Upon entering the game, I felt a wide-open space around me.
A fresh breeze that I couldn’t experience in my cramped room.
Maybe it was just that the scenery was different, but my mood lifted a bit.
But that didn’t mean my cramps were gone.
I felt an uncomfortable sensation in my lower abdomen.
It felt like a heavy rock was pressing down or like a hot water bottle was sitting there.
Moreover, the lingering discomfort wouldn’t go away… so my mood remained low.
—
[Message from Bukbudwaegong.]
– Hello. This is SSA’s Busnavi…
– I’m sending you the conditions for purchasing the Dragon Lord’s Tear.
– As you can see, they’re not bad conditions at all.
– Please make sure to reply after reading the message.
– (Long item list)
—
Come to think of it, I was just trying to sell off that item last time.
I originally intended to tease a bit and then hand it over at a reasonable price.
I don’t know. If I meet them now, I might end up flipping the table.
—
…I barely stopped my hand, which was about to close the message.
No, that won’t do. This is a problem.
Letting my feelings take charge and messing up my business isn’t very professional.
After some thought, I reached a conclusion.
—
– To the Temple of Discipline by 2 o’clock sharp.
—
Thinking coolly, the conditions offered by SSA weren’t that bad.
I guess they presented the best they could offer from the guild.
It felt like instead of pinching pennies, they decided to lay down generous conditions.
After all, unique items aren’t just something you can get with a lot of money.
The Dragon Lord’s Tear requires a significant effort in quests.
Such items are generally produced with self-sufficiency in mind.
Opportunities for transactions are bound to be rare.
—
What I would get in return were materials for my next high-end equipment and enough money for about two weeks’ worth of profit.
That much would surely relieve my burden.
I wouldn’t need to use my savings, and I might even have an opportunity to save up more.
—
[You have entered the Temple of Discipline.]
[All forms of PVP are prohibited within the temple.]
[If you engage in hostile actions toward other adventurers, you will incur severe penalties.]
—
As I walked to the temple, I saw a few members of the SSA guild.
The first one I spotted was Dongjak Station Agent.
Beside him, Myeolgongui Hyetbul was crouched down in a tiny mode.
A few people in front looked like the executives, but this was the first time I saw them in person.
“Acting like you’d play around a few times, but you accepted surprisingly quickly?”
“Well, we both know everything. It didn’t look like there’d be any more to negotiate. Gotta have something to suck on, right?”
“Selling it to another guild is also an option…”
“Would you really want that?”
—
Ah, that was meant as a joke.
Maybe due to my bad mood, my voice came out a bit lower than intended.
Honestly, I didn’t hate these guys all that much.
Guild SSA. Derived from Social Service Agent. Essentially public service workers.
They gathered truly hardcore gamers from other games.
—
In society, the image of being completely absorbed in games isn’t exactly positive.
Now, the market has grown so much that there are people making good money to flaunt it to their families…
But, perceptions toward gamers remain unfavorable in some circles.
Especially those like SSA, who have little else going on, fall prey easily.
Being bashed for no reason and being disparaged is quite common.
I hated that. It irritated me to no end.
—
Having been obsessed with something can be a beautiful experience.
Whatever is left at the end, as long as the journey itself is enjoyable, that’s how it works in this world.
At least, that’s what I believed.
So, as long as I don’t lose out, I can give these poor souls a little convenience.
—
Ugh, I must be sick, huh?
Feeling overly sentimental for no reason.
My thoughts didn’t change much from usual, but my mood was fluctuating.
—
“That’s… not right. Did something bad happen to you?”
“Nothing happened. Hurry up with the trade. I’m busy.”
“Did you get another job? You’re quite the busy bee. Where are you spending it all? With your skills, you could…”
“Stop right there. If you want to joke and make deals next time…”
“Yeah, sorry. I was being too nosy.”
—
[Trade request from One-eyed Village Adventurer. Y/N]
—
……
—
[Do you approve this trade? Y/N]
[The trade is complete.]
—
The Dragon Lord’s Tear slid out of my inventory, and in its place, a massive amount of currency entered my inventory.
The amount alone felt reassuring. After stowing it away, my mood lifted a bit more.
Heogong, the guildmaster of SSA, bowed his head to me.
—
“Thank you. We took quite a hit this time, and I was unsure how to cover it… I owe you a big one.”
“You can treat this like a bribe from a freelancer. If good things happen in the future, share some with me.”
“Sure. I will.”
—
Well, it’s not like I simply accepted the trade for SSA.
The Dragon Lord’s Tear is an item that can be lost upon death.
Holding onto it for too long would only be dangerous and beneficial to none.
So, I needed someone to buy it immediately.
No matter how much I am, carrying such things and enjoying fights in the field was rather burdensome.
Thinking about it made my senses snap back.
—
But now, it was indeed time.
Let’s go dispel this uncomfortable feeling.
—
*
—
[Author: ㅇㅇ(259.28)]
[Title: Hey, hasn’t Gawol been quiet lately?]
Haven’t seen that guy. What’s he up to?
—
[Comments]
– I caught him on Dongmi-cham’s stream not too long ago.
└ Is he going around even bothering lower-tier players now? Didn’t he usually only target famous ones?
└ I don’t know, but that time, Gawol got hit first.
– I haven’t seen him, which is nice.
