LG Chapter 22

Love Games

Translator:She.Wee

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Chapter 22

As I stacked the auxiliary buildings, I recalled last year’s siege. It’s true that Melody was particularly tricky. They were hard to predict, but I don’t remember the details well. After dealing with everything in a frenzy and killing every visible player, we barely won by a narrow margin.

“1 minute until the battle begins. Please prepare for combat.”

The construction time for the fortress and auxiliary buildings ended. Soon, a serious BGM flowed as the monitor borders flashed red.

“Warriors, destroy the enemy fortress and capture the territory. For your team’s victory, locate the command post inside the fortress and destroy its power source.”

“30 seconds until the battle begins. Please wait for the next orders in your assigned positions.”

[Party] al0ha: Hey, are the attack and defense teams the same as last year?? Do I just stay here?

[Party] neutaaaa: Yep.

[Party] Ji9star: Yeah.

Guild members recalled last year’s roles and moved to their positions. Healers were busily moving around, casting buffs. In front of the walls, shields were activated by the Kingsaver, and knights like Ji9star and heroes were ready to jump off as soon as the game began.

[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Oh no, the middle of Zone 2 is empty!

[Party] HalloweenEggplant: I was about to say that, lol. Can someone send one more defender to Zone 2?

[Party] PeaPea: Who’s gonna switch? We need more attackers than defenders. Ugh…

No one volunteered hastily. Kyungsoo, who had been pacing back and forth, reluctantly raised his hand to volunteer.

[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Then I’ll also cover defense in Zone 2.

[Party] Poseidon Captain: Both attacking and defending? Are you sure you’re okay with that?

There’s no choice. If I don’t do it, there will be a gap in the central defense line of the fortress. Defense isn’t just about blocking attacks recklessly.

[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: If I kill them all, that counts as defense, right?

[Party] neutaaaa: ???????

[Party] HalloweenEggplant: Huh? LOL.

[Party] PeaPea: …….

[Party] Ji9star: Whoa…

[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: There’s a saying, “The best defense is a good offense,” right?

[Party] Poseidon Captain: I mean, sure….

[Party] Ji9star: I’m sorry, lol.

[Party] neutaaaa: ……ㅠ….

[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Stop ganging up on me again!

[Party] neutaaaa: Meowie, ever since you messed around with Melody, you’ve turned into another Sunset.

[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: ????

[Party] neutaaaa: Sorry for teasing, lol.

[Party] HalloweenEggplant: LOL.

The defense line was adequately set up, so all I needed to do was take down the pesky attackers. The guild members were trying to tease me again. Just as Kyungsoo was about to respond, the announcement of 10 seconds until the battle made him close the chat window.

“The battle has begun!”

A loud trumpet sound signaled the start of the battle. About 70% of the guild members, who were in the attack team, rushed forward. The auxiliary supply building, at level 3, started producing flame and catapult robots. Support robots were dispatched through the gate. If they made it safely to the enemy’s fortress without being destroyed, they would have significant impact.

[Party] Ji9star: LOL what is this?!

[Party] HalloweenEggplant: Where do you even have time to chat?

[Party] Ji9star: ? I’m already in front of their fortress.

[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: And?

[Party] Ji9star: It’s completely empty here, LOL.

In siege PVP, it’s common to split into attack and defense teams. The ratio and team composition can vary, but no one ever leaves the fortress entirely undefended.

[Party] HalloweenEggplant: Don’t lie.

[Party] neutaaaa: It’s true, no one’s here, lol. Do I smell bad or something? LOL.

[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: No one? Not even one person?

[Party] Ji9star: Oh, a few are coming back now, lol.

[Party] neutaaaa: It’s Sunset. I’ll handle it.

[Party] Ji9star: Got it.

“Ji9star has begun attacking the enemy fortress!”

[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: …??

If even one person was defending, this wouldn’t have been possible. But no enemies were visible. They had all left for the attack.

