The teleport prompt blinked once, and with a soft chime, Kai accepted.
The world around his avatar blurred. When the distortion settled, he stood on a bright island covered in rolling grass and scattered wildflowers. An oddly peaceful backdrop for a battlefield.
A knight waited at the spawn point, wearing dented silver armor marked with the insignia of the Immortal Legion. His posture was stiff, and one hand rested on the sword at his waist as usual.
And when Kai approached him and pressed interacted, the knight spoke. "You finally arrived," His tone appeared to be filled with urgency. "I'm Cixius. My squad was ambushed while scouting the island. I need your help saving the survivors."
Kai spun his staff once, letting it rest on his shoulder. "Sure. I'll keep you alive."
Cixius didn't react—NPCs rarely did anyway. Only special NPCs would, and those NPCs were basically AI programs designed for specific hidden quests. Those NPCs could change armors and weapons, and even level up... But Cixius is a normal NPC.
So the moment his dialogue was over, he started down a dirt path cutting through the green fields while Kai followed behind, walking at a calm pace. For a moment, the island looked almost too pretty for a danger zone: glowing butterflies drifted around the brush, and sunlight flickered through swaying trees.
That illusion lasted about a minute, though.
The first monsters crawled out from behind a cluster of rocks: twisted Virds with insect-like legs, crooked jaws, and yellow eyes that pulsed like lanterns.
[Enemy Detected: Vird]
HP: 562
Kai didn't bother engaging. He tapped his buff icon, and a warm ripple of light flowed from him to Cixius.
[Enchanter's Blessing Applied — ATK +30%]
This is where the Support class excels. Unlike other games, here, in Dual Persona Online, the support class players could buff already-strong NPCs unless it is a fixed cinematic scenario. Of course, support class players have the most obvious weakness: they don't have spells and attack damage skills, like other attackers. Not many can just depend on the buff skills they have and pull it off on their own.
And now, with the buff from Kai, the knight charged like a man who had spent years on the battlefield. Every hit knocked a monster off its feet. Kai walked behind him, leaning on his staff like he was taking a casual stroll.
"This is the real grinding technique," he said under his breath.
Meanwhile, every monster burst into motes of blue light when defeated, and their EXP flowed into Kai's bar, as this NPC can't level up. It filled steadily as they crossed deeper into the island. The Virds grew nastier, crawling out in clusters, letting out angry hisses as their limbs thrashed. But the pattern never changed: buff, watch, and collect.
Soon they reached the mid-zone, where the ground became darker and trees grew twisted from heat and claws. Larger monsters lurked between the burned trunks. One lumbered forward. It was a giant rodent-shaped creature with thick armor plates and claws hooked like sickles.
[Enemy Detected: Carrion Beast]
HP: 2600
Kai didn't change his method.
Buff the NPC and stepped back.
Cixius jumped in with a roar, shield up, and then flashed his sword. The monster swung wildly, carving trenches into the dirt, but its movements were slow and heavy. It didn't take long for Cixius to chop it down.
Along the way, they found wounded survivors trapped in makeshift cages—some injured, others simply terrified. Each time they opened a cage, a faint sound cue played, and the quest counter rose.
And Kai's levels kept rising with every fight.
Level 6…
Level 7…
Level 8…
By the time they reached the last rescue point, the atmosphere had changed completely. The ground was charred black, cracked in places as if something huge had stomped through. At the center of a pit lay the final squad member, alive but unconscious.
And in front of him prowled something huge.
[Boss Monster: Carrion Pack Leader – Bloodthirsty Shaaz]
HP: 8342 / 8342
It stood almost twice as tall as Cixius. Thick bone plates covered its shoulders, its tusks were stained red, and every breath released hot mist.
Kai crouched slightly, adjusting the aim on his rifle-form staff.
Cixius lifted his sword. "We will take point."
"Go wild," Kai said. "I'll clap later."
The knights charged together, shields raised and formation tight. The ground trembled each time Bloodthirsty Shaaz struck one of them. Kai supported from afar, casting Multiple Blessing and Arcane Surge whenever their cooldowns reset. Gold and blue lights flickered around the knights, making them faster, sharper, and more synchronized.
Bloodthirsty Shaaz fought like a beast built purely to break its opponents. One swipe nearly tore a knight in half; another sent two of them tumbling backwards. Despite that, the boss's health dropped steadily.
2100… 1800…
Kai narrowed his eyes. "Alright. Time to finish this."
He moved behind a burnt tree trunk, crouched, and for the first time since landing on the island, he layered both offensive buffs on himself.
[Enchanter's Blessing — Self Applied]
[Arcane Surge — Self Applied]
A pulse of energy wrapped around his avatar. His staff glowed red at the tip as he held down right-click—charging Multiple Blessing into its offensive state.
Bloodthirsty Shaaz turned sharply, sensing him because of the instinct factor the boss' monsters have in this game.
1524…
"Not today," Kai murmured.
He fired.
The bullet shot through the air with a sharp whistle and struck Shaaz square in the forehead.
[CRITICAL HIT]
[Headshot Bonus +20%]
Damage: 1732
The huge monster froze, then crashed to the ground with a heavy thud. Silence settled over the field.
The surviving knights gathered around Cixius, exchanging short congratulatory words. Kai ignored their chatter and walked forward, sliding his weapon back into idle mode as a stream of notifications filled the right side of his screen.
[EXP +13,890]
[Level Up 8 >>> 9 >>> 10]
[You Have Reached Level 10]
[New Skill: Piercing Judgment — Reduce enemy DEF by 25% for 10s]
[Trait Unlocked: Dual Trigger — Switch between two weapon modes instantly]
Kai opened his character panel, tapping the new skill icon.
"Worth the session," he muttered. Then, as fatigue crept in through his fingertips, he sighed. "But I'll stop here. Level 20 can wait."
He logged out.
The transition back to reality was soft. The cyber café returned around him with dim neon signs reflecting on black flooring, and distant voices chatting about builds and quests were heard around. Kai pulled the game card from the slot and tucked it into his jacket pocket.
As he stepped out of the booth, the receptionist jerked upright.
Nakanose Aya, short, ponytailed, still in her school uniform, looked at him like she had been waiting the whole time.
"K-Kai-sama! What do you need?" she blurted. "You could've used the cabin intercom! You didn't have to walk all the way out!"
"I'm done," Kai said simply.
Aya blinked. "Done? Already? You were only in there for forty minutes."
"I hit level ten. Goal reached for the night."
The shock on her face was almost funny. "Forty minutes… to ten…? That's insane! Casual players take two hours!"
Kai raised a hand lightly as if brushing away the praise. "I'll pay on Wepay."
She scrambled to unlock her phone and held it out. He scanned the code and paid the money.
When the beep confirmed payment, Aya shifted awkwardly, clutching the phone with both hands. She hesitated, then leaned forward slightly.
"Um… thank you for coming, Mr. Spencer. Please visit again. We'll give you a… a special discount." Her voice dropped. "For Kai-sama."
Kai paused, noticing the flush on her cheeks. "Nakanose-san, do you work reception every day?"
"Huh? Oh—no. My dad owns this place. I just help after school sometimes."
Kai studied her quietly. "Even so. It's late. A girl alone at the desk isn't safe. Be careful."
Aya's expression softened, a small, genuine smile replacing the fluster. "I will. Thank you."
Kai lifted a hand in casual farewell and walked out through the automatic doors. The moment he disappeared, Aya hugged her phone close, cheeks bright pink.
"He's still the same… handsome… and so kind," she whispered to herself. Then giggled softly. "And now I've got his number… hehe..."