Chapter 47
With ten days left before exams, Kwon-ju, who had been improving his control skills rather than knowledge, logged into the game with practiced ease. Having logged in and out so many times, it now took him less than 20 seconds to enter his ID and password and press the start button.
[3Shu3: There was a fun event while I was gone?ㅠ Damn]
[3Shu3: A working adult who can barely make it to battles is crying]
As soon as he connected, 3Shu3, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, was complaining. The “fun event” she mentioned was probably referring to that incident with the New World guild.
[DoShinmyung: Hello everyone!!!]
[Ppojjo: Wow! Vice Guild Master-nim!]
[Chelling: Your reaction is frozenㅠ]
[DoShinmyung: ㅋㅋㅋ; Give me a more enthusiastic welcome]
Thirty minutes before the battle started, the YouTuber he’d only heard about finally logged in. Perhaps because he was in a profession that required attention, his character’s unique outfit particularly caught the eye—goggles and rainbow-colored hair. Kwon-ju had deliberately stayed back, not wanting to get close at all, but Jung-hoon, upon discovering him, excitedly approached and started talking. For someone whose job was being a YouTuber, the subject of rumors was simply too good a jackpot to pass up.
[DoShinmyung: So you’re the famous +15 newbie]
[DoShinmyung: Hi, I’m the real owner of this guild]
[DoShinmyung: Subscribe to my channel]
[DoShinmyung: I’ll trust that you already have!]
Kwon-ju gave no response to Jung-hoon, who was unilaterally extending his trust despite Kwon-ju not having subscribed. But seemingly not embarrassed at all, he continued chattering until Ji-won drove him away by telling him to get lost.
Despite his precious friend logging in after a long time, Ji-won was busy preparing buffs as usual. It made sense. In reality, Ji-won didn’t particularly care whether Jung-hoon had logged in after two months or three months. He was just another guild member to participate in the upcoming battle.
They might be whispering to each other. Having completely misread the situation, Kwon-ju tried his best to distract himself, not wanting to think about it. Because of this, he failed to notice the “what are you doing?” whisper Ji-won had sent, and the battle began.
Once again, Kwon-ju found himself alone. Right in front of an enemy guild member, no less. But Kwon-ju, who had received one-on-one training from Chelling after realizing the potential of his items, was no longer the stupid newbie who would stand still, get beaten up, and die.
[Momik: Ah why you of all people;]
Momik spat out an annoyed comment after encountering the worst possible opponent right at the start. The problem was that they had ended up in an alley where escape was impossible unless they charged straight ahead, and someone wrapped in ridiculously expensive items wouldn’t let them pass easily. Just a slight touch from that sword would probably kill them. They’d surely come fully buffed too.
[Momik: Would you please spare me?]
[HolyKnightKnight: Why should I?]
[Momik: Please just let me goㅠㅠ….. This is my first battle since joining the guild, dying in less than a minute would be]
[Momik: I want to impress the guild masterㅠㅠㅠ]
Not wanting to waste their first debut battle like this, Momik sent consecutive chat messages. Time passed with them in a standoff. Seeing the character standing still without attacking, Momik thought they might be spared and was about to move away.
[<Plum> guild member ‘HolyKnightKnight’ announces the start of war with their first kill.]
[<Plum> guild member ‘HolyKnightKnight’ has defeated <Haim> guild member ‘Momik’! (+3P)]
A yellow light flashed momentarily, and the previously imposing character collapsed to the ground. As expected, they were knocked out instantly with just one skill, pitifully fast.
[Momik: ??]
[HolyKnightKnight: It’s been over a minute]
It had just passed the one-minute mark since the battle began.
[Momik: Wow…..]
[Momik: That’s so meanㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Kwon-ju stared at Momik, who was lying there repeatedly typing ‘ㅋ’, then used a buff he had forgotten to apply. As if the one-hit kill that had just rendered the character incapacitated was nothing special, Kwon-ju raised his eerie-looking sword surrounded by a black aura. Momik, watching this character, complained with indignation:
[Momik: I told you this is my first battle and I wanted to impress the guild master;]
[HolyKnightKnight: I want to impress my guild master too?]
You’re not the only one. Wanting only to earn Ji-won’s favor as an elite guild member, Kwon-ju moved his character toward the square. He needed to kill everyone in sight. With this ruthless mindset, he hadn’t gone far when fortunately he met other guild members.
