Chapter 44
[Guild][Ddajimalgot: Everyone, if you leave the guild in the future, please do so without any conflict with Chelling……]
That’s right. As Ji-won was nodding in agreement, Kwon-ju, who was watching the guild chat alongside him, asked:
“Do we have to catch them?”
“Well, poaching members from other guilds is a sensitive issue for guild masters and vice guild masters.”
So they basically issued a challenge to you, hyung. Understanding perfectly, Kwon-ju discreetly searched “Bangbae-dong Shooter” on his phone, but nothing specific came up. Does posting a bounty really bring in tips like this?
“Kwon-ju.”
Startled by Ji-won’s voice, Kwon-ju quickly exited the cash shop where he had been contemplating putting up a 1 million gold bounty since Ji-won seemed keen on finding this person.
“Just stay idle for an hour and do whatever you want.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Just for a moment… Actually, no. Can I look at your account?”
“Of course.”
Kwon-ju nodded and pushed his chair all the way to the wall to make space. Ji-won smoothly moved to the adjacent seat, took the mouse, and habitually opened the inventory first.
“…”
What is this gold amount?
One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand, million, ten million…?
Unable to believe the number, Ji-won briefly looked away. He glanced at a student enthusiastically gaming nearby, but when he looked back at the screen, the numbers remained unchanged.
“I’ve been buying it bit by bit. Never know when it might be needed.”
“Um… yeah. Good to be prepared.”
Though at this rate, the game might end before you use it all. Ji-won kept this pessimistic thought to himself and opened the equipment window to properly examine the account. The items glowing in golden light were mesmerizing just to look at.
“The options are really beautiful.”
Although he had already admired them through screen sharing before, seeing them directly while moving the mouse himself felt completely different. Having never specifically watched Holy Light’s broadcasts, he’d only heard secondhand that the equipment was legendary, but seeing it on someone he personally knew created a completely different sense of proximity.
And the fact that this equipment belonged to a newbie in his guild, no less. Any guild master would feel proud to have such a guild member. It was slightly unfortunate that the character class wasn’t exactly beginner-friendly, but still…
“Have you earned many titles?”
“I’ve just gotten a few that I could earn while hanging out with you, hyung.”
“That’s quite a lot! If you just collect more for your collection, you’ll be really powerful.”
[Guild][Chelling: Found out]
Already? Before even 30 minutes had passed, Chelling’s message announcing the discovery made Ji-won, who had been showing various things to Kwon-ju, straighten up from his relaxed position in the chair. He really wanted to know which guild it was.
[Guild][Chelling: Kkangbae<< This b@stard’s alt character]
[Guild][Chelling: It’s New World’s vice guild master?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
“New World?”
New World was an oldbie guild that had existed since the Asuka server was created, always securing a spot at the top of the rankings. It had plenty of high-spec users too. It didn’t seem like the kind of place that would poach other guilds’ members, but the impact of that +15 necklace must have been significant.
[Guild][HolyKnightKnight: New World?ㅋㅋㅋㅋ I never would have guessed]
[Guild][Chelling: Huh? Sasa-nim, you know them?]
Ah, this isn’t my account. Ji-won, a bit flustered that he’d spoken too naturally in his own style, quickly made an excuse.
[Guild][HolyKnightKnight: No, just because they’re high-ranking]
“What’s New World?”
“Just a moment.”
In response to Kwon-ju’s question, Ji-won immediately opened the guild ranking window. Pointing to the middle of the top three guilds marked with crowns, Ji-won said:
“This one.”
“That’s really high… Seems like they wouldn’t need to be desperate.”
“See the #1 guild, Sparkle? They don’t get along with them. They just had a revenge match but lost.”
A single heavy user like you joining would completely change their combat power. In Ji-won’s view, the two guilds were similar in size and overall combat power, so recruiting Kwon-ju would definitely give them the upper hand. Control skills could always be improved with practice…
[Guild][Watermelon Doctor: How did you find out?]
[Guild][Chelling: Someone who was close to him in his previous guild sent me a whisper telling meㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Guild][Chelling: To get solid proof, I Googled and went through all his forum posts]
[Guild][Chelling: There’s one from August 2018 where he uploaded a character selection screenㅋㅋ?]
[Guild][Chelling: And there’s Bangbae-dong Shooter right thereㅋㅋ?]
