Clash with Rainzer
Rainzer's expression, right in front of him, looked seriously displeased. You could tell his personality from his face, or something like that. Hanbit calmly shot back in informal speech.
"What's up?"
"That quest you just cleared. Why'd only you succeed?"
"What does a noob like me know? Figure it out yourself, old-timer."
"Don't give me that crap... Does this look like a joke to you?"
-Yeah, your face.
-They copy us and then bitch about it.
-lmao, zero conscience.
-No shame.
Rainzer furrowed his brow sharply at Hanbit's offhand reply. He was basically cursing with his face alone.
"The fifty of us, including me, who tried first—all failed. And just failing cost us a shot at Hero-grade. You think it's coincidence that only you learned the skill properly?"
"Not coincidence—skill. If you failed, go back to Atsbel. Don't hassle an innocent noob."
"We already checked. But she won't say anything beyond a greeting."
"Then she must like you guys."
-Haha, she just said hi.
-Giving greetings is more than they deserve. lol
-But he's persistently grilling her;
-Rainzer's a real piece of work.
-He trash-talks with his face.
-lmao look at him now.
Rainzer's face crumpled completely at Hanbit's response.
"Bro! Ease up!"
Juyeonu, standing beside him, poked his side and whispered. He didn't want to make an enemy of Rainzer, but things had gone south from the start anyway. Hanbit was just responding to the provocation.
Should I just tell him the answer?
The gap between Lashten's members and Hanbit was crystal clear. It all boiled down to proficiency in the 1-rank skill, Fireball. Fill it up completely, and that was it.
"Did you max out the proficiency?"
"Proficiency?"
"Fireball. You gotta master it perfectly to move on, right?"
"That's the same condition for everyone. You couldn't have filled it either."
"I did."
"...What?"
Rainzer's expression turned weird at Hanbit's blunt words. Hanbit opened his skill window and showed the screen.
"Check the stream."
"Hold on."
He was already watching Hanbit's stream and shifted his gaze. Shock flooded his face in seconds.
"...You really maxed the proficiency? This is insane!"
-?
-He filled that?
-He maxed all the other skills too?
-Why are all the stars filled? ;
-Report the hacker.
-RP doesn't allow hacks. Never been cracked~
-Black Dragon pulls it off.
Not just Rainzer, but the viewers reacted with shock too. No need to hide now that he'd achieved his goal.
"Told you—skill. And if you're gonna use my info, compete fair and square. Big corp pioneer squad, right?"
Hanbit scolded him pityingly. Rainzer narrowed his eyes.
"Impossible. Aren't you just dressing up luck as skill?"
"Then luck's part of skill too. Or do you lack both?"
"Childish provocation."
"I'm baby-faced, yeah."
"......"
-Baby-faced. lmao
-Info: Rainzer's 30.
-Info: His char looks like him IRL.
-Mid-40s?
-Pioneers fighting Father Time;
Grind—the sound of Rainzer's teeth grinding carried over the stream. The viewers' spicy chats were well-deserved backlash. He glared at Hanbit and muttered low.
"We'll meet again soon."
Whoosh—Rainzer swirled his gleaming cape and stormed into Atsbel's shop. Then he vented loudly.
"Don't just stand there like idiots—keep talking to her! Miss nothing!"
Desperate orders to his staff. Hanbit smirked.
Try all you want.
Atsbel never budged on magic training. Effort, effort, and more effort. She was the kind of teacher who built skill silently without greed, earning qualification through persistence. She'd seen too many die rushing ahead, or so she'd said.
'Wanna learn the next spell quick? I'll give you the chance, but remember—if your practice is half-assed, no more lessons. Ever.'
That's what she'd said when he'd gotten greedy for the second spell. It was way too soon, and she really never taught him again. That cycle, he'd tearfully crammed other skills instead.
Impeccable lore.
Even with the game's systems, Atsbel was Atsbel. No matter how Lashten thrashed, that wouldn't change. Persistent tries would just tank their affinity like crazy.
"Bro, that was too harsh!"
A bit away from the shop, Juyeonu whined with a pout. Hanbit just patted his shoulder.
"Hang in there. I'll cheer you on."
"I didn't even fight?"
-lmao
-Official: Streamer Roper declares Lashten enemies.
-But he looked pissed for real. lol
[Cuckoo donated 1,000 won.]
