TWKH Ch 22

“Hey, hey, can’t you read the room?”

Contempt→ Oh, I must have made another mistake….

Jehyun urgently scolded, and Contempt muttered in a sullen voice. Then, as if puzzled, he asked.

Contempt→ What are you talking about? Recognize what?

Boss→ They both go to the same school.

Boss answered the question. Jehyun had mentioned to her over drinks that Habaek seemed to be from Korea University, so Boss had a rough idea of their situation. Contempt seemed very surprised by the news.

Contempt→ Habaek goes to Korea University too?!

Matgom→ Didn’t we talk about this before?

Contempt→ When?

Matgom→ When I suggested having drinks with the guild leader. You even responded, saying it lacked humanity.

Boss→ Should I find this cute or…?

Contempt→ Oh, I thought you were talking about Hyung! So that included Habaek too?!

What? So it wasn’t just me being called inhumane, but Habaek too? Jehyun frowned, feeling uneasy, while Contempt, who had been silent for a moment, spoke again.

Contempt→ Both of you are really amazing. I thought it was impressive that Hyung studies while attending Korea University, but Habaek got into Korea University while playing games and acing the college entrance exam…?

Contempt and Habaek were the same age. While Contempt had ruined his grades by being addicted to Caplet throughout high school, Habaek had aced the college entrance exam and got into Korea University. Just thinking about it gave Contempt chills, and he muttered in a small voice.

Contempt→ I don’t want to associate with either of you….

“You’re openly insulting us?”

Boss→ But I agree. Really tough.

Contempt→ Not something a gold medalist should say.

Matgom→ By the way, what’s your major, guild leader? Doesn’t the difficulty of getting in vary by department?

“Me? I’m in the modeling department.”

Jehyun replied nonchalantly to Matgom’s question. But it seemed Matgom didn’t know much about Korea University.

Matgom→ Wow, have you walked the runway?

[Party] Habaek: ;That’s a lie.

[Party] Contempt: Using all sorts of schemes to hide your identityㅇㅅㅇ..

[Party] Contempt: I know Hyung’s name, major, and student number..ㅎ

[Party] Contempt: Don’t whisper, Habaekㅡㅅㅡ I’m on the guild leader’s side.

[Party] Habaek: Tell me, and I’ll give you 100 million.

[Party] Healer: Give it to me.

[Party] Healer: I’ll tell you.

[Party] Healer: Hyung, trust me? If you give me the money first, I’ll tell you all my preferences and become a person with no secrets.

[Party] Habaek: No thanks, old man;

100 million was 100,000 won. Jehyun tried to coax Habaek, but he didn’t fall for it.

[Party] Contempt: Stop whispering ㅡㅅㅡ+ I’ll block you.

[Party] Habaek: Try unblocking me.

[Party] Habaek: Let’s negotiate.

Ignoring Jehyun, Habaek only bothered Contempt, and eventually, after being blocked, he asked to be unblocked. Jehyun, realizing the break was almost over, stretched and suddenly had a thought, his eyes lighting up.

Come to think of it, Matgom said he’s friends with Habaek in real life…?

[Whisper] To SpellChecker: Matgom

[Whisper] To SpellChecker: Do you know Habaek’s name?

He wasn’t asking with any particular intention of discovering Habaek’s identity. He just thought it would be good to avoid someone with such a difficult personality. However, Matgom burst into laughter without responding.

[Whisper] SpellChecker: Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha

[Whisper] To SpellChecker: ? Why are you laughing

[Whisper] SpellChecker: Habaek told me to ignore whispers from the guild leader, so hahaha I wondered what he meant, and now hahaha you really messaged me hahaha

[Whisper] SpellChecker: I know everything about Habaek… but can’t tell you hahaha

[Whisper] To SpellChecker: Need anything? Gold… enhancement stones… my storage has everything

As expected, Habaek was thorough. Jehyun clicked his tongue, realizing Habaek had anticipated his move and told Matgom in advance, and began to sweet-talk Matgom.

[Whisper] To SpellChecker: I don’t need much. Just tell me the first letter of his major

[Whisper] SpellChecker: Hahaha, I need something else…

[Whisper] To SpellChecker: What do you need? Just say

[Party] Boss12MoreHours: Are we not starting?

[Party] Contempt: Seems like a shady deal is going on..ㅇㅅㅇ

“Just a moment. On a call.”

Jehyun lied and bit his lip. As long as it’s not Political Science and International Relations. While nervously waiting for Matgom’s request, he finally got a reply.

[Whisper] SpellChecker: Can you share your phone number, guild leader?

Seeing Matgom’s answer, Jehyun frowned. He scowled at the chat, then sighed and replied.

[Whisper] To SpellChecker: How much are you getting for my number?

[Whisper] SpellChecker: Hahaha, you’re sharp. I owe him a favor..ㅠㅠ

[Whisper] To SpellChecker: Owe me a favor too. I just need to know Habaek’s major.

[Whisper] SpellChecker: If I did that, my funeral might be soon

It was no help at all. How terrible must Habaek’s personality be to have such a hold on Matgom? Jehyun clicked his tongue and shook his head, then spoke as if nothing had happened.

