There was the familiar bell sound as someone opened the door of "New World Capsule Room."
Flowing hair. Milky skin. Delicate features. The person who looked like a celebrity was Choi Mido. "h.e.l.lo, Ahjussi."
"Oh, it"s Mido. It"s been a while. What happened?" He was the owner of the New World Capsule Room, Kim Seongchul.
"I"ve been a bit busy due to school a.s.signments. It was a group a.s.signment so I couldn"t miss it."
"Haha, I see. I thought I had lost my regular customer."
"Ahjussi, you"re too much. Hoho."
"Are you paying later as usual?"
"Ah, I"m sorry. I forgot my wallet today and don"t have my usual card with me. I"ll pay first since I received pocket money."
The capsule room was expensive. It was natural since each capsule cost 5 million won and there was a maintenance cost of 100,000 won per capsule every month.
"Even so, there is no need to worry about money."
She was born into a wealthy family and barely had to pay for tuition since she entered university. It was because she was a pretty popular creator in Arkstar. She was a student of Korea University, called the most prestigious in South Korea, and her department was the virtual reality department. She had started as a creator of Arkstar to make pocket money and now it was enough to pay the tuition for a semester.
"It has been a month."
Mido opened the door in a familiar manner and entered the capsule. She pressed the start b.u.t.ton and heard the sound of the door closing.
[Welcome to the world of Arkstar.]
She blinked and a familiar place appeared. This was the trading city of Fortren. Matching its name, the surroundings were filled with the noisy cries of people.
"I"m going to Windia!"
"There are now two spots left!"
"Any long distance damage dealers?"
"As expected, they already know about Windia."
It wasn"t anything new. This was home to the largest number of merchant users and it was natural for rumors to spread quickly. She approached the man who shouted that there were two spots left. "Can I join the party?"
"Ah, yes, what cla.s.s... huh?" It wasn"t surprising. Men were always stunned by her appearance when she traded items or formed parties. Just like now. "Ah, yes. That... it doesn"t matter what cla.s.s you have. Join the party!"
"Men..."
It was a bit annoying but it couldn"t be helped. Was it a sin to be born beautiful? Rather, she had to thank her parents.
[The user "Darrell" has sent a party application.]
She pressed the approval b.u.t.ton and the party window opened. Her level was 151 while the others were in their 80s and 90s. Darrell spoke in a startled manner, "Your level is higher than I thought. By the way, this cla.s.s...?"
"I"m a painter."
Her cla.s.s was a painter. In fact, her choice of cla.s.s was due to the foolishness of her unfulfilled dreams. She was originally interested in art and tried to study it at university, but had to give up due to a lack of painting skills. It remained as a hobby but she became a painter here in Arkstar because she wanted to dream again. Of course, people still didn"t seem to understand her paintings.
"I came here to sell my paintings but no one bought them..."
"I see. I look forward to working with you."
"Yes, I"m looking forward to it."
She could see Darrell exchanging whispers with someone. It was obvious what they were talking about. They were asking him why he accepted a production cla.s.s as a party member. The woman talking to Darrell approached Mido. "It is nice to meet you. I"m Tina."
"My name is Mido."
"I"m sorry, this is the first time I"ve been in a party with a painter. Can you should what type of abilities you have?"
Tina requested in a sarcastic tone. Mido was accustomed to it since she had gone through it more than once or twice. "I have this ability."
She pulled out a brush and palette from her inventory. Then she started drawing in the air. People looked on in a strange manner. It was a painter"s vision skill she managed to learn a month ago in Atia, city of art. Her cla.s.s was "Body Painter."
"Body Painting!"
The party members were fl.u.s.tered when paintings were suddenly carved onto their bodies. Then they noticed that their movement speed had increased and couldn"t hide their surprise.
"I can improve the power of the party members like this."
"I-I see. I"m glad. I wasn"t sure if you would be helpful..."
"I think so."
She smiled and Tina"s face turned red. At this moment, someone came up to her with a smile. His name was "Deadeye." He wondered, "Based on your name, you"re South Korean?"
"Oh, are you also Korean?"
"Yes, my name is Cha Jincheol."
"I see. It is nice to meet you. I"m Mido."
They exchanged greetings and Darrell shouted, "Our party will now set off for Windia! I"m afraid we"ll be late if we delay any longer. As you know, our goal is..."
"Hey! Just quickly depart. Stupid!" Tina spoke nervously.
"Cough, we"re now departing!"
The road to Windia was full of monsters. They pa.s.sed through Wolf Plains and as the name implied, there were many wolf monsters. Fortunately, there were no wolves living in groups because villages hadn"t formed here. Mido buffed the party by using body painting. It was a cla.s.s she obtained with the help of her seniors and she was glad to be helpful.
Just then, a wolf rushed in.
"Where are you going?"
An arrow flew from behind and pierced the werewolf"s head.
"Are you okay, Mido?"
"Thank you, Jincheol oppa."
She quickly became friendly with Cha Jincheol. He was an archer and when she asked why he chose this cla.s.s, he said that his job in real life required the frequent use of his eyes, so it was well suited to his apt.i.tude.
