaang!
The massive axe slammed into the ground.
Dirt and stone flew everywhere, and Lunabel’s character was blown far away. Her health bar disappeared in one hit.
[ Lunabel : I almost dodged it. ]
[ Arc Saber : It was a direct hit. ]
[ Lunabel : I would have fallen if I hit it one more time. ]
Tae-jun checked the boss’s remaining health.
[ Arc Saber : Boss health at 80 percent. ]
[ Lunabel : There’s still a lot left. ]
Lunabel stood up as if nothing had happened.
The boss turned and prepared the second attack. Chae-ah moved sideways again, but because she had already used a skill and begun to dodge, the timing was off.
The axe tip grazed Lunabel’s body.
The character rolled several times on the ground and stopped.
Remaining health: 9 percent.
[ Arc Saber : Use a recovery item. ]
[ Lunabel : Just one more time. ]
[ Arc Saber : You’ll die if you keep trying. ]
[ Lunabel : This time I can really dodge. ]
Chae-ah didn’t use a recovery item.
Lunabel charged at the boss again. She landed one successful attack, but there was no health or energy left to dodge the next axe swing.
The third attack overwhelmed her character.
[ Battle Failed ]
The screen darkened, then switched to the respawn point.
Lunabel didn’t seem bothered by the death. She turned around right away.
[ Lunabel : One more time. ]
Tae-jun didn’t send her straight at the boss again.
He positioned Arc Saber to block Lunabel’s path.
[ Arc Saber : Do you know what the problem was? ]
[ Lunabel : The attack power was too low. ]
[ Arc Saber : No. ]
[ Lunabel : The level difference? ]
[ Arc Saber : That’s part of it, but the biggest issue is that you don’t dodge. ]
[ Lunabel : I was trying to dodge. ]
[ Arc Saber : You tried to dodge after using all the attacks. ]
Lunabel’s character stopped moving.
Chae-ah seemed to be reviewing the battle from earlier.
[ Arc Saber : When the boss lifts the axe, stop attacking immediately. ]
[ Arc Saber : As long as you’re alive, you can attack again even if you do it less. ]
[ Lunabel : Then it’ll take longer to kill. ]
[ Arc Saber : Dying and respawning is faster. ]
The reply came a little later this time.
[ Lunabel : That’s a bit harsh. ]
Tae-jun smiled at the sentence.
Even in the days when he first received feedback from Shopsop, he had been similar. If something was wrong, he could argue back, but because she always pointed out only the correct parts, there was no other choice but to try again.
[ Arc Saber : Try again. ]
The second battle began.
This time the movement was completely different from the start.
Lunabel used two attacks before stopping the third basic attack. The moment the orc raised its axe, she sidestepped.
Kwaang!
The axe slammed into empty ground.
The instant the attack ended, Lunabel closed the distance again. After two attacks and the skill, she retreated the moment the boss changed posture.
It was far more stable than the first attempt.
Tae-jun’s instructions were being applied perfectly on the first try.
[ Arc Saber : You’re doing great now. ]
[ Lunabel : Stop talking. ]
[ Arc Saber : Focus. ]
Lunabel moved only toward the boss, as if even answering took too much time.
The boss’s health dropped below half.
The orc’s movements suddenly changed.
It lowered its body and planted one leg as a pivot while laying the axe beside it.
It was the setup for a spinning attack.
Lunabel ran backward to escape the area. But the circle drawn by the boss’s axe was much wider than expected.
The swinging blade struck Lunabel’s body exactly.
The character floated into the air and was blown far away.
[ Lunabel : How do I dodge that? ]
[ Arc Saber : It’s too late if you back away. ]
[ Lunabel : Then? ]
[ Arc Saber : Move inside the boss at the start. ]
[ Lunabel : Come closer? ]
[ Arc Saber : There’s no attack judgment on the axe handle side. ]
Lunabel didn’t answer. She stood up with her remaining health and continued attacking. But because the previous damage was heavy, the moment she took the next slam, the second battle ended.
[ Battle Failed ]
The moment Lunabel appeared at the respawn point, she looked toward the boss.
