As befitting a Dungeon’s Hidden Boss Monster, countless notification windows appeared.
Unfortunately, there was no time to check them.
Craaack, craaackle!
Terrifying sounds rang out from all around them at once.
The tremors inside the cavern had grown even stronger.
“No! I need to check my rewards… Damn it! If you do not want to get buried and turn gray, ruuun—!”
The three of them, reduced to rags, frantically ran back through the passage they had come from.
***
Rough’s party safely escaped the Dungeon.
The moment they exited the cavern—
Rumbleeeee!
The entrance completely collapsed.
“Pwahaha!”
Rough suddenly burst out laughing and flopped onto the ground.
His entire body was covered in dust and blood, without a single spot left uninjured.
Yet the fact that they had defeated a Hidden Boss Monster made dopamine erupt within him like a volcano.
Moreover, Basilisk’s Nest—the Dungeon the three of them had cleared—was a Disposable Dungeon.
As the System had explained, once it had been cleared, no one would ever be able to enter it again.
That, too, was one reason Rough was overwhelmed with such intense exhilaration.
“Thanks to you… I had a truly thrilling experience.”
Kiting steadied his breath, which had risen all the way to his chin.
He looked a mess as well, but like Rough, he wore a broad smile.
“Other users will be gathering here soon, so we should probably part ways.”
“Huh?”
Rough, who had been lying down, abruptly sat up.
“It feels a little early to part already. Since meeting like this is fate, want to add each other as friends?”
If the three of them worked together, including Jaar, they could probably hunt Boss Monsters again like they had today.
Rough wanted to continue this connection with him.
“I prefer playing alone.”
Kiting firmly shook his head.
“…That is a shame.”
Rough smacked his lips.
Still unwilling to give up, he persisted.
“Ah, then could I at least ask you one question?”
“I am sorry, but it is almost time for my rehabilitation treatment. So…”
“Ah, wait! Wait a second!”
Rough hurriedly grabbed Kiting, who was turning away.
“What is it now?”
“Take this.”
Rough handed over the Sword of a Myel Elite Knight that he had acquired near the end of the Tutorial.
He now had the Giant Beast-Slaying Sword, a better weapon, so he had no issue giving away his old one.
“Why?”
“You gave me a Skill Book. If something comes your way, something should go back. Besides, is your second weapon not a sword? It looked like you used it to kill the Goblin Chieftain too.”
“…”
“Ah, what are you doing? My arm is about to fall off. Take it before I change my mind.”
Kiting silently stared at the sword Rough was offering.
Then a gentle curve formed on his lips.
“Thank you. Today was fun. I hope we can meet again sometime.”
With those final words of farewell, Kiting logged out.
“Jaar.”
“What is it?”
Jaar answered while drinking Recovery Potions by the bottle.
“Can you move?”
“Well, moving is not a problem.”
“Let us go back. To Asente.”
***
“I am pretty sure the loud noise came from around here?”
“It must be related to the World Message that just appeared, right?”
Just as Kiting had said, nearby users swarmed over like clouds.
[The cave entrance has collapsed. You cannot enter.]
“The entrance collapsed, so we cannot go in? What in the world happened here?”
The users who arrived late murmured among themselves, curious about what had taken place.
Rough and Kiting’s exploits quickly spread beyond DDO and into the community as well.
-Adult Basilisk? I heard a Hidden Boss got killed. Who the hell are these guys?
On a popular community site, a user uploaded a post containing a screenshot of the World Message that had appeared in the Myel Region.
[The Hidden Boss Monster, Adult Basilisk, which had lurked deep within Tanlin Plains, has been defeated by someone!]
[Through their exploits, Tanlin Plains and Asente are now safe from the threat of the Basilisk!]
[1st Contribution: Rough (Player)]
[2nd Contribution: Kiting (Player)]
[3rd Contribution: Jaar (NPC)]
┗[Huh? I am around there right now. What is this? I have never even heard of it. Something like that existed?]
┗[Finding it aside, how the hell did they kill it? lol If it caused a World Message, the difficulty must have been insane.]
┗[I am damn curious what rewards they got.]
┗[They must have gotten at least a Rare item.]
┗[If it is a high-level Rare item… damn.]
┗[Did an NPC carry them?]
┗[Did you outsource your brain somewhere? Or did it herniate? The NPC is third in contribution. Think before you talk, you brain-dead idiot.]
┗[Outsource your brain lmaoooo]
┗[He did not even let him breathe before beating him up lol]
┗[Who asked?]
┗[Are you an idiot? Even after someone explains it, you are still acting up.]
┗[If you got good gear, I will buy it. DM rlRnstk123 on XTalk.]
┗[Sir, your username is suspicious as hell…]
The post instantly became the number one trending post on the community site.
At the same time, at a general hospital somewhere in Seoul—
“…Interesting.”
A boy with a somewhat youthful face, wearing a patient gown, gave a faint smile as he read the trending post.
Perhaps because his legs were injured, he was sitting in a wheelchair.
“Yun-min? What is so interesting?”
Yun-min’s dedicated physical therapist asked him.
“Teacher, do you know DDO?”
“Dream World Online? Of course I do. It is really famous, isn’t it? But why?”
“I have been playing it lately. It is nice because I can walk and run as much as I want there.”
“…”
Unable to continue speaking out of pity, the therapist fell silent.
