Chapter 8

The Witch Deborah's Cave

1

"Hello, Uncle. Don't you remember me?"

"Huh? Who are you?"

"Oh! It's Chaerin. Chaerin!"

"Oh! The daughter of the Song family's gangster!"

At the word 'gangster,' Chaerin's pretty eyebrows slightly furrowed, but soon a smile appeared on her lips. She was glad that Mr. Kang remembered her, regardless of her past appearance.

"Hehe, they say that even mountains and rivers change in ten years, but you've changed even before the mountains and rivers did."

"Hehehe, don't I look much prettier now?"

"Yes, yes. You've become a beautiful young lady. But what brings you here?"

"Just to see how much the neighborhood has changed since I lived here, and also…"

Chaerin turned her head towards Yohan.

Yohan was pretending not to notice and was busy cleaning the store.

Approaching Yohan, Chaerin kicked his buttocks.

"Ouch! What are you doing?"

"What are you doing? Ignoring an old friend who came to visit?"

"It's just that the store is busy, so I didn't notice."

"Don't lie. You saw me come in just now."

Chaerin kicked Yohan again.

Unfortunately, she kicked him below the knee with her boot, making it three times more painful. In game terms, it was like a critical hit, and Yohan's HP was dangerously low.

"That's the third time. Including the one in the game."

'Isn't it the fourth time?'

He still didn't remember their encounter on Mount Langkel. Well, he was probably too busy running from the raging boar back then.

In any case, for Yohan, the present was more important than the past.

Chaerin was glaring at him with narrowed eyes.

"Shouldn't you at least say hello?"

"Uh, hello."

"Hmm, you're bowing. If you're happy to see me, why did you run away yesterday?"

In the game, when Chaerin called him by his real name and acted like they knew each other, he was so startled that he disconnected from the game.

"Why did you do that? Am I some kind of Medusa?"

Medusa is an intermediate-level monster in Arpedia Online.

She has excellent magical attacks and a unique ability to petrify users, making her notorious enough to make even high-level players run away.

This was due to DreamMax's realistic portrayal of Medusa's appearance.

A considerable number of users who saw Medusa for the first time, regardless of their level, experienced status instability and were forcibly logged out.

Naturally, people's protests rained down, and there were even suggestions within the game company to make Medusa prettier (or less scary). However,

"Wouldn't she be Medusa if she wasn't that scary?"

The vice president stubbornly insisted, and they still haven't fixed it.

In any case, Medusa from Arpedia Online was so famous that even people who didn't play the game knew her as the symbol of horror and ugliness.

Of course, Chaerin was as far from being ugly as Andromeda.

"It's because my mom called me to do an errand."

"It's written all over your face that you're lying."

"It's the truth! Do you not trust your childhood friend?"

Yohan felt that if he backed down, he would have to spill everything, so he pushed back strongly.

The phrase "childhood friend" seemed to have an effect, as Chaerin stopped pressing him. Seizing the opportunity, Yohan subtly changed the topic.

"Why did you come here?"

From the look in her eyes, it seemed she had come to find him. Surely not to personally ask him to repair a worn-out bow.

"Uncle, I'm going to borrow Yohan for a bit."

Chaerin grabbed Yohan's arm and led him out of the store, looking at him with hopeful eyes.

"How long have you been playing the game?"

"Um, about two months."

He almost said he had been playing since the open beta, but stopped himself. Bartz was gone, and he didn't want to brag about being a game veteran to Chaerin.

"Do you have any other characters besides the blacksmith?"

"Besides Zig, I don't have any others."

Yohan felt a pang of sadness. Chaerin, seemingly oblivious to his feelings, continued.

"Then it's a bit difficult to ask you for a favor…"

"Favor? What kind of favor?"

"I'm trying to level up, and I heard that dungeons are good for leveling."

Chaerin was right. Dungeons have stronger monsters than forests or hunting grounds, providing more experience and items.

However, dungeons aren't always beneficial.

"But you're an archer. Dungeons are disadvantageous for archers, right?"

For beginner archers, the hit-and-run tactics they learn in open fields are less effective in the confined spaces of dungeons.

Of course, with practice, they can adapt to dungeon combat, but it often involves dying and respawning multiple times.

"You're right. It's definitely a disadvantage. That's why I'm looking for people to go with me, but I could only find two."

"Two…"

Depending on the dungeon and the players' levels, a four-person party is typical. Smaller parties struggle with combat, and larger parties can cause conflicts over experience and items.

"My friends are busy with their quests. Those who aren't doing quests are either beginners or far away in other fields."

"So you came to me."

"I thought you might be playing the game, so I came to check. But it seems it won't work out."

High-level players might be useful, but a low-level blacksmith can only repair weapons quickly or make arrows.

