Light of Arad: Forerunner

The first reason for the sense of incongruity Jinseong felt was that the expression they used was different from the usual way of speaking.

[Are you talking about the Isys Raid?]

The way the user in front of him referred to the dungeon was vastly different from how Dungeon Fighter Online users typically referred to it.

Certainly, the official name of the Isys Raid was Prey-Isys Raid.

However, how many people would actually use the full official name in chat?

‘Besides, what? To be precise, you have to subdue the awakened Isys? Well, since you’re not actually killing her, that expression is accurate, but still…’

Jinseong knew what he was talking about.

The 3rd Apostle, Isys-Prey.

Prey, who governs life during the day, and Isys, who governs death during the night.

An apostle with two personalities in one body.

Due to the conflict within their body, Isys was separated from Prey, and the story of Dungeon Fighter Online involved stopping Isys, who tried to dominate the demon world with the power of death and darkness.

However, that was merely the background setting and part of the Dungeon Fighter Online lore.

Among players, it was common to simply call the dungeon “Isys Raid.”

[Isys Raid… Yes, something like that.]

The Ranger user cautiously responded.

Of course, this did not resolve Jinseong’s doubts.

[Then you could just do the guide raid, couldn’t you? There’s a solo raid mode.]

There was an official mode for users who found it difficult to assemble a raid team, whether due to personality or circumstances.

If you really wanted to defeat Isys, and do it alone, you could run the guide raid.

[No, that’s not possible.]

He continued.

[That’s a dungeon in a parallel world. It’s not the Isys I need to subdue. I need you to face the fully unleashed Isys and… verify his card.]

This statement confused Jinseong even more and was another reason for his sense of incongruity.

‘Who is this person? Why does he even use ellipses in his chat?’

Jinseong paid attention to the chat because the user recognized him.

Normally, wouldn’t he mix internet slang and expressions without hesitation in chat?

Almost all the users Jinseong had met so far had chatted in that way.

Sometimes, when he assembled a raid team, there were users who spoke quite seriously through voice chat. But even those using a microphone and headset mostly conversed as if they were chatting online, and Jinseong knew this well.

‘It even feels like… they’re slightly mumbling? No, it’s really strange to get that feeling from chat alone. And a card?’

Although the sense of incongruity was clear, stronger thoughts were dominating Jinseong’s mind.

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[Can’t you just buy the card from the auction house? There’s one up right now.]

[Hah, if that were possible, it wouldn’t have taken me five years to get here.]

[Ah…]

Then, he was sure.

“An extreme concept enthusiast returning after five years?”

Was this a user returning to Dungeon Fighter Online after a long time, completely immersed in the game’s lore?

‘Adding to that, someone with the concept of never buying items through the auction house?’

So, they deliberately approached him, who was quite famous on YouTube for his “educational raid” content?

Was it a hunch that recording the play session with this user before tomorrow’s major patch might provide good content for YouTube?

‘Haha, it could be seen that way. If I ask if I can record and he agrees, then it’s almost certain.’

Perhaps he also had a hidden desire to gain fame among the in-game users through him.

For now, that was enough.

Jinseong hurriedly prepared to record and asked.

[I won’t be doing anything too extreme to help you, just giving you some buffs and explaining the patterns, alright?]

[No, I don’t need buffs. Actually, I’m not sure if aggro management will even be allowed.]

“Huh?”

As Jinseong furrowed his brow at the unexpected response, the user spoke again.

[If you could just use your voice… to explain the pattern breaking methods and strategies, that would be enough.]

[Do you have a mic? Then we can use Discord.]

[No, I can’t use external programs. Could you use the in-game voice chat system instead?]

Jinseong, who was about to check the invitation code for the voice program, found the user’s response unusual.

Agreeing to his suggestion of using the in-game system without external programs, Jinseong replied.

[Yes, it’s not impossible. But it might be inconvenient for you to press the keys for the mic each time.]

There was nothing for Jinseong to regret, after all.

However, from the perspective of a user actually fighting monsters, it could be somewhat inconvenient.

Jinseong was about to point this out, but perhaps the user had no such concerns from the start.

[…I’ll just use general chat.]

“Hmm, it’s not hard for me to explain things, but it’s more convenient to use a mic for immediate responses. Oh, does he not have a mic?”

Considering that there might be personal circumstances, Jinseong asked.

The response only heightened his sense of incongruity.

[Okay. Then, is it alright if I record this session?]

[Voice… Unfortunately, only Mattak Jinseong-.]

[For YouTube.]

[-should be, yes, but you might not be able to upload the recording. It’s not like I haven’t tried these kinds of things before.]

An utterly baffling way of chatting.

Was he really typing like that?

‘If he types hyphens and periods, then presses enter, and continues his sentence with another hyphen… Is there anyone who chat like that?’

Despite the sense of incongruity, a sense of excitement and anticipation prevailed.

“He’s definitely a crazy concept enthusiast.”

Thinking it might make for decent content if well edited, he asked to determine the strategy route.

