Cashing In for a Powerful Ally
“Something seems to have brought you a pleasant feeling.”
After thirty minutes of physical training and one hour of top-tier sword practice, my entire body felt utterly exhausted. Yet I showed no signs of discomfort and instead wore a satisfied smile. The reason? Because every action I took now would benefit me in the future.
It was far better to invest in hope than to waste an entire day without purpose, for hope was what gave people drive.
At Vice’s question, I felt a flicker of guilt and quickly forced a smile while changing the subject. “I obtained a great item in the game.”
In that stale game-like tone, Vice offered a bitter congratulations, and the knights surrounding us chuckled.
The crude reactions from the knights revealed my standing within the family. Vice glared at his comrades with icy eyes, and they shrugged and quietly slipped away.
I felt sorry for Vice, but those reactions were inevitable. After all, I had deliberately provoked them.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Usually, children of noble houses with little chance of becoming successors became knights, mages, or administrators to carve out their own paths. But Anna and Cedric had wished for me to be useless, and I had been so consumed with searching for Arsia that I had lived as a NEET for years.
My father found my behavior bothersome and tried to assign me business or estate duties yesterday, but I refused them all. My reputation among the vassals had reached rock bottom.
“How can you simply overlook such impolite behavior?”
Vice’s rage was strangely human. I casually patted his shoulder and headed inside the mansion.
To others, my calm demeanor would only make me seem more pitiful. I was well-practiced in such empty theater.
***
[Welcome to Chronicle Online.]
After practicing swordsmanship as exercise and taking a light nap, I finally had the chance to log in. From now on, my life would revolve around Chronicle Online in order to master Lucas the Grand Duke’s Arsia. The maximum daily login time was fifteen hours. I intended to fill it to the brim.
- Second floor of Manuel Lucas’s Tower.
Time was now just money and power. But the moment I returned to the tower, I sat down on the floor without a thought of hunting outside. I selected one option from the menu bar at the bottom of my vision.
[Cash Shop]
Someone once said that in games, what mattered most was not personal effort but the strength of the wallet. Cash investing made gameplay much easier, and Chronicle Online was no exception. Moreover, it had been open for over ten years. The package for new players was already quite well prepared.
[Experience Boost / 500 Kits] Condition: Level 100 or lower Effect: 30% increase in acquired experience for 24 hours
[Goddess’s Blessing / 500 Kits] Condition: Level 100 or lower Effect: 30% boost to all stats for 24 hours
[Goddess’s Protection / 1,000 Kits] Condition: Level 100 or lower Effect: Immune to all damage once per use. (30-minute reuse cooldown)
One Kit equalled one Root (one won). Purchasing these items kept the options active for a full day. I should have bought them earlier, but the minimum condition for using the Cash Shop was reaching Level 10.
I purchased thirty of each and moved on to the next category. There were many paid items, but these were the most important.
[Summon Supporter / 1-time 500 Kits / 10-times 4,500 Kits]
The thing that made every Korean gamer shudder. A gacha system that caused instant eye-rolling once started.
[Summon 10 continuous Supporters? (4,500 Kits)]
A Supporter could share a portion of the experience gained by its owner, allowing it to level up. If one thought of it as party play, it was not that painful. However, since the growth cap was 50 to 250, once approaching the maximum 300, it would rarely be useful in combat. Most high-level users only raised one or two seriously and used the rest as mascots with good visuals.
I had originally owned a decent Healer-type Supporter, but upon obtaining Arsia and resetting the character, that Supporter vanished along with it.
‘Let me summon the highest-grade warrior that will tank for me no matter the cost.’
Supporters could only have one registered at a time. To obtain a high-grade one that I could use for a long time, I knew a large investment was required.
[Dia Wolf (Female) / Beast / Normal / Cap Level 55] [High Orc (Male) / Warrior / Normal / Cap Level 80] [Elven Lock (Male) / Warrior / Rare / Cap Level 160]
Most summons were Normal or Magic, with Rare occasionally appearing. As expected, it was not easy to get what I wanted through gacha in Korea or here. The cash vanished in seconds.
