Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 23
>Chapter Title: Golden Light
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[You have acquired 'Charge Slash.']
[Charge Slash]
-Rank: Common
-Restriction: Swordsman classes
-Description: Swing your sword while charging once in your desired direction.
-Effect: Deals 150% of attack power as damage. Travel distance is proportional to movement speed. Activates faster with higher attack speed.
-Cooldown: 10 seconds
'Oh!'
Do-hyun let out an exclamation of admiration as he checked the skill information.
His class allowed him to use skills from all professions.
As such, it could have been something like magic or archery, but he got lucky with a sword-related skill.
'Charge Slash isn't bad at all.'
No, it was more than just not bad.
Not only was it a sword skill, but among common skills, it had exceptionally high utility.
Its power wasn't impressive, but thanks to its nature as a charging slash, it had endless uses—like chaining combos or interrupting enemy skills.
The short cooldown meant virtually no risk, and in a pinch, it could serve as a movement skill too...
'I used it a lot back when I was Demlock.'
Thanks to his godforsaken luck, he had to maximize low-rank skills, and none were better than Charge Slash.
Now, that skill had returned to him once more.
'Please take good care of me again this time.'
Of course, his expectations weren't as high as before.
Do-hyun smirked and closed the system window. But he left the inventory open.
Naturally.
[Random Skill Draw Ticket]
'One more left.'
In God Ose, they gave out Random Skill Draw Tickets every 10 levels.
These tickets randomly dispensed skills from common to legendary rank.
Do-hyun had received one upon hitting level 10 by clearing the dungeon, and he'd saved it to use in town without interruptions.
[Would you like to use the Random Skill Draw Ticket?]
And now was the time to use it.
"Yeah."
As he used the ticket, ten cards appeared, and soon the Eye of Truth activated, unleashing a blinding light.
Do-hyun squeezed his eyes shut against the light and desperately shouted in his mind.
'Golden light, please be golden light...'
When he opened his eyes, his own widened round at the sight greeting him.
[Connection time limit has ended.]
[Forced logout in 5 seconds.]
'Crazy...!'
Connection time limit.
It was a system in the ultra-realistic God Ose to prevent players from forgetting time, starving to death, or getting addicted.
It existed even back in his Demlock days, so no surprise there.
However...
'Already 10 hours?'
He'd thought the limit was generous, but he'd used it all just graduating from Arde? It didn't make sense.
He'd cleared the dungeon faster than any party, no less.
The goblin hunt had been more like a massacre than a hunt...
'Ah.'
Then a memory of the tutorial flashed by.
The tutorial that had taken over 6 hours.
As it came to mind, his senses returned, and he judged the situation quickly.
[3...]
[2...]
Two seconds left.
'C-card! Gotta draw the card first!'
Do-hyun's eyes rapidly scanned the cards.
Among the cards emitting various lights, befitting a random skill draw, his gaze stopped on one.
'This one!'
The moment he selected it,
Flash-!
A dazzling light burst forth, displaying the skill card's information, and
Ding-.
[Connection time ended. Forced logout.]
With that, Do-hyun's vision went black.
That was his last memory of his first day in God Ose.
BestShield's party stared at the spot where Do-hyun had vanished in a sudden beam of light, freezing like machines out of battery.
"Huh...?"
"Eh?"
Their reactions came a few seconds later.
"W-what? Did Kaiser log out?"
"No way, in the middle of a skill draw?"
"Wasn't Kaiser doing a skill draw too?"
At his friends' startled reactions, BestShield checked the party list and shook his head.
The name 'Kaiser' was gone from the list.
Migantakdae and Yubinkkung, who checked a beat later, muttered in confusion.
"If he logged out mid-draw... he must've crashed, right?"
"He hasn't reconnected yet, so probably hit the time limit."
"Oh, right. Huh? But why so soon?"
"Who knows...? Did he take forever on the god draw?"
They'd been together since level 1, so the tutorial was the obvious culprit.
They couldn't imagine he'd spent over 6 hours there, so they just brushed it off.
Anyway, having grasped the situation, Yubinkkung and Migantakdae let out small sighs.
"Too bad we couldn't even say proper goodbyes."
"Yeah. I wanted to leave a strong impression on big bro."
"You probably already did. Not many hand you a total party wipe on the first hunt."
"Wanna fight?"
The two bickered as usual, but their regret was clear.
BestShield felt the same.
The words he'd hesitated to say at the end, thanking Do-hyun, had been about sending a friend request.
He hadn't even brought it up before the connection cut, so of course he regretted it.
'No, actually, it's for the best.'
But BestShield steadied his mind.
Honestly, as a person, he did want to befriend the famous Kaiser.
Beyond that, Kaiser just shone too brightly.
It was natural to feel drawn to him humanly...
'Wanting more would be greed.'
He'd only received help so far; asking for friendship on top would be shameless.
True friends helped each other, didn't they?
He saw no way his current self could help Kaiser.
Even if not, it could breed greed.
He didn't want to harbor such thoughts toward the man who'd coolly overlooked his mistake without restraint or reward.
'This is right for now.'
Steadying his resolve, BestShield spoke.
"How was today for you guys?"
"Today? Best ever. Met Kaiser bro and topped the rankings with him—can't get better."
