“How else would I think? If I see them, I see them.”
Sa-yoon wasn’t the type to turn down an invitation. He liked drinking, he liked people, and he liked the rowdy energy of hanging out with a group. The only reason he played Divine alone was that it just ended up that way. Back in middle school, he had met a friend through a shooting game, and they still kept in touch.
[Whisper] Killer: They could be a weird person, you know.
“Huh?”
…Wait. Was this supposed to be a self-introduction?
Sure, they could talk now and even pair up in-game, but just six months ago, Killer had been nothing more than a crazy stalker bastard in Sa-yoon’s eyes—nothing more, nothing less.
[Whisper] Killer: Then, if I asked to meet up, would you?
“Mm.”
Sa-yoon let out a small hum, the kind he used when he wanted to stall for time, and crossed his arms. The message was a bit drawn out. People’s true intentions always came at the end.
“You suddenly want to meet up with me?”
“Mew.”
At the upward lilt in his voice, Sesame, the kitten sprawled on his lap, answered instead. It must have thought he was talking to it. Sa-yoon ran a finger over the tiny cat’s forehead, gently smoothing the fur between its eyes.
[Whisper] Killer: No.
[Whisper] Killer: Not at all.
“Why not ask for their character customization face-to-face?”
[Whisper] Killer: Ah—
[Whisper] Killer: I’m telling you, it’s really not like that.
[Whisper] Killer: It’s not because of the character customization.
Maybe he felt wronged because his character, who had been glued to his side, suddenly shot up in protest. Seeing that, Sa-yoon felt even more convinced.
The stronger the denial, the more likely it was true.
In the weeks they had been pairing up and grinding in the battlefield, Killer had never once mentioned going outside. Naturally, in Sa-yoon’s mind, he had already formed an image of him: a frail, bespectacled, lanky guy. The type of kid who was always in every class, the one who kept to himself at school, went straight home after classes, and had gaming as his only real hobby.
And for some reason, guys like that had always taken an inexplicable liking to Sa-yoon.
“Uh-huh, sure, sure.”
He must’ve built some kind of internal attachment after spending all day stuck to him. Sa-yoon casually brushed off the question of whether he’d agree to meet and nodded along.
As the season drew to a close, checking the ranking board after finishing a battlefield run had become part of the routine.
1st Place: NodeMaster – RedOrangeYellowGreenBlue 97,315 points
2nd Place: Chasa – Killer 97,122 points
3rd Place: TinyTiny – PurpleSteamedPotato 97,119 points
“Wow…”
Why the hell was the ranking this brutal? Had the Cygnus server players collectively lost their minds? Or was it that some rogue outsider had just dropped in out of nowhere and gone insane?
Furrowing his brows at the leaderboard had also become part of the routine.
To be exact, the “rogue outsider” really was insane. Jumping from 7th place to 2nd wasn’t an easy climb. But what made it even worse was the sheer gap between 1st and 2nd place—it was just as wide.
After lurking in the forums of other servers, he found that aside from Lepus, the most populated “city server,” no other server had a 1st place score higher than Cygnus.
What the hell?
Sa-yoon stared daggers at the unshakable 1st place name, but no amount of glaring was going to make those letters suddenly spill their secrets. All it did was strain his eyes, sore from hours of gaming.
Grinding the battlefield non-stop all weekend had pushed his rank up from the plateau it had been stuck at. That alone was thanks to Killer, who had followed his hellish boot camp schedule like a damn extension of himself.
But that still wasn’t enough. He hadn’t done all this just to end up in second place.
[Guild] Shokrates: By any chance, is the guild name “Underworld” because…
[Guild] Shokrates: This isn’t foreshadowing, right?
[Guild] Chasa: I actually just high-fived the King of the Underworld earlier, haha.
He played along with the guild members’ worried remarks, turning it into a joke, but inside, it felt like someone had set a fire in his gut.
“Ah, shit…”
His anxiety started manifesting physically. He bit at his already chapped lips until he finally drew blood. Wiping away the smear of red, Sa-yoon began calculating.
He needed 193 more points to take first place. At a glance, it looked achievable.
But the only team ranked higher was NodeMaster’s pair, meaning that unless he faced them directly, the most he could earn per win was 2 points. Divine awarded points based on the player’s current rank.
Even if he secured 2 points per match, excluding the win streak bonuses, he’d still need to win about 50 more rounds.
