Chapter 39
“I have to form a party?”
-Yes. The Sea Cave dungeon requires a party of at least two people to enter.
“A party… Just in case, do pets or homunculi count as party members?”
-No. Only players.
“That’s what I thought. It’s like an exclusive insider’s game. How are antisocial players supposed to play?”
-Is clearing dungeons with a party really that bad…
“Anyway, it’s really ambiguous.”
Although he had thought that he would inevitably have to form a party with other users while playing the game, he didn’t expect it to happen now.
“I’m worried about Tina.”
-That’s a bit concerning. Because of the Mado King job story.
Currently, Carpe was taking a completely opposite route from other users.
It wasn’t just because he obtained a regular 0-star behind-the-scenes lord or a mythical class.
Mado King.
It refers to the first emperor, Dretschu, who unified the continent 800 years ago and established the empire of Arcram.
However, this giant empire and the Mado King ultimately perished due to the invasion of an unidentified force.
It was a major event known as the “Pseudo God War.”
The problem here is that the identities of the pseudo gods who invaded Arcram were the behind-the-scenes lords, the players’ helpers.
If you think about it extremely, Carpe could be considered hostile to all users.
“No, it sounds ridiculous when I say it out loud. Fight against all users? Are there jobs like this?”
-With great power comes great responsibility. Don’t you know? And other players may not even know that the Mado King exists, so what’s the worry?
“For me, maybe. But Tina is the problem. She was directly involved in the war 800 years ago.”
There was a possibility that other users’ behind-the-scenes lords might recognize Tina and assign a quest like ‘Kill that guy!’
-Let’s just keep her in the room and summon her only when needed. That’s the solution.
“Right… If it doesn’t work out, we’ll have to do that. But for now, let’s ask.”
Carpe moved to a secluded place and summoned Tina from the room.
“You called, master?”
Carpe briefly explained the current situation to her.
Fortunately, during the previous night, Cheonma had explained the current era dominated by behind-the-scenes lords, so it didn’t take much time.
“Indeed, I understand the situation. Let me give you the conclusion first; you don’t need to worry unnecessarily.”
According to her, she and the other seven dolls were created in the late stages of the Pseudo God War.
And because eight Mado Kings, including herself, secretly moved as a guerrilla unit to ambush the enemy’s heart, there were almost no pseudo gods who remembered her.
“In fact, even the pseudo god I met where I was sealed didn’t recognize me. Perhaps only a few pseudo gods with 9th-grade ranks would recognize me.”
“9th-grade rank? You fought against behind-the-scenes lords. That’s impressive.”
As Carpe sincerely admired her, Tina blushed slightly and bowed her head.
“I’m sorry. Due to being sealed for a long time, the power from back then no longer exists.”
“That’s hard to believe.”
The swordsmanship that overwhelmed the behind-the-scenes lord emitting a sinister aura was still unforgettable.
But ironically, Tina shook her head.
“The power back then was the result of consuming all the mana faintly left in the soul stones. Even that has disappeared now.”
“Is that so?”
Come to think of it, Carpe hadn’t examined Tina’s information in detail yet.
Carpe opened the status window.
Ding.
[Ancient Homunculus]
[Name: Tistania, the Radiant]
[Level: 1]
[Grade: Epic]
[Classification: Homunculus, Knight]
[Personality: Loyal]
[The first homunculus created by the Mado King, a powerful knight with no equals, but now weakened due to the effects of time.]
[Skills possessed]
Radiant Learning Method 8th Grade - Lv. Master
• Rapid growth at the expense of all power.
• Experience gain doubled (cannot exceed player’s level).
• Probability of exclusive skill appearing when opening skill packs greatly increased.
As she had said, her level was 1, and she only had one skill.
“Sigh. I was hoping Tina would level up quickly.”
-There you go again with the guilt trip. She claims she fought against 9th-grade behind-the-scenes lords in her prime? If that were implemented as is, she’d probably be over level 400, which is absurd.
“Yeah. Typically, in RPGs, you start leveling up your companions from level 1.”
In the old days, there were many RPGs with that format.
Especially when powerful villain characters joined the party as allies during scenario progression!
‘Wow, finally getting to use this crazy character!’ But when they joined at level 1, it was disappointing… Remembering how they struggled to level them up.
“In this day and age, adopting such an old-fashioned method is surprising.”
Actually, although he said that, Carpe didn’t believe that such a freeloader would be possible.
…But seeing it with his own eyes, he felt a bit disappointed.
“It may take a while to regain your strength… No, it might take a bit, but please wait. I’ll become stronger than before and cut down all the enemies blocking you.”
“Okay. I’ll trust you. Anyway, the conclusion is that it’s okay to form a party with others, right?”
“Yes. However, if you’re still uneasy, I’ll change my appearance.”
“Huh? Is that possible?”
Instead of answering Carpe’s question, Tina slowly closed her eyes.
Pop!
And with a brief flash, she didn’t suddenly disappear.
“Uh, where did she go?”
“I’m over here, master!”
“Huh?”
“Down here!”
When Carpe looked down, there was a miniature Tina standing there.