"So fun. Now I get why everyone raves about God Ose."
Their faces flushed, perfectly in sync as if they'd never argued.
His friends were as serious about the game as he was.
Migantakdae was one thing, but he hadn't expected Yubinkkung to dive in so deep...
BestShield nodded and tossed out casually.
"Good. So you can log in every day?"
"Obviously. If I didn't plan to, what? I'm unemployed—could do 24 hours."
"Dummy, max 10 hours limit."
"Oh, right. Anyway, totally doable."
"I took a leave of absence, so plenty of time for months."
Satisfied with their answers, BestShield's expression turned serious as he spoke gravely.
"Let's grow fast."
Yubinkkung and Migantakdae froze at his words.
Migantakdae smirked, staring straight into BestShield's earnest eyes.
No words needed; he knew exactly what he meant. Shrugging, Migantakdae replied lightly.
"Yeah. Let's grow big and next time, we give Kaiser bro the bus ride."
"Right. Feels like we only took, kinda guilty."
"In that spirit, let's hit the main continent quick. Before I bus Kaiser bro, I'll bus you two first."
"Nah, not that."
Amid the lightened mood again, BestShield met Migantakdae's eyes and smiled faintly.
A hint of anticipation flickered in that smile.
'Yeah, we'll meet again someday.'
Maybe even in the next city, Raven.
Things would change after the city of promise, Brion, but climbing to top content meant inevitable overlaps.
Certain graduation quests and raids were like that.
So...
'By then, it'll be different from now.'
Anticipating that moment, BestShield stepped forward.
Toward the warp to the main continent.
"Let's head to the main continent then."
"Okay. No one can stop me till the limit's up."
"Coming too~!"
BestShield's party stood at the warp, blinking out in a brilliant light.
* * *
Meanwhile, at Do-hyun's house that same time.
His younger sister Hyeon-ah was in a foul mood.
"Hyeon-ah~ If bro's there, tell him to come out quick?"
"Ah... I'm at an important scene?"
"Hurry~."
"Ugh, fine."
She'd been waiting 10 minutes to watch the live drama broadcast, right at a key moment nearing the end, but her mom Chae Mi-sook's "request" forced her to fetch her brother.
It was the worst because the kitchen and his room were farthest apart.
She wanted to just watch the drama, but that would earn her a smack and cut allowance, so wise Hyeon-ah obeyed while the offer stood.
"Argh, not even replying to KakaoTalk? Still gaming?"
It was already 10 PM—surely not still gaming, but with her brother, it was plenty possible.
His gaming addiction was no joke.
He barely met friends, only gym and games—she knew her brother well.
Sure enough, entering the room, the capsule sat empty, greeting her.
"Ugh, knew it."
Hyeon-ah clicked her tongue and shook her head.
'Tell him to do it tomorrow.'
If it was urgent, Chae Mi-sook would've said come out now.
Forcing a logoff now would make him foam at the mouth.
She could message via the God Ose app, but her friendless bro wouldn't have set that up on day one.
Anyway, she'd done her part, so Chae Mi-sook wouldn't complain.
Flick-.
Just as Hyeon-ah turned to leave.
Psssh-.
"Eek!!"
"Kyaa!"
A sudden hiss and yell made Hyeon-ah scream shrilly.
Not enough to vent her shock, she bounced back like a spring, freaking out as she checked the source.
It was the capsule—or rather, Do-hyun inside it.
"You scared me, you jerk! Why yell outta nowhere!? Nearly had a heart attack!"
Hyeon-ah yelled, but Do-hyun didn't react.
He just stared blankly into space, mumbling.
"Wow, damn... wow..."
"Wow... that's how I feel. Quit the weird crap and come out. Mom's calling."
She ranted, but it didn't reach Do-hyun's ears.
No wonder.
The skill's color from moments ago lingered in his mind.
"Hey, you deaf? Hello?"
"......"
Whether Hyeon-ah waved her hands in his face or not, Do-hyun had no mind for it.
Bursting from the capsule yelling, cursing, then zoning out?
Not normal at all, and Hyeon-ah prized her bluntness.
"Mom, Mom! Bro's acting weird! Think the game's finally driven him nuts!"
"You brat, that's no way to talk to your brother!"
"No, really weird? Should we take him to the hospital?"
Leaving Hyeon-ah's and Chae Mi-sook's voices behind, Do-hyun pondered with the world's most serious face.
If Rodin saw, he'd rethink his thinker statue.
'That dazzling color... if I didn't see wrong, it was gold.'
What had plunged Do-hyun into such deep thought was none other than...
'No? It was a bit pale for gold, less eye-candy—maybe yellow...? Sigh, no. That brightness leans gold, right?'
Yellow or gold.
That fateful question dividing hero from legend filled his mind.
Happy dilemma or not, it was like lotto 1st vs 2nd prize—he couldn't stop thinking.
Especially for him, without a single legendary skill in Demlock days.
He might be on the verge of his first lifetime legendary skill; no way to stop pondering.
'Argh, one more second—no, 0.5—then it cut off right as the light burst.'
The chain of worries only halted after Chae Mi-sook, dragged in by Hyeon-ah's fussing, scolded him.