"So, you hit max level yesterday?"
"Yeah."
I responded to Kim Daeseok's question while lifting a stack of books with one hand. After working at the bookstore for over a month, this much weight was no problem anymore.
"You went on a raid with that early-evening party?"
"Yeah. Move."
I lightly shoved Kim Daeseok aside, who was blocking the path, and walked over to the display shelf. As I lined up and organized the books I had brought over, he kept chattering beside me.
"Hey, Yoo Ji-han. Hitting max level in a month and a half is impressive, but… are you sure it's okay?"
"What is?"
"I get that you have to use that early-evening guy to get your staff back, but…"
What nonsense is he about to spout now? I turned to him with a cold, expressionless stare.
"Don't you feel uneasy about it?"
"What part of it?"
"I mean, think about it! That guy went ballistic when you left the guild—there's no guarantee he'll act any differently once you get your staff back."
"So?"
"So I'm saying that Yuchae must have some kind of hidden agenda. Isn't it obvious?"
A hidden agenda? That Yuchae has some kind of scheme...
Those words reminded me of what happened yesterday in Zenoris. As soon as I exited the raid dungeon after hitting max level, Yuchae had been bouncing around and spamming chat.
[Party] Yuchae: Hyung, hyung!
[Party] Yuchae: Congrats on hitting max level!!ㅎㅡㅎ
[Party] Yuchae: You know I helped a whole lot, right?
[Party] JeoJolryeoYo: yeah
[Party] Yuchae: How's the totem?
[Party] Yuchae: Is it useful?
[Party] JeoJolryeoYo: yeah, it's good
[Party] Yuchae: >_<♥
"…."
Hidden agenda, my ass. He was so cheerful it almost made me feel sorry for him.
He looked happier than the actual person who hit max level. I let out a small laugh and shook my head.
"He doesn't have one. Stop saying useless things."
"Sigh… Yoo Ji-han. After everything that happened, you still don't get it?"
Daeseok let out a deep sigh and slung his massive arm over my shoulder. Why the hell is this guy suddenly showing up at my workplace acting like this?
"Stop bothering me and get lost."
"How could you say something so cold? I've got plans later and just need to kill some time until then. Anyway, just listen to me."
Using someone else's workplace as a time-killing spot, seriously.
"He's a stalker who followed you around like a puppy even while pretending to be a girl online. Who knows what he's plotting now? Especially since he's got a rep for having a crappy personality."
"He's not that bad."
I brushed his arm off casually and replied.
"He's just a bit rude, does whatever he wants, and is kind of stubborn."
"…Isn't that exactly what having a bad personality means?"
I tilted my head at Daeseok's baffled expression. Hmm. It doesn't quite feel right to call him just a jerk.
"Hm, it's more like…"
There was definitely a better word to describe him, but I couldn't recall it. While I was lost in thought, Daeseok continued.
"Point is, just be careful."
"Yeah, yeah."
Forget Yuchae—there was something more important. Since I had Daeseok here, I asked the question that had been on my mind since yesterday.
"I want to practice my skill combos. Got any good methods?"
"Skill combos?"
He looked confused for a moment, then his face lit up with recognition.
"Oh, right! You're that, aren't you? A Dark Mage."
The Dark Mage—a newly added class in Zenoris after the latest patch. I remembered the Dark Mage trailer I saw when I first started the game.
Normally, mages in RPGs are pretty standard: long cooldowns, low defense, but high damage and AoE capabilities.
But the Dark Mage turned that whole concept upside down. It's a class that felt like a mix of a mage and an assassin, with clear pros and cons.
Unlike typical mages, Dark Mages don't have large AoE spells or ultimate skills. Instead, their cooldowns are short, and they have a unique hidden passive called "Stack."
The "Stack" builds up automatically through attacks. The more you build, the more the damage skyrockets. The key is to build stacks quickly and then explode them for maximum damage.
"So it's all about control."
The faster your hands, the better your combo flow, the quicker you build stacks—and the higher your damage. Depending on your skill level, the class's performance could vary drastically. It was the perfect fit for my playstyle.
