SRPG | Chapter 3.3

c8291b76c6253c6db1d3[Party] Hyoppang: There’s this mobile game called Shiny Color Stars.
[Party] Hyoppang: One of the characters in that game is named Pure Happy.
[Party] lIlllIIl: Ah… I see.

11a8395c477bfad449d6With that explanation, it all made sense.

0b78027a86151d4310fd“Ah. Just another full-fledged concept-obsessed otaku.”

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eb22b0e8caa505c0f3ec[Party] HappinessWhenHealing: May the blessings of Pure Happy reach you as well…
[Party] Hyoppang: Anyway, Barcode-nim, you said you were heading to the desert today, right?

768b84ac29341b32dd5dHyoppang smoothly ignored HappinessWhenHealing’s otaku sermon and turned back to Hwanyoung.

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0021061d62fa107c58d9[Party] lIlllIIl: Yeah, I’m planning to clear the underground desert.

4920bb14e2dd9848ecfcThe underground desert field was home to the Sand Warriors.

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89c45276bfa7b1ee4c6dThey had high attack power and durability, but in exchange, they gave tons of EXP.

4a0427f20194b720bfc0“If I’m lucky, I might also get a bunch of dried herbs.”

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bc65f4427d318b7bf178And the best part?

b69cf2edfb729ac5a1b4The underground desert field was huge.

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3c969bca24e7ddb58977With such a massive map, the chances of running into another leveling party were slim.

1040281a3ab7aa3a8b73“Can’t find a better bus ride spot than that.”

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67267c8fadf46bd990c5[Party] Eco Cup Extra Shot: Ooh, the desert’s nice, lolol.
[Party] Eco Cup Extra Shot: Should I just come as a warlock? Haha, I’m crazy good at killing Sand Warriors with warlock skills, lmao.
[Party] lIlllIIl: No, you’re playing healer.
[Party] Eco Cup Extra Shot: ?
[Party] Gudok: DPS is Gudok’s job! (✧∇✧)
[Party] Gudok: While Eco Cup talks, Gudok proves things with numbers!
[Party] Eco Cup Extra Shot: ???
[Party] Eco Cup Extra Shot: Wait, what? Are you two ganging up on me right now? Is this an attack? Are you showing off your couple power?!

ed7d5920f98cbf3228ba[Party] lIlllIIl: Alright, let’s head out.
[Party] Hyoppang: I’ll use the teleport scroll!

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95023a690a346e64325eWith that, Hyoppang tore a teleport scroll.

981bd166caaa0d397b53A system message popped up.

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5399eb4272a069857e75<System: ‘Hyoppang’ has used ‘Spatial Movement Scroll (Includes Party Members).’>

8bf577b7a23be728784aThe party was instantly transported to the middle of the desert.

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e61236f06faf72745704Hwanyoung looked around at the five party members standing beside him and felt… oddly sentimental.

0b4bed3ee4adaf779d4a“I really thought I’d be playing solo after coming back…”

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d176d1195853ab1cf4deIt wasn’t like he had anything against guilds or parties.

93115face2433e57ce84He just didn’t have the energy or stamina to commit to regular guild activities or a fixed party.

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e582a78530c5c001052fBut this setup was perfect.

fd291c1b70e943abe1a7Nobody expected him to keep showing up.

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f0f17b9b27c8be195d15Nobody demanded long-term commitment.

ef76b79ef75f9f001f6fIt was a purely temporary, no-strings-attached party.

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430aca941f9e278cb4bdAnd that, honestly, was ideal.

eb1311529b33c244b6f5[Party] Hyoppang: Who’s leading the way?
[Party] lIlllIIl: I’ll do it.

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e25734fe83995ceb3b26Since this party was formed specifically to help Hwanyoung level up, it wouldn’t feel right to make someone else do the navigating.

a88dd424a51e7507831eHe opened his “Aeer” folder and searched for “Desert Map.pdf.”

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5fc60c8cc04c37e4a85dThen, he pulled up “Desert Portal Coordinates Calculator.xls.”

af3301098cb328cf6dae[Party] lIlllIIl: If we head to X23 Y199, we’ll find a portal to the eastern entrance.
[Party] lIlllIIl: Once we take that portal, we can enter through the east.

