“Are you out of your mind?”
The fact that Divine didn’t have a fixed skill tree was proof of its high skill flexibility. Depending on each player’s choices, they could come up with completely unique combinations.
Certain skill combos could create powerful synergies, like during the Midas event. In other words, Noise was demanding that Sa-yoon reveal the skill setup he had meticulously crafted through countless trials and calculations.
More than anything, if he shared his combat log, his primary skills and damage cycle would be completely exposed.
Sa-yoon was a top-ranked 1v1 arena player. At that level, the opponents he faced were usually the same group of elite players. If his skill setup was made public, countering him would be easy.
It was like walking into a successful restaurant and demanding they reveal their secret recipe.
[Server] Chasa: You only explain yourself when you’ve actually done something wrong.
The way Noise was casually throwing out threats was beyond shameless. That guy must’ve lost it after being a commander in a small server for too long. Did he think Sa-yoon was his lackey or something?
[Server] Master of Control: Whoa, this is a popcorn moment.
[Server] PopcornVendor: Fresh caramel popcorn for sale!
[Server] Chasa: I earned that win fair and square with legitimate damage. Why the hell should I have to reveal my damage cycle, skills, or combat log?
[Server] noise: ※※※I never said you were hacking. But isn’t it reasonable to ask how someone who never ranked high suddenly took first place?※※※
[Server] noise: ※※※Also, can you guys add some special symbols at the start and end of your messages? My chat is getting buried, lol.※※※
[Server] Chasa: So it’s fine when you take first place, but if a Warlock does it, it must be hacks?
[Server] RedAlert: Are you insane?
[Server] WarmAmericano: LMAO, man’s just cussing people out with no preamble.
[Server] SeongjukdongFireFist: Not gonna lie, he’s got a point though, lol.
[Server] noise: ※※※I am NOT old.※※※
[Server] Chasa: Do you even know that Warlocks accumulate damage over time?
[Server] noise: ※※※My eyesight is 20/20.※※※
[Server] noise: ※※※Just drop it already.※※※
As the chat surged like crashing waves, Noise started steering the conversation in a different direction.
This bastard. He picks a fight with me and then just casually chats with everyone else?
[Server] Chasa: Hey.
[Server] Chasa: If you’re gonna make accusations, at least see them through before screwing around.
[Server] noise: ※※※If you’re not directly involved, stay out of it.※※※
What the fuck?
If I’m not the one involved, then who is? Was he seriously acting like I didn’t even exist now?
But as I kept my eyes on the rapidly scrolling chat, something felt off.
[Server] noise: ※※※If someone suddenly appears and takes first place, isn’t it fair to question it?※※※
[Server] doggy: Who is this guy? Chasa’s spokesperson or something?
Even though I wasn’t typing anymore, Noise had started talking to himself.
[Server] Chasa: What the hell are you doing?
[Server] noise: ※※※I’ve put up with enough of this. You’re being way too rude.※※※
[Server] noise: ※※※I’ll handle my spelling however I want.※※※
[Server] KkyuKkyuDas: LMAO, “put up with enough”??? What a wordplay genius.
[Server] BoredE: I’m on a dopamine detox, but my dopamine’s exploding right now.
[Server] California: Wouldn’t you have to quit Divine to actually detox?
[Server] BoredE: How am I supposed to quit gaming? lol
[Server] SpectatorMode: Now that I think about it, he kinda has a point.
What the hell is going on?
Then, someone’s name flashed through Sa-yoon’s mind.
There was only one person who could provoke Noise like this through server chat while remaining completely invisible to him.
“…No way.”
A bad feeling crept up his spine. No, it couldn’t be. Right as he was about to open his block list—
[Server] Shokrates: Yayyayaa~ ㅇㅅㅇ!
A familiar nickname caught his eye.
Why hadn’t he blocked this guy? Before the siege war started, he had made sure to block every member of the Reaper Guild who whispered him.
Now that he thought about it, Shokrates had never sent him a whisper.
“Late again, huh…”
Some things never changed.
Well, whatever. This was actually convenient. Sa-yoon sent a whisper to the only Reaper Guild member he hadn’t blocked.
[Whisper] Chasa: Jeon-gi.
[Whisper] Shokrates: Ohhh, Chasa-nim, hey hey!
[Whisper] Chasa: When did you get here?
[Whisper] Shokrates: Hah, what’s with the sudden question?
[Whisper] Shokrates: I participated in the siege, of course ~_~
[Whisper] Chasa: Ah, I see.
[Whisper] Chasa: By the way—
[Whisper] Shokrates: You blocked our guild master, right?
[Whisper] Chasa: Did Killer tell you?
[Whisper] Shokrates: Didn’t even need him to, it was obvious as hell! LMAOOOOOO
[Whisper] Shokrates: LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
[Whisper] Shokrates: LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
The chat filled with endless rows of “LOL.”
Sa-yoon had officially run out of patience.
