NOVEL NEXT chapter 121
Base 51 was the closest to the Viajok stronghold and also the deepest point within Viajok-controlled territory, so it was rare for Jeojajok players to show up here. But of course, there are always creeps who crawl into places like this.
While Gang Jaegyung was inside the base pushing his quest, I was browsing the internet—and in that moment, some Ampa crept up using stealth and struck Gonyanyanya2 from behind. Since the quest script was still running, Gang Jaegyung couldn’t react quickly and took the hit helplessly. I had to step in and subdue the attacker myself to save his life. If his gear hadn’t been decent, he probably would’ve died instantly.
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: ㅠㅜㅠ...
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: Thank you...
[Party] Honeybread: nah nah it’s fine
[Party] Honeybread: I’ll stay alert, so keep pushing
In the end, I couldn’t even zone out or multitask anymore—I had to stay on guard to make sure Gang Jaegyung didn’t get ambushed again. Party members don’t share script progress on quests, Jeojajok players weren’t openly attacking, and Gang Jaegyung wasn’t exactly chatting much either, so it was boring. But I was the one who decided to follow him, so I couldn’t complain to anyone. Honestly, I kind of wished the Jeojajok would show up just so I’d have something to do.
I opened my inventory and pulled out an item: Syria’s Eye, a detection tool you can buy with reputation points. It lets you see stealthed players for 30 seconds, so it’s a good idea to use it periodically whenever it’s off cooldown.
The first time I used it and looked around outside the base, I locked eyes with two stealthed Amhaks who were lurking nearby waiting for a chance to strike. They must’ve realized I was using a detector, because they slinked away and vanished from view—but they’d probably come back once the effect wore off. So whenever the detector was on cooldown, I had to scatter AoE skills around Gonyanyanya to prevent hidden enemies from getting too close.
Whether he noticed how much effort I was putting in or not, Gang Jaegyung was running around the base like a little bug. This time, as soon as he finished looking at an NPC, he looked up at my character. I figured he was done here, so I stopped casting and looked down at Gonyanyanya in return—only for him to suddenly start spamming skills the way I’d been doing just now.
What a funny guy.
[Party] Honeybread: what are you doing?
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: you were using skills on me so I thought I’d return the favor...
If he were really a newbie, that would’ve been adorable. But knowing he’s not makes it feel more like a calculated act—and that just made it insufferable.
[Party] Honeybread: lol
[Party] Honeybread: just doing that in case any stealthers show up
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: ohhh
Only then did Gang Jaegyung stop copying me and switch /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ topics.
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: says we need to head to Base 44 now
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: but the map shows it marked red—is it safe to go...?
Because you’re the one who flipped it, obviously. You’re really trying my patience.
[Party] Honeybread: I’ll make sure you finish your quest, don’t worry
[Party] Honeybread: no need to be scared
I couldn’t exactly vent my irritation at Gang Jaegyung—who was still playing the part of a helpless newbie—so I just sighed and reassured him in party chat.
Now that we were likely to encounter Jeojajok for real, I figured it was time to disguise some advice as strategic discussion.
[Party] Honeybread: we’ll start running into Jeojajok now
[Party] Honeybread: I can handle most of them, but we’re both tank-healers so kills will take time
[Party] Honeybread: just keep that in mind
[Party] Honeybread: also don’t rush to deal damage—prioritize maintaining your HP
[Party] Honeybread: I can tank some of that...
[Party] Honeybread: but even though I gave you that gear, it’s like... Twilight Set +3 or +4 at best?
[Party] Honeybread: you’re not as sturdy as you think
[Party] Honeybread: prioritize healing yourself—only throw heals at me if you’ve got extra time
[Party] Honeybread: if I’m over 50% HP, you can skip healing me—my gear’s good enough that’s basically full health
[Party] Honeybread: use that time for DPS instead
[Party] Honeybread: ok?
Gang Jaegyung stayed silent for a moment like he was reading carefully, then asked for confirmation.
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: so the priority is: 1) heal me, 2) do damage, 3) heal you—is that right?
[Party] Honeybread: yup
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: got it
The way he waited and responded like he was studying something brand-new just stunned me. If Gang Jaegyung hadn’t outed himself with his childish desire to be praised, I probably would’ve been suckered into acting like “aww, my little genius newbie~” and playing right into his hands.
