LS 26

He was about to say « Obviously not”, but for some reason, the words caught in his throat. Just a while ago, even hearing the “F” in “first clear” would’ve made him refuse on the spot, but now, things felt different. He was going to keep playing Sword of God anyway, mostly because of IngSupp. So then… maybe trying a first clear once, with the others, wouldn’t be so bad after all.

If he wasn’t quitting anytime soon, then maybe doing a first clear under the Human guild name one more time wouldn’t be the worst thing. Like Yeohoo said, most of the other guildmates were thoughtless damage-dealers, people who didn’t care about mechanics or strategies, just eager to pump out DPS while dodging patterns. The so-called DPS maniacs.

It was like they were addicted to something. They were obsessed with chugging “Holy Potions,” which caused a sudden burst in damage output. The joke about Dohee being the “brain” of Human raid group wasn’t really a joke. Even Daeyoung and Tando, who at least seemed smart, would ignore mechanics and start smashing damage as soon as the raid started. Tando was a healer, and even he would focus on damage. No wonder he and Noodle fought all the time.

Whenever a new raid dropped, Yeohoo and Dohee were always the ones creating the strategy guides. If he backed out, that responsibility would fall entirely on Yeohoo. Maybe that’s why he was clinging to Dohee’s pant leg like this now.

Dohee thought deeply, while Yeohoo and Yeojin watched him, eyes sparkling with anticipation.

To be honest, just imagining Xeno raid team getting the first clear slot was irritating. When he was planning to quit Sword of God, it had felt meaningless. But if he wasn’t quitting? If Xeno got the first clear while he was still here, wide awake and watching? That would be infuriating.

Dohee knew full well that when Demon Hunter launched, the two groups with the highest odds of getting the first first clear were Xeno and Human. There were other raid teams, sure, but none with the coordination or specs that Xeno and Human had built over time. So unless something major happened, it was going to come down to those two.

If he pulled out and weakened their raid, and that let Xeno win the first first clear? That’d be a shame he’d carry forever.

Even recently, Human and Xeno members still growled at each other whenever they crossed paths. Back during the Corrupted Hana first clear, all the Xeno raiders–except for Dohee and Yeohoo–had openly looked down on Supports. Because of that, most high-level Support players still resented Xeno. And whenever they bumped into each other in PvP zones, fights broke out for no reason.

The veteran players all knew that GoSupp was the original founder of the Human guild. After Corrupted Hana clear, Dohee and Yeohoo who were originally members of Xeno left and started Human on their own. Everyone in Human, aside from GoSupp, already knew that.

Even members who didn’t originally care much about Xeno started hating them after repeated skirmishes in PvP zones, conquest battles, and top-tier raids. After Human claimed the first clear on the Snow Witch raid, that rivalry deepened.

In truth, most Human guildmates hadn’t started off fighting Xeno. Human was full of highly independent players, so at first, no one cared if Dohee and Yeohoo were beefing with Xeno. But just wearing the Human tag meant Xeno members would constantly provoke them. And the Human guildmates, not exactly known for their patience or saintliness, had a breaking point.

Plus, Sword of God’s community constantly pitted the two guilds against each other, Human vs. Xeno. It was annoying as hell. Eventually, the hot-headed Noodle and a few others started ganking any player with the Xeno tag on sight. So, yeah, there was no way for relations to be good anymore.

Anyway, the rivalry between these two long-time raid groups had become something of a saga. That alone made Dohee want to crush them one more time. Objectively speaking, both guilds were pretty evenly matched. Similar number of max-level players, similar rankings–every month it was a back-and-forth.

After some thought, Dohee slowly opened his mouth.

“I’ll… think about it.”

“Yah-ho!”

“We believed in you, Dohee-kun~!”

Yeohoo and Yeojin whooped and raised their arms in victory. So that’s why they’d been clinging to him like this so late at night, to squeeze out a yes.

“You’re staying over, right, Baek Dohee?”

At Yeohoo’s question, Dohee nodded. It was late anyway, and going home sounded like a hassle.

