As soon as Namgung Jun got home from work, he logged into DDO through his capsule.
He checked the Auction first.
[Poison-Infused Revolver has been sold for 6,500 Gold.]
Unfortunately, the price had not risen any further.
Still, after the 7% fee, he had earned over 6,000 Gold—an enormous profit—so he was satisfied with the result.
After collecting the Gold, Rough headed straight to Jaar.
While he had been away for a short time, much had changed in DDO.
“…Huh!?”
The users passing by him kept flinching when they saw his nickname.
The reason was obvious.
‘It must be because of the World Message.’
That change was not limited to users.
The NPCs were the same.
“Who do we have here? Is that not Asente’s hero!”
“Welcome!”
Every NPC warmly welcomed Rough.
In most other RPG games, only players could see World Messages. But DDO was different.
NPCs could see World Messages as well.
In other words, Asente’s NPCs had also learned that Rough, Kiting, and Jaar had defeated the Basilisk.
Thanks to that, every Asente NPC’s Favorability toward Rough had reached its maximum.
“Oh, it looks like you have fully recovered?”
Unlike the previous day, Jaar looked neat and refreshed.
Not only had his HP recovered, but so had the fatigue accumulated in his body from the grueling battle.
“That is good. I happened to have a Quest that needs to be handled immediately.”
“Ah, Rough. Before that, there is something I must tell you.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“There is someone who wishes to meet you.”
Jaar pointed behind himself with his thumb.
Where his fingertip pointed stood a blond boy, much like Jaar himself.
Rough glanced at the boy, then whispered to Jaar.
“Is he your younger brother?”
“…I have no siblings.”
“He is not your younger brother? Then who is he?”
“I do not know either. He suddenly said that he wanted to meet you, so I had him wait.”
“Really?”
At Jaar’s explanation, Rough carefully observed the mysterious guest.
[Flex]
[Lv: 46]
[Class: Unerring Shooter]
[Title: First Pioneer]
[Classification: Player (Human)]
‘…Hm?’
Rough’s eyes trembled slightly.
It was because of his Title.
‘First Pioneer? Kiting definitely had that Title too, did he not?’
He possessed the same Title as Kiting.
And since he was explicitly classified as a Player, he was not an NPC.
‘What kind of person is he?’
Rough checked the rest of the Status Window.
[Affiliation: Lefripo Guild]
[Alignment: Neutral]
[HP: 1,900/1,900 MP: 850/850]
[Strength: 44 △▽ Agility: 62 △▽]
[Intelligence: 29 △▽ Luck: 38 △▽]
[Charisma: 15 △▽]
[Total Combat Power: 4,943]
‘What the hell? Where did this monster come from now?’
His Level and Total Combat Power—
Both were absurdly high, exceeding even that of the Adult Basilisk.
‘What did this guy eat growing up to have Combat Power this high?’
Clicking his tongue, Rough checked Flex’s equipment.
[Silver Punk +6]
[Seasoned Hunter’s Hat +4]
[Seasoned Hunter’s Top +4]
[Seasoned Hunter’s Bottoms +4]
[Seasoned Hunter’s Gloves +4]
[Seasoned Hunter’s Shoes +4]
.
.
.
[Schoa Ring +1]
[Schoa Earring +1]
‘Damn it. What is with all these items…?’
Every single one had been enhanced.
That was why his Combat Power was exceptionally high.
Among Flex’s equipped items, there was also a familiar name.
[Poison-Infused Revolver +6]
It was undoubtedly the equipment Rough had sold through the Auction the previous day.
‘Ah, so it was you. The customer who bought my item.’
A pleased smile appeared on Rough’s face.
Though they had only met today, Rough’s inner fondness for Flex had already reached its maximum.
“Wow, I finally found you!”
Flex, who had been standing behind Jaar, strode toward Rough.
“What business do you have with me?”
“What? You have not changed Jobs yet? Still, you were listed as the top Contributor, so I suppose it is fine.”
“…Pardon?”
Rough questioned the incomprehensible remark.
Flex ignored his question and said only what he wanted to say.
“Still, just in case, let us have a PVP match right now.”
The mysterious user, Flex, suddenly demanded a PVP match.
