The broadcast staff were waiting out of sight and there were hidden cameras, but the only thing visible to me was the self-cam I was holding. It was a lone testament to the casual vibe of the shoot.

Perhaps this laid-back feeling was akin to the filming of

Graduating

, where one could easily forget they were on a set at all. Could it be because Ji-Hyuk naturally embodied a free-spirited persona whenever he was on air?

‘I remember that he was once nicknamed 'the free spirit.'

Anyway, Ji-Hyuk was intently waiting at the reception desk for our food. This made me forcefully drag him to our designated spots once it was ready. I hadn't noticed during our time on the competition program, but it seemed he had transformed into a leader who was often on the receiving end of the members' playful scolding after his debut.

“They will notify us or bring out the food once it's ready. Let's dive into the game for now."

“Got it. So this is

One Hours,

" Ji-Hyuk muttered. His fingers tapped haphazardly at the game's start screen before he stumbled into the character selection menu.

“Hyun-Woo, have you played this before?"

“Yes, it's been a while since I last played though. Do you have a preference for a class? You can choose from here."

“But I thought I already had a character. Why isn't it showing?"

“Oh, really?"

Classic Ji-Hyuk. He seemed to care about nothing else and had probably had a trial run with the game already. I was initially worried he might not grasp the gameplay fully, but thankfully, that wasn't the case.

I took control of the mouse at Ji-Hyuk's computer and began searching for the alleged pre-made character by toggling through different servers.

“It's probably on a different server. What class did you pick before? We could just continue with that."

“Ah, um... Hyun-Woo..."

“Yes?"

Ji-Hyuk, who until then had been all smiles, suddenly had a look of consternation on his face. He appeared genuinely troubled, as if my suggestion was less than welcome. When I paused my search and turned to face him fully, he shook his head resolutely. “I am not going to continue with that class."

“Oh? It doesn’t really matter, though. Wouldn’t sticking with what you’re familiar with make things easier, especially if we are tackling tough raids?"

“No, I feel like I am just terrible at that class." Ji-Hyuk pouted and mimed tears in a display so dramatic it seemed fit for the stage. I always thought he'd excel in theater or musicals. “But I tried it because our youngest insisted I should... and then..."

“And then?"

“I got kicked out after a torrent of harsh words... I am not sure what I did wrong, but the insults were quite severe. They were directed squarely at me."

Swearing?

One Hours

was reputed to be newbie-friendly, which was a stark contrast to its earlier days of player attrition. When I had signed back in after a long hiatus, the community’s warmth was palpable. I was immediately drive-by gifted(an initiation where older players gift items to a newbie before disappearing).

Newbies, even those who jumped levels via purchases, were clearly marked with 'newbie' next to their nickname. Therefore, it was uncommon for them to face harsh treatment.

“What happened, ah..."

The answer became clear the moment I accessed Ji-Hyuk's character setup. His character was pre-leveled to nearly max with perfectly suitable equipment, and shouldn't have had any issues. Jumping users were basically provided with max-level equipment, and it seemed that the members of High Tension had helped set up the gear.

The problem was his choice of character’s class.

“Ji-Hyuk hyung, did you actually enter a dungeon or raid?"

“Yeah, I tried out a raid in preparation, you know?"

“What did you do there?"

“I did what you are supposed to do. Attack and dodge, right? I even studied strategies beforehand because of what our youngest said."

“..."

The thought alone sent a chill through me. Even a newbie healer who neglected to heal and focused solely on attacking in a max-level raid was bound to face criticism.

Fortunately, this incident hadn't escalated to a public forum post since he was a newbie.

“This class is a bit challenging. It requires managing not just your own health but also that of other players. It involves a lot of movement. Do you like using magic wands?"

“I do like magic wands."

“Ji-Hyuk, do you prefer moving around a lot, or would you rather stay more stationary?"

“I'd rather not move much."

At least this opportunity let me gauge Ji-Hyuk's understanding of the game to some extent, which was somewhat reassuring. Ji-Hyuk was smart, and he would get better at the game with experience.

“How about trying this?" I recommended the magician role to Ji-Hyuk and then returned to my spot.

[Please let me know your chosen class and nickname, and I will send you the jump ticket and equipment.]

