NoveLight ™
[You have been invited to join the party by TorchBearer.] [Do you accept the invitation? Y/N] [You have joined the party.]
The basic farming method in Infinity Black is field hunting. Sure, there are raids and instanced dungeons, but unless you're rolling with an elite squad, they aren’t really that efficient.
I mean, weren’t they supposed to be experienced players? How are they failing to dodge that? It’s a pattern that could’ve been countered just by using some items. I guess saving 30 won was more important than wasting 10 minutes, huh?
Only those who've been through it understand the true hell of infinite retries! For someone like me, gathering people for these battles is exhausting, so I tend to avoid it. Not that it’s not fun, but honestly, fighting other players is way more enjoyable.
[Party Member List] [Party Leader: TorchBearer (Sniper)]
[FundochiMania (Martial Artist)] [DadIsATurk (Berserker)] [Gawol (Assassin)] [MountainBird (Bard)]
The party composition was solid. The Martial Artist and Berserker would take the frontlines, while the Sniper and I would handle the main damage. Plus, we had a Bard to support us, which made it a classic and well-rounded group.
As the party members exchanged greetings, I turned my attention to the chat window.
[Whisper from Hukong]
'Upper guild' is a slang term for higher-tier guilds. FundochiMania, the Martial Artist, had hidden their guild name. If things got ugly, they’d likely use it as leverage to get involved.
But I didn’t care about all that messy guild warfare. I was only here to do the job I was paid for.
A chance to make some money while farming? Perfect. The top-tier hunting grounds were a hassle to gather a party for, but someone else had already taken care of that. I’d just farm peacefully, and if the opportunity arose, I’d take out a streamer and call it a day.
TorchBearer, the party leader, spoke in a businesslike tone.
"We'll take 3 minutes for personal preparations, and we’ll start on the hour. Gawol will handle mob gathering, and FundochiMania will tank." "Understood." "Don’t forget to activate your XP and loot buffs."
No unnecessary chatter. Right at the scheduled time, I moved first, with the Martial Artist following me at a slight distance.
This place, the 'Ancient Weapon Hangar,' is one of the top-tier hunting grounds right now. In Infinity Black, leveling up was tough, and the growth curve was long. Only true no-lifers could step foot here.
As expected, the party members knew their roles and executed them perfectly. I could feel the cool breeze against my calves as the Bard’s buff kicked in right on time.
[You have been blessed with the Wind’s Favor.] [All action speeds increased by 10%, movement speed by 15%.] [Caster: MountainBird]
The hunt itself wasn’t difficult.
I was the fastest, so I used my chain scythe to provoke and gather the monsters. Once enough were grouped up, the Martial Artist would use their primary skills to draw attention. The Berserker ensured that no monsters scattered, and once everything was in place, the Sniper and I would finish them off.
If anything went wrong in this process, our health bars would disappear in an instant, but there were no rookies in this group. Field hunting was supposed to be safe and efficient.
As everyone grew comfortable with the mechanical nature of the hunt, small talk began to trickle in. The first to break the silence was MountainBird, the Bard. As a support, they probably found the long silence boring.
"Gawol." "Yes?" "Are you really the Gawol?" "Is there a fake one?"
Infinity Black doesn’t allow duplicate usernames. Of course, there are ways to hide your nickname or guild, so it wouldn’t be surprising if someone was impersonating me. There had been some cases of that in the community.
Not exactly a pleasant experience. Maybe that’s why my tone dipped a little. The halfling Bard shook their head quickly.
"No! That’s not what I meant. You’re famous these days." "I really don’t want to talk about those videos..." "It’s not that! I’ve been a fan for a while." "Huh? A fan?" "Yeah. My guild was in a tough spot during a war, but then you ambushed them and turned the tide. I was really grateful."
Oh.
Right. I better watch my facial expressions.
Luckily, I was at the front of the party, so they couldn’t see me.
Once I’d distanced myself from the others, I opened up MountainBird’s profile. Their guild was LesserPanda. I hadn’t heard of it, but they had a lot of members. It looked like a casual guild that even welcomed newbies.
Guilds like that are great for the game, but they’re also easy prey. Unfortunately, Infinity Black follows the law of the jungle. Even if something seems unfair, when newbies start getting hit, it’s usually the higher-ups who end up bowing their heads.
In the ecosystem of the field, they were basically herbivores. I guess one of my contracts had coincidentally lined up with their troubles.
"It wasn’t intentional, though." "Still, it helped. And it wasn’t just once. I’ve always wanted to thank you." "I’m not exactly a saint in this game..." "I’ve heard that. But honestly, players like us have never been harmed by you. Anyway, I just wanted to say I’m rooting for you." "Ha. Thanks."
Well, well, what do you know? Today’s the day I get a fan.
The word ‘fan’ left a strange, pleasant feeling in my chest.
Not bothering weaker guilds wasn’t because of some deep conviction on my part. It was simply unnecessary. My clients were usually the type of wolves who could handle themselves. No one would pay me top dollar to take down a harmless rabbit.
And killing streamers was always more fun when they were popular. Weaklings just weren’t satisfying.
[★ You have acquired an intact Ancient Weapon Power Core.]
And, as if to sweeten the moment, the system delivered some good news. Feeling my in-game wallet grow fatter, I dove back into the hunt.
Typically, party hunts are done in one-hour intervals. In these high-end hunting grounds, people often spend hours together, but everyone needs a break sometimes. While the Berserker stepped out for a smoke, I sat in the safe zone and scrolled through the streaming platform.
[Whisper from TorchBearer]
The streamer I was searching for was DongmiCham. Since I might run into them during this job, it wouldn’t hurt to check them out in advance. While I wasn’t expecting a fight, being prepared never hurt. But after searching, I couldn’t find a live stream.
Looks like it’s turned off for now.
After setting an alert in case they went live during the hunt, I adjusted my voice channel settings. From now on, only TorchBearer would be able to hear me. I’d be typing in the Lucet stream chat for the rest.
I minimized the screen and tucked it next to the mini-map. This way, I could keep an eye on Lucet and maintain my focus. The perfect setup.
“They might still be online. DongmiCham’s stream is off, but they could still be playing.”
An intriguing story began to unfold.
Dongjak Station Agent and TorchBearer had originally been in opposing factions. They’d even traded colorful insults in the field. But once military service called, TorchBearer became Dongjak Station’s junior.
At first, he thought it’d be the start of some brutal hazing. Even without that, he expected things to be awkward at the very least. But surprisingly, Dongjak Station let it slide, and they quickly became close.
As I mentioned earlier, reputation matters in this game. When you poach a guild member like this, it’s only fair to give the other side a chance to vent their anger. In the end, vengeance can only last so long before it fizzles out after a few weeks.
It made sense why SSA was taking a passive stance.
“Dongjak Station must really value you. Calling in an upper guild and hiring me as well, just to keep you safe.”
Yup, this was exactly the sort of siege warfare I was used to. The familiar, pungent stench of betrayal and opportunism. Ah, how nostalgic.