[Party] neutaaaa: Sunset just planted a bomb on us, but it didn’t explode, LOL. Did he miss?

[Party] Ji9star: Probably, lol. I think they’ve forgotten how to siege, LOL.

[Party] neutaaaa: Everyone except us is holding Melody off at the middle.

“KidneyRat has been killed. Respawning in 20 seconds….”

[Party] KidneyRat: Shut up and hurry up and destroy it!

One of Poseidon’s members died, giving Melody 300 points. Characters respawn at the hospital, an auxiliary building. It’s best not to die since you have to travel back a long way.

[Party] Ji9star: Defense? Do it yourself. We’re off to smash the fortress, lol.

Kyungsoo, who had been tense in front of the fortress, sprinted forward to assess the situation. HalloweenEggplant, who had been using the “Light Barrier,” followed close behind. As they approached the middle, the sounds of skills being used became louder.

“The destruction of the enemy fortress is in progress. Current durability: 80%.”

Melody and Poseidon were tangled in a chaotic fight on the central bridge. Everyone’s HP bars were so low that it was hard to distinguish who was who. Someone might know Kingsaver’s “Light Barrier” weakness and could recklessly dive in.

“But I can’t just stand by and do nothing.”

Kyungsoo joined the fray from behind HalloweenEggplant’s barrier, launching a long-range bazooka attack. However, Melody’s guild members, like Ji9star, never stood still, so the damage was minimal. Then, Sunset, who had been floating leisurely in the air, extended his arms.

“Time Bomb, activated!”

Small clocks appeared above Poseidon’s members’ heads, their hands spinning rapidly before they exploded with a bang.

“al0ha has been killed. Respawning in 20 seconds….”

“yolo has been killed. Respawning in 20 seconds….”

“Enemy Sunset has begun a ruthless massacre!”

“neutaaaa has been killed. Respawning in 20 seconds….”

“Ji9star has been killed. Respawning in 20 seconds….”

“Honeymoon has been killed. Respawning in 20 seconds….”

“Enemy Solyeong has begun a ruthless massacre!”

“Enemy Sunset’s shadow is drenched in blood!”

In an instant, half of the attackers were wiped out. Losing so much firepower at once was a severe blow, especially with the respawn delay.

[Party] al0ha: That Time Bomb has to be banned! We nearly destroyed them!!

[Party] Ji9star: Haha, did you know? They only built one auxiliary building—a hospital! They didn’t build anything else, LOL.

[Party] Honeymoon: What? Then the rest…?

[Party] Ji9star: Who knows? Maybe they dumped everything into their fortress durability. No matter how much we hit it, the gauge hardly goes down. Ugh!

[Party] neutaaaa: LOL, that guy still knows how to abuse Time Bomb like a pro.

[Party] PeaPea: I almost died, ugh!

The few survivors of the Time Bomb retreated behind the barrier to recover their health. But Melody ignored the barrier and the huddled DPS behind it. Sunset scattered starlight as he flew through the air, and the remaining guild members easily leaped over obstacles, hopping toward Poseidon’s fortress.

“…….”

Instead of moving as a team, they all acted individually, as if in a solo battle. Memories of last year’s siege came flooding back.

Melody didn’t focus on “defending the fortress” last time either. Instead, they chose to charge recklessly. As the guild members said, Melody wasn’t just unpredictable—they were impossible to predict. There was no strategy; their movements were uncoordinated, almost random, yet they weren’t exactly following a plan either. It felt like each guild member just did whatever they wanted.

[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Deputy guild master, go back to the defense line, and DPS, let’s go destroy their fortress.

[Party] Ji9star: I’ll join as soon as I respawn, lol.

The surviving DPS, including the sorcerer PeaPea, dashed toward the enemy’s base. Melody, who had already left, didn’t bother to stop them.

 

‘Player KidneyRat has died. Respawn in 20 seconds…’

‘The destruction of the enemy fortress is in progress. Current durability: 50%.’

‘Damage from support units will no longer apply once durability reaches 50%.’