[High Elf Irmi (Female) / Elementalist / Unique / Cap Level 220]
When the invested amount exceeded 500,000, the first Unique Supporter appeared. After spending all the 5,000,000 Root Point Card from yesterday, I obtained four Unique Supporters. However, none satisfied me, so I purchased more Points. I had received 50 billion Roots from the Treasure Box as online currency, so my war chest was more than sufficient.
I felt strangely like I needed to shout “Gaza!” But I simply moved my fingers in silence.
I spent 5,000,000, refilled to 10,000,000, then spent again. After exchanging 30,000,000, the moment I reached the limit:
[Tian Gang Arsia (Female) / Warrior / Unique / Cap Level 250]
At last, the Supporter I had longed for appeared.
“Whoa, the probability… Korean trash games, go away.”
Tian Gang Arsia. Since it was a Supporter I had never seen before, it might be an undiscovered new character. Moreover, this level was the highest tier among Uniques. The best part was that, as a game, the higher the grade, the more visual elements strengthened, yet this character was completely exposed.
Bringing a scantily clad Supporter would attract unnecessary attention, so this was better. After all, they were only means for easy leveling.
[Register Tian Gang Arsia as Supporter?]
“Yes.”
[Once a Supporter is registered, it cannot be changed. Are you sure you want to register?]
“Huh?”
Selecting one from the stored Supporters and registering would summon it. But that was it. Why were there so many System questions?
“Supporters can normally be replaced freely, right?”
What collection system was this? The System answered my question kindly.
“You are an exception.”
“…”
The System Ego’s defiant reply. ‘Is it some restriction attached to Arsia?’
I did not hesitate for long. I figured there would be no Supporter higher than this for me, a mage. I immediately registered Arsia as Supporter.
- Flash!
“Ugh.”
A blinding light flooded my eyes and a magnificent magic circle appeared in the air.
‘Is the effect too much? Even back then it wasn’t this strong.’
After a moment, the light faded and a woman with a normal build, fully wrapped in armor, appeared. The only exposed part of her skin was her face. According to the explanation, Arsia was a defensive-specialized Supporter wearing a divine shield, the God’s Shield.
‘She’s quite pretty, but she looks like a golem with a human appearance.’
Her expression and gaze as she looked at her owner with a blank face showed no emotions at all. Even with her flashy appearance, she felt extremely doll-like.
‘Well, since I’ll just use her and discard her anyway.’
The gap between Level 250 and the maximum 300 was enormous. As I approached the maximum, Supporters with lower cap levels would become useless in combat. That was why I thought of discarding her.
After purchasing temporary combat gear for the lower-level areas, I stood up from my seat and smiled with satisfaction. “Shall we go?”
From now on, it was time for serious leveling.
***
With a Supporter that would tank for me as a mage, hunting became incredibly easy. I even felt no loss despite losing a portion of my experience, and I fought until I reached Level 20 by the time limit.
[Arsia Quest 2]
Condition: Level 30, defeat Orc Warrior Kants Reward: Opening of the 3rd floor of Manuel Lucas’s Tower
Though it appeared like play, my actions were still to master Lucas the Grand Duke’s Arsia. Yet with the goal so clearly marked, the situation felt truly enjoyable, like an actual game. As in all RPG games, higher levels became harder to raise. But compared to training magic in reality, it was still easy.
With rapid growth expected, this was all bound to be fun.
“Kyaaa!”
I removed the gaming headset with a refreshed feeling and stretched. Then, as usual, I stood up and lifted the blackout curtain on the terrace—
“…!”
When I turned my back, I met a pair of green eyes staring at me from beside the bed.
“Kyaaah!”
A strange intruder. But it was not an assassin.
“You… you are?”
A woman with soft brown hair and green eyes, dressed in armor, yet devoid of human warmth. It was the Supporter Arsia from the game.