GegulGegulFrog: Huh, huh, huh?
Jeon-gi: This is insane!
Furple: Chasa’s pretty damn good, huh?
Sa-yoon’s eyes shifted to the battle log.
[Combat] You dealt 1,498 damage to the opponent with ‘Demonic Laughter IV.’]
The final blow that took Killer’s life was a ticking damage-over-time (DoT) effect. Each tick didn’t deal much damage individually, but when stacked, it built up like compound interest—eventually turning lethal.
There was even a saying: Ignore DoT, and you’re bound to die. But most players still didn’t take these skills seriously.
That was just how fights went. When you were deep in battle, you instinctively focused on other things—thinking through countless possibilities in an instant, reacting to enemy skills, running your own damage cycle. There was barely enough time to check both your own and your opponent’s HP while also keeping track of skill cooldowns, combos, and buff durations.
There was just too much to think about.
If it wasn’t a debuff that visibly slowed your attack speed or movement, then DoT effects naturally took a backseat. Players often underestimated them, thinking the damage was too low to matter.
But in PvP, Warlocks’ victories relied heavily on their DoT skills. Just like what had happened here.
After checking the log, Chasa immediately used Herb Treatment. His potion was still on cooldown.
[Combat] You use Herb Treatment. You recover 594 HP.]
His character, dressed in pitch-black attire, rubbed his hands together in an animation. With the way he was dressed, the whole scene ended up looking weird—like he was offering prayers for the dead in front of Killer’s corpse.
Sure, he’d won… but the aftertaste felt off.
The moment he got stunned in that fight, Sa-yoon had instinctively felt defeat looming over him. If Killer had pressed the attack instead of hesitating, it would’ve been Chasa lying on the ground right now, not him.
Killer’s weapon seemed to have a life-steal option. If a critical hit had landed, he might’ve survived even through the DoT damage.
In the end, it was that final moment—when Killer held back his last attack—that decided their fates.
Maybe he thought killing Chasa would piss him off so much that he’d never unblock him. But come on, Sa-yoon wasn’t that petty.
[‘GreenLight’ has died.]
[You have gained 150 points.]
[‘WhiteNoise’ has died.]
[You have gained 150 points.]
As those thoughts ran through his mind, the notifications kept popping up. Looked like things on that side were wrapping up too. Not sending Killer over had been the right call. If he had joined them, they wouldn’t have been able to win this cleanly—without a single loss on their side.
Oath’s Vow: I’ll chase the healer down to the end.
“I’ll take care of the Gatekeeper here and meet you guys in the center.”
Jeon-gi: You sure you can handle it alone? That thing’s kinda tough.
“It’s still just a normal mob.”
Jeon-gi: Oh, I like the confidence.
GegulGegulFrog: Can we just stick with Chasa instead of Inseong from now on? Feels like I could go without food with how safe he makes me feel.
Freedeal: I’ll pass that along to Inseong later.
GegulGegulFrog: Why are you always like this with me, Freedeal?
As the guild members carried on their playful banter, Sa-yoon spotted the glowing monster pacing back and forth at the end of the hallway.
The Gatekeeper was classified as a normal monster, but both its HP and attack power were designed for two players, making it practically a sub-elite mob.
For a squishy damage dealer without a healer or tank, it was a tough fight to take on solo.
Still, he wasn’t too worried.
“There’s two of us here anyway.”
It was a self-deprecating joke. Warlocks, notorious for struggling to find party members, often joked that they were always in a two-person party—since they traveled with their demons.
Jeon-gi: True, demons are technically living beings too.
GegulGegulFrog: What kind of weird joke is that?
Jeon-gi: Frog, you haven’t seen that drama? It was a total dopamine rush.
GegulGegulFrog: Sigh, Jeon-gi, can you live a little? Who has time to watch dramas when there’s gaming to do?!
Jeon-gi: Wow, that’s the most hardcore gamer thing I’ve ever heard…
Before he could take on the Gatekeeper, the first priority was recovering the HP he’d lost in battle. Chasa plopped down onto the ground.
Sitting down triggered rest mode, which sped up health regeneration.
Killer’s corpse was still lying there. He hadn’t respawned back at the starting point yet.
‘Why isn’t he leaving?’ Sa-yoon tilted his head.
The moment a player died, it was always best to respawn as soon as the cooldown ended and rejoin the team.
Was he seriously rage-quitting over one loss?
But from what Sa-yoon knew of Killer back when they ran together under his temporary nickname, he wasn’t the type to throw a game. If anything, he’d grab his sword and charge right back in for revenge. Even if he’d gotten into an argument with Noize’s group, he’d be more likely to screw them over than sit there quietly and go AFK.
Sa-yoon paused.
‘Since when did I know this much about him?’
He hadn’t wanted to learn so much about Killer in the first place. Pretending to be someone else and running around together had been a mistake.
Either way, there was no reason for him to keep lying there like that.
Then why was he?
Just as Sa-yoon was puzzling over Killer’s inexplicable behavior, a notification chimed in his ear.
When he checked his whispers, his expression shifted ever so slightly.
[Whisper] Killer .
It was just a single dot.
Divine had a built-in block system—if a blocked player tried to send a whisper, they’d get a message saying, [You cannot whisper this player.] A not-so-subtle way of letting them know: Yeah, you’re blocked.
Which meant Killer had just tested it.
He must’ve noticed the silence after the fight and realized Sa-yoon hadn’t blocked him again.
[Whisper] Killer: …?
[Whisper] Killer: You unblocked me?
Sa-yoon had half expected it, but it was still ridiculous that Killer was actually checking whether he’d been unblocked.
Most of the time, he was an aggressive lunatic who charged in without a second thought—yet, once in a while, he’d get all hesitant like this.
