Translator: She.Wee
Chapter 10
Based on contribution rates, Cheon Noeul was likely to be the lowest. Kyungsoo pointed this out out of concern, but Noeul just smiled and responded, “It’s okay.”
“……”
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Let’s just try it as is since it’s a practice match anyway.
[Party] Ji9star: Okay~
[Party] ParkRoach: Haha, okay.
[Party] ThousandSunsets: ㅇㅅㅇ
But could he really do it? Kyungsoo was not convinced and kept his eyes fixed on the monitor. When the 30 seconds turned to 0, the timer reversed and changed to ‘8:00’.
READY… FIGHT!
Kyungsoo’s party started from the lower-left corner, and the opposing party from the lower-right. Not even ten seconds had passed when HalloweenEggplant cast a translucent barrier.
‘Light Barrier is activated!’
[Party] Ji9star: Heya!
Ji9star jumped onto a platform. He intended to cross over the barrier into the enemy’s territory. To block him, the enemy sorcerer, al0ha, jumped onto the platform at the same time.
“There he goes again.”
“What?”
“Ji9star, flying around recklessly….”
It was standard practice to stay together to make it easier for the healer to provide support, but Ji9star would often say, “Why learn mobility skills if you don’t use them?” and acted on his own. Everyone was used to it, so no one said anything. It was just his unique play style.
‘Dancing Chain!’
Kyungsoo’s character swung a long chain whip. Three opponents in front of him had their HP simultaneously reduced and were inflicted with a poison effect. A faint green mist swirled around their bodies as the poison took hold.
But the enemy healer cast a blessing again, clearing all the status effects. The debuffs were ineffective, and the damage was halved, making it a headache.
“Cheon Noeul. Do you remember registering your mobility skill yesterday?”
“Yes, but my BP isn’t fully charged yet….”
BP (Battle Points) slowly filled up as they hit the opponents. Kyungsoo kept glancing at Noeul’s screen while continuously using his skills.
“Let me know when it’s full. We’ll break the barrier then.”
“Okay.”
[Party] Ji9star: SSS
‘1 KILL!’
In the meantime, Ji9star had killed al0ha and jumped into the enemy territory. With the sorcerer, who had been dropping meteors from above, dead, it became easier as the fixed damage was removed.
“Hey, my BP is full….”
‘Beast’s Retribution!’
A wolf summoned by Neutaaaa’s skill slashed at Cheon Noeul.
‘ThousandSunsets has died. Respawning in 10 seconds….’
“…….”
“It was full….”
Kyungsoo chuckled bitterly, having given up all hope for Noeul. Even with Noeul dead, the enemy’s HP kept dropping at a steady rate. It was clear that he had been of no help.
[Party] Ji9star: Hahaha, Sunset, are you sleeping? Haha
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Analyzing ㅇㅅㅇ!
[Party] ParkRoach: Analyzing, hahaha
“tch.”
Analyzing? The excuse was so novel that Kyungsoo couldn’t help but laugh. Feeling Noeul’s gaze from beside him, he quickly clamped his mouth shut and focused on breaking the barrier.
[Party] ParkRoach: Say your goodbyes to your hair^^
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Hehe, no thanks ㅇㅅㅇ
I was a fool to trust him even for a moment…. The only reliable person left was Ji9star.
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Ji9star, take out Pea first.
[Party] Ji9star: Roger.
The sorcerer, who had respawned, returned to their base and used a binding skill on Earth Star. For three seconds, the bound character was rooted in place, unable to move or jump.
[Party] Ji9star: Slow ㅇㅅㅇ
[Party] PeaPea: Damn
He dodged it.
Though the damage output wasn’t particularly high, Earth Star was notorious in the guild for being the most annoying opponent in PvP. His ability to slip out of attacks was infuriating for his enemies. The knight spear and the sorcerer clashed, one aiming to strike the healer, the other to protect their own.
‘Light Barrier is 50% destroyed.’
At that moment, Cheon Noeul, who was supposed to nullify the barrier, had respawned….
‘Fire Blast!’
‘ThousandSunsets has died. Respawning in 10 seconds….’
