Translator: She.Wee
Chapter 1
Christmas, with only a few days left before the New Year.
As a military veteran and a returning student with no significant other, Christmas felt like just another day. Despite wanting to spend it quietly, my friends had insisted that we should hang out together on such a day. Thanks to their nagging, I ended up drinking heavily, and now my head felt hazy on the way back home. It had been a long time since I got this drunk, considering I usually had a strong tolerance for alcohol.
“Ah, shit…”
Frowning at the blurry vision in front of him, Jiwon staggered while punching in the door lock password. His birthday, a simple four-digit code, showed how careless he was. Even then, he entered it wrong twice, causing the warning alarm to echo through the hallway before he could finally get into his apartment.
After taking a cold shower and gulping down some water with ice, he started to feel more clear-headed. He resolved never to drink like that again. While he was blinking blankly, his phone vibrated briefly. It was a text from his close friend, Junghoon.
[Are you free to log in now?]
[I’m planning to do some main character content after a while.]
Junghoon was a fairly successful gaming YouTuber. While he played a variety of games based on his viewers’ requests, the one he consistently streamed was Ark Serenity. This MMORPG, beloved by the public, had been around for over ten years since its release.
Jiwon, who had been friends with Junghoon since elementary school, was also a longtime player of Ark Serenity. While he never revealed his voice or face, Jiwon often teamed up with Junghoon in the game to help create streaming content. Having someone familiar to banter with always made things easier than playing solo.
“It’s already this late…”
12:48 a.m. Technically, it wasn’t too late for gamers. This was prime time for hunting, raiding dungeons, or tackling daily reset tasks. However, knowing that Junghoon’s streams often lasted three to four hours, Jiwon doubted he could keep up in his current state.
While typing a reply with one hand, Jiwon powered up his computer.
[Nah, I just came back from drinking. Planning to clear a few dungeons and crash.]
[Oh right, you had drinking plans today, didn’t you?]
[Got it, got it.]
Jiwon had always been more invested in Ark Serenity than Junghoon since elementary school. No matter how tired or lazy he felt, he never forgot to run his daily dungeons. He preferred gaming at home over going out, and even on nights spent staying up for school assignments, he often finished his daily quests before collapsing into bed. The only time Jiwon had taken a break from gaming was during his senior year of high school when preparing for college entrance exams.
[Guild][Pozzo: Hey, Guild Leader!]
[Guild][Watermelon Doctor: Hiya!]
[Guild][Tazzi: Hello, hello.]
[Guild][Kengki: Hihi~]
As soon as Jiwon logged in, guild chat messages from his guild members, who were all veteran players, flooded the screen. While 1 a.m. was prime hunting time for farming gold and items, Jiwon quickly typed on his keyboard.
[Guild][Hando: Are we all gaming responsibly with one eye on the clock?]
[Guild][Pozzo: LOL, of course.]
[Guild][Watermelon Doctor: Wasn’t it still technically a holiday an hour ago??]
[Guild][Cheling: ^^7]
The guild members, ever dedicated to gaming, responded promptly. After all, what better time to game than the early hours of a holiday? Seeing more players online than expected, Jiwon made a suggestion.
[Guild][Hando: How about we clear some dailies now?]
Daily dungeons were crucial for maintaining guild rankings, as they increased the guild’s reputation points upon completion. So unless there was something special it is recommended to complete at least a few.
While Jiwon rarely needed to remind them, his guild members, seasoned to the core, diligently cleared even the low-level dungeons
[Guild][Cheling: Let’s go!]
[Guild][Hando: Let’s go in order.]
[Guild][Pozzo: Guild Base, Channel 5.]
As expected, the guild members eagerly gathered at the guild base. Their turnout for a Christmas night was almost suspiciously high.
[Guild][Pozzo: It’s hilarious how we all seem to gather at the same time every night, LOL.]
[Guild][Cheling: Don’t you guys have any plans?]
[Guild][Don’tAskMe: What about you, Cheling?]
[Guild][Cheling: Everyone here is my precious friend~ ^ㅡ^]
[Guild][Cheling: Clearing dailies is a sacred pact; how could I miss this?]
[Guild][Cheling: I rushed back after finishing my plans, okay?]
[Guild][Watermelon Doctor: Didn’t you log in this morning too?]
[Guild][Cheling: Mind your business.]
Jiwon smiled faintly as he watched his guild members bicker and joke with one another. After counting the attendees, he divided them into balanced parties. As the guild leader, Jiwon wasn’t exempt from the daily dungeon grind and joined the deputy guild master’s party.