"I love painting but why don"t people buy my paintings?"
She didn"t know why but Mido decided to think it was just a lack of effort. In any case, they pa.s.sed through the Wolf Plains and suddenly neared Windia. Then the surroundings became noisy.
"Camera team! Is the recording going well?"
"Yes! It"s going well!"
"Yes, we will reach Windia so be on standby!"
"It seems they"re from the broadcasting station."
She had wanted to do a live show on Star YouTube but it seemed today wasn"t the day. She did it once a week because she could only broadcast on a set day. This was a government action to prevent excessive revenue and fraud among some users.
There were many parties around them. Thousands of people flocked to Windia at once and it was like an army. Then someone cried out, "There"s an orc here!"
One person shouted and the others cried out after them.
"Gazua! Save Windia!"
The broadcasting teams suddenly became busy.
"Get ready for the broadcast!"
"Film the runaway orc! Hurry!"
People started running all at once. Mido"s party members nodded and ran forward. She also ran with the antic.i.p.ation that there would soon be a battle with orcs. However, men in armor were blocking their way. The man holding the spear shouted, "The war is over!"
* * *
Meanwhile, I arrived at the orc village. I sat at the campfire I saw previously and tore at the meat while lost in contemplation.
...The Colosseum. Gyeonso Dragon told me that he wanted to fight me there. I was a bit fl.u.s.tered by the sudden proposal but it turned out he was Chinese and unaffiliated. It was meant to purely be a compet.i.tion and I readily agreed to his suggestion.
"There was a place like this in Fortren."
I thought it would be a lot of fun to go there. The Colosseum was a month away so there was still some time left. The entry restriction was level 100 so I needed to raise my level quickly.
Then Gorba approached and sat next to me. "How is the taste of the meat, Brother? Gruruk."
"It is the first time I"ve had bear meat but it"s delicious."
"I"m glad. Chwiiik. By the way, why aren"t you eating it raw?"
"I don"t have such a hobby. Humans cook everything."
"Kuhahaha, I see!"
I was currently eating the meat of the "horn bear" that lived behind here. The food was very good.
"Gruruk! Thank you for saving my life. There is one thing I want to ask you. Chwiiik."
"Huh...? What is it?"
"Why did you save me? Don"t humans hate orcs?"
[The first apostle, "Prometheus," is curious himself.]
Hrmm. The reason... I didn"t know. I decided to answer honestly, "In fact, I"ve been here before. I met you at that time. As I looked around the village, I thought you might be a decent leader."
"You"re been here? I"ve never seen you."
"It is like this."
I used Zigma Transformation. Gorba"s eyes widened as he watched me change. He was confused and stuttered, "Y-You are a goblin? Chwiiik."
"No, I"m human." I quickly released the transformation.
Then Gorba"s expression became regretful. "Guruk. I wish you were a goblin."
"I"m not so ugly."
"Kulalala!" Gorba burst out laughing.This b.a.s.t.a.r.d, why was he laughing? "Being ugly is the greatest compliment for us orcs."
"Ah... really?" Somehow, I remembered the orc guard saying thanks after being told he was ugly. I guess this was the reason why. They were strange guys. "You are also ugly."
"Kulalala! Thank you, Brother!"
We exchanged the strange words of blessing (?) and I felt the little orcs staring at me. I thought it was awkward. Gorba seemed to have noticed as he spoke to me, "Guruk. The children still feel a bit awkward. Please understand!"
"It"s okay. It is natural."
The sun went down and it became deep in the night. The fire was still burning and it felt like I was camping. Come to think of it, I had forgotten something... ah!
"Prometheus."
[The first apostle, "Prometheus," is blinking in a puzzled manner.]
"Don"t you have something to say to me?"
[The first apostle, "Prometheus," is nodding.]
"Why aren"t you saying it?"
[The first apostle, "Prometheus," says he wants to talk alone.]
"...Alone?"
We couldn"t speak right now because of the orcs. He was a picky person. Still, what exactly did he want to say? I was troubled for a moment and thought it would be better to hear it quickly. I spoke to Gorba, "Gorba, I want to rest. Is there a place I can sleep?"
"Guruk. I have arranged a place for you to stay in advance. Follow me."
After a while, I was guided to a small cave.
"Have a good night"s sleep. Chwiiik."
"Thank you."
Once Gorba disappeared, I looked around. The interior was well-equipped and he seemed to have paid a lot of attention to it. I looked up and ordered, "Now, tell me."
[The first apostle, "Prometheus," says to lie down first.]
...Lie down? What was this nonsense? Surely he didn"t want me to lie down and talk? I felt like I was being deceived but I decided to obey first. I lay down on the plentiful straw. It was pretty soft. "Is this okay?"
[The first apostle, "Prometheus," says to close your eyes.]
"Oh, this guy, just tell me!"
[The first apostle, "Prometheus," says to close your eyes.]
"This d.a.m.n guy," I muttered as I closed my eyes.
The world was immersed in darkness and the cozy feeling made me sleepy. At this moment, I heard the sound of fingers snapping and a voice.
[You have been invited to the Star Coffee House.]