Chapter 24

After defeating the Hell Beast, Carpe immediately returned to Raisin via warp.

"This place is always bustling."

- The more harsh reality is, the more vibrant Raisin can be. It's a truly bittersweet story.

This was the reason for Raisin's popularity.

An escape from the stifling reality.

A space where one could more easily obtain what they couldn't in reality.

- When reality is stifling, people naturally desire to rebel, and Raisin perfectly satisfies that rebellion. It's not for nothing that the number of users is said to exceed 500 million.

"I see."

At the beginning of the game, when various advertisements and praises for Raisin were pouring in, he wondered why people were so over the top, but now he understands. There isn't a single lie in those words.

Raisin was not just a place to hunt monsters with swords and magic.

It was a place with people, society, and life.

Another world.

It was a cliché catchphrase, but there was no other way to describe it.

Raisin was truly another world.

- And the mainland is the 'real world' of Raisin.

It wasn't just about the map getting wider and more monsters appearing; it was a place where users from all over the world gathered to form a society.

- Do you know that there are beginner cities in Raisin other than here?

"Yes, I saw on the forums that there are a total of 10."

When starting the game, players are moved to one of the 10 beginner cities, and the city they are assigned to is entirely based on their country of origin.

Korea, China, Japan, Russia, North America, South America, EU, India, Middle East + Africa, Southeast Asia + Oceania.

Raisin classified the world this way and created 10 cities accordingly. 'Raisin' was the beginner city for the Korean region.

- Most areas on the mainland are PK zones. There's no room for even a moment's lapse in attention.

The main stage where all kinds of people from around the world compete. That's what the mainland is.

And now, the users gathered near the village chief's house were also people who wanted to step onto that main stage.

"There are so many people here."

- It's proof that user inflow is steady. The total number of accounts will soar to 1 billion within two years.

There are many users trying to move to the mainland, but since there is only one village chief who can send them, the area near the village chief's house was crowded with waiting people.

Of course, there's no special procedure for moving to the mainland, so the line would soon thin out.

In about 5 minutes, they would be able to move to the mainland.

During those 5 minutes, the users were chatting among themselves.

Two people near Carpe brought up an interesting topic.

"Hey, did you hear the news? An app for Raisin came out this morning."

"An app? What app? Why do we need an app when we play the game in a capsule?"

"Ah, you're slow on the uptake. Didn't you hear about the Backling app?"

"Oh, Backling! Was it released today?"

"Yeah, once you log out, install it right away. If you miss an alert, you'll cry blood."

Carpe, who had been listening silently, looked at Chenma with a questioning expression.

"Backling app? What's that? Did you know about it?"

- Of course I knew. It wasn't necessary to tell you because it didn't really concern you.

"What is it?"

- As the name suggests, it's an app that notifies you when a Backling gives you a quest.

"Do we really need that?"

- It's very useful.

Humans need nutrition and rest.

It's impossible to stay connected to the game for 24 hours, eating away at your health for days on end.

In fact, to prevent such a situation, the game limits connection time to 10 hours per day.

However, Backlings are different. They are components of the game and always exist within it.

This is where the problem arises.

- I've told you several times, haven't I? There are many Backlings, but compared to the number of users, they are woefully insufficient.

If one Backling could only handle one user, it would be ideal, but that's not the case. There are far too many users.

- For Raisin's 1st anniversary, we surveyed the Backlings, and the most frequently drawn was the 6-star Percival.

Percival, one of the Knights of the Round Table.

In a situation where many Backlings are unknown, he managed to gain some name value, and being a 6-star, he also had a silver effect when drawn.

Moreover, his performance was known to be decent, so people started drawing him as soon as he was available.

- A total of 137,000 people drew Percival as their Backling.

"Insane. That's a lot."

Because of this, the situation where a Backling tries to talk to a user and the user feels honored to the point of being flattered has become common.

- Think about it. If such a precious Backling is in a good mood today and wants to give a quest to their apostle.

And that Backling has a user they've been keeping an eye on.

So they try to talk to them, but the user doesn't respond.

Oops, the user wasn't connected at that moment.

"…That's terrifying."

- If they can't give the quest, they have no choice but to give it to someone else. Describe the feelings of a user who missed a Backling quest by logging in 5 minutes late. 3 points.

"I can only imagine. I want to quit the game."

- Really? It actually happens. That's why the app was created.

The usage is simple.

Just link your Raisin account to the Backling app, and that's it.

Once linked, when a Backling tries to contact you, an alert will be sent to your phone, and you can wake up and log into Raisin to receive the quest.

"Definitely not necessary for me."

- That's why I said you don't need it.

The first 0-star Backling, Chenma. Naturally, the only person who drew this Backling was Carpe.

The attention from Backlings that others crave was something Carpe took for granted.

While Carpe and Chenma were talking, the two who had been discussing the app earlier were finishing their conversation.

"From today, I'll leave about 10 minutes of connection time before logging out. I'll install the app too."

"Yeah, definitely install it. Imagine if a Backling called you to give a special skill, and you couldn't log in. You'd be in big trouble."

With that, the two entered the village chief's house. Carpe's gaze returned to Chenma.

"Chenma, that conversation just made me think."

- …What?

"Special skills. Can I learn them too?"

