LS 27

3. When old pros clash, it’s the newbies who suffer.

While the two of them chatted, the airship left the Rowle continent and arrived at Yante. With a toot of a horn, the ship came to a stop, the screen transitioned, and the vibrant landscape of Yante unfolded before their eyes.

Yante was an entirely different vibe from Rowle.

Rowle had lots of mountains, fields, and mines, and its capital, Ladenska, was the classic image of a sprawling medieval metropolis. But Yante, on the other hand, was a kind of massive island. Completely surrounded by sea and with no direct connection to any other landmass, the only way to reach it was via return scroll or airship. The Sword of God lore described it as a warm southern island, and true to that, the continent was full of sunny, vacation-like beachfront maps.

They docked at Yante’s harbor. The continent’s capital was a large seaside city called Han.

[Party] GOingSupporter187: Ah! I think this person gives the quest!

The moment they disembarked, Knockoff bolted straight to the NPC at the harbor’s entrance. Dohee followed at a relaxed pace, taking in Yante’s scenery for the first time in a while. It wasn’t a place high-level players visited often. Yante was mainly a mid-level zone, meant for players between levels 35 and 50, and once you passed 50, there wasn’t much reason to come back. Rowle, at least, had the high-level daily “Gather Dawn Roses” quest, so people returned now and then, but not Yante. It didn’t offer much incentive.

Some of Yante’s beaches were PvP zones, with quests exclusive to those areas, so higher-level players might stop by now and then for fun. But unless you liked PvP, Yante was really just a transitional continent.

[Party] AssaGo: What’s it say?

[Party] GOingSupporter187: Uh… I think the cats near the beach ate something poisonous…ㅠㅡㅠ

[Party] GOingSupporter187: They’ve gotten really aggressive!

[Party] GOingSupporter187: The quest says if I take down 50 of them, I’ll get a reward…

[Party] GOingSupporter187: But how do you even fight cats…?

[Party] GOingSupporter187: They’re so cute… 8ㅅ8

Good grief. What nonsense is this now?

Dohee moved his character toward Beach Zone 1, dragging a sniffling Knockoff along. The sun blazed overhead and the sound of waves filled the field. Small white cats darted across the sand with nimble movements.

[Party] GOingSupporter187: ㅠㅡㅠ Are we really supposed to fight these…?

[Party] AssaGo: I mean, probably? You accepted the quest, didn’t you? ㅋㅋ

[Party] GOingSupporter187: Oh…

[Party] GOingSupporter187: But they’re just so small and white and cute…

[Party] GOingSupporter187: I guess we have to kill them…

[Party] GOingSupporter187: They don’t even look aggressive… 8ㅅ8

As Knockoff cautiously approached a cat, Dohee thought, If you go in like that, you’re going to get hurt. Before he could even say anything, a tiny white cat pounced and slashed Knockoff’s character, dropping a third of his HP in one blow.

[Party] GOingSupporter187: Gasp!

[Party] GOingSupporter187: That really hurt!!!

Of course it hurt. You’re at the exact level for this area.

Dohee was so dumbfounded he didn’t even know what to say. That cat isn’t the one who should be scared, you should be scared of the cat. Seriously! He was feeling lightheaded all over again.

[Party] GOingSupporter187: Whimper… Sob… Do we really have to kill them? ㅠㅡㅠ

[Party] GOingSupporter187: They’re too cute… 8ㅅ8

This is insane. He didn’t even know how to respond. The guy’s just been whacked, his HP’s nearly gone, and he’s chugging potions while worrying about the ethics of cat combat. It made Dohee dizzy, but somehow, he was starting to get used to it. A soft laugh slipped out before he could stop it.

It was ridiculous, but kind of adorable, too. That was even more ridiculous.

[Party] AssaGo: Lol

[Party] AssaGo: Since we’re in a party, I’ll take care of them

[Party] AssaGo: Just stay back a bit

With a few lazy swings of his sword, the feral cats went flying, yowling as they disappeared. As the monsters vanished, they dropped an item labeled “Bell for a Cat’s Collar.” Dohee motioned Knockoff over.

[Party] AssaGo: Pick up the bell items and collect them

[Party] AssaGo: My pet doesn’t loot junk drops

[Party] GOingSupporter187: That sound they make when they die is so sad…

[Party] GOingSupporter187: We really have to kill them to move on to the next quest…?