And since my win rate isn’t 100%, I’ll need to play even more than that.
His mind spun, searching for a way to close a nearly 200-point gap.
The most frustrating part of this equation was that the other side wasn’t just sitting around doing nothing. Events like this always favored those with the most free time. That was exactly why full-time workers like Oath’s Vow and Freedeal had nonchalantly given up on the first-ever season rankings.
Only two days remained until the scheduled Wednesday maintenance. And of course, those two remaining days were weekdays.
Could he attend all his classes, then come back in the evening and grind enough to make up 193 points?
After thinking it over, the answer was clear—no.
By the time he finished his classes, the gap might not be 193 points anymore; it could very well stretch to 293.
Screw it. He was skipping class.
It wasn’t like he was aiming for a scholarship anyway. If there was ever a time for all his past attendance diligence to pay off, this was it.
“…So, I’m planning to grind straight through today and tomorrow. Do you have time?”
As soon as he made up his mind, the first thing he did was check his partner Killer’s schedule. Sa-yoon was willing to throw his real life into the fire for this, but he couldn’t force someone else to do the same.
[Killer: Yeah, I’m free.]
“Huh? You are?”
[Killer: Yeah.]
“Like, completely? All day from morning till night?”
[Killer: Yeah.]
Even as Sa-yoon dumbly repeated himself, Killer kept responding, diligently confirming every single time.
Honestly, even though he had decided to skip class, he never expected Killer to do the same. Since Killer had mentioned being 20 years old, Sa-yoon naturally assumed he had mandatory classes. He had only planned to ask if he could fit in some extra games during his free periods or wake up a little earlier in the mornings. But this? This was a jackpot.
“If you’re skipping classes just because of me, you really don’t have to match my schedule.”
[Killer: No, it’s not that.]
“…You do actually go to school, right?”
A small chuckle came through the mic.
It was the first time Sa-yoon had ever heard Killer laugh. The guy always kept his mic on but never spoke beyond curt, dry responses.
His sleep-deprived brain, having been awake for nearly 48 hours, churned sluggishly. Something about that laugh—it felt oddly familiar. Where had he heard it before? He tilted his head, trying to place it.
[Killer: Actually, I go to an online university. Satisfied?]
“Ohhh.”
That made sense. Accepting the explanation, Sa-yoon nodded. The minor weight on his conscience disappeared completely with that answer.
“You do at least go outside for some sunlight, right?”
Now that they had two full days to grind, he finally had the time to check in on his partner’s well-being.
[Killer: ……]
[Killer: You do remember we’ve been running battlefields together this whole time, right?]
“I was still getting sunlight.”
[Killer: When?]
“When I went out for a smoke.”
[Killer: Ah.]
The silence that followed was telling. Apparently, that thought hadn’t even crossed his mind.
“Pause matchmaking for a bit.”
If he was officially skipping class, there was someone he needed to inform.
“Let’s take a quick bathroom break.”
Sa-yoon pulled out his phone and opened his messenger.
[Shin-jae, about my class tomorrow—]
He stopped mid-text and changed his mind. This was better said over a call. Tapping on Shin-jae’s profile picture, he glanced at the image. Someone must have taken it for him—it was a damn good shot.
As he indulged in a bit of self-praise for his photography skills, the screen changed to the outgoing call interface.
—Trriiing, triiing…
Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Bzzzz.
At the same time, a loud vibration echoed through his headset.
“Shit.”
His brain must really be fried. At least his investment in high-end gaming gear was paying off—the fit was so comfortable he barely noticed he was wearing it.
Clicking his tongue, Sa-yoon pulled off the headset. Even then, the buzzing continued from the other side. Looked like Killer had stepped away too when he suggested a quick break. Either he actually went to the bathroom or maybe—just maybe—he was finally getting some sunlight.
[Party] Chasa: You’re getting a call.
Sa-yoon sent the message out of courtesy before finally bringing his phone to his ear.
—Trriiing, triiing…
Only the dial tone played. The call wasn’t connecting. Just as he was about to hang up and try again later, the line suddenly connected.
“Shin—wait, are you okay?”
Instead of a greeting, the first thing he heard was a fit of coughing. Sa-yoon’s eyes widened in surprise.
“-Hello? Hello? Hyung?”
“Oh, hey. But seriously, did you catch a cold? Why the hell are you coughing like that?”