Ding!
[‘Flex’ has requested a PVP match. Would you like to accept?]
[Yes / No]
‘Hm? Why would I? I need to go do my Job Change Quest.’
Rough calmly pressed the No button.
“Sir! You said you wanted to meet Rough, so I guided you to him. What kind of rudeness is this!?”
Jaar became angry, unlike his usual self.
“Wait. Wait a moment.”
Rough calmed Jaar down and asked Flex.
“I would first like to hear the reason. Why do you want a PVP match?”
It was not exactly pleasant to have someone demand PVP right after meeting him for the first time.
Still, was this not the customer who had purchased Poison-Infused Revolver for a whopping 6,500 Gold?
His opinion of Flex was not bad just yet.
“I cannot tell you for free.”
Flex answered bluntly.
After speaking with him for a little while, Rough had a general idea of what kind of person Flex was.
As if it were not enough to own nothing but high-grade equipment—
Every item had been enhanced without exception.
He was what people called a whale.
A spoiled young master raised without a care in a family so wealthy that its money was overflowing.
That was the most accurate description of him.
“Well, alright. It is not difficult, so let us do it. Ah, but…”
Rough added one condition.
“How about we make a bet?”
“…A bet?”
Flex narrowed his eyes.
“If you win, I will do whatever you say without complaint. But if I win, you answer my questions honestly.”
Rough guessed that Flex would certainly accept.
‘He went out of his way to find me and wait for me. He would not want to leave empty-handed.’
And just in case, Rough decided to create an environment in which Flex could not refuse.
For this sort of person, all he needed to do was scratch their pride.
Very gently.
“If you are not confident, you do not have to.”
“Hah! Fine! Let us do it right now!”
‘He has not even changed Jobs yet, and his Combat Power is much lower than mine. There is no way I can lose, right?’
Thinking that there was no way he could lose, Flex readily accepted Rough’s proposal.
“Wait. I will do it, so remain still.”
Jaar stepped forward.
“I was the one who introduced this person to you, so I will resolve this.”
“I do not mind, but are you okay with my companion taking my place?”
Rough asked for Flex’s opinion.
“I do not mind. I was planning to test him too.”
After reaching an agreement, the three moved to Tanlin Plains for the PVP match.
***
On the outskirts of Tanlin Plains.
Thanks to Rough and Jaar’s efforts, Goblins had nearly disappeared from the area.
With the Monsters gone, the number of users hunting there had naturally decreased as well.
As a result, the place was now very quiet.
They could engage in PVP as much as they wanted without worrying about being seen by users or NPCs.
“…”
Before the PVP match, Jaar and Flex faced each other.
Watching them, Rough was extremely relaxed.
‘Come on, there is no way he will lose, right?’
Rough’s faith in Jaar was firm.
Moreover, PVP was protected by the system.
Even if HP fell to 0, no one would die, so there was no reason to worry.
If Jaar won the PVP match, Rough planned to quickly satisfy a few of his curiosities before setting off to learn more about his Job Change Quest.
For example, Flex’s purpose.
How he had acquired the Title, First Pioneer, and his relationship with Kiting, among other things.
“Let us start after I use my buffs, okay?”
Flex pulled out Potions that raised his Stats from his Inventory.
The problem was…
There were far too many Potions.
In most RPG games, using Recovery Potions or buff Potions simply required clicking, tapping, pressing a preset hotkey, or letting the system do it automatically.
It was a very simple task, but DDO was different.
Because it reproduced reality exactly, users had to drink every Potion one by one.
Even in this regard, it unnecessarily insisted on realism.
In other words, Flex had to drink dozens of Potions individually.
“Enhanced Strength Potion, Enhanced Agility Potion, MVP Buff, VIP Buff, Emperor’s Feast, Tycoon’s Feast, Saintess’s Blessing, Spirit’s Blessing, Matram’s Elixir, Ahad’s Elixir…”
The act itself looked ridiculous.
On the other hand, his Combat Power rose at a terrifying rate.
[4,943 ⇒ 4,993 ⇒ 5,008 ⇒ 5,148 ⇒ 5,298 ⇒ 5,397 ⇒ ……]
Before long, it had even surpassed Jaar’s Combat Power.
