Bustling.
The square in the Free City of Mira. It was the most secluded area, with no significant facilities around, making it the least crowded place.
However, now it was bustling with people. The reason was thanks to the 『Tower of Graduation』 that had suddenly appeared a few days ago. Cafes and restaurants around the square were also filled with players.
“Wow, even the First Knight Order’s trading firm has set up shop here? There’s really no place they haven’t reached.”
“Right? I heard they opened just a few days ago.”
“It’s convenient not having to go far, but isn’t the First Knight Order monopolizing everything?”
Slurp.
Meanwhile, a player was eating a noodle-like dish with chopsticks.
“Come on, if you’ve got complaints, go eat somewhere else. Don’t you love local food? Perfect. Go to other places for the tool shop and equipment store too.”
As the female player across from him reached out as if to snatch his bowl, the male player defended it with both hands.
“I was just saying! I know, there’s no place as good as this.”
Mira was a large city with a population exceeding a hundred thousand, and players continued to flow in. Though many restaurants and shops were operating, the most popular ones were those run by the First Knight Order.
These places, designed for players from the start, had a different range of goods and concepts compared to those run by residents. Even if the prices were a bit high, the restaurants had foods prepared to suit the taste of Earthlings.
A luxurious clothing store that fused medieval outfits with Earth and CONNECT attire. A workshop selling relatively inexpensive yet high-quality weapons and armor, thanks to the artisans and production-class players Raul had gathered.
A potion shop offering slightly less effective but more plentiful potions compared to the previously expensive and scarce ones, including buffing potions.
A shop buying monster by-products, an elegantly designed coffee shop, a stylish hair salon and barber shop keeping up with Earth’s trends, and more. The First Knight Order had established numerous shops and facilities in the Free City of Mira, illustrating what an octopus-like expansion truly looked like.
Some players grumbled about a lack of choice, but compared to players from other countries who didn’t have access to the four Free Cities of the Ruben Kingdom (where the First Knight Order had concentrated its investments), they were blessed.
“Are you kidding me? A loaf of this disgusting bread costs 1 silver? In Mira, you can get a bowl of noodles for 1 silver.”
“What? This shabby dagger costs 20 silver? With that money, you could buy a standard longsword in the Ruben Kingdom’s Briant.”
“These lodging prices are insane. 15 silver for one night on a hay bed crawling with bugs? The Ruben Kingdom lodgings are almost motel quality for much less.”
Players from other countries constantly complained after learning about the Ruben Kingdom’s conditions through bulletin boards and broadcasts.
Even so, more players than one might think chose not to go to the Ruben Kingdom.
While 60% of new players chose one of the Ruben Kingdom’s four free cities, the remaining 40% chose other countries.
There were various reasons, but the two main ones were:
First, it was hard to secure quests or hunting grounds in overly crowded places.
Like in other games, CONNECT players grew through quests and hunting.
In places where many players gathered, getting a good quest was like reaching for the stars.
– “After coming to Mira, there’s nothing to do but take generic quests that anyone can get. 😭”
– “The beginner hunting grounds in Kessan are like a war zone. Are there really more players than mobs? If you come here, just form a party and head into the dungeons, even if it’s risky.”
Due to situations like these, some players were opting to start in other countries despite the early inconveniences.
– ‘All the hidden quests in this area are mine!’
– ‘You can’t become the best by starting off normally.’
Such dreams and hopes were pushing players to tread paths of hardships and challenges. Of course, only a small number of them would actually get what they wanted.
The second reason was that players whose goal was to establish a guild avoided the Ruben Kingdom. This was because the Ruben Kingdom was practically dominated by the First Knight Order.
‘It’s too late. If you want to catch up with the Purple Guilds or allied guilds supported by the First Knight Order, you have to start elsewhere.’
There was something called 『City Contribution Points』. This metric judged how helpful guild members were to the city and how much recognition they received. The higher this ranking, the more benefits a guild could receive from the city, and the more their influence could grow.
However, in the Ruben Kingdom’s four free cities, the First Knight Order was monopolizing this metric.
‘Is it even fair for an NPC guild to hog all the city contribution points?’
In terms of share distribution, nearly 90% of the contribution points belonged to the First Knight Order alone.
Yet, many guilds kept sprouting up and collaborating with the First Knight Order because the benefits of sharing the remaining 10% were better than ranking in other free cities.
This was a natural consequence, considering the city’s basic infrastructure and conveniences tailored for players were on a different level.
‘But in the long run, it’s different.’
Though limited, the free cities of other countries were gradually developing as more players arrived. They might be quite lacking now, but eventually, if not surpassing, they would catch up to some extent.
When that time came, the shares they held would be incomparable in value to those in the Ruben Kingdom’s free cities. Large guilds that had held Raul back in his previous life were making such choices.
Whether such a day would come as they hoped was uncertain.
In any case, the Free City of Mira, the hub of player activity and home to many rankers, naturally attracted a lot of attention to the 『Tower of Graduation』 that had appeared there.
“It’s been days, and there’s no news of anyone passing. I want to check out places other than Mira soon.”
“Hmph, do you even have the ability? Talk after you hit level 40.”
“Tsk tsk. High risk, high return! Wouldn’t you grow much faster if you left this crowded cage and went to a new area? Just following the same process as everyone else here, how could you ever catch up to those rankers?”
“You could be wiped out in a single blow. Don’t you know there’s a resurrection penalty if you leave the free cities?”