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efe372ae0372d154b14cFollowing the coordinates, the party moved.

a3c3d406364f350353dcSoon, a system message appeared.

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597dfab1f3514c351f31<System: You sense the presence of a portal leading underground.>

6ea3184d4d87911d0615Hwanyoung rummaged through his inventory and pulled out “Desert Fairy Powder.” He used it immediately, and his vampire scattered a cloud of black, shimmering dust into the air.

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4558cdff06b388c6ac69<System: ‘Desert Fairy Powder’ illuminates the surroundings…>
<System: Portal to the underground desert has been found.>

b629213bcf0497dc8193Right in front of the party’s feet, a massive sand pit appeared.

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9cde6dc54f55fb75e632If this wasn’t a portal leading to the underground desert, then nothing was. The thing practically screamed “Gateway to Hell.”

f0e0aed7b70366c1362f[Party] lIlllIIl: Entering now.

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c4966095ecb312de73d3Without hesitation, Hwanyoung moved his character into the swirling sands.

4579337dd0c0bc082178One by one, the other party members followed him into the sand vortex.

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2a59add8f2af59fcacc9<System: You have entered the eastern entrance of the underground desert.>

a6b8068b0d842ce35e2e[Party] Hyoppang: Whoa, you found it right away?
[Party] Hyoppang: People usually get lost for ages trying to find the entrance.
[Party] lIlllIIl: Haha, there’s actually a pattern to how these portals spawn.
[Party] Hyoppang: Wait, seriously?!
[Party] lIlllIIl: Yeah, I can share the formula with you later if you’re interested.
[Party] lIlllIIl: Or should I just make a temporary Google account and share the spreadsheet?
[Party] Eco Cup Extra Shot: Damn, that’s insane LOL.
[Party] Gudok: Slave-nim is so cool! (✧∇✧)
[Party] Eco Cup Extra Shot: Bro, why are you such a high-performance slave? LOL
[Party] Gudok: Gudok’s heart is racing! (/ω＼)!
[Party] Eco Cup Extra Shot: If the slave Gudok brought is this competent, then Hyoppang has no reason to nag at him anymore, lmao.

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044e0de2a34714b96846It had been a while since Hwanyoung received so much praise. He chuckled and equipped his weapon.

87b043a3c03f3ece3764“Well, not that I’ll be doing much of the damage. That’s Gudok’s job.”

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bc28d3718978d99601e8His vampire still hadn’t reached third-tier job advancement, and his gear was basic-tier equipment.

dcccb9b3ad204cfe93f0Against Sand Warriors, he couldn’t even cut a single strand of their hair.

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60d34c321de2bc29d793At most, he could debuff them.

22c9bd118dccede5934eHe quickly adjusted his skill setup to focus on status ailments and movement reduction.

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c00e1af875a307f5c3eb[Party] lIlllIIl: Let’s keep heading south.

cf5761dfb40e4180e9b7The plan was to move clockwise, starting from the eastern entrance.

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7d4d0aca3af2c8ee4dac[Party] lIlllIIl: We’ll take down every Sand Warrior we pass by.
[Party] Gudok: Got it! (✧∇✧)
[Party] Gudok: Gudok will slice and dice everything in seconds! No worries! (๑ᵔ⩊ᵔ๑)
[Party] Eco Cup Extra Shot: LOL, if you run out of HP, just chug a potion~~

6ed243727a24e676ca10The party moved southward, following Hwanyoung’s lead.

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648e0abdd550082427daFighting the Sand Warriors wasn’t hard at all.

5b8c863a4b6e0120f9d3Despite his teasing, Eco Cup Extra Shot healed at the right moments, and Hyoppang locked down enemies with his crowd control skills.

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cffb0dff054edd850746As for Gudok—

9d113343309aa8021a60He was a beast.

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9d9e895703525ded2a41His pure reflexes and gamer instincts were insane.

a55f04f46b8bfb514419He didn’t seem to know the Sand Warrior’s attack patterns at all, yet he dodged every single attack without fail while dealing heavy damage.

