Over the next two weeks, Jin-woo worked exclusively for the Shadow Merchants. Vex sent him job offers almost every day. The pay was significantly better than grinding or collecting taxes.
Day 1: Territory Patrol
Jin-woo's first job after the caravan was a territory patrol. The Shadow Merchants controlled a mining area in the northern mountains. Other guilds sometimes tried to take control of the mines by force.
Jin-woo was assigned to patrol the area with two other guards. They walked around the mining zone for four hours, checking for hostile players.
At hour three, they encountered a group of five players from a guild called [Iron Fist]. The guild members were level 26-29. They were trying to set up a camp near one of the mines.
Jin-woo and the two other guards approached them. The guard leader, a level 30 warrior named "BladeFury," spoke first.
"This territory belongs to Shadow Merchants," BladeFury said. "Leave now."
The Iron Fist guild leader, a level 29 paladin named "HolyJustice," refused. "We have as much right to this area as you do."
A PvP warning appeared. 5 seconds until combat.
The fight started. Jin-woo focused on a level 27 mage. He activated Blood Rage immediately. His damage increased by 35% and his health began draining.
Jin-woo used Frenzied Slash. Three rapid strikes hit the mage. 163 damage. 167 damage. 161 damage. The mage's health dropped from 380 to 0 in one combo. The mage died instantly.
A level 28 rogue tried to attack Jin-woo from behind. Jin-woo spun and used Whirlwind Strike. The attack hit the rogue for 304 damage. The rogue's health dropped to 196.
Jin-woo followed up with Power Strike. 256 damage boosted by Blood Rage. The rogue died.
The remaining three Iron Fist players saw two of their members die in seconds. They retreated and logged out before the fight could continue.
The patrol job was complete. Jin-woo earned 12 gold for four hours of work. The actual combat lasted less than thirty seconds, but the patrol time was paid in full.
Day 3: Warehouse Defense
Jin-woo's second major job was warehouse defense. The Shadow Merchants had a warehouse in a contested zone. Rival guilds occasionally tried to raid the warehouse and steal stored goods.
Jin-woo was assigned to guard the warehouse for six hours during the night shift. Three other guards were on duty with him.
At hour four, a raid group appeared. Twelve players from a guild called [Crimson Blade] approached the warehouse. Jin-woo recognized the guild name from his earlier delivery job weeks ago. These were the players who had tried to take the stolen weapons from him.
The raid group was well-organized. They had two tanks, three healers, four damage dealers, and three ranged attackers. All were level 28-32.
The four warehouse guards formed a defensive line at the warehouse entrance. Jin-woo stood on the left side with a level 31 berserker named "RageFist."
The raid group attacked. The two enemy tanks charged forward. One tank engaged RageFist. The other tank engaged Jin-woo.
The tank attacking Jin-woo was level 30. His name was "SteelGuard." He wore full plate armor and carried a sword and shield.
SteelGuard used Shield Bash. The shield hit Jin-woo for 67 damage. Jin-woo was stunned for 1 second.
When the stun ended, Jin-woo activated Blood Rage. He used Frenzied Slash on SteelGuard. Three hits landed. 142 damage. 139 damage. 145 damage.
SteelGuard's health dropped from 850 to 424. But SteelGuard was a tank. His job was to absorb damage, not deal it. A healer behind him cast a heal spell. SteelGuard's health restored to 624.
Jin-woo realized he could not kill SteelGuard while the healer was alive. He needed to change targets.
Jin-woo used Whirlwind Strike to push SteelGuard back. The attack dealt 278 damage. SteelGuard's health dropped to 346.
Jin-woo ran past SteelGuard toward the healer. The healer was a level 29 priest named "DivineMercy." She was standing twenty meters behind the front line.
A damage dealer tried to intercept Jin-woo. The player was a level 31 warrior. Jin-woo used Power Strike without stopping. The attack hit the warrior for 247 damage. The warrior's health dropped to 353.
Jin-woo continued running toward DivineMercy. The priest saw him coming and started casting a fear spell. Jin-woo rolled to the side. The fear spell missed.
Jin-woo reached DivineMercy and used Frenzied Slash. All three hits landed on the priest. 156 damage. 161 damage. 158 damage. The priest's health dropped from 420 to 0. She died.
SteelGuard lost his healer. The other three warehouse guards focused on killing the raid group's damage dealers. RageFist killed two enemy players with his high burst damage. The other guards killed three more.
The raid group lost seven players in the first two minutes. The remaining five players retreated. The warehouse defense was successful.
Jin-woo earned 18 gold for six hours of work plus a 5 gold bonus for successfully defending against a raid.
Day 5: Caravan Guard (Second Assignment)
Jin-woo was assigned to another caravan job. This time the route was from Ironforge to Stoneguard, a four-hour journey through mountain passes.
The caravan had four guards. Jin-woo was paired with three new players he had not worked with before.
The first three hours were peaceful. The caravan moved through safe zones without incident.
