NoveLight ™
Contrary to my initial concerns, the party hunt progressed without much interruption. On the first day, we hunted for four straight hours without being disturbed, and it seemed like the party members had taken a liking to one another. When someone suggested we meet up again tomorrow, no one objected.
And so, the second day arrived. By now, we had grown familiar with each other, and the atmosphere was more relaxed. As usual, MountainBird, the Bard, started the conversation right off the bat.
It started as a discussion about item setups but eventually shifted toward me.
FundochiMania, the Martial Artist, was the one who asked the question. He was from the guild waging a siege, and despite his... peculiar appearance matching his strange nickname, he seemed like a cheerful older guy.
“So, Gawol, how do you even use that chain scythe? I saw it for the first time yesterday and asked a friend about it. He said it’s not really meant to be used as a weapon.”
“You get used to it. It works fine if you practice.”
“Oh...”
He nodded, though it seemed like he wasn’t completely satisfied with my answer. But at least he didn’t ask any more questions.
The chain scythe was definitely a tricky weapon. It’s part of the soft weapons category—like nunchaku, whips, or flails—requiring high levels of mastery to wield effectively. The version I use is particularly complex, probably one of the most challenging. If this were the real world, I wouldn’t even attempt to use it.
But this was a game, after all. With a bit of system assistance and practice, it became something I could manage. Although, I wouldn’t call it my main weapon. But at higher levels, it tends to catch people off guard, giving me an advantage.
Plus, the range is excellent. Among melee classes, it’s one of the best in terms of reach.
It’s especially useful for mob gathering in situations like this. The alternative would be to rely on throwing weapons, which costs money. And once you start burning through them, the expenses can add up fast. Best to save money where you can.
“By the way, Gawol, do you usually hunt in parties like this?”
“Not often. Only when the opportunity comes up.”
“I thought so. I hunt in parties a lot, but I’ve never run into you before. I guess this is my lucky day.”
“Lucky, huh... well, if you put it that way, I’m happy to hear it.”
MountainBird’s words felt like subtle flattery. Even if it was just to be polite, it made me feel good. If it works for both of us, why not?
As we continued the hunt with my first-ever fan, the moment I’d been expecting finally arrived.
[DongmiCham has started streaming!]
The chatter among the party members died down, especially between the more experienced players. I even received a private message from TorchBearer, the sniper and party leader.
[Whisper from TorchBearer]
FundochiMania also seemed to be in contact with someone. His mouth was moving, though I couldn’t hear his voice. As the lead in the party, I could see him clearly, but the others, due to their positioning, wouldn’t notice. He was doing a decent job of keeping it discreet.
I pulled up DongmiCham’s stream and shoved the window into the corner of my interface, adjusting my settings so only TorchBearer could hear my voice. Then I pointed out something that had been bothering me.
“Just call me ‘bro.’ Being called ‘sis’ feels a bit too much.”
“If I don’t like it, I don’t like it. Once this job’s over, we’re strangers again. You really want to keep seeing me?”
The reply was delayed. He probably didn’t fully understand, but that didn’t matter.
I knew how I appeared to others. The reflection in the mirror was always there, reminding me. Thanks to the limitations of the VR connection, Gawol’s body in the game perfectly matched my real-world physique. But I wasn’t confident enough in myself to constantly assert my masculinity in a body like this.
Since I’d forgotten to filter my voice, I’d long since given up on hiding my gender.
That didn’t mean I was entirely comfortable with it, though. The disconnect between my mind and body was still there. And it wasn’t a pleasant one.
Learning to accept a woman’s body... that would take a lot of time.
“What’s that Martial Artist planning to do? Someone’s got to take the first hit to get this going, right?”
The situation was starting to make sense. To justify this setup, we needed to have a casualty on our side first. Even if it meant losing a party member, they’d be able to argue that the hunt had been ruined.
The only question was who’d be the one to die... As long as it wasn’t me or TorchBearer, things should proceed without a hitch.
I couldn’t afford to be the one who died. I’d gotten used to tolerating pain, but it was still unpleasant. Plus, dying for the sake of ‘honor’ wasn’t worth the four-hour connection penalty.
