***
Before heading into battle, the most essential thing I needed for survival was strengthening myself, right?
Naturally, the most effective way for me to do that right now was to play Chronicle Online.
-Kuooo!
With a savage roar, a troll swung down its massive wooden club.
I dodged the attack by a hair's breadth and fired off a 2nd Circle spell, Fire Arrow.
[Critical Hit!]
The flame arrow, enhanced by my gear, pierced the troll's forehead without error. The critical hit judgment sent it staggering backward.
Normally, even a troll would die instantly from a headshot, but this was a game, not reality.
No matter how vital the spot, monsters didn't die unless their HP hit zero. Even poking with a fork would kill them if it drained all their HP.
Thus, the troll, still with plenty of health left, quickly regained its footing and charged at me like a sprinter.
-Kwaaaang!
Arcia, the supporter and tank, should have blocked it, but she was tied up with two others alone, so she couldn't help.
I had to dart around on my own, fighting desperately.
-Kwang!
Chronicle Online was a game.
Even a mage had a certain amount of HP, so sometimes tanking hits while attacking made hunting easier.
But with senses no different from reality, I had no choice but to be cautious with every move.
A single hit from that brutish club would bring unimaginable pain, making proper combat impossible.
Because of that, battles dragged on, delaying level-ups.
Yet I didn't see it only as a downside.
Senses indistinguishable from reality meant this built up real combat experience.
What use was learning magic if you couldn't use it in actual fights?
In that sense, the intense battles in Chronicle Online were perfect for real-world preparation.
[You gained 580 experience points.]
"Tough bastard."
After about ten minutes of rolling on the ground and fighting hard, I took down all the trolls and collapsed onto the floor.
Arcia approached and quietly stood beside me.
'Should I hire a high-level expert and power-level?'
I shook my head and dismissed the thought.
Of course, high-level support sped up leveling, but in my position, I had to be cautious about contact with other players.
After all, wasn't I the one who inherited Manuel Lucas's fortuitous encounter?
No need to advertise being different and draw eyes.
If I suddenly winced from a hit or showed exhaustion, it would raise questions.
That's why I avoided others as much as possible, quietly gathering opportunities even if slower.
[You have a new message.]
But things in the world don't always go as planned.
With this sudden unplanned deployment, I needed to adjust my policy a bit.
Nothing beat leveling for boosting survival in war, so I decided to prioritize results, even if it meant pushing harder.
'No choice.'
Of course, I'd avoid other players as much as possible.
Instead, I'd think of other ways.
Reading the message during my break, I got up, and Arcia and I returned to town.
The place I visited was the alchemy workshop.
"You're here, Mingi-nim?"
As I entered, an NPC hurried over and bowed deeply.
"Thank you. Is that the item I commissioned?"
"Yes, that's right."
I approached a wooden crate stacked high in one corner of the workshop.
Opening the lid revealed potion bottles neatly packed inside.
[Salamander's Tear]
Rank: Magic
Effect: Fixed Damage 3,000
In games, there are items with such abysmal cost-performance that you wonder why they even exist.
Chronicle Online was no different, and the Salamander's Tear I commissioned was one such item.
Fixed damage of 3,000.
In terms of power, equivalent to 3rd or 4th Circle, but the core ingredient was so expensive that crafting one potion cost 10,000 roots (root = won) in real money.
In other words, one attack with it cost 10,000 won.
For a troll with 5,000 HP, two were needed, meaning about 20,000 won per kill in-game investment.
Truly infuriating cost-performance.
'Still, perfect for me right now.'
But I had more money than time to spare.
If I could buy levels, I'd gladly invest billions.
"I've confirmed the items. Good work."
"We finished a full year's supply this time. Never dreamed someone would bulk-order an item infamous for its terrible value like this."
A response befitting an NPC with high AI.
I smirked and stored the items in my inventory.
The Salamander's Tears I collected totaled 10,000.
An amount equivalent to 100 million roots.
"I'll be back."
I left the workshop in a good mood, and the alchemist politely bowed to see me off.
Its cost-performance was hellish, but instant fixed damage of 3,000 without casting had many uses.
Plus, 'fixed damage' ignored defense entirely.
With 10,000 Salamander's Tears, simple math meant 30 million fixed damage at my disposal.
