READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 20
# Chapter 20: Party Play
Once, Ryu Yerin had referred to her older brother as a “historical accuracy freak.”
She believed he obsessed over details that didn’t need to be nitpicked, only adding unnecessary discomfort.
In fact, this was also a difference in perspective between the two.
Ryu Yerin thought the most important thing was to enjoy the game like a game, and claimed that as long as players had fun and convenience, accuracy could be somewhat disregarded.
Conversely, Ryu Inseo wanted the world he created to be as perfect and well-structured as possible, trying to implement various aspects of the game realistically.
While Ryu Yerin had an overwhelming advantage in eloquence and public reputation, it was ultimately Ryu Inseo who created the game, and he was not one to easily back down once he got stubborn.
In some respects, his younger sister’s persuasion worked, while in others, his older brother’s insistence prevailed until the end.
In that sense, the party system in Beyond Elysion was an element that resulted in a draw between the two.
The party system existed, but it lacked elements that other games typically provided, such as the ability to check party member information, equitable distribution of experience points, and random item distribution.
Instead, various types of items called “party contracts” existed within the game, and using such contracts allowed the addition of “ordinary features” like the ones mentioned above to the party function. However, the experience distribution contract was horrendously expensive, resulting in terribly low efficiency.
Seeing the result of such a mediocre compromise, Ryu Yerin lamented, and Ryu Inseo sighed.
Meanwhile, both siblings gleefully shot down Kainix’s suggestion to allow for purchasing these contracts with real money. After all, misery loves company.
And naturally, it was impossible for Nadia, who had just started the game, to possess high-grade party contracts.
“Hmm.”
Nadia’s eyes subtly shifted to the upper left.
The screen window that had been crumpled up in the corner recognized her eye movement and expanded significantly before her eyes.
—————-
Party Leader: Nadia (Hunter).
HP: 100% / MP: 100%
Party Member 1: Erin (Black Knight).
HP: 100% / MP: 100%
—————-
It was a party window so simplistic that one couldn’t help but wonder if it had any meaning at all.
Surely, it would be normal to at least display the level.
‘…Should I ask? I hope they won’t mind?’
One might think Nadia was being overly timid for wanting to ask about a single level in a party game, but since she had faced over thirty rejections while applying to join parties, her mental state was pretty much like soft tofu.
After a moment’s thought, Nadia finally decided to keep her mouth shut.
‘Considering we’re going with basic equipment and heading to a beginner zone, they must be newborns too, right?’
“You seem to be deep in thought. If you have anything you’d like to ask, feel free to ask.”
“Uh, ah, eh?”
Nadia stumbled over her words at Erin’s sudden question and quickly changed the subject, fearing that her true feelings had been exposed (not that it would have been a problem if they were).
“No, um, I was just wondering if you’re looking for more party members. I’ve heard that typically four to six is the standard.”
“Really, the need for serious party play starts after level 30, so initially, it’s fine not to worry too much about that. In this game, more members doesn’t always equate to better; the position and synergy are more important.”
As they walked toward the hunting ground, Erin continued speaking softly as if giving a lecture.
“The basic party member limit is eight. But even if you fill all eight spots with warriors, in reality, not many can hit a single monster at the same time. Allies can easily get in the way while swinging weapons, and they might bump into each other while moving. If they were to share the monsters, there wouldn’t be a point in having a party.”
“Isn’t it okay for the ranged attackers?”
“Sure, but the representative class for that, the mage, typically has a high MP consumption, so their combat endurance isn’t very good. You have to use MP as efficiently as possible. If several mages cast attack spells simultaneously on regular monsters, there’s often excessive firepower. But if you don’t hit, you won’t gain any experience due to the contribution system.”
In other words, it’s most efficient for the mage to land a big hit while warriors chip away at the remaining health. Since the warrior also serves as a tank, even if their damage share is low, they won’t lack in experience. If a priest can provide healing and buffs, it becomes even more stable.
If you want to build a more aggressive party, you could hire a paladin instead of strictly using warriors or priests and fill the rest with damage dealers, or conversely, put a bard in the mage spot to lower firepower but enhance stability.
What’s important is to avoid overlap in positions, maximize the contribution system, and synchronize movements and skills to avoid interference. Only when that’s possible can you truly call it a party. So right now, I plan to focus on syncing with you, Nadia, and then we can add a new party member later. Do you understand?”
Erin’s teacher-like demeanor made Nadia nod vigorously, albeit a bit dazed.
Something, something…
‘…It smells like a gaming master!’
Though Nadia couldn’t shake off the title of a beginner in Beyond Elysion, she had plenty of experience in other games. She’d even ranked highly in her current company’s FPS game, [Hungry Shadows].
There had to be a reason she had managed to survive as an average VTuber without a solid backing or great charm while holding a somewhat lackluster RP.
And that gamer instinct was telling her the truth. Even if the genre was different, Erin was undeniably an expert with significant knowledge, to put it bluntly, a “veteran.”
Strictly speaking, she was beyond just being a veteran; she was more like a spring water, but the direction remained accurate.
Choosing the Black Knight, a class that seemed to have a high difficulty level just looking at its description, only further convinced Nadia of her judgment.
‘I might have drawn the jackpot!’
Nadia felt her heart racing as if light was breaking through the previously dark void.
And so it went for about thirty minutes.
*
The early stages of combat were ordinary.
“Alright, I’ll take on the tanking role in front, so please attack from the back.”
“Um, is that okay? I’ve heard the Black Knight has low durability.”
The Black Knight is a class equipped with both warrior attack capabilities and mage attack abilities.
