Chapter 153: The Beginning
I glanced at the chat room, taking a sip of herbal tea and offering a faint smile.
"Hey, this quest won't work solo, huh? Says it needs four users at level 10."
"Really? But how can we have four? The bundled data cable only supports two users, right?"
"Oh, right! I heard from the Tamago Shop staff that they're selling a separate four-player cable this weekend."
"Seriously? Wow!! So, we can really tackle the dungeon with four people?"
"Awesome. Gathering four to game together, even just imagining it... it's thrilling."
"A 4-person party... Speaking of which, isn't Psych Battle recruiting clan members lately?"
"Yeah, it's an 8-player battle, but lots of users play in tag formats like 2:2 or 4:4. That's why Psych Battle's been a hit at the gaming centers recently. Just a few months ago, SP2 and Sonique were the top favorites..."
"SP2's fun, but 'The Legend of Karin' released by SMK recently is pretty enjoyable too."
"That game with the main character in a red hat, right? Terry?"
"It's got a story for each character, a bit tricky with the skills, but the characters are larger, giving a satisfying feel."
As our conversation naturally drifted toward fighting games, I leaned back in my chair, relaxing my stiff neck.
"Maybe I'll play for a bit too."
Taking a break from the community chat, I picked up Laon placed next to my herbal tea.
*Ding!* With a pleasant sound effect, the word 'RAON' appeared in the center of the screen, followed by the game info stored in the flash cartridge after a moment on the gray screen.
Among the list labeled 'Slam Dunk' and 'Dragon Emblem II Demo,' I selected 'DE2' and focused as I lightly gripped the controller.
The character I used was a Novice Assistant, a preparatory assistant before becoming a Priest.
My character's current level was 9, a result of sporadic gameplay at home after work.
Building experience through battles was challenging for Priest-type characters, so I usually earned experience through gathering quests, making leveling slower compared to other professions.
The graphics in Dragon Emblem were still below my standards. If I were to find similar graphic feels from past games I played, maybe... Ogre Tactics?
Sure, the densely packed pixel graphics within the small screen made it stand out compared to competitors, but it wasn't notably superior. In terms of graphics alone... it resembled the games from the twilight era of the Super Family, perhaps?
In single-player mode in Dragon Emblem 2, unless hiring event comrades or mercenaries, Priests always had to lead with mercenaries.
Among different playstyles based on professions in Dragon Emblem 2, the Priest character I was playing was truly one of the most challenging professions.
"But in party play, this character is indispensable..."
During battles, the Priest's healing skill varied based on the timing of pressing the buttons, demanding precise control.
"Just a couple more quests and I'll hit level 10, right?"
Taking on an intermediate quest that guaranteed a fair amount of experience, I roamed the Fairy Forest to find materials. During combat, I constantly focused on healing my mercenaries to ensure their HP stayed above half, moving my character to them and using the recovery skill with the Y button.
After what felt like a while, having gathered all the quest items, I led the mercenaries back to the village and completed the quest.
*Ba-ba-ba-boom!* The sound effect signaling quest completion and leveling up resounded.
And on the screen appeared a message notifying my character's transition to a new profession.
"Marcus has become a Recovery Sorcerer."
Having hit level 10, I immediately joined the community chat again.
"I just hit level 10 too."
"Whoa!! Mr. K! What character did you transition into?"
"A Recovery Sorcerer. I'm a healer."
"How did you manage to level up Copy so quickly? It seemed extremely tough, needing to hire mercenaries for each quest..."
"If three users in this room just hit level 10, then... Ah, I need to level up quickly too."
At that moment, a user who had transitioned to a Shield Knight approached me.
"Mr. K, if you're in Tokyo this weekend, do you have time?"
"Yes, nothing special. Why?"
"I'm planning to go to Tamago Shop to buy the data cable this weekend. Would you like to challenge the Hop Goblin Dungeon together if you're available?"