[Watermelon Doctor: We can clear this with our eyes closed now.]
[Don’tAskMe: For real.]
[Pozzo: Let’s aim for a three-minute clear.]
The daily dungeons weren’t particularly difficult, so they didn’t require voice chat or extensive coordination. While replying to the lighthearted chatter in the guild, Jiwon finished the second dungeon. However, his eyes began to feel heavy.
There were still several dungeons left, but should he save them for tomorrow?
Blinking slowly, Jiwon weighed his options before coming to a decision.
[Guild][Han Do: I’m tired, so I think I’ll head out first.]
[Guild][Pozzo: Then should we all disband?]
[Guild][Han Do: No, finish up. I’ll go on my own, haha.]
It was nice and convenient to run dungeons together with guild members, but in his current state, Jiwon felt he wouldn’t even be able to contribute. He logged out of the game.
Collapsing onto his bed, Jiwon fell asleep instantly, only to wake up earlier than expected because he had forgotten to close the curtains. As sunlight streamed through the window, he stared at it blankly before dragging himself to the kitchen.
Grabbing the bag of leftover scones from the previous day and making a cup of instant coffee, Jiwon naturally found himself seated in front of his computer.
Just as he was about to log into the game, he changed course and opened YouTube, navigating to his own channel for the first time in a while. Unlike Junghoon, who actively managed his channel, Jiwon only uploaded short videos occasionally, such as boss fights or tips for beginner players.
There wasn’t anything particularly special about his channel—it was just plain subtitles without voiceovers—but it still managed to gather consistent views, earning him a modest allowance.
He clicked on the most recent dungeon-clear tips video to check the comments. Suddenly, a flood of new comments started pouring in, most of them filled with crying emojis, all searching for him.
“Shin Seungju, this is no time to chill! Spiritmaster got nerfed again T^T.”
➥ The ‘Sun-Moon Pact’ is dead.
➥➥ Dead? Nah, it’s not that bad. Judging by your reaction, you’re probably playing an even worse class.
➥➥➥ Look at you shaking. Spiritmaster must really be dying out, lol.
Blinking at the unexpected nerf news in the middle of the night, Jiwon suddenly remembered that today was Wednesday—update day. He had completely forgotten.
There was still some time before the massive balance patch announced by the game company would roll out, but an abrupt skill nerf at such an odd timing seemed ominous. On any other day, he might’ve opened the game’s homepage with excitement, but having already received the bad news, his anticipation was nonexistent.
[Spiritmaster] The damage of “Sun-Moon Pact” is reduced.
(1200% damage for 10 attacks → 1000% damage for 10 attacks)
Ignoring every other job class update, Jiwon’s gaze fixated on the single line that concerned him. His face twisted into a grimace.
Jiwon’s main character was a Spiritmaster, a class already infamous for its lack of survival skills, making it a high-risk job. And now they had reduced the damage of its only ultimate skill?
“By 200%?”
He scrolled up and down the page, as if denying reality, but nothing changed. While it wasn’t devastating enough to call it the class’s death, it would certainly impact their ability to take down high-level bosses.
[Spiritmaster nerf?]
[Bye, lololol.]
Jiwon ignored Junghoon’s perfectly timed text, which only added fuel to the fire, and logged into the game. Spiritmaster nerfs were nothing new, and if Jiwon had been the type to quit over them, he would’ve stopped playing a long time ago.
As expected, Junghoon, who had recently been focusing on other content, was offline. Most of the other guild members were either offline or AFK at the guild headquarters as well. While Jiwon was a college student on winter break, for office workers, the day after Christmas was just another workday.
“I’ll just do something solo for now.”
The “Gloomy Forest” dungeon, accessible from level 170, was a popular spot for players who had just entered high levels. It offered decent rewards for its relatively low difficulty.
While a full party of six made clearing the dungeon easy, splitting the loot among so many players was less appealing. Most players preferred to go with as few people as possible.
[Invisible: Looking for 4-member party, Slot 1 @@@@@@@@@@]
[JaeJae: Anyone willing to take me? T_T]
The dungeon entrance was bustling with players early in the morning. Some were recruiting to fill party slots, while others, lower-leveled, desperately tried to squeeze their way into a group.
In the midst of the chaos, Jiwon calmly stood in a corner and opened his inventory. As he swapped out gear for a faster clear time, a user wandering near the dungeon entrance caught his eye.
‘HolyKnightPaladin.’
The user was wearing the white uniform cash item from last month’s limited sale. Their nickname was straightforward, instantly revealing their class. Jiwon couldn’t help but stare.
“Someone still plays Holy Knight?”
