And then, the Killer went berserk.
[Server] Killer: @@@ I sent the request first. Get in line. @@@
[Server] Killer: @@@ Did you seriously hit first and run? @@@
[Server] Killer: @@@ Trying to cover up that barrier mistake by sacrificing a Warlock as an easy target? I challenge you to a duel, Noise. @@@
[Server] Killer: @@@ So you thought a Warlock in a one-person guild, unable to join a party, would be an easy target for public manipulation? Got caught trying to pick a fight? Warlocks have shitty burst damage, not shitty sustained damage—didn’t realize that, huh? Got exposed for having zero understanding of other classes? Brilliant work, Noise~ ^^ @@@
Was that guy defending him or insulting him? The endless flood was making Sa-yoon’s head spin. There was no way he could outmatch that level of aggro.
[Server] Killer: @@@ Noise, answer me. @@@
[Server] Killer: @@@ Noise, answer me. @@@
[Server] Killer: @@@ Noise, answer me. @@@
[Server] Killer: @@@ You gotta choose—character deletion match or running away? What kind of guild master has no pride? @@@
[Server] Killer: @@@ NoiseNoiseNoiseNoiseNoiseNoiseNoiseNoiseNoiseNoise @@@
[Server] PotatoChip: Am I watching a horror movie right now?
Sa-yoon deeply related to that passing comment in the rapid chat flow. Watching this unfold, he couldn’t help but wonder—had this guy actually been holding back with him?
Finally, as if he couldn’t take it anymore, Noise responded.
[Server] Noise: ※※※ Stop it. ※※※
[Server] Noise: ※※※ Killer, I accept your character deletion match. ※※※
“…What the fuck…?”
Did he seriously choose him over me? He wasn’t AFK—he must’ve been looking up our match history.
And Killer? That guy hadn’t even placed in the top 10 in the recent siege battle.
Sa-yoon muttered a curse under his breath, frustrated at the chance for revenge slipping right before his eyes.
[General] Shokrates: LMAO, dodging the character deletion match by picking a newbie. Peak no-swag moment.
[General] Shokrates: But picking the guild master? Dumbass move.
At some point, Shokrates had crouched beside him. How the hell did this guy find his location?
Thinking about it, he’d been too distracted to remove him from his friends list. That stark white hair looked unfamiliar—he must’ve changed his appearance since the last time they met.
His name was taken from that famously ugly Greek philosopher, but ironically, his customization actually looked pretty decent.
[General] Shokrates: Chasa, wanna come watch our character deletion match?
[General] Chasa: Huh?
Sa-yoon, caught staring at his appearance, blurted out a dumb response.
Of course, he was going to watch. But the way Shokrates said it, he didn’t even entertain the possibility that Killer might lose.
Sure, Noise had slipped up once during the siege, and yeah, he was looking kind of braindead right now—but he was still a top-ranked player.
Even in a backwater server like this, maintaining the role of a commander for multiple terms wasn’t easy. That made Shokrates’ certainty all the more strange.
[General] Chasa: What if Killer loses?
[General] Shokrates: Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Shokrates burst into laughter, like Sa-yoon had just said the funniest thing in the world. Staring at his monitor, Sa-yoon’s eyebrow slowly lifted.
Sure, he’d partied with Killer before, and the guy was good—but class matchups mattered.
A Demon Hunter versus a Guardian.
Demon Hunters relied on high burst damage, taking enemies by surprise and deleting them in a single cooldown rotation.
But Guardians were too damn tanky. Even if a Demon Hunter got the jump on them, it was nearly impossible to take them down in one go.
Once the initial ambush failed and their skills were on cooldown, it was easy for a Guardian to turn the fight around.
Assuming both players were of equal skill level, the Demon Hunter was at a severe disadvantage.
And Noise was ranked 19th in match records. He wasn’t an opponent you could take down easily. Unless you were a single-digit ranker across all servers…
“What was his ranking back then?”
Sa-yoon had been so pissed off about the online stalking that he had looked up Lepus’ Killer in the rankings. He had definitely scrolled all the way down to the lowest recorded ranks, but…
That was over six months ago. His memory was hazy.
His brow furrowed deeply.
“Ah!”
It came back to him. Killer’s ranking was private.
[General] Chasa: What if he loses but doesn’t delete his character?
[General] Shokrates: C’mon, our guild master’s got a shitty temper, but he’s not the type to go back on his word.
[General] Shokrates: If he loses, he’s just gonna be the laughingstock of the server for a year, that’s all.
[General] Shokrates: Anyway, you coming to watch?
[General] Shokrates: Looks like they’re setting up the arena now!
[Shokrates has invited you to a party. Accept?]
The arena had a total of ten rooms. When friends wanted a private match, they usually rented a room for a closed battle. But this match was going to be public—there had to be as many witnesses as possible.
With a player limit for each room, once the arena was announced, there was no way Sa-yoon would get a spot. Without hesitation, he accepted the party invite.