Then, a two-handed sword warrior who had transitioned to a Shield Knight quickly joined our conversation.
"I also live in Tokyo. I'd love to join."
"Whoa... Is a 3-person party forming already? Then there's still one spot left, right?"
"Wow, can I come and watch?"
"Me too. I'd love to watch."
The chat room buzzed with excitement as we swiftly organized our impromptu gathering for the Tamago Shop this weekend. This was how online meetings used to happen back in the days without mobile phones.
**Chapter 26: Birth Pangs (3)**
"Hey, isn't it impossible to start this quest alone? It says it requires four users who have reached level 10."
As I glanced at the chat, sipping on my herbal tea, I let out a small chuckle.
"Huh? But how can we get four people? The bundled data cable is for two people, right?"
Oops... In a rush to answer a user's question, I hastily tapped on the keyboard.
"Oh, I heard from the Tamago Shop employees that they'll sell separate 4-player cables this weekend."
"Really? Wow!! So, does that mean we can really tackle the dungeon with four people?"
"That's amazing. Gathering four people to play together... just imagining it is awesome."
"A four-player party... Speaking of which, isn't Psych Battle recruiting clan members lately?"
"It's an 8-player battle, but many users play in tag formats like 2:2 or 4:4."
Because of that, the Psychic Force has been incredibly popular in the gaming center recently. Just a few months ago, games like Spa2 or Sonic were the most popular..."
"Spa2 is fun, but 'The Legend of Karin' released by SMK recently is also enjoyable."
"Are you talking about the one with the red-hatted protagonist? Terry?"
"Compared to Spa2, each character in 'The Legend of Karin' has its own story, and though using skills might be a bit tricky, the characters are larger, giving it a refreshing feel."
As the conversation naturally drifted towards fighting games, I found myself leaning back in my chair, stretching my stiff neck.
"Should I give it a try for a bit?"
Pausing my conversation with the community members, I picked up the Laon lying next to my herbal tea.
Ding! With a satisfying sound effect, the letters 'RAON' appeared in the center of the screen, followed by the game information stored in the flash cartridge after a moment on the gray screen.
Among the list labeled Slam Dunk and Dragon Emblem II trial versions, I selected Drem2, gripping the controller lightly and focusing on the game.
The character I was using was a servant called 'Copja,' a pre-adjutant before becoming a priest. My current character's level was 9, a result of playing here and there at home after work.
For characters in the priesthood line, it was challenging to level up through battles, so I mostly earned experience through gathering quests, making my leveling slower compared to other professions.
To be honest, the graphics level of Dragon Emblem was still far from impressive by my standards.
If I had to find a similar feeling in games I've played before, perhaps... Ogre Tactics?
Of course, the densely packed pixel graphics within the small screen were indeed different from the graphics of competitive consoles, but they weren't remarkably superior. If we only talked about graphics... It reminded me of games from the twilight era of the Super Family system.
When playing Dragon Emblem 2 in single-player mode without hiring event companions or mercenaries, priests always had to travel with mercenaries.
Among the different playstyles based on professions in Dragon Emblem 2, the priest character I was playing was truly one of the most challenging professions.
"However, in party play, this character is essential..."
During battles, priests' skill recovery varied depending on the timing of button presses, demanding a certain level of control.
"If it's just one or two quests, I should hit level 10, right?"
I had accepted an intermediate quest that guaranteed a certain amount of experience, wandering through the Fairy Forest to find materials. During battles with enemies, I hid behind my hired mercenaries, busy healing them.
By directly moving the character and pressing the Y button, I could use healing skills, but if even one mercenary died during the process, it could lead to total annihilation, so I kept a close watch on my allies' HP, constantly ensuring it didn't drop below half.
After some time, having collected all the quest items, I led the mercenaries back to the village and completed the quest.
Ta-da-dah~!!
As the quest ended, a sound effect indicating a level-up resounded.