[ Lunabel : One more time. ]
[ Arc Saber : You can rest a little. ]
[ Lunabel : You already know how to dodge. ]
[ Arc Saber : Just knowing isn’t enough. ]
[ Lunabel : Then I should try right now. ]
Tae-jun watched Lunabel’s character quietly.
Chae-ah didn’t look ashamed of failing. When she realized something was wrong, she didn’t make excuses or avoid it—she tried again immediately. She didn’t like losing to anyone, but she wasn’t the type to stay frozen by defeat.
Tae-jun could understand a little why Shopsop had kept bringing his old self into parties and training him.
People who didn’t give up even when they couldn’t do something had reasons to be taught.
The third battle began.
Lunabel was calmer than before.
The moment the orc raised its axe, she stopped attacking.
She moved one step to the side.
The first slam missed.
Boss health 70 percent.
After several exchanges, the orc lowered its body again.
It was the spinning attack setup.
This time Lunabel didn’t retreat.
Instead, she dove into the boss’s space.
The massive axe blade spun outside her body. There was no attack judgment on the inner side where the handle passed.
Evasion successful.
The instant the spin ended, Lunabel began her combo attack.
Boss health 30 percent.
20 percent.
10 percent.
The orc raised its axe high for the final time.
If it had been the first time, Chae-ah would have continued attacking until the boss’s remaining health was gone.
But this time was different.
Lunabel sheathed her sword and backed out of the attack range.
The axe slammed into the ground.
The boss’s body froze for a moment.
Lunabel approached again.
Two basic attacks and the skill flowed smoothly. The final sword strike sliced through the orc’s armor, causing its massive body to sway backward.
The orc let out a low cry and collapsed.
[ Boss Defeated! ]
A victory notification rang out across the forest.
But there was no chat for several seconds.
Lunabel stood still in front of the fallen boss. Chae-ah seemed to be watching the moment she first stopped someone.
A short message appeared shortly after.
[ Lunabel : I got it. ]
A smile spread across Tae-jun’s lips.
[ Arc Saber : Good job. ]
[ Lunabel : It was easier than I thought. ]
[ Arc Saber : You died twice just now. ]
[ Lunabel : When I didn’t know the method. ]
[ Arc Saber : For a first-time player, you’re doing pretty well. ]
Lunabel’s character turned toward Arc Saber.
[ Lunabel : Do I have talent? ]
Tae-jun didn’t answer immediately. He reviewed the previous battle again.
Her attack hunger was strong.
She had the habit of taking risks.
But her reaction speed was fast, and she remembered failing patterns right away. Most importantly, she applied the instructions perfectly on the next attempt.
[ Arc Saber : Your reactions are quick. ]
[ Lunabel : Again? ]
[ Arc Saber : You remember patterns just from watching them once. ]
[ Lunabel : Again? ]
Tae-jun paused for a moment.
[ Arc Saber : You have too much attack hunger. ]
[ Lunabel : Only say good things. ]
[ Arc Saber : You should fix that if you want to do well. ]
[ Lunabel : You talk like a teacher. ]
Tae-jun smiled while staring at the chat window.
When Chae-ah first came to him, he had planned to teach only the basics and stop. But her learning speed had been faster than expected. The person who had been hit by the same pattern over and over until just moments ago defeated the boss alone on the third try.
It wasn’t boring for the teacher either, since her responses came instantly.
Suddenly a connection notification appeared in one corner of the screen.
[ Shopsop has logged in. ]
Tae-jun’s gaze naturally moved to the friend list.
Shopsop was standing in the usual city square with the guild.
A whisper arrived shortly after.
[ Shopsop : You’re late today. ]
Tae-jun checked the time in the upper right of the screen.
While he was explaining to Chae-ah and watching the boss fight, more time than usual had passed since his usual meeting with Shopsop.
[ Arc Saber : I’m teaching a beginner. ]
There was no immediate reply.
In that time the field boss that had been defeated earlier appeared again. Lunabel drew her sword the moment she spotted it and headed straight for the boss.
[ Arc Saber : Where are you going? ]
[ Lunabel : One more time. ]
[ Arc Saber : You just killed it. ]
[ Lunabel : This time I’ll catch it without getting hit. ]
[ Arc Saber : Are you only going to keep doing this today? ]
[ Lunabel : Until I can. ]
Tae-jun placed Arc Saber on a nearby rock without being able to stop her.
