Suddenly, a message appeared at the bottom of the chat window: “Multiple people are typing…”
That only showed up when at least three people were typing at the same time.
[Furple]: ??? We agreed to leave?
[GegulGegulFrog]: Guys, guys, HUGE NEWS~~~
[Jeon-g]i: Eh? I don’t remember that.
[Chasa]: ?
[Chasa]: No backing out.
[Freedea]l: Nowhere to go, so we can’t leave right away. ㅜㅜ
[Jeon-gi]: Moving always takes time, gotta find a new place first.
Anyone would think they were talking to a real tenant being told to move out. Creating a guild just took a few mouse clicks.
[Freedeal]: No, no, listen.
[Freedeal]: Inseong freaked out and disbanded the guild, right?
[Freedeal]: And in the meantime, someone took Reaper. ㅜ
[GegulGegulFrog]: Everyone~~~
[Chasa]: Damn.
[GegulGegulFrog]: That’s what I’m saying~~~
[Oath’s Vow]: Don’t you guys have jobs?
[GegulGegulFrog]: No~~~
[Freedeal]: I’m in contact with them to buy it back, just wait a bit. ㅠ
[GegulGegulFrog]: Can you see this~~~?????
[Furple]: Yeah, clear.
Sa-yoon tilted his head as he watched the screen. If the problem was the name, they could just create a guild under any name and change it later. His fingers moved immediately.
[Chasa]: How about making a temporary one so you can leave?
[Freedeal]: Wow, Chasa, you’re cold-hearted…
[Freedeal]: That’s like saying, “I really wanna dye my hair Cozy Blue, but how about using Sky Blue for a few days instead?”
[Chasa]: Oh, that’s not happening.
He answered reflexively. His level of education was practically that of a top-ranked Ph.D. graduate.
Comparing a temporary guild name to having to play the entire game while staring at a completely mismatched hair dye color? Seriously? Well, there were all kinds of peculiar people out there… He just had to make sure he never became one of those obsessive otakus.
Executing a textbook case of hypocrisy, Sa-yoon nodded to himself. Since it was a one-man guild anyway, there wasn’t any urgent need to kick himself out immediately.
[GegulGegulFrog]: Ha… Guys, this is NOT the time to be chilling!!!!
[GegulGegulFrog]: Look at this.
[GegulGegulFrog]: http://www.divine.com/news/notice/132492
[Furple]: Not buying.
[GegulGegulFrog]: No, this time it’s REAL. ㅜ A new battlefield announcement! ㅠ
It was the classic tale of the boy who cried wolf. Every link that was supposedly a “MUST-SEE” usually led to something like “Check out my cat” or “Why Blade Masters NEED a buff this season”—completely useless posts.
Of course, even if they were useless, the cats were cute. So, feeling like he was being fooled one last time, Sa-yoon clicked the link. But instead of the cat he was expecting, he was met with an actual announcement.
***
[A New Battlefield Appears! Pre-Update Notice]
Author: GM Nymph
Hello, heroes!
Have you heard the news?
The Goddess of Wisdom, Athena, has devised a new strategy. It looks like a fresh wave of change is coming to the battlefield.
Try out new strategies and team compositions in the newly introduced 2vs2 Duo Battlefield!
A new 2vs2 battlefield will be available after the update.
You can queue up as a party of up to 2 players.
If there’s a ranking gap between teammates, the match will be based on the average score.
Season 1 Rewards
▷ [Check Season Rewards]
▷ [Check Rank-Based Rewards]
***
“…Holy shit.”
Sa-yoon muttered involuntarily as he checked the rewards.
Considering it was the first season of the new 2vs2 battlefield, the regular season rewards were fairly standard. But the real treasure was in the rank-based rewards. That’s where they had packed all the good stuff.
And the first-place rewards—those were what truly set his heart racing.
[User-Customized Outfit, Mount, and Title]
He could almost hear the hallucination—an entire server full of fashion enthusiasts losing their minds.
What did “customized outfit” mean?
Unlike regular cash shop outfits that came as pre-made sets, customized outfits allowed players to fine-tune every detail, just like when creating a character. It was an ultra-rare look that had only ever been released once—when the King Slayer season launched—never to return.
For reference, the last person to win first-place rewards, Solemio, had quit the game. That meant there were currently zero players on Cygnus who owned a customized outfit.