At hour four, the caravan entered a narrow mountain pass. Rocks and cliffs surrounded the road on both sides. Visibility was limited.
An ambush was triggered. Twenty NPC bandits appeared from behind rocks. They were level 30-32. The bandit leader was level 34 with 2,000 HP.
The four guards engaged immediately. Jin-woo focused on the nearest group of bandits. There were four bandits in front of him, all level 30.
Jin-woo activated Blood Rage. He used Frenzied Slash on the first bandit. Three hits. 151 damage. 148 damage. 153 damage. The bandit's health dropped from 1,300 to 848.
The second bandit attacked Jin-woo with an axe. The axe hit Jin-woo's shoulder. 73 damage. Jin-woo's health dropped to 437.
Jin-woo used Whirlwind Strike. The spinning attack hit all four bandits. Each took approximately 290 damage. The first bandit died. The other three had their health significantly reduced.
Jin-woo used Power Strike on the second bandit. 261 damage. The bandit died.
The third and fourth bandits attacked together. One stabbed with a dagger. 61 damage. The other swung a club. 68 damage. Jin-woo's health dropped to 308.
Jin-woo's Blood Rage ended. His health stopped draining. He had taken significant damage from multiple sources.
Jin-woo drank a health potion. His health restored to 458.
Jin-woo used normal attacks on the third bandit. 79 damage. 82 damage. 77 damage. Frenzied Slash came off cooldown. Three hits. 149 damage. 152 damage. 146 damage. The third bandit died.
The fourth bandit was alone. Jin-woo finished it with Power Strike and two normal attacks.
Jin-woo had killed six bandits total during the fight. The other three guards had killed the remaining fourteen. The caravan was intact.
Jin-woo earned 15 gold for the completed job.
Day 7: Territory Patrol (Second Assignment)
Jin-woo was assigned to another patrol job. This time the territory was a forest zone where Shadow Merchants controlled several lumber camps.
Jin-woo patrolled with three other guards for five hours. During the patrol, they encountered two separate groups of hostile players.
The first group was four players from an independent team. They were cutting down trees in Shadow Merchant territory without permission. Jin-woo and the guards gave them the option to pay tax or leave. Two players paid 50 silver each. The other two refused and attacked.
Jin-woo killed one player, a level 26 ranger, with a combination of Frenzied Slash and Power Strike. The fight lasted fifteen seconds. The second hostile player was killed by another guard.
The second encounter was more dangerous. A group of seven players from a guild called [Dark Brotherhood] tried to ambush the patrol. They had been hiding in the trees, waiting for the guards to pass.
The ambush was well-coordinated. Three rogues used stealth to attack the guards from behind. Four other players attacked from the front.
Jin-woo was attacked by a level 29 rogue. The rogue appeared behind him and stabbed. 94 damage. Jin-woo's health dropped to 406.
Jin-woo spun around and used Whirlwind Strike. The attack hit the rogue for 287 damage. The rogue's health dropped to 213.
The rogue used a skill called "Vanish" and disappeared into stealth again. Jin-woo could not see him.
Jin-woo activated Blood Rage and moved to help another guard who was fighting two enemies at once. Jin-woo used Frenzied Slash on one of the enemies, a level 28 mage. All three hits landed. 164 damage. 167 damage. 162 damage. The mage died.
The rogue reappeared and attacked Jin-woo again from stealth. The dagger stabbed Jin-woo's back. 102 damage. Jin-woo's health dropped to 304.
Jin-woo turned and used Power Strike. The charged attack hit the rogue for 268 damage. The rogue's health dropped to zero. He died.
The remaining Dark Brotherhood players retreated after losing three members.
Jin-woo earned 14 gold for the five-hour patrol plus a 3 gold bonus for defeating the ambush.
Over two weeks, Jin-woo completed eight major jobs for the Shadow Merchants:
2 territory patrols: 12 gold + 14 gold = 26 gold 2 caravan guards: 15 gold + 15 gold = 30 gold 1 warehouse defense: 18 gold + 5 gold bonus = 23 gold 3 smaller jobs (escort missions, material transport): 4 gold + 5 gold + 6 gold = 15 gold
Total from Shadow Merchant work: 94 gold over two weeks.
Jin-woo also spent his free time grinding monsters in level 25-30 zones. He ground for approximately four hours per day when he had no jobs scheduled.
He focused on high-value mobs that dropped rare crafting materials. Desert warlords in Crimson Wastes dropped flame crystals worth 15 silver each. Mountain trolls in the northern peaks dropped troll hide worth 20 silver each.
Jin-woo's grinding routine was efficient. He would find a spawn point with three or four mobs grouped together. He would pull them all at once, use Blood Rage and Whirlwind Strike to hit them all, then finish them with Frenzied Slash and Power Strike.
His Berserker class made him extremely effective at killing multiple enemies quickly. What used to take five minutes at level 20 now took two minutes at level 26.
Over two weeks of grinding, Jin-woo accumulated approximately 45 gold worth of materials and vendor trash.
