Gamemate Chapter 2

Translator: She.wee

---

Chapter: 2

The Holy Knight remained in the party matching window without disappearing. It was only natural. After all, it was a class that no one wanted in their party, even though the spoils of victory would be shared among everyone.

[Ahn Boyoung: Ah…]

[Ahn Boyoung: Sorry, we’re full T-T Please find another party.]

The Holy Knight user was being rejected from parties in real time. Rejected by the group on the left, then by the group on the right. The ones who made excuses about being “full” were still being polite. Some parties left without saying a word as soon as they saw the request.

Just like in other games, ‘Ark Serenity’ also had trash classes that players avoided. However, the Holy Knight wasn’t just any trash class. It was ‘the’ trash class, consistently ranking last in user statistics by class every year.

If you invested only a little into the class, it wasn’t worth it. And even if you poured in a fortune to level it up, its performance was still lacking compared to other classes. The ultimate skill cooldown was far too long for boss fights, and guild wars focused on damage dealers, leaving no room for Holy Knights to shine. Dungeon raids requiring individual contributions were, of course, out of the question.

And yet, this user had a Holy Knight at level 175. A class that most people abandoned by level 130 at most, even when trying it for fun.

Watching the Holy Knight player wander around unsuccessfully trying to find a party, Jiwon made a decision. He activated the whisper function.

[Whisper][Hando → HolyKnightPaladin: Hello,]

[Whisper][Hando → HolyKnightPaladin: If you haven’t found a party, would you like to join mine?]

The Holy Knight, who had been wandering back and forth, suddenly froze in place, likely checking the message. Before long, a reply came through.

[Whisper][HolyKnightPaladin → Hando: Yes.]

[Whisper][Hando → HolyKnightPaladin: Please send me a party request.]

As soon as Jiwon listed himself as the party leader in the matching window, a flood of party requests poured in. It was likely due to Jiwon’s level standing out amidst the other similar numbers—or perhaps because of his nickname.

“Where is he?”

After rejecting the incoming requests one by one, he finally saw the Holy Knight’s party request at the bottom of the notifications. As soon as the two-person party was formed, Jiwon immediately closed party recruitment and stepped onto the magic circle to enter the dungeon.

However, the Holy Knight didn’t move, remaining in the same spot.

Did he not know how to move?

[Party][Hando: Please come this way.]

[Party][HolyKnightPaladin: ? Are we going with just the two of us?]

[Party][Hando: Yep Haha]

[Party][Hando: It’s fine as long as it’s a 2-6 player dungeon.]

[Party][HolyKnightPaladin: Oh…]

From the looks of it, he seemed like a beginner who hadn’t been in many dungeons before. Jiwon couldn’t help but feel a little excited.

[Party][Hando: Is this your first time here?]

[Party][HolyKnightPaladin: Yes, I just reached level 170 recently.]

If he was already level 175, it must’ve been at least a week since he hit level 170. Then again, progress would naturally be slower if he’d been soloing. Jiwon quickly understood and pressed the dungeon entry button.

The screen darkened, and after a brief loading period, the two characters were summoned to a familiar location.

[Party][Hando: Take care of the mobs on the left, please.]

[Party][Hando: You don’t have to clear them all; just take it easy. I’ll finish up quickly and come help.]

Moving his character to the right, Jiwon efficiently cleared the swarming monsters with his attack skills. Thanks to his class’s concept of riding a spirit mount, his mobility was excellent, and it took less than a minute to clean up everything.

After confirming no monsters remained, Jiwon used a skill to teleport to his party member’s location, expecting the Holy Knight to be struggling.

“What the…?”

As soon as he arrived next to the Holy Knight, intending to assist, Jiwon saw that there were barely any monsters left. These weren’t the kind of mobs a level 175 player could easily one-shot, and the Holy Knight’s attack range wasn’t even wide. Jiwon was slightly impressed.

Did he have good gameplay instincts?

After finishing off the remaining monsters with a single skill, Jiwon continued demonstrating his quick and skillful playstyle. As someone who ran dungeons daily like clockwork, his muscle memory kicked in, and before he knew it, they were standing at the entrance to the final boss room.

[Hando: I’ll handle it, so feel free to just stand back.]

[Hando: Let’s go!!]

Even though he said he could just stand back, the Holy Knight’s character began moving around and destroying the glowing magic orbs scattered throughout the room.

So, he had read a strategy guide.

Breaking the magic orbs slightly reduced the boss monster’s attack power. However, the effect was so negligible that hardly anyone bothered with it. Most players spent that time dealing more damage instead.

“He’s a total newbie.”

