Chapter 8

Not long after, the Field Boss knelt down and collapsed.

The Field Boss exploded into particles, and a tremendous level-up sound echoed, just like when the Orc Chieftain fell.

On the ground, where nothing should have remained, the Field Boss’s one-handed sword lay.

“It’s a drop item!”

I scurried over to check the dropped item.

[Corrupted Judge’s Sword]

Attack Power: 600

Strength +500

Health +2500

Stamina +100

Every normal attack increases Attack Power and Defense by 3% for 5 seconds. Stacks up to 10 times.

“Whoa!”

This item looked a hundred times better than what I currently had. The one-handed sword the Field Boss was using dropped…!

“Wow… it’s the legendary Corrupted Judge’s Sword.”

“Ah… thank you for healing me. Um… do you, uh, want it? Should we auction it?”

It was clearly a delicious drop item, and I was so caught up in the dopamine rush of finally getting a one-handed sword after so long that I forgot…

Pinkubelly was here.

The rule is that all drop items from bosses are auctioned among all party members who cleared it.

In this case, Pinkubelly and I would have to decide who gets it by bidding more gold. The problem is, all the gold I have is from clearing quests or killing mobs.

I only have 2100 gold. The difference between what a level 20 and a max-level player can earn is like heaven and earth. Meaning, I can’t afford this sword.

But as a true Party Leader, I have to auction it.

“Ah, it’s okay. Arang, you can have it.”

“Wha, what…! Really!? This, such a good sword…!”

“I don’t really need a sword.”

“Ah… thank you!”

Pinkubelly was an angel.

“But in exchange…”

“…!?”

What? Why the pause?

Pinkubelly closed her eyes tightly, manipulated the menu with her right hand, and a window popped up in front of me.

[Pinkubelly has sent a friend request.]

“Will you accept my friend request?”

“Is this really enough?”

I know that Field Bosses are level-adjusted raids, and the items from here are pretty good. The drop rate is so low that it’s a very expensive item, but she’s saying a friend request is enough.

What a strange user.

“Ah, and…”

Korean always has more to say. I braced myself for some terrifying request.

“Will you play the game with me…?”

“Together?”

“Yeah. Party up and hunt monsters or take down Field Bosses like this…”

“I’m only level 23 after this Field Boss. Pinkubelly, you’re max level, isn’t this a waste of time?”

“There’s level adjustment, so it’s fine.”

In Leore, there’s a system called level adjustment when friends party up. It adjusts everyone to the level of the lowest party member, just like with Field Bosses.

It’s a system that’s rarely used, and I wonder why it even exists. But she’s willing to use it just to play with me?

“Why?”

“Ah… well… you seem to really enjoy the game…”

“Of course, games are meant to be enjoyed.”

“Yeah. But… Arang, you really seem to love it…”

“Hmm…”

I can’t figure out Pinkubelly’s thoughts. She’s willing to party up with a low-level like me, use level adjustment, and play together.

Is this some kind of newbie farming? But she seems a bit shy for that.

“Okay.”

“Really!?”

“Yeah. But what’s your playtime, Pinkubelly?”

“Ah, I’m available anytime.”

“Anytime?”

“Yeah. Actually… I quit my job and want to try streaming.”

“Ah, so you approached me on purpose?”

“Ah, no, that’s not it, I mean…”

“Hehe. It’s fine. I know how famous I am now. And I don’t dislike you, Pinkubelly.”

“Tha, that’s a relief…”

A level 60 max-level healer. And her skills are pretty good too. Perfect timing with shields. Plus, she rarely overheals, so aggro doesn’t go wild.

And she even saved me with a rescue skill during a parry cooldown. She’s a really good healer.

Having such a healer party up with me? No reason to refuse.

I get a good healer, and Pinkubelly gets content for her stream. Win-win.

==

Ihayan, who goes by the nickname Pinkubelly, was bullied by her female coworkers just because she had a large chest.