“Let’s start.”

Using the shield of salvation.

The holy shield protects the Party.

3

Using the call to battle.

The Party is blessed by the god of destruction.

2

Attack power and speed increased.

1

Start!

Matgom→ Going in.

He quickly cast buffs and started the countdown. Matgom dashed towards Rexa-Sensanar standing in the center of the chamber without hesitation. Swoosh, as Matgom approached and touched the boss, he immediately dodged to the left.

The right arm, belonging to Rexa, had long red-glowing claws that scratched the ground where Matgom had charged. Dodging to the side, Matgom activated his aggro buff and began attacking the boss.

Awakened Rexa: Humans.

Awakened Sensanar: I smell Kaien….

Rexa-Sensanar’s body moved independently on each side. Rexa and Sensanar’s voices echoed simultaneously. After those lines appeared and the boss’s back turned black, Jehyun applied a defense reduction debuff and entered.

“I’m going in.”

As soon as he attacked Rexa, a debuff called “Malice” appeared. Malice was the key debuff for Rexa-Sensanar’s strategy, with each Party member receiving a different debuff based on the attack order.

The first attacker received a red “Powerful” debuff.

The second attacker received a black “Malice.”

The third attacker received a white “Complete.”

The fourth attacker received a blue “Protection.”

The fifth attacker received a green “Harmony.”

Players had to use these debuffs to withstand Rexa-Sensanar’s attacks.

SpellChecker received the “Powerful” keyword, Healer got “Malice,” Habaek got “Complete,” Contempt received “Protection,” and Boss got “Harmony.” Usually, the tank and healer got “Powerful” and “Malice,” while the dealers arranged the others in order. Jehyun’s Party maintained the same buff order they used during saturation dungeon rank farming.

Awakened Rexa: What happened to the commander?

Awakened Sensanar: Did you harm the child?

Rexa’s long claws scraped the right side of the ground, and Sensanar’s dark energy swept the left. Jehyun was within Sensanar’s attack range but stood still, as those with the “Malice” buff were unaffected by Sensanar’s black attacks.

In contrast, they took double damage from Rexa’s attacks, which was near-fatal in saturation and likely instant death in oversaturation.

“Doesn’t it seem like the debuffs might mix up in the middle?”

This was their fourth oversaturation dungeon. Although “Love School” was cleared by BeoseotTangsuyuk, Jehyun had observed patterns changing in oversaturation.

Rexa-Sensanar’s strategy involved players using their debuffs to nullify continuous attacks while dealing damage. This time, it seemed there might be a gimmick using the debuffs or mixing them up to confuse the players.

Boss→ I think so too.

Matgom→ Me too.

“Right? Let’s focus and check buffs carefully.”

Jehyun nodded and watched the boss’s pattern.

Rexa-Sensanar’s attacks were erratic and swift. Players had to dodge and deal damage according to their debuffs, just like dodging bombardments in the first boss fight. However, the increased attack speed in oversaturation made this simple logic challenging.

“Damn, this is crazy….”

Jehyun muttered, struggling within the attack range.

As soon as Rexa attacked the left and Sensanar attacked the right, the boss turned and used the same skill in the opposite positions. Jehyun quickly moved to the left, within Sensanar’s attack range, but Contempt, who had just used a dodge skill, failed to dodge and died.

Contempt→ No, protection isn’t working at all…?

In saturation, the “Protection” debuff reduced Rexa and Sensanar’s damage by a quarter. In oversaturation, Jehyun assumed it would reduce it by half, but it seemed to be instant death.

Jehyun’s “Malice” nullified Sensanar’s attacks, Habaek’s “Complete” provided immunity to all damage and status effects, Matgom’s “Powerful” increased damage and aggro, and Boss’s “Harmony” nullified damage when hit by both Rexa and Sensanar’s attacks simultaneously.

“You’ll just have to dodge.”

At Jehyun’s words, Contempt made a sullen sound. Jehyun used the opportunity when Sensanar attacked Contempt’s corpse to revive him, healed him quickly, and retreated.

All Party members except Habaek, who utilized immunity for focused damage, moved busily. Having cleared the dungeon over a hundred times, no one fumbled. So far, aside from “Protection,” there wasn’t much difference from saturation.

The real change occurred when Rexa-Sensanar’s health reached 75%, starting phase 2.

Awakened Rexa: Everything will be as the commander wills!

Awakened Sensanar: I will plant the seeds of discord.

You feel the effect of the seeds of discord.

Awakened Rexa-Sensanar: Not a single one of you will leave this place alive.

[Party] Habaek: Line

“Sensanar’s line changed, right?”

Veteran players wouldn’t miss such an obvious change. As Habaek and Jehyun pointed out, new debuffs appeared in all characters’ debuff windows.

[Seeds of Discord: The awakened Sensanar’s malice leads the heroes to self-destruction. When trust is broken, all Party members will die.]

A cryptic message. When trust is broken? Jehyun frowned as Rexa-Sensanar raised both hands, gathering energy.