This had to be done.
For at least the next two months, no social plans, no commitments… That was how far he got in his thoughts before he heard a light tap on the desk.
When he looked up, Shin-jae was standing right beside him. Studying together for midterms. It was the request he had agreed to fulfill in exchange for his last appearance fee. When their eyes met, Shin-jae silently mouthed, “Food?”
Now that he noticed, the reading room was mostly empty. It was lunchtime. Sa-yoon quickly got up and headed toward the exit.
“Food?”
“Sounds good.”
With just those two words, the menu was decided.
If it was rice, it’d be dolsot bibimbap. If it was noodles, pasta. If it was soup, gukbap. After a week of studying together, they had reached the point where a single word was enough.
“Did you, uh… study much? Nothing too difficult?”
The way he spoke was overly cautious—like a parent trying to talk to their moody teenager.
“Just… normal.”
The vague answer put a look of concern on Sa-yoon’s face.
“Normal isn’t good enough.”
“Huh?”
“Never mind.”
While looking for old test papers, he had ended up contacting Myung-woo, the theater club president. That was when he got hit with a shocking revelation.
“You’re studying with Shin-jae? That’s a relief. Actually, he got put on academic probation last semester. If you’re helping him, I guess we don’t have to worry!”
Just remembering that conversation made his vision go blurry.
No wonder he barely asked for any past exams!
Honestly, Sa-yoon didn’t care if someone else failed all their classes or even got expelled for consecutive academic probations.
But if someone else’s life was tied to his?
Since Sa Shin-jae had already agreed to star in his graduation project, their fates were now intertwined. It was like being on the same piece in Yutnori, forced to move together.
Right now, he was cooperative and passionate about rehearsals. But would he still be that way if he got expelled?
Unlike Sa-yoon, Shin-jae cared a lot about how others perceived him. If he ever got kicked out, he wouldn’t dare step foot anywhere near campus, let alone run into former classmates.
And Sa-yoon…
His graduation project was set on the school campus.
Which meant that, for the sake of the project, there was no choice but to get this blockhead to study.
“The fact that he even suggested studying together means he hasn’t completely given up… But what’s really going on in his head?”
On the way to the cafeteria, Sa-yoon stole glances at Shin-jae. When they stopped at a crosswalk, he took the chance to scan him from head to toe.
“Got something to say?”
“…Do you have plans tonight? Going somewhere?”
“No?”
Shin-jae gave him an incredulous look, caught off guard by the question.
“Where would I go when I’m in the middle of studying for exams?”
Right. That made sense.
But then why was he dressed like that? Unless it was for a date.
“Then why are you dressed up so nicely?”
“This? You think… this looks nice?”
Now it was Sa-yoon’s turn to look at him like he’d lost his mind.
A white knit sweater with a V-neck that highlighted the elegant line of his neck. A light beige cardigan, seemingly chosen to match his hair, paired with neatly fitted chino pants.
The whole outfit looked like it had been stolen straight off a department store mannequin. It clashed horribly with the library.
For the record, Sa-yoon was appropriately dressed for the occasion.
A gray zip-up hoodie and sweatpants. The kind of outfit where, if he stood in the lobby for five minutes, at least three people would mistake him for someone else and apologize.
…Could it be that there was someone on campus he wanted to impress?
Romance and freshmen—it was a dangerous combination.
Sa-yoon had seen classmates fall head over heels in love and let their grades crumble. By junior year, they were shedding tears of blood trying to fix the mess they had made.
But this guy? He had already been put on academic probation. One more and he’d be expelled.
“Shin-jae.”
Crisis had a way of making people act kinder.
“From now until the exams are over, you’re studying with me. Every day. No other plans.”
No response.
Was it too much to demand he cancel all plans for two whole weeks? He was twenty, the prime age to be out having fun.
But surely, that was better than getting kicked out.
“Got it?”
After finishing his mental justification, Sa-yoon pressed him again. Only then did Shin-jae mutter a reluctant, “…Yeah.”
And then, suddenly, he picked up his pace and strode ahead.
“Hey, wait up!”
Was it because his legs were long? His strides were huge.
Sa-yoon called after him, but Shin-jae pretended not to hear, keeping his eyes fixed straight ahead.
As he walked, the tips of his ears turned the faintest shade of red.
