The staff of a Warlock, a ranged dealer, wasn’t exactly meant for beating people up.
So, when a tiny, almost adorable damage number popped up over Killer’s head, it was almost comical.
[General] Killer: ă…śă…ś
[‘Killer’ looks sorrowfully at ‘Chasa’ and begins to cry.]
The one who was suddenly struck on the head… cried. Though he wasn’t able to collapse to the ground, trapped as he was in a pair of massive hands, his sorrowful wailing echoed through the narrow corridor.
Sa-yoon, pretending not to hear, smacked him again.
Thwack!
This time, his head scraped against something, and three small numbers appeared above Killer’s head before fading away. For someone in a casting-based class, the impact of each hit was surprisingly satisfying.
[General] Chasa: Hey.
[General] Chasa: Are you ignoring me?
[General] Chasa: You too.
[General] Chasa: Just because I’m a Warlock, you think you can ♡ ignore me?
[‘Killer’ shakes his head vigorously in denial.]
[General] Chasa: Thought so.
Chasa was about to land another hit but decided to back off. The binding was about to wear off.
[High-rank demon Hagenti returns to Hell.]
[Combat: As per the contract, high-rank demon Vine has been summoned by ‘Chasa.’]
As expected, the moment the black serpent appeared, its vines slithered beneath the ground and disappeared. Even though the restraint around him had been released, Killer remained motionless, standing in place.
Despite taking the first hit, he didn’t seem to have the will to fight back.
Well, that could be fixed.
Sa-yoon casually typed into the chat.
[General] Chasa: If you fight me, I’ll unblock you.
He had already lifted the block, but the other party didn’t know that. So, it didn’t really matter, did it?
A moment later, a red notification popped up in the combat log.
[Combat] ‘Killer’ has activated Dark Enhancement. Attack power increases by 100% for 10 seconds.
Seeing the skill activation, Chasa backed up against the wall. Demon Hunters belonged to the assassin archetype—cowardly bastards who dealt bonus damage when striking from behind. Making sure not to expose his back was crucial.
He had expected an immediate preemptive strike before he could widen the distance, but… Killer remained motionless, merely assuming a combat stance.
Chasa began casting a spell, raising the casting bar halfway, then abruptly canceled it.
“….”
Why wasn’t he attacking?
Sa-yoon inhaled sharply, taken aback by the unexpected turn of events. He had assumed that Killer, confident in his damage output, would lunge the moment he saw an opening.
A caster class couldn’t move while casting a spell. That meant they were completely vulnerable.
Normally, when Chasa started casting, every single opponent, without fail, would charge in recklessly, oblivious to the fact that they were running straight into their own grave. The better their gear, the higher their rank, the more predictable their behavior.
But Killer hadn’t taken the bait.
Sa-yoon’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the monitor. Until now, Killer had been nothing more than a lunatic who threw tantrums, spammed messages, and constantly begged to share custom character models.
And now, it turned out that the creepy online stalker was actually a PVP god?
For a brief moment, as Killer kept his distance, it almost felt like his eyes gleamed with sharp intensity. A ridiculous thought, considering it was too dark to see anything clearly.
For about two tense seconds, neither of them moved, frozen in place. They were gauging each other.
Chasa had his mage-class barrier. Killer had his evasion. The first strike was bound to fail.
But using a weak skill carelessly could leave one unable to react in time to the opponent’s counterattack. Divine skills had motion delays, making a reckless first strike more likely to backfire.
[Combat] Using Flames of Purification. Inflicts an additional 386 damage every 2 seconds for 10 seconds.
Chasa made the first move.
The word Evasion! popped up above Killer’s head the moment his dagger shot forward. But before the sharp blade could touch Chasa, it clashed against his barrier, stopping dead in its tracks.
Sa-yoon hurriedly pulled Chasa back. Staying in close range against a melee class was practically begging to be killed.
[Combat] Using Demon’s Tears. Reduces movement speed of all enemies within a 10m radius.
[Combat] ‘Killer’ has used Dagger Throw.
[Status] You have been afflicted with Burn.
Sa-yoon clicked his tongue. As soon as he unleashed an area-of-effect skill, Killer had anticipated it and thrown a flaming dagger in response.
A melee class with a throwing skill too? If Divine didn’t buff Warlocks in the next balance patch, Sa-yoon might actually march down to their headquarters with a real flaming blade.
GegulGegulFrog: Ack! Chasa-nim, I just respawned! Hang in there a little longer!
