The First Party
Morning had arrived in Belio City.
Sunlight slowly washed over the city walls as Reina woke from her sleep. After folding the blanket provided by the Reputation system, she immediately went over to the four students who were still sleeping soundly nearby.
“Wake up. We have a quest to do.”
Yukio was the first to open his eyes, followed by Hana and Mina, who both looked confused.
“What quest?” Hana asked, rubbing her eyes.
“You don’t know yet?” Rian, already awake, quickly sat up. “Last night, XOXO and I met a beggar. He said he might know something about why we’re in this world.”
The moment they heard that, the last traces of sleep disappeared from their faces.
Reina then called Tanaka, who had been sleeping not far from them.
“Before we leave, we’re forming a party.”
She opened her status window and sent friend requests to Rian, Mina, Yukio, Hana, and Tanaka.
One by one, they accepted.
Reina then created a party.
[PARTY CREATED]
XOXO — Rogue
Taka — Knight
Riz — Warrior
Mina — Cleric
Yux — Craftman
Han — Mage
Six people.
It happened to be the perfect number, as six was the maximum number of members allowed in a single party.
“Done. Let’s go.”
They went to meet the beggar, who was waiting in front of the bar just as he had promised the night before.
After speaking with him, each of them received the same quest.
[QUEST — COSMIA HISTORY]
The beggar asked them to hunt Turnip Mostro and bring back ten of the quest turnips they dropped, claiming that he was extremely hungry.
Since the quest applied to every member of the party individually, they needed sixty items in total.
Fortunately, everyone was already around Level 10.
And so, they left Belio City and headed toward the area where the Turnip Mostro could be found.
“How do you know where they are?”
Hana’s question broke the silence as they traveled.
Reina, who was walking at the front, glanced back.
“The Turnip Mostro?”
“Yeah. How do you know where to find them?”
Rian and Yukio turned their attention toward her as well.
In truth, they had been wondering the same thing since yesterday. XOXO knew far too much about Cosmia. Not just its basic systems, but also quest routes, NPC locations, and even the fastest ways to level up.
Reina turned her gaze back to the road ahead.
“Cosmia Online is a remake of a game I used to play. The locations, quests, Mostro, and most of its systems are almost unchanged.”
“So you already know everything about this world?” Mina asked.
“No.”
Reina’s answer caught them slightly off guard.
“I know a lot about the game. But our situation now is different.”
Reina glanced at the trees surrounding them.
“Back then, I saw this world through a monitor. If my character died, I could simply revive it. Now, we don’t even know what will happen if one of us dies.”
She continued walking.
“So don’t assume my knowledge will guarantee your safety.”
No one replied.
Her words made the atmosphere of their journey noticeably more serious.
They continued through several areas inhabited by Mostro ranging from Level 1 to Level 5. Most low-level Mostro were not aggressive. As long as they weren’t attacked, the creatures simply wandered around, paying no attention to the adventurers passing by.
However, something had already begun to change compared to the previous day.
The farther they traveled, the more players they saw hunting Mostro.
Some had even reached levels far above their own.
“They’re progressing fast,” Yukio said.
Tanaka nodded. “Hasn’t it only been one day?”
After asking several players they encountered along the way, they finally learned the reason.
At one end of Belio City stood a Colosseum where players could test their skills against one another. Word of the place had spread quickly, driving many players to race against each other to raise their levels and improve their equipment.
Their goal was simple.
To become the strongest.
Reina gave a faint smile when she heard that.
“What for?”
The other party members turned toward her.
“Are they really so frustrated about being trapped in a game world that the first thing they think about is becoming the strongest player?”
Rian looked toward several players who were busy hunting Mostro.
“Maybe they’re just looking for something to do.”
“Maybe.”
Reina didn’t dwell on it.
Everyone had their own way of dealing with a situation they didn’t understand.
But to her, there was something far more important than rankings.
Finding a way home.
Walking behind her, Tanaka simply watched Reina with growing curiosity.
The longer they remained in Cosmia, the clearer it became that Reina wasn’t merely someone who had once played Cosmic Online.
Her knowledge ran far deeper than she had let on.
After passing through several areas, they finally reached their destination.
Among the grass, a group of turnip-shaped creatures with tiny arms and legs wandered back and forth.
Turnip Mostro — Level 8
Reina stopped the party.
“Don’t attack yet.”
