TWKH Ch 31

The only added pattern in Phase 1 was the statues.

It wasn’t too difficult since you just had to check your debuff and buff status and collide with the statues accordingly. After several attempts, they finally cleared Phase 1 and entered Phase 2. As soon as they did, Hellkaras let out a roar that caused a full raid stun and began flapping its wings.

[Raid] Contempt: Something else is coming outㅇㅅㅇ

[Raid] BlueBubble: How about a 100,000 gold bet on the first death?

[Raid] ClearEyedCrazy: Who bets on a try;

[Raid] ClearEyedCrazy: But I agree.

[Raid] SpellChecker: Who bets 100,000? Let’s go for a million.

Instead of focusing, everyone was busy chatting during the break. The raid leader was busy figuring out the patterns, but the raid members were very lax. Frowning, Baekyung glanced at Jehyun’s expression and signaled them to focus.

[Raid] Habaek: Quiet down and focus;

[Raid] SpellChecker: Habaek: That’s why your DPS is trashㅎ

[Raid] Habaek: ㅇㅇ including you.

Sighing at Kang Yoonjae’s inability to read the room, Baekyung responded irritably, making Jehyun laugh beside him.

These days, Shin Jehyun liked seeing Baekyung act like Habaek in front of him. Once detested, now everything Baekyung did seemed cute through Jehyun’s filtered eyes. It was fortunate for Baekyung.

[Raid] Contempt: How many hours have we been trying…

[Raid] Contempt: A million is 10,000 won, and 10 million is 100,000 won.. Everyone’s lost their minds ㅇㅅㅇ;

[Raid] Q: How about it, raid leader? Gold bet?

“Gold bet? Isn’t this the wrong time to talk about that?”

Watching Hellkaras’s patterns, Jehyun responded seriously, not taking the joke as a joke. Some party leaders with mics on laughed, and soon someone asked,

Ness→ You have no friends, right?

“Me? I’m a total loser. Focus.”

Ness→ Yes, loser.

Shin Jehyun’s way of calling himself a loser didn’t sound loser-like at all. His smooth conversation made Baekyung glance at him.

Leaning comfortably in his chair, Jehyun didn’t even glance at Baekyung, focusing on the screen. Watching Hellkaras mumbling in the sky, his frowning expression looked very cool.

Baekyung felt a flutter watching Jehyun lead, and when their eyes met, he flinched and bit his lip.

Why?

Worried he’d get scolded for not focusing, Baekyung shook his head at the silent question. Shin Jehyun smiled with his eyes, looked at Baekyung, and made a kissing sound in the air before turning back to the monitor.

It felt like his kiss landed on Baekyung’s cheek. Biting his lip, Baekyung turned to his monitor, a slight blush on his smiling face.

Ancient Dragon Hellkaras Now I remember. What happened in the fight with Ter….

[Raid] whwsnakehealer: ㅋㅋ

[Raid] whwsnakehealer: The loser has risenㅋ Now a raid leaderㅋ

Ancient Dragon Hellkaras I will show you too. You will pay dearly for invading my nest.

[Raid] Habaek: ?

[Raid] whwsnakehealer: ㅋㅋ just kidding^^

Amidst this, Baekyung’s attention was caught by the annoying comments of a particular player. His smiling lips hardened, and he looked at whwsnakehealer, the Priest in 5Party, with distaste.

From the moment he was added to the raid list, that ID had been oddly irritating. At first glance, it seemed like a combination of initials and the word snake healer, but when you convert “whw” to Korean characters, it spelled out a crude term for male genitalia, combined with “snake,” it turned into a derogatory phrase.

The fact that such an unpleasant term was right before “healer” bothered Baekyung immensely. If it were referring to himself, he could have used “priest,” but he chose “healer,” a term not used in Caplet. In Caplet, “Healer” referred to Shin Jehyun.

Even asking Jehyun to reveal Snake’s main character was futile, as Jehyun wouldn’t divulge it even to Baekyung. He trusted that Shin Jehyun had verified it and accepted him without issues. But seeing his behavior reminded Baekyung of Kangrimdoryeong, who had vanished after the recommendation to raid with 30 people.

No way, it can’t be him. Baekyung brushed off his suspicion, turning his head.

Caplet, being a game full of seasoned players, had many with poor social skills who lingered on the internet. Baekyung figured Snake belonged to that category, easing his mind by dismissing him as a socially inept nerd rather than suspecting him of being Kangrimdoryeong.

“Why does he talk so much?”

Just then, Jehyun’s irritated muttering coincided with the end of Hellkaras’s mumbling. Soon, the massive dragon descended, causing a small explosion.

Baekyung dodged the explosion and watched Hellkaras’s movements closely.

