Stalkerizing – Chapter 177

[Guild] GentleFlamePants: Cut off my neck ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

The party members, wiped out due to the frog’s mistake, resurrected at the starting point like zombies.

Oath’s Vow: I’ll just explore for 10 minutes and leave.

Swakkoong: Restroom run, then explore, okay~

Sa-yoon stretched his stiff neck as he got up, only to be met with a pair of large, unblinking eyes following his every move. It was a silent question—Where are you going?

“I’m just stepping out for a smoke.”

“Okay.”

Shin-jae responded obediently and immediately turned his gaze back to the monitor.

“Huh? Oh, uh… I’ll be back.”

The one caught off guard was Sa-yoon. Why wasn’t he following? Just before they started, he had clung to him like he’d die if they were apart… No, wait. If this was a sign that his separation anxiety was finally improving, then that was something to celebrate.

Still, standing alone in the vast garden, smoking, felt oddly awkward. Sa-yoon barely took a few drags before stubbing out the cigarette and heading back inside without hesitation.

As he climbed the stairs, he suddenly looked up—Shin-jae was standing there silently.

“Jesus, you scared me.”

“Hyuuung.”

One was coming down, the other going up, and they met in the middle of the stairs. Shin-jae pulled Sa-yoon into a tight embrace.

“Why are you out here? You thirsty?”

“No, I came to greet you.”

Coming from his ridiculously handsome face, even nonsense sounded like pure logic, and it was amusing.

As they entered the room, Shin-jae immediately led Sa-yoon to his usual spot.

“Hyung, look at this—Venomous Toxin. I got this just now.”

He moved the mouse to hover over the skill, and a description appeared. Sa-yoon followed the long fingers pointing at the screen. There was a new line of text he hadn’t seen before.

[This skill can be combined.]

“This got me curious, so I checked all my skills. It’s not just on Venomous Toxin, but also on Celestial Punishment… Hyung? What’s wrong?”

Shin-jae, noticing Sa-yoon burying his face in his hands, quickly grabbed his wrist. Sa-yoon shook his head.

So that’s why he didn’t follow me—he was busy checking this out.

The lingering sense of disappointment melted away like cotton candy dissolving in water, leaving only one thought in his mind: I want to kiss him.

“I’m just… really happy.”

And Sa-yoon wasn’t the type to hold back when he wanted something. He cupped Shin-jae’s soft cheeks, and with hardly any resistance, the younger man’s head tilted toward him. Their lips met, warm and yielding.

Hyung must be really pleased about the upgrade.

Thinking that, the little rabbit flushed red but continued his explanation.

“Anyway, it’s also on Celestial Punishment.”

There was no way some classes would have two support skills while others had none. If the system was fair and ensured at least two per class…

“Holy shit.”

Divine had a total of 10 classes. Even excluding the Warlock, that meant 18 new skills were being added. There were conditions, of course—the Diamond gauge had to be filled, and party members had to use specific skills to activate it.

Sa-yoon gripped the armrest of his chair tightly. If he didn’t, he might just bolt out of the room like a lunatic.

Oath’s Vow: Chasa, are you here?

“Yes, I’m here.”

Oath’s Vow: About that new skill—this isn’t an ultimate update, right? Is this the only new skill, or are there more?

Jeon-gi: Damn, you sound like you’re rapping.

Clearly, Sa-yoon wasn’t the only one excited about the party-wide damage boost—the tank’s questions started pouring in.

“It’s not an ultimate, but a skill activated by filling the gauge. It’s classified as a party support skill and seems to trigger based on teammates’ skills. I actually just tested it with Killer…”

After a brief explanation, they went through everyone’s skills and identified the ones that could be combined. As expected, the total came to 18.

Oath’s Vow: So it’s not a solo-use skill, then?

“Yeah, a party member has to use a skill first to trigger it.”

Frog: So if I use an opening skill, the Warlock follows up with some badass finisher??

Furple: Damn, it’s a full-on party coordination skill.

Oath’s Vow: I bet there’s an optimal combo depending on the situation. This is getting me hyped.

Jeon-gi: Ugh, you sound like a grad student.

Furple: Combos aside, I bet the skills vary by class too.

Swakkoong: I think the difficulty of the Underworld Dungeon will depend on whether there’s a Warlock or not.

Jeon-gi: Hey, shouldn’t someone be treating us in honor of the buffs~? Chasa-nim, I won’t ask for much~

Frog: Are we celebrating the upgrade with a feast after getting Perfect Clear?

They were like a pack of piranhas, ready to bite at any opportunity. But Sa-yoon had been through hell in this jungle already—he wasn’t easy prey anymore.

“Isn’t it customary to send a congratulatory wreath when a friend gets promoted? But since it’s you guys, I’ll accept your congratulations in gold.”

Frog: Damn, he really has changed.

Freedeal: Where did the kind Chasa-nim go? The one who used to mail us gifts out of gratitude…

“Oh, that guy? He’s dead.”

Swakkoong: Guess he got toughened up hanging around these savages.

Oath’s Vow: What’s the cooldown?

“Still unknown.”

Swakkoong: Judging by the damage, I bet the cooldown’s gonna be long as hell.

Jeon-gi: If the cooldown is short, this is broken as hell.

Broken? This was broken? If this was OP, then Black Mages should’ve been locked behind bars already. Sa-yoon was just about to snap back at the sheer privilege oozing from that statement when—

[Guild] WildGrassHare: Is Black Mage bottom-tier DPS for real?

[Guild] WildGrassHare: I saw you chatting and slacking off earlier, but you looked happy throwing away DPS.

[Guild] WildGrassHare: Are you a spy sent from Mandarin to sabotage our Perfect Clear?

