“…….”
Wow, this bastard…… Is he a ghost or something? Limousine clicked his tongue internally. The gathering log didn’t specify the exact conditions for collecting the red spider lily, but instinctively, he felt that the highest rank of the relevant trait would be a basic requirement. And if that were true, Jaheun would never be able to progress the main quest in a short amount of time.
Out of all the non-combat professions, what were the odds that someone who happened to have the herbalist trait and received the exact same main storyline would just happen to be nearby? Whatever the odds were, they were definitely inversely proportional to the absurdly specific conditions.
“You’re asking me for information?”
Not that he planned to hand it over so easily anyway. Folding his arms, he asked, and Jaheun responded without hesitation, as if he had expected this reaction. The fact that he didn’t even flinch at the pushback suggested he’d already figured out most of what he needed to know about Limousine.
“It’ll be beneficial for you too, if you want to save time.”
“……You’re saying you know a likely location?”
That was a tempting proposition. The gathering conditions weren’t listed at all, yet the map had tons of gathering points. What the hell, was this place an herb farm or something?
“And isn’t the route a little too convenient?”
What are you talking about? Limousine gave him a look demanding an explanation, and Jaheun elaborated, finally addressing the lingering doubts he had.
“The initial Bond quest was located right where only the two of us received the main quest. It was set up to look like a solo-playable, standard dungeon-linked quest at first, and then suddenly the bond system gets updated just because two people happened to be there? What if you hadn’t barged in halfway through? That bond system update might not have even triggered. But.”
Jaheun lowered his voice.
“Be honest, no matter what the situation was, you were going to barge in, weren’t you?”
“Of course.”
“Pisses me off, but I’d have done the same if the roles were reversed.”
The abrupt character confession made Limousine narrow his eyes.
“You’re saying the devs targeted us because they knew we’d act like this?”
“Can’t say for sure, but among all the possible cases, we probably seemed the most viable.”
How many players did this game even have? Was it okay to target specific users like this? Limousine briefly had that thought but quickly brushed it off. No need to worry about the devs’ side of things. Surely, they knew what they were doing. I’m just here to enjoy the game.
Jaheun was of a similar mind.
“I don’t care why they picked us. But if they went out of their way to tie us together with the bond system, there’s probably a reason.”
“You’re saying the quest progression is going to steer us toward working together?”
“Even if that’s not the case, we’ve got the synergy buff, so we’ll still be faster together than solo.”
Limousine did some quick thinking. The main storyline in <Celestial Wind> wasn’t exactly easy. Some quests had multiple solutions or branches, and even when done the same way, the outcomes could vary depending on time, location, or even character physical attributes. Each of those branches affected how much contribution you made to the overall story.
And this was an online game that synchronized in real time. Casual players who just played for fun might be fine, but for hardcore players like Limousine or Jaheun, who prefer to game seriously, relying on someone else’s strategy guide would already be too late.
As Jaheun said, if the devs really had planned for the story to be progressed by two people, then teaming up wasn’t exactly a bad option. There was such a thing as collective intelligence, after all…… On top of that, Limousine had suffered last chapter due to his low contribution to the main story and had to bust his ass in other areas just to make up for it. This time, he wanted to take it easy if possible, and it made more sense to use whatever help he could get to minimize potential risks.
Limousine glanced at the party window he had opened earlier with Americano. Looks like things were settled over there—should be fine to leave.
< You have left the party. >
“Alright.”
< You have sent a party request to ‘Nameless Wanderer’-nim. >
< Party has been formed! >
Who would’ve thought they’d be in a party again? Limousine had fully intended to just swoop in for a hidden quest and be on his way—he hadn’t had even a speck of interest in socializing. He stared at the party window with a strange feeling. Unlike before, the fact that his name was now visible to Jaheun because of the bond made it feel oddly awkward.
So your info gets shared even if you’re not friends, as long as you’re Bonded. Makes sense, I guess, since you couldn’t even attack them in the field. While Limousine was mentally collecting these small tidbits of info, Jaheun turned to look at him.
“So.”
“Hm?”
“What’s the info you found?”
Ah, guess it’s my turn now. Limousine shrugged and summarized what had happened earlier when he’d been doing his gathering grind.
“There are so many gathering points that I’d be stuck doing this for days if I went solo. But if you know the expected range, it shouldn’t take that long.”