After seeing so many seasoned players bulldoze their way through with pure damage output, watching this kind of play felt oddly touching. Usually, when someone was carried through a dungeon, they either stood idly or swung their weapon a bit out of guilt. This was Jiwon’s first time seeing someone follow the strategy so faithfully.

When the final boss finally fell, a treasure chest appeared.

Jiwon spammed the attack key to open the chest, causing a pile of items to spill onto the ground. Most of it was useless junk, but as Jiwon quickly scanned the loot, he noticed a necklace among the items.

He let out a small exclamation of surprise.

[HolyKnightPaladin: Thank you.]

[HolyKnightPaladin: This was my first time attempting it after only reading guides. Without you, I wouldn’t have cleared it.]

[HolyKnightPaladin: Please take all the items.]

[Hando: ???]

“What? Why would you give the items to me?” Jiwon typed a question mark into the chat, baffled. He was max level, while the other was level 175. It should’ve been the other way around, with the lower-level player asking to keep the items. Jiwon couldn’t help but marvel at how kind this newbie was and quickly typed back.

[Hando: No, I don’t need these items at all. LOL.]

[Hando: That necklace is great for sword-type classes. Please take it.]

Jiwon was always generous toward newbies. If he came across a poorly equipped player begging for money or items, he would always give them something. After all, Ark Serenity was a game with a steep difficulty curve, especially as you progressed. With PvP elements, it was understandable how challenging the game could get for newcomers.

[HolyKnightPaladin: No, it’s okay. I already have another necklace.]

[Hando: Just pick it up. If you don’t need it, you can sell it later. LOL.]

It was Paladin’s first time in this dungeon, so there was no way their current necklace could be better than the one that had just dropped. Newbies often lacked the ability to properly compare equipment stats. Jiwon felt an even stronger urge to insist, as he already had much better gear and didn’t need it at all. Besides, it was specifically designed for sword-type classes. Most players would simply say “Thank you” and accept it, but this was the first time Jiwon encountered someone so persistently refusing an item.

[HolyKnightPaladin: I really don’t need it.]

[Hando: If you don’t pick it up soon, it’ll disappear! It’s such a rare drop.]

Eventually, after Jiwon kept pestering them, Paladin reluctantly picked up the item. After a brief pause, as if checking something, he spoke again in the chat.

[HolyKnightPaladin: Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to clear it.]

Paladin expressed gratitude once more and then sent Jiwon a trade request.

“Wait, is he trying to give the item back? But once an item is picked up, it becomes non-tradable!”

[Hando: Once you pick up a dungeon drop, it becomes non-tradable. You can’t give it to me.]

[Hando: ?]

[Hando: LOL, there’s no need to send a trade request.]

Despite Jiwon explaining this, Paladin kept sending trade requests. Wondering what was going on, Jiwon reluctantly opened the trade window. The moment he entered, Paladin placed gold into the trade window.

[Hando: ???]

“Why is he offering 100,000 gold for a single dungeon run?” Jiwon thought, concerned. Paladin seemed like the type of player who might easily be exploited by veteran players. The 100,000 gold likely represented all the wealth he had carefully saved up to improve their equipment.

[HolyKnightPaladin: I don’t know how much the necklace is worth.]

[HolyKnightPaladin: Should I give you more?]

[Hando: No, don’t press the trade button please.]

[Hando: Seriously, I don’t need this. Use it for your gear upgrades.]

[Hando: As you level up, your current equipment will start to feel inadequate.]

Paladin kept pressing the trade button insistently, but Jiwon couldn’t bring himself to accept the gold. It felt too much like extorting a newbie. After a back-and-forth of trade requests and cancellations, Paladin finally gave up and turned away, saying he understood. Watching the determined way he walked off, Jiwon hurriedly called out to them.

[Hando: Where are you heading next?]

[HolyKnightPaladin: To the Witch’s Cave to hunt.]

[Hando: ?]

[Hando: At level 175, the newly opened River of Truth would be much more efficient for leveling up, don’t you think?]

[HolyKnightPaladin: Really?]

“Phew, good thing I stopped them,” Jiwon thought. If Paladin had gone to the Witch’s Cave, he would’ve wasted so much time. It seemed he wasn’t getting advice from forums or game communities either.

Jiwon hadn’t planned on recruiting new guild members, but suddenly thought of his guildmates who had been whining about needing fresh blood. Paladin’s name had no guild marker above it, a rare sight in Ark Serenity, which strongly encouraged guild participation. A solo player with such a high level was practically unheard of.

“Maybe I’m feeling charitable because of today’s nerf,” Jiwon thought. As the master of a guild ranked 29th on the server, one overflowing with hardcore veteran players, Jiwon decided to indulge in some unexpected whimsy.

[Hando: Paladin, would you like to join our guild?]