That's why I needed practice. Preferably with someone decent to spar against.
"Then maybe the Arena would be a good option."
"Arena, huh…"
"Public matches are usually a mess, so they won't help much… But setting up a private duel room might not be a bad idea."
Creating a private room meant gathering friends and sparring in a controlled environment. Not bad for a spontaneous idea.
'I'll ask the guild group chat after my shift ends.'
︻╦╤─ ҉ - - -
[MulJomMasyeora: Skill practice in the Arena?]
[MulJomMasyeora: Sounds good??]
When I casually brought up Arena PvP in the guild group chat, I was relieved to see everyone react positively.
[MulJomMasyeora: Everyone's]
[MulJomMasyeora: gotta practice anyway for the prelims lol]
[MokaBbangBbangBbang: fr, my hands are stiff af]
[ManaO-RingNam: Arena is hella fun]
[ManaO-RingNam: Shall we go today?]
[JeoJolryeoYo: let's go]
[Haereun: count me in]
[LaggyDude: I'll be on after 9 probably]
[TheHunter: How many people are on rn (emoji)]
[Haereun: About 50]
[Haereun: But if you exclude afks and raiders, not sure how many are active]
[Hwaseoun: I'm in (emoji)]
[ParkSeungControl: Me too]
[MulJomMasyeora: We've got enough for at least 8]
[ㅇㅇ: Hyung]
[ㅇㅇ: When you coming on?]
Unlike the rest of the guild who set proper nicknames based on their Zenoris usernames, Yuchae still used a lazy string of initials—'ㅇㅇ'—and now he was messaging me directly.
[JeoJolryeoYo: I'm heading to the gym]
[JeoJolryeoYo: Will be back in like 2 hours]
[ㅇㅇ: You work out, hyung?]
[JeoJolryeoYo: Just regular gym stuff]
[ㅇㅇ: Wow…]
[ㅇㅇ: I wanna come watch]
[JeoJolryeoYo: ?]
[JeoJolryeoYo: Watch what?]
[ㅇㅇ: You working out]
[JeoJolryeoYo: ?]
[MulJomMasyeora: ..?]
[Haereun: ?]
[ParkSeungControl: whoa..]
[ㅇㅇ: ??]
[ㅇㅇ: No wait]
[ㅇㅇ: That's not what I meant]
"..."
Freaking weirdo… I silently turned off my phone and stuffed it into my coat pocket.
＊＊＊
After finishing my workout, I returned home, showered, and turned on my PC. I loosened up my shoulders and fingers with some light stretches, then logged into Zenoris. The game's BGM played as the entrance to the Hurdean Dungeon loaded on screen.
[Guild] SseSseSseHajaGo: hey hey
[Guild] Hwaseoun: Hi, Sleepy~
[Guild] LaggyLagger: hey2
[Guild] DoraHeeImNida: Hello hehe
[Guild] JeoJolryeoYo: hey everyone
I greeted the guild and quickly checked the event page and login rewards filling the screen. Just then, a familiar character came dashing up from the other side.
[Global] Yuchae: Hyung
[Global] Yuchae: Hyung hyung!
Since I logged out right after the raid yesterday, he must've remembered where I was. Even though his game avatar had a totally blank expression, somehow he still managed to look visibly excited—kind of amazing, really.
Yuchae opened a party invite window and, once I joined, began flooding the chat.
[Party] Yuchae: Hyung
[Party] Yuchae: Did work go okay??
[Party] Yuchae: Do you always work out after work?
[Party] Yuchae: What do you do at the gym?
For some reason, Yuchae was unusually hyper today. The strange sense of déjà vu made me take my hands off the keyboard and absentmindedly touch my lips in thought.
Even earlier today… every time I interact with Yuchae, it feels like I'm on the verge of remembering something.
[Party] Yuchae: Do you need any gear, hyung?
[Party] Yuchae: You hit max level, so you should upgrade your gear now!ㅎ.ㅎ
"Ah."