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a59886455e29f773a018“Yeah… a magician class suits Gudok’s playstyle perfectly.”

e2ea9a987ad306e2102dAt this rate, if he trained as a healer, he’d probably be god-tier at it too.

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5997a6f5d88e74d40b12Lost in thought about Gudok’s healer potential, Hwanyoung continued guiding the party forward.

e2b06a025ba417cd2277“Ah, the sweet taste of EXP.”

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2299a8a3e532b139890bEvery Sand Warrior they defeated poured experience into him.

5cb296b920d84c583e57This was the true joy of power-leveling.

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de97e99804d93fb98800And this wasn’t even an empty bus.

c25d4d150ae534d53c4cThe bus was filled with delicious honey.

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5ab7c47bb8832750bd4fMaybe because everything was going so smoothly, the party chat grew increasingly laid-back and chatty.

49cf0d215366f81db9f1[Party] Hyoppang: Feels like Gudok has changed ever since meeting Barcode-nim.
[Party] Hyoppang: Before, he used to lock himself in the arena and never come out.
[Party] Eco Cup Extra Shot: FR LMAO, back then he was basically born to be a feral mutt.
[Party] Eco Cup Extra Shot: Saying he “turned over a new leaf” is a joke.
[Party] Eco Cup Extra Shot: He was literally just born a rabid dog.
[Party] Gudok: Woof! (๑ᵔ⩊ᵔ๑)
[Party] Eco Cup Extra Shot: Bro… I didn’t mean literally…

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ac625eb843268ba1572cTurned over a new leaf, born a dog, rabid dog personality…

fced89cffd0ecda409bfWas Eco Cup Extra Shot a writer?

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169a2159e864cf1ae0f7Maybe a battle rapper? His wordplay was suspiciously good.

86cb66f55baad22c66c6[Party] lIlllIIl: If we happen to run into another leveling party,
[Party] lIlllIIl: I’ll change directions so we don’t interfere.

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836d3385ee7ee7167e3dIn theory, the chance of running into another leveling party was extremely low.

37905e21d6ab89f212cfThe underground desert was one of the largest maps in Aeer Online.

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ef09a90fd8f083e190f3Some guilds even self-exiled here during guild wars to avoid battles.

e6d8b5013cfc9998ac45“Even before I quit, I barely saw other parties here.”

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ec06273f650e1d3e0552That’s how it was supposed to be.

675549b8daf47e907b59And yet—

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f5a7a3e125534449229e”…Hm?”

08af567caeba4eb4561cSomething felt off.

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38261262d9e259f5a78c[Party] lIlllIIl: Hold on a second.

ce0db8b14c88c8ef2e0cThe party immediately stopped moving.

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8203b29192c6c78af427Shortly after, a group of eight players approached from the south.

c592d1020e210020659cJudging by their setup, they were another leveling party.

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8eb5ac626177d9256d0e“Well, I guess it’s leveling season for vampires.
Meeting one party isn’t that weird.”

9b8ab27be5b0385df93aSince it was a one-time encounter, Hwanyoung didn’t think much of it and simply redirected his party westward instead.

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2de7509734356868a579And then—

0f0f848a2cf2cdf30de4They ran into another party. This time, there were even more of them. At a glance, there were at least twelve players.

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7cbd459d328a3cef7a1d“Okay. That’s weird.”

0d8d61eca974f70e494bAt that size, they would be way better off farming dungeons instead of leveling here.

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d3bc354472ec97b2a203“A twelve-man party would have way better EXP efficiency in a dungeon, not here…?”

e2f66aaa6801fd8b6ac0Apparently, his party members were thinking the same thing.

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af3a2b9b5d9893e6979aThe previously lively chat suddenly fell silent.

5fce2da3644c9a0b302dFrowning, Hwanyoung decided to try one more time.

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821ffb1a17ecccf26ac9“If this happens again, something’s definitely wrong.”

4ce1293d2949c055bd96This time, he led them north instead.

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4d509d70a1fa8540387aAnd—

bbdb4466e72df7667632They ran into yet another leveling party.

