Solo Raid: Elder Trent

The next day.

Carpe logged in early in the morning, and Cheonma greeted him.

-Yo, you're here?

"Yeah. Nothing happened overnight, right?"

-Nah. Slept like a baby for once. Uploaded the video and had a good laugh watching it.

"......You couldn't mosaic it at least?"

-Hey now. Can't keep something that ugly to myself! Besides, the gross ones will watch it anyway. Check the comments right now. Better reaction than I thought.

"Really?"

He'd crashed right after getting home last night and hadn't checked yet.

-Especially the reaction to Tina's blowing up.

"Huh? Tina?"

-Yeah. Take a look.

At Cheonma's words, Carpe pulled up the internet window and checked the comments.

As Cheonma said, the comments were exploding with interest in Tina.

Plus, Hanjo had retired early and wasn't in the video, so everyone was mistaking Tina for a player.

"Hmm. Tina is super pretty, yeah."

-You calling that obvious? Bet if you revealed her face, subs triple in 24 hours flat.

"Then better keep her hidden."

If only good people came from revealing her, it'd be fine—but the world doesn't work that way.

Where there are fans, there are haters.

Even Korea's top star Cheongeom dealt with hate comments, so Carpe had no desire to pull aggro just for some extra subs.

"Tina wouldn't see the hate anyway, but it pisses me off."

-Normal to get mad when your crew gets trashed... but like I said before, don't get too attached to NPCs. This is for your own good.

"......Got it."

-Alright, end of lecture. Time for the raid?

"Yup. All prepped."

Carpe grinned as he equipped the gauntlets.

Worth stamping his handprint—the fit was surprisingly comfy.

-Other slots you could enhance or not, but sucks we couldn't do the gloves.

"Can't be helped with the limits."

He'd asked Fergus to enhance other gear too, but the guy said he'd poured all materials into the gauntlets and couldn't do more.

The catch: Fergus's enhancements were special. Once gear got enhanced by any other smith even once, he couldn't touch it.

'Gonna head to the capital to restore my fallen house's honor. Need materials only found near there anyway.'

'Gonna hone my skills waiting for my benefactor. Visit the capital and look me up.'

So Carpe's next enhancements were on hold till the capital.

"Agh. Would've been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠clutch if that worked."

Carpe actually had a plan the moment he entered enhancement territory—no, the second he heard "enhance"!

What if Repeat worked on enhancements?

Fail, repeat and try again! Fail again, repeat!

Repeat and enhancements seemed made for each other.

So he tested it.

After Fergus left, he bought a cheap sword and tried enhancing.

'This weapon's already safe-enhanced. Going further risks downgrade or destruction. Still wanna?'

'Yes. Do it.'

'Fine. No hard feelings if it fails.'

Experiment goal: better to fail.

The smith hammered the sword.

'Whoops! Slippery hands!'

Failure alert popped. Carpe mentally yelled Repeat!

'Ah......'

Half-success at best. Experiment over.

"Ugh. Wanna dump all skill points into mastering it."

-Don't. No guarantee even maxed out it'd work.

"That's the issue."

Unlike most skills mastering at 10, Unlock and Repeat levels climbed endlessly.

Per Cheonma, master levels varied—some at 1, others over 30 without mastering.

Worst case, Repeat eats all points and still no enhancement repeat.

"Nothing for it. Trust the title bonus and grind it out."

Luckily, [First 0-Star Skill User] title auto-leveled Repeat with his levels.

"Next enhancements in the capital, then."

-FYI, capital's high-level zone. Need 70+ to enter.

"Guess +12 weapon carries me till then."

-Carry? You massacring mobs these days? Let's hit Musou already. Wasting time yapping.

Twenty minutes east from Ruana Beach brought dense forest.

-Here we are. Sea Forest.

"Trees are smaller than I thought."

Sea Forest: thick-packed trees half the size of roadside ginkgos.

"Finally this guy's turn."

Carpe pulled the FB Radar from inventory.

Pressed the top button—alert popped.

"Handy as hell."

-Another busted item. Raid stream's golden.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Nicely, not just alert—minimap skull marker too. Head there on time.

-Almost two hours?

"Farm normal mobs, knock out subquests meanwhile."

Sea Forest quests: two.

One collection, one hunt. Both easy-looking.

-Alright, roll out. Fist Demon!

"......Don't call me that?"

-Why? You call me Cheonma. Fist Demon! Sounds slick. Good name.

"Think Cheonma and Fist Demon are both cool titles. Kinda jealous."

