Chapter 10

"Ah, I’m really beyond redemption. Someone like me should have just died..."

The group, having returned to the village, gathered straight at the tavern. Although he hadn’t drunk any alcohol, Uraeui seemed to be intoxicated by the drinks, suddenly falling into self-loathing.

Comforting the depressed Uraeui was quite a task. Canny tried to lighten the gloomy atmosphere by bringing up the story of the Ranker Crag who had helped them.

The reaction was successful.

Uraeui quickly wiped away his tears, his eyes sparkling with admiration.

"That person was really cool. He’s very famous, right? I didn’t feel much when playing the game, but it’s really amazing to have a Ranker help us in this situation."

Uraeui’s sudden interest made Canny smile in satisfaction. She nodded and cleared her throat.

Even though her level is low, she’s a hardcore player. It was time to show off the useless trivia she had picked up over the years.

"I may have a low level, but I’ve heard a lot. You know, he’s a high Ranker, 6th or 7th in the overall rankings, right? He’s from the famous 'Masochist' guild. His ranking shot up when he transferred to Legion. He’s also known for his excellent control in PvP. After his ranking went up, he’s so good that he can go head-to-head with Leon, who’s number one."

"Masochist?"

Hern, who had only been playing for four months, frowned at the strange word. Masochist? That sounds perverted.

At his muttering, Ledian recalled the guild with a "Ah."

In Nord World, guilds are broadly classified into two types: combat guilds and social guilds.

Unlike combat guilds, of which only ten are allowed per server, social guilds have no creation limits.

Therefore, social guilds can be more diverse. Among them, guilds composed of named players with unique concepts are often referred to as special guilds by players for convenience.

The Masochist guild belonged to this category of special guilds. It was characterized by a small number of Rankers, each with distinct personalities.

"The guild leader, 'Daram,' is a Dark Templar, a high Ranker. Instead of focusing on mental strength to increase MP, he focuses on intelligence to extend debuff durations. Most of the people who join are also not normal in their stats. They have a kind of experimental atmosphere with their stats? It’s a guild like that, the Masochists. Anyway, even if that’s not the case, the people in that guild are famous for their good control in PvP."

Hern’s expression twisted in confusion.

In Nord World, a player’s stats represent their abilities.

Stats are divided into strength, intelligence, agility, vitality, and mental strength, and the growth patterns vary depending on the class. With fifteen classes to choose from, the growth of stats is diverse, and so is the autonomy.

On average, strength, intelligence, and agility affect attack power, vitality affects maximum HP and HP recovery, and mental strength affects maximum MP and MP recovery.

A newly created level 1 character starts with 5 points in each stat and can choose one stat to increase with each level up.

The person currently being discussed is a 'Dark Templar,' a magic-based class that specializes in debuffs.

However, instead of the usual mental strength to increase MP, the standard for a support class, he focuses on intelligence.

Thus, Hern couldn’t understand the approach of the Dark Templar player, 'Daram.'

"Wait, a Dark Templar focusing on intelligence? Why? To increase the duration of debuffs? But even then, the damage dealers would finish them off in that time, right? In PvP, quick handling is key. Why not just lay down debuffs one after another? Dark Templars have many debuff spells and high MP consumption, so they’d be tight on MP. Why focus on intelligence...?"

"That’s what makes it unique. But apparently, it’s really fun in PvP. Once you get caught in Daram’s debuffs, it’s hard to dispel them with a Saint’s 'Holy Blessing' due to the resistance. You end up taking a beating from Daram’s wand for 2-3 minutes while being mocked. Then, you get KO’d by Daram’s team."

"Wow... That’s complete humiliation."

"Really? It doesn’t dispel?"

Hern’s surprised expression turned to Ledian. Ledian nodded.

"System-wise, debuffs from a Dark Templar with high intelligence are hard to dispel. Intelligence affects magic attack power and debuff duration. When you get hit by a Mage’s spell, you often get into a state like burning or freezing. But even if a Saint uses a dispel, it’s just as hard to dispel. However, the status effects from a Mage’s spell usually last less than 5 seconds, so it’s not very meaningful. Conversely, if a Saint has high intelligence, they can dispel with a few uses."

"Ew! Who would make a Saint with high intelligence? It’s better to max out vitality."

"Right. Unless you’re crazy. The developers probably didn’t expect an intelligence-focused Dark Templar. That’s why getting caught by Daram in PvP is quite scary. There’s also an Archer in the guild. It’s a Strength Archer. One arrow can drain a lot of HP. The average damage is similar to a critical hit, they say."

At Canny’s whisper, Hern, the Archer, opened his mouth wide.

A Strength Archer... Of course, he had thought about it as a player. Many people had tried it. But he had ignored it because of the low efficiency compared to agility. To think someone had actually done it.

He couldn’t help but be impressed. "...Should I try it?"

At Hern’s drooling mutter, Canny shook her finger.