She studied the positions of the Mostro before turning toward the others.
“Mina, stay in the back.”
Mina nodded.
“We don’t have many potions. Level up your Heal and defensive buffs. If you still have skill points left, save them until you properly understand what your Cleric can do.”
“Okay.”
Mina opened her skill window and followed Reina’s instructions.
A few moments later, she raised her staff.
A magic circle appeared beneath the feet of every party member.
A faint light enveloped their bodies.
DEFENSE UP
Reina then turned toward Tanaka.
“Taka, use Provoke.”
Tanaka stared at the group of Mostro ahead.
“All of them?”
“Yes.”
“What if they all attack me?”
“That’s the Knight’s job.”
Tanaka fell silent.
Reina took several small bottles from her inventory.
“Take these.”
Small HP Potion
Tanaka accepted them.
“Don’t be afraid. You have the highest durability out of all of us.”
Tanaka took a deep breath before stepping forward.
He raised his shield.
PROVOKE!
“Moo...! Moo...!”
Every Turnip Mostro turned its head toward him at once.
A few seconds later, they charged.
“I-I’m not sure this is a good idea!”
Thud!
One of the attacks slammed into his shield.
Tanaka squeezed his eyes shut.
But the pain he had expected never came.
Slowly, he opened his eyes.
The next attack didn’t even hit him.
MISS
Tanaka stared at the word floating in front of him.
“That barely hurt...”
“Don’t let your guard down!” Reina shouted.
Tanaka immediately raised his shield again.
Reina turned toward two of the others.
“Yux! Hammer Stamp!”
Yukio raised his hammer.
“Han! Use Ice Storm!”
Hana immediately began preparing her spell.
“Your basic skills have area effects. Use them now!”
HAMMER STAMP!
Boom!
Yukio’s hammer slammed into the ground.
A shockwave spread outward, striking several Mostro at once.
ICE STORM!
Crackle!
A blast of freezing air swept through the area around Tanaka. Ice formed over the Turnip Mostro, and their HP dropped by nearly half.
“Now!”
Rian dashed forward.
DOUBLE SLASH!
Slash! Slash!
Two strikes cut into the nearest Mostro.
At the same time, Reina charged in from the other side.
DAGGER JUMP!
Slash!
She leaped over the line of Mostro, striking her targets with both daggers in quick succession.
With a single coordinated assault, the party took down fifteen Turnip Mostro.
Tanaka lowered his shield.
He stared at the Mostro around him that had turned into dropped items.
Then he smiled.
For the first time, he was beginning to understand the Knight’s true role.
“So this is what it feels like to protect a party.”
Reina merely smiled.
Their excitement, however, didn’t last long.
Mina counted the dropped items.
“One... two... three... four... five.”
She stopped.
“Five?”
“The drop rate isn’t one hundred percent,” Reina replied.
Mina stared at the quest tracker.
Turnips: 5/60
“We still need fifty-five more?!”
They had no choice but to wait.
Regular Mostro had fairly short respawn times. About a minute later, lights began appearing across the field, and the Turnip Mostro once again filled the area.
Tanaka immediately raised his shield.
“All right. I’m ready this time.”
But before he could use Provoke—
Someone shot past them.
Slaaash!
A single swing of a sword swept through the group of Mostro.
Several Turnip Mostro fell instantly, without the player even using a skill.
Tanaka froze.
Rian’s eyes widened.
Standing before them was a Warrior whose armor and sword gleamed far more brightly than the equipment of an average player.
Hana had to narrow her eyes.
“His equipment... why is it shining like that?”
The Warrior turned around.
His character name was clearly visible.
★ Jack01
The man rested his sword against his shoulder.
“Hey, poor adventurers!”
No one answered.
“I’m Jack01, the future number-one adventurer in Cosmia!”
He laughed with complete confidence.
Rian checked his information.
“Level 50?!”
Mina and Yukio were just as shocked.
Only a single day had passed since their arrival, yet someone had already reached Level 50.
Jack01 offered no explanation. After showing off his equipment, he simply walked away as though he had come there for no other reason than to flaunt his strength.
Reina didn’t look impressed.
Instead, she stared irritably at the name disappearing into the distance.
“Jack01...”
Tanaka walked over to her.
“You know him?”
Reina didn’t answer immediately.
“You also seem to know how he managed to reach Level 50 so quickly,” Tanaka continued.
Reina sighed.