"Squeak squeak!"

"Mukhyang agrees."

"Groan."

Carpe groaned.

Fergus was great, but why name it Fist Demon? Stuck as a full Demonic Cultist now.

-Perfect. Fist Demon, guardian of the cult, born. Your cult leader's thrilled.

"Freaked when I first called you Cheonma, now you're into it."

-If you can't dodge it, ride it. Everyone, contribute to the new faith's rise!

Cheonma, Fist Demon, Mukhyang, Radiance.

......Party titles turning cultish?

Bit orthodox mixed in, but a proper martial world faction born.

-Item name whatever. Performance matters.

"True, but...... Hm?"

Thud!

A tree shuffled forward.

Huge—5m easy. Sea Forest boss Trent appeared.

"This a Trent? Looks tough."

-Trents slow but tanky defense. Wood weak to fire, but these sea-infused resist it...

Thwack!

Groooar!Thud!

"Not tough."

-......Dies before resisting. Do whatever.

"Game's well-made."

Carpe headed slowly to the skull marker.

Thwack!

"Leveling feels slower. Hour and a half for 2 levels."

-Level 20+ EXP jumps hard. Heh. Just starting. Gets tougher.

"Most games like that, whatever. But this experiment failing sucks."

Carpe sighed at his gauntlets.

+12 effects off, looked crude—but no planet-buster like it.

"Wanna test item options, but everything one-shots."

Second option: Low chance on phys attack to auto-cast designated magic. No chance to test with insta-kills.

But learned one thing.

Player level and skill grade determine if designable.

One more reason to grind levels.

"Squeak squeak!"

"Oh, found another? Nice. Mukhyang's the best."

Mukhyang trotted up with a blue mushroom in mouth.

Mukhyang's Collection Instinct.

While Carpe farmed Trents, Mukhyang scoured for shrooms.

This pace: collection quest done in 20.

"But first."

Carpe eyed minimap. Spot matched ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠skull.

Passed a few users entering forest, but spot empty save Carpe.

Solo raid conditions met.

Noise would draw crowds mid-fight... but countermeasures ready.

-Really solo? Standard strat easier.

"Yup. Solo."

Original: Tina tank, Carpe DPS, Mukhyang sub-DPS. But post-Fist Demon, changed.

No retainer help. Pure solo Carpe.

True solo raid.

Reason: one.

"Solo raids are gamer romance!"

-Sometimes you seem senile. Sigh. Do you.

Cheonma used to this enjoyer rampage.

Respawn neared.

Fwoosh!

Ground magic circle flared.

From it: Trent triple normal size.

GROOOOARRR!!

"Here I go!"

Carpe charged the Field Boss.

BOOM!

Level 33 Ranger Stefan turned toward the rumble.

Not far.

"Oho. That way this time?"

Only Field Boss made quakes like that in Sea Forest.

'Hunting time.'

Stefan grinned slyly, dashed toward it.

At source: burst out laughing.

'Ha. Solo raid? Too many clueless idiots.'

Elder Trent: first Field Boss RaSe players meet.

Thus, cocky newbies tried solo—100% wipe.

'Dies without me anyway.'

But sniping tasted better.

Stefan hid behind tree, nocked bow.

'This moment's the best.'

Thrill of backstabbing raiders.

Arrow piercing back, despair on face: peak fun.

For that, Stefan skipped leveling, farmed noobs here.

Nocked arrow, aimed at back—alert popped.

"Hmph."

Familiar warning, never triggered.

His scumminess aside, skills solid.

User charged Trent—back wide open.

'Now!'

Perfect timing.

Released string—

Clang!

Sword from side smacked arrow.

Arrow plowed into ground, unfired.

"Wh-what? When did... Gurk!"

Shocked Stefan yelled—but silenced.

Silver sword pierced chest.

"Wh...... who......"

"Cowards like you don't deserve my name."

Sword's owner, Tina, slashed without further words.

Thud.

Corpse vanished—bow left behind.

Mukhyang hopped down from tree, pocketed it.

"A world without chivalry. Truly lamentable."

"Squeak?"

"Cannot let such scum disrupt Lord's honorable battle. Let's move, Mukhyang."

"Squeak squeak!"

Mukhyang grew to pony size; Tina doll-sized, mounted.

Her cheeks flushed.

"Mm. What ride comfort... superb."

"Squeak?"

"No, nothing. That way. Faint boss aura."

"Squeak squeak!"

While Carpe solo raided, his retainers hunted forest PKers.