Forging Alliances and Blades
“Got it. Just set the place and time, and I’ll head over.”
“...You really want to meet?”
Rapina looked a bit surprised by the positive response. She’d figured someone as much in the spotlight as him would want to keep a low profile.
“That guy never changes.”
Luna, who’d been listening in, chimed in.
“Have you met him before, Luna?”
“A few times, during meetings for projects I was handling with Rapina. Saw his face every time. He’s the type who loves people.”
Luna shrugged, adding that they’d crossed paths often since. The CEO seemed like a real extrovert.
“Oh, he replied.”
Rapina checked the message, her expression turning even more troubled.
“What’s up?”
“Well... he said let’s all meet together—you, me, and Luna.”
“Me too?”
The sudden addition to the deal with Hanbit left Rapina looking a little embarrassed as she glanced at her friend beside her.
“Don’t sweat it. He probably just wants to put a face to the name.”
“Hm.”
Luna pondered for a moment, then turned to Hanbit.
“Black Dragon, it won’t be weird if we tag along?”
“Huh?”
“Showing your face might make you uneasy, right? My identity’s already public, and Rapina’s with the company, so no big deal for us.”
“Ah.”
Her concern was thoughtful. As a famous player, exposing personal info was a risk. But risks like that depended on who you were dealing with.
“I’m fine. It’s just business.”
“Cool.”
Luna flashed a grin at his matter-of-fact reply, then nudged her still-apologetic friend.
“I’ll come too. When’s the time?”
“Wait, you’re really going?”
“It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, right? Feels like it could be fun.”
“Fun... I dunno about that, but okay.”
Rapina nodded and resumed messaging the company. After a few back-and-forths, the plans were set.
“1 PM, Bestige HQ, 7th floor. Confirmed.”
Hanbit nodded and checked his system window. It was 11:50 PM now. He considered logging off, but he was on a tight schedule—hand over the spirit info to Rapina and wrap things up...
“Can I ask you something too?”
Luna spoke up suddenly.
“Sure, go ahead.”
“The Snow Drake content. What’s your plan?”
“...Ah.”
He got the point right away. The condition attached to the Snow Drake subjugation—the root of all the complications.
“This is about the Ifrit episode, right?”
“Yeah. Tons of people want you to jump in ASAP. Just the vanguard teams number in the hundreds.”
Luna relayed the vibe from the Astra community. The vanguard teams and their members who’d reset the Edlen episode following Hanbit’s guide. They’d wrapped up Edlen nicely, only for the next episode to hit a wall. For them, racing ahead, it must’ve been a bolt from the blue.
“You two reset Edlen too, right?”
“Yeah. Planning to keep resetting as we go.”
“Same here as Luna.”
Both nodded in agreement. That sparked a question in Hanbit’s mind.
“Didn’t you start in Belmora, Rapina? I thought the whole Bestige crew went that route.”
“Some of us started in Edlen. I got the contract offer right before making vanguard, so...”
An early player, Rapina had started in Edlen and shot up fast. She’d climbed into the 4,000s as vanguard while wrestling with her spirit issues. Shy personality aside, her playstyle was anything but.
Hanbit gave them his answer.
“Short version: I’ll challenge it the moment the content unlocks. Gotta round up a raid party first, though.”
“Mind adding me to that raid?”
“...You, Luna?”
Her request came straight like a fastball, no beating around the bush for gains.
“If it’s okay, can I join too? I really need to meet that scientist Isis soon...”
Rapina wanted in as well. Isis’s ability to analyze spirit powers—she was banking on that big time.
Having these two would be great.
Mid-tier vanguards like Luna and Rapina were key assets not to miss. But for this subjugation, the priority was monopolizing the main rewards—via the raid leader’s loot distribution rights.
“How about a deal?”
“A deal?”
“What kind?”
They perked up immediately. Hanbit laid it out, aiming for fairness.
“I take the main Snow Drake rewards. Help me with that, and I’ll give you whatever items or info you want.”
“Anything... spirit-related?”
Rapina’s focus was consistent. Hanbit nodded.
“I said I’d help earlier, right? Was gonna just give info, but help me out and I’ll guide you to the Spirit Garden myself.”
“The Spirit Garden...!”
Rapina shot to her feet, hands on the table. Hanbit added a note.
“You’ve only been to the spirit village, right? The Garden’s way denser with energy. With your two lower spirits already attuned, you’ll definitely get results.”
“I’ll help! Please let me!”
It wasn’t just appealing—it was a must-have shot. Snow Drake rewards? Who cared.
“Thanks. Now, Luna...”
“Can I tag along to the Spirit Garden too?”
“Huh?”
Hanbit blinked, caught off guard. She had no spirit ties.
“Don’t you have no real need for the Garden, Luna?”
“Got me curious now.”
Simple as that. Pushing alternatives would look off if she wanted it.