…only to die again. This time, without even attacking, he had jumped onto the uneven ground and was hit while digging with a shovel.
[Party] ParkRoach: I honestly tried to save him. The guy practically dove into the flames to get hit.
[Party] ThousandSunsets: ㅇㅅㅇ?
[Party] ParkRoach: Oh, come on.
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Hahahahahaha….
[Party] Ji9star: Hahahahahahahaha, well at least we won’t lose hair over this^^ Thank you, really.
LOSE….
They ended up losing three rounds in a row. While the first round was somewhat understandable, the second and third rounds were incredibly frustrating. There seemed to be no way to break through KingSaber’s barrier. HalloweenEggplant seemed quite pleased with how well his skills, enhanced by the latest patch, were performing.
[Guild] HalloweenEggplant: Hahaha, Berserker is weak! So weak, hahaha.
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: We’ll crush you into a star shape next round.
[Guild] HalloweenEggplant: Oh, so scary~~~~~
[Guild] PeaPea: Hahaha.
[Guild] ParkRoach: Hahaha.
[Guild] Neutaaaa: You’re not even on our team, why are you laughing?
[Guild] ParkRoach: Because it’s funny, haha.
[Guild] ParkRoach: Whether it’s shaving my head… or deleting my character… it’s not happening to me^^ Good luck!
[Guild] ThousandSunsets: You’re witty, haha.
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: You ****; ***
[Guild] Ji9star: Haha, this crazy filter, it’s been a while, haha.
[Guild] al0ha: Hahaha.
‘What a distraction.’
It would be better if he just stayed out of the way and did nothing.
“Kyungsoo hyung.”
Kyungsoo ignored him and registered for a match with an NPC as usual.
‘You have selected the jungle map.’
‘You are moving to the jungle. Good luck.’
“Just throw this round. Don’t worry about it.”
“…Throw?”
“Yes, like me!”
Kyungsoo laughed in disbelief.
“You weren’t throwing. That’s just your usual skill level. Why pretend you were throwing?”
“…We still have seven rounds left.”
‘1 KILL!’
‘Ji9star has died. Respawning in 10 seconds….’
As soon as he entered the enemy territory, Ji9star got hit directly by the sorcerer’s flames instead of killing the healer.
[Party] Ji9star: I think I’m too slow. Should I find speed puzzles to enhance?
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Screw you.
[Party] Ji9star: Well, it’s a bit late to get them by tomorrow ㅠㅅㅠ.
There was no hope. Even if he tried to pull the enemies from behind with his job skill, the hook bounced off the barrier.
“Damn, why is it so invincible?”
If they were going to balance patch, they should have reduced Berserker’s skill cooldown a bit. King1’s barrier was so frustrating that it was giving him a headache.
“There are weak points in the barrier.”
“What are they?”
“Me!”
Kyungsoo answered as he pressed the skill shortcut keys with one hand.
“You’re not their weak point; you’re ours.”
“……”
“Why did you confidently say you’d handle the tank?”
“Because only I can do it.”
‘ThousandSunsets has died. Respawning in 10 seconds….’
“……”
So frustrating. Only you can do it? How are you so sure about that? Why!
“Don’t you trust me?”
“Would you trust yourself?”
Kyungsoo climbed the map in a zigzag pattern like Ji9star and used the ‘Hooking Star’ skill in the air.
[Party] ParkRoach: What is this?
[Party] ParkRoach: Where is everyone going?
ParkRoach wandered for a bit and then jumped up to follow Kyungsoo.
[Party] ParkRoach: They don’t know the value of a healer; how dare they abandon me?
‘2 KILL!’
‘3 KILL!’
ParkRoach soon died from the enemy’s attack. Kyungsoo’s team sacrificed their healer to focus on a diagonal attack that bypassed the barrier. They managed to take down the opposing healer and Music Lord. Kyungsoo himself also fell to King Saber’s heavy mace.
While Kyungsoo awaited revival, Cheon Noeul, who had already revived, climbed up a platform to avoid enemy attacks and hung from a vine. Since Noeul posed little threat, no one pursued him. As he left his mark all over the narrow map, he mumbled.
