<Celestial Wind>, like many MMORPGs, had non-combat traits such as gathering and crafting besides combat jobs. These weren’t chosen at character creation like combat classes, but were types of traits that only interested players could unlock by accepting specific quests. At low trait levels, the efficiency was very poor, and raising the trait required a huge investment of time and effort, making it notoriously known as niche content.
However, ironically, some items that could only be made with high-level traits were essential for combat, so high-level trait users had the advantage of earning a lot of money. At the maximum level, they could earn an income comparable to top combat rankers. Although many players didn’t bother raising the trait because the process was too long and boring just for that one benefit……
Limousine’s Gathering Journal completion rate was 100%, but after a new update, many new herbs were added to the journal, greatly increasing the number of pages. Flipping through the journal, he soon found the page showing the red spider lily among the newly added gathering items.
< Red Spider Lily >
??? | ??? | ???
??????
What kind of flower has nothing but question marks? The basic description, category, gathering location, and conditions were all hidden. Still, it was confirmed as a gatherable item. Limousine muttered curses inside his head while checking his gathering skills.
Limousine had started gathering unintentionally because the hidden quest reward he got happened to be usable with the herbalist trait……
“Nature’s Eye.”
< Feeling the flow of nature. Searches for the location of the nearest type of herb around. >
< Trait ‘Expanded Vision VII’ maximizes the total detection range. >
< Trait ‘Instant Focus VII’ minimizes the predicted location range. >
When he realized his patience was surprisingly suited for grinding, he had already reached the highest trait level. Recalling the days he begrudgingly but diligently roamed around, he stood up as the herb locations appeared on the map. Whether spider lily was actually an herb or not, using the herbalist trait allowed him to find plants that were invisible in the simple combat job state.
Limousine was impressive. That hard grind was all part of a bigger plan. Limousine praised himself with a rough fit.
The marked herb location was near the Tiger General Pavilion. Limousine’s face crumpled, recalling the place that reminded him of the disgrace that spread nationwide a week ago.
Why here, of all places? Muttering, he diligently sat down and started digging. The herbalist trait buff faintly glowed, circling around his character. The in-game time was approaching evening, dark enough to proudly show off a human-like glow. Nearby players doing the bond quest glanced over now and then at the rare aura of the max-level gathering trait, but their numbness from countless aggro and attention while playing <Celestial Wind> prevented them from noticing.
“There’s nothing, damn it.”
After being toyed with by the probabilistic gathering system for about three minutes, what he found wasn’t the spider lily but a ginseng root. Objectively, it was a pretty good gatherable, but to Limousine right now, anything other than spider lily was just junk. He activated <Nature’s Eye> again. Though he wouldn’t admit it, Limousine was quite well suited for grinding.
[Clan] Americano: Mousine
[Clan] Americano: Can you come here for a sec?
The quiet clan chat lit up when Limousine had gathered about five more junk items after that. The gathering points were so numerous that he barely moved a few steps from the starting point. Wondering if this was the right place but having nothing else to do, he kept silently working, but his frustration was growing. It was natural for him to glance at the chat.
[Clan] Limousine: No
[Clan] Limousine: Busy
Of course, whether he answered nicely was another matter.
[Clan] Americano: Damn, you’re still my friend, right?
[Clan] Americano: Crazy Swan is causing a ruckus
[Clan] Limousine: That’s your fault
[Clan] Limousine: Apologize properly
[Clan] Americano: Ah please
[Clan] Americano: Hyung-nim
[Clan] Americano: If you catch this guy, I’ll be your clan war slave
[Clan] Limousine: ? You’re already a slave
[Clan] Americano: Ah ㅠ
[Clan] Americano: Give me some slave welfare;
What the hell is going on that it’s such a mess? Americano wasn’t exactly bad at PvP. It’s true that necromancers and summoners didn’t have the best matchup, but…… After a string of frustrating failures, letting off some steam wasn’t a bad idea either. Limousine, caught between hoping Americano would just say the job was done and to go back, and threatening not to let her off if it was a wild goose chase, felt like a demon count in turmoil as he ran. Luckily or not, the situation didn’t end by the time he arrived.
“Oh, you’re here?”
As soon as Limousine appeared at the map entrance, a tall young character ran over eagerly.
Americano, who had poured great effort into customizing her character from the start, was what you’d call a ‘look addict,’ sweeping up seasonal and event fashion items. True to the martial arts logic that ‘long hair is a must for men,’ her long hair was topped with a jeweled hat shaped like a flower, and her slender body was layered in soft silk robes. A dazzling radiance shimmered from afar.
No wonder the forums were always flooded with status updates about her. Limousine, who once got briefly muted for joking that ‘If this was China, it’d be a queue hairstyle,’ decided not to touch the fashion topic and just casually let the flamboyance slide.
“What’s going on?”
“Well……”
The situation explanation, which started with the uniquely Korean tendency to over-explain, was simple enough. A top-tier summoner ranked in the single digits of the overall leaderboard, called <World Map>, was standing guard at the inner part of the map’s main quest area, killing everyone trying to progress in the event on sight.
“Why don’t you just kill him?”
It wasn’t that necromancers couldn’t handle summoners, just that the matchup was unfavorable. Even if World Map was good, Americano was a top-class necromancer herself. She’d win after a couple of tries. But Americano’s expression strangely changed when asked that.
It was like…… she looked exactly like a scolded family dog desperately pretending not to know anything.
“Right now, meeting him is a bit……”
“What did you do?”
Though she tried to force a smile, it was no use. Under the stern look that wouldn’t let even a needle slip through, Americano finally spilled the truth.
“Mokha! Are you crazy?”
“Ah! Don’t use my real name, idiot.”
“Can’t you tell who the idiot is here?”
Limousine let out a bitter laugh. Americano had been living wildly spectacularly during the week he hadn’t logged in. She bumped into World Map during a main quest, had a fling, and then broke up? It was a flawlessly intense online romance.
“Your character’s male, but you want to have a fling with another male character?”
“What does it matter? The me inside is a woman.”
That was true. Limousine almost let it slide, but quickly snapped back to reality.
“You said it was over anyway. Just go your separate ways.”
“That’s what I was trying to do, but that bastard turned into a fixture there! I have to do the main quest. I’m not asking you to kill him. Just draw aggro and pull him away from the quest area.”
“What, is he some kind of monster?”
Anyone could see that World Map was holding his ground because of Americano. The other players with quest markers on that side just ended up screwed.
Limousine, wanting to avoid meddling in someone else’s love life, kept whispering quietly—but something felt off. His sharp instincts made him suddenly look up, and far inside the map, he spotted a small figure.
“Hey! Stop messing around. Just help me this once. Just draw his attention, that’s all……”
“Looks like it’s already fucked.”
“What?”
What good is being anonymous if you still get spotted…… This was exactly why Limousine hated hanging around Americano—she stood out way too much. Limousine pressed his brows and motioned with his eyes.
“That guy standing over there—isn’t that who you’re talking about?”
Americano quickly sucked in her breath following Limousine’s gaze. She’d been deliberately hanging near the map’s edge to avoid being seen. ‘How did he know? You stick out like a sore thumb. Damn, but that spot should be totally out of sight! Someone must’ve tipped us off. Because you’re way too noticeable.’ As they whispered even more frantically, the figure started walking toward them.
Forget about slaves or whatever—best not to get involved in other people’s drama. Limousine, who had unwillingly experienced the glamorous yet chaotic past of Americano—infamously known as a collector of walking red flags—just by being nearby, turned his back.
“I wash my hands of this. Handle it yourself.”
TL/N: Americano (Park Mokha) character is female but plays under a male avatar, and most other characters (mobs) are unaware of her real identity. To reflect this, the translation uses “he/him” in scenes where she’s interacting with characters who don’t know the truth, and “she/her” in scenes with characters who do. This isn’t a translation error — it’s intentional, matching how each character perceives her.