Dumbfounded, Rough muttered only one thing.
“…Is that guy fucking insane?”
‘No, where did he even get all that?’
Unbothered, Flex continued chugging Potions.
“It is not over yet! Berserker’s Elixir, Life Elixir, Rage Elixir, Destruction Elixir, Focus Elixir, Will Elixir, Steel Elixir, Courage Elixir, Harmony Elixir, Life Eli—did I use this one already? I am confused, so I will use it again.”
“…”
Jaar had already lost his will to fight as he watched Flex drink Potions for five minutes straight.
“Can I not simply cut him down?”
With an exhausted expression, Jaar looked back at Rough.
“If you cut him down while he is buffing, he will probably say it does not count and become a pain. Just bear with it a little longer.”
After a long wait—
“Guh. I am full. The Potions are sloshing around in my stomach so much that I cannot drink any more.”
Flex’s buffs were finally complete.
[PVP begins.]
The instant the notification appeared—
Tatatatatatatang!!
Flex fired the gun in one hand repeatedly toward Jaar.
“…Hngh!”
Jaar’s body shook once as he blocked the shots with his shield.
It was the result of his Combat Power—particularly his attack power—having risen insanely through countless buffs.
“Oh, your defense is pretty decent.”
Flex smiled leisurely as he reloaded his magazine.
Taking advantage of that opening—
“Shield’s Resonance.”
Jaar used a buff that increased his defense.
That was not the end.
“Frenzied Charge.”
Jaar raised his shield before him and charged toward Flex at explosive speed.
He had judged that there was no answer if he remained at range.
“Trying to break through head-on against me? If you are so confident, then try blocking this too.”
As if his pride had been wounded, Flex furrowed his brow and aimed the guns in both hands straight ahead.
“High-Rank Skill, Full Barrage.”
Kwakwakwakwakwakwakwaang!!
With a thunderous roar, Flex’s two gun muzzles erupted with fire like mad.
Setting aside its power—
It was impossible to even tell how many attacks were being unleashed.
‘What is that Skill?’
Rough’s mouth fell open as he used his Personal Trait to check the Skill information.
[Full Barrage Lv. 4]
[Rank: High]
[EXP: 16.02%]
[Active Skill]
[Launches an attack dealing 262% Damage at an enemy ahead. The number of attacks can equal the number of bullets currently available to fire.]
[Cooldown: 300 seconds]
Based on the description, it was an offensive Skill that poured out all of one’s firepower at once to melt the enemy.
Furthermore, as expected of a High-Rank Skill, the total damage percentage was absurdly high.
Even while taking that ridiculous Skill head-on, Jaar’s momentum did not falter.
Soon, his body reached Flex’s immediate vicinity.
“Huh…?”
While Flex flailed about in panic—
“One Stroke, Two Halves.”
The blue energy gathered at the tip of Jaar’s sword swallowed Flex whole.
[PVP has ended.]
[The winner is Jaar.]
“Urgh…!”
Flex sank to the ground with a low groan.
He seemed unable to accept his defeat.
From Rough’s perspective, there were two reasons for it.
The first was the effect of Jaar’s Title.
After being struck directly by Full Barrage and losing HP, the effect of his comeback Title—which greatly increased his Stats—activated.
The second was Flex’s buffs.
Rough carefully observed the spot where Flex had originally stood.
Not even half of any of the buff Potions Flex had used had been emptied.
‘He took just one sip of every expensive Potion and threw them away. I do not know whether he thought that would be enough or whether there was some other reason. But if he only drinks such a small amount, the duration will naturally be short.’
As Jaar’s Combat Power rose, Flex’s Combat Power plummeted, producing this result.
“Tch, I took it too lightly.”
Perhaps Flex realized it too late, as he muttered quietly.
“You worked hard.”
Since Jaar’s Title effect had activated, Flex must have been quite a difficult opponent even for Jaar.
After encouraging him, Rough took Flex elsewhere to talk.
“I won the bet, so answer my questions honestly from now on. You will keep your promise, right?”
“…Fine. What are you curious about?”
Rough grinned and asked his first question.
“The Title, First Pioneer. How do you get it?”