This post was created as part of Nexon PEAK activities.

Meow-meow-meow! Hello, I’m 이호, an adventurer living in Erinn. I’ve officially been adventuring in Erinn for over 500 days! (Clap, clap, clap)

I started playing Mabinogi Mobile around June 16 last year, and I’ve logged in every day since, apart from a day or two!

When I think about what’s kept me playing for so long, I realize that my character feels like another version of me, and visiting Erinn has become as much a part of my routine as getting up and having breakfast.

Sometimes it’s just 30 minutes, sometimes as long as 3 hours! Keeping me company through it all is my main, a Crossbowman. Today, I’d like to share how my character has changed from those early days to now.

I actually get up early to play before work. I work through the tasks for that day of the week on all 6 of my characters, including my main. Then I go say hello to Lorna.

I prefer to play when I can really focus, and I don’t get another chance to do that until evening. So I just have a little taste of the game in the morning.

It’s become as natural to me as getting up and having breakfast. Thinking of my character as another version of myself has made those morning logins part of my everyday life.

In the evening, I usually have dinner and then settle in for a proper gaming session. Some days it’s only about 30 minutes; other days, my character and I spend as long as 3 hours together.

However long I play, one thing stays the same: I log in every day! Looking back at my routine like this got me wondering what things were like at the very beginning.

Come along, and let’s take a look back at the old me!

(Here’s that often-shared picture of 이호 from my newbie days.)

At first, I insisted on a look with cat whiskers. I’ve mentioned this before when explaining my nickname, but it comes from the nickname <고양이>, so I had one firm rule: collect absolutely anything cat-related for my character.

That’s why you’ll see whiskers in my old pictures.

(My old signature look is on the left, and my current one is on the right.)

But after sticking with those kitty whiskers for over a year, I felt a little sorry I hadn’t tried more looks. So these days, I hardly ever wear cat whiskers!

I’ve moved away from the look I was so set on at first. Sometimes, when I run into friends I haven’t seen in a while, they ask, “You don’t wear cat whiskers anymore?”

Does that mean I’ve left all the cat touches out of my look?
↳Not at all.

My dyeable cat ears are still my absolute favorite.

I wanted them so much that I spent a whole week going to Alby Dungeon 2-3 and trying my luck over and over. And I still wear them every day, of course. I even have not one, but two pairs. Haha! I dyed them in reverse color schemes.

Of course, my appearance isn’t the only thing that’s changed. Back in Season 0, my combat power was a little over 30,000, but now it’s a whopping 110,000.

To think my combat power is 110,000 now! My goodness.

Seeing it next to the number I remember from back then makes the difference feel even bigger. Back in my day, 30,000 was… oh, listen to me!

My combat power may have changed, but I’m still playing my Crossbowman! It’s what you might call my “first pick” class. I can’t forget how much fun I had when I first tried it, so no other class has quite won my heart.

Still, I’ve gotten plenty of other classes to level 65, the maximum level! I remember how long it took just to get my Crossbowman to max level at first, but now I’ve mastered a whole 9 classes. (An achievement I’m proud of)

Looking back, though, it’s not just about the changes I can see, like my appearance and combat power. There are all the memories I’ve made along the way, too.

One of those memories is from a Succubus raid on Hard difficulty. I was playing with people I’d happened to meet, trying to finish my weekend raid. Then, out of nowhere, someone I’d never met before addressed me directly:

“이호, your character is so cute!”

Hearing that compliment about my character put me in such a good mood all day! It was one of those moments that made me smile again every time I thought of it.

I think it stayed with me because I see my character as another version of myself and put so much care into dyeing everything! I’d dressed my character up in a way I thought was cute, and someone I happened to meet thought so, too.

And. So.

If you asked me what I’d most like to show off about my main right now, I’d have to say how cute my character is.

You really can’t talk about Mabinogi Mobile without mentioning how cute it is.

If you treasure not just the changes in your character’s combat power, but also the look you’ve created to suit your taste and the memories you’ve made while playing, I think you’ll relate to today’s story.

It feels especially meaningful to share my story with anyone wondering what keeps someone coming back to Mabinogi Mobile every day for so long.

From the days when cat whiskers were a must to now, when the whiskers are gone but I still wear cat ears every day, I’ve been caring for my main as another version of myself.

What would you like to show off about a character you’ve been playing for a long time?