[Whisper] Chasa: Cut the laughing and explain.
[Whisper] Shokrates: Ahhh, lmaooo, I figured if I revealed my name, you’d just block me too.
[Whisper] Shokrates: We all tried to stop him, though…
[Whisper] Shokrates: But honestly, I think the guild master was the only one who didn’t realize what was happening! LOL
So that’s how it was.
Sa-yoon’s lips twisted into a smirk. Shokrates had basically just confessed that everyone had been in on it.
[Whisper] Chasa: Hah.
[Whisper] Chasa: So you all knew what Killer was doing and still lied to my face?
[Whisper] Shokrates: Ah…
[Whisper] Shokrates: My bad. ^^;;
[Whisper] Shokrates: But you know… T_T Our guild master might have the personality of a thief, but he’s not actually a bad person… T_T
[Whisper] Shokrates: He’s just insanely obsessed with character customization, like a total lunatic…
No one knew better than Sa-yoon just how unhinged Killer was when it came to character customization. But that wasn’t the issue here.
[Whisper] Chasa: What’s Killer saying in server chat right now?
[Whisper] Shokrates: Ah, I was just about to mention that.
[Whisper] Shokrates: He’s challenging everyone who trashed Warlocks to a delete-your-character duel!
[Whisper] Shokrates: Telling them to stop messing with his people and that they should take it up with him instead. Uh… did something happen between you two that I don’t know about…?
“What?”
Sa-yoon, who had been lounging comfortably in his chair, immediately sat up straight.
[Whisper] Shokrates: I mean, since you blocked him, I figured that wasn’t the case…
[Whisper] Shokrates: But I still thought I should let you know!
“Ah… shit.”
His vision swam for a completely different reason now.
Sa-yoon quickly opened his block list. Among the long list of names, he double-clicked the one at the very top.
[Remove ‘Killer’ from your block list?]
He hit ‘Yes’ without hesitation.
While he was at it, he unblocked every single Reaper Guild member.
[Server] ThreeCutsOfLife: Bro, are you Chasa’s spokesperson or something?
[Server] Killer: @@@ Noise, I challenge you to a character-deletion duel! >< @@@
[Server] MarkingTape: Are we sure this isn’t hacks?
[Server] Killer: @@@ Noise, I challenge you to a character-deletion duel! >< @@@
[Server] Killer: You blind? Did you lose your eyeballs or something? I just said that.
[Server] CareerHigh: Says the guy repeating himself nonstop.
[Server] Killer: @@@ Noise, I challenge you to a character-deletion duel! >< @@@
[Server] CareerHigh: Dude’s ignoring literally everything except the hack accusations.
Only then did Killer’s messages start appearing in the server chat.
That familiar way of speaking—Sa-yoon felt old trauma resurfacing from where he had buried it.
[Server] Killer: Noise.
[Server] Killer: If you don’t have the guts for a character-deletion duel, shut up. Otherwise, get your ass to the arena.
[Server] noise: ※※※You should be explaining yourself, not hiding behind someone else. It’s not a good look.※※※
[Server] Killer: “Not a good look”—is this Anne’s diary or something?
[Server] Killer: If you couldn’t secure commander status, just admit, oh, I fucked up my damage this time and move on.
[Server] Killer: Instead, you’re being pathetic. LMAO.
[Server] Killer: If it were me, I’d be so embarrassed I’d delete my character the moment I failed to get first place even with that gear and a healer on my ass.
[Server] noise: ※※※Don’t make assumptions about things that didn’t happen.;;※※※
[Server] Killer: So you’re scared?
[Server] GegulGegulFrog: Honestly, the fact that you guys barely managed to siege with 17 seconds left is just embarrassing.
[Server] Oath’s Vow: Maybe that’s what happens when you have garbage-tier leadership?
[Server] Killer: @@@ Noise, I formally challenge you to a character-deletion duel! >< @@@
[Server] RedAlert: Whoa, hold on; there was nothing wrong with the leadership?
[Server] Freedeal: Uh, were you blind or just having memory issues? The barrier didn’t go up in time, and we all took a one-way dive into the Styx.
[Server] BlackPropaganda: Are we seriously nitpicking over people dying to Judgment right now?
[Server] Shokrates: But like… why did a Guardian even die to Judgment? Was it friendly fire?
[Server] GegulGegulFrog: Honestly, leaving everything else aside, if they had just timed the barrier properly, they could’ve bought at least two more minutes.
[Server] Freedeal: All I said was to stop using the slates like an idiot, and that’s somehow “self-serving”?
[Server] Killer: @@@ Noise, who failed at politics after missing commander status, I officially challenge you to a character-deletion duel! >< @@@
[Server] noise: ※※※I have nothing to gain from a character-deletion duel with you.※※※
[Server] Killer: @@@ But you could earn honor! ><! @@@
“…Oh, come on.”
This wasn’t just Killer’s fault. The entire server was a problem.