They spread rumors about things she never did, stopped talking to her, and made her eat alone, causing her a lot of stress.

Even as a child, she was bullied for her chest. In middle school, high school, and college, she was ostracized for supposedly seducing guys, even though she did nothing.

Tired of this reality, Ihayan became interested in the virtual world and got hooked on Leore.

She reached max level, made many friends, and even joined a raid party.

She relieved the stress from work by playing Leore, but after clearing a raid with her party, they started talking about an offline meetup.

Excited, Ihayan joined the meetup.

The problem was after the meetup.

Suddenly, the guys started paying too much attention to her. Party members who barely spoke to her before started chatting her up, whispering to her even after raids.

Ihayan, who just wanted to enjoy the game, politely declined their advances, but soon she was labeled as the party’s “slut.”

The game she played to relieve stress became a source of stress.

She left the party and tried to enjoy Leore alone, but it wasn’t fun anymore.

Eventually, the stress piled up, and Ihayan quit her job. Feeling lonely playing alone, she decided to start streaming.

While browsing, she came across a trending Leore-related video.

[Orc Chieftain Solo Clear Video]

Clicking on it, she saw a young girl soloing a Field Boss.

While others watched the girl’s combat skills, Ihayan noticed her face.

She was fighting with pure joy, more than anyone else. Seeing that, Ihayan felt envy.

She wanted to play with that girl. Maybe she could find the fun she had lost.

Somehow, she ended up meeting that little girl. A girl with the nickname “Arang,” which sounded like her real name.

From the video, she seemed small, but in Leore, while you can change your appearance, it’s limited. You can’t go crazy with three eyes or anything, but minor changes like height and weight are possible.

Even after adjusting, the girl’s appearance wasn’t far from reality.

Before she knew it, she was dragged into a Field Boss raid with the little girl.

Having raided before, Ihayan was amazed by Arang’s skills.

She knew Arang soloed the Orc Chieftain, but seeing it in person was something else.

Using parries and dodges perfectly, Arang, a DPS who should die in one hit from the boss, held the aggro and led the raid.

In the end, they cleared the Corrupted Judge together.

Feeling a sense of accomplishment she hadn’t felt in a while, Ihayan smiled as she watched Arang jump around excitedly after the clear.

‘Playing with Arang would be so fun…’

So, Ihayan suggested they play together.

==

“Pinkubelly, should we drop formalities?”

“Ah, yeah.”

“Then I’ll drop them first. It’ll take me a while to reach max level. Is that okay?”

I decided to make things comfortable. Age-wise, Pinkubelly is probably older, but in-game, it doesn’t matter.

If we’re friends, we should drop formalities.

“Uh… yeah… I think it’ll be more fun with Arang. But…”

“But?”

“Your nickname… is it really your real name?”

“Yeah. It’s my real name. I just ended up using it.”

“I see…”

“Why Pinkubelly?”

“I just like pinkberries…”

“I see. Shall we go hunting then?”

“…Yeah!”

“Let’s try out this new weapon.”

[Corrupted Judge’s Sword]

Attack Power: 600

Strength +500

Health +2500

Stamina +100

Wow. This sword is amazing every time I look at it.

With this, I could probably one-shot everything until max level. But that might get boring…

Still, I earned it by taking down the boss, so I should equip it. Why doesn’t this sword have a level requirement?

As soon as I equipped it, I realized why there was no level restriction.

[Corrupted Judge’s Sword]

Attack Power: 30 (600)

Strength +25 (500)

Health +20 (2500)

Stamina +20 (100)

Every normal attack increases Attack Power and Defense by 3% for 5 seconds. Stacks up to 10 times.

Of course.

The item’s stats adjusted to my level. Still, it’s much better than weapons of my level.

The stat difference isn’t huge, but the ability is what matters. At full stacks, Attack Power and Defense increase by 30%.

“Alright! Let’s go!”

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