Shopsop’s reply came shortly after.
[ Shopsop : Who? ]
Tae-jun answered without thinking much.
[ Arc Saber : A student in the class next to ours at school. ]
At the same time.
Seo Ha-yoon stared at her monitor in her room.
Shopsop’s character stood in the city square, but her eyes were fixed on the friend list, not her own character.
A party icon floated beside Arc Saber’s name.
When she checked the party members, a new unfamiliar nickname appeared.
[ Lunabel ]
It was a name she had never seen in the game before.
But she immediately knew who it was.
Today during lunch break.
The nickname on the phone screen Min Chae-ah had shown in front of Tae-jun’s desk.
The two were really playing together.
Ha-yoon’s hand stopped on the keyboard for a moment.
[ Shopsop : You’re not doing too well? ]
Tae-jun’s reply arrived shortly after.
[ Arc Saber : My equipment and skills were both a mess. ]
Ha-yoon answered briefly.
[ Shopsop : I see. ]
That was exactly what she expected.
It was unlikely a beginner who had only been playing for four days had set up equipment and skills properly from the start.
But her gaze stopped at the next message that followed.
[ Arc Saber : Still, the learning is fast. ]
Ha-yoon stared at the sentence for a long time.
Tae-jun wasn’t the type to praise others easily. Even if there were good points, he always checked the flaws first and didn’t give high evaluations until he was certain.
Yet he had said Chae-ah learned quickly.
Ha-yoon looked back at the party information on the right side of the monitor.
[ Arc Saber ]
[ Lunabel ]
The two nicknames were side by side.
Ha-yoon slowly typed a reply.
[ Shopsop : Sounds fun. ]
Tae-jun’s reply came quickly.
[ Arc Saber : Teaching is more fun than I thought too. ]
Ha-yoon’s fingers paused again on the keyboard.
When she had asked the same question at school that day, Tae-jun had said he hadn’t taught anyone yet, so he didn’t know.
But now he said it was fun.
Ha-yoon gently closed her lips and stared at the screen.
There was nothing strange about Tae-jun playing with anyone. Teaching a beginner from the same school was actually natural.
As guild master she had no reason to check every guild member’s schedule.
Still, Ha-yoon’s gaze didn’t easily move elsewhere.
The unease that had lingered in one corner of her heart since noon today became clearer.
She sent a message shortly after.
[ Shopsop : How long? ]
Tae-jun answered while watching Lunabel charge at the boss again.
[ Arc Saber : I’ll teach a little more and head back. ]
Ha-yoon checked Arc Saber’s current location and party status again.
Then she sent a short message.
[ Shopsop : You have plans today, don’t you? ]
Tae-jun blinked while looking at the screen.
There was no separate schedule for today.
But recently the two had been meeting at roughly the same time almost every day to train or explore dungeons. It hadn’t been clearly defined, but it had become a natural routine without them realizing.
[ Arc Saber : Were you waiting? ]
Ha-yoon’s hand stopped.
She regretted calling so directly.
A few seconds later she answered in her usual short tone.
[ Shopsop : Just checking if guild members are online. ]
Tae-jun didn’t take the words at face value.
[ Arc Saber : It’s not like I’m the only guild member. ]
The reply came a little later this time.
[ Shopsop : You talk too much. ]
Tae-jun let out a small laugh.
It was the usual tone from Shopsop. But between the short sentences, there was a sharper edge than usual. He couldn’t pinpoint why, but he knew he couldn’t make her wait any longer.
[ Arc Saber : I’ll be there soon. ]
Ha-yoon stared at the chat window for a moment before answering.
[ Shopsop : Take your time. ]
It sounded like she wasn’t rushing him at all.
Tae-jun closed the conversation window without suspicion and went back to watching Lunabel’s battle.
Meanwhile, Ha-yoon’s character remained standing quietly in the center of the city square.
Around her, guild members and other players moved busily, but Shopsop didn’t join any party.
She didn’t open the dungeon entrance window either.
She simply waited for Arc Saber’s party icon to disappear—
And stayed in the same spot in silence.