Out of nowhere, the little herbivore next to him picked a fight with Shokrates.

Freedeal: Here we go again, another personality explosion.

Swakkoong: Honestly, I think they’ve held back a lot up until now.

Frog: Annoying as hell, but not wrong, which makes it even more infuriating.

Even with the sudden hostility, the guild members took it in stride. Clearly, this wasn’t anything new.

“Aha.”

Now he finally understood why that guy had the nickname “Inseong (Toxic).” As Sa-yoon let out a short exclamation of realization, a whisper popped up immediately.

[Whisper] WildGrassHare: He started it by talking shit about Warlocks first.

[Whisper] WildGrassHare: Couples are supposed to be of one mind, you know… ㅠㅠ

The way he had his partner’s back was impeccable. Could this even be called “supporting from the sidelines”?

Sa-yoon glanced over—Shin-jae had an innocent expression on his face. A beast with razor-sharp claws, pretending to be cute… No matter how many times he looked, he was just an oversized baby lynx.

Jeon-gi: Bottom-tier DPS, huh? Let me show you what a real Black Mage can do.

That hit a nerve. Black Mages were considered top-tier DPS, so of course, Jeon-gi wasn’t about to let that slide.

[Guild] WildGrassHare: LOL, DPS showdown?

[Guild] WildGrassHare: Loser keeps their mouth shut until the run is over.

Jeon-gi: You mean until we finish this dungeon?

[Guild] WildGrassHare: Scared?

[Guild] WildGrassHare: lololol

Jeon-gi: Fine. I’ll show you what real Black Mage DPS looks like.

Swakkoong: Mouth-sealing duel confirmed.

Frog: Isn’t this kinda one-sided?

Furple: You mean a rigged match?

Oath’s Vow: Alright, both of you, do your best… Let’s keep moving.

Swakkoong: Yes, sir!

Oath’s Vow’s tone had an air of resignation, as if he’d given up on controlling the chaos.

Still, having done this a few times before, they made it to the next phase with ease. When Cerberus’s HP dropped below 70%, Harpas began fading away, turning translucent before vanishing completely. As the melody stopped, the boss entered its second rage phase.

Oath’s Vow: Watch the ground markers.

After a front paw slam, a glowing red cross spread across the floor. Ugh, ground markers are such a pain. Muttering under his breath, Chasa quickly moved to a safe zone.

With a loud boom, the red cross detonated, creating a new danger zone. To survive, they had to keep moving. Now it made sense why the space was so large.

Like a waltz, Oath’s Vow spun in circles with Cerberus, dancing through the safe zones.

Frog: What kind of training did this dog go through that it goes nuts without background music?

In the middle of endless junkyard obedience training, flames burst to life on Cerberus’s head. The fire clinging to its body made the frog hesitate for just a second—just long enough for the ground marker to explode.

Cerberus didn’t miss the opening. With a perfectly timed sequence—vision obstruction, trap activation, then a strike—it slammed its front paw down. For a mere mob, its combo execution was unnervingly precise. The Blade Master’s HP plummeted instantly.

[Guild] GentleFlamePants: HEAL ME ㅠㅠㅠ

[Guild] GentleFlamePants: I’m about to become grilled frog meat ㅜ

Swakkoong: Ah………

Moving interrupted heal casts, but ignoring the floor markers meant taking damage. If they didn’t heal, Frog was dead either way. Caught in this dilemma, Swakkoong let out a sigh.

Oath’s Vow: Frog, use Mortal Resolve.

“Try using Block.”

Oath’s Vow and Sa-yoon spoke at the same time—both suggesting skills with HP recovery effects.

But Frog used neither Block nor Mortal Resolve. Instead, the flames suddenly disappeared.

And just like that, the frog was gone—reappearing 20 meters away. Retreating Slash. The Blade Master’s movement and escape skill.

And also… way outside the healer’s range.

Freedeal: Dude, what the hell are you doing?

[Guild] GentleFlamePants: ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I misclicked ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Frog: Just… leave me behind………

But abandoning him wasn’t an option. If they lost Frog here, Oath’s Vow would have to tank all three of Cerberus’s heads alone. That was a guaranteed wipe.

53%. They had already been at this for over an hour. Sa-yoon didn’t hesitate. He pressed his skill.

“I’m summoning him.”

[Combat] ‘AlmondCrunch’ is summoning ‘GentleFlamePants’.

The tank holding down all three heads, the healers frantically throwing out spells left and right, and the DPS silently doing the work of two people each—no one was making it out of this without sore wrists.

Frog: Holy shit! I LIVE! I’M ALIVE! Heal me, please!

Immediately, a flurry of Priest’s Incense spells landed on the frog. The off-tank, barely escaping death, returned to position, and a heavy sigh escaped Oath’s Vow’s mic. He must’ve been too overwhelmed to even speak properly.

The party was finally stabilizing.

Furple: Damn, if the tank spontaneously combusts, the difficulty skyrockets.

Swakkoong: Still just a game of Russian roulette, huh?

Oath’s Vow: By the way, when you summoned Frog just now, all his debuffs disappeared. Is that right?

Sa-yoon, who had been about to hit the respawn button, furrowed his brows. The timer hadn’t run out—the debuffs had been removed?

“I’m not sure.”

Either way, now wasn’t the time to test it. Cerberus’s HP was down to 51%—which meant a new special phase was about to begin.

Oath’s Vow: Approaching 50% phase transition.

Not long after, the ground beneath them started trembling, and suddenly, hands shot up from below. Minions were spawning.

Swakkoong: Shit, this turned into a zombie movie.

Oath’s Vow: Inseong, take care of the adds.

[Guild] WildGrassHare: Ok