As his messages continued, I finally realized who he reminded me of. The frustration lifted, and I felt oddly refreshed as I typed my reply.
[Party] JeoJolryeoYo: You seriously remind me of something.
[Party] Yuchae: Huh?
[Party] JeoJolryeoYo: Like one of those puppies that causes a ton of trouble.
I remembered this one video I'd seen on YouTube. The puppy was still young and super energetic, so it was always getting into trouble. But then it'd whimper and act cute only in front of its owner—it was ridiculous.
'Now that I think about it, he's exactly like that.'
Knocking over plants, chewing up the couch, and then rolling over panting the moment the owner showed up. That was Yuchae to a T.
[Party] Yuchae: Me?
[Party] Yuchae: I'm like a puppy?
Where did the "causes a ton of trouble" part go? Well… I did say he's like a puppy, so I just nodded and confirmed it.
[Party] JeoJolryeoYo: Yeah
[Party] Yuchae: So I'm cute?
[Party] I'mSleepy: ?
[Party] I'mSleepy: I never said you were cute.
[Party] Yoo Chae: But you said I was like a puppy.
[Party] Yoo Chae: Puppies are cute, lol.
[Party] I'mSleepy: I didn't mean it that way when I said you were like a puppy;
[Party] Yoo Chae: LOL
[Party] Yoo Chae: He says I'm cute, lol.
[Party] I'mSleepy: Enough, let's go to the arena.
[Party] Yoo Chae: Hㅡh
Yoo Chae was grinning from ear to ear as she used a scroll. We immediately headed to the arena, where we joined the guild members who were already waiting and entered the lobby as a party.
[Party] DrinkSomeWater: We've got 12 people.
[Party] DrinkSomeWater: We can split into two teams of six.
[Party] DrinkSomeWater: How should we divide the teams?
[Party] Hwa Soun: How about splitting between the guild master and you, DrinkSome?
[Party] MochaBread: Nah, if we just split like that, the balance will be off.
[Party] ParkSeungjin99: Yeah.
[Party] ParkSeungjin99: We also have to match the number of tanks and DPS.
[Party] HuntingMadMan: Shouldn't we split the two newbies between teams?
A brief discussion broke out before the 6v6 PVP. It really wasn't easy dividing teams evenly. While watching the guild members discuss the different possibilities, Yoo Chae finally spoke up.
[Party] Yoo Chae: Make me and Sleepy-hyung the team leaders.
[Party] Yoo Chae: Then divide the teams from there.
[Party] Yoo Chae: That should balance things out a bit.
[Party] I'mSleepy: ?
[Party] ParkSeungjin99: Huh?
[Party] Yoo Chae: Didn't you say you wanted to practice your skills?
[Party] Yoo Chae: You'll need me on the enemy team for that to be effective.
[Party] MochaBread: Gasp
"Hmm..."
Well, when it comes to gaming, Yoo Chae really is good. If someone with great control is volunteering to be my sparring partner, there's no reason for me to refuse.
But I'm still a newbie who just hit max level, and they're a top-tier player. Going head-to-head barehanded would be suicide.
[Party] I'mSleepy: OK.
[Party] I'mSleepy: But I want something too.
[Party] Yoo Chae: What is it?
[Party] I'mSleepy: I'm taking Rahui.
That meant I needed Dorahee, the buffer, on our team. Having a healer would be nice too, but if I had to choose between a buffer and a healer, I'd choose a buffer without hesitation. Dorahee also had decent game sense, so she'd be a solid teammate.
[Party] Yoo Chae: ?
[Party] DrinkSomeWater: Oh...
[Party] Haereun: ?
[Party] Hwa Soun: Whoa
[Party] TheHunter: ?
Wait, what's with the atmosphere? Did I sound too assertive claiming the buffer? Feeling a little awkward, I fiddled with the stiff piercing in my ear. Then Dorahee's message popped up.
[Party] ThisIsDorahee: Hehe
[Party] ThisIsDorahee: I'm fine with that, hehe.
[Party] Yoo Chae: Lol?
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : http://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]