How High Would Luck Go If He Kept Killing Nothing But These Until Level 100?

"If he keeps killing nothing but those all the way to level 100, how high would his Luck go?"

"Uh... I'd have to run the numbers to know for sure, but it'll definitely go over two thousand."

"One stat going over two thousand at level 100? Even if it is Luck..."

"What do we do? Should we patch it now?"

"Even if we wanted to, it's not something we can fix immediately. We can't touch it outside a scheduled patch either. An AI isn't called an AI for nothing, right?"

"That's true."

"Let's fix it in the next patch, then. Until that happens, let's just pray he doesn't go too crazy with it."

Yoon Ju-hwan trailed off, then suddenly shouted as something occurred to him.

"Ah!"

"What now? Is there another problem?"

"No, no. You said earlier there weren't any Legendary classes in the Salz Kingdom, right?"

"Right?"

"Well... if Kim Tae-hyun keeps going like this, he'll meet the conditions for one."

"There's one like that? Without being tied to a region...? Oh, wait. Avatar of Archisus?!"

Choi Myung-sung stared, stunned by the thought.

Avatar of Archisus.

Most Legendary classes had ridiculous requirements, but that one was particularly brutal.

To be honest, he'd always assumed no one would ever get it. To him, it was basically a discarded Legendary class—one that existed only on paper.

"Yes! Avatar of Archisus."

"No, come on, there's no way. Sure, maybe the Luck part works out, but he also has to stay unclassed."

"He is unclassed right now, isn't he?"

"That's probably only because he's trying to pump his stats with rabbit feet first. He can't stay unclassed forever. He'll class up eventually. Since it's Kim Tae-hyun, it'll probably be something like Blacksmith. Wait... if it's a Blacksmith with that much Luck..."

Choi Myung-sung muttered to himself.

"Do we need to rebalance the enhancement system too...?"

Yoon Ju-hwan nodded at his team leader's words.

What neither of them knew, however, was that they were both barking up the wrong tree.

"Lend me a bow."

"Y-you can't just say it like that! Even if he's an NPC, he reacts like a real person!"

When Tae-hyun walked up to August and bluntly demanded a bow, Ji-su jumped in shock.

And for good reason. Every time she tried talking to August, he'd answered with all the warmth of frozen dirt.

At that point, she couldn't even tell whether he was an NPC meant to help beginners or an NPC designed to raise their blood pressure.

Ji-su squeezed her eyes shut. She was sure August was about to snap again.

"Hahaha! That's just like you! Yes, if you're a man I've acknowledged, that's the kind of spirit you should have!"

"?!"

"You need a bow? If you're asking for a bow, then I take it you've finally made up your mind to become a Tyrum Hunter?"

Hunter August...

"Ah, no thanks. Not doing it."

Ji-su was floored all over again.

Wait, that was obviously a class advancement quest?

"W-why are you refusing?"

"Don't wanna be a Tyrum Hunter."

"Isn't it a Normal class? If an NPC personally offers it like that, doesn't that usually mean it's a Rare class?"

"It is a Rare class. Still don't want it."

"Are you aiming for a Heroic class? That's way too uncertain!"

"I'm not aiming for a Heroic class. And you should worry about yourself first."

At Tae-hyun's words, Ji-su's face turned red.

"From the sound of it, Tyrum Hunter is an archer-type class. Do you want it? The requirements aren't that hard. August has a rotten personality, but in the end, if you keep sticking with him, it works out. Ask if there's anything he needs, keep solving his problems, and you'll get closer."

Grinding.

The magic word that could solve anything.

Back in Fantasy Online 1, the reason Tae-hyun had trampled rankers as a Blacksmith in the first place had, in the end, been grinding.

"Do... do you think it'd help me?"

"Tyrum Hunter? Probably better than a normal Archer. It's a Rare class, for starters. Class performance in Fantasy Online isn't something you can define in absolute terms, but in general, Rare is usually better than Normal..."

"Then I'll try it!"

"Suit yourself."

Tae-hyun said it without much interest, but Ji-su seemed deeply moved.

After receiving a bow and arrows, Ji-su plucked the string.

The way she moved looked strangely familiar, and Tae-hyun blinked in surprise.

"You've shot a bow before?"

"Yes. I did it as a club activity."

"Not many schools have an archery club, do they?"

Tae-hyun tilted his head.

Still, it didn't matter. If she was already used to it, that was only a plus.

"Take a few shots and get the feel for it before we go into real combat."

"Um... thank you."

"Hm?"

"For taking care of me like this. Everyone else just saw I couldn't control my character properly, cursed at me, and left...."

"To my eyes, you and everyone else are all equally bad. And I'm nice to people who can't control properly. They're pathetic."

"......"

Whatever the reason, Tae-hyun was being kind to her.

Leaving aside the fact that he had mistaken her for a pretty boy.

There really weren't many people who treated others that kindly.

"Um, when I hit level 10, does the party end?"

"Hm? I don't mind partying if you want to. But it won't be good for you."

"What? Why?"

"Because I'm staying here and killing rabbits."

"???"

Ji-su stared at him in utter confusion.

"These rabbits?"

"Yep. These rabbits."

"Why?"

"Need to do a bit of stat farming. Honestly, though, it's not efficient. So don't copy me for no reason—go somewhere else and level the normal way."

"I-I'll wait and do it together with you."

"What?"