With smart use, it was practically an exploit for experience grinding.
"Alright, let's go!"
At my spirited shout, Arcia followed silently as always.
* * *
The day Adrian bulk-bought Salamander's Tears from the alchemist.
A strange post appeared on the Chronicle Online forums.
[Does a meteor fall in this game too?]
Hey. User here who's been happily raising a scout lately. Just went Hydra hunting and saw something weird, so posting about it.
Location: Aint Basin, famous for unique-grade Hydra weapon farming.
Went to the swamp with a party for field boss Hydra Berkus's spawn time, and something ridiculous happened.
A single beam of light flashed from the sky, and the field boss Berkus—with 28 million HP—evaporated in an instant.
The area got scorched into a no-entry zone, and system recovery took a full 30 minutes.
How do I even process my hunt target vanishing right in front of me?
-User (1): Bullshit.
-OP: Attached screenshot. Look, punk.
-User (2): Just a Meteor spell?
-OP: Even Meteor can't do 28 million damage to Berkus with its magic defense. And it wasn't a magic effect anyway.
-User (3): Got video?
-OP: Yeah, but it happened too fast.
-User (4): Bug?
The post garnered over 1,000 comments, becoming a minor issue among users.
But in Chronicle Online, where bizarre events never stopped, interest faded quickly. Users dismissed it as a bug and moved on.
However, someone who saw the post was greatly flustered, having never anticipated such a stir.
"Was it too flashy? Gotta be more careful next time."
He was Adrian, owner of the character nickname 'Mingi,' who had succeeded in massive experience grinding.
* * *
Two days later, the day the Lawrence Viscounty domain army departed.
"Take care out there."
My mother approached me in the domain army command uniform Cedric adored so much, clasped my hands, and prayed for my safe return.
"Don't worry. I won't overdo it."
My father silently patted my shoulder, while the loathsome Anna dabbed fake tears with a handkerchief and waved.
"If you don't earn honor befitting the family, don't bother coming back."
And Cedric was Cedric, as expected.
With a hollow laugh, I promised to try and boarded the armored train amid the domain folk's cheers, regardless of family drama.
The armored train, max speed 900 km/h and capacity for 800 troops, looked more like a massive fighter jet than a train.
Proving it wasn't just for show, it could fly if needed, but stuck to the rails to counter anti-air threats.
Three such trains departed from Lawrence Viscounty.
Troop count slightly over 1,000, including knights' attendants and supplies, requiring three trains.
"Young master, that girl is..."
I naturally took the widest first-class seat, and Sir Haman—the seasoned staff officer who would effectively command—sat beside me, staring at Arcia in bewilderment.
"You don't know about Arcia?"
Did he not expect me to ask so brazenly?
Sir Haman visibly panicked.
"I've heard about your relationship. But heading to a potential battlefield with your lover... it's a bit..."
"I won't entertain discussion about her. Just think of her as my secretary."
"Hmm, if you're set on it, young master. Understood."
No one approved of my actions.
But Arcia was someone who would shield me with her body if needed, so I couldn't leave her behind.
Moreover, after her massive level-up, she had regular knight-level stats, making her my sturdiest ally.
In two days, I'd raised my level from 35 to a whopping 78.
Thanks to spamming the costliest Salamander's Tears, I ordered three more batches, dumping 200 million into the game.
Initially, I bundled and detonated them to one-shot high-level named monsters for power-leveling.
[Abnormal growth detected. Opportunity acquisition may not proceed normally.]
But with the system warning like that, I had to throw them one by one.
Still, leveling was far faster than normal hunting. In two days, I cleared opportunity quest stage 3 and neared stage 4.
Levels usually got harder to raise, but I ignored that rule.
Besides the 3rd Circle Creation spell, rewards from clearing stage 3 were two.
One: 100 billion roots in cash assets.
The other: three bottles of the legendary panacea 'Elixir,' often featured in myths.
Comparable to a saintess's miracle, Elixir could perfectly heal mortal wounds if even the brain or heart survived.
'Feels tailored to my current situation.'
Naturally, the Elixir wasn't a game item but usable in reality, stored in my sub-space.
Thanks to it, my mind was far more at ease heading to battle.