The charm effect didn't last long.
Once the players recovered, they all looked at Jocelyn with caution.
As expected of Thorned Rose.
Beautiful—
But covered in thorns.
For a moment, those who had joined her team quickly suppressed their earlier thoughts. The group became noticeably more disciplined.
Jake clicked his tongue.
"Figures. That's how Thorned Rose does things."
Old trick.
But effective.
Compared to that, dealing with his own guild members was much more reassuring.
Players were, by nature, proud.
Temporary teams were unreliable.
So a bit of "discipline" was always necessary.
And nothing worked better than strength.
Jocelyn's expression turned serious.
"Everyone here should know the game Plants vs. Zombies."
"The basic idea is simple—zombies try to eat Dave's brain, and players use special plants to stop them."
She paused slightly.
"But as you all saw just now, Dave—who should be supplying us with plants—has a problem."
Jake nodded.
"Iron Fist has records of this world. Normally, Dave provides plant seeds, and after each wave, more seeds are unlocked."
"This world usually tests reaction speed and plant combinations."
Silence.
The players waited.
They wanted to see what the two leaders would decide.
Jocelyn spoke again.
"Without plants, this is no longer a tower defense game."
"It's a survival game."
Jake added,
"Unexpected, yes—but it also means higher rewards."
"This kind of variation has happened in other worlds before."
"As long as we work together, clearing it isn't impossible."
…
Their first action—
Scout the surroundings.
If possible, find where the zombies were coming from and strike first.
But—
There was nothing.
No terrain.
No graves.
Just empty ground.
With time running out, they adjusted their strategy.
Four teams.
Each guarding one direction of the house.
Kael's team had six people.
Three frontliners.
One healer.
Two backliners.
Jake was confident he could maintain the frontline alone, so he allocated fewer people here. Another direction had eight.
With nothing to do for the moment, Kael took out his book.
Mage Apprentice Essentials (3).
The path of a mage was long.
Jake glanced at him, eyebrow raised—
But didn't stop him.
…
The calm didn't last.
The frontline player Wu Shiyong suddenly shouted—
"Contact!"
Shouts echoed from other directions as well.
Kael closed his book and stored it.
The bright daylight—
Vanished.
Darkness fell instantly.
Night.
No light.
The yard was pitch black.
And then—
The sounds of zombies.
As if the darkness itself had brought them.
Wu Shiyong stiffened, gripping his shield tightly.
"Something touched me!"
The other two frontliners panicked.
Jake barked,
"Stay calm! Anyone have a flashlight? Anything that gives light!"
No response.
Players were the kind to split one Copper Coin into two uses.
Who would carry something like that?
Before Jake could say more—
Kael tapped the ground lightly with his staff.
A fireball formed.
Larger than usual.
It floated to the center of the yard under telekinetic control.
It gave off no heat.
Only light.
Bright, steady light—
Like a lamp.
The entire yard lit up.
The three frontliners nearly attacked each other.
They had been bumping into each other.
The zombies hadn't even arrived yet.
"…."
Silence.
Awkward silence.
No one spoke.
As long as they didn't mention it—
It didn't happen.
The female Gunslinger at the back glanced at her rifle—
And suddenly felt it wasn't so impressive anymore.
Kael hadn't learned a Light spell.
But modifying Firebolt's structure to create a variation—
That, he could do.
With Spell Analysis and the mage manuals—
He had already broken down Firebolt's structure.
"A spell is not meant to be inconvenient."
Jake broke into a smile.
"Brother, what's your name?"
Kael hadn't spoken in chat.
Jake didn't know his in-game name.
Kael had avoided speaking—
Because chat displayed level.
And he had no intention of exposing that.
"Kael."
"Kael," Jake nodded. "How long can that fireball last? What's the cost?"
Kael thought briefly.
"About ten minutes. Costs around 40 mana."
He exaggerated the cost slightly.
Jake's eyes lit up.
"Can you maintain four at once?"
The public channel was already in chaos.
Other directions clearly lacked light.
Kael nodded.
"…But the mana consumption—"
Before he could finish—
Jake was already grinning.
Everything else was secondary.
—
[Chat]
Jake (Iron Fist) LV12: Crazy lady, you still alive?
Jocelyn (Thorned Rose) LV12: Say that again?
—
The situation wasn't unique to Kael's side.
Jocelyn was using charm repeatedly to stabilize her team.
But even she was getting irritated.
—
[Chat]
Jake (Iron Fist) LV12: Kael can solve the lighting. Mana cost is the issue.
Jocelyn (Thorned Rose) LV12: I'll handle the cost.
—
Soon—
Kael climbed onto Dave's roof.
Four fireballs floated in the air—
Lighting all directions.
For the first time—
Jocelyn felt how precious light was.
And also—
Extremely annoyed.
She shot a glare at someone.
Her own team had mages.
Yet none of them could even handle basic illumination.
One had even thrown a fireball at a teammate earlier—
Causing chaos before the zombies even arrived.
The mage in question smiled awkwardly.
Who would waste skill slots on non-combat spells at this stage?
After some discussion—
Kael's position was fixed.
Without light—
There was no fighting.
But maintaining four fireballs would drain his energy, reducing his combat contribution.
So—
Compensation.
Jocelyn handed him a necklace.
Other players contributed mana potions.
[Item]
Mana Recovery Necklace
Quality: Green
Intelligence +2
Mana +50
Effect: +1 MP per minute
Level Requirement: 10
Durability: 12/12
Description: A beginner mage's essential!
Kael immediately labeled her—
Rich.
His expression softened noticeably.
It wasn't that he was materialistic.
He was just—
Very broke.
The potions from other players came from different worlds, but their effects were reliable.
Soon, everyone else left the roof.
Only Kael remained.
Maintaining the fireballs.
Using telekinesis, he adjusted their positions to maximize lighting.
Then—
He sat down and began meditating.
He hadn't forgotten—
He was only level 5.
He couldn't even equip the necklace yet.
And this world—
Felt wrong.
Staying in peak condition was more important than anything else.