The guild members unanimously applauded Chelling’s perseverance in combing through old posts one by one. Chelling, who had uploaded the evidence photos to the guild board, saying they’d captured screenshots, was so eager to confront them that they rushed to the cash shop to buy a server chat item.
“Don’t they sell popcorn here?”
“Want me to go buy some?”
“…”
It was a joke, but… Kwon-ju must be joking too. Ji-won decided to take it that way and, smiling, pressed the food order button to order two light packs of jelly. After placing one pack in Kwon-ju’s hand and opening the wrapper, a differently colored chat message appeared.
[Server][Chelling: Admiring the swagger of the #2 ranked guild!!ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
So it begins. As Chelling announced the beginning of war through the server chat, all the online guild members appeared, each grabbing their metaphorical popcorn to watch the show. The server chat, momentarily quiet after the sudden mention of the guild’s name, soon saw the arrival of New World’s guild master.
[Server][Hayeomeobsi: Chelling-nim, what are you suddenly doing?]
[Server][Chelling: Who are you?? Are you also Bangbae’s alt?]
[Server][Hayeomeobsi: What are you talking about? I was minding my own business when you suddenly messaged]
[Server][Hayeomeobsi: If you have something to say, don’t do it here, come to the front of our guild headquarters]
[Server][Chelling: Are you going to gang up on me?ㅠㅠ]
[Server][Chelling: Is Bangbae-nim busy?]
[Server][Hayeomeobsi: Why are you looking for Bangbae-nim? Let’s keep this mannerly]
[Server][Chelling: Your vice guild master certainly has manners, poaching members from others’ guilds!!]
When Chelling finally got to the point after Hayeomeobsi responded as if they had no idea what was going on, mocking laughter erupted in the guild chat.
[Guild][Ddajimalgot: The chat suddenly stopped, right?]
[Guild][olly: They’re really playing dumbㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Guild][Kkangkinim: How could they not know;ㅅ;]
[Guild][Watermelon Doctor: No way they don’t knowㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
When poaching members from another guild, the vice guild master would certainly have consulted with the guild master. Who would send a message without being certain whether the guild master would accept the new member or not?
The server chat had gone quiet, suggesting they were holding an emergency meeting. Well, they probably hadn’t expected someone to actually report it. As Ji-won sat next to Kwon-ju watching the situation, whispers suddenly started flowing in.
[Hayeomeobsi>>Hando: Hando-nim]
[Hayeomeobsi>>Hando: Why are you managing your guild members so sh*ttily?ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Hayeomeobsi>>Hando: If there’s a problem, you should talk through whispers or messages first, not suddenly spamming server chat—are you out of your mind?]
[Hayeomeobsi>>Hando: Everyone knows you’re Shinmyung’s friend, so for your friend’s sake, pay some attention to your guild’s image ㅋㅋㅋㅋ if you don’t want to go downhill]
It was refreshing to see how their tone changed in whispers after pretending to be so proper in server chat. They seemed so confident, as if they had nothing to hide, probably because they knew that just receiving a tip wouldn’t count as evidence.
If only they knew about the screenshots. Without replying, Ji-won captured the whispers, uploaded them to the guild board, and said:
[Guild][Hando: They sent me whispers but don’t seem to know we have evidence]
[Guild][Chelling: Ohㅋㅋㅋ]
[Guild][Chelling: Sasa-nim, please upload a screenshot of any messages you received]
[Guild][Chelling: I’ll put them up on the Hahen Village bulletin board and come back^^!]
Chelling excitedly disappeared with both the screenshot of the message Kwon-ju had captured and uploaded, and the evidence photos they had found proving that Bangbae-dong Shooter and Kkangbae were the same person.
[Server][Orizi-neol: Why are you fighting again~~~~~]
[Server][Cs3sC: Stop fighting and help me decide dinner instead: tteokbokki vs malatang]
[Server][Chelling: Just starve and check out the Hahen board, Hayeomeobsi-nim^^!]
Although Chelling specifically directed the New World guild master to check the board, many server chat users who had been watching also took the bait. Chelling seemed genuinely excited at the news brought by a guild member who had gone to look: the area in front of the Hahen Village bulletin board was packed with players.
[Guild][olly: They’re not comiiiing]
[Guild][Kkangkinim: ㅋㅅㅋ]
[Guild][Chelling: They’re probably preparing an explanation for Sasa’s board ㅋㅋㅋ ah, boring]
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