"Uh, I advise against it. It’s not recommended. Without high-quality unique items to set up accuracy and vitality, it’s meaningless. You miss a lot due to low agility. So, you need to correct accuracy with items? But useful options only start appearing on unique items and above, and you need to pay to add more options, so it’s not feasible right now."

"Ah~ But once I hit a high level and have spare items, it might be worth a try. Stat reallocation potion? I’ll take that and... I can buy items, right?"

"Right. If you have the funds, it’s worth a try for fun. But in the early levels, it’s best to follow the standard build. Wherever you go, what’s the most important in a game?"

"Luck and gear?"

Hern and Canny chuckled, clearly getting along well. Canny was in her early twenties, right?

Ledian, who had been laughing with them, turned to comfort the dejected Uraeui again.

"Mr. Uraeui, don’t be so down. These things happen. And everyone is safe, right?"

Ledian’s smiling face made Uraeui’s eyes well up with tears again. "You’re an angel, Mr. Ledian," he said, blushing despite his large size.

Ledian chuckled at Uraeui, who was making a tearful vow to do better next time. It was the first time she found a man, who looked to be about five years older than her, cute.

A short notification sound rang, and a message window appeared in front of her. Ledian tapped it with her finger, puzzled.

A letter? It was a communication method used between people who weren’t close friends. She tapped the now familiar system icon and let out a small scream of joy when she saw the content.

Hern and Canny, who had been chatting, were startled and blinked.

"What’s wrong! It’s Mr. Pepe!"

Canny was confused by the high-pitched voice.

"Pepe? You mean that Saint? You know Mr. Ledian?"

"Yes, yes! Uh, but how do I reply?"

"Ah, guild leader. That’s a letter. You have to send it from the post center in the guild castle."

At Hern’s explanation, Ledian quickly got up. It was late, and she could reply tomorrow, but she was too excited to wait.

"Sorry, I’ll go first! Hern, let me know when we decide on the hunting ground tomorrow!"

She looked oddly excited. Her happy expression and high-pitched voice made everyone curious. Despite their questions, Ledian rushed out of the tavern like the wind and quickly headed for the guild castle.

"Wow, there are so many people even at night."

According to the guild alliance’s survey, roughly 5,000 to 6,000 people were trapped in this world.

Considering the 3,000 or so members of the ten combat guilds and other large social guilds, it wasn’t an impossible number.

Perhaps—there might actually be more people. There were many more small guilds and players who operated without a guild in Nord World.

Midgard City was the main hub for all players, so it was similar to walking through a busy downtown area in the real world during peak evening hours.

Ledian was amazed at the bustling streets. It was still hard to believe that so many people had been trapped in the game.

"Ah, there they are."

Passing through the crowded square, Ledian entered the guild castle and found some plausible NPCs in a corner. The desk had a picture of a letter on it. She was surprised to see it for the first time, even though she had been there a few times.

Of course, in the game, she had just used voice recognition to send letters, so the new method was a bit annoying and frustrating. This was one of the many new variables.

"Hmm... How do I do this?"

Looking around, she saw people writing letters by hand at small tables. Observing them, it seemed they got the paper from the counter. Ledian took a deep breath and rechecked the letter she had received.

"Hello, Mr. Ledian. It’s me, Pepe.

I couldn’t find a way to contact you after all my friends disappeared... I only found out about the letter function today.

I don’t know if you’ve been transferred, but I’m leaving this letter just in case. Please reply if you see it.

—Pepe"

Ledian’s mouth curved into a wide smile as she muttered the last name. It was a genuine expression of joy.

"Ah, what do I do? I’m so happy. Well, it’s not a good thing, but... Mr. Pepe is here too. He must have returned!"

Smiling broadly, Ledian ran to the counter. A doll-like female NPC smiled at her. She had always found the emotionless dolls a bit eerie, and a horror movie about dolls came to mind. Are they really just dolls? Shaking off the thought, Ledian composed herself and asked.

"Excuse me, I want to write a letter. How do I do it?"

"Welcome. To send a letter, write the content in the center, the recipient’s name at the top, and your name at the bottom, and give it to me. The fee is 10,000 gold."

The artificial smile was bright. 10,000 gold for a piece of paper, really expensive. Grumbling internally, Ledian was about to take the parchment when she heard a cautious and unfamiliar voice.

"Mr. Ledian...?"

Ledian’s eyes widened reflexively at the voice.

Huh? Huh? Ledian’s mouth opened in a daze. A very familiar ID appeared before her.

Player Information

Name: Pepe / Guild: Emergency Room (M)

Level: 77 / Class: Saint / Sub-Class: Enchanter

HP: 3000 / MP: 4650

"Pe, Pepe?!"

Standing before Ledian was a tall man adorned with the rarest unique items, the High Priest’s Blessing series.

Ledian’s eyes were as wide as his, who was looking at her in surprise.

"Uh, really, Mr. Ledian? But, why are you a woman...?"