Chapter 15: The Efficiency of a Pro

“Hey, hit enter! Quick!”

Since Sephiroth was the party leader, I was stuck facing off with the guard until he initiated the entry. I had to dodge that long-reaching spear three more times before the screen finally flashed. As I watched the loading screen for the Walpurgis Ruins, I was certain:

He definitely dawdled on purpose. Bastard.

A moment later, light flooded my vision. [Walpurgis Ruins]. The system notification appeared in white text before scattering like stardust.

The ruins looked like a temple straight out of an adventure game. Tan brick walls stacked precisely, torches flickering along the corridors, and a suspiciously rusty steel door at the far end.

“The atmosphere is incredible.”

“Let’s move. We’re wasting time.”

This was rich coming from the guy who just rounded up three Balrogs for fun and dragged his feet entering the dungeon. I would have snapped back, but Sephiroth had already kicked open the iron door and vanished beyond it.

How can someone be so good at gaming and have such a trash personality? Even if he had a massive inferiority complex because gaming was his only skill, it shouldn’t be this bad. I dumped a bucket of mental curses onto his black-armored back as I followed.

Being a max-level dungeon, even the terrain was treacherous. The path was broken in places, and traps exploded the second you veered off the intended route. We had to swing across ropes to time our landings, or leap from heights and drive our weapons into the walls to slow our descent. Compared to this, the monsters popping up every now and then felt like the easy part.

A newbie would definitely never make it through here alone.

Thunk, thunk. I drove my dagger into an ice wall to slow my fall. Sephiroth moved through this place like he owned it. It was so impressive I couldn’t help but ask his back:

“Why do you spend your time bullying me when you’re this good at the game?”

“I told you, I’m not bullying you.”

The mechanical response came back. At this point, I had to wonder if he was an AI programmed with a single answer. As I grumbled to myself, he added:

“Something interesting showed up for the first time in a while. I couldn’t just ignore it.”

“What exactly is ‘interesting’ about this?”

“It’s not much different from how you lured me here today.”

“I told you to stop using words that can be misinterpreted.”

“I don’t know whose fault it is if you’re the one misinterpreting it.”

Sephiroth shrugged and sprinted ahead. I took a defensive stance in the hollow chamber. Given how well he knew this place, his sudden dash meant one thing: he was about to pull every mob in the sector.

Predictably:

SCREECH!

Black Frost Dragons trailing dark auras and three-headed skeletons were hot on his heels. The dragons, with their obsidian wings and glowing yellow eyes, summoned vortexes of death. Dust and debris swirled through the chamber. I used my basic dash to weave through the chaos.

The three-headed skeletons were split into roles: mage, warrior, and archer. The mage dropped a ball of hellfire right where I was lunging. I dodged the explosion and kicked the hand of the skeleton warrior who was prepping a combo. My damage was only 1, but it was enough to stagger its sequence.

“Kill them already!”

“Mhm.”

Sephiroth replied in a totally uncooperative tone. I swung Pluton’s Sword whenever I saw an opening, but my attack power was so pathetic I was only chipping away 1 HP at a time. I wondered why I was even bothering, but Sephiroth had been dead serious after our first skirmish:

‘Fight with me.’ ‘What? But I can’t even deal damage—’ ‘Fight with me. Or I’m walking away.’

The man was a born talent at tormenting newbies. Gritting my teeth, I hacked at the dragon’s thick hide. I don’t know how the aggro system worked in this game, but even when Sephiroth dealt a million damage, the monsters perfectly tracked my 1 damage and turned their heads toward me.

I rolled sideways to dodge a breath attack. Jagged spikes erupted around the impact zone; you either had to time the roll perfectly between the spikes or take the hit. Since the latter meant instant death, I had no choice but to roll like a man possessed.

“Not bad.”

Fck.* Of all places, I had rolled right to Sephiroth’s feet.