Awakened Rexa-Sensanar: Let the black malice sweep everything away!!

A new line appeared in the center of the screen. What’s he saying? Jehyun eyed the ground while glaring at that edgy line.

Range attack markers were appearing on the stone floor of the chamber. However, no matter how much he looked, he couldn’t see a safe zone. Normally, the attack range of Rexa or Sensanar should be visible, but Rexa-Sensanar’s body remained with hands raised toward the sky.

“What’s this? I’ll stay still for now.”

Boss→ This seems like the new pattern.

Matgom→ Seems so. But… we have no idea what it is.

During the short time before the range attack happened, confused conversations were exchanged. Finally, when the attack marker filled up, all Party members except Jehyun and Habaek died simultaneously.

Seeing the three bodies on the ground, Jehyun frowned.

“…….”

Contempt→ Can’t I get “Complete”?

“No, you can’t.”

As he firmly answered Contempt, who coveted the invincible debuff, Jehyun and Habaek also fell. Checking the system window, he found that the Seeds of Discord had exploded.

Received 1,000,000 damage from the Seeds of Discord.

You have died.

Habaek has died.

Awakened Rexa-Sensanar: Pathetic creatures….

[Party] Habaek: “Complete” still seems invincible,

[Party] Habaek: And “Malice” seems immune to black malice<something attack.

“Seems so. Let’s revive and try again.”

He had a rough idea but needed to see a few more times to be sure. Jehyun quickly pressed the revive button and regrouped the Party. He healed, cast buffs, and immediately started the countdown again.

The Party members entered in the same order as before. Matgom received “Powerful,” Healer got “Malice,” Habaek got “Complete,” Contempt got “Protection,” and Boss received “Harmony.”

“Melra, dodge well.”

Contempt→ Okay….

Boss→ Fighting, our weak link!

Contempt→ Sniff….

Boss, being a ranged dealer, could deal from a distance and had invincibility skills, making survival not too difficult. On the other hand, Contempt, a melee dealer, had only one dodge skill and no mobility skills, making him the weakest in oversaturation, where instant-death skills were abundant.

Jehyun laughed, watching Contempt frantically dodging attacks, then focused as Rexa-Sensanar’s health approached 75%.

You feel the effect of the Seeds of Discord.

Awakened Rexa-Sensanar: Not a single one of you will leave this place alive.

Awakened Rexa-Sensanar: The purple dawn brings death….

“Purple?”

Matgom→ The color is different? It was black earlier, right?

Boss→ Isn’t this the RGB thing?

“RGB?”

Contempt→ Mixing paint?! I know this! I wondered why the debuffs had colors! How do you get purple?

Matgom→ Is it red and blue? I’m red… and “Protection” is blue, right? Contempt, stick with me.

The conversation flowed hectically. Mixing paint? Jehyun, unable to follow the topic, watched as Contempt and Boss ran toward each other. Finally, he understood. Mixing red and blue makes purple, right?

“Wait, what about Noona? There’s green left. Where does green go?”

Boss→ I don’t know. Let’s just try it.

While they talked, Contempt and Matgom stuck together, and Jehyun, Habaek, and Boss kept their distance. The red marker grew larger, and with a loud bang, a shockwave spread from the boss. This time, Boss died alone.

Boss→ Looks like it worked. Hey, but these colors were in saturation before, right? So, Yiyoung wasn’t lying. They must have planned this patch long ago.

Matgom→ Right. We survived.

Contempt→ But now we die.

However, as soon as Boss’s words ended, the Seeds of Discord exploded, causing all four remaining players to fall.

The meaning of the Seeds of Discord was clear. No one could die in this pattern.

Reviving, Jehyun frowned. When receiving the debuffs initially, Rexa-Sensanar’s body glowed in five colors, and the background color of the received debuff matched that.

So, Jehyun was black, and Habaek was white….

“So, is there gray? If we stick together, me and Habaek, what about the others? What do you get by mixing red and black? If it’s white and blue, it’s light blue, so is there a light blue?”

There were many possible combinations with five colors. If this pattern was such, how could the remaining colors survive? Jehyun, frowning, asked, and Boss countered.

Boss→ But it seems unlikely they’d use all five colors. Do you think Cass is that diligent?

“Oh….”

Listening to the explanation, Jehyun nodded. Right…. Using all five colors would create many combinations, but it was unlikely Ahn Yiyoung and the Capital Studio team were that diligent. They would probably only include around five. Jehyun nodded and said,

“So, they’re only using red, blue, and green? I don’t understand this well, explain it to me.”

[Party] Habaek: Purple = Red + Blue

[Party] Habaek: Brown = Red + Green

[Party] Habaek: Teal = Green + Blue

[Party] Habaek: Black = Red + Blue + Green

“Ah! So the first black meant three needed to gather? Habaek survived because of immunity, and I survived alone because I was black. Right?”

Contempt→ Oh. That sounds right.

Boss→ Then what about just now? If purple is red and blue together, what does green do?

“Not sure….”

Jehyun shook his legs, looking at Rexa-Sensanar in the center of the chamber. The remaining colors were green, black, and white. Black and white were immune on their own…. Thinking quietly, he carefully spoke.

