Chapter 13 …
He’d said he would receive it soon, but he never imagined it would be handed out like this.
In Demrock, you absolutely had to talk to NPCs one-on-one to get quests…
‘Is this the power of AI too?’
NPCs here were just as intelligent as players.
Since they were going to give quests to players anyway, it made sense they’d find individual requests tedious as well.
The method was so innovative it momentarily left him dumbfounded—but he didn’t dislike it.
It saved time, after all. What reason was there to complain?
“Whoa? Jackpot, I got the quest.”
“Nice, this is sweet. No need to stand in line.”
“They said Dante was a real man—confirmed. Now this is gaming!”
“Let’s grab all the quests and go hunting!”
The other players seemed to think the same, quickly leaving the hut.
Dohyeon was among them.
After swiftly picking up the remaining required quests, he ended up with three in total.
[Collect Goblin Leather]
[Mutant Goblin Blood]
All of them could be completed alongside goblin hunting.
Preparation was complete.
When he exited through the city’s outer gate, a fresh green forest spread before him.
And within it—countless goblins and players packed together.
“Looking for party members!”
“Anyone want to farm leather together?”
“Recruiting people to push straight to level 12. Two spots left!”
Some players were attempting solo play, but most were forming parties.
If you were going to follow the guide to level 12 anyway, partying was faster and safer.
After observing the surroundings, Dohyeon pulled a sword from his inventory.
[Worn Iron Sword]
Grade: Normal
Description: A worn iron sword given to players who completed the tutorial.
Level Requirement: 1
Class Restriction: Swordsman-type
Physical Attack: 40–60
Durability: 50 / 50
The iron sword he received as a tutorial reward replaced the crude blade.
The stats were unimpressive, but for level 1, it was more than enough. Still far better than the junk sword.
‘There are a few things I want to test anyway.’
He had gained quite a lot, after all.
Just as he was about to search for goblins to hunt—
“Excuse me.”
A man approached him.
He was fairly large, with an honest-looking face and holding a thick wooden shield.
After making eye contact, the man gave an awkward smile and spoke quickly.
“I saw you just arrived—our party has exactly one spot left. Want to join us? We’ve probably got the same quests anyway. Oh, you picked up the three required quests, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s party up. We’re pushing to level 12, and four-man parties are the standard, you know.”
Two more players approached from behind him.
A relatively small young man and a cute-looking young woman with short hair.
“That’s right! There’s party bonus EXP up to level 12.”
“Let’s hunt together.”
As the party members each added their persuasion, Dohyeon found himself nodding.
‘They’re right.’
Beginner City Arde.
True to its name, it was very generous to newcomers.
From quest acquisition difficulty to monster count and respawn rates—everything was designed for convenience.
Among the best benefits was the party bonus EXP.
A system supporting players under level 12 in parties of up to four.
With the bonus EXP, the experience gained while hunting became nearly identical to solo play.
As long as you contributed to the kill, you also received EXP from monsters your party members defeated.
‘And monsters are plentiful.’
That was why so many players formed parties here.
Not partying in this place would make you the fool.
Beginner City Arde really was, just like the guide said, an extension of the tutorial.
Compared to Demrock, it truly was a different game.
Benefits? Adaptation?
Demrock had none of that.
It was the kind of game that threw you into enemy territory from the start and told you to find a village on your own.
‘Well, that’s probably why players from Demrock all pick combat classes in God of Ose.’
With a faint smirk, Dohyeon replied,
“Sounds good. Let’s party.”
“Nice! Great choice!”
“Whew… we really needed a melee dealer.”
“Seriously, why did everyone pick ranged classes?”
“Because archers are the man’s choice, obviously.”
“It’s VR—what’s more exciting than casting magic? I had to try magic.”
They welcomed him with bright smiles.
They looked to be in their early twenties, chatting warmly like friends.
Glancing at their weapons, Dohyeon assessed them.
‘One archer, one mage, one tanker…’
Now that the party was formed, they must have quickly approached him after spotting his sword.
The way they celebrated completing the party radiated pure newbie energy.
“Alright, I’ll send the party invite.”
“Okay.”
[‘ShieldBest’ has requested you to join the party.]
[Accept?]
When he pressed confirm, a translucent hologram window appeared in the lower-left.
[‘ShieldBest’s party has been formed.]
Party Leader
ShieldBest <Lv 1>
Party Members
Miganddakdae <Lv 1>
YubinKkyung <Lv 1>
Kaiser <Lv 1>
True to game nicknames, they were quite… distinctive.
You could practically see what classes they wanted just from their names.
And Dohyeon wasn’t the only one who reacted.
“Huh? Kaiser?”
ShieldBest noticed Dohyeon’s name.
‘Ah, they did say many Demrock players became rankers.’
Most of them kept their old Demrock names.
Even if the name had faded now, it was natural for people to react to “Kaiser.”
However, the reaction was slightly different from what Dohyeon expected.
“Oh, Kaiser-nim. You must be a Kaiser fan?”
“Kaiser? Who’s that? Someone famous?”
“Ah, yeah. Ranked #1 back in Demrock. You know God of Ose was inspired by it, right? He still has a pretty dedicated fanbase.”
“Still, Kaiser fans are rare these days. Must be a hardcore fan—even named yourself Kaiser.”
“……”
The party members chatted casually, clearly never considering that Dohyeon himself might be Kaiser.
To them, Kaiser was like some relic lost to history.
Dohyeon scratched his head.
‘…Well, this makes sense.’
It would be a lie to say he hadn’t hoped a little.
Still, this was Kaiser’s current standing.