"You're not going to keep killing rabbits forever, right?"

"That's true."

Once the rabbits stopped dropping rabbit feet, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he intended to move elsewhere.

"Then until then, I'll hunt somewhere else, and when that time comes, I'll help you! By then, I'll be a higher level than you!"

Tae-hyun stared at Ji-su.

Even if you're higher level, I don't think I'd ever need your help.

And I prefer playing solo anyway.

Those words somehow wouldn't come out when she was looking at him with those innocent, sparkling eyes.

Handsome guys really do have it easy.

He was probably the kind of person who could just stand under a tree in autumn, leaves falling around him, wearing a vaguely meaningful expression, and girls would start squealing.

Compared to that, Tae-hyun, judged by appearance alone, looked much more like the thug in a story.

His face and build both fit the role a little too well...

"All right, pretty boy. So you want to team up?"

"I-I'm not a pretty boy. I'm Ji-su."

"Right. Ji-su. Wait. What about your friends?"

"My friends don't really play games much... and it's not like I have to play only with them!"

"Didn't you say you started because you wanted to play with them? Well, whatever. Fine. First, let's go shoot. Open your skill window."

As he spoke, Tae-hyun opened his own skill window too.

In Fantasy Online, stats mattered, but skills mattered too.

Basic skills. Class-exclusive skills only certain jobs could learn. Quest-exclusive skills obtained through specific quests. General skills you started with by default...

The categories were all over the place.

Since it was still the early game and he hadn't done much yet, his basic skills were limited.

Cooking is a basic skill, sure, but why did it go up? Ah. Because I cooked the rabbit feet?

Back in Fantasy Online 1, skills had been Tae-hyun's livelihood.

Because he had chosen the Blacksmith class, the only way to stay ahead of everyone else had been to raise his skill proficiency higher than theirs.

He had leveled basic swordsmanship like a madman, learned every skill he possibly could, and then ground those proficiencies up too.

Just remembering that grind made his stomach ache.

It looked like he'd have to do that much again in 2.

Especially since he had no intention of taking a class.

Cooking, swordsmanship... I'd better raise them a bit. Is there somewhere around here I can cook?

At first glance, Cooking looked pretty useless, but later on it became a very powerful skill.

Food created through Cooking granted temporary—or even permanent—buffs.

Any guild would want a chef who could make dishes like that.

Fantasy Online was the kind of game that gave production classes plenty of room to shine.

While Tae-hyun was lost in thought, Ji-su finished getting ready and spoke up.

"It's open."

"Good. Take the bow and loose a few shots. You'll probably get Archery."

"I got it!"

"Nice. Let's go. And don't hit me, okay?"

"I-I won't hit you. ...Probably."

Tae-hyun was surprised again.

This time, though, in a good way.

"You... actually have talent, huh?"

She had hit a fast-moving rabbit right in the eye.

Ji-su looked just as startled as he was when the alert announcing a critical hit popped up.

"I-I'm surprised too."

"Good for you. Found your aptitude. Let's go see August."

"What?"

"Go ask if he needs help with anything. I brute-forced my way into his good graces by massacring rabbits, but you don't need to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠do that. Build rapport by clearing quests."

"Okay!"

When August saw Ji-su, his face soured. When he saw Tae-hyun, it brightened.

"What brings you here?"

"I came to see if there was any way I could help."

"Oh! Good timing. There's been a lot of talk lately about wolves swarming outside the city. A request came in for us Tyrum Hunters to get rid of them. Ah, come to think of it, you too have all the makings of an excellent Tyrum Hunter, don't you?"

Hunter August...

"I'm telling you, I'm not doing it!"

"You may deny it, but you're already a magnificent Tyrum Hunter! Who else here could slaughter this many rabbits? A spirit of sacrifice for the sake of the citizens! This is exactly what a Tyrum Hunter should be!"

Tae-hyun hadn't expected that trying to raise his Luck would turn into such a nuisance.

He let out a heavy sigh.

Ji-su, meanwhile, was watching him with shining eyes full of admiration.

"Come on. Let's go kill wolves."

The rewards hidden behind question marks were probably a few silver coins or some kind of beginner item.

What he received would likely vary depending on affinity.

At this rate, if I keep raising affinity, won't I get force-classed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠later?

If it looked like the game was going to force him into the class, he was fully prepared to trash his relationship with August on purpose if he had to.

No, maybe it'd be better to do that now... no, can't. Not with her here.

Intentionally failing the quest would cause too many problems no matter how he looked at it.

And it wouldn't just hurt him. Ji-su would suffer for it too.

"Anyway, wolves won't be easy prey for you. Let's get you a few levels first. You're okay classing up after level 10, right?"

"Yes! It's a Rare class, so of course that's fine!"

Ji-su was fully prepared to do whatever Tae-hyun told her.

Tae-hyun nodded.

"Then keep your distance and shoot rabbits. If one comes at you, scream."

Ji-su nodded with a deeply moved expression.

So this is the joy of party play.

"Uh... should I shoot a different rabbit?"

Tae-hyun shook his head, looking awkward.

Critical hits were triggering far too often.

The rabbits were strong, sure, but they were still low-level monsters.

If consecutive crits kept stacking, the thing died before Ji-su could even loose her next arrow.

"No. I'll go a little easier on them."

"You can do that?!"

"If I hit somewhere that isn't a vital spot, maybe?"