Any lack of control could be compensated for by sheer numbers. Combined with his cheat-level items, Kwon-ju with proper support was unstoppable. With the help of skilled guild members, Kwon-ju swung his sword comfortably, and his kill count began steadily accumulating in the right-side rankings.
[Party][Chelling: Wow Sasa-nim, you’re on fire today]
[Party][Chelling: This is it, this is what a +14 sword and +15 necklace owner should look likeㅋㅋ]
Teacher Chelling, whom he had met early and formed a party with, was bursting with pride. The two days of dedicated teaching had paid off. They’d been compensated, but still.
After securing quite a lot of points, Kwon-ju, as soon as the battle ended, checked the final rankings and waited for the guild master to come out last. He felt like he’d really done well today. Judging by the kill count displayed at the side, he was quite high in the rankings and hadn’t died until the end. Though he had mostly been protected by guild members, he hadn’t just stupidly taken hits like last time but had also dodged slightly.
In any case, he felt his heart racing, thinking Ji-won would praise him. If he kept improving like this, maybe Ji-won would continue to hang out with him even after his friend fully returned. However, the one who approached him at the guild headquarters wasn’t Ji-won, but his friend.
[DoShinmyung: Teacher]
[DoShinmyung: Would you perhaps like to stream with me??]
…?
Thinking it was nonsense, Kwon-ju moved his character far away. But he didn’t get far before being caught by Jung-hoon’s character with its innately high movement speed.
[DoShinmyung: ㅠㅠ]
Making all his previous jealousy seem pointless, Jung-hoon continued to chase Kwon-ju’s character for a long time, persistently courting him. Not even looking for his decade-long friend, he asked if Kwon-ju couldn’t appear on his stream just once, and if that was difficult, if he could at least examine his character’s equipment, all while throwing around terms that were hard to understand.
[DoShinmyung: Be the star of my comeback video]
What was this about becoming the star of a video when they had just met today? As Kwon-ju tried to understand, a blue-haired character suddenly blocked his way. Seeing the familiar costume, he felt like smiling despite this being just an in-game situation.
[Hando: Don’t hit on Sasa-nim]
[Hando: My newbie]
Even at this meaningless role-play, Kwon-ju’s mood improved. So I’m this childish, huh? Grinning at pixelated characters moving awkwardly. But he couldn’t help smiling when he remembered who was typing behind that spirit master character.
[DoShinmyung: ???]
[DoShinmyung: Claiming ownership here;;]
[Hando: You just met them todayㅋㅋㅋ]
For a moment, Kwon-ju couldn’t grasp what was happening as the two suddenly started arguing over him, only alternately staring at the two characters. It was hardly a real argument—more like childish banter—but it still seemed like they were fighting. What was this? He had expected them to have private conversations or say things like “the game was boring without you,” but nothing like that appeared.
Contrary to what Kwon-ju had imagined, the two showed no signs of being close or having fond feelings for each other; instead, they each showed great interest only in Kwon-ju. One because he’d found a precious new game mate, the other because he seemed like a big shot who could attract video views.
[Hando: Just stay where you are, Sasa-nim said they’ll be my game mate]
[DoShinmyung: That’s only because I haven’t been logging in]
[DoShinmyung: When I make my comeback, we’ll be best friends and I’ll definitely get them someday]
The mere thought of having his face on YouTube made Kwon-ju cringe, and seeing that Jung-hoon still hadn’t given up, he slowly moved his character away again. Noticing Kwon-ju’s character getting farther away, Ji-won belatedly realized he’d missed the most important thing while having a useless conversation with his friend, and sent a whisper.
[Hando>>HolyKnightKnight: Kwon-ju, you really did great today]
[Hando>>HolyKnightKnight: I took a screenshot to treasure foreverㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Having experienced firsthand how cursed Kwon-ju’s control skills were through several practice sessions, Ji-won knew how much he had improved. No matter how favorable the circumstances, it would have been impossible to secure this many kills if it were still the days when he would just sit in a chair without thinking.
While Kwon-ju was checking the photos received via KakaoTalk, Jung-hoon, after exchanging brief greetings with other guild members, answered the question about when he would return.
[DoShinmyung: Looks like the weather’s getting hot]
[DoShinmyung: I’m planning to keep taking a break for now]
[DoShinmyung: I’ll come if you call me for battles]
[DoShinmyung: See you all later!!]
And with that, Jung-hoon, who had instantly dispelled Kwon-ju’s worries and anguish, disappeared, saying he needed to go take a dip in the pool. Astonishingly quickly.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
