[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: WhiteNoise advertised so much, and they only got 12 people?
[Guild] Freedeal: At that point, isn’t it just a social gathering?
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: Even a neighborhood potluck would get more people than that.
GegulGegulFrog and Freedeal scoffed as they watched WhiteNoise’s unit struggle to recruit more members despite continuously posting recruitment messages.
Sa-yoon also clicked the link to check the numbers. Still twelve. Most of them were probably Noize’s guild members—if not all twelve.
The usual headcount for defense battles was in the hundreds. A mere twelve wouldn’t even make a dent in the war. The only ones losing out would be the ones trying to cause trouble.
[Guild] Oath’s Vow: I’ll switch over to the second unit, then.
[Guild] Chasa: Okay.
It was just pathetic pride.
WhiteNoise had once made a problematic comment: “Warlocks are frogs, but I’ll make an exception for you.” That level of disdain for Warlocks probably made it impossible for them to accept losing their command.
Sa-yoon dismissed the thought and turned his attention elsewhere. But problems always had a way of striking when you least expected them.
[‘TornPhoto’ has left the unit.]
It started with one person quietly leaving the unit.
[Unit] Baimo: Sorry, but I’ll be heading out.
[Unit] ProteinShake: Something suddenly came up for me too… Take care~
[‘Baimo’ has left the unit.]
[‘ProteinShake’ has left the unit.]
Two people left the unit in quick succession.
Even worse, Baimo—who had just left—had volunteered to break the statues that spawned mid-defense battles, providing buffs to the War God. Oath and Chasa had even interviewed him, checking his gear beforehand.
What the hell?
Sa-yoon muttered a silent curse. Something was off. This was a group project with over 200 people, yet it was already giving off an ominous vibe from the start.
[Unit] anBars: My friend’s calling me, so I’m out.
[‘anBars’ has left the unit.]
[Unit] MyFaceLooksLikeEggplant: Huh, what’s going on…
[Unit] Nawal: Why are people suddenly leaving? Something happen?
By the time the fourth person left without explanation, the unit had started to stir.
During the final stretch of recruitment, Oath had formed an alliance with another unit and moved to the second squad. Sa-yoon led the first unit, while Oath commanded the second, with Oath handling overall strategy and orders.
[Server] WhiteNoise: ☆☆☆ Recruiting for the MAIN UNIT led by an experienced defense battle commander! Just follow me, and rewards are GUARANTEED ☆☆☆ (link)
Sa-yoon narrowed his eyes as he read WhiteNoise’s latest recruitment post.
Right before the defense battle was set to begin, people were suddenly dropping out—just as an obstructive force (WhiteNoise) appeared. What an interesting coincidence.
Nineteen.
Sa-yoon clicked the recruitment link and saw that WhiteNoise’s numbers had increased. Clearly, WhiteNoise was up to something. The problem was figuring out what.
“Tsk.” Sa-yoon let out a displeased click of his tongue. That was when—
[Whisper] MangoFlavoredTomato: Chasa!
[Whisper] MangoFlavoredTomato: Are you AFK?
[Whisper] Chasa: Huh?
[Whisper] MangoFlavoredTomato: Oh, you’re here! I need to tell you something.
[Whisper] Chasa: I’m a bit busy right now.
A familiar name had just sent him a whisper. It was the kind of name you saw often on image boards or battlefields, someone you felt a sense of familiarity with despite not knowing them personally.
[Whisper] MangoFlavoredTomato: No, no, this is important.
[Whisper] MangoFlavoredTomato: WhiteNoise just whispered me.
There it is.
Sa-yoon quickly typed on his keyboard, sensing the situation.
[Whisper] Chasa: What did they say?
MangoFlavoredTomato, ever helpful, relayed everything—how WhiteNoise had sent an unsolicited whisper and what they had said.
“Hah.”
After hearing the full story, Sa-yoon let out a hollow laugh.
[Guild] Chasa: Oath, do you have a moment to talk?
[Guild] Oath’s Vow: Are you adjusting the unit setup?
[Guild] Chasa: No.
[Guild] Chasa: WhiteNoise is whispering people and pulling them out of our unit.
[Guild] Furple: Huh?
[Guild] Chasa: They’re telling people, ‘How can you trust a rookie commander?’
[Guild] Chasa: And since WhiteNoise is already in the command voice channel that you created
[Guild] Chasa: They’re saying if I mess up my orders, they can step in immediately and correct me—so people should just join them instead.
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: “Mess up” my ass. That idiot WhiteNoise…
[Guild] Freedeal: That’s some next-level scumbag behavior.
[Guild] Freedeal: LOOOOOOL
[Guild] Oath’s Vow: Right? But sniping unit members like that is seriously annoying.
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: Wow, look at all this love and harmony in chat.
Whenever a nonsensical message popped up like that, it usually meant Killer was talking. Sa-yoon continued.
[Guild] Chasa: I think they assume you’re a first-time commander too, since you transferred servers.