While they can fight to some extent, they lack combat skills and can't contribute much to battles. In fact, they might become a burden if they need to be rescued.

Zig was no different. Yohan, who still retained his combat instincts from the Bartz era, could handle one-on-one fights, but he would be helpless if surrounded by monsters in a dungeon.

"Would you like to go?"

Yohan suddenly asked.

"Huh?"

"When are you going to the dungeon? If the timing is right, I can help you."

For some reason, Yohan decided to go with her.

"But you only have a blacksmith character, right?"

"That's enough."

Chaerin laughed, as if his words were absurd.

"Hey, Kang Yohan. If you keep acting tough, you'll lose experience and cry."

The dungeon she planned to go to was dangerous for a beginner blacksmith. She was looking for party members because she couldn't go alone.

"When are you going?"

Yohan suddenly asked.

"Huh?"

"When are you going to the dungeon? If the timing is right, I can help you."

For some reason, Yohan decided to go with her.

"But you only have a blacksmith character, right?"

"That's enough."

Chaerin laughed, as if his words were absurd.

"Hey, Kang Yohan. If you keep acting tough, you'll lose experience and cry."

The dungeon she planned to go to was dangerous for a beginner blacksmith. She was looking for party members because she couldn't go alone.

"When are you going?"

Yohan suddenly asked.

"Huh?"

"When are you going to the dungeon? If the timing is right, I can help you."

For some reason, Yohan decided to go with her.

"But you only have a blacksmith character, right?"

"That's enough."

Chaerin laughed, as if his words were absurd.

"Hey, Kang Yohan. If you keep acting tough, you'll lose experience and cry."

The dungeon she planned to go to was dangerous for a beginner blacksmith. She was looking for party members because she couldn't go alone.

"Saturday at 1 PM."

Yohan's enthusiasm seemed to have convinced Chaerin.

"I'll be at the central square of Balden when we go to the dungeon."

She decided to add Yohan to the party.

There was no one else suitable among her friends, and Yohan had made a promise.

"Got it. But you're not going to leave me behind after this, right?"

"Don't you forget the time. And if you don't support me properly, you won't get any share of the loot."

With that, Chaerin kicked Yohan's leg.

A sign of affection. This kind of playful nudging hadn't changed from the past.

But one thing was clear.

She still considered him a friend, just like in the old days.

They chatted and interacted as if they had just parted ways at the playground yesterday.

"See you Saturday at 1 PM."

"Got it. Take care."

After taking a tour of the neighborhood, Chaerin said goodbye to Yohan and got on the bus. Before the bus left, she opened the window and called out to Yohan.

"Hey, Kang Yohan. Hang in there. Don't let your shoulders droop."

"What do you mean? Who's losing energy?"

"I can see you're exhausted. Cheer up! If you look like a dried fish next time, I'll just throw you away!"

The bus left, and Chaerin was gone. Yohan stood there until the bus was out of sight.

'Does she know something? Or was she just saying it?'

There was something even more surprising.

Even after becoming Zig, he hadn't abandoned Bartz's playstyle. But when Chaerin mentioned the party, he eagerly agreed to go.

He had the goal of becoming a high-level blacksmith to catch the hacker, but until now, he had never joined a party. Yet, he accepted it naturally, as if being led by a friend inviting him to play.

'Well, it's not bad.'

Isn't it better to be with someone you know rather than strangers? Besides, trying something new isn't bad either.

Yohan turned to go home.

He opened the capsule to play the game but didn't log in, just walked out. Something felt different. The capsule he had entered until yesterday now felt like a completely different space, unfamiliar.

Knock, knock, knock!

When he opened the door to the knock, his mother looked at him with a disapproving expression.

"Is one coffin not enough for you?"

"Ah!"

Looking at the clock, it was already 5 PM. The first floor was bustling, indicating that DreamMax had sent the capsule.

"Where did you get the money to buy a capsule?"

"It's not bought. It's a reward."

"Reward?"

"I was hacked."

Yohan briefly explained the situation to his mother, who looked concerned, and went downstairs.

The delivery personnel placed the capsule in Yohan's room and quickly left. Looking at the new, fresh-smelling capsule, Yohan kicked it.

"What are you doing?"

His mother, who followed him, asked indifferently.

"I'm going to clean my room."

"Wow, what made you think of doing that?"

"I don't know."

Yohan thoroughly cleaned his room. Unlike the morning when he had hastily tidied up, he vacuumed, wiped the dust, and threw away the trash.

"And this is no longer needed."

He placed the old capsule he had cherished in the yard.

If his younger brother needed it, he could take it, or his parents might sell it. In the place of the old capsule, a new one was set up.

"Well, it's better to put new wine in a new wineskin."

A faint smile appeared on Yohan's face, reflected in the shiny new capsule.

2

"The repair is complete."