It can face opponents weak to physical attacks as a warrior and those weak to magic as a mage, and eventually, once levels rise, it can even swing swords while simultaneously casting attack spells. Pure DPS-wise, it’s among the top of all classes.
However, the backlash is pretty clear.
Unlike the warrior class that has free equipment wear, armor-wearing is extremely limited.
Basic is cloth armor, and if you want to wear leather armor, you have to endure penalties that reduce magical power. Heavy armor is out of the question altogether.
On the other hand, if you suggest fighting from a distance, not only are its maximum attack powers lower than pure mages, but its range is also less than half.
In short, the Black Knight is a character that needs to engage in close combat to show its true performance. It certainly doesn’t fit the tanking role.
“It’s fine. We’re in a beginner zone, after all.”
“Mm.”
Nadia nodded.
After all, characters with paper-thin durability usually don’t die easily in beginner zones.
In the first place, beginner zones in RPGs are designed to allow any class to solo through.
Thud, thud.
What greeted players who entered the beginner zone was a monster called the “Blue Rabbit.” The outside looked like an ordinary rabbit with blue fur, but in reality, it was a formidable foe in close combat.
This was not the small, wriggly rabbit most people imagined; a rabbit the size of a decent Golden Retriever would leap fiercely and go headfirst into beginner players, making them roll on the floor while going “Oh no!”
Having faced these monsters in solo play before and lost, Nadia was inwardly frightened but steeled herself upon seeing Erin valiantly guarding the front.
She firmly shouldered the shotgun, aimed, and shot.
Bang!
The bullet strikingly hit the blue rabbit’s head, but unfortunately, she failed to take it down instantly.
White light (which was actually blood, but Nadia was not the kind to turn on the blood setting in a death game) spilled from its head as the rabbit quivered, but then it glared at Nadia, fueled with fighting spirit.
‘Realistically, at this size, getting hit by a shotgun from this distance should mean instant death for a medium-sized dog, right?’
Nadia couldn’t help but feel dissatisfied, knowing that game balance necessitated some differences from real firearms—but she was well aware that most FPS titles were hardly in a position to criticize anyone.
<@^#!!>
The blue rabbit attempted to charge at Nadia, but Erin stepped in and blocked it.
Although she didn’t swing her sword aggressively, fearing a counterattack during a clumsy offensive, it was enough to halt the blue rabbit’s feet.
Nadia shifted slightly to the side and fired again.
Bang!
The bullet hit once more, making the blue rabbit tremble.
The rabbit tried desperately to break through Erin’s wall, but Erin expertly dodged while successfully preventing a path for the rabbit to charge forward.
Nadia began to feel slightly moved.
Originally, she had expected to shoot once, then avoid the ferocious rabbit jumping at her while running to escape, panting and gasping, somehow landing a hit in close quarters, and then attempting to shoot while backing away, only to trip and get hit again… She had expected all sorts of hassle, but with a tank in front, wasn’t hunting this easy!?
Bang!
After taking the third bullet, the rabbit finally fell silent, and a bright smile spread across Nadia’s face.
“Great job! It’s definitely different when playing in a party!”
Erin had a brief, odd expression seeing Nadia so enthusiastic, but she soon smiled back and replied.
“Yes, great work. But you shoot quite well. From what I’ve heard, you need to aim and shoot, so your accuracy isn’t that bad.”
“Oh, I’ve played a bit of FPS, so I’m okay.”
Nadia didn’t go into detail about her identity as a rabbit-eared, military-serviced high school girl VTuber.
When deciding her avatar’s appearance, she had had the vague hope that being a somewhat famous figure might earn her some favorable treatment, but when she subtly revealed her identity while forming parties, the response had been nothing but “So what?” It was an experience so painful that her rabbit ears nearly drooped in shame.
“By the way, is the reason you’re not spamming shots because of recoil or the gun’s delay?”
“Oh, it’s the latter. I can manage the recoil to a certain extent, but it seems like Beyond Elysion has a set firing rate for the guns. They say using skills can make it faster, but I’m not sure how fast it gets since I’m still low level.”
“Hm. What other skills do you have?”
“Like extending the range, automatically correcting the aim, or using MP to create instant ammunition, that sort of thing.”
“Thanks for sharing. Then shall we continue?”
“Yes!”
The hunts continued, and Nadia was able to safely reach level 3.
The problem was that, despite her already sparse ammunition, it had finally run out.
“I’m sorry. I’m out of bullets, so I’ll have to return to town.”
“Can’t we make some bullets here?”
“We can use the byproducts from the rabbits we catch as materials, but I’d need to borrow tools for bullet crafting from the city… Ah, but it’s okay. Once I hit level 5, I can craft bullets without tools! So until then…”
Nadia’s voice trailed off.
In her opinion, the hunter class seemed utterly useless.
What kind of RPG character fought with such severe restrictions? The MP she had was mostly used for making bullets, but her actual combat skills were nearly nonexistent, leading to surplus resources.
“Hm. Instead, let’s try an experiment.”
“An experiment?”
“You’re not required to use a gun solely for shooting bullets, right?”
What else would a gun be used for except shooting bullets?
Nadia was taken aback, but before she could process it, Erin scanned the vicinity, approached a blue rabbit, and grabbed it by the scruff of its neck.
<@^#! *#$%#!>
The blue rabbit struggled frantically, but with its neck caught, its short legs flailed in futility against the resistance.
Seeing Erin casually raising the rabbit in one arm and neutralizing it, Nadia thought, ‘Was it that easy?’ But her shock was somewhat premature.
“Here, hold it, and smash its head with your shotgun’s butt.”
“Uh… Okay?”