At least the mention of a loyal fanbase was some comfort.
‘Though… if that’s true, there might be plenty of people with the same nickname as me.’
Maybe someday he’d end up partying with another Kaiser.
Wondering what it would feel like to meet a fake Kaiser, Dohyeon chuckled quietly.
By then, preparations seemed finished, and ShieldBest shouted:
“Alright, shall we go hunting?”
“Let’s speedrun to level 12!”
“Let’s gooo!”
The real hunt was about to begin.
* * *
Finding prey was easy.
Goblins were everywhere—there was no need to go far.
The group took position in front of a cluster of about five goblins.
“I’ll take the front. Kaiser-nim, stand next to me and act as a sub-tank and dealer. Migan and Yubin, focus on damage from the back.”
“Okie~ I’ll nail them right between the brows.”
“Yep! Leave it to me!”
ShieldBest’s command was surprisingly solid for a first hunt.
A textbook formation.
Nothing flashy, but fundamentally sound.
‘Not bad.’
Dohyeon followed without complaint.
Satisfied, ShieldBest gripped his shield and slowly advanced.
When the distance to the goblins closed to about four meters—
“Kik? Kik!”
One of the goblins reacted and immediately swung its dagger.
A typical aggressive monster that attacked on sight within range.
A beginner might panic—but ShieldBest calmly raised his shield and blocked.
Then he shoved upward and swung the shield forward.
Clang!
[‘ShieldBest’ inflicted a status effect on Green Goblin.]
[Green Goblin is stunned for 1 second.]
“I used Bash! Everyone attack!”
It was the shield weapon’s basic skill.
Only one second of stun—but in combat, one second was more than enough.
Hitting a moving enemy was hard.
A stationary one was just a sandbag.
“Miganddakdae!”
“On it!”
Arrows flew instantly, followed by YubinKkyung’s mana bolt.
The focused fire dropped the Green Goblin in moments.
Nearby goblins shrieked and charged.
“Kirik! Kiik!”
Their target was ShieldBest.
As the closest enemy, he naturally drew their aggro.
He raised his shield in a hurry, but as a freshly class-changed level 1 player, he began to get pushed back.
“Ghk… this is tough—finish them quickly!”
But YubinKkyung only had Mana Bolt—and it was on cooldown.
Miganddakdae’s arrows alone weren’t enough.
What they needed now was a melee dealer.
Thud—Slash!
“Kieeeek!”
Dohyeon rushed forward and cut down a distracted goblin.
The monster foamed at the mouth and lunged at him.
Ignoring it, Dohyeon struck another.
Stab!
“Keek!!”
The enraged goblins rushed him—
—but right then, ShieldBest landed another Bash.
[‘ShieldBest’ inflicted a status effect on Green Goblin.]
[Green Goblin is stunned for 1 second.]
As the goblin froze from the back-of-the-head hit, arrows rained in.
Some missed, but many pierced arms and legs.
With aggro split from both sides and arrows pouring in from the rear, the goblins fell into complete chaos.
“Kaiser-nim, nice!”
ShieldBest gave a thumbs-up.
At this rate, the fight would end smoothly—
[Green Goblin has been defeated.]
[Green Goblin has been defeated.]
[Through contribution distribution, ‘ShieldBest’ obtained Green Goblin Leather.]
“…Huh?”
Two goblins died far faster than expected.
ShieldBest froze.
Come to think of it… the attacks had suddenly stopped.
‘What…?’
Lowering his shield, he finally saw it—
Dohyeon standing over two fallen goblins.
And every remaining goblin’s aggro fixed squarely on him.
“…What the—”
Why were they targeting that guy instead of the tank or ranged dealers?
There were only two possibilities.
Either he had an aggro skill—
—or he had unleashed overwhelming burst damage.
At under level 10, having an aggro skill was impossible.
‘…Then that means his single hits are stronger than all of us combined?’
And strong enough to pull all aggro?
…How did that make any sense?
Just as ShieldBest’s brain short-circuited—
“B-behind you!”
“Huh—?!”
At Miganddakdae and YubinKkyung’s shouts, ShieldBest turned around.
His eyes widened.
Green skin filled his vision.
“Kirik! Keruk!”
A group of ten Green Goblins.
“…You’ve got to be kidding.”
There were still three left—and now ten more were coming?
They hadn’t even crossed the aggro range—so why were the goblins swarming?
The answer came the moment he saw them.
“…Arrows.”
A familiar arrow was stuck in one goblin’s arm.
Miganddakdae’s stray excited shots had apparently hit them.
With goblins everywhere, it was an easy mistake.
‘…This is exactly why I was trying to hold aggro, damn it!’
Normally, goblins wouldn’t attack unless you entered within five meters.
That’s why hunting was safe even in crowded areas.
But there was one exception.
Ranged attacks.
If struck from afar, goblins would chase the attacker regardless of distance.
“S-sorry… I think I misfired. I’m really sorry. Sorry, Kaiser-nim. Ah… what’s wrong with me?”
“W-what do we do? Should we run?!”
Miganddakdae turned pale, stammering.
YubinKkyung bounced anxiously in place.
As party leader, ShieldBest had to give orders—
But this was his first real combat.
And he never imagined a disaster like this.
“…Uh…”
“Kirik! Keruk!”
The goblins closed in rapidly.
Finally snapping to his senses, ShieldBest shouted urgently:
“We can’t take this. I’ll stun them—then run—!”
But before he could finish—
Thud!
“Huh?!”
“W-what—?!”
Something shot past him at incredible speed.
A swordsman with black hair streaming behind him.
It was Kaiser.