“Teacher, do you think I will be able to walk again?”
Yun-min placed a hand on his thigh.
No matter how much he stroked it, he could feel nothing.
“If you keep working hard on your rehabilitation treatment like you have been, I am sure you will return to how you were before.”
“Do you think I will be able to do archery again, too?”
“Of course! You are getting better little by little, aren’t you?”
Wanting to encourage Yun-min, the therapist answered in a deliberately upbeat voice.
“Alright! Time is up, so shall we head to the rehabilitation room?”
“Yes, let us go quickly.”
His spirits lifted, Yun-min nodded energetically.
***
“Hehehe! Hehe!”
Back in Asente, Rough checked his System notifications and grinned like a madman.
Even his cheeks twitched uncontrollably.
After all, the rewards from defeating the Adult Basilisk were incomparable to anything he had received until now.
The first notification was for equipment received as a Quest completion reward.
[You have acquired the Epic-grade equipment, Sarin Armor!]
[Sarin Armor Lv. 50]
[Grade: Epic]
[Classification: Equipment Item]
[Durability: 5,000/5,000]
[Defense: 337]
[Description: Armor crafted from Basilisk scales. It can withstand any attack, while the elasticity of the scales absorbs external impacts.]
[Special Option: Damage Taken -28%]
“Kieeeeeeeek!!”
Upon seeing Sarin Armor in person, Rough screamed like a Basilisk and began headbanging.
A violet effect symbolizing an Epic item.
Its glossy scales looked as though they might begin wriggling like a living creature at any moment.
On top of its overwhelming stats and Special Option, befitting an Epic-grade item.
He could not equip it yet because of the Level requirement, but that did not matter.
Simply looking at it made him feel full.
“DDO. It is a pretty good game. A very good game.”
Rough nodded, his excitement at its peak.
But it was too early to celebrate.
The real rewards started now.
[Your achievement is worthy of praise!]
[A World Message will be generated in the Myel Region!]
[The Hidden Boss Monster, Adult Basilisk, which had lurked deep within Tanlin Plains, has been defeated by someone!]
[Through their exploits, Tanlin Plains has been freed from the threat of the Basilisk!]
[1st Contribution: Rough (Player)]
[2nd Contribution: Kiting (Player)]
[3rd Contribution: Jaar (NPC)]
“Oh, huh? A World Message?”
Rough’s eyes widened before a pleased smile spread across his face.
When he played RPGs as a child, how envious and impressive had the users who appeared in World Messages after accomplishing great achievements seemed?
But now, his own name was displayed in enormous letters.
And he was proudly ranked first, no less.
A Title acquisition notification appeared next.
[You have acquired the Title, ‘Epic Equipment, You Are Mine!’]
[Epic Equipment, You Are Mine!]
[A Title granted upon acquiring an Epic-grade piece of equipment for the first time.]
[Effect: All Stats +2]
[Chance of acquiring Epic-grade equipment +0.7%]
[You have acquired the Title, ‘Savior of Asente.’]
[Savior of Asente]
[A unique Title granted to the user who defeats the Hidden Boss Monster, Adult Basilisk, deep within Tanlin Plains.]
[Effect: New Stat, Charisma, unlocked.]
[The higher your Charisma, the more intimidated enemies become by you. You deal additional damage proportional to your Charisma against intimidated enemies.]
“Ooh! A new Stat!”
Epic-grade equipment, a World Message.
And on top of that, Titles and a new Stat.
Well, the World Message was not technically a reward.
Still!
Even this was enough to make him feel as though his stomach would burst, yet the System notifications continued for quite a while.
The most important thing was his Level.
[You have received a massive amount of Experience!]
[Your Level has increased!]
[Your Level has increased!]
[Your Level has increased!]
.
.
.
[Your Level has exceeded 30! A Job Change Quest has been generated!]
“A Job Change Quest! It is finally here!”
He had been wondering why he was still a Beginner even after reaching Level 30. At last, a clue regarding a Job Change had appeared.
“Then what I need to do now is…”
Prepare for the Job Change Quest.
A Job Change was extremely important in an RPG.
It was no exaggeration to say it decided a character’s fate, and once it was complete, it was very difficult to reverse.
“I need to stay sharp from here on out. If I pick the wrong class by mistake, I will end up with a ruined character.”
Of course, since DDO was a game created through cooperation with AI—
Its balance might be better than that of other RPGs.
Still, balancing classes was never easy.
Having once quit an RPG after choosing a bad class, Rough needed to be cautious beyond caution.
“Ah, should I ask Kiting?”
He had already changed into an Archer, so he might be able to give meaningful advice.
“He logged out earlier, but he might have logged back in by now.”
With anticipation in his heart, Rough tried to send him a whisper.
[That user is blocking whispers.]
True to his preference for solo play, he had whispers blocked as well.
“What a guy. He really is consistent with his style. Cannot be helped.”
Rough tapped the Quest icon with his thumb.
[Job Change Quest has occurred!]
[Quest Title: The Beginning of Fate]
[Grade: Random]
[Description: You have exceeded Level 30 and fulfilled the requirements for a first Job Change!]
[Objective: There are countless classes in Dream World Online! Learn about the classes and freely forge your destiny!]
[Upon Success: First Job Change complete]
“Now the real beginning starts.”