Dusk (BL Light Novel)

The prices have become too steep for newbies to navigate the game. The cost of travel has shot up sharply, transaction fees have ballooned, and when you factor in the cost of resurrection and healing, the money you earn from quests isn’t nearly enough to keep playing.
If the server had always been one of the weaker factions, prices would have plummeted, reducing supply and subsequently lowering the costs, making it easier for newbies to survive. But in our server’s case, the sudden collapse caused prices to crash, and everything that could possibly generate revenue — transaction fees, market costs — surged. It was inevitable that newbies with thin wallets would be forced out.

In a week, the penalty for losing the base will lessen, and we’re expected to reclaim the territory. If they can just hold out until then, it’ll be fine. But if the newbies drop out before that, it would be a near-permanent loss of manpower. The Third World server has character creation locked, meaning no new players can join. We have to hang onto the returning newbies — the so-called "returnees" who made characters ages ago and are now coming back.
After the last offline event, the number of returning players had noticeably increased. Posts were even popping up about people trying to acquire Third World server accounts, causing a huge headache for ZeroSoft. With such a prime opportunity to recruit, everyone was pushing hard to capitalize — and here I was, fouling it all up by falling for Retaking a Class’s scheme.
Besides the skyrocketing prices, the base we lost was on the brink of being isolated, cutting off a crucial area frequented by newbies. And with no power to defend themselves, they were getting slaughtered.

...This is bad.
I hadn’t really thought much about it, but now that I did, it was a bigger deal than I’d realized.
The moment that hit me, I moved my character and started scouring the base, darting through every corner where players might be lingering — from the temple interior that nobody really entered except for quests, to the trading post, shops, storage, and every other possible hangout.

Finally, I headed into the workshop area, usually bustling with crafting players. That’s when I spotted a military-ranked player talking to Boongboongi, the healing NPC.
In Dusk, you can only be promoted from Soldier to Sergeant after completing all the basic quests. Once you become a Sergeant, you can’t be demoted back to Soldier, no matter how much your reputation drops. So that player was definitely…
[General] Honeybread: Hey.

A newbie.
[General] Is This Game Fun or What: ?
[General] Is This Game Fun or What: Me?
[General] Honeybread: Yup.
[General] Honeybread: Newbie?
[General] Is This Game Fun or What: Yep.
[General] Honeybread: Got it.
Without wasting time, I opened a trade with the newbie.

[General] Is This Game Fun or What: ??
[General] Is This Game Fun or What: I don’t have any money;
[General] Honeybread: Nope.
[General] Honeybread: Just accept it.
Who in their right mind would try to swindle a clueless newbie for pocket change and low-level items?
The newbie seemed suspicious of me and hesitated, causing the trade to automatically cancel. I reopened the trade and waited. I’d keep sending it until he accepted.

While I was waiting, someone started reviving at the Resurrection Stone near Boongboongi. At first, I didn’t pay attention, used to seeing that animation a hundred times a day. But then the name caught my eye — Gonyanyannyang2.
Did they die again already?
While I stared blankly in that direction, the newbie in front of me finally accepted the trade.

[System] Is This Game Fun or What has accepted your trade request.
[System] You have registered 500,000 Amber as the trade item.
[General] Is This Game Fun or What: ?;;
[General] Honeybread: Accept.
[General] Is This Game Fun or What: Why are you giving me this??;
[General] Honeybread: Because you’re a newbie.
I could have launched into a long explanation: “Due to my poor decision-making, the market prices have skyrocketed. For the next week, you’ll be stuck wandering around Atelienara, healing and buying gear, and the quest rewards won’t be enough to cover it. So just take it and don’t ask questions.”
But that would’ve taken too long.

The newbie seemed to get it, falling silent for a moment before finally sending a simple thank you.
[General] Is This Game Fun or What: Thank you;;
[General] Honeybread: Yeah. Spend it wisely.
I let him go on his way and scanned the surroundings. Gonyanyannyang2 was nowhere to be seen, probably having moved to the base after respawning.

It felt good to help out a newbie. Maybe that’s why people went out of their way to support them.
Wondering whether there might be more newbies around, I considered heading to the Level 40 zones, where they’d likely be grinding before moving to the base. I wandered around the area a couple more times, keeping an eye out for similar nicknames. During my search, I noticed a player with a name somewhat similar to mine reviving and disappearing multiple times.
At that point, I just thought, “Wow, they’re really grinding hard.”

