***
“Looks like something good happened to you.”
After thirty minutes of stamina training followed by an hour of sword swings, my entire body was utterly exhausted.
And yet, I didn’t show a hint of discomfort—in fact, I looked satisfied. That was because I believed these actions would help me in the future.
Isn’t it true that having hope gives people more motivation than wasting a day aimlessly?
I sensed my mistake at Vice’s question and forced a smile while changing the subject.
“I got a good item in the game.”
At my gamer-like response, Vice offered congratulations with a wry expression, while the knights around us let out snickers.
The knights’ rude reaction revealed my standing in the household.
Vice shot a cold glare at his fellow knights, who shrugged and stepped away.
I felt bad for Vice, but reactions like that were inevitable.
I had deliberately led them to respond that way, after all.
“Don’t mind them.”
Typically, children from noble families with low chances of succession became knights, mages, or administrators to find their own paths.
But Anna and Cedric wanted me to be incompetent, and since I was focused on hunting for fortuitous encounters, I had been living as a freeloader.
My father found me burdensome and had tried assigning me business or estate duties like yesterday, but I refused them all. As a result, my reputation among the retainers was at rock bottom.
“How can they let such rudeness slide?”
Vice’s anger on my behalf felt so human.
I casually patted his shoulder and headed into the mansion.
To others, my lack of protest probably made me seem even more pathetic.
I was a master at staging my own invisibility.
* * *
[Welcome to Chronicle Online.]
After some sword training for exercise and a short nap, it was finally time to log in.
From now on, to secure Duke Lucas’s fortuitous encounter, my daily routine would revolve around Chronicle Online.
The maximum daily login time was fifteen hours.
I planned to fill it to the brim whenever possible.
—MManuel Lucas’s Mage Tower, 2nd Floor.
Now, time equaled money and power.
But upon returning to the mage tower, I didn’t head out to hunt. Instead, I plopped down on the floor.
Then I selected one of the options on the menu bar at the bottom of my vision.
[Cash Shop]
Didn’t someone say it? In games, the power of your wallet matters more than personal effort.
Paying real money made progress smoother in Chronicle Online, too.
Moreover, Chronicle Online was a game over ten years old since launch.
As such, it had excellent packages tailored for new players.
[EXP Boost / 500 Kits]
Usage Requirement: Level 100 or below
Effect: 30% increased EXP gain for 24 hours
[Goddess’s Blessing / 500 Kits]
Usage Requirement: Level 100 or below
Effect: All stats increased by 30% for 24 hours
[Goddess’s Protection / 1,000 Kits]
Usage Requirement: Level 100 or below
Effect: Invulnerable to damage from attacks once.
(Item cooldown: 30 minutes)
One kit equaled one Root (1 Yuan), and the effects of these items lasted for a full day once purchased.
I should’ve bought them sooner, but you needed to reach at least level 10 to access the cash shop.
I bought thirty of each, then switched categories.
There were all sorts of paid items, but the most important one was this.
[Summon Supporter / 500 Kits per summon / 4,500 Kits for 10 summons]
Any Korean gamer would shudder at the sight of it.
The gacha system, infamous for making your eyes spin once you started.
[Summon 10 Supporters in a row (4,500 Kits)?]
Supporters leveled up by taking a share of their owner’s EXP gains, making them feel worthwhile for party play.
However, their growth caps ranged from 50 to 250, so they became useless in combat near the max level of 300.
That’s why most high-level players seriously raised only one or two, using visually appealing ones as mascots.
I’d had a decent healer supporter before, but it vanished along with my character reset after claiming the fortuitous encounter.
‘No matter the cost, I’ll pull a top-tier tank warrior.’
Note that you couldn’t use multiple supporters at once—only one primary supporter could be registered and summoned.
This foreshadowed heavy investment to get a high-grade one worth keeping long-term.
