CCBBWM 2

Huh?

Beo-deul lightly touched his lips, looking a bit awkward. From the look of it, someone seemed to want to form a party with him… Recalling his first party experience, Beo-deul instinctively frowned.

[General] BreadwinnerGirl: ?

With no reply or party invite, BreadwinnerGirl started jumping and circling around Beo-deul’s character. It looked like an attempt to hurry him or grab his attention.

*[General] BreadwinnerGirl: Try leaving the party

Ah. Beo-deul realized he was still in a solo party and quickly placed his hands back on the keyboard. Now that he noticed, it seemed BreadwinnerGirl had even tried to invite him first.

[General] Gilmyu: Sorry, I’m new to this dungeonㅠㅠ I think you should look for another party

The recruitment board Beo-deul checked earlier only had posts looking for experienced players. It was already hard to find a party for this dungeon, and with everyone only wanting veterans, it made it even harder for newcomers to gain experience. That was one of the reasons he couldn’t easily join a trial party.

His first party had been a veteran group. Though Beo-deul had clarified he was a newbie, they let him in based on his gear and stats alone. That’s where things went wrong.

When he died during Phase 2 of the boss fight and got kicked out of the dungeon, they removed him from the party and cleared the dungeon themselves before moving on to the next quest.

There were occasional horror stories about parties using a member for their DPS and then kicking them out. Beo-deul never thought it’d happen to him. Since then, he hadn’t gone near Gate of Trials III and focused solely on leveling up.

[General] BreadwinnerGirl: It’s fine

[General] Gilmyu: Huh?

[General] BreadwinnerGirl: It’s a quick clear. I’ll guide you

That person… has no idea how bad my controls are. Beo-deul, starting to panic, quickly typed.

[General] Gilmyu: I’m really terrible at controlsㅠㅠ You should probably find someone else

[General] BreadwinnerGirl: It’s okay, I’ve seen worse

Worse than me? Who could that be…? Beo-deul, confused, froze his hands. BreadwinnerGirl added another message.

[General] BreadwinnerGirl: Someone so bad, they’ll never be topped

[General] BreadwinnerGirl: Let’s go with a party invite first

What if I end up rewriting history as the new “worst hands ever”? Beodeul, nervous yet unsure, sent the party invite.

[General] BreadwinnerGirl: Make me party leader. Can you use voice chat?

Once he handed over the party lead, the in-game mic option turned on, and a pop-up prompted him to check voice chat settings. Speaking to a stranger was still awkward for Beodeul.

“But communication is important in this dungeon…”

From the videos he watched, Gate of Trials III required tight coordination, so most players used voice chat. That left him with no choice. He dusted off his unused headset and replied via chat:

[General] Gilmyu: Yes, I can

[General] BreadwinnerGirl: Then turn it on and come into voice chat when it’s ready. We’ll start right away

Start? Just the two of us?! Beo-deul’s eyes widened in panic.

[General] Gilmyu: Is it just the two of us??

The reply came through his headset.

[Yeah. Looking at your gear, your DPS should be enough. Fewer people is easier here.]

It was a voice he didn’t expect cool and calm, but somehow chilling. It didn’t match the cutesy nickname BreadwinnerGirl or the feminine avatar at all. It was a man’s voice, sharp and articulate, like wind through a winter cave.

[If too many people mess up in dungeon, it just causes more problems.]

Beo-deul was so startled by the voice and the content that his mind blanked out.

He sounds like a voice actor… Wait, really? Even though I’m a newbie, we’re going in with just the two of us? Wouldn’t I be the one messing things up?

[Aren’t you turning on your mic?]

Ah, right. In the confusion, he forgot. Beodeul hastily enabled his mic.

“Hello.”

[……]

There was no reply. He tilted his head, wondering if his voice had gone through.

“Can you hear me?”

He also typed:

[General] Gilmyu: Can you hear me?

Finally, a short response came via headset.

[Ah.]

“…?”

Beo-deul waited for more, but the next replies came through the game chat, along with the sound of a keyboard clacking quickly.

[General] BreadwinnerGirl: Mic’s not coming through clearly

[General] BreadwinnerGirl: There’s a program called VoiceCord

[General] BreadwinnerGirl: It works like this game’s voice chat

Messages poured in rapidly. Beo-deul had at least heard of VoiceCord a commonly used voice chat app among gamers.

While in-game voice chat required party formation and setup, VoiceCord allowed direct communication just by being friends.

[General] BreadwinnerGirl: It’s more stable and clearer than in-game

[General] BreadwinnerGirl: Want to try it?

I thought my mic was working fine… Is there something wrong with it? Beo-deul rubbed his earlobe and replied via chat:

[General] Gilmyu: Sure… I’ll need to install it first

[General] BreadwinnerGirl: Take your time

Well, no choice then. Beo-deul began installing the program while occasionally glancing at the avatar in front of him. BreadwinnerGirl was pacing even more animatedly than before.

[General] Gilmyu: Sorryㅠㅠ It’s about 30%, done installing

[General] BreadwinnerGirl: Oh? No worries. Take your time

[General] Gilmyu: Ah… okay

At least he weren’t rushing him. Beo-deul sighed in relief as he noticed the party mic option had been turned off.

Once the installation finished, BreadwinnerGirl guided him through the setup. Not long after, a friend request popped up:

Friend request received!

[ㅅㄴ]

The nickname, just two consonants, looked cool and detached. Beo-deul glanced between the game screen and the VoiceCord app before accepting the request.

“Is it short for ‘BreadwinnerGirl’? But the voice doesn’t quite…”

He chuckled to himself. That voice was still stuck in his mind.

Still, thinking this way is rude. Beodeul cleared his throat and joined the voice chat.

“Ah-ah, can you hear me now?”

[…Yes. I can.]

He sounded even deeper than before. Beo-deul pursed his lips.

“So, are you sure it’s okay with just the two of us?”

BreadwinnerGirl class showed as ‘Holy Wizard,’ a support-leaning wizard type. The game company introduced the class as a hybrid with decent solo capabilities and support skills, but most players dismissed it as a “jack-of-all-trades, master of none.”

Beo-deul didn’t care about meta perceptions, but he couldn’t help worrying. He wasn’t confident enough to solo DPS and,

[It’s fine. Holy Wizard and Dragon Slayer have good synergy.]

Dragon Slayer that was Beo-deul’s class. He nodded at the explanation. He hadn’t known that pairing had good synergy.

Still, that didn’t fully ease his mind. Good synergy only worked if both players coordinated well.

Sensing his silence, BreadwinnerGirl added softly:

[If it really doesn’t work, there are other ways…]

Other ways? Beo-deul watched as BreadwinnerGirl approached the dungeon entrance.

“What do you mean?”

[Let’s try first. We’ll go in now.]

Couldn’t you have told me the “other ways” earlier? Beo-deul watched the short dungeon cutscene with mixed feelings.

As the video ended, a calm voice spoke again:

[Don’t worry. I’ll guide you. Just trust me.]

Somehow, those simple words eased Beodeul’s anxiety. He smiled faintly and replied:

“Okay, I’ll trust only you, BreadwinnerGirl.”

Feels like I joined some cult. Not realizing the silence that followed, Beodeul chuckled to himself.