“If mixing colors logically, white and green make light green, right? Then if mixed with black?”

[Party] Habaek: Then green should pair with black.

[Party] Contempt: Because black absorbs green?

“Seems right? Let’s try again.”

The answer seemed easy to find. Do other Parties already know this? Pressing tab, Jehyun saw many still struggling with Kaien on the world chat and switched tabs back.

“Let’s start right away.”

The countdown began again, and the Party members entered in order. Dealing was not a concern. Habaek utilized the immunity of “Complete” for high damage, balancing Contempt’s damage loss.

At 75% again, entering phase 2, the boss used the combination pattern.

Awakened Rexa-Sensanar: Let the black malice sweep everything away!!

“Black, black, three gather.”

At Jehyun’s briefing, Matgom, Boss, and Contempt grouped tightly. Jehyun kept his distance, and Habaek attacked the invulnerable boss.

As the range attack marker filled up, another shockwave spread from the center.

“That’s right.”

Boss→ Good, good.

This time, no one died. As all characters survived, a blue barrier formed around the boss’s body. Jehyun disliked this shield pattern as it usually involved a time attack.

However, this Party was the one Jehyun prided in being Caplet’s top damage dealer. The shield was no problem.

“Deal now.”

Contempt→ Ah, it’s boring.

Boss→ Our weakest link is getting cocky.

Awakened Rexa: Everything will be as the commander wills…!

Awakened Rexa: You stay back for a moment!!

Awakened Rexa draws power from the overabsorbed subspecies Raptor.

As soon as the shield broke, Rexa-Sensanar’s appearance changed with a line. The boss reverted to its grotesque Raptor form, with tufts of silver hair like lawn patches, leaving no trace of Sensanar.

Ah, this feels unsettling. Jehyun narrowed his eyes and swallowed dryly.

The “Malice” debuff Jehyun had only countered Sensanar’s attacks. The right half of the Raptor Rexa’s attacks were instant death if not avoided. Seeing Rexa’s dominant form, Jehyun instinctively felt that all incoming attacks must be dodged.

Awakened Rexa: If not for this damn canal!

As Rexa roared, the chamber shook, and stones fell from the ceiling. Jehyun ran, avoiding the stones while conserving his dodge skill. Suddenly, a red target marker appeared above his head, and Rexa picked up a stone that had fallen in front of him.

Awakened Rexa: Damn evil god!

Whizz, a massive stone hurtled towards Healer. Jehyun instinctively used a dodge skill, then seeing more stones coming, used invincibility on himself. The stone whizzed past Jehyun and shattered against the wall.

Using prayer.

Received 1,000,000 damage from the stone.

Received 1,000,000 damage from the stone.

Seeing the resisted damage logs, Jehyun clicked his tongue.

“These are instant death attacks too.”

Matgom→ Seems like they target one person.

Jehyun, nodding, suddenly voiced a terrible thought.

“If a bug causes the Seeds of Discord debuff to be planted from the start, it would be brutal.”

Boss→ Hey, watch your words.

There had been a bug in the Love School’s third phase where the complication debuff didn’t disappear even after death and revival. Though it was patched now, if it hadn’t been Habaek who got the bug, Countess might not have achieved the first clear of the Love School.

“My apologies.”

Remembering the saying that words have power, Jehyun quickly apologized and fell silent.

Awakened Rexa: I’ll use your bodies to escape this place!

Awakened Sensanar: Kaien, where is that child?

After the Rexa pattern ended, Sensanar, seemingly deranged, searched for Kaien as soon as the original form returned.

The combined attacks of Rexa and Sensanar that followed were slightly faster than in phase 1. Rexa’s claws raked through, followed by Sensanar’s dark energy sweeping the area. Moving along Sensanar’s attack range, Jehyun noted the boss’s health at 50%, signaling the start of another combination pattern.

Awakened Rexa-Sensanar: I’ll make you glow blue like that child.

“Blue light? Blue?”

This time it wasn’t a combination but a single color.

“Who’s blue? Contempt?”

Contempt→ Yes, me.

“So, Contempt alone? I cover the rest? …Not black?”

It was confusing, but there was no other way. Boss urgently shouted.

Boss→ I don’t know. Let’s gather!

Boss and Matgom ran towards Jehyun. Watching Contempt and Habaek, who were separated, Jehyun pondered.

This time it wasn’t “black.” If Jehyun survived with Boss and Matgom, the earlier survival reason might not be “black” but immunity associated with “black.”

As he speculated, a shockwave swept the map….

Contempt has died.

[Party] Contempt: ㅠㅅㅠ..I’m blue, you know..

Received 1,000,000 damage from the Seeds of Discord.

You have died.

The Party was wiped out.

“Bug?”

Caplet players tend to suspect bugs when something doesn’t make sense. They’ve been burned too many times by Capital Studio.

Boss→ Could be?

Matgom→ We had the blue color, right? The debuff didn’t change?

“It stayed the same…. Let’s revive.”