“I’m fine.”
Frog checked Chasa’s health bar, looking ready to jump in at any moment. But that wasn’t the play Sa-yoon wanted.
It might have seemed like he had challenged Killer to a duel in a fit of Warlock rage, but in truth, he wasn’t actually that pissed. Two years of grinding had tempered him. He no longer reacted much to insults or dismissive attitudes. His item enhancement still sucked, but at least his mental endurance had been maxed out.
In other words, there was another reason he was keeping Killer occupied.
GegulGegulFrog: Got it, I’ll be there soon!
“I’m really fine. Please go join Furple’s team.”
GegulGegulFrog: For real? You’re really okay??
“Yeah. I’ll keep Killer busy. In the meantime, take out the other five.”
GegulGegulFrog: Sniff… Chasa-nim’s noble sacrifice… I won’t forget it.
Composition-wise, their team wasn’t in a bad spot. The real problem was the underground sewer setting. The map forced teams to split into three, and since the enemy had two healers, they had a major advantage.
Sure enough, Furple and Jeon-gi were struggling against a trio with a tank-healer setup. Furple had retreated near their spawn point, using Jeon-gi as a sacrificial pawn to escape.
Even as an exceptionally skilled dealer, Furple couldn’t take down two tanks and a healer in a 1v3 scenario. What was even more impressive was that Furple was a Sharpshooter. Alongside Warlocks, Sharpshooters were one of the most notoriously underpowered classes. The fact that he was still alive was a feat in itself.
Freedeal: Furple-nim, we’ve reached the spawn point!
Oath’s Vow: Enemy guardian and priest are following us. We’ll just drag them along instead of killing them.
Furple: Ugh, fucking tanks.
Hearing that his teammates had regrouped safely, Sa-yoon glanced at Killer. As he had thought before, their overall team composition wasn’t bad—if it came down to a straight 5v5 fight, they had the advantage.
But if the enemy’s triple-tank lineup was joined by a Hunter?
A Hunter’s main job was to harass the healer. If their sole healer was prevented from doing their job, the fight would quickly become a nightmare.
He couldn’t let Killer join them. Especially not a Hunter this skilled.
That aside, Sa-yoon was becoming increasingly absorbed in the fight. Unlike their initial standoff, Killer was now relentlessly pressing the attack. Sa-yoon, fully engaged, responded with rapid keystrokes.
What skill would Killer use next? How would he counter? What openings could Sa-yoon exploit? His brain spun at high speed, analyzing every move.
Killer’s attacks were unpredictable, skill combos weaving together seamlessly. And yet, at times, there was a strange honesty to his movements. It felt almost too orthodox for a Hunter. But given the sheer damage he was dishing out, maybe orthodox was exactly what worked.
With every exchange of blows, Sa-yoon grew more certain—this was no easy opponent.
And… it was kind of fun.
Without realizing it, the corners of his lips curled upward. He was too focused to even notice.
[Combat] ‘Killer’ has used Shadow Absorption. Entering stealth mode.
As they clashed, both of their HP had dropped below 30%. Then, seizing the moment when Chasa was mid-cast, Killer activated stealth. His massive figure seemed to sink into the ground and disappear.
His opponent was gone. His locked target vanished, causing the ongoing skill to automatically cancel. Even Chasa’s black demon familiar stretched its neck, pausing in confusion.
Where did he go?
Instead of panicking and looking around, Chasa calmly laid down another area-of-effect skill. In situations like this, the one who lost composure first was always the one who lost.
Drip.
Drip.
But no matter how long he waited, Killer didn’t reappear.
Shadow Stealth lasted up to three minutes. That meant he’d have to anticipate attacks from an unseen enemy for the next three minutes.
Goddamn overpowered class…
Just as he thought that, a ripple spread through a puddle of water on the ground.
There.
His reflexive attack struck nothing but air, but in that instant, a faint, peacock-like silhouette flickered into view.
Hit by the attack, Killer’s stealth broke—but instead of retreating, he charged straight in.
It was a bold move. And completely unexpected.
Chasa was stunned, and his HP plummeted below 5%.
“Ah…”
Sa-yoon let out a quiet groan of frustration.
Killer’s HP was nearly the same as Chasa’s now. If he had pressed his skill just one second earlier…
But just as Chasa hung his head in frustration, Killer suddenly hesitated in front of him.
And then, the massive peacock-like figure collapsed forward, crumpling to the ground.
[‘Killer’ has died.]
[You have gained 150 points.]