[Party] Honeybread: you do know you’re supposed to use potions before heal skills, right?
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: ah, no… I didn’t
Yeah right, like you didn’t know.
[Party] Honeybread: when your HP drops, use a potion first to start the cooldown early
[Party] Honeybread: don’t worry about wasting pots
[Party] Honeybread: nothing’s too precious in PvP
Since this was advice I’d give to any real newbie, I added it in. In PvP, a single consumable can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Even Gang Jaegyung, back when he was a newbie, used to die because he tried to save his dopes thinking he’d be fine. Took some trial and error before he learned to stop being stingy.
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: I’ll remember that
[Party] Honeybread: good good
[Party] Honeybread: such a good kid
Pretending to dote on him, I patted his character and then led him out of the base. I opened the map and set our heading toward Base 44.
Even with Sprint active, the run from Base 51 to 44 was long, so I kept my eyes peeled for Jeojajok along the way—something to fight for fun. Since Base 44 had already been flipped, we’d definitely run into enemies there. And ever since I started handing out Am to newbies, a bunch of Viajok players dropped PvP and went merc-for-hire in PvE, meaning Jeojajok presence was way up.
And sure enough, after sweeping the area and using my detector, I spotted an Ampa sniper crouched in a tree far off in the distance.
[Party] Honeybread: hey
[Party] Honeybread: come over here for a sec
It wasn’t too far off the path—we could stop by and kill it real quick. Gang Jaegyung had said he wanted to focus on quests, but honestly, he probably wanted to show off his combat skills more than anything. I wanted to see what he’d do.
[Party] Honeybread: stay behind me, avoid getting sniped
I took point so Gang Jaegyung wouldn’t get hit again and led the way to the tree. Even after seeing us, the Ampa stayed up in the branches, firing at Gang Jaegyung. Clearly trying to kill at least one of us.
I shielded Gang Jaegyung with my character and quickly typed:
[Party] Honeybread: when snipers are in trees
[Party] Honeybread: hit the tree with a strong skill—they’ll fall
[Party] Honeybread: give it a shot
I edged closer to the tree to let him get in range. He seemed to hesitate for a second, then used a skill.
[Battle] Gonyanyanya2 used Book Corner Slam on Tree. Tree takes 80 damage.
Seriously?
[Party] Honeybread: I said strong skill
[Party] Honeybread: Book Corner Slam is weak;
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: ah...
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: I thought it’d hurt because getting hit with a book corner hurts in real life…
What the hell was that logic. I was speechless.
[Party] Honeybread: skill needs to scale at least 100+
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: ah…
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: hold on a sec!!
He went quiet, like he was checking skill coefficients. I started worrying he’d get killed while standing still.
Then I noticed—no more arrows were flying.
The Ampa hadn’t left the tree... so why stop attacking?
I looked up—and sure enough, the Ampa was just standing there, staring blankly at us, bow lowered.
Got it. This guy was a newbie-friendly player.
[Party] Honeybread: let’s just go. he’s not attacking you.
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: found it!
Before I could even hit send, Gang Jaegyung’s message popped up—and then his character used a defensive martial art skill on the tree.
[Battle] Gonyanyanya2 used Joint Lock Throw on Tree. Tree takes 140 damage.
The impact shook the tree, and the Ampa dropped down.
Even then, he didn’t attack—he just stood there, staring like before.
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: why isn’t he doing anything?
Even though Gang Jaegyung followed my instructions and knocked him down, he still asked the question—probably already realizing the guy was holding back because he was a newbie.
[Party] Honeybread: cause you smell like a freshie
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: huh??
[Party] Honeybread: just keep going
Guys like that got a weird kick out of letting new players poke them. Not worth dealing with. And I didn’t feel like exploiting a friendly Jeojajok for fame points either.
I ignored Gang Jaegyung’s “smell like what?” follow-up and started running toward Base 44. Once I did, he had no choice but to follow me—probably fuming inside. The Ampa also started following us. Guess he was curious about the “newbie.”
He didn’t say anything or pick a fight, just kept tagging along. So I ignored him and kept moving—until, all of a sudden, he stopped. We were starting to put some distance between us, so maybe he gave up on following.
That’s when I heard a faint click in my headset.