[‘Chasa’ has joined the party.]
Inside, familiar names were already gathered. No, they weren’t just familiar—they were exactly the people you’d expect to see here.
[Party] Freedeal: OMG, it’s Chasaㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
[Party] GegulGegulFrog: But we’re all blocked, so he can’t see our messages, right? ㅇㅅㅠ
[Party] Oath’s Vow: Haha, nothing we can do about it. ㅜ
[Shokrates has requested entry to Spectator Stand 7. Accept?]
The moment he pressed “Accept,” the sound of clashing swords—clang!—rang out, and the screen shifted.
[You have entered Spectator Stand 7. Skill usage is disabled.]
In the circular arena with a sandy floor, Noise and Killer stood face to face. They weren’t moving, likely whispering to each other about map settings and match rules.
Looking across the stands, Sa-yoon spotted a few people sitting below, all bearing the guild tag .
As he took in his surroundings, the party members began gathering around him in a loose circle.
[Party] GegulGegulFrog: But Jeon-gi didn’t even get unfriended or blocked… so jealous.
[Party] Furple: I should’ve been late too. ㅜ
[Party] Shokrates: Hehehe.
[Party] Freedeal: Jeon-gi, watch what you say.
[Party] Shokrates: ‘ㅁ’
[Party] Freedeal: And stop using those loser-ass emoticons. ㅜㅜㅜㅜ
[Party] Freedeal: If you get blocked for being cringe, we’re doomed.
[Party] GegulGegulFrog: For real. You’re our only communication bridge right now. ㅜ
[Party] Oath’s Vow: Jeon-gi, put your hands away. From now on, you’re on mute. ^^
Unaware that their block had been lifted, the group huddled around, busy trying to keep Shokrates from saying anything stupid.
Sa-yoon sat down quietly, pretending to be invisible.
[Party] Furple: Why did we all get blocked when it was the guild master’s fault? So unfair. ㅜ
[Party] Oath’s Vow: Should we leave a message in the guestbook?
[Party] GegulGegulFrog: Gasp.
[Party] GegulGegulFrog: NO NO NO NO NO.
[Party] Freedeal: Chasa, you didn’t check the guestbook?
[Party] Oath’s Vow: Huh?
[Party] GegulGegulFrog: That’s just gonna backfire. ㅜ
[Party] Furple: We were told not to harass him, but no one listened. ㅜ
[Party] Oath’s Vow: What the hell is this…?
Oath’s Vow must have checked the guestbook because they were now utterly baffled, repeatedly muttering, “Why would they do this?” and “If we get blocked again, we deserve it.”
[Party] Freedeal: See? I told you not to do it, but no one ever listens. Morons, the lot of you. ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡
[Party] GegulGegulFrog: Uh… Freedeal, are those hearts or are you cursing?
[Party] Freedeal: I’m too exhausted to care. Don’t talk to me.
[Party] GegulGegulFrog: Got it. ㅜ
[Party] Furple: But they won’t pass down the commander role, right? Noise was ranked #2.
[Party] GegulGegulFrog: No way, not after seeing this mess.
[Party] GegulGegulFrog: I mean, I was shocked by how bad his commanding was.
[Party] Freedeal: Can you even command solo? He’s not a tank. ㅜ
[Party] Oath’s Vow: Realistically? No. That’s what worries me.
[Party] GegulGegulFrog: Yeah… Dude really thinks he got #1 just by dumb luck. ㅇㅅㅇ…
But Sa-yoon knew it wasn’t just luck.
A Warlock soloing and still placing first? That was unheard of.
At first, even he had thought it might’ve been a fluke. But there was no way someone could accidentally avoid every siege battle mechanic designed to force a war of attrition.
Sa-yoon opened the combat log again. Clicking on “Entries Applied to Me,” he was met with a wall of familiar names.
[Combat] ‘Killer’ used Encouragement on ‘Chasa.’ For 1 minute, while within 10m, attack power increases by 20%.
[Combat] ‘Freedeal’ used Holy Light on ‘Chasa.’ Recovered 1,380 HP.
[Combat] ‘Freedeal’ used Blessing on ‘Chasa.’ Max HP increased by 15% for 30 minutes.
[Combat] ‘GegulGegulFrog’ used Unseen Valor on ‘Chasa.’ Attack power increased by 30% for 10 seconds.
[Combat] ‘Oath’s Vow’ used Oath’s Vow on ‘Chasa.’ For 8 seconds, grants a shield with 100% chance to block all incoming damage and increases Stun/Resist/Bind resistance by 3,000.
[Combat] ‘Killer’ used Sacrificial Spirit on ‘Chasa.’ Redirects all damage taken for 30 seconds.
[Combat] ‘Killer’ used Shadow Pact on ‘Chasa.’ Evasion increased by 1,000 for 30 seconds.
The list went on and on—hidden layers of support that he hadn’t even noticed at the time.