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cee06bb388d2eb94aac7[General] EventRiceEater13: Guys.
[General] EventRiceEater13: I really didn’t want to say this, but…
[General] EventRiceEater13: Have some conscience, will you?
[General] EventRiceEater13: You seriously don’t know that it’s bad manners for a max-level player with endgame gear to hog all the mobs in a leveling field?

e1e1869da7828aedb525And to top it off, the party they ran into this time even picked a fight with Hwanyoung’s party.

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cbc897b67690a48a44d9[Party] HappinessWhenHealing: Such small-minded people.
[Party] HappinessWhenHealing: The desert dungeon is huge. The common courtesy is to just pass by when you cross paths…

f0073facdc7dc0500f9eIf something happens once, it’s a coincidence.

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f92b257427be75a22f80Twice, it’s a pattern.

de336525d8844e4c80b9Three times, it’s intentional.

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9a3d6230bf1714d72cd6By now, it was obvious.

01d065e30cd6b5e9b5f0Someone was deliberately sending people here to mess with Hwanyoung’s party—or more precisely, with the guild Golden Spoon Ability User.

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f0f1a4271f2d0cc3d578[Party] lIlllIIl: Hold on, stopping for a sec.
[Party] Hyoppang: Got it.

d00040a3446923fb097cThe party members halted in place. Hwanyoung tapped his mouse with his fingertip, murmuring to himself.

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8e588fee144790932e38“They’re being this obvious about it?”

da373dd6fea83debe4a5And that’s when it hit him. He had completely overlooked the fact that Gudok was in their party.

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03e7c5bd1db6521fdfcaTheir enemy was probably provoking them on purpose, hoping to make Gudok lose it. After that, they’d use Gudok as an excuse to cling onto the Golden Spoon guild and make a scene.

f4d802873024d7966263‘Just like Hyoppang predicted.’

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a20a116ebc70a98811f0Hwanyoung rubbed his temples, thinking hard. The real problem was how to explain this to his party in the most effective way.

477a0f362df3d8f2cca8‘Let’s be real. In this situation, the most suspicious person is obviously me—the outsider.’

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1550c5a5128e286c81ddBut Hwanyoung swore to the heavens that he wasn’t a spy.

0c7e05711194ae7052b6He had quit the game for over a year before returning. He hadn’t contacted any of his old acquaintances. In fact, since coming back, he hadn’t even logged into his main character once.

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7b781b8ca14e80672965The issue was, he had no way to prove any of that.

5c8fbf0b313f2f0ab7d4‘Even if I pull up my login records, they’ll just say I contacted someone through messenger or whatever. I wouldn’t have a solid defense.’

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80118a0325cc848a8ac3Still, just letting this slide without addressing it didn’t sit right with him.

ea6686df605b83b14bc2‘I didn’t even do anything wrong.’

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b8448de9c05aa0bc9ea2Any normal person would want to clear their name in this kind of situation. No one likes being falsely accused.

37377f74976e947aa54fAnd that’s when it happened—Gudok slowly crept up to Hwanyoung and suddenly used the Crying emote.

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c58f506bc328c81c0729[Party] lIlllIIl: …Master?

6cb64de847eda717d721A cute raccoon-boy character collapsed onto the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

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2e8e2d3969a22e2299f5[Party] Gudok: Even if Slave-nim really did sell us out, I’ll forgive you ｡°(´∩ω∩`)°｡
[Party] lIlllIIl: …?

e31885aa01bc377ccbaa“…Come on now. Shouldn’t you at least try believing me once?”

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d10b9e0aa8d10e01313fIs this all our trust amounts to, Master? What happened to all the camaraderie we built up in battle, through slave bread and the language of the body?

abeada4e659a72f4d0c0[Party] lIlllIIl: Ha… Master…
[Party] lIlllIIl: Is there no option where I didn’t sell you out…?
[Party] Gudok: Uuuh…(・_・)?
[Party] Gudok: But Slave-nim already has a history of selling Gudok off!! (✧∇✧)
[Party] lIlllIIl: Ah.

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