 

From 50% durability onward, support units like flame robots and catapult robots no longer deal damage. This means that the fortress can only be destroyed using skills. The supply station had now lost its purpose.

 

[Party] PoseidonCaptain: Hmm… I think we can lower the supply station’s level from the next round. It only helps early on, but it takes up too much space.

 

Kyungsoo nodded silently. Melody’s recovery speed slowed, possibly due to a lack of healers. KingSaver and the gunners took out Melody’s healer first. Except for Sunset, who was out of range of the class skill, the other players were dragged by hooks and gathered in one place. The guild’s healers, who had been working together for a long time, restored half of their HP without needing to communicate.

 

Melody spread out across the map. However, they seemed to have forgotten that Berserker’s skill range was also wide.

 

‘Hooking Star!’

Due to buffs and blessings, a critical hit landed. A cascade of colorful stars scattered along with the hook.

 

‘Enemy SpadeQueen has died.’

 

‘Player MeowieMeowMeow has started a merciless massacre!’

 

‘Enemy Seolyeong has died.’

 

‘Player PoseidonCaptain has started a merciless massacre!’

 

‘Enemy Lilian has died.’

 

‘Enemy Aslen has died.’

 

‘The shadow of MeowieMeowMeow has been stained with the enemy’s blood!’

 

‘Player HalloweenEggplant has died. Respawn in 20 seconds….’

 

[Party] HalloweenEggplant: What kind of siege is this, more like a brawl, LOL. This is ridiculous.

 

‘Player Sunset has declared PoseidonCaptain as a target!’

 

‘Judgment of Heaven!’

 

As Sunset shouted the skill name, arrows of light rained down from the sky. However, no other Poseidons were harmed. PoseidonCaptain, the one targeted, couldn’t even react before falling under the successive attacks.

 

‘PoseidonCaptain has died. Respawn in 20 seconds….’

 

[Party] PoseidonCaptain: Dying to a Moon Fairy… such disgrace to the family….

 

[Party] HalloweenEggplant: ~Disgrace to the Family Guild~

 

[Party] ParkRoach: Sunset’s class is not Moon Fairy, but Sunset.

 

[Party] Ji9star: Attention~~~ Hey, you guys are forgetting something~!!!

 

[Party] Ji9star: We formed an alliance with Melody, LOL.

 

[Party] Ji9star: [Breaking News] Sunset is… on our side too.

 

[Party] Neutaaaa: That’s the creepiest thing I’ve heard all year, thanks.

 

[Party] Ji9star: Anyway, what that means is…

 

[Party] Ji9star: No matter what, we have no reason to be mad, LOL. We’re on the same team!

 

[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: LOL, will we still not get mad if our castle is left completely empty like this?

 

[Party] Neutaaaa: Empty castle, LOL.

 

[Party] Ji9star: ….

 

[Party] Ji9star: No, sh*t, I’m fuming. F*** those guys, I take back everything I said, smh;

 

[Party] HalloweenEggplant: LOL LOL LOL.

 

[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: LOL LOL LOL.

 

[Party] PoseidonCaptain: LOL LOL LOL.

 

[Party] Neutaaaa: Do you have anger issues, LOL?

 

Thanks to Melody’s reckless charge, Poseidon’s strategy was completely disrupted, except for the defense line. The battle became chaotic. Melody was too busy dealing with guild members rushing at them to focus on breaking the stronghold.

 

[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Hey, is the Time Bomb cooldown 5 minutes?

 

But something had been bothering Kyungsoo. Sunset was acting more like a buffer, supporting guild members instead of fulfilling the role of a damage dealer.

 

[Party] Neutaaaa: LOL, what? 5 minutes? LOL LOL LOL.

 

[Party] Neutaaaa: If it were 5 minutes, they wouldn’t have earned the Massacre title.

 

[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Never mind then….