Pressing the revive button, the Party members came back to life on the boat docked at one side of the chamber. Jehyun healed them, drumming his fingers on the mouse, retracing the previous situation.

There was nothing different. The boss had used the same lines, and it was just at the moment they entered phase 3….

Phase 3?

Jehyun tilted his head, then scrolled through the system log.

The conversations of Awakened Rexa-Sensanar were still there among the damage logs. Scrolling to the top, Jehyun narrowed his eyes at some point.

“Black, purple, black. But this time it was blue light.”

Boss→ Why is it ‘light’ instead of ‘color’?

Matgom→ Ah…. Right.

“Is this an additional phase 3 pattern? Let’s try again.”

First, they needed to confirm it wasn’t a bug. Jehyun cast buffs and started the countdown. Watching the Party members enter in the same order, he focused on their debuff windows.

Awakened Rexa-Sensanar: I’ll turn your blood brown….

“The line’s really bad. Brown.”

Boss→ Haha! Feels totally forced.

The intention was clear, but the line lacked finesse. Boss and Matgom stuck together, and Jehyun approached Contempt running towards him, watching the screen. Phase 2 seemed clear. Teal hadn’t appeared yet, but the four colors Habaek mentioned felt complete.

After safely passing phase 2, the shield pattern appeared. After breaking the shield, Rexa’s rapid attacks highlighted the Raptor features.

Avoiding all thrown stones, Rexa-Sensanar reverted to its original form. Though Contempt often died failing to dodge with “Protection” on, reaching phase 3 wasn’t hard.

At 50%, entering phase 3, the boss used the combination pattern as before.

Awakened Rexa-Sensanar: Have you peered into the abyss of black light….

“No. Black… no, black light.”

Frowning, Jehyun tilted his head, watching the screen. As before, Matgom, Contempt, and Boss stood together. The trio of red, blue, and green forming black and the black Healer plus the immune white Habaek.

However, after the shockwave swept through, no one survived.

You have died.

Awakened Rexa-Sensanar: Pathetic creatures….

It was a wipeout without Seeds of Discord.

“What…?”

Boss→ Damn it.

An exasperated exclamation was uttered. Sighs and groans came through the headsets from the guild members.

Rolling his tongue inside his mouth, Jehyun continued scrolling through the system log. But once again, there were no anomalies. The Party members’ debuffs hadn’t changed, and nothing new was added.

So what was it? Jehyun took a deep breath, thinking for a moment, and then placed his hands on the keyboard.

“Let’s summarize this.”

[Party] Healer: After entering phase 2, the color combination patterns are red+green=brown, red+blue=purple, green+blue=teal, red+green+blue=black / white and black are always immune / remaining colors can be protected by black

[Party] Healer: After entering phase 3

[Party] Healer: Blue light = blue alone dies / white, black (+red+green) survive

[Party] Healer: Black light = red+green+blue / black / white all die

[Party] Healer: So…

[Party] Contempt: ㅇㅅㅇ.. Only immunity from “Complete” was lost in the black light?

Exactly. In phase 3, Habaek’s “Complete” immunity was lost. Realizing that made it more confusing. What was it? Jehyun furrowed his brow when Habaek spoke.

[Party] Habaek: I’m curious…

[Party] Habaek: In phase 2, if black appeared, do you think black+red+green+blue would die or not?

“…We haven’t tried that. Not sure.”

Boss→ Let’s go again, check if white alone is enough in phase 2 when black appears, and see if red+green+blue+black works in phase 3 if black light appears.

“Yes, yes.”

Just thinking wouldn’t give answers without trying. Jehyun quickly responded and cast buffs. As the countdown started, Matgom charged in. The Party members received debuffs in order, and phase 1 proceeded smoothly as before.

Then, at 75%, phase 2.

Awakened Rexa-Sensanar: Let the black malice sweep everything away!!

“We’ll all gather except Habaek.”

To test the hypothesis, Matgom, Boss, and Contempt gathered around Jehyun. As the range attack marker filled, a shockwave spread from the center, sweeping through them.

“This works too.”

No one died. Could this be the breakthrough? Jehyun nodded.

“In phase 3, if black light appears, do it like this.”

Contempt→ Got it!

And then… after a moment’s hesitation, he continued.

“And if it’s a single color, Habaek, why don’t you join the person with the single color? We’ve confirmed separating leads to death, and black should absorb other colors, so standing together won’t work. That leaves Habaek joining the same color as the only option. It’s not a bug, right?”

Matgom→ Doesn’t seem like a bug.

Boss→ Yeah. Okay, let’s try that.

“Yes, if it’s a single color, Habaek will stand with that color.”

[Party] Habaek: Got it.

After finishing the combination pattern, they broke the shield. Jehyun used dodge and invincibility to avoid the incoming stones as before. Rexa-Sensanar resumed its original pattern, and they progressed to 50% without issues.

“Phase 3 soon.”

52, 51, 50%. Entering phase 3, Rexa-Sensanar extended its hand towards the sky, saying,

Awakened Rexa-Sensanar: I’ll drench the world in blood as I escape this place….