“Herbalist trait, seriously…… Who even picks gathering traits? You could earn way more just running dungeons in that time.”
Jaheun grumbled, clearly surprised by the unconventional method. Yeah, that was how most top-ranking players thought. Limousine, who had unexpectedly taken a liking to it, added flatly.
“Once you’ve had a taste of blood, the farming life is the natural next step.”
“What the hell are you even talking about?”
Damn it. All my clanmates used to laugh at that one. Guess I’m too out of sync with this guy. Should I just disband the party and grind alone? Jaheun must’ve seen the light fading from Limousine’s eyes, because he quickly changed the subject.
“Let’s just go. We’re already way behind.”
At those magic words, both of them shut up and walked quietly. An alliance had been formed almost by accident.
The range Jaheun had in mind was surprisingly simple: near the withered trees located between the pavilions. Technically, they were described as ‘withered,’ but they were still very much alive. Standing beneath one, Jaheun tapped the trunk a couple of times.
“It bloomed on a corpse, didn’t it? No reason other plants wouldn’t take in the same nutrients the red spider lily likes, right?”
That’s…… surprisingly brilliant. Did this guy grow up on nothing but thriller movies? Limousine admired the eerie stroke of genius as he pulled out his hoe in front of the tree. And just like that, it was back to farm life again.
“Master Gatherer.”
< Your gathering success rate increases. >
“Quality.”
< For 60 seconds, lowers the success rate of gathering but excludes low-grade materials. >
“Careful Touch.”
< You are gathering herbs. Gathering success rate increases depending on your trait level. >
< Due to the max-level trait, the chance of gathering rare items increases. >
< You have gathered ‘Shortcap Mushroom’! Added to the Gathering Journal. >
There are always people who look down on non-combat traits. They say, ‘What fun is there in doing something where you’re not even risking death or making split-second plays?’ Seriously, those clueless bastards should just shut up if they don’t know anything.
Non-combat traits were, if anything, all about meticulous calculation. You had to account for base rates, gear stat modifiers, skill-based stat adjustments, and even RNG. Use the wrong skill once or twice, and your entire routine could collapse, forcing you to start over. Sure, the fun really kicks in at max trait level, and yeah, the leveling process is a bore—but still.
There’s a particular thrill to successfully harvesting or crafting exactly what you aimed for. It’s not all that different from the thrill of downing a dungeon boss.
And the frustration of constantly getting junk results felt just like when a DPS player’s rotation gets messed up and their damage plummets into the abyss.
Unfortunately, Limousine currently belonged to the latter camp.
“Filtering Out.”
< Excludes the most recently gathered item from potential outcomes. >
“Careful Tou—ah, fuck. Why am I out of mana? Rash Touch.”
< You are gathering herbs. Gathering success rate is halved. >
< Due to the max-level trait, the chance of gathering rare items increases. >
< Gathering failed…… >
“Fucking hell……”
As time went on, the only things disappearing were Limousine’s sanity and the remaining space in his inventory. While he flailed around by himself in a frenzy, Jaheun just sat there watching, seemingly doing nothing, then eventually turned his gaze to the air—probably started typing in chat.
Must be nice, you bastard. After a solid 30 minutes of total failure, Limousine’s mood had reached the kind of aggression only excessive grind could produce. He glared at Jaheun while frantically searching for the next gathering spot.
“This goddamn herbalist…… Delete this trait already……”
He said that, but if Jaheun started cursing the herbalist trait too, Limousine was fully prepared to cuss him out like, ‘Who the fuck are you to talk shit?’ It’s an unspoken rule that only you get to talk crap about your own class.
“Hang in there. It’ll pop up eventually if you keep at it.”
“Fucking grind-fest game……”
Jaheun wisely avoided stepping on Limousine’s verbal landmine. That moderate response slightly calmed Limousine, who flicked his wrist and muttered complaints. He wasn’t usually this talkative while gathering, but humans are social creatures—give them a listener and they’ll start talking even when they don’t need to.
“You think we’ll find it today……?”
“How long are you planning to keep going?”
And surprisingly, Jaheun actually responded earnestly. Even though he’d completely shut down the whole farming-life joke earlier. Limousine, who held grudges like his best friend, glanced at the real-world clock shown in the game interface. It was already 9 PM.
“Until I get it. You?”
“Until you get it.”
If that’s not perfect synergy, what is?