“Alright, Spirit Garden for both of you then.”
“Yes!”
“Sweet.”
The agreement wrapped quicker than expected. As he marveled, Luna asked:
“You said you need more raid members, right? I’ll handle recruiting.”
“That’d be huge, but how?”
“Offer spots with your reward monopoly as bait. Say we won’t launch under a certain headcount, and the desperate vanguards will bite. Plenty of them stomping around frustrated.”
Smart play on vanguard psychology. And with Luna recruiting? Zero doubts.
“I’ll ask around my circle too. More reliable folks, the better.”
Rapina clenched her fist, ready to pitch in. Their genuine intent to help shone through.
“Thanks. Raid party’s on you two then.”
Deeply touched inside, Hanbit stood.
Best way to repay? Deliver on their wishes.
“To the Garden. Let’s move.”
***
Leaving the city, Hanbit’s group headed north into the forest—toward the cliffs to meet Asla.
-Going to meet spirits?
- Rapina unnie gonna unlock her spirit potential?
- Why’s Rapina even here tho?
- Insane lineup. lol
- Luna+Rapina+BlackDragon+@
- @=JaehaHam+Avant-garde dude
- They’re people, people;
With broadcast audio on, viewers flooded chat. Luna grinned at the screen.
“You know Rapina’s been donating too?”
“...To me?”
“Luna!”
Rapina reached to cover her mouth. Hanbit was pretty shocked too.
“Didn’t catch that name. Different nickname?”
“Yeah... used ‘Spirit’. Kinda embarrassing if my identity leaked...”
-Huh?
- Spirit?
- What’s the nick worth. lol
- The one dropping millions?
- Yeah I saw.
- Vanguard class fr;
Hanbit remembered the ‘Spirit’ viewer well. Two 5-million-won donations, plus steady no-message ones—tens of millions total. And it was Rapina.
“Thanks. You’ve helped a ton.”
“No, no thanks needed! Learned so much from your streams—it’s just viewer fees!”
Even maining other skills, her spirit summoner identity meant the world. Ten months stalled? Didn’t break her. Plus, resetting episodes meant she’d benefited plenty.
“How was the Edlen episode? My guide might’ve been iffy to follow exactly.”
“Not identical, but we nailed a good ending. Skipping Julio’s quest let us save Atsbel safe.”
“I obsessed to wrap it perfectly too. Toughest was chatting with Asla.”
They’d progressed differently from Hanbit. Asla relations, scroll edits—unsolvable bits. Especially communicating with someone agoraphobic.
But vanguards were vanguards. They’d wrangled best outcomes their way.
“Oh, never asked this.”
A question popped up; Hanbit eyed Luna.
“How’d you clear Pheria Island quest? Takes days, right?”
“That one?”
Walking side-by-side, she pulled a blue ingot from inventory—the Frostbite Ingot reward.
She pointed to the patterns etched on it.
“Like spot-the-difference? So I memorized every pattern.”
“...All of them?”
“Fastest way.”
The spot Hanbit had tipped was chaotic. Pheria’s ice stele with hundreds of patterns, only appearing when deserted—find the two matching ones. Norm was waiting out reductions.
Memorizing? Impressive.
“Wanna try a weapon commission sometime?”
“Weapon... oh, with Kim Jaeha?”
Luna caught on quick. Hanbit nodded, pointing at the ingot.
“Frostbite Ingot amps ice properties big time. Melt it into a sword for killer effects.”
“It’s a 6-rank weapon. You cool? Fail and it’s trashed.”
“No sweat. Jaeha-hyung’s got it.”
He gestured to trailing Kim Jaeha, who pointed at himself in panic.
“...Me sharpen a 6-rank?”
“You can do it, hyung.”
“I can’t! Hidden skill’s still 3-rank Unique. What if I screw up?”
“It’s fine. Trust me trusting you.”
“No, what the...”
-lololol
- Legendary quote ON
- What if it fails?
- ???: Who dis?
- Quick sell-off;
Flustered Jaeha, but a hurdle he had to clear. His growth would hugely benefit Hanbit. High-rank work? Proficiency skyrockets.
Gorik’s eye for talent’s spot-on.
Jaeha’s nerves made sense. But it wasn’t impossible. Gorik-endorsed skill plus Dwarf Blacksmithing prowess? Success guaranteed.
“Real trust there. Shall we make it official?”
Luna stepped up, handing over her sword and ingot freely. Jaeha sighed, taking them.
“Haa... Doing this for real. Fail and it’s hell.”
“I’ll take responsibility. Don’t worry.”
“Why you? It’s on me swinging the hammer.”
He shook his head seriously—echoing Gorik somehow.
“Handle the fee yourself. Heading to work now.”
Jaeha turned toward Edlen, steps full of fire. No trace of anxiety in his receding back.