Solo Bug Hunt and Skill Pack Fever
And the next day.
"Carpe, I'm sorry, but you'll have to handle the bug extermination on your own today."
"Oh, yeah? Sure."
"Yes. From what I observed yesterday, I judged that you can manage just fine without me. Staying by your side would only waste manpower."
About five minutes after logging into RaSe, Saiers showed up out of nowhere and said that.
"It's a busy time right now, so we're always short on hands. That's why we let the slime bugs multiply unchecked."
In short, he was saying Carpe was reliable enough for the bug work, so he'd handle other tasks.
"Please take this."
Saiers handed Carpe a small scroll as he spoke.
"What's this?"
"A return scroll. Use it when you're done with the bugs. It's set to coordinates near Her Majesty's office."
"Ah, got it. Thanks."
"No problem. Oh, and don't venture too far from here—it could be dangerous. Be careful."
"Dangerous?"
Carpe glanced around at Saiers's words.
Larks chirped softly as they hopped about.
Warm sunlight filtered through the leaves, embracing the forest.
And the only monster they'd seen so far, the slime bug, was non-aggressive.
Danger in a space that perfectly matched the word healing?
Saiers gave a slight smile at Carpe's puzzled look.
"We've cleared monsters around here over many years, so it's safe. But deeper in the forest, there are places our hands haven't reached yet."
Wild monsters sometimes formed packs in those areas, he explained.
"I don't think it's a big risk for someone of your skill, Carpe, but still, stay cautious. Some are truly dangerous."
Saiers gave that final advice before leaving.
"Hmm. Dangerous monsters, huh."
-Tsk tsk. Hearing 'dangerous' gets your fun cells fired up? Gonna go hunt 'em down?
"Nah, saying it like that makes me sound like some pervert who only chases danger."
-Oh. Didn't know you had such self-awareness.
"What..."
He was curious, sure.
But with the slime bug quest still pending, it wasn't urgent enough to detour.
"Relic first. Exploration can wait."
-You've... grown.
Cheonma was touched by the rare sensible remark.
-Good mindset. Let's clear those bugs quick.
"Before that, gotta open yesterday's skill packs first."
They'd nagged at him all night after logging off.
"My ancestor visited in a dream last night and told me it'd be 7-star. Swear."
-Crazy. Skill packs ain't lottery tickets. Why would your ancestor show up?
Carpe pulled out the two dormant skill packs from his inventory.
"Kuh. This game's real thrill is the draws."
His heart pounded the moment he grabbed one.
Carpe felt alive today, too.
"Nature's energy is thick here—draws'll be better. I can feel it!"
-You've finally lost it.
Cheonma's jab fell on deaf ears.
The larks' chirps sounded like a jackpot blessing song!
"Here we go!"
He ripped open the first pack energetically. Five cards floated up.
"C'mon... glow? Gimme that 7-star gold effect!"
-As if...
Repeat. Repeat. Repeat!
He opened each with fervent hope.
And the result?
-Huh? Better than expected.
"Agh, so close. Needed that explosion effect."
-Yeah, your conscience exploded, huh? Effects ain't some dog's name to burst every time.
First pack: 3-star, 3-star, 5-star, 2-star, 2-star.
One short of the silver-bursting 6-star.
◈ Swaps positions between user and ally (party, guild, retainer, etc.).
◈ Range increases with skill level.
◈ Cannot activate if level gap with target exceeds limit.
"Castling, huh. Rings a bell."
-Chess term. No interest, you wouldn't know.
"Yeah? Weird one popped anyway."
Ally position swap.
Strategic gold for Carpe with his retainers.
"Swap around, hit-and-run sounds fun."
-Won't work. Long cooldown—no spamming.
"...What? Kinda lame then."
It added variables, so not worthless, but hesitant to spend points.
"Ugh. Useless without retainers, so cheap. Bottom-tier 5-star?"
-Bottom-tier? Top 10 among all 5-stars. Few 6-stars cost more.
"Huh?"
Cheonma chuckled at Carpe's 'really?' stare.
-Not great for hunting, yeah, due to cooldown.
But Castling shone elsewhere.
-Guild wars. Massive PvP like sieges—best there.
"Hmm. Mid-chaos swap would panic foes."
Carpe nodded, but Cheonma shook his head.
-Think folks dump gold and points for that basic effect? Real use is different.
Unlisted in description, but Castling had a killer hidden effect.
Specifically:
-It forces the swap regardless of target's consent.
"...Huh?"
That 'force' word sparked a memory of a classic RPG that rocked its era.
"Ah."
Realization dawned.
Castling's true niche was:
"Betrayal special skill."
-Bingo. Can end guild wars in one cast.
'Ally' in description—but are party/guildmates always true allies?
"Old game incident compilations are full of spies backstabbing guilds."
-Yep. Mid-war, cast to drop guild leader in enemy lines.
Pretend ally, then yeet boss/execs at key moments.
No countermeasures? Guild war over.
That was the infamous 5-star outlier, Castling.
-Hence, pricier than your old 7-star Holy Sacrifice despite being 5-star.
"...Wasn't that like 5 million won?"
And more than that?
RaSe was wrecking his sense of money since starting.
"But will I even do guild wars?"
-Future's unknown. Sell if no need. Oh, guild wars aren't hot yet—hold for value.
"Hmm. Got it. Keeping it."
5-Star Skill Card – Castling acquired.
Then the second draw.
Not as lucky.
2-star, 2-star, 1-star, 4-star, 3-star.
4-star from basic pack was decent, but:
"Agh. Dupe."
Of all things, Wind Cutter—one he already had.
Unlike Castling, non-tradable. No selling.
As Carpe grimaced toward the 3-star:
-No. Pick Wind Cutter.
"Huh? It's a dupe."
-Exactly why pick it.
"...What?"
Cheonma just grumbled, 'Why's this guy's luck so nuts?'
-Just do it. Something fun'll happen.
"On it."
'Fun' triggered instant response.
4-Star Skill Card – Wind Cutter acquired.
You already possess this skill.
Enhance skill with duplicate card?
"...Enhance? Like item upgrades?"
-Yep. Separate from levels—upgrades skills.
Two ways to boost skills in RaSe.
First: Spend points to level up—increases %/damage.
Second: Duplicate cards for enhancement—adds new effects, not just damage.
-Enhancements so strong, penalty: no under 3-star.
"That good, huh?"
-See for yourself.
"...Enhance sounds risky. Doesn't explode and delete the skill, right?"
-RaSe's dirty, but not that shitty. Fail just loses material card.
No gear-like boom—relief.
"Success rate?"
-99% here.
"Whoa? 99% in trash-rate RaSe?"
-Only for direct pack non-tradables. Others? 1%.
Anti-auction sweeping measure, apparently.
"Really blocks pay-to-win hard."
-Why it's 'screw the rich' game. 99%—relax.
"What? Gotta sweat it."
-...Right, you're that gacha-prob junkie.
Cheonma now grokked gacha-brain.
-1% draw/enhance?
"Oh, generous game? Doable."
-...99%?
"Agh! 1% fail troll! Dirty shit game!"
-Consistent. Admirable.
Consistent lunatic.
Proceed with enhancement?
"Hoo. Going!"
Carpe swallowed hard, shivering with true tension, and confirmed.
-Lunatic.
Cheonma eyed him like, 'What kinda freak?'
Wind Cutter +1 enhancement successful.
+1 Effect: 30% chance for double cast. No extra MP cost.
Carpe's power stacked steadily today, too.