Ancient Dragon Hellkaras This is the power that cornered Ter.

[Raid] DadAndDaughter: Why’s this guy so petty? Using what he used on a god against humans.

[Raid] KimDead: Exactlyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ such a petty king.

You feel the effect of Fury.

KimBoksun took 1726 damage.

CanYouHealMe took 8293 damage.

Using Horizon’s Blade.

Critical hit!

CanYouHealMe took 33215 damage.

“Ah…!”

Baekyung let out a short cry, rapidly hitting the evasion key.

It happened in an instant. As soon as Hellkaras finished speaking, he applied a debuff called Fury, making Party members attack each other.

Seeing his Horizon’s Blade strike CanYouHealMe, Baekyung quickly backed off, but CanYouHealMe was killed by an arrow from NotAnArcher.

Using Emergency Brake.

CanYouHealMe has died.

SpellChecker has died.

[Raid] SpellChecker: What the heck.

The effect of Fury has disappeared.

It wasn’t just CanYouHealMe who died. As more death logs appeared, the Party leaders groaned.

As time passed and the Fury debuff wore off, the red names of raid members turned white again, indicating non-attackable status.

Seeing this reminded Baekyung of the final boss in Black Tower, where players went into combat mode and had to pass a self-destructing machine. But unlike the five-member Black Tower, this was a 30-member raid.

They apply such a debuff with so many people? Just as Baekyung found it absurd, Jehyun briefed the team.

“Check for the Fury-inducing debuff.”

Looking at the Party members’ buff windows, Baekyung saw KimBoksun had the “Fury Inducer” debuff.

With his left hand still on the keyboard, Baekyung pulled out the mouse to check the debuff.

[Fury Inducer: Incites fury in nearby individuals. Those afflicted with fury lose reason and attack everyone they see. The curse of Ancient Dragon Hellkaras that decimated Ter’s army.]

What a terrible debuff. If those affected by Fury Inducer couldn’t immediately identify their status, melee DPS would end up killing each other. In Caplet’s non-targeting system, all characters within a skill’s range took damage.

“Can this be cleansed? Have you checked?”

Jehyun’s calm question was answered by the Party leaders through the headset.

Ness→ Yes, yes. It can be cleansed. As soon as it appears, cleanse it.

“And what about Fury Inducer? It didn’t cleanse the first time but did the second. Was it time-based or something else?”

DPS Point→ Twice, I think? Mine cleansed the second time too.

“And what about Shamans?”

ClearEyedCrazy→ Not sure. No one in 6Party got it.

“No one?”

ClearEyedCrazy→ Or maybe? Did someone die?

Rapid opinions were exchanged among the healers. With over ten dead, it was looking like a retry. Baekyung continued dodging Hellkaras’s regular attacks while dealing damage.

Waiting for the retry signal, Baekyung saw KimBoksun beside him thrust his lance into Hellkaras’s foreleg, when Hellkaras spoke again.

Ancient Dragon Hellkaras Self-destruct, like your ancestors.

You feel the effect of Fury Inducer.

Using Emergency Brake.

“Fury Inducer. Fury has appeared again.”

Baekyung urgently reported, moving to a corner.

“Again?”

Hearing this, Jehyun checked the raid members’ status by pressing the tab. Shortly after, he gave the signal.

“Everyone, die. 6Party DPS, check your debuffs. Raise your hand if you have the Fury Inducer log.”

Ness→ Yes….

At Jehyun’s retry signal, Baekyung took his hands off the keyboard and let Hellkaras kill him. Quickly pressing the revive button, he re-entered, and while Jehyun refilled the raid members’ health, various conversations took place in the raid chat.

[Raid] Contempt: Petty lizard: kill each other

[Raid] MangoWorm: So Ter’s minions got hit by Fury and died, and then they fought and Ter won?

[Raid] MangoWorm: If Ter could win alone, why sacrifice the minions?

[Raid] KimDead: Going alone isn’t impressive.

[Raid] MangoWorm: What’s more important, looking cool or survival?

[Raid] Crab2: Wow, Four Heavenly Kings saw 50%.

[Raid] whwsnakehealer: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[Raid] MapalChun: What, they cleared Phase 2? So fast?

[Raid] Crab2: Yes, they just cleared it, took 5% more, then wiped at Phase 3.

[Raid] SpellChecker: That’s quick.

[Raid] Boss12MoreHours: Let’s keep pushing too.

[Raid Leader Notice] Healer: Just to be clear, we don’t do stream sniping.

[Raid Leader Notice] Healer: Please don’t discuss their strategy.

[Raid] Crab2: Okay, just shared their progress..ㅠㅠ

[Raid Leader Notