“I’ve only done PvE so far, so I want to try something different this time.”
From the Tutorial onward—through the Basilisk’s Nest and the Ruins of the Fallen Kingdom—Rough had encountered nothing but PvE content.
It had not been intentional, but he had grown curious.
How skilled were DDO’s users in general right now?
And compared to them, just how far would his own strength carry him?
‘Perfect timing. I wanted to see how much stronger I’d become after changing Classes. I can build up my Second Weapon proficiency while I’m at it.’
Without a moment’s hesitation, Rough selected option two: Suppress the Rebellion.
[Please select a faction.]
[1. Suppression Forces]
[2. Rebel Forces]
‘You can choose a faction too? Ah, so that’s why it’s PvP content.’
[Warning: Once selected, your faction cannot be changed until the Rebellion Suppression event ends.]
‘There’s a chance I’ll run into someone I know, so I should join the Suppression Forces. I’d rather not see them as enemies.’
[You have selected the Suppression Forces.]
[Rebellion Suppression is an event that takes place only within a designated field.]
[You may enter and leave the field freely. Rewards will be distributed after the event ends, based on contribution.]
[Current situation: The Rebel Forces hold an overwhelming advantage.]
‘The Rebel Forces hold an overwhelming advantage…’
Back during the Tutorial, Claif—the commander of the forward base—had said this.
That reinforcements were desperately needed.
There had been a reason for it.
Before seriously taking part in the Rebellion Suppression, Rough opened the community forum.
He wanted to find information that might help.
After searching for Myel and Rebellion Suppression, Rough sorted the results from oldest to newest.
[Anyone choose Rebellion Suppression for the Myel Kingdom Main Quest?]
-I’m so damn excited for large-scale PvP content lol.
┗[For real lol. There’s so much to loot.]
┗[You chose Rebellion Suppression too? Which faction?]
┗[Obviously the Rebel Forces.]
‘The post was made two days ago, so the event must have begun at least two days ago.’
Rough continued to the next post.
[What’s with Myel’s Rebellion Suppression?]
-How did the gap get this big in just one day? Where did all the Suppression Forces go?
┗[There was a large-scale battle at dawn. They got completely crushed and probably bailed.]
┗[Do those guys not sleep?]
┗[They’re probably Western players. Time zones are different.]
┗[Ah.]
‘Right. It’s a war, so it doesn’t happen on a schedule.’
The situation was more serious than Rough had expected.
And even now, it seemed to be worsening rapidly by the minute.
‘Let’s organize the situation first.’
The Rebellion Suppression event, this Main Quest, had begun roughly two days ago.
And the Suppression Forces, the faction Rough had joined, were at an overwhelming disadvantage.
‘Even if I perform brilliantly, things will probably go right back to the way they were whenever I log out.’
It was not as though there was no solution.
‘I’ll do as much as I can before I log out. And I’ll come up with a plan for when I’m not around, too.’
Rough hurried toward the field where the Rebellion Suppression event was taking place.
***
Before entering the field, Rough changed into the equipment he had newly purchased.
The Giant Beast-Slaying Sword was one thing, but the Sarin Armor was equipment that could be considered endgame-tier at this point.
If he wore it while participating in the event, he would undoubtedly draw the attention of countless users.
And in large-scale PvP content like this, unless one was overwhelmingly strong, drawing attention brought nothing good.
It was no different from advertising, Please gang up on me.
Especially when his side was already at a disadvantage.
“Jaarr. Let’s change our equipment before we go in.”
Though he was not quite as conspicuous as Rough, Jaarr was also wearing fairly flashy equipment and needed to change.
“Change our equipment? Why?”
When Rough explained his reasoning, Jaarr readily agreed.
“You are right. Let us do so.”
“Oh, before that, could you hand me your sword for a moment? There’s something I want to check.”
“Here you are.”
Jaarr readily transferred ownership.
[Sword of Extreme Cold Lv. 45]
[Rank: Rare]
[Category: Equipment Item]
[Durability: 3,000/3,000]
[Attack Power: 242]
[Description: A sword that holds the chill of bitter cold. It radiates a frost that seeps into one’s bones.]
