So I started the day out with a good feeling. I was at 60%, I had 4 hours all to myself (my parents work till 6, and I had no homework so I didn’t have to worry really), and I was planning to reach level 48 today
At first I was doing well; I moved from Platoon Chronos to Masters, just to try them out. The first screenshot shows just how much I own them. (NOT! =P)

I met a level 51 cleric girl after a few moments; she gave me a level 40 bowman pants practically as soon as she saw me. I was kind of surprised, because people don’t usually do that. Know what I mean?

Though, I had no need for the level 40 pants (there’s a reason why I ditched my level 40 set and it wasn’t to get a new one), it was a generous act. I would’ve famed her, but it didn’t occur to me at that moment.

After a while, I decided to party her. After all, it was only a month ago (to me, a month isn’t all that long because I don’t play much) that I was searching the entire world of Khaini for a cleric. Besides, we were already sharing the map and, when you try to not KS someone, it just makes training harder at a place like Master Chronos.

So we did, and we train for a few moments. I’m nearing 70% when I suddenly realize I have about 50 HP left and a Master is targeting me for its next little spellblast-energy thing. I press the potion button too late and the tombstone falls. In that short moment, more than 50,000 experience goes down the drain.

I don’t blame her and I don’t blame myself. It’s human nature that one would be less careful with their HP when a cleric is around. I wish it wasn’t that way, but it is.

Anyway, I figure that if I power train a little, I’ll still be able to get to level 48 before my 4 hours are up. I go back to that dump of a clocktower and start training again. Soon my training partner has to go and I lose the benefit of her healing; I continue training as usual.

I go back to Platoons because it seems to be faster when I’m solo.

THEN, I accidentally press that dreaded key combination. Alt + Up + Delete, was it? The one that rotates your screen 270 degrees.

Now, MapleStory isn’t affected by screen rotations. If you turn the display upside-down, Maple will still run right-side up. So I would’ve been okay, if not for one. Little. Detail.

That key combination minimizes the game!

Yes, just like the Alt + Tab combination. But it was that much worse, because I had to turn my head and my mouse sideways to not get disoriented. I hastily get back to the game, and find myself miraculously alive! At 30 HP. But, since a platoon is coming my way and I don’t have lightning quick reactions, it bumps me and sends the tombstone crashing to the ground. Another 50,000 exp down the drain.

I’m sure ANYONE would get ticked off by this. ANYONE. But no, it has to be a slow-leveling bowman who has 4 LUK and loses a full 10% every time I die!

So I’m just staring at my ghost-tombstone in shock for a few seconds then press the resurrect button or whatever. I Alt + Tab out of the game to try to turn the display back right-side up. Once that’s done, I come back to the game and stand there for a few moments, stumped on what to do next.

I decide to train at normal chronos for the rest of my four hours. There’s practically zero chance of getting killed there. Besides, historically, killing someone’s children is the most effective revenge. So I’m killing the children of the “adult” chronos that killed me. (I didn’t intend that at first, I only noticed it later.) Screenshot 2 shows me avenging my death on the baby chronos.

So here I am, 15% short of level 48 and more obsessed than ever about leveling. . .

EDIT: several hours later I come back for another hour and gave those platoons what for. I leveled to 48 finally but unfortunately it’s no big deal. Except for the fact that there’s only about 1.2 million experience to go to reach level 50 and a change of equipment D= man, I so feel like grinding for 8 hours on Monday (no school whoopie) but obviously that would be kind of crazy.