“Red? Habaek and Matgom, together. The rest, come to me.”

Contempt→ So cringey.

Though Rexa-Sensanar’s voice actor was great, the lines were incredibly cheesy. Feeling his hands curl in embarrassment, Jehyun gathered closely with Boss and Contempt. Then, with a bang, a second shockwave spread from the boss.

“This is right!”

Seeing all Party members survive, Jehyun shouted joyfully. But there was no time to rejoice in breaking the pattern.

Awakened Sensanar: If I hadn’t been trapped here, Kaien, that child…!

Awakened Sensanar draws upon the power of the evil god.

You feel the effect of dark malice.

“It’s Sensanar this time.”

After phase 2, Rexa’s pattern followed, and after phase 3, Sensanar’s pattern continued. Jehyun noticed a black marker forming around Sensanar.

Awakened Sensanar: I will come to you soon….

Sensanar said, curling up. It was a monotonous recycled shield pattern, so predictable that there was nothing to fear.

“Did they stop halfway through patching this?”

Jehyun’s irritated muttering made the Party members laugh.

Shin Jehyun hated shield patterns the most. Although they were simple mechanics, requiring a certain level of damage to overcome the pattern felt like evidence of the developers’ lack of design skills.

Shield patterns were easy to break with enough damage, but if the damage was insufficient, even the best control couldn’t break it, making it frustrating. It was especially a pattern that led to wipeouts for newbies and beginners, which made Jehyun extremely dislike shields.

However, Jehyun’s Party had four top rankers, including himself, and one of them was Habaek. Even an upgraded shield in oversaturation couldn’t be a problem.

Awakened Sensanar staggers.

Dark malice causes confusion among the heroes.

You feel the effect of powerful.

And as the shield broke, the debuffs mixed as they had anticipated. Confirming he had the red “Powerful” keyword, Jehyun mentally repeated “red, red” while briefing the Party members about their debuffs.

“Matgom is blue, Noona is green, Contempt is white, Habaek is black. Confirm your colors.”

Contempt→ Yes!!

Matgom→ Did you just say yes?

Contempt→ What?!

Contempt, excitedly giggling, now had “Complete,” making him immune to normal attacks. The red “Powerful” debuff Jehyun had increased damage and aggro.

Increased aggro? Matgom usually dealt well enough that Jehyun didn’t expect heal aggro to pull, but it was better to be cautious.

“My aggro will increase, so use potions occasionally.”

As Jehyun instructed, he moved to the outer area and quickly typed.

[Party] Healer: Matgom blue

[Party] Healer: Boss green

[Party] Healer: Contempt white

[Party] Healer: Habaek black

[Party] Healer: Healer red

Since the colors had changed once, having this information in the chat window made it easier to check intuitively when confused. With the color information posted, Jehyun dodged Rexa-Sensanar’s attacks and spoke.

“We seem to have encountered everything significant now, right?”

Jehyun said with a grin, then continued.

“Let’s go for the first clear again?”

Almost.

If the newbies hadn’t made mistakes in the last run, Jicheonwang would have gotten the first clear. So close, ㅠㅠ

Comments (7)

Anonymous 1: What nonsense, four people kept making mistakes and falling, how could it be a first clear?ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Anonymous 2: Isn’t there over an hour difference in clear time to talk about first clear..;

Anonymous 3: Elka was so pissed, probably went crazyㅋㅋㅋ The newbies must have gotten a lot of flakㅋㅋ

Anonymous 4: Why didn’t Elka go with the fixed party this time?

└ Two fixed members had exams.

└ What about the Four Heavenly Kings?

└ Aren’t they in their late 20s? They’re past exam age.

But why is Kante silent after the first clear?

Not asking for a video, at least post a strategy, you bastards.

Comments (32)

Anonymous 1: fck at least post a clear video, why keep it to yourselves?

Anonymous 2: Are you in charge of strategies?

Anonymous 3: They’d probably back out of posting because of people like youㅋㅋ

└ No, they probably never intended to post it.

└ Are you Jesus? You seem to know everything.

Anonymous 4: ㅠ I still don’t get itㅠㅠ Please post a strategy.

└ ㅇㅅㅇ.. What don’t you get? Comment, and I’ll explain -Contempt

└ Why don’t you die in phase 3 when there’s blue light, red light, etc., even if there’s black separately? It’s black<.

└ ..? Black and white are basically immune to everything, and when it’s black light <<, you just need to combine with light (white). At that time (black light), black+white (light) must gather, and except for that, everything is immune.

└ Why immune? It’s a different color.

└ ;ㅅ;.. Yiyoung would know..?;

└ ㅠㅠ The boss talks about blue light, so why is black immune ㅠ

└ Don’t try to understand, just memorize; it’s not science class, why ask why?

└ Black light = all 5 / (single) light = (that color) + white (light) / black + remaining color (immune)

└ What about white light?

└ There’s no such thing.

└ Why?

└ ㅅㅂ you’re trolling.