[Special Option: Upon a successful attack, there is a 60% chance to inflict the status ailment ‘Stun.’]
The level requirement was 45, and its rank was Rare.
He could not simply pass over such valuable equipment.
Having received the Sword of Extreme Cold, Rough used the Appraiser’s unique Skills.
[You have identified all information on the Rare-rank equipment, Sword of Extreme Cold!]
[Basic Appraisal Mastery has leveled up!]
[Basic Appraisal Mastery has leveled up!]
[Intelligence has increased by 1!]
[Appraiser’s Keen Insight has failed.]
“…Tch.”
Appraiser’s Keen Insight, the Skill that granted special options to equipment, had failed.
Still, he was satisfied that his Mastery Level and stats had risen.
“Here.”
Once their preparations were complete, the two entered the event field.
[You have entered the Great Reed Field.]
[Your current affiliation is the Suppression Forces.]
[Within this field, Resurrection Skills and all items that restore HP or raise stats are prohibited.]
[If you die within this field, you will be unable to enter for four hours.]
Rough arrived at the Suppression Forces’ main base.
The situation here was utterly bleak.
Not a single building still had a roof.
Even the walls had half collapsed, so that if one stood up, one could see the golden reed field stretching far into the distance.
The users and NPCs sitting idly among the rubble all had lifeless eyes.
“Reinforcements, huh? But only two of you… Haa.”
A soldier who spotted Rough let out a deep sigh and looked away.
Their numbers were small, and because they had deliberately equipped low-rank gear, their Combat Power appeared low as well.
The users’ reactions were not much different.
They openly showed their disappointment.
“He’s carrying a crossbow, but his Class is Appraiser? What kind of Class is that?”
“I’ve never seen it before. Probably a non-combat Class or something.”
The other users had yet to realize what an Appraiser was.
They also did not seem to know Rough’s identity.
Even though he had appeared in a World Message, no one recognized him.
“If you’re a non-combat Class, you should quietly stick to Life Content. What do you think you’re going to get by crawling all the way here? Tch.”
“His Combat Power is pathetic, but his Level’s high.”
‘You bastards, I can hear every word…’
DDO provided real-time automatic translation.
Because of that, communicating with users who spoke other languages posed no problem.
If it were not for that…
‘What the fuck!’
‘Sabi!’
‘Bakayaro!’
He would not have understood anything except the curses.
Ignoring them, Rough checked the status board.
The Suppression Forces’ territory consisted of only the main base where he stood and a tiny outpost directly in front of it.
Everything else was in the Rebel Forces’ hands.
The factions’ strength was displayed as 13 to 87.
Just as the notification had said, they were at an overwhelming disadvantage—so much so that it would not have been strange for the event to end at any moment.
‘Tsk, tsk.’
As Rough clicked his tongue, a notification appeared in his view.
[The final outpost has been captured!]
It did not appear only to him.
The surrounding NPCs and users saw it as well.
As the notification faded, Rough spotted a group of Rebel Forces in the distance, having broken through the outpost.
They were charging this way, looking ready to bring down the main base too.
“Tch. So it really ends like this.”
The remaining users shook their heads, as though they had completely given up.
‘You think I’ll let that happen when I’m here?’
Unbothered by them, Rough strode toward the approaching Rebel Forces.
Jaarr silently followed behind him.
“H-Hey! What are you trying to do?”
One user called out to stop Rough.
Rough answered as if it were obvious.
“What else? I’m going to stop them.”
Rough knew.
They had become resigned after suffering repeated defeats, but if he proved himself through his actions and gave them hope, their motivation would return.
Stopping the enemy advance would be the first step.
The group of Rebel Forces that had broken through the outpost and was approaching consisted of around twenty people.
Their average Level was 35, and their total Combat Power was around 2,000 at best.
To the other users, they might have seemed threatening.
But to Rough and Jaarr, they were almost cute.
“Jaarr. Let me tell you one thing. If things get dangerous, switch back to your original equipment.”
“Understood.”
Jaarr replied briefly as he drew his sword.
Creak. Creak.
“This is my first real fight with a crossbow. I wonder if I’ll do well.”