No, it wasn’t just smaller; it was a cute doll that looked like a 3rd grader, just like when he first saw her in the jar.
“What, what’s with that appearance?”
“It’s the non-combat mode. Compared to combat mode, HP and MP recovery speed is tripled…”
“Excellent!”
Carpe cautiously picked up Tina.
“Just a moment.”
Carpe quickly rummaged through the custom shop and soon found a suitable robe (cash: 1,200 won, no abilities) and put it on.
Then, he carefully placed Tina in the pocket on the left side of his chest.
He had roughly estimated the size, but luckily, it fit quite well.
“How is it? Are you okay?”
“…A little cramped. Master.”
Tina peeked her face out of the pocket and spoke up.
“What’s this all about? Even in non-combat mode, I can still walk.”
“No, no. How can you keep up with those short legs?”
“I can run!”
“You’re going to drain all your strength before we even start fighting? You’ll exhaust yourself just trying to keep up.”
But he couldn’t exactly carry her on his shoulder or head. He didn’t have the confidence to endure the scrutiny of others in that case.
Tina tried to come up with another excuse, but soon gave up and let out a sigh.
“…I can’t deny that it’s an efficient method. I’ll comply.”
“Okay, okay. Good thinking.”
Carpe, who usually had no interest in figures, now felt like he might develop an interest.
Following the guidance of the Cherubim, Carpe arrived at the entrance of the Sea Cave.
True to its reputation as a landmark of Luana, the area around the cave was bustling with activity.
“Looking for a healer to join the cave quest!”
“Yes? A rogue? We don’t need… Sorry, the dealer spot is already taken.”
“I’m offering 15 gold. Let’s go comfortably. Two deals on a first-come-first-served basis!”
“Oh, me!”
“Yes, thank you. You, come over here, don’t waste the rogue’s time.”
“Why… do rogues always get treated like this? I want to party too.”
It was the usual scene of party recruitment.
Carpe glanced around a bit and approached a girl standing a little away from the cave.
She was an NPC girl known as “Luana’s Angel” or “Luana’s Devil” to the players.
“Wow! A 5-star dropped from the skill pack the angel gave me!”
“Ugh, a 2-star! These devilish brats!”
A place where joy and despair coexisted.
The Sea Cave Quest, a Luana specialty, started with this girl.
“Sir of the Gods! Please help me.”
As he approached the girl, the yellow exclamation mark above her head disappeared, and she spoke to Carpe.
“My precious pendant was swept away by the waves into the cave. I can’t afford to lose it…”
Just hearing the dialogue gave him a sense of what kind of quest it was.
Asking someone to find a lost item for them was one of the classic RPG quests.
“Will you help me find the pendant? I’ll give you the valuable cards I’ve collected.”
“Sure, I’ll do that.”
“Really? Thank you. But it’s dangerous in there, so don’t go alone. Please go with another sir!”
“…Can’t I go alone?”
“No! The adults said it’s very dangerous. If you go in alone, I won’t give you the cards.”
“Hmm. Okay, got it.”
[Accepted quest ‘The Girl’s Request’.]
“Sheesh, such a stubborn kid.”
-It’s probably the developers’ intention for players to experience party play instead of just solo play. So are you going to look for party members now?
“But wait a moment before that.”
Carpe walked towards the entrance of the cave before looking down at his hands, where a notification popped up.
[Do you wish to enter the Rare Grade dungeon ‘Sea Cave’?]
[This dungeon requires a minimum party of 2 or more to enter.]
As expected, everything seemed normal. Carpe muttered quietly after checking the notification.
“Unlock.”
He hoped that the unlock would activate and remove the entry restriction.
But…
“No luck.”
“Hmm. Nice try, but it seems it didn’t work. The universal key isn’t all-powerful, after all.”
“Dungeon entry isn’t unlocked.”
“You never know. Maybe it’s just this dungeon. Try again if another dungeon comes up later.”
Unfortunately, there was no notification indicating that the unlock had worked. Thus, other than finding party members, there seemed to be no alternative.
“Well, can’t be helped.”
Just the thought of throwing himself into the waves of recruitment exhaustion made him tired already.
“Should I create a party myself?”
“Or just go where there are a lot of people, where you can blend in unnoticed.”
“Hmm.”
“How about this? Just recruit anyone and then take them into the dungeon and PK them. The dungeon’s difficulty is quite high, so it’ll be hard to clear without cooperation, but you don’t mind, right?”
“This feels more like a devil’s idea than a Cherubim’s.”
“Master, I agree. Spare the Cherubs if possible.”
“…Am I the only sane one here?”
Although the suggestion was a bit tempting, he shook his head soon after. Carpe wasn’t someone who would resort to pickpocketing just to avoid attention.
“I don’t mind anything else, as long as they’re just taciturn.”
The party member’s skill level didn’t matter. As the Cherubim said, he could handle the quest alone if needed. He preferred someone silent, just clearing quests together without any small talk.
“I wonder if there’s someone like that.”
And then, as Carpe pondered, a player approached him.
“Are you looking for a companion, sir?”
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