Party Formation – A Man's Romance
'Heh heh. It's a man's romance, right?'
I smirked as I flipped through the guidebook faster.
How long had I been reading? Tap. Tap.
"Yes, come in."
I pulled my eyes from the book and turned my head. The receptionist who'd guided me here was smiling and beckoning.
"Mr. Berg, your beginner party has been matched."
"Got it. Understood."
It was right there at the start of the guidebook. Newbie adventurers form mock parties to clear the tutorial—like the starter team in a mobile game.
I'd known about it ahead of time, but it still felt surreal in my situation. Party matching against fellow rookies...?
They're weeding them out... right?
Just tossing a bunch of randos into the meat grinder without a second thought? If they die, oh well—that medieval vibe sent chills down my spine.
I had my abilities, so I wasn't worried in the slightest, but wasn't this ridiculous?
Survive or get wrecked... What a joke.
No wonder they hand out adventurer's proofs like candy. Weaklings are useless. If you're strong, they'll vouch for your background or whatever. It was blatantly obvious.
I swallowed a hollow laugh and slowly followed the receptionist.
Thud. Thud.
We passed the first floor where she'd been stationed, went up the stairs we'd come down, then headed underground. The building's interior gradually came into view.
Unlike the first floor plastered with quest posters, this basement seemed to be a bar serving snacks. A few adventurers were knocking back wooden mugs, chatting away.
Take quests upstairs, discuss and plan down here?
Handy info. I needed to memorize these little details to take the lead.
Scanning around with feigned newbie enthusiasm, the receptionist led me to a corner table for four, hidden from outside view.
And there they were—three figures caught my eye.
Silver-haired wolf beastkin, a genuine golden-haired elf straight out of stories, and some lanky-ass male mage sitting at the table, waiting for me.
I couldn't give less of a shit about the pepper dick. My heart raced like a kid's—finally, it felt real. I was in a fantasy world.
Were my eyes too intense? They spotted me and lit up.
Tier twitched her ears and nose nonstop, sniffing me out with her beastkin senses, while Daphne hid her bright green eyes behind a warm smile. Between them, the lanky fucker Leon muttered,
"Whoa~ Fuck. Total 5-star vibe. Insane. Heh heh."
Tier and Daphne, not getting it, just tilted their heads.
Leon seemed to think his luck landed him this setup.
How carefully did I set this up?
I'd crammed every setting to make sure I'd start with Tier and Daphne as companions, and this idiot didn't even know. Pathetic NPC.
Didn't expect to actually party with that fake one, though. Without special circumstances like in the wuxia world, fakes probably spawn nearby, huh?
In the wuxia world, the fake was tied to the Namgung family, so it stayed away. Thinking back to the apocalypse, my guess was spot on.
The mood quieted as we eyed each other warily. The receptionist broke the silence.
"You four gathered here will be registered as a temporary party with the guild, active until you clear the 10th floor."
Her gaze swept over us warmly. We nodded slightly.
They'd probably read the guidebook like me or come prepared as locals. No panic—just calm resolve.
"Barring accidents or quest failures, the party won't be restructured. You can disband or kick members only after exiting beginner rank post-10th floor. Any questions?"
Her rapid-fire explanation boiled down to: We're locked in this four-man party through the guild's test zone up to floor 10—sink or swim.
We nodded without a word. Satisfied, she smiled.
"Then I'll be going..."
She hurried off, job done. The table buzzed with darting eyes sizing each other up.
"Nice to meet you all. Since we're party now, let's introduce ourselves. I'm Leon, the mage. Leave the backline firepower to me."
Super untrustworthy, but as he tried to liven things up, we started chiming in one by one.
"Tier of the Frost Wolf tribe... Dual swords."
The wolf girl spoke low, nodding curtly.
Tier, huh... What about a daughter’s name?
"Hello! I'm Daphne of Lake Ravinia. I handle water spirits, healing, and some spirit magic! Nice to meet you."
Unlike wary, perky-eared Tier, Daphne greeted politely.
Their bright smiles tugged at my lips. I straightened them.
Wolf beastkin and elf girl. Nngh...
"Let's drop the formalities. Can't be polite in a pinch."
Despite my dark thoughts, my playful tone made Daphne's eyes widen, then smile.
"I-I'm fine with casual!"
She must've had strict etiquette training. Formal was fine by me. Felt kinda little-sister-ish... Sister? Yeah?
"In that case, nice to meet ya. I'm Berg the martial artist."
I spoke calmly, scanning the room. First impressions mattered here.
Honestly, "martial artist" in a fantasy world sounded like trash tier.
Glancing at the table, they'd ordered food while waiting. I laid a iron knife—used for slicing sausage—against my hand and slowly sawed.
Kiiik.
My companions watched curiously, then frowned at the psycho move—until they saw my unscratched hand and knife, eyes bulging.
"As you can see, my body's tough. Leave tanking to me."
Perfect demo for flexing without knowing the party's level yet. Iron Man ability was spot on.
Save mana for their level.
Stagnant water strutting in clear springs was pathetic. Rule as the powerhouse, grow with them—good enough.
My casual attitude and superhuman feat shocked them. Tier's tail fur bristled. Her instant emotions were adorable.
Her swishing tail, Daphne's cupped hands and wide eyes at her chest—I felt pretty good about showing off.
"Fuck. Tank, DPS, healer combo—god tier."
That moron's bullshit would drag on awhile. I'd plan to ditch him eventually.
For now, tutorial mode.
As small talk flowed, Daphne beamed at everything new, Leon preened at the comp. Under their lead, drinks started.
Nothing beat booze for bonding, right? Turns out the guild comped drinks for newbie party nights. Eyes sparkled.
+++
Simple beer and sausage snacks. Our awkward cheers turned rowdy fast. Leon, eyeing the princess-like blonde elf as his type, kept simping at Daphne.
Innocent Daphne, clueless about the world, got hyped—made my stomach turn.
Let it slide for now.
Even I couldn't grope Tier and Daphne on first meet. Focus on Tier first.
For Jeong Jae-kyung's sake too...
Tier sipped her big mug quietly. As I leaned in, she feigned nonchalance, but her tail thrashed wildly.
More homesick than expected.
So damn readable.
Her big-dog vibe kept cracking me up. Daughter's name: Luna. Suited her silver hair perfect.
"Nice to meet you again. Tier of the Frost tribe, right?"
She gulped her beer, wiped foam with her hand.
"Yeah. Near Lake Ravinia where Daphne's from."
"So you two knew each other from the start?"
"Friends. Tribes are close, we hung out a lot."
Limited characters with built-in friendship—jackpot for me. Even if I fucked up bad, one ally could shield me.
I nodded. Caught her sneaking nose twitches.
"Hm? Smell something?"
I sniffed my shirt—nothing but fresh fabric softener.
Called out indirectly, she panicked, waving hands.
"N-no! Not that."
I watched silently. Ears drooped, she mumbled,
"Keeps happening without thinking... Sorry if it bothered you."
I glanced at her limp tail, shook my head. Can't have my pup down.
"No bother. Do what you want. We're sticking together—no need to get shy."
Permission granted, her tail wagged furiously. Now she breathed deep openly.
What the hell is she smelling?