On the day Yohan had agreed to go to the dungeon with Chaerin, he was diligently practicing his repair skill in the central square of Balden. Valuing every spare moment, he had set up a sign and continued his business.

The reputation of the skilled blacksmith had spread, and users from neighboring cities came to entrust their weapons.

"Hehehe! Please come again next time."

Yohan, who had earned 30 gold, bowed politely to the customer.

Thanks to his relentless repair work for five days, his repair skill had reached rank 7, and his repair success rate had increased from 45% to 49%.

Of course, he had earned a considerable amount of money and gained more fame.

"It's time to leave this place."

To grow further, he needed to leave Balden.

Unlike this place, which was crowded with beginners, other cities offered the opportunity to handle higher-rank weapons and gain more experience.

"But the time is almost here…"

It was almost 1 PM in real time. As expected, while Yohan was inwardly blaming Chaerin for being late, a slender archer girl and two stylishly dressed knight and mage approached him.

The archer was obviously Chaerin, and the knight and mage were new faces. They looked to be 2-3 years older than Yohan.

"Ahaha, sorry for being late."

Chaerin laughed and introduced the two people next to her.

"Say hello. This is Knight Jers, and this is Mage Alden. They both go to Hanseong University."

"Ah, hello?"

Yohan greeted them, and the two, who looked like first or second-year students, glanced at him once. Their indifferent attitude made Yohan frown, but they started chatting among themselves as if it didn't matter.

"What? He's a blacksmith?"

"A blacksmith will only be a burden in a dungeon…"

"Exactly. It would have been better if he were a thief."

Yohan, feeling angry, almost said he was a Bartz user but stopped. There was no way to prove it here.

"Chaerin, don't. Let's go by ourselves. We'll protect you perfectly, so you don't have to worry."

"Right, I'll make sure not a single hair on your head is harmed."

'Jers and Alden…'

While the two were acting superior to Chaerin, Yohan thought about who they were.

Even though he was meeting them for the first time, their names didn't feel unfamiliar. They sounded familiar, as if he had heard them somewhere. Where had he heard them?

'Right! These guys are definitely!'

He had seen their names on a game strategy site, listed as people to be cautious of.

'They definitely flirt with girls in the game.'

These two used their higher levels to flirt with beginner female players.

At first, they approached them by offering to teach the game, using items and experience as bait. Once they felt the girls were receptive, they persistently tried to meet them offline.

Naturally, their reputation was 'terrible.'

Despite being mid-level, their fame was 0 due to penalties for inappropriate behavior.

'Chaerin must have brought them in without knowing.'

Only a few people who start the game thoroughly check the strategy guides on various sites.

Most people, eager to enjoy the game quickly, skim through them and only delve into the guides after facing challenges.

'If she had just searched for their fame on the official website, she would have known. Does Chaerin not have anyone else to go with?'

After all, how could a beginner know if someone they met in the game was good or bad? It's common to realize someone is bad only after being taken advantage of.

"Anyway, let's leave this guy behind. We can earn more experience in a three-person party."

"But he's my friend. We agreed to go together."

"No way. If he comes, he'll just lose experience. Then we'll have to take care of him too."

While Yohan was thinking, Chaerin was arguing with the two. They kept opposing, while Chaerin insisted on keeping her promise and maintaining her friendship.

The argument, which seemed endless, came to an end when Yohan stepped in.

"Are you guys strong?"

"Heh, of course we're a bit stronger."

Yohan's flattery made the two puff up.

Level 70. In Balden, where beginners were everywhere, they could strut around with their shoulders back. But to Bartz, they were just easy targets.

Hiding his smirk, Yohan continued.

"Then taking me along shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Hey, who would take a blacksmith…"

"Guys, I heard you have a 'pretty good reputation.' You're known for taking low-level players and helping them grow, right?"

The two's faces stiffened at Yohan's emphasis on 'pretty good reputation.'

'Does this guy know about us?'

The two were aware that their bad reputation had spread.

That's why they now only targeted new female players. This beginner blacksmith seemed to know something about them.

His meaningful smile suggested he would expose them to Chaerin if they left him behind.

"Think of it as helping a blacksmith grow. I'm good at repairing weapons, you know."

'Right, what if your swords break in the dungeon?'

The two looked at each other, then reluctantly agreed.

"Alright. Consider it a favor."

Yohan saw their smirks.

He wasn't fooled. They weren't accepting him out of kindness. They had their own plans.

'They'll definitely try to ditch me in the dungeon.'

He had never played in a party, but he had seen such behavior while soloing in dungeons.

High-level players would bring low-level players to dungeons, then abandon them when they found them annoying, leaving them isolated and helpless.

In the end, those low-level players would either lose experience and respawn in town or cry over the items and money they dropped.

'I'll make them