“Hyung, why aren’t you using the terrain? You were good at following me when we played.”
“Terrain?”
“Yeah… I don’t understand why you only fight on the ground.”
“…?”
“Why do you think I suggested choosing the jungle map? What’s the point of saving the platforms?”
It’s always the players who aren’t good at the game who try to give advice. Kyungsoo was incredulous.
“Hey, I do that one-on-one. But in large-scale PVP, you’ll get criticized for it. It’s hard to heal.”
“Who’s criticizing? Bring them here.”
“Even if I bring them, you’ll still die. And the platforms are only in the jungle map.”
“We’re going to play in the jungle.”
“Why are you so sure? The enemies might choose a different map.”
“I have a friend in that team, and they’ve decided on the jungle.”
“…Really?”
Noeul nodded enthusiastically.
“Hyung, healing the party members is the healer’s job, not ours. If they can’t do it, we just complain about them.”
[Party] ParkRoach: Hahahahahahahahaha, so annoying!
[Party] Ji9star: It’s a losing game, so I’m throwing it.
[Party] ParkRoach: You’re not even really throwing, you do this all the time;
[Party] Ji9star: LoL
Earth Star climbed to the top of the map, used a skill, then fell, taking fall damage. He was immediately killed by the enemy’s attack.
[Party] ParkRoach: I don’t care, I’m throwing too.
ParkRoach also used debuff and curse skills, jumping upward.
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Haha.
Cheon Noeul also dropped from the vines and leaped behind the barrier.
[Guild] HalloweenEggplant: Ah, damn it, hahahahahahahaha, this is such a disaster.
HalloweenEggplant turned around, causing the barrier to rotate to the opposite side. However, the party members were on the other side of the barrier. It was an opportunity.
‘Dancing Knife!’
‘5 KILL!’
‘6 KILL!’
‘7 KILL!’
It was a triple kill, all by Cheon Noeul.
‘ThousandSunsets has started a merciless slaughter!’
Cheon Noeul swung his knife recklessly, using random skills. ParkRoach, who was attaching debuffs to the enemy Music Lord, stopped and moved up a step to start healing Cheon Noeul.
“…….”
At a glance, it seemed like Cheon Noeul was using skills without any strategy, but on closer inspection, that wasn’t the case. He was following the exact pattern Kyungsoo used yesterday, blocking incoming attacks with his weapon and skillfully using movement abilities to deal with HalloweenEggplant.
Just in case, Kyungsoo moved down and used his job skill ‘Pull’ from behind HalloweenEggplant.
[Party] ParkRoach: ????
“What? The barrier on the opposite side isn’t working…?”
Before HalloweenEggplant could turn around again, Kyungsoo used his skill… Chains wrapped around a massive bomb swirled around and entangled HalloweenEggplant.
‘The Barrier of Light is nullified for 2 seconds!’
At that moment, Cheon Noeul connected his movement ability with an attack, brushing past HalloweenEggplant’s waist and landing next to Kyungsoo. The bomb exploded with a bang.
‘6 KILL!’
HalloweenEggplant died for the first time.
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: ☆
[Guild] HalloweenEggplant: …?
From there, it was smooth sailing. The large logs scattered on the jungle floor and the uneven terrain made long-range straight-line attacks ineffective.
Recalling the experience of beating up Cheon Noeul while chasing him around the map made the complex jungle terrain easy to navigate. Unlike typical large-scale PvP, Cheon Noeul kept using movement abilities, relentlessly following and taking the lives of the reviving Sorcerers and Music Lords.
Just as he had said at the start of the first game, Cheon Noeul destroyed the barrier as soon as HalloweenEggplant revived. Then, Kyungsoo would hook them in with his grappling hook in one swoop, and the enemy would repeatedly die without any chance to resist.
‘22 KILL!’
‘23 KILL!’
[Party] Ji9star: Who are you…? Where’s the real Sunset…?
Even Kyungsoo found it unfamiliar. It was definitely Cheon Noeul, not someone else…. Moreover, he proudly ranked second in contribution.
*
[Server] MeowieMeowMeow: <3ch> Isis Village Makeup Shop, let’s go.