“Ha! How can you become a ranker if you’re afraid of death? I’ve already stuffed my wallet in preparation! Plus, thanks to Bae Dohyun, I got a free month of usage, so it’s a sweet deal.”
“If you ask me to lend you money later, you’re dead!”
CONNECT’s announcements had already explained the resurrection penalty. Ordinary players, excluding hardcore players, inherently had three lives.
However, once those three lives were lost, they had to pay a resurrection fee to Connect Inc. The initial resurrection fee was 100,000 won, and it doubled each time thereafter.
In other words, the resurrection cost quickly escalates as follows: 10, 20, 40, 80, and so on. However, since one resurrection count decreases based on a monthly period, it’s possible to mitigate the penalty if one doesn’t die consecutively.
Despite this, if one dies consecutively in a short period, it means that an enormous fee must be paid for resurrection. This was the reason why, no matter how skilled a player was, they shouldn’t take their life lightly.
Besides that, it was mentioned that there were in-game penalties, though no detailed explanation was provided. It was as if they were urging players to experience it for themselves, but there hadn’t been a player who lost their life three times yet, so the information hadn’t circulated.
“It’s out!”
“Where? Where?”
The players around the square murmured.
For the past few days, those who were somewhat considered rankers had been seeking the Tower of Graduation. Some challenged it as guilds, while others formed parties with other rankers to take the test.
“Ugh, just by looking at them, you can tell the result.”
However, the faces of those coming out of the tower didn’t look good at all. Their attire and equipment were tattered, indicating that they hadn’t achieved good results.
“Was that the Hesse Guild? They were boasting about having a ranker within the top 50, but it seems they ultimately failed.”
“Judging by their appearance, it seems like it’ll be a while before anyone passes.”
“I guess not just anyone can pass. In any case, isn’t there only one person we can rely on now?”
“Ah, there was Bae Dohyun. But he finished his second job change, so why is there no news?”
“Who knows? Maybe he’s intentionally taking his time? If everyone fails and then he suddenly appears and succeeds, he’ll stand out more.”
“Hey, do you think he’s like you? There must be a reason why he’s late. Seriously, your way of thinking!”
A female player scolded a male player, while someone in the back coughed, having choked on their coffee.
‘Oh my, how did they know?’
Raul, who was disguised and observing the Tower of Graduation from a corner, calmed his startled heart with a gulp of cold water.
In truth, he had been busy handling other matters, which was why he only now arrived at the tower, but it was also true that he wasn’t in a rush.
Just as the system announcement stated, it was virtually impossible to graduate from the tower without completing the second job change.
It was hard to believe that someone could achieve what even Bae Dohyun hadn’t done in the previous life.
‘Plus, just graduating isn’t everything.’
While there was a reward for being the first to graduate, Raul didn’t consider it to be particularly good.
Instead, the rewards for the event 『Defeat the Instructor』 were several times better.
Hence, he had already advised his guild members to complete the second job change and reach a certain level before attempting the tower.
Knowing Bae Dohyun’s skills, the guild members had given up the “first” title and were diligently training according to his advice.
In a way, using alternate characters was akin to cheating, but Raul didn’t feel guilty at all. Unlike other players who considered CONNECT to be just a game, to Raul, it was a matter of survival.
He had long decided to take advantage of everything he could.
‘First, I’ll collect all the individual rewards, and then I’ll get the first guild graduation reward.’
After all, his guild members were receiving benefits and care on a different level from others.
Not only did they enjoy exclusive buffs and shared skills at intermediate level 10 and the exclusive shop benefits, but they also had the opportunity to get direct guidance and spar with the best player in CONNECT.
‘Now that I’ve gauged the atmosphere, it’s about time to go in.’
If the test was the same as in his previous life, there was nothing to hinder Raul. Raul casually stood up and transformed into Bae Dohyun in the restroom before stepping back out.
A player who was about to enter the restroom was startled and shouted.
“Gasp! Ba-Bae Dohyun?”
Nodding slightly as he walked through the hall, murmurs arose from the people.
“Huh? Bae Dohyun?”
“Did I just hear that name?”
“Wait, is that really him?”
“Where? Where?”
Even though people started focusing their attention on him, he didn’t lower his head or cover his face. There was no reason for him to avoid the gazes or shrink back.
“Wow! It’s really Bae Dohyun!”
“Goodness. Should I try to get an autograph?”
“Bae Dohyun! Are you here to conquer the tower?”
“When will there be recruitment for the Purple Guild?”
People recognized Bae Dohyun and swarmed towards him as if he were a celebrity. However, they couldn’t approach him. Bae Dohyun had erected a psychokinetic barrier around himself.
Gradually, the people trying to talk to him fell silent. There was an aura of intimidation around Bae Dohyun that made it difficult to address him.
Of course, this didn’t mean Bae Dohyun ignored the people. He picked a few frequently asked questions and answered them naturally.
“I plan to conquer the tower today. Starting tomorrow, you should be able to go elsewhere. As for guild member recruitment, there are no plans yet. However, if a schedule is set, it will be announced on the bulletin board.”
His calm demeanor and confident stride made him appear formidable, and anyone could see the aura of a powerful individual emanating from him.
“Please succeed in the conquest!”
“Good luck!”
“We’re cheering for you.”
Leaving the cheers of the people behind, Bae Dohyun crossed the square and finally entered the Tower of Graduation.
(To be continued)