Stupid Countess bastardsㅋㅋㅋ

You cleared with the Kaien pillar bug, right?ㅎㅎ

You’re scared, so you can’t post the videoㅋㅋㅋㅋ How could you share it?ㅋㅋ

If you’re confident, share the video, bastardsㅋㅋㅋ You can’t, right?ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Comments (1)

Anonymous 1: Get well soon.

Matgom posted the clear video.

Even crazy bastards have their uses ㅋㅋ

As soon as they mentioned bug clear, they posted it.

[Link]

Comments (9)

Anonymous 1: So clean on the second clearㄷㄷ

└ How do you know it’s the second clear?

└ They’ve got the first clear title..

Anonymous 2: I thought there’d be cursing, but it’s really quiet.

Anonymous 3: So clean.. They’re moving before even briefing.. Feels like a different game from mine;;

Anonymous 4: Haha why post a new video?? We asked for the first clear video?ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Anyone can film and post a new one?ㅎㅎ Smells fishy, right? That’s why they can’t post the first clear video?

└ Use your head. They filmed a new video an hour after getting the first clear, and cleared the first boss this cleanly? How’s that fishy nonsense?? Logically, if they cleared with a bug in the first clear, the second clear wouldn’t look like thisㅡㅡ

└ Are you from Countess? So where’s the first clear video?? So where’s the first clear video?? So where’s the first clear video?? So where’s the first clear video?? So where’s the first clear video??

└ “Nearby psychiatric clinics” search results. [Link]

Countess Guild Ancient Crossroads first clear original full video.

Comments (2)

Anonymous 1: This guy must have something wrong with his head.

└ Just ignore him.

Countess Guild Ancient Crossroads first clear original full video.

[Link]

Contains profanity in the conversation, viewer discretion advised.

Comments (52)

Anonymous 1: Why is this real?

Anonymous 2: Thought it was just trolling, but it’s real.

Anonymous 3: Judging by the comments, I thought they were manipulating comments, but it’s real?

Anonymous 4: Honestly, I thought it would be a facepalm robot if I clicked the link.

Anonymous 5: Are the upper comments Kanglimdoryeong’s friends?

└ No, the video is legit, try it.

└ Bullshit, not falling for it.

Anonymous 6: At 3:37, “Ah, f*ck” <haha

Anonymous 7: Posting with the same title as the troll, bold moveㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Anonymous 8: It’s clear, but can’t understand from the video?? My brain: Fingers, can you do it?? My fingers: Master, that’s Habaek.

Anonymous 9: Who’s the poster?

└ Healer

└ Wow, can I get your autograph?

└ Lol

└ ???

Thought we’d get through easily this time, but the Ancient Crossroads had an unexpected bug.

At the first boss, Kaien, when the ice pillar pattern appeared, if the user with Ice Penetration set the pillar near the ballista cart at the map’s outskirts, the pillar didn’t disappear even after a wipe and reset.

Some players exploited this bug, setting multiple pillars around and using the angles to bypass the blade pattern to clear the first boss.

Though some criticized the bug exploiters, they shrugged it off, saying it was using the system within the game.

As it wasn’t a bug related to money or a hindrance to clearing like the ‘complication’ in Love School, Capital didn’t seem inclined to patch it quickly. Because of that, people speculated that Countess Guild didn’t release the first clear video because they cleared with a bug.

It was clear this was done by someone like Kanglimdoryeong, who held a grudge after being kicked out from Jicheonwang, against innocent us. Jehyun tried to ignore it, but the Countess guild members wouldn’t stand for it.

Exhausted by the strong insistence to show the clear with a four-man clear, Jehyun decided to release the first clear video.

Thus, SpellChecker’s private channel was briefly made public. It included first clear videos taken over time, causing the anonymous board of Caplet to buzz with talks about Countess and Jicheonwang guilds from Monday night to Tuesday.

But it’s a bit surprising.

Habaek doesn’t use a mic?? Just following Healer’s lead?

Are these the guys who were always fighting? How’s their teamwork so good?

Comments (6)

Anonymous 1: I’m surprised tooㅋㅋㅋ Honestly, I thought the atmosphere would be terribleㅋ

└ What’s a terrible atmosphere?

Anonymous 2: How should I put it… They seem too much like game addicts.

└ ??That’s obvious.

└ No, haha. They hated each other so much, but now they merged guilds and teamed up for the first clear. Doesn’t it feel like a business arrangement, separating personal and professional? Haha. They probably still think each other is trash, but they follow Healer’s lead and Matgom’s opinions, saying yes, yes.

└ Yeah, I get it. They seem like pro gamers. They really take Caplet seriously.

Summary of Jicheonwang vs. Countess first clear video

When someone died during the first boss bombardment in Jicheonwang

Elka: Ah, come on! Hyung! Did you drink during the day? Why are you dying here? (scolding)

F1~4: Hey, I think I’m having withdrawal symptoms. Should I go drink? (noisy)

When someone almost died in Countess (no deaths in the first boss video;)

Healer: Focus.

Others: Yes.

When debuffs mixed at the final boss in Jicheonwang

Elka: Wow, this f*cking guy is unbelievable.