As Kyungsoo shouted coordinates across the entire server, people started gathering inside the Makeup Shop without knowing why.
[Whisper] Raimi: ???
[Whisper] HalloweenEggplant: ……? Hey Meowie, what’s going on?
[Whisper] Aimiozim: What’s that?
[Whisper] Hakase: Do we get something if we go?
“Kyungsoo hyung…. Block all the people whispering to you.”
Noeul whispered in a sullen voice. Kyungsoo naturally ignored him.
“Then I’d have to block you first.”
As people dressed in various costumes started coming in one by one, their nicknames overlapped so much that it became impossible to distinguish who was who.
[Server] Ji9star: Vice-Guild Leader Poseidon ★Head Shaving Ceremony★ Come watch >ㅁ< Broadcasting live on Channel 3 ♡
[Server] PeaPea: Channel 3 Isis Village >>>Makeup Shop<<< Enter through the portal next to the auction house^^
[Guild] HalloweenEggplant: You crazy idiots.
[Server] Ji9star: <Poseidon> Play and enjoy to your heart’s content. The latest trend is the new ocean octopus style.#
$ Head shaved clean☆ Lots of attendees needed.^^
[Guild] PeaPea: Lol, damn, hahahahahahahahahaha
[Guild] neutaaaa: Hahahahahahahahahahahaha
[Guild] HalloweenEggplant: I can’t believe this.
[Guild] ParkRoach: Who told you to do this? LoL
[Guild] ThousandSunsets: Yeah, yeah!
[Guild] HalloweenEggplant: You’re the root of all evil.
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: Who told you to do this
[Guild] ParkRoach: Who told you to do this
[Guild] al0ha: Who told you to do this
[Guild] PeaPea: Who told you to do this
[Guild] Ji9star: tch. I thought it was lagging.
Kyungsoo’s party barely escaped punishment, winning the last round by just one kill. All King Saber did was put up barriers and only attacked when someone got close. But even that barrier had a weakness, so HalloweenEggplant’s contribution rate was only about 10%. As a result, he was sentenced to become bald.
“Cheon No….”
“Yes?”
“Cheon Noeul.”
Even though it was clearly written on his school badge, just calling his name gave Kyungsoo goosebumps. Since he used the same name in the game, it didn’t feel much different from calling him Meowie.
“Yes?”
“Why did you suddenly get so good?”
“You taught me yesterday, hyung. I got used to it.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no way you could’ve picked it up that fast. Not you.”
Noeul blinked. The slight tilt of his head and his confused expression couldn’t have been more annoying. The game character ‘Cheon Noeul’ moved as naturally as if it were Noeul himself. The guild members who played together were all puzzled. Kyungsoo, who played PvP with him, knew that no one else was controlling him.
[All] Ji9star: Everyone, step back, you might catch it if you get too close.
[All] Raybrina: Hahahahahaha.
[All] HalloweenEggplant: What about respect for the vice-guild leader?
[All] MeowieMeowMeow: Hah, what are you talking about? 30 seconds left.
[All] HalloweenEggplant: ಥ‿ಥ….As they had agreed to change hairstyles at exactly 10 PM, HalloweenEggplant stared at the clock, counting down to the second. When 10 seconds remained, all the users inside the Makeup Shop joined in to count down.
As soon as it hit the hour, the guild members set off the event fireworks aimed at HalloweenEggplant. Sparkling lights scattered in the air. The beauty salon machine, which had devoured HalloweenEggplant’s head, wriggled for a while before it made a loud pop and fell away. The once shiny silver hair was gone, leaving behind a bald head as smooth as a boiled egg. Even the slightly cynical look of his half-closed eyes now seemed pitiful.
[All] Cheon Noeul: Hahahaha, tsk tsk.
[All] neutaaaa: Hahahahahahahahahaha.
[All] Ji9star: Hahahahahahahahahahaha.
[All] Raimi: Hahahahahahahahahahaha.
[All] asdfzxcv: Hahahahahahahahahahaha.
HalloweenEggplant quickly exited the Makeup Shop, and the other users followed, using an emoticon to slap their foreheads. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. Inside the Makeup Shop, only Noeul, Kyungsoo, and a few users who hadn’t managed to follow remained.