It reminded him of those internet nerds who couldn’t speak up in real life but acted all bold online.
‘…Wait, don’t tell me he’s one of those guys?’
[Whisper] Killer: Then why aren’t you saying anything?
While Killer was busy complaining, Sa-yoon’s potion cooldown had refreshed. He glanced at his HP—good enough.
Without a word, Chasa got up and started walking.
Straight toward the hallway where the Gatekeeper was waiting.
[Whisper] Killer: ???
Unblocking him didn’t mean he had to respond. Sa-yoon coolly walked away.
[Whisper] Killer: ㅜㅜ?
***
After defeating the Gatekeeper, a passage to the central corridor opened, allowing him to regroup with the others. As he passed through the narrow path, he caught sight of Kirash.
The massive dinosaur-like monster was idly wandering around the center of the area—looking for all the world like an unemployed guy out for a reluctant stroll after getting nagged at home.
GegulGegulFrog: Killer, Killer, here comes the thriller.
Jeon-gi: That’s a terrible rhyme.
Oath’s Vow: Let’s go.
GegulGegulFrog: Damn, why is everyone so cold?
The moment Oath’s Vow spotted Chasa, he immediately taunted Kirash. The massive beast stomped its feet before charging at the tank.
Even as they focused on taking down Kirash, the party kept an eye on their surroundings. The mini-map was eerily quiet.
By now, the enemy should’ve shown up.
Oath’s Vow: They’re not coming.
GegulGegulFrog: Betting one vote that they’ll show up when this thing’s at half HP.
Jeon-gi: Nah, I bet they miscalculated and will rush in last second when it’s almost dead.
With their strong damage output, Kirash’s HP dropped rapidly.
GegulGegulFrog: Are they seriously not coming?
No way. There was no way they’d give up this easily.
WhiteNoise and GreenLight might have been arrogant pricks, but they were still top-tier players on this server. No way their pride would let them walk away without a fight.
Right as Kirash’s HP hit 20%, red dots appeared at the edge of the mini-map.
Enemies.
Oath’s Vow: Incoming. Finishing this now.
As the opposing team emerged from the corridor, Kirash collapsed.
WhiteNoise, who had been waiting to ambush them while they were distracted by the boss, hesitated.
Clearly, they hadn’t expected Chasa’s party to kill the monster this fast.
[Battle] GegulGegulFrog: Looks like Noise was a step too late, huh? Feeling embarrassed?
[Battle] WhiteNoise: ^^ㅗ
[Battle] GegulGegulFrog: Oh, ran out of things to say, so now you’re just spamming emojis?
As Kirash’s corpse vanished, a crown appeared in its place.
Oath’s Vow casually strolled over and picked it up.
If the crown bearer died while carrying it, their team would lose twice the usual points. That’s why the standard strategy was to keep the carrier’s identity hidden and mislead the enemy.
But Oath’s Vow made no effort to hide it.
It was an open taunt—a declaration that he was so confident they wouldn’t be able to take it from him that he didn’t even need to bother with deception.
[Battle] GreenLight: Cocky bastard.
[Battle] Oath’s Vow: Talk after you kill me. 🙂
[Battle] WhiteNoise: LOL, you’re gonna regret that.
As the back-and-forth continued, Sa-yoon’s eyes landed on Killer, standing behind the tanks.
For a DPS, he sure had a ridiculous amount of confidence.
He was bigger than some of the tanks, and his flashy gear practically made him glow. There was no missing him.
Above Killer’s head, a glowing 3 appeared—the marker for the third target.
In large-scale battles, teams used numbered markers to coordinate their attacks and avoid random, inefficient targeting.
Sa-yoon had half expected Killer to bombard him with whispers, but surprisingly, he stayed quiet.
Instead, he was standing near Noize’s group, sword drawn.
The enemy of my enemy is my ally, huh?
For now, it looked like he and Noize’s crew had reached a temporary understanding.
Just as that thought crossed Sa-yoon’s mind, WhiteNoise—positioned at the very front—activated an invincibility skill and charged straight into their formation.
The fight had begun.
And his first target?
Chasa.
[Combat] Alokhes’ Curse spreads over your enemies.
Sa-yoon instinctively leapt backward, casting his curse the moment WhiteNoise lunged at him.
The five players charging in behind him—his vanguard—instantly transformed into black goats.
[Battle] SsangGyePiRiceCake: ♡♡ WTF is this?
One of their healers, who clearly had no experience fighting a Warlock, panicked.
[Battle] RedAlert: Ah♡♡
Anyone who had experienced it before cursed immediately.
Sa-yoon smirked at yet another wave of compliments coming his way.
Baaa—
The five goats—everyone except Killer—cried out in confusion and scattered in different directions.
One of them even tumbled straight into the central canal with a loud splash. It was a contaminated water zone, meaning anyone who fell in would take continuous damage.
While the others swarmed toward the marked target—the enemy healer—Chasa cast a root spell on Killer, who was standing idly in the chaos.
It was his job to lock down the enemy DPS so they couldn’t interfere with their attack on the healer.
[Naberius’ Vines grasp ‘Killer.’]
The glowing words DODGE! flashed above his body.
Seriously, he’s a pain in the ass.
Killer’s figure blurred before vanishing completely.
[Combat] ‘Killer’ has used Shadow Absorption. He has entered stealth.
If he wanted to attack, he’d have no choice but to break stealth.
In a one-on-one fight, that might’ve been manageable, but in a full-party battle like this, what could he possibly do alone?
At best, he could take someone down with him in a mutual kill.
Sa-yoon cast one last glance at the empty space where Killer had disappeared before dashing toward the first goat.