 

Well, no matter how long the skill cooldown, it couldn’t be more than a few minutes… Kyungsoo climbed over a barrier and fired a bazooka toward Sunset. That’s when Melody’s KingSaver activated a shield and jumped in. The one-time shield absorbed the attack and broke. Sunset, who almost got hit, didn’t retaliate but instead cheerfully used an emoji to say ‘Hello!’ before retreating downwards.

 

“……”

 

Had this happened before? Something felt familiar as Kyungsoo tried to recall the memory. He frowned.

 

‘The enemy’s sturdy stronghold has been destroyed! Break the power source at the command center to secure final victory!’

 

‘Ji9star has discovered the command center! The power source is exposed!’

 

‘MeowieMeowMeow has died. Respawn in 20 seconds….’

 

The one who killed the careless Kyungsoo was SpadeQueen, Jeong Minjae.

 

[Global] SpadeQueen: LOL, ss.

 

[Global] Seolyeong: They’re gonna get whacked at this rate.

 

Respawn in 20 seconds, 19 seconds, 18 seconds…. The countdown ticked slowly. As Kyungsoo switched to spectator mode, he leaned back in his chair and sighed deeply. It was overwhelming. With skill effects stacking, Melody and Poseidon flying all over, and even the speech bubbles overlapping, it was hard to keep track of what was going on.

 

At that moment, Poseidon was still trying to destroy the power source in the command center. Melody, instead of focusing on the stronghold, was busy killing revived damage dealers, solely concentrating on the attack. When the power source was 95% destroyed, Kyungsoo glanced at the points. The score gap was wider than expected.

 

“This isn’t good….”

 

Even adding the points from destroying the power source wouldn’t be enough to bridge the gap. They needed to stop destroying the power source and start earning points from enemy deaths to win.

 

‘The enemy’s command center power source has been destroyed.’

 

Realizing it was already too late, the power source was completely obliterated.

 

‘The battle has ended. Summing up PVP points.’

 

[Party] Ji9star: LOL, ss.

 

[Party] Neutaaaa: We won^0^

 

The cheering Poseidons went silent when they saw the word “Defeat” flash on the screen.

 

[Party] al0ha: ???

 

[Party] Ji9star: Ah, the summed-up points… LOL.

 

[Party] Neutaaaa: Trash game… We broke their castle, how did they win!?

 

[Party] Ji9star: They won with an empty castle… This is absurd^-^… We even broke the castle and still lost, LOL.

 

[Party] HalloweenEggplant: Some people didn’t log in today, so we didn’t give it our all either;

 

[Party] Ji9star: But it was an empty castleㅠㅠ We lost despite 100 offense and 0 defense, how ridiculous.

 

[Party] PoseidonCaptain: I guess we focused too much on defense. Plus, we were outnumbered compared to Melody.

 

[Party] Neutaaaa: Ugh, so it’s the defense team’s fault then.

 

[Party] HalloweenEggplant: Seems like you want to get demoted again.

 

[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: LOL, whoever died 14 times, just come forward voluntarily.

 

The battle report recorded the highest death count as ‘14.’

 

[Party] Neutaaaa: Fourteen?? Who was it? I bet it’s me.

 

[Party] Neutaaaa: Ah, it’s me, LOL.

 

[Party] Ji9star: Sh*t, fourteen times, LOL. We just handed them points on a silver platter, seriously.

 

[Party] Neutaaaa: Alright, alright! Let’s not blame anyone!! This was all of us failing together~!

 

[Party] al0ha: LOL LOL LOL.

 

After the practice game ended, all the guild members returned to the allied room. The solemn BGM of the battlefield was replaced by the peaceful sound of a music box, and Melody calmly sheathed their weapons like a gentle lamb.

 

[Global] Ji9star: Who came up with the Empty Castle strategy?

 

[Global] SpadeQueen: Empty Castle? What’s that?

 

[Global] MeowieMeowMeow: How could no one defend the castle?

 

[Global] Seolyeong: Oh, they mean it was empty, LOL.

 

[Global] MeowieMeowMeow: Yeah, who came up with the strategy, LOL.

 

[Global] Sunset: Why?

 

[Global] MeowieMeowMeow: It’s so innovative, I’m curious.

 

[Global] Sunset: I did, ㅇㅅㅇ/

 

[Global] Seolyeong: Whisper/That’s all a lie. We don’t make strategies^^.

 

[Global] Seolyeong: Crazy Sunbal dropped my rank again;

 

[Guild] WandoWanda: OMG, even Melody calls him Sunbal, LOL. I suddenly feel an internal bond forming^^.

 

[Global] Aslen: Why would you say that?

 

[Global] Seolyeong: ㅡㅡ;

 

[Global] SpadeQueen: LOL, we never make strategies. That’s why we didn’t build any extra structures, LOL.

 

“……”

 

Kyungsoo was speechless, not even able to laugh, at the absurdity of losing to a guild that didn’t even plan a strategy. He had suspected that their movements weren’t organized, but to think that they weren’t even operating within a loose framework was astonishing.

It was absurd that they had been utterly defeated by a guild that didn’t even plan their strategies. He couldn’t even laugh at the situation. While he had suspected that they weren’t following a set plan, he hadn’t expected them to not even be moving freely within a fixed framework.

 

[Global] MeowieMeowMeow: So, are we going to keep playing without a strategy?

[Global] Sunset: No, we have to adjust to Poseidonㅇㅅㅇ.

[Global] Seolyeong: More like adjusting to Meowie heh.

[Global] Ji9star: .o0(Meowiecheop)

[Global] MeowieMeowMeow: ಠ⁠︵⁠ಠ.

[Global] Seolyeong: Meowiecheop?

[Global] Aslen: Meowiecheop LOLOL? A concubine?

[Global] Seolyeong: HAHAHAHAHAH.

[Global] Ji9star: You know, there was that person named ThousandSunsets who had a bounty on their head and was really good at stalking. That’s MeowieGG.

 

Why are they suddenly bringing up Cheon Noeul? Not only is the guild spreading weird rumors, but they’re even starting to spread them to other guilds.

 

[Global] SpadeQueen: Ah HAHAHAHA

[Global] Seolyeong: Meowiecheop LOLOL .

[Global] Ji9star: Everyone’s cracking up heh. Was what I said that funny?ㅎㅎ (Proud).

[Global] MeowieMeowMeow: ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ.

[Global] Sunset: Yeah, yeah, it’s not that funny.

[Global] ParkRoach: ☞⁠￣⁠ᴥ⁠￣⁠☞, look at them taking sides.

[Global] Ji9star: Yeah, next Meowiecheop^^.

[Global] Sunset: There won’t be a next concubine… If there were, I would have killed them.

[Global] Aslen: LOLOLOL That’s a brutal joke.

[Global] Sunset: Does it sound like a joke?

[Global] Aslen: No.

[Global] HalloweenEggplant: I knew it was a good idea to invite them to the party back then^^.

[Global] al0ha: (Popcorn).

[Global] MeowieMeowMeow: Fine, let’s see this through to the end LoL.

 

Kyungsoo said this as he pressed the tap key to switch weapons. Although the attack wouldn’t land anyway, he hoped it would at least come off as a threat. With a metallic click, he pointed the barrel toward Poseidon, and everyone jumped onto the upper platform.

 

[Global] neutaaaa: hahahah Why are you all blaming us LOLOL.

[Global] Ji9star: Exactly LOLOLOLOL.

[Global] MeowieMeowMeow: You guys are the worst (TT).

[Global] Sunset: That’s right.

 

Kyungsoo typed ‘shut up’, but thinking it might be too harsh to say “shut up” to someone he wasn’t close to, he erased it and sent a more polite message instead.

 

[Global] MeowieMeowMeow: Sorry, but could you be quiet?

[Global] Sunset: Yep.

[Global] supercool: I’m dying LOLOLOL Meowie-whatever: Meowiecheop, you must serve.