I was already set up for pure damage, so I didn’t need to change much. But the Martial Artist and Sniper would probably have more adjustments to make. If combat broke out and casualties followed, I’d have to buy them some time.
A chain scythe wasn’t ideal for close-quarters combat, so I switched to a dagger and hid a backup weapon in my cloak. As soon as I made the switch, MountainBird spoke up in his usual innocent tone.
“Huh? You’re not using the chain scythe anymore?”
“I forgot to repair it earlier. The durability’s almost gone. I’ll get it fixed during the next break.”
“Heh. I guess even Gawol makes mistakes.”
Not that there’d be a ‘next break,’ but still... I really hoped MountainBird wouldn’t die.
[Title: Bug Hunt Begins] [DongmiCham is live.]
The screen showed a dense, overgrown forest rapidly flying by. As the ruins of a crumbling structure came into view, DongmiCham surveyed his surroundings.
No other enemies in sight.
At this rate, he’d reach the Ancient Weapon Hangar soon, where today’s prey would be waiting.
Today, he had brought two assassins with him to ensure the sniper would be taken down. With the forward line covered and a mage and high priest providing firepower, the sniper wouldn’t even stand a chance.
He had even prepared a backup party just in case.
“Exactly what the title says. I’m hunting a bug. I’ll fill you in on what happened later.”
DongmiCham’s in-game name was a reference to a peculiar kind of public humiliation, and recently, he’d had plenty to be angry about. His younger guildmate had betrayed him right after completing his military service, and his once-thriving stream was in a steady decline. Even his edgy content wasn’t pulling in views like it used to.
Of course, that was no surprise.
At first, his creepy screenshots of female avatars had drawn attention, but that kind of shock value never lasts. Without any long-term content, his stream had quickly started to fade.
“...And to top it off, TorchBearer, that bastard, stabbed me in the back. Sure, I waited for him to finish his service, but he took off with guild items. Isn’t that crossing the line?”
But DongmiCham had found his opportunity in all this chaos. With a righteous cause of dealing with a traitor, he could get away with some more extreme behavior. As his eyes, burning with greed and fury, scanned the hunting party ahead, a grin spread across his face.
DongmiCham wasn’t well-liked, but he was no amateur in siege warfare. He quickly assessed TorchBearer’s party.
The Martial Artist had his nickname and guild hidden. The assassin had only hidden their nickname, but no guild. He knew the sniper well enough, and the other two? Neither their guilds nor names were worth worrying about.
“Bro, the Martial Artist seems a bit shady.” “I know. Don’t touch him or the assassin for now. I’ll take out the Bard first, and you go for the Berserker.”
It was obvious what he was up to. DongmiCham’s mind raced as he pieced it together.
If the Martial Artist, who should have been lying low, was out hunting, there was something off. SSA might be playing their cards, but DongmiCham had his own ways of handling things.
Betrayal could not go unpunished.
He knew the Martial Artist’s guild would probably complain, but they could easily swap in their own replacements. That way, they wouldn’t have to hear any nonsense about ruined hunts.
“Well, well, who do we have here—”
In an instant, DongmiCham lunged at the Bard, grabbing the halfling’s head with his oversized hand.
All he had to do was wait for the skill animation to finish. Once the ‘grab’ had succeeded, the move was locked in. The rest was just a matter of following up and taking screenshots.
The chat cheered him on, and DongmiCham fed off the energy.
With brutal efficiency, his muscular avatar slammed the halfling Bard into the ground. MountainBird’s HP rapidly drained, but DongmiCham wasn’t done. He repeatedly smashed the Bard, and finally, with one last strike, buried his axe into the fallen Bard’s chest, finishing the job.
For good measure, he shouted in triumph.
“Herbivore bug exterminated! You lowlifes should’ve cleared out the moment we arrived, don’t you think?”
With that, their support was gone. The call came in that the Berserker had also been dealt with. If the party had any sense, they’d retreat.
But then, a strange system message appeared before DongmiCham.
[Shindosimish Hunter has been killed by an unknown adventurer.]
Something was wrong. That player shouldn’t have gone down so easily. DongmiCham turned, just in time to see the assassin rushing toward his priest, their eyes filled with a cold, almost frozen fury.
“What the... Stop them!”