And on the screen, a message popped up announcing the transition to a new occupation.
"Marcus has changed to a healing wizard."
Right after reaching level 10, I reconnected with the community chat.
"I just hit level 10."
"Wow!! Mr. K, what character did you change to?"
"I'm a healing wizard. I'll be playing the healer position."
"Seriously, how did you raise a Copja? It seemed so hard to level up every time with hiring mercenaries..."
"If three or four of us who hit level 10 in Dragon Emblem come, should we form a separate party and challenge?"
"I'm currently at level 8, but I'll do my best."
"Don't push yourself too hard. It'd be sad if you die."
"By the way, do we have any female gamers in our community?"
Nobody answered his candid question...
---
And a few days later, the fateful day arrived.
After showering and changing into casual clothes, I called Gunpei before leaving home. After a long beep, the voice of the sleepyhead came through.
"Hello..."
"Come to the Tamago Shop right away."
"Huh? Junhyuk? What's the rush in the morning? Asking me to come to the Tamago Shop out of the blue..."
"There's an interesting event at the Tamago Shop today. So, capture it well and get it published in a magazine."
"Now...? I can't. Because of that Dragon Emblem 2 you created, I've been overworking since the start of the year, and I'm tired to death."
"Oh, I see. Got it. I'll contact another magazine. Rest well."
"······Wait a sec."
"Yeah?"
"What event are you talking about? Let's check it out."
"Oh, they're selling 4-player data cables used in Raon from today at the Tamago Shop."
"Cables? You're calling me for just a cable?"
"No. We'll be partying up with users who reached level 10 in the Dragon Emblem 2 trial using that."
"I also hit level 10 yesterday. I'll come right now."
"······."
Quite an easily manageable guy...
A while later, as I arrived at the Tamago Shop's underground parking lot in my car, still before opening hours, I glanced towards the store's entrance just in case.
Then, I noticed a
guy wearing a red jumper and a green beanie.
"He's here already, even though the store isn't open yet."
Rather than pretending to know him, I opted to enter the store through the staff entrance.
"Ah, Manager Kang Junhyuk. Good morning~"
"Good morning, Manager Kang~"
"Good morning, everyone. Is the battle zone set up?"
"Yes, we closed it off last night and got it prepared."
A male staff member standing next to Miyazaki confidently pointed towards the battle zone.
Following the staff member's gesture, I saw that the area previously used for battles now had four seats dedicated to Dragon Emblem.
"This looks excellent."
"We've connected small cameras to each table so that we can instantly display the play screens on the big screen."
"That's good. But we can't keep changing the battle zone display every time we have an event..."
At that moment, Miyazaki, the deputy manager, who had approached me, spoke.
"If the party system in Dragon Emblem 2 becomes active, we might need a larger space. What do you think?"
"We're already brainstorming solutions. This place is close to the station, has good visibility, and the interior work isn't too old. We might as well open a branch dedicated to Dragon Emblem a bit further away."
"A Dragon Emblem exclusive shop... just the name alone makes my heart race."
Is it really so...? I'm scared that if we're raiding and someone makes a mistake, we might end up fighting each other...
With a wry smile, I encouraged the staff with a round of applause.
"Now, let's start the opening."
"Yes, Manager."
With the enthusiastic response from the staff, the firmly shutters opened. Simultaneously, the bright morning sun started flooding into the store through the glass windows.
"Oh, the customers are already waiting?"
At Miyazaki's words, I chuckled and replied.
"They're my guests."
As soon as the shutters went up, I walked towards a group of people bustling inside the store, swinging the front door wide open.
"You're members of the gaming community 'Critical,' right?"
At my question, a young man in his early twenties wearing a red jumper and a green beanie nervously replied.
"H-how did you know?"
I casually raised the corner of my mouth in response.
"Hello. I'm Mr. K."
"Ahh, Mr. K!?"
"Nice to meet you, Critical members."
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