Knockoff hesitantly scurried around, picking up the bell items. Come on, don’t get too immersed… it’s just a game.

Dohee had been ready to scold him, but instead took a deep breath and started typing calmly.

[Party] AssaGo: After you collect the bells from a few of them

[Party] AssaGo: That NPC should give you a cat pet as a thank-you reward

[Party] GOingSupporter187: Gasp! Really!? You get to take one of them with you as a pet!?

As far as he remembered, yeah. Pets could be bought in the cash shop, but some were rewards for completing certain quests. For F2P players, those were precious. And this particular cat pet was so cute it was always ranked in the “must-have” lists among Sword of God players.

[Party] AssaGo: Yeah yeah, and like

[Party] AssaGo: Right now their eyes are red, right?

[Party] GOingSupporter187: Yeah… 8ㅅ8 Is that because of the poison…?

[Party] AssaGo: Once you complete the quest, their eyes turn blue. That means they’ve been purified

[Party] AssaGo: Then the NPC gives you a cat pet while rambling about how grateful they are

[Party] AssaGo: It’s seriously cute

[Party] AssaGo: Nothing like these little hellcats

Dohee absentmindedly swung his sword again, taking out more of the feral cats. Knockoff trailed behind him, letting out pitiful little whines as he collected bells. He kept casting half-working skills, poking at cats and then running away. It was so ridiculous Dohee couldn’t help glancing at him and chuckling between swings. The quest wasn’t difficult, so they finished it quickly.

[Party] GOingSupporter187: AssaGo-nim! AssaGo-nim!

Knockoff’s character came rushing back after finishing the quest with the NPC. He had told Dohee to wait a minute, so Dohee had been lounging on the beach, snapping character screenshots. The Celestial Lamyriel avatar set surprisingly matched Yante’s sunny coastline perfectly. The glint of the sunlight went perfectly with the glittery outfit.

[Party] AssaGo: You finish the quest?

[Party] GOingSupporter187: Yep yep, look at this!

The guy ran up and summoned the cat pet. It poofed into the air, flipped in a little somersault, and landed softly. Dohee used the clapping emote with zero enthusiasm.

[Party] AssaGo: Cute

[Party] GOingSupporter187: It’s soooo adorable… ㅠㅡㅠ

[Party] GOingSupporter187: The one they give you at the start was kind of meh

Of course it was. That one was a default pet you got for becoming a Sword of God adventurer. It had bad stats and wasn’t even cute. The devs had to make money somehow, most of the adorable and useful pets were only in the cash shop. This cat pet, while not that strong, was irresistibly cute, which made it a must-have for newbies. Dohee, a min-maxing stat freak, had never even looked twice at it.

[Party] GOingSupporter187: It’s seriously too cute… 8ㅅ8

He didn’t even know how to set up a character properly and was piloting this huge clunky avatar, yet now he had this tiny cat trailing behind him. The whole image was hilarious. Dohee typed out a few pet commands: /petSad, /petJoy, /petCuteness. When Knockoff used them, his pet squirmed around performing each animation. He squealed again, saying it was just the cutest thing in the world.

[Party] AssaGo: You know there’s a special food just for this cat pet?

[Party] GOingSupporter187: Haa, really!?

[Party] AssaGo: Talk to the guy next to the NPC who gave you the cat. You can buy it there.

Before Dohee even finished typing, Knockoff was already sprinting back toward the harbor. Dohee couldn’t help but laugh again. Seriously, this guy was hilarious and kind of adorable.

[Party] GOingSupporter187: The food is more expensive than I thought… 8ㅅ8

[Party] AssaGo: It’s just a few dozen silver. Want me to send you some?

[Party] GOingSupporter187: No, no! I’ve got enough!

Like hell you do.

He’d clearly scraped together whatever little money he had to buy it. He returned and sat beside Dohee’s character, carefully pulling out the food. His pet twirled in midair and sprinkled glowing pollen as it started munching. Knockoff didn’t even move or type, he just sat there staring at the cat.

Dohee was starting to wonder, was this guy just really touched by the pet, or did he just really love cats?

[Party] AssaGo: Hey

[Party] GOingSupporter187: Yes!?

[Party] AssaGo: Do you like animals?