TGMND 19

Yeo-woon was grateful for the information, but no matter how much he thought about it, it was difficult to draw a conclusion after only hearing one side of the story. Should he ask… What should he do if he asked Earth Star and he says shit to him as it said in that article? Yeo-woon thought he might have become attached to them just because they treated him kindly.

Captain Poseidon and Earth Star returned as Yeo-woon were debating what to do. The three people jumped up and twirled next to Yeo-woon as if they were performing a ritual. When Yeo-woon left the standby state by gently moving the arrow keys, ParkRoach activated the buff that increased defense within the range.

“…”

Yeah, let’s just ask instead of avoiding it! It’s better to turn and ask!

[Party] neutaaaa: Do you guys use hacks?

[Party] Captain Poseidon: Huh?

[Party] ParkRoach: ?

[Party] Ji9star: ㅡㅡ???

Judging by their reactions, it seemed like he was completely screwed.

[Party] neutaaaa: If not, I’m sorryㅠ I’ve been waiting since earlier, and someone passing by suddenly said that to me…

[Party] neutaaaa: Just out of curiosity

[Party] neutaaaa: Not trying to pick a fight

[Party] ParkRoach: None of us use hacks….

[Party] Ji9star: Who said that?

Yeo-woon pondered if he could tell them who it was, but also if it was even worth knowing. They presumably talked about it anyway because it was a public fact and there appeared to be people in Poseidon who were aware of it.

[Party] neutaaaa: The guild leader I just joined said it…

[Party] ParkRoach: That son of a b*tch… Why pretend to know

[Party] ParkRoach: It wasn’t said to you, Neuta-nim!

[Party] Ji9star: It’s not like that! Even though we showed him a recorded video, he insisted it wasn’t fullscreen and called us hackers. He’s probably one of them…

[Party] Ji9star: They seem to feel better blaming hacks for what they can’t do! ><

[Party] Ji9star: But strawberry jam? << What’s that? This is my first time hearing it.

Which one is right? Everyone says it’s nuclear, but the people involved say it’s not. To be honest, Yeo-woon wanted to take the latter side more. This is a country of school ties and blood ties. Of course, none of these apply to any of the three.

[Party] Captain Poseidon: I should have just invited you to the guild before leavingㅠㅠ

[Party] Captain Poseidon: Earlier in the group chat, Earth Star asked if it was okay to invite Neuta-nim to the guild.

“…?”

[Party] neutaaaa: Me?

[Party] Ji9star: …

Why? He didn’t meet the guild level requirement, and he was rejected once before. It was quite unexpected that now they were considering inviting him. Yeo-woon had thought of them as someone he wouldn’t see again after the event.

[Server] Ji9star: [Strawberry Jam]<<<<<< It’s the best hereㅋ

[Server] Ji9star: [Strawberry Jam]<<<<<< It’s the best hereㅋ

[Server] Ji9star: [Strawberry Jam]<<<<<< It’s the best hereㅋ

At that time, the server microphone rang throughout the entire server.

[Party] ParkRoach: Oh, that elementary school kid hahaha

[Friend] Halloween Eggplant: What’s this again? Why am I the only one not having fun?

[Party] Captain Poseidon: They’re fighting again. Someone please stop them…ㅜ

[Party] Captain Poseidon: Oh, I’m the guild leader…ㅠㅠ

[Party] Captain Poseidon: Stop, Earth Star!

[Party] ParkRoach: Haha, They’ll probably stop now.

[Guild] Strawberry: What’s happening? Haha

At that time, the guild master and the person who delivered the news about the hack to Yeo-woon appeared on the chat in confusion. Yeo-woon, the instigator of this situation, felt his hands trembling.

[Server] Ji9star: [Strawberry Jam]<<<<<< This Guild Master come out!!

[Guild] Strawberry: ?? Are they talking to me?

Yeo-woon feeling a sudden discomfort, switched to the guild chat and decided to address the situation.

[Guild] neutaaaa: Actually, I asked if they were using hacks.

[Guild] Strawberry: Hahahaha what did they say?

[Guild] neutaaaa: They never use it?

[Guild] Strawberry: They’ll probably say that hahahaha

[Guild] Motsuena: Neuta-nim, you believed that haha. You are naive and truly admirable haha.

“Naive…?”

Fuck.