- Uh.

In Raisin, there exist special skills, which are treated separately from regular skills.

Unlike regular skills, which can be naturally obtained through various means by playing the game consistently, special skills can only be learned from Backlings.

In other words, luck and the relationship value with the Backling are the most important factors in obtaining a special skill.

"We're close, right? Our relationship value is Max. You can give me a special skill right away!"

- …That's the thing.

Chenma was sweating cold sweat inside.

Actually, the special skills Carpe mentioned were something Chenma had been intentionally avoiding.

- …I can give it to you. I can feel it.

It was the same as when he gave Carpe his first job.

From the moment Carpe completed his job as a Magic Overlord, a part of Chenma's chest began to feel warm and itchy.

And he had the certainty that 'if I burst this, I can give a special skill.'

However, Chenma didn't immediately give the special skill because of a precedent.

Farmer, fisherman, woodcutter, shepherd!

He had loudly promised to give hidden jobs, but the results were disastrous, so he couldn't bring himself to mention giving a special skill first.

No, the situation was even worse this time.

- Special skills are on par with the Backling's rank.

A 6-star Backling gives a 6-star special skill. An 8-star Backling gives an 8-star special skill.

In other words,

"…A 0-star Backling gives a 0-star skill, right?"

- Well, the likelihood is high…

"It's not just likely; it's certain."

- No, there's no precedent for 0-star Backlings, so it's uncertain. Did you know? It might be a 10-star skill due to a system error. Wow, congratulations on two 10-star skills…

"Wow, you're making excuses. You said there are no bugs in Raisin."

While bickering, the people waiting in front of Carpe all left.

- Hey, let's go to the mainland first and think about it. How long do you want to stay here? Look at the people waiting behind you.

"Phew. Alright, let's go."

Hastily entering the village chief's house, a middle-aged man greeted Carpe. He was the village chief of the beginner city Raisin, 'Kedlock.'

"Hehe, so you've come to leave this place?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Another hero is leaving our village. Once you leave, it's hard to return unless it's a special case. Are you sure you're okay with that?"

To visit a low-level area in Raisin, high-level players must bear a significant penalty.

Especially for beginner cities, which are the lowest level, it's almost impossible to return unless you have a special job like a merchant.

"Yes, I'm fine with it."

"Understood. I'll open the way… Oh, wait, you! You're the hero who defeated the Hell Beast!"

The village chief exclaimed in surprise upon seeing Carpe's face.

He quickly ran off somewhere and soon returned with a glove.

"I can't send you off empty-handed for your efforts. Here, take it."

Ding.

[You have obtained the 'Carpenter Kedlock's Gloves' as a reward for being the Time Attack 1st place hero.]

"I'd like to chat more, but unfortunately, I don't have the time. Many heroes are waiting behind you."

The village chief then pulled out a scroll from his pocket and tore it on the spot.

A blue portal opened in front of the village chief with a whoosh.

"Go through here, and you'll arrive at the mainland city 'Luanah.' May the blessings of the goddess be with you on your journey."

"Thank you."

Carpe bowed slightly to the village chief and stepped into the portal.

The true adventure was about to begin.

* * *

The city of Luanah.

A massive port city near the sea, it was the first city all users arrived at after leaving the beginner city.

Unlike Raisin, which was a village in name only, Luanah was a city that lived up to its name.

"Wow, the scale here is completely different."

- It's one of the top three largest cities in Raisin. I heard it's even bigger than Beijing.

"I've never been to Beijing, so I can't really imagine, but I can definitely tell it's big."

Not only the size, but the population density also seemed to exceed imagination.

There were so many people that it was hard to walk without bumping into someone.

- Given the size of the city, it's natural that there are many hidden pieces and things to see. I've already planned everything for you.

"Brother."

- Yeah, trust this brother. Oh, right. You haven't had proper food in Raisin, right? Luanah's seafood dishes are Michelin-worthy, so let's start with that…

"Brother, stop messing around. We need to talk about the special skill first."

- Sigh. It's not working.

Chenma sighed.

Yeah, it's pointless to drag this out. Better to get it over with.

- Go ahead, hit me. I'll take it. You'll feel better after.

"You don't even think something good will come out of it!"

- Well, special skills usually follow the Backling's job.

For example, if the Backling is a 7-star Roland, a physical-type knight, they might give a special skill like 'Indomitable Spirit' to enhance physical strength.

In the case of a 7-star Cao Cao, they might give a large-scale battle command skill like 'The Tyrant's Might.'

In short, special skills are based on the famous stories or legends of the Backling.

- Do I have any legends? Have I ever been in a war? It's obvious what will come out.

"…Brother, what's your job?"

- Unemployed. A life-ruined bum who has poured his life into Raisin. His soul is already preserved in the game.

"Okay. I'll lower my expectations."

A 0-star skill from an unemployed Backling.

Wow, I'm really looking forward to it!

- Let's go.

Chenma said this and shouted 'Hup!' Soon, notification windows appeared before his eyes.

[A special skill quest from a Backling has arrived.]

[Your relationship value with the Backling is at its maximum.]

[The quest is automatically cleared.]

Ding.

The final notification window that appeared had two words written in bold, the name of the special skill.

The 10-star player who became stronger through the draw.