[Breaking: Lashten's 6 got kicked by Atsbel. lmao]
-Clinging so hard. lol
-Mom helped, so affinity's high. lol
-Atsbel's face got serious.
-Real talk: They bowed and brainwashed. Brutal.
Not worth caring about. Hanbit glanced around and said to Juyeonu,
"Let's make a quick stop."
"Huh? Not seeing Master Baldor first?"
"Gotta grab something before that. Come on."
They walked down the main road. At the central plaza, Juyeonu following behind stopped short.
"Huh?"
His gaze hit the Adventurer's Guild entrance. A crowd was buzzing there.
"Why so many people?"
"Oh, right—you wouldn't know, bro."
"Know what?"
"That green-robed woman. Rapina, a pioneer. One of the rare spirit users."
-Huh?
-Why's Rapina here?
-Two pioneers;
-Look how pretty.
-Good personality too.
-Rainzer, reflect.
A female human stood where Juyeonu pointed, just as viewers said—her smile toward the crowd radiated gentle vibes. Hanbit turned to her, then asked,
"You said there are few spirit users?"
"Yeah? Only the chosen can use spirits."
-Insanely tough content.
-Meeting spirits is the hurdle.
-Gotta bond to control 'em.
-2 years and nada for me. lol
-Just learn normal skills.
-Don't spirits cost no mana?
-Yeah, total cheat.
Viewers dumped known info—more than guidebooks. But their perception had a fundamental flaw.
...Using spirits.
If picking the isekai's most vital element, spirits topped the list. Hanbit had poured ages into bonding with them. Not to wield their power, but to borrow even a bit more. The thrill of first syncing with a top-tier spirit lingered vividly.
"Rapina, right? How strong is she?"
"Pioneer in the 4,000s. Water magic main."
"Magic? She's a spirit user?"
"Heard she hit a wall at 3-rank spirits. Great, sure, but spirit user title's honorary. Barely 100 players can handle spirits anyway."
-Rare, but can't main spirit skills.
-Yeah, low-tier spirits limit it.
-Still Hero-grade's solid?
-Matches 4-rank normals.
-So what? Rapina slings 6-rank magic.
-Keep as mascot.
-Spirit effects are pretty tho.
100 out of billions of players. That scarcity proved spirits' rarity.
3-rank's low-tier?
Spirit power tied to their tier. Low-tier was toddler level. Mid-tier alone packed serious punch. Unless skill rank was absurdly high.
"You into spirits too, bro?"
Juyeonu probed while Hanbit pondered. Beyond interest, he'd staked everything on spirits. And that first step was imminent—only Hanbit knew.
"Obviously. Spirit power's awesome, right?"
"Sure, but... it's nothing like magic. Game or not, birth advantages apply."
Juyeonu stressed innate talent again. No surprise—spirits' high barrier persisted even in isekai.
"Her? She got those birth perks?"
Hanbit eyed pioneer Rapina. Juyeonu nodded, looking too.
"Huge perks. Synced with two elements."
"Two?"
"Yeah. Water and wind—in under 6 months. Others take a year minimum per one. Insane."
"Impressive."
Syncing multiple spirits wasn't easy. Their strong traits and personalities made borrowing power from multiples tough. Hooking two in half a year? Solid achievement. Hanbit had taken ages for all elements himself.
"Stuck on the next, right? How long?"
"Uh... about 10 months. Hasn't maxed proficiency yet."
"Hm."
Juyeonu fixated on skill proficiency. But Hanbit saw differently.
Not a proficiency issue.
Spirits were complex, unpredictable. No way piling proficiency like normal skills would coax the next tier. You had to grow closer to spirits themselves.
"Top spirit user?"
"Among known ones. Top pioneers filter info strictly."
Only one player would clear RP and claim ownership. In cutthroat competition, info was a honed blade.
Wonder what that's like.
Curiosity sparked for their hidden world. What were top pioneers like? Maybe one had an Erport clue. Even that faint hope stirred.
"Ah, she's leaving."
Business done, Rapina walked off mid-chat. As a spirit user, they'd talk someday. Could trade info then. Odd kinship with fellow syncers, after all.
"Let's go."
"Wait, where we stopping?"
"Grocer first, then poke the forest. 'Bout 30 minutes?"
"Huh? Looking for something?"
Juyeonu questioned the forest bit. Recalling old memories, Hanbit grinned.
"Need booze-making ingredients."