Since Ji-Hyuk chose the role of a ranged dealer, I selected the swordsman, a melee damage dealer. Then, I replied to the director's message. Soon after, I applied the jump tickets and used equipment that arrived via mail to my newly created character and headed with Ji-Hyuk to the gathering spot in the game designated for the cast.

***

We arrived in front of the Teleport Fountain at Kelustine, known as the meeting plaza within the

One Hours

game.

- Hello~

- Good day, nice to meet you!

- Hi hi~

- Thanks in advance for having me^^

- Hello, nice to meet you all~

As soon as I met the others, it was clear from the chat alone how the cast's ages were distributed. At least two members, whom I guessed to be in their forties, had chosen the classic roles of tanks. They were equipped with greatswords and shields. Another had opted for the healer role, and the rest, including us, were damage dealers.

I quickly noted the imbalance in our group's composition of tanks, healers, and damage dealers. This prompted a suggestion from a seasoned player among us.

- We should probably add another healer if we are heading into a raid.

- It looks like we are short on healers...

- Why don't we start with two tanks, two healers, and four damage dealers?

I surveyed the cast's characters with interest. While I couldn't yet match faces to their avatars, the two tanks were clearly indispensable. Excluding Ji-Hyuk from the damage dealers, one member seemed adamant about not changing roles as evidenced by their persistent jumping in place. The rest were silent, possibly contemplating the proposed change.

What could I do? If no one else wanted to switch, it seemed that I, likely the youngest of the group, would have to step in.

- Ah, I will take on the healer role! hehe

- Nice, good choice!

- Wow, thanks!

- ??

- I will just switch my class and come right back.

After sending a "/greet" emote, I signed off and quickly re-rolled a new character. Although I had previously dabbled in healing as my secondary class, I had never fully committed to it. I was nervous. After all, I was venturing into somewhat unfamiliar territory. But the reason for my decision was that I’d likely perform better than those who had never tried healing before.

I applied for the jump ticket and new equipment, then returned to the meeting point at the fountain. Everyone thanked me with '/bow' emotes for stepping up.

- lol

- Now that we are all here…

With our roles rebalanced and introductions complete, the director's character guided the conversation forward in the chat.

- As this is our raid team's first assembly, let's run a raid to better understand our roles.

- We won't head to our main target just yet.

- Today, we are tackling the Dark Citadel raid, a must-clear for any seasoned

One Hours

player.

The Dark Citadel used to be a notorious raid five years ago perceived as end-game content, infamous for its punishing mechanics that drove many players to despair. However, thanks to general equipment and skill level improvements, as well as nerfs[1] to the raid difficulty over the years, it had become a moderately challenging introductory raid for new players.

- Let's give it a go and see how we do.

- That sounds great!

- This will be fun^^

- I am not the best, but I will give it my all!

- Shall we head there right away?

Everyone agreed to dive in immediately. I hurriedly assembled the party and hovered the mouse over the raid start button.

- Is everyone ready?

- Yesss!!!

- Yep

- Go go go go go!

- Then let's get started!

I clicked the raid entry button and cast a quick glance at Ji-Hyuk. Despite his efforts to appear relaxed, his tension was palpable. It was likely a hangover from his previous nerve-wracking experience as a healer in a raid.

“Hyung, it’s okay to die. Just relax and do your best."

“Yeah, I know, I know. But I will try my hardest anyway."

Although he feigned nonchalance, I wondered if we'd manage to see the raid through, given that it was still similar to the ones back five years. Ji-Hyuk was among the least experienced of us, and although some in the group were in their forties, one reportedly still enjoyed MMORPGs and had spoken during a pre-interview about investing heavily in the game. They might have more gaming acumen than I did.

...But, as usual, reality often strayed from expectations.

- Uh oh, I’m dead, oof

- Why did you die, hyung?

- Sorry, my bad.

- I don’t know why I died.

- Why did you die?

- lol, everyone but the tank and healer died.

The dragon's four consecutive breaths in Phase One had been devastating. Despite clear markers for safe zones, the dragon's fiery breath had sequentially knocked down the ranged damage dealers.

I looked around and realized it was just the tank and I left standing.

- Should we restart?

The tank responded:

- No, no. You, the healer, is still alive. We should be fine, I think.

- Let's keep going^^

1. Certain aspects of the game have been made less challenging, either by decreasing the strength of enemies, simplifying mechanics, or making other adjustments to make the game more accessible and less demanding for players. ?