[Guild] Chasa: A lot of people don’t check the server forum either.
[Guild] Oath’s Vow: Hold on a sec.
[Guild] Oath’s Vow: Chasa, can you hop into the top channel for a moment?
Oath: Chasa, can you hear me?
“Yeah.”
Oath: Looks like they’re targeting my squad too. About five people left.
Oath: We’ll try to refill as many as we can in the next five minutes, but if not, we’ll just have to work with what we have.
“Ah… this is seriously pissing me off.”
Oath: Hmm. Even though people are listening to the voice channel, they still tend to act in their own self-interest. Having more people in the main unit is definitely better.
“Sorry. This is because of me.”
Oath: Doesn’t matter. Even if we were the designated commanders, they would’ve pulled this same shit.
Sa-yoon’s eyes instinctively flicked to the clock. Seven minutes until the defense battle started. Like it or not, it was time to finalize preparations.
“Well, it is what it is. It’s true that I’m new to this, and I don’t have enough experience to make them feel confident. So, let’s do this properly and show them.”
A one-time opportunity.
Oath: Yeah, let’s get ready… Wait, when did Inseong get here?
At Oath’s words, Sa-yoon pulled up the voice channel window. At some point, Killer had moved into their room.
Of course. This guy just follows me everywhere.
Sa-yoon sighed instinctively.
“Since we’re done talking, I’m heading back to the lower channel.”
[‘Killer’ says to just trust him.]
The towering character standing beside Chasa took a step forward and thumped his fist against his chest—boom, boom.
And then, something unbelievable happened.
[Unit Application] ‘BaekwonFront’ (View Details), Request:
[Unit Application] ‘Hogahowee’ (View Details), Request:
[Unit Application] ‘FeastNoodles’ (View Details), Request:
[Unit Application] ‘SalmonOverSweetfish’ (View Details), Request:
The trickle of unit applications that had stalled suddenly picked up, pouring in like rain.
What the hell? What did he do this time?
Sa-yoon’s eyes darted across the server and guild chat, but there was no way he could see Killer’s messages—he had him blocked.
[Whisper] Chasa: What are you doing?
[Whisper] Chasa: Stop it.
Like scolding a misbehaving dog, Sa-yoon shot a whisper at Killer.
[‘Killer’ is deeply offended.]
[‘Killer’ shrugs.]
[Whisper] Chasa: This isn’t going to make me unblock you.
[‘Killer’ says he understands.]
At first, Killer had seemed frustrated with the lack of direct communication. But now that he had figured out how to express himself through gestures and status messages, he was clearly having fun with it.
[Whisper] Chasa: Whatever you’re doing, just stop.
[Unit Application] ‘DdolgaengiSoup’ (View Details), Request:
[Whisper] Dolgaeng-iGuk: Hey, is the statue-breaking spot still open?
Sa-yoon sighed as he skimmed through the flood of whispers. In all the chaos, he had completely forgotten to ask Oath to fill the statue-breaking role.
[Guild] Oath’s Vow: Furple, do you want to handle the 4th unit?
[Guild] Furple: Nah, just put all the Sharpshooters in the 3rd unit and give me one healer.
[Guild] Furple: I’ll lead the party.
[Guild] Oath’s Vow: Got it.
[Guild] Freedeal: Are we making sure each party has at least one healer? Or should I swap over?
[Guild] Oath’s Vow: I think we’re good without you switching.
Oath was caught up in balancing healers, damage dealers, and tanks across the parties with Furple and Freedeal, barely managing to keep up.
[Whisper] Dolgaeng-iGuk: Statue spot still open?
[Whisper] Dolgaeng-iGuk: If you don’t reply, I’ll just join another party~
Sa-yoon clicked on Dolgaeng-iGuk’s profile. Despite their chaotic spelling, they were a well-geared damage dealer. More than capable of breaking statues in time.
[Whisper] Chasa: Have you done statue-breaking before?
[Whisper] hera00: Wait, if I join, do I really get 1,000 gold?
[Unit Application] ‘Four-LeggedConverse’ (View Details), Request:
[Whisper] TitteuPpoto: Do existing unit members get the 1k gold too? I got the whisper but didn’t leave—do I get a bonus or what?
[Unit Application] ‘Oz’sMagicShow’ (View Details), Request:
[Whisper] Dolgaeng-iGuk: Yeah, done it several times.
Three minutes until the defense battle.
Sa-yoon was already swamped, managing the flood of whispers, unit applications, and the aftermath of whatever mess Killer had stirred up. Dolgaeng-iGuk’s offer was tempting. There was no way he’d find someone better in three minutes. Any high-damage dealers were already in parties or units by now.
[Whisper] Chasa: Alright, I’ll invite you.
[‘Dolgaeng-iGuk’ has joined the unit.]
[‘Dolgaeng-iGuk’ has been assigned as a Statue Combatant.]
[Statue Combatants will be automatically moved near statues when they appear.]
Oath: One minute until defense starts. Everyone, standby.