“Playing Sword of God here or at my place, what’s the difference. But if you pass out during the raid just because you drank, I swear to God I’ll kill you.”

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s just finish the raid fast and sleep.”

He’d already done all the quests he needed for the day. Once the raid was done, he’d probably be free right around the time IngSupp logged in. As the twins disappeared to wash up, Dohee calmly powered on the computer.

Tonight, maybe he’d take IngSupp to a new continent and watch them stumble through the main quest. At level 35, they’d be able to leave the Royal Kingdom and cross over for the first time. Just imagining how amazed they’d be made Dohee smile.

Dohee found himself humming without even realizing it. Looked like it was going to be another fun night.

💎

[Party] GOingSupporter187: Wow… 8ㅅ8 So we’re going to Yante!?

IngSupp didn’t log in until almost 3 a.m. Something about a rush of customers making his shift busier than expected. Dohee, who had planned to prep a new gear set for his level 40 milestone, scrapped the idea. At the rate he was leveling like a maniac, gearing him every 10 levels seemed pointless. At this pace, he’d hit 50 in no time, and that’s when Dohee decided he’d craft him a top-tier set with the most expensive, high-quality materials.

[Party] AssaGo: Yep, you can go to Yante starting from level 35.

[Party] GOingSupporter187: That’s so cool… It’s my first time going to another continent…!

[Party] AssaGo: LOLOL of course, you just leveled up

[Party] GOingSupporter187: Do they give quests there too? Like catching wolves and rabbits!? 8ㅁ8

[Party] AssaGo: Yep yep. Let’s take the regular airship

[Party] GOingSupporter187: What’s a regular airship!?

[Party] AssaGo: It’s an easy way to travel between continents

[Party] AssaGo: The price depends on distance, but a few hundred silver is enough

[Party] AssaGo: Think of it like a flying ship? They show up every few minutes, maybe every 3 min?

[Party] GOingSupporter187: Whoaaa… 8ㅅ8 That’s so cool ㅠㅡㅠ

AssaGo’s character moved toward the port in Rowle. Watching IngSupp follow behind gave Dohee a weird feeling. Is this what it feels like to raise a puppy…? He’d never had one, but maybe it wasn’t too different…

Since it was IngSupp’s first time heading to the airship dock, he kept chirping questions the whole way. “What’s that?” “What’s this?” Even while waiting for the airship, he was busy moving around exploring every inch of the port, and once the ship arrived, he excitedly ran around its interior, marveling at how big and cool it was.

[Party] AssaGo: For continents you visit often, use Return Scrolls to travel

[Party] AssaGo: When you’re going somewhere not set as a return point, take the airship

[Party] GOingSupporter187: Ah-ha…!

[Party] AssaGo: Right now your return point is set to Rowle

[Party] AssaGo: You know you can’t set it to fields directly, just the capital city, Ladenska, right?

[Party] GOingSupporter187: Yes yes!

[Party] AssaGo: Since you’re just bouncing between Yante and Rowle right now

[Party] AssaGo: Take the airship to Yante and use the Return Scroll to get back to Rowle

[Party] AssaGo: Got it?

[Party] GOingSupporter187: Yes!!! ㅎㅅㅎ

[Party] GOingSupporter187: It just feels… new somehow…ㅠㅡㅠ

[Party] AssaGo: What does lol

[Party] GOingSupporter187: Just… like I’ve grown a lot? 8ㅅ8

At IngSupp’s comment about feeling grown up, Dohee burst out laughing out loud. The twins had already gone off to bed, so there was no one to shush him. What was this, like a preschooler acting like they just got their ID card?

[Party] AssaGo: You have grown a lot

[Party] GOingSupporter187: Right!? ㅠㅡㅠ

[Party] AssaGo: That confidence tho LOLLLLLLLLLLL

[Party] AssaGo: LOOOOOL

[Party] GOingSupporter187: 8ㅅ8… AssaGo-nim… you’re… so mean…

[Party] AssaGo: LOL