Feeling strangely insulted, I scrambled up. There was no time to be moody. The skeleton archer had tilted its arm about 20 degrees—a rain of arrows was coming. One poison arrow meant death, and the acid puddles they left behind were also lethal. A volley of arrows hissed down onto the spot where I had just been standing.

After a desperate struggle, all the monsters were annihilated. Well, by Sephiroth, not me.

“The Frost Dragons are surprisingly slow.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“The skeleton archers are actually more dangerous.”

“True. Most people die because they ignore the archers when they first get here.”

Our post-combat analysis was perfectly in sync. If only our personalities matched this well. I followed him, clicking my tongue.

The path was cut off again. Floating stones, barely large enough for a single foot, drifted in the air.

He wants me to step on those? I’ll fall the second I touch them.

I narrowed my eyes to watch Sephiroth’s move, but suddenly, an armored hand was thrust toward me.

“What?”

“Hold on to me.”

“Huh?”

What kind of nonsense was this? I took a step back, glaring at him.

“We have to cross.”

“And I have to be carried?”

“Only one person can stand on those at a time. The platforms crumble the moment you touch them.”

They did look fragile, but…

“You aren’t planning on dropping me into the abyss, are you?”

“Me? Why?”

“You know, like a lion pushing its cub off a cliff to make it stronger.”

“Ah, so you’re my cub?”

“I’m asking if you’re trying to ‘toughen me up,’ you lunatic.”

He really had a gift for making me swear. I gave him the middle finger, but he just grabbed that hand and pulled.

“Let’s go.”

“Why are you in such a hurry to clear this when you’re so obsessed with fighting me?”

“I’ve never had a real fight with you, but I’ve cleared this place solo until I was sick of it.”

He soloed this? I was torn between admiring his god-tier skills and hoping I’d never become a game addict like him. The problem was, I was currently the one partied with said addict.

If I keep playing this game, am I going to end up crazy like him?

Taking advantage of my brief lapse in focus, Sephiroth pulled me into his arms. The hard sensation of the iron plate armor wrapped around me, but strangely, it wasn’t unpleasant. I was flustered by the sudden contact, but I quickly regained my composure.

Right. Stay calm. It’s just a game clear. It’s just a pose.

I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck. Only then did he seem satisfied, gripping my waist firmly. His large hands felt like being held by a statue.

“Hold on tight.”

“I don’t need you to tell me that.”

The moment I answered, Sephiroth leaped.

Wind whistled past my ears. My hair whipped around my face from the sheer speed. I realized why he told me to hold on; every time his body jolted from a landing or a jump, I had to squeeze harder.

Why did they design a map that requires you to be carried? I can’t even type in the chat because I’m afraid to let go.

Thanks to Sephiroth’s divine controls, we landed safely on the other side. I could insult everything else about him, but I had to respect those skills. Habitually dusting off my clothes, I asked something that had been bugging me:

“Do more stones appear if there are more people?”

“No.”

“Then how do they cross?”

Sephiroth pointed to the wall. Looking closely, unlike the stone walls we’d passed, this one was made of earth.

“Normally, you drive your sword into the wall and crawl across. But that’s slow.”

“Right. Definitely slow.”

I nodded and followed him.

I can handle many things, but slow progression is not one of them.

[Guild] VeggieSteamedBun: Eonha, what are you doing? [Guild] VeggieSteamedBun: Are you questing alone?? [Guild] VeggieSteamedBun: Your location says Walpurgis Ruins, that’s a glitch, right? [Guild] BlueberryWhiskey: I’m actually here. [Guild] VeggieSteamedBun: You’re REALLY there???

I ignored the flashing guild chat and looked up. Sephiroth had finished looting and was looking at me.

“Done?”

“Yeah.”

Sephiroth had just demolished the mid-boss. I’d half-joked about hiding behind a wall, but after facing his terrifyingly cold aura when I suggested “slackng off,” I had sucked it up and contributed my 1 HP of damage until the end.