Rough slowly loaded a bolt into his Second Weapon, the Apprentice Shooter’s Crossbow.
Aiming at the oncoming enemies, he murmured softly.
“Marksman’s Eye.”
***
“We captured the final outpost! Now only the main base remains!”
“Let’s finish this completely before today is over!”
Having broken through the Suppression Forces’ final outpost, the Rebel Forces charged toward the main base with the momentum of their victory.
The Suppression Forces’ defeat was all but certain.
There would be barely any defenders left at the main base, their final bastion.
Just as they rushed forward without even considering the possibility of resistance—
“Guhk!”
Suddenly, one of their allies screamed and was thrown backward.
“What? What happened?”
His comrades hurriedly checked on him.
An arrow was lodged in his shoulder.
“An arrow? Is there an archer?”
“No, but one arrow took off half his HP. Did some high-Level archer join the fight?”
“It probably just got lucky and landed a critical hit. Even if one showed up, a single person can’t change the tide.”
“Right. It’s a pointless struggle, so don’t be scared! We can take the main base by ourselves! You want good rewards, don’t you? We need more contribution. Are you really going to give up after coming this far?”
The Rebellion Suppression event’s rewards were determined by one’s contribution until it ended.
Capturing the enemy’s main base would likely earn them a substantial amount of contribution.
Blinded by the rewards, they resumed their advance.
“Argh!”
Then another ally was struck by an arrow and collapsed.
This time, nearly 70% of his HP had been drained.
“Tch. Spread out!”
Yeon-un, the leader of the Rebel Forces’ group, gave the order.
Following his command, the Rebels quickly hid themselves in the reed field.
But it was useless.
“Guhk!”
Another ally’s scream rang out from within the thick reeds.
‘You rat bastard!’
Yeon-un gritted his teeth.
He issued an order through Party Chat.
-Stay hidden in the reeds and approach the main base as quickly as possible! Once you find that archer, close the distance no matter what! Ranged Classes are weak in close combat!
Yeon-un’s command had reasonably sound logic behind it.
But there were a few things he had overlooked.
First, Rough was not an archer. Yeon-un had forgotten about the Second Weapon System.
Second, Rough was not alone.
Just as they were about to move again—
“You will go no farther.”
Without a sound, Jaarr appeared and blocked the Rebel Forces’ path.
The group hesitated for a moment at his arrival.
-His name is blue? He’s a Named NPC?!
The group was shaken, but Yeon-un calmly observed Jaarr.
‘Judging from his weapon, he isn’t the archer from earlier. There are two enemies. We deal with the annoying archer first!’
After finishing his assessment, he gave another command.
-Killing the archer comes first! Two of you, follow me! The rest of you deal with that guy!
-Us against a Named NPC?
-That NPC’s equipment is nothing special, so his Combat Power isn’t high. Just hold him off until we take care of the archer.
Two people soon followed Yeon-un, while the rest surrounded Jaarr.
At the sight, Jaarr barely managed to suppress a laugh.
‘They intend to face Rough with only three people? Underestimating him will cost them dearly. Still, there is no need to worry about the enemy.’
Leaving Jaarr and the others behind, Yeon-un dashed toward the main base.
“Guhk!”
One of the companions following him was struck by an arrow and collapsed.
And Yeon-un did not miss the moment Rough revealed himself to fire.
‘It’s a crossbow. A crossbow reloads more slowly than a bow. I just need to watch out for the next shot.’
No sooner had he finished thinking than—
“Argh!”
His last companion was struck by an arrow and rendered unable to fight.
‘Tch, how has he not missed even once? Still, thanks to that, I can catch him!’
Yeon-un reached the sand dune where Rough had been hiding.
“I finally caught—! Huh?”
Yeon-un’s expression twisted.
Rough had already reloaded and was calmly aiming at him.
“Whoops. You kindly came closer so I could hit you more easily. You didn’t have to, you know.”
With a sly smile, Rough pulled the trigger without mercy.
“Critical Shot.”
“You crazy—!”
Thwip!
With the strange sensation at his throat as the last thing he felt, Yeon-un’s body scattered into gray particles.