But when I eventually headed to the Level 40 zones and found nothing, then came back to see Gonyanyannyang2 reviving yet again, the situation started to feel off.
I decided to wait, and it didn’t take long. Gonyanyannyang2 respawned once more.
Something was clearly wrong. What the hell was this newbie doing to get killed so often? Was someone targeting them?
I approached Boongboongi and stood there, eyes fixed on the Resurrection Stone, waiting.

Before long, the animation started, and the character reappeared.
The name Gonyanyannyang2 floated above their head.
This is bad.

[General] Honeybread: Hey.
[General] Gonyanyannyang2: Yes?
Gonyanyannyang2 immediately targeted me and responded eagerly.

[General] Honeybread: What are you doing?
[General] Gonyanyannyang2: Reviving!
[General] Honeybread: No, I mean, what quest are you doing?

I’d literally just watched them resurrect right in front of me. There was no way I didn’t know. I brushed off the clueless response and waited for their real answer.
[General] Gonyanyannyang2: Oh... I was told to go to the Temple Faded by Darkness, so I’m on my way to Base 42.
[General] Honeybread: Got it.
[General] Honeybread: You haven’t cleared it yet?

[General] Gonyanyannyang2: Nope... Hehe, I keep dying.
Well, they’re Level 43. It’s tough to deal with the Jeojajok mobs when they’re max level and fully geared. Even a tank would struggle a bit.
I fired off a quick response.

[General] Honeybread: Alright. Go ahead.
[General] Gonyanyannyang2: Huh?
[General] Honeybread: Go finish what you were doing.

As I said that, I pulled out the base transfer scroll. I intended to move as soon as Gonyanyannyang2 started moving.
[General] Gonyanyannyang2: Oh... Okay...
Leaving behind a somewhat dejected message, the newbie headed straight for the base transfer statue. The moment they vanished, I clicked on the scroll and transferred to Base 43.

[System] You have entered a conflict zone.
The loading screen faded, and the notification rang out, signaling that I had entered a conflict zone. Standing nearby was Gonyanyannyang2.
[General] Gonyanyannyang2: ??

The newbie just stared at me with a bunch of question marks, clearly confused by my sudden appearance. Without missing a beat, I opened the map and checked the direction to Base 42.
[General] Honeybread: Follow me.
After confirming the route, I closed the map and started running. I alternated between sprinting and stopping, making sure Gonyanyannyang2 was keeping up. Once I was sure they were right behind me, I sped up, heading toward Base 42.

After running for a bit, I spotted them. As expected, a Jeojajok sniper was perched on a distant tree, waiting. They probably had their sights locked and were ready to shoot.
I adjusted my path to shield Gonyanyannyang2 and sprinted toward the sniper, closing the distance as quickly as possible.
An arrow shot through the air, striking the ground just short of hitting the newbie.

I kept running, praying that the sniper wouldn’t land a hit, and finally reached the tree. Without wasting a second, I activated a skill and slammed it into the tree trunk.
The impact shook the tree violently, and the sniper — ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) who had been stubbornly aiming at Gonyanyannyang2’s head until the very last moment — came tumbling down.
Assassins with high magical defense but low physical defense — especially those long-range DPS builds — were nothing but tender meat for a tank like me. A few solid hits and they were chewed up and spat out.

[System] You have defeated Jeojajok Commander LATATUYEE.
[System] You have gained 1,230 Fame Points.
One down.
While I was chugging a potion, Gonyanyannyang2 started clapping, clearly impressed.

[General] Gonyanyannyang2: Thank you... Thanks to you, my head’s still intact. I died so many times earlier, hehe ㅠㅠ. I think my movement is just bad...
It was just a typical newbie struggling with basic mechanics, but why did they look so beaten down? Before they could sink any deeper, I cut them off.
[General] Honeybread: Nah. You kept up with me just fine.
[General] Honeybread: Let’s go to the dungeon.

After giving them a bit of encouragement, I started sprinting toward Base 42 again. Gonyanyannyang2 followed behind me, running with more determination this time.
When we arrived at Base 42, it was the same as before — a party of four max-level players from the opposing faction causing trouble.
Might as well go for it. I turned to Gonyanyannyang2, a military medic and a Harmonizer.

[General] Honeybread: Buff me.
I could probably handle three of them, but four would be cutting it close. I needed a buff just to be safe.
[Combat] Gonyanyannyang2’s AIT-II-XV injection has granted a unique stat boost.

Gonyanyannyang2 followed my instructions, casting the buff while maintaining a cautious distance. They continued to hang back as I charged forward, closing in on the Jeojajok party.
When I got close enough, I initiated the fight with a capture skill.