Newbies: I’m red (lying) I’m blue (also lying)

Elka: Stop lying and speak properly (very annoyed)

When debuffs mixed at the final boss in Countess

Healer: Confirm your colors. If confused, check Party chat.

Others: Yes.

Comments (8)

Anonymous 1: The atmosphere difference is amazing haha.

Anonymous 2: I’d suffocate in Countess, so scary.

└ Breathe, breathe.

Anonymous 3: So Elka is babysitting the newbies in Jicheonwang?

Anonymous 4: Elka must be so frustrated haha.

Anonymous 5: When they wiped and re-entered the first boss, Countess’s first clear notification popped up. Elka sighed heavily and scolded the newbies, saying if he teamed up with them again, he wouldn’t be human. The newbies were whining, it was hilarious.

Anonymous 6: Haha, Countess members, thanks for the viral marketing^^7?

└ This guy is back again.

* * *

On Tuesday, after class, Seo Eunjae approached Jehyun, who was slumped over his desk in exhaustion. Seo Eunjae flipped the hood attached to Shin Jehyun’s clothes over his head and rubbed it messily. When Jehyun, annoyed, waved his hand, Seo Eunjae chuckled and sat next to him.

“Hey, Jae. Listen to me.”

“No.”

“Ah, you’re the only one I can talk to.”

“Loser.”

“Anyway, listen.”

After clearing the Ancient Crossroads late into the night and completing the second clear, they continued rank farming in other oversaturation dungeons. Jehyun, who had slept past 5 AM, woke up after barely 6 hours of sleep and attended his 12 PM class on Tuesday without eating. He was trying to recharge by lying down before heading home when Seo Eunjae, oblivious, started talking to him. Cursing Seo Eunjae, Jehyun opened his eyes slightly.

Seeing Seo Eunjae looking serious and checking around to ensure no one was nearby, he finally spoke.

“I think things are going well with Jiwon. We’re going to see cherry blossoms together this weekend.”

“…Hyun Jiwon?”

Jehyun had planned to go to Yeouido with Baekyung, Hyun Jiwon, and other freshmen over the weekend. But now Seo Eunjae was going to see cherry blossoms with her too? Is this guy filming a drama by himself? Creepy. Jehyun narrowed his eyes suspiciously, and Seo Eunjae continued.

“Yeah, yeah. She said she had plans on Saturday, so we’re going to Children’s Grand Park on Sunday. We’ll see the cherry blossoms, then where should we go? I thought we’d eat at a nearby restaurant, have coffee at a nice cafe, then watch a movie and maybe drink at night. What do you think?”

But suspicion aside, the date course he planned was terribly outdated. Jehyun made a disgusted face and bluntly evaluated Seo Eunjae’s plan.

“That’s so lame. Is it the 80s?”

“Then give me some ideas, loser.”

“Why are you asking a loser? Figure it out yourself.”

In response to the insult of being called a loser, Jehyun flipped his middle finger and turned his head away from Seo Eunjae. Seo Eunjae sighed heavily and shook Jehyun’s shoulder.

“I desperately need your help. I can’t talk to the other guys because they have loose lips.”

“You think I can keep a secret?”

“Yeah, because you have the weakness of playing a dead game.”

“What kind of person are you?”

It was basically a threat to spread the fact that Jehyun played Caplet if he didn’t help. Jehyun looked at Seo Eunjae with an incredulous expression.

Seo Eunjae was smiling as if to say, “What are you going to do?” Bastard. Jehyun cursed under his breath, sat up, and asked him.

“Hey, are you sure you actually made plans with Jiwon? You’re not just misunderstanding and acting like a loser who didn’t get that Jiwon was politely rejecting you, right? No, no, I’m not calling you creepy. It’s just that I don’t get why she’d go see cherry blossoms with you on Sunday when she’s already going to Yeouido with me, Baekyung, and the others on Saturday.”

“It’s true. Jiwon asked me first.”

“…Show me.”

Just to be sure, Jehyun checked Seo Eunjae’s phone. He saw the chat from Hyun Jiwon, partially covered by Seo Eunjae’s hand, saying, “Wow, sounds great! Oppa, would you like to go see cherry blossoms with me on Sunday?ㅋㅋ” and then gave his opinion.

Given that Children’s Grand Park would be crowded this time of year, they might get swept away by the crowd if they tried to visit nearby restaurants and cafes. Instead, he sincerely suggested they visit Neungdong Jizone PC Cafe after seeing the cherry blossoms and start playing Caplet together.

“Get lost, you game-addicted bastard.”

Seo Eunjae, annoyed, flipped Jehyun off and left. With the nuisance gone, Shin Jehyun lay back on the desk, grinning, until he felt his phone vibrate and checked the incoming message.

Ha Baekyung [Sunbae, what are you doing after seeing the cherry blossoms on Saturday? More people are joining, so we might leave Yeouido. How about having lunch and going to a cafe with me?ㅎㅎ]

15:18 As he got older, Jehyun found it tiring to hang out with many people. He suddenly realized that Baekyung also didn’t enjoy socializing much and smiled as he replied.

15:18 Me [Great idea, let’s do thatㅋㅋㅋ]