[Shall we head straight to Isys after the four sacred grounds?]

One of the common routes for solo play in the Prey-Isys Raid.

However, the user declined and answered.

[I’d like to visit the garden as well. I feel a bit sorry for Srenicon, but to fully subdue Isys, I think I need to gather as much strength as possible.]

Once again, more surprising than his quick typing was the extreme concept of feeling sorry for Srenicon!

Jinseong, feeling both chills and an inexplicable grin, found himself nodding unconsciously.

[Understood. I’ll let you know which outposts to clear once we enter.]

[Thank you.]

[Let’s go then.]

[Yes. Let’s survive this time.]

‘…Not clearing, not no-coining, not getting loot, but “surviving”?’

It wasn’t an impossible thing to say if one was fully immersed.

However, for Jinseong, it was the third moment that gave him a sense of incongruity.

* * *

Jinseong naturally started his commentary as he pressed the record button.

Since he hadn’t pressed the voice chat button yet, the users in the party couldn’t hear him. In some ways, he thought this was better than constantly sharing his voice through an external program.

“Hello, everyone! Today’s content! We’re going to do a solo Prey-Isys raid with a user who’s become a complete Aradian. As you can see, I’m not using a buffer character! It’s purely about breaking down the patterns! Depending on the situation, I’ll also provide some Srenicon pathing tips.”

Jinseong was playing a male gunner class, specifically a ranger, or Raven, who had only reached the second awakening since he hadn’t met the conditions for True Awakening.

As he emphasized his points while rotating the user’s surroundings with his mouse, Jinseong promptly clicked on [Character Info] to check the mysterious user’s equipment.

“Equipment- oh… Wow, I’ve never seen this equipment before. Seriously, what is this? Well, even though the level is 95, it might be hard to get effective custom gear right away… Still, at the very least, they should be wearing the Akan set, ahem, I see.”

He hadn’t even hoped for the relatively recent epic item setups.

Considering the user had returned after five years, Jinseong assumed they might be wearing unique items from the past, or maybe a few mythical items at best.

‘Where in the world did they get these…? Are these items still being used?’

However, the user was equipped with items that even Jinseong, a seasoned Dungeon Fighter Online player, found surprising.

“Ahem, anyway, their fame is… 6,643. I think that used to be around the required fame for the Prey-Isys raid. Let’s check why they’re wearing such items.”

Jinseong quickly composed his voice and pressed the voice chat button.

[Did you purposely equip these items? There should have been plenty of growth items and newbie support packs.]

[Unfortunately, that’s not possible.]

[If you don’t want to create a new character because you like your nickname, you can designate certain characters with lower fame as event characters. That alone would drastically improve your growth.]

[Do you know my nickname?]

Jinseong smirked at the user’s response.

How many years had he been playing Dungeon Fighter Online?

[I don’t know about current players, but… how many years ago was it? There was someone who made a lot of noise, singing excitedly every time they enhanced or amplified items. Your nickname sounds similar to theirs. They were quite famous back then.]

Although he was a past user who no longer played, Jinseong knew almost all the famous figures in the game.

It was a subtle way for Jinseong to show his own experience, but the user’s reaction was quite different.

[I see. I didn’t expect someone to remember. It’s been… about five years.]

It was the kind of statement that could leave Jinseong speechless.

For a moment, he forgot he was recording and mumbled in surprise.

“You saw that, right? We might call each other Dungbung-i, Dungbung-i, but Dungeon Fighter Online is a game you need to immerse yourself in to enjoy fully. It seems like this person is going to show us just that. Now, let’s see if they can solo the raid. Everyone, please look forward to it.”

Even while making comments for the video, Jinseong’s eyes gleamed sharply.

After all, the point of the video was to showcase this user clearing the Prey-Isys raid solo.

[Since you said you’d get to the Garden, the first goal is to defend the third interception base and descend from the eighth garden base.]

[Yes!]

The user responded as if they understood Jinseong’s instructions.

Simultaneously, monsters began to descend on Srenicon’s back.

The user reacted immediately.

───────────……!!!!

While moving to a corner to avoid the monsters’ aggro, Jinseong had already figured out the user’s skill patterns.

‘Since the damage is weak, it’s actually good that I can quickly see their skill patterns. The combo structure is definitely old-fashioned… but considering how bad the gear is, they might still be able to clear this.’

Although the skill usage order was outdated, the fundamentals were solid.

And as if reading Jinseong’s mind, the user spoke.

[I didn’t realize how encouraging it could be to run a dungeon with someone else! Haha, well, Baek Jinseong, you’re not just standing here, you’re also giving strategic instructions, which is really reassuring!]

In some ways, it could be seen as a simple compliment or just fitting the concept.

But Jinseong’s expression hardened.

“…How?”

It was inevitable.

Before the user’s chat bubble even appeared, their attacks never once ceased while evading to Jinseong’s location.

Considering Dungeon Fighter Online’s chat system, it was enough to send chills down Jinseong’s spine.