“Look at the star beside his name.”
They looked at Jack01 again in the distance.
“It means the account has purchased Cash Coins before. Most likely, before we became trapped here, he had already bought Double EXP and Double Drop Rate boost items.”
“So their effects are still active?” Yukio asked.
“Looks like it.”
Hana pointed toward Jack01’s armor.
“Then why is his equipment glowing?”
“That’s an enhancement effect.”
Reina took out one of her wooden daggers.
“Normal equipment doesn’t have an effect like that. The glow means his weapon and armor have been enhanced to at least +3.”
“Is that difficult?” Rian asked.
“For +3? No.”
Reina began explaining.
“Enhancement from +1 to +3 uses Crystals. The success rate is one hundred percent.”
Yukio immediately looked interested.
“What about after that?”
“+4 to +6 uses Rubies. The success rate is fifty percent.”
“That’s still pretty high,” Rian said.
“+7 to +9 only has a twenty-percent success rate. If it fails, the enhancement level drops back to +3.”
Rian began to frown.
Reina continued.
“As for +10 to +12...”
She stopped.
Yukio waited eagerly.
“What’s the success rate?”
“Two percent.”
They fell silent.
“Two percent?!” Rian exclaimed.
“And if it fails, your equipment is destroyed.”
Everyone immediately went quiet.
Rian looked down at his own sword.
Yukio, on the other hand, seemed even more interested than before.
Rian placed a hand on Yukio’s shoulder.
“Then make me a +12 weapon someday.”
Yukio grinned.
“Of course! Leave it to me!”
“I’ll find the catalysts!”
“It’s not that easy!”
Reina’s voice stopped them both.
“Don’t start dreaming about +12 equipment just because you learned how the enhancement system works.”
Hana sighed.
“Classic games really are a pain.”
“That’s exactly why you need to read every system explanation carefully,” Reina said. “Pay attention to skills, items, materials, and risks before making a decision. Don’t just press a button because it looks interesting.”
The four students fell silent.
They had grown up with modern games that were far more welcoming to new players. A classic MMORPG system like Cosmia required an entirely different mindset.
Tanaka, who had been staring at the ground, suddenly pointed toward something.
“Look.”
Several dropped items were still scattered around the spot where Jack01 had killed the Mostro earlier.
“He left all of them.”
Reina raised an eyebrow.
“Looks like he really did come here just to show off his equipment.”
Tanaka quickly picked up the items before they disappeared.
After counting them, the number of Turnips they had collected increased dramatically.
Turnips: 40/60
“Only twenty more!” Mina said.
A minute later, the Turnip Mostro respawned.
This time, everyone already knew their role.
Tanaka used Provoke.
Mina maintained their buffs and restored HP.
Yukio and Hana used their area attacks.
Rian and Reina finished off the rest.
The hunt went much faster.
Before long—
Turnips: 60/60
QUEST REQUIREMENT COMPLETE
Most of the party members had also reached Level 11.
Mina looked at her own level, which was still slightly behind the others.
Reina noticed.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Mina looked at her.
“Once you reach Level 50, level up your party skill. It’ll increase the amount of EXP you receive from the other members.”
“Really?”
“Yes. A Cleric doesn’t always have to attack to progress.”
Mina smiled.
In truth, she didn’t care much about rankings or levels.
But if becoming stronger allowed her to learn better skills and help her friends, then she had a reason to keep progressing.
After making sure they had fulfilled all the quest requirements, they decided to return to Belio City.
The journey back was much more relaxed.
Tanaka opened his inventory as he walked, looking through the various useless drops they had collected during the hunt.
“We got quite a lot.”
He then walked closer to Reina.
“Reina, how about we sell all this useless junk and buy some potions?”
Reina stopped.
Tanaka stopped as well.
His face suddenly went pale.
He had just realized what had come out of his mouth.
Silence fell between them.
Behind them, the four students who had been chatting among themselves slowly turned around.
Rian frowned.
Mina stared at XOXO.
Hana and Yukio exchanged glances.
“Reina...?”
Tanaka covered his mouth.
Reina slowly turned toward him.
The look in her eyes was enough to make Tanaka wish he could rewind the last few seconds.
Then Reina shifted her gaze toward the four students.
No one spoke.
For the first time since they had arrived in Cosmia, the name she had been trying to keep hidden had finally been spoken in front of them.
Reina.