[Direwolf (Female) / Beast / Normal / Limit Level 55]
[High Orc (Male) / Warrior / Normal / Limit Level 80]
[Elf Clan Locke (Male) / Warrior / Rare / Limit Level 160]
Most pulls were Normal or Magic, with Rares appearing occasionally.
As expected, whether in Korea or here, gacha made getting what you wanted a pain, and my cash burned away in seconds.
[High Elf Irmi (Female) / Spirit User / Unique / Limit Level 220]
When I’d spent over 500,000 Roots, my first Unique appeared. After exhausting the 5 million Roots from yesterday’s point card, I had four Uniques.
But none caught my eye, so I bought more points.
With 5 billion Roots transferred as online currency via treasure chests, I had ample funds.
I felt like shouting “Let’s go!” but kept quiet, just moving my fingers.
Spent 5 million Roots, recharged 10 million, spent it all.
After dumping 30 million Roots...
[Arcia of the Heavenly River (Female) / Warrior / Unique / Limit Level 250]
Finally, a supporter at the level I wanted.
“Wow, the rates... Korean trash games got nothing on this.”
Arcia of the Heavenly River.
Since it was new to me, it might be an undiscovered character.
At this tier, it was top among Uniques.
What I liked was that, true to Chronicle Online’s nature where higher grades meant flashier visuals, this one had zero skin exposure.
Dragging around a scantily clad supporter drew unwanted attention, so this was better.
They were just tools for easier leveling anyway.
[Register Arcia of the Heavenly River as your Supporter?]
“Yeah.”
[Once registered, Supporters cannot be changed later. Confirm registration?]
“Huh?”
Selecting and registering one from your saved list summons it.
That should be it, but for some reason, there was an extra system prompt.
“Supporters can normally be swapped freely, right?”
What’s the point of a collection system otherwise?
The system kindly responded to my question.
[You are the exception.]
“...”
A challenging reply from the system ego.
‘Some restriction tied to the fortuitous encounter, huh.’
I didn’t dwell on it long.
For a mage like me, nothing could top this anyway.
So I registered Arcia immediately.
—Flash!
“Ugh.”
Dazzling light pierced my eyes, and a flashy magic circle etched itself in the air.
‘Isn’t the effect a bit much? It wasn’t like this before.’
Soon the light faded, revealing a woman of average build clad head to toe in armor.
Her only exposed skin was her face.
According to the description, Arcia was a defense-specialized supporter wrapped in a divine shield barrier.
‘She’s pretty, but she looks like a golem in human form.’
Her blank expression and emotionless gaze as she stared at her owner—me—gave off a strong doll-like vibe.
Despite her striking appearance, it felt very puppetish.
‘Well, she’s disposable anyway.’
The gap between level 250 and max 300 was huge.
As you neared max level, low-cap supporters offered little combat help.
That’s what I meant by “use and toss.”
After buying some temporary combat gear for low levels, I stood with a satisfied smile.
“Shall we go?”
Now for some serious leveling.
* * *
With a tank supporter as a mage, hunting was a breeze.
Even sharing some EXP felt like no loss, and I fought until login limit, reaching level 20.
[Fortuitous Quest Stage 2]
Requirement: Level 30, Defeat Orc Warrior Kants
Reward: Manuel Lucas’s Mage Tower 3rd Floor Unlocked
It might look like play, but everything was to secure Duke Lucas’s fortuitous encounter.
Having such a clear goal displayed made the situation feel like a real game—thrillingly fun.
Like all RPGs, higher levels got harder to gain, but compared to training real magic? Piece of cake.
With rapid growth in sight, how could it not be enjoyable?
“Phew!”
I took off the game headset in high spirits and stretched.
Habitually, I got up and pulled back the terrace blackout curtains.
“...”
Turning around, I locked eyes with green irises staring at me from beside the bed.
“Gah!”
An intruder.
But not an assassin.
“You... who are you?”
Soft brown hair, green eyes, armored, utterly devoid of humanity.
It was the game supporter—Arcia.