└ For real, if his presence interrupts the stream, it throws me off completely.
└ I also didn’t like it, but after watching Kimchi Ninja’s video, I feel a bit different.
—
[Author: Research Paper Thief]
[Title: Who the hell said Gawol is quiet?]
I emerged from the lab after three days,
Started the game, couldn’t even last two hours before getting wrecked by Gawol.
I have to sleep soon and go to work tomorrow,
Why’s he doing this to me?
I got wrecked by Gawol last time too.
The world just sucks.
—
[Comments]
– Hahaha!
– A grad student playing games? Work instead!
– This house slave even uses the internet.
—
[Author: DongtanMisiEducation]
[Title: Looking for Gawol sightings.]
I heard Gawol is active right now.
I’m taking reports.
In-game DongtanMisiEducation, whisper me ㄱㄱ.
—
[Comments]
– If I go… can I win?
– Are you going with others? If he has a lot of people, he might be packing a swordmaster.
└ Nope, I’m going solo.
└ ??? Then why do you even want to go?
—
[Author: ㅇㅇ(341.223)]
[Title: Why is Gawol showing up everywhere I go?]
How many people have died so far?
I entered in the order of Sulbbang, Kimchi Ninja, and got wiped.
Is there any more dead?
—
[Comments]
– By now, aren’t you the spy?
└ Huh?
– Just now, in Elderin’s stream, Dongmi-cham died.
– Oh, just now, Elderin died.
—
*
—
This was it.
[You have forcibly eliminated Adventurer DongtanMisiEducation.]
[Warning: Due to the field PK penalty, infamy increases by 200,000.]
[Warning: Infamy has reached maximum. In major cities such as towns, you will be pursued by guards and may be attacked by other adventurers.]
—
I love this moment. This is why I’m playing the game.
[You have forcibly eliminated Adventurer KimIpari.]
[Warning: Due to the field PK penalty…]
—
It felt like my blood was boiling.
My breath was flavored with sweetness, and I deflected a projectile that came at me roughly.
Every time I sprinted forward, it felt like a weak current was flowing across my skin.
—
I took down the unexpected grappler and the most annoying summoner too.
The rest were like flies, lacking any basic skills as if they had never participated in PvP.
—
Now, only one streamer remained.
Several fire spells flew at me, but there was no way I’d fall for something so obvious.
Without the protection of guards, a mage is merely prey for an assassin.
—
As I was about to end the life of the mage — I suddenly paused upon seeing a scene before me.
My gaze turned to the chat window of the streamer ‘Elderin.’
—
– If the summoner dies, this will be tough.
– Derin is in trouble.
– Why did she suddenly go after pro gamers?
– Ah…
– So annoying, for real.
—
「YuksuOptimizedTalents donated 50,000 won」
「Elderin, you’ve worked hard hunting today. Take a break and let’s meet again later.」
—
Looks like she gets plenty of love.
Viewers from Sulbbang or Kimchi Ninja are already in a chilling mood.
Ugh, I feel so jealous. What do I do with this jealousy?
—
Elderin is a female streamer aiming for skill showcases.
She claims that’s what her streams are about, but in reality, they mainly revolve around chatting with viewers or decorating content.
Rank games or field PvP feel like mere sideshows.
—
Of course, I never bothered her in ordinary times.
But today, perhaps due to the timing.
After taking out a few familiar faces, I couldn’t find my next target.
—
Pro gamers were quite scarce during the preseason, and streams weren’t as frequent.
I thought about calling it a day, but…
The lingering discomfort just wouldn’t fade.
No, instead of fading, it was only growing thicker, and as I watched someone beloved, I could no longer endure it.
—
“Ugh, ha…”
Seems I really wasn’t feeling well.
My breath was rough and erratic. I felt slightly dizzy.
But glancing at the defenseless mage stirred an unnecessary sadistic urge within me.
—
Time to switch weapons.
A dagger is too quick to finish, so this time, a chain scythe would be better.
I shattered the layered shield and interrupted the casting.
A mage, whose casting was interrupted, becomes utterly useless in this game.
Of course, getting behind her was no challenge at all.
—
With the chain wrapped around her neck, I pulled her closer to me.
Our similar heights met at the chest as I tightened my grip and choked the mage.
—
“Ugh, ugh…?”
It’s quite interesting, you know? In reality, this wouldn’t be that torturous.
When the neck tightens, one panics and tries to loosen it with their hands.
—
Of course, in reality, Elderin is likely having no trouble breathing.
Yet, her flailing feet looked quite laughable.
The chat was in chaos.
I too… I too wanted something like that.
I wanted to talk about the game with people, share silly jokes and laugh or get angry.
I wanted to be the center of attention and love like you.
—
What made you so different from me that you received such love?
I don’t know. Suddenly, my mind felt blank, and my mood brightened.
—
“Ha… ha… ahah… hahahaha.”
I wanted to savor this feeling all to myself.
Loosening the chain that was choking her, I embraced her from behind and snapped her neck.
—
[You have forcibly eliminated Adventurer Elderin.]
[Warning: Due to the field PK penalty, infamy increases by 200,000.]
[Warning: Infamy has reached maximum. In cities like major towns, you will be pursued by guards and attacked by other adventurers.]
—
The moist refreshing sensation lingered for a long time.
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