Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 13
>Chapter Title: Party Hunting
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I never imagined they'd hand it over like this when they said it'd be quick.
In Delrock, you had to talk to them one-on-one to get a quest no matter what...
'Is this the power of AI too?'
The NPCs had intelligence no different from players.
They had to give quests to players anyway, so it was probably a hassle for them to handle requests one by one.
It was such an innovative method that I was momentarily dumbfounded, but I didn't hate it.
Why would I dislike something that saved time?
"Whoa? Awesome, I got the quest."
"Man, this is sweet. No lines."
"Dante's a real man. Totally legit. This is gaming!"
"Let's grab all the quests quick and go hunt!"
The players seemed to think the same, hurriedly leaving the cabin.
Do-hyun was among them.
After quickly picking up the remaining essential quests, he ended up with three in total.
[Gather Goblin Leather]
[Blood of Variant Goblins]
They were all quests that could be done alongside goblin cleanup.
Now he was ready.
Stepping out through the outer city's east gate into the field revealed a lush forest.
And atop it, countless goblins and players gathered thickly.
"Looking for party members!"
"Anyone wanna gather leather together?"
"Recruiting for up to level 12. Two spots left now."
Some players tried soloing, but most were forming parties.
Since they planned to follow the guide up to level 12 anyway, partying was faster and safer.
Do-hyun, who had been looking around, pulled his sword from his inventory.
[Worn Iron Sword]
[Grade: Common]
[Description: A worn iron sword given to players who complete the tutorial.]
[Level Restriction: 1]
[Equip Restriction: Swordsman classes]
[Physical Attack: 40~60]
[Durability: 50/50]
The iron sword from the tutorial reward, instead of that crude sword.
The stats were nothing special, but for level 1, it was plenty. Much better than the crude sword, right?
'I want to test out a bunch of stuff anyway.'
Since he'd gained so much already.
He was just about to scout for goblins to hunt when—
"Excuse me."
A man approached him.
He was fairly burly but had a honest face and held a thick wooden shield.
Making eye contact, the man gave an awkward smile and blurted out.
"You look like you just got here. We have exactly one spot left—wanna join? Quests are the same anyway, right? Oh, you got all three essential ones, yeah?"
"Yes."
"Cool, let's party up then. We're aiming for level 12, and four-man parties are the meta, y'know."
Two more players approached behind him.
A relatively small young man and a cute short-haired young woman.
"Yeah! Party bonus EXP up to 12 too."
"Let's hunt together."
His party members chimed in to persuade, and Do-hyun had no choice but to nod.
'They're right.'
Beginner city Arde.
True to its name, it was extremely generous to newbies.
From quest acquisition difficulty to monster numbers and respawn rates—everything was convenient. But the best perk was the party bonus EXP.
A system supporting up to four players under level 12.
With the bonus EXP, hunting gains nearly matched solo play.
As long as you got credit for contributing, you got EXP even from monsters your party members killed.
'And monsters are overflowing here.'
That was why so many players partied up here.
Refusing a party here would be dumb.
Beginner city Arde really was an extension of the tutorial, just like the guide said.
This made it clear Godose was different from Delrock.
Perks? Adaptation?
Delrock had none of that.
It threw you straight into enemy territory from the start and said "find the village yourself."
'No wonder Delrock players all went combat classes in Godose.'
Do-hyun chuckled and replied.
"Sure. Let's party."
"Nice! Good call!"
"Phew... We needed a melee DPS. Lucky."
"Why'd you all have to pick ranged classes?"
"Guys gotta be archers, duh."
"VR magic is the most thrilling thing ever. I always wanted to try casting spells."
They welcomed him with bright smiles upon acceptance.
They looked to be in their early twenties and seemed like friends, chatting amiably.
Do-hyun glanced at their weapons.
'One archer, one mage, one tank...'
They'd formed a party but lacked a melee DPS, so they'd spotted him with his sword and swooped in fast.
Their excitement at finally completing the party screamed newbie vibes.
"Alright, sending the invite."
"Yes."
['BestShield' has requested to join their party.]
[Accept?]
Clicking accept brought up a semi-transparent hologram window in the bottom left.
['BestShield's' party has been formed.]
[Party Leader]
-BestShield
[Party Members]
-BrowBasher
-YubinQ
-Kaiser
Gamer nicknames true to form, each screaming their class.
Do-hyun wasn't the only one reacting to the names.
"Whoa? Kaiser?"
BestShield reacted to Do-hyun's name.
'Right, lots of Delrock players are rankers.'
Most kept their Delrock names.
Kaiser might be forgotten now, but reacting to the name was natural.
Just... not quite the reaction Do-hyun expected.
"Oh, Kaiser dude. Big fan, huh?"
"Kaiser? Who's that? Famous?"
"Yeah, ranking 1 in Delrock days. Godose copied Delrock, right? So he's got a solid fanbase."
"Real fans are rare these days. Must be a diehard to name yourself after him."
"......"
The party members chatted casually, not suspecting Do-hyun was the real Kaiser at all.
They treated Kaiser like some relic from history.
Do-hyun scratched his head at their reaction.
'...Well, that's about right.'
He'd be lying if he said he hadn't hoped otherwise, but this was Kaiser's current standing.