During the grinding sessions, Jin-woo also gained significant experience. On day four, he reached level 26. On day nine, he reached level 27. On day fourteen, he reached level 28.
Each level gave him:
10 stat points to allocate (he put 7 into Strength, 3 into Vitality) +5 Strength automatically from Berserker class bonus +20 HP per Vitality point (instead of +10 from before level 25)
At level 28, Jin-woo's stats were:
Name: Jin Park
Level: 28
Class: Berserker
Strength: 132 (90 base + 21 allocated + 15 from class bonuses + 6 from gear)
Vitality: 50 (41 base + 9 allocated)
Agility: 11
HP: 610/610
Jin-woo's damage output had increased dramatically. Power Strike now dealt 350-380 damage without buffs. With Blood Rage active, it dealt 470-510 damage. Frenzied Slash dealt approximately 550-600 total damage across three hits. Whirlwind Strike dealt 400-420 damage per target.
Jin-woo decided to invest in better equipment. His Berserker's Cleaver was still good, but his armor was outdated. He was still wearing level 20-23 pieces with low defense values.
Jin-woo went to the auction house in Havencrest City. He searched for level 25 Berserker armor sets.
He found a complete set called "Warlord's Battle Gear." The set included: helmet, chest armor, gloves, pants, and boots. All pieces were level 25 rare quality gear with bonuses for Berserkers.
Set bonuses:
2 pieces: +10 Strength 3 pieces: +5% Critical Hit Chance 4 pieces: +15% Critical Hit Damage 5 pieces: Blood Rage duration increased by 5 seconds
The total cost for all five pieces was 8 gold. Jin-woo had 139 gold in his inventory (94 from jobs + 45 from grinding). He could easily afford it.
Jin-woo bought the armor set. He equipped all five pieces. His character's appearance changed. The armor was dark red metal with black leather accents. Spikes protruded from the shoulder guards. The helmet had a visor that covered his face.
Jin-woo's stats updated with the new gear:
Strength: 142 (increased by 10 from set bonus)
Defense: 287 (increased significantly from better armor)
Critical Hit Chance: 15% (5% from set, 10% from Berserker base)
Critical Hit Damage: +40% (15% from set, 25% from weapon)
Jin-woo tested his new gear on training dummies. His average damage increased by approximately 18% from the Strength bonus. His critical hits happened more frequently and dealt more damage.
After buying the armor, Jin-woo had 131 gold remaining. He decided to save it. He would keep 89 gold in the game for emergency expenses like potions and repairs. He would convert 42 gold to real money.
Jin-woo logged out and opened the currency exchange. He converted 42 gold to $4,200 USD. His bank account balance increased to $6,213.
Jin-woo looked at his debt spreadsheet on his laptop. He had been tracking every dollar.
Current Debts:
Student Loans: $32,450.17 (unchanged - still making minimum payments) Credit Card 1: $3,542.31 (reduced from $4,892.31) Credit Card 2: $1,847.88 (reduced from $3,247.88) Credit Card 3: $1,456.43 (reduced from $2,156.43) Family Loan: $500.00 (reduced from $2,500.00) Payday Loan: $0.00 (paid off)
Total Debt: $39,796.79 (reduced from $45,246.79)
Jin-woo had paid off $5,450 of debt over the past three weeks. He had also paid rent for two months in advance. His eviction notice was long gone. His bank account was positive for the first time in over a year.
Jin-woo transferred $3,000 to pay off the family loan completely and make large payments on his credit cards. He kept $3,213 in his bank account for living expenses.
He bought groceries. Real groceries, not just rice and eggs. He bought chicken, vegetables, fruit, bread, and milk. The grocery bill was $120. He did not panic when he saw the total. He just paid it.
Jin-woo's sister called him that evening. She had received the $2,000 payment that cleared his debt to her.
"Jin-woo, you paid me back," she said. "How did you get the money?"
"I got a job," Jin-woo said. "Online work."
"What kind of online work pays this much?" she asked.
"Gaming. I get paid to play a game," Jin-woo said.
His sister was silent for a moment. "Is it legal?"
"Yes," Jin-woo said. "It's complicated, but yes."
"Okay," she said. "I'm glad you're doing better. I was really worried about you."
"Thanks for lending me the money," Jin-woo said. "I know you couldn't really afford it."
"You're my brother," she said. "That's what family does."
They talked for a few more minutes, then ended the call. Jin-woo felt something he had not felt in a long time. Relief. His life was not perfect. He still had $36,796 in debt. He still had no real career. But he was making $5,000 to $6,000 per week by playing ERO.
For the first time in years, Jin-woo's life was stable. He had money. He could pay his bills. He could eat real food. He could sleep without crushing anxiety.
Jin-woo logged back into ERO. He had 89 gold saved in the game. His character was level 28 with powerful gear and skills. Shadow Merchants trusted him and gave him high-paying jobs regularly.
"Keep grinding," Jin-woo said to himself. "The money is getting better."