[Global] Sunset: Yes, your majesty♡.

[Global] MeowieMeowMeow: Fvck you.

[Global] Seolyeong: OMG LOLOL.

[Global] SpadeQueen: LOLOLOLOL .

[Global] MeowieMeowMeow: LoL I’m seriously asking, have you gone mad?

[Global] Sunset: Nopeㅇㅅㅇ?

[Global] MeowieMeowMeow: Sorry, then have you gone crazy?

[Global] Sunset: No, no.

[Global] PeaPea: Oh man, they’re at it again, Meowie-nim is doing that again HAHAHAHA.

[Global] Seolyeong: Ah LOL. Have you gone crazy? Yo? Hahaha.

[Global] neutaaaa: They’re doing it again LOLOLOLOL.

Kyungsoo knew Sunset was a bit crazy, but he didn’t realize they were also talented at stirring things up. And there was nothing good that could come from being entangled with them… and he didn’t like it either. Kyungsoo rested his chin on his hand, watching the chat window, which was quickly filling up with idle chatter instead of discussions about the practice game.

[Global] ParkRoach: I like Melody’s reactions, they’re great hehe.

[Global] Ji9star: Me too

[Global] PeaPea: Maybe it’s because I’m an attention seeker too, but damn, this is exhilarating…

[Global] Aslen: Hahahahahahahahaha, this is hilarious lol

[Global] Ji9star: I’m just so happy hehe. I dedicate this glory to MeowieKK.

[Global] MeowieMeowMeow: Haha, thanks, you fucker.

[Global] Seolyeong: Hahaha, seriously fuck lololololol.

[Global] Aslen: Meowie-nim, then who do you prefer, ♥Meowie-Cheop vs Meowie-KK♥? If you don’t choose, Berserker will get nerfed.

Nerfed? I don’t like either of them, what should I do…? Kyungsoo thought seriously and chose the lesser of two evils.

[Global] MeowieMeowMeow: ThousandSunsets seems better, relatively kinder.

[Global] Aslen: Is this like the difference between burning trash and non-burning trash?

[Global] Sunset: Haha, are you calling me trash now? ㅇㅅㅇ

[Global] Aslen: No….

[Global] Aslen: Shit, my rank’s ruined, I’m untouchable* now.

[Global] Sunset: ㅇㅅㅇ?

[Global] Seolyeong: Pat, pat…ㅠㅠ

[Global] MeowieMeowMeow: If I have to choose, that’s how it is…

[Global] Sunset: I see. Am I not kind too?

Kyungsoo’s face hardened and he responded seriously without realizing it.

[Global] MeowieMeowMeow: Sorry, aside from being good at games, I don’t really know.

[Global] Sunset: ㅠㅠ

[Global] SpadeQueen: I tried so hard for that reaction though hahaha

[Global] Seolyeong: Haha, apologizing but still saying everything you want lol

[Global] Aslen: Guild master, please close your eyesㅠㅠ

[Global] PoseidonCaptain: ThousandSunsets is kind? That guy’s a crazy bastard….

[Global] Ji9star: Haha, MeowieKK totally wrecked our guild master’s personality…ㅠㅠ

[Global] PeaPea: This is the second time I’ve seen the guild master curse, both times because of ThousandSunsets lol

[Global] Aslen: Aaaah, hahahahahahaha ㅠㅠ

[Global] Sunset: Sorry to interrupt the fun, but I have something to take care of, so I think I need to log off^^

[Global] SpadeQueen: Huh? We’ve only played one match though??

[Global] Sunset: Play without meㅇㅅㅇ, but I’ll be back early tomorrow. Let’s keep running practice matches in the afternoon, haha.

Sunset said that and really logged off. Even after he left, his name was mentioned dozens of times, creating a position wedged between Cheon Noeul and Sunset. When the nickname “Chair-Meowie” came up, Melody sent another series of laughing consonants. Even though the teasing intensified with Melody joining in, Kyungsoo minimized the chat window and ignored it as usual.

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