At least the dedicated fans were some consolation.
'But like he said, there might be a ton of people with the same nick as me.'
He might end up partying with a fake Kaiser someday.
Wondering what that'd feel like, Do-hyun chuckled as BestShield, done prepping, shouted.
"Alright, ready to hunt?"
"Let's smash to 12!"
"Go go go!"
The real hunt began.
* * *
Finding prey was easy.
Goblins everywhere—no need to go far.
The group took position in front of about five clustered goblins and assumed their roles.
"I'll tank up front. Kaiser, stick by me for sub-tank and DPS. Brow and Yubin, DPS from back."
"Okey-dokey~ I'll poke 'em right in the brow."
"You got it!"
BestShield, who'd clearly studied up, directed smoothly despite it being his first hunt.
Textbook hunting formation. No flair, but solid basics—no flaws.
'Not bad.'
Do-hyun followed without complaint.
Satisfied, BestShield nodded proudly, gripped his shield, and advanced slowly.
When the distance hit about 4m—
Kikik? Kik!
The peacefully standing goblins reacted and swung their daggers wildly.
Classic aggro-on-enter-range type.
A newbie might panic, but BestShield calmly raised his shield to block.
Not stopping there, he pushed up, then bashed with the shield.
Clang!
['BestShield' inflicted a status ailment on the Green Goblin.]
[Green Goblin is stunned for 1 second.]
"Shield Bash landed! Everyone, attack!"
Basic skill for shield weapons: Bash.
Just 1 second stun, but in combat, that's an eternity.
Hitting moving targets was hard; a stationary one was a punching bag.
"BrowBasher!"
"Here we go!"
BrowBasher loosed arrows, YubinQ fired Mana Bolt.
The Green Goblin, peppered instantly, collapsed. Its nearby allies startled and charged.
Kirik! Kiik!
Kiiik!
Target: BestShield.
Closest one, venting fury over their fallen comrade.
He desperately shielded and blocked, but he was just a fresh level 1 post-job change.
Overpowered, he started getting pushed back bit by bit.
"Urgh... Tough, kill 'em quick!"
But YubinQ's only attack was Mana Bolt.
Short 8-second cooldown and strong, but on cooldown now—no help. BrowBasher's arrows alone weren't enough.
They needed melee DPS now.
Ta! Slash-!
Kieeeek!
Do-hyun dashed in, slicing a distracted goblin. It foamed at the mouth and lunged.
Big damage on its guard-down moment—now a threat.
Do-hyun ignored it and struck another.
Stab!
Kiak!! Kaak!!
Enraged, the goblins turned on Do-hyun, but perfect timing—BestShield Bashed.
['BestShield' inflicted a status ailment on the Green Goblin.]
[Green Goblin is stunned for 1 second.]
Hit in the back of the head, it froze. Arrows flew.
Not all hit, but arms and legs got pierced.
Aggro split front and flanks, arrows raining from behind—the goblins were in chaos.
"Kaiser, nice!"
BestShield, breathing easier, gave a thumbs-up. Natural.
At this rate, smooth clear...
[Green Goblin defeated.]
[Green Goblin defeated.]
[By contribution split, 'BestShield' acquires Green Goblin Leather.]
"...Huh?"
BestShield froze at the two goblins dying way too fast.
No more attacks incoming either.
'What?'
Lowering his shield, he saw it.
Do-hyun standing over the fallen pair, all remaining goblins aggroed on him.
"...What the."
Why was all the aggro on this guy who'd just poked them once, not the tank or ranged DPS?
Two possibilities.
Aggro skill, or burst DPS tipping the balance.
At under level 10, aggro skill was impossible.
'...So this guy's casual pokes outdamaged all our total DPS?'
Enough to pull all aggro?
Does that even make sense?
Brain freeze in the confusion—
"Behind, behind us!"
"...Huh, what?"
BrowBasher and YubinQ's shouts snapped him awake. He turned.
His eyes widened.
Reflected in them: green-skinned horde.
Kiruk, keruk!
Kekeke!
Ten Green Goblins strong.
"...Insane."
Three left, and now ten more?
No, they hadn't even entered range—why the mob?
Solved the instant he saw their state.
"...Arrow."
A familiar arrow stuck in one's arm.
BrowBasher must've excitedly overshot into them.
Goblins everywhere caused the mishap.
'...That's why I was holding aggro tight. Damn it!'
They wouldn't attack unless within 5m.
Safe even with packs nearby—but special trigger: ranged attacks.
Then they chase the attacker no matter the distance.
"S-sorry... I must've misfired. Really sorry. Sorry, Kaiser. Ah... why'd I do that?"
"What do we do? Run?"
Culprit BrowBasher paled, babbling. YubinQ stomped anxiously.
Party leader BestShield had to call it.
But theory master or not, real combat was new to him.
Never imagined disaster on first pull—judgment lagged.
"Uh..."
Kiruk! Kerruk!
While he blanked, the horde closed in.
Finally snapping to, BestShield yelled desperately.
"Can't take this. I'll stun 'em—run...!"
But before the order finished—
Thud!
"Huh?"
"W-what...!"
Ground-pounding sound. Something streaked past him.
Sword-wielding black hair whipping.
Kaiser.