Kyungsoo sent Noeul a 1v1 PvP request.
“…Did I do something wrong again?”
“No, just accept it.”
After a moment’s thought, Noeul clicked the accept button. But the person who had been running wild on the battlefield just moments ago was nowhere to be seen. Noeul avoided Kyungsoo, stepping across the floating debris in the ruined city map. It was as if he was a different person.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and swap your weapon.”
“I don’t want to fight with you, Hyung. I just want us to get along.”
Kyungsoo couldn’t understand Noeul at all. Did his shitty sense really get fixed just because he stuck close to him and taught him for a mere ten rounds? That was impossible.
“Are you going to keep doing this tomorrow?”
“No, tomorrow I’ll try my best…”
“You’re saying you’ll try your best tomorrow? So when you’re with me, you’re just going to mess around?”
At those words, Noeul looked at Kyungsoo, startled.
“No, that’s not it at all!”
Startled by Kyungsoo’s words, Noeul stammered as he spoke.
“It’s just… your character is too much like you…”
Noeul muttered as if making an excuse. The image Kyungsoo had of Noeul in his mind crumbled. A historically poor player in the Illusion world, unmatched by any other. One day, he suddenly appeared, put a bounty on my head, and started stalking me. When I suggested a face-off, instead of apologizing, he eagerly jumped at the chance… But now, maybe he’s not bad at the game. It’s possible to improve in such a short time, but then he wasn’t lacking in sense from the beginning, was he?
‘…So what kind of person is he, really?’
At that moment, Noeul swapped his spaceship for a weapon and started rushing towards Kyungsoo. It seemed he finally decided to play seriously. Considering the job classes, Noeul, being a close-range dealer, had the upper hand. Every time Kyungsoo’s character got hit by Noeul’s attacks, Noeul would flinch his shoulders. In the end, Kyungsoo won, but Noeul still let out a long sigh and trembled.
What a pathetic display.
Kyungsoo looked at Noeul, who seemed to be putting on an act, with an expression of distaste. Noeul, holding his face in his hands, looked at Kyungsoo with tearful eyes. Kyungsoo exited the noisy guild chatroom, which was buzzing with the news of the deputy guild leader’s head shave, and checked the time. It seemed like it would be eleven o’clock by the time he got home. He quit the game and suddenly stood up from his chair.
“It’s late. I’m going home now.”
“It’s raining outside…”
Just as he said, raindrops were already forming on the window. The roads were completely wet, but it didn’t seem like the rain was too heavy.
“Do you want to stay over?”
Kyungsoo snorted. It wasn’t like his house was that far away, and he wasn’t shameless enough to sleep over at the house of a guy he’d only met in person less than a week ago.
“Do you have an umbrella?”
“No, I left them all at school.”
“Then never mind.”
“Hyung, rain isn’t that great these days. It’s got dust mixed in, and you might get a skin disease.”
“It’s not even raining that much.”
Kyungsoo grabbed the bag he had thrown aside and put on his shoes. Noeul, who had followed him down to the first floor in a daze, felt the still drizzling rain on his palm and looked back at Kyungsoo.
“You’ll get soaked…”
“It’s fine.”
Kyungsoo lifted his bag over his head.
“Why would you use your bag? Even if it’s waterproof, still!”
“It’s not waterproof. And I meant it’s fine because there’s nothing inside.”
Kyungsoo shook the bag over his head. The empty bag flapped weakly. Noeul was at a loss for words, his mouth slightly open. Ignoring him, Kyungsoo sprinted home on the wet road.
It was strange. It was definitely just a drizzle, and he hadn’t even felt it, but by the time he arrived home, he was drenched from head to toe.
Hey Guys it’s SheWee!!
I was too busy to update last Sunday so I’ll make it up to you all with a double update! But I also want to let you know that my exams are starting from 14th of September. So from now till 25th of September I will not be able to give any updates nor will I be able to make it up like I did today, so to sum it up I’m going on hiatus from today till 25th of September! After I’m done with my exams I will continue to update regularly. As always thank you for your support <3.
If you like my work then please support me by buying me ko-fi!