Yeo-woon ignored Motsuena’s words. Humans have an instinctive radar for crazy people, and right now, Yeo-woon’s radar was picking up a strong crazy vibe from Motsuena. Soon, Strawberry started receiving aggro through the server mic, countering Earth Star’s provocations.

[Server] Strawberry: If the hacker has something to say, tell me in a whisper

[Server] Ji9star: Again, the hacking nonsense…. Do you guys like me? Is that the only way you can stick around? ㅜㅜ I’m really sorry; I’m better at controlling than you, what can I doㅜ

[Server] Ji9 Star: ★★★ The hacker is leaving ★★★

[Server] Ji9star: I alone can probably blow up fifteen of you! If I tie my hands and counter with telekinesis, will you believe it’s not hacking? Then, I’ll start practicing my superpowers from today.

In addition, Earth Star demonstrated the technique of saying ten words in response to one from others. It was no longer surprising.

[Server] Strawberry: Are you suggesting we should have a guild battle? I’m fine with that haha

[Server] Ji9star: Guild battles and listening to you Hahaha ㅠㅅㅠ It’s a disgrace to the family.

[Server] Ji9stars: Guild battles are a waste of time, and I feel annoyed, so let’s have a clean 2:2 PvP match><

[Server] Strawberry: Sounds good, you bastard

[Server] Ji9star: I hate you, s0n of a b1tch!!

[Server] Hamster: You bastards; Are you guys dating? Shut up and fight outside!!!!!!!! I can’t even see what item I just picked up ㅗ

[Server] Strawberry: We’ll summarize and send the details by mail haha Can we mention the opponent even if we point it out?

[Server] Ji9star: Y

Earth Star, who had created a PVP schedule in an instant, swapped weapons and wandered around in front of the dungeon portal. What he meant was to quickly level up. Meanwhile, in the guild chat window, the guild masters, Strawberry, and Strawberry Jam guild members, were cursing the hacker and expressing satisfaction with the situation. From what Yeo-woon could gather, they seemed to be planning to publicly expose the scene of Poseidon using hacks by broadcasting the gameplay.

Could this situation have gotten out of hand? Yeo-woon couldn’t shake the anxiety that his words might have triggered the fight. He hesitated, repeatedly writing and deleting messages.

[Party] neutaaaa: Is this okay…?

[Party] ParkRoach: Ah, they initiated the attack first-_-

[Party] Captain Poseidon: I have raised your position Earth Star^^

[Party] Ji9star: ㅇ0ㅇ!

[Party] Ji9star: Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unlike the situation with Strawberry Jam, Poseidon members were filled with excitement. Earth Star no longer brought up the topic of hacks, and they didn’t mention anything about Strawberry Jam to Yeo-woon. They seemed to be focused solely on leveling up as if they had completely forgotten what happened just now.

***

Ding.

The black phone screen brightened with an unfamiliar sound. A message came from an unfamiliar app. Yeo-woon, who saw the icon and wondered what it was, realized that it was the HolBlue app that he had installed a while ago and unlocked his phone.

「Earth: Neu-nim, where?」

Under the date-changing line indicating today’s date, there was a message from Earth Star asking him where he was. The icon that had been displaying ‘…’ as if he was writing the message disappeared. It seemed like Earth Star was quietly waiting for his response.

「Outside.」

「Earth: You should log in quickly.」

Why the urgency? Did something happen?

「Earth: Are you busy?」

It seems like something serious happened! Feeling anxious, Yeo-woon stopped walking in the middle of the road and tapped his phone with one hand.

「Is there a problem?」

「Earth: Your level is in big trouble!!!」

「Well….」

Well then. It wasn’t worth dealing with. Yeo-woon decided to swipe the app upwards and continue on his way. After handling all the recycling and general waste that had been put off for a week, he felt much relieved.

He returned home empty-handed after emptying the garbage, but the data that had been malfunctioning suddenly worked again, and messages that he had not received before began to arrive all at once. There was a series of vibrations and dinging sounds inside the pocket. Surprised by the sound, Yeo-woon opened the HolBlue app again and checked the messages sent by Earth Star.

「Earth: It’s working properly.」

「Earth: (photo)」

「Earth: We just scheduled a 2:2 PVP match, but it seems like you haven’t confirmed it yet><」

「Earth: Let’s have a three-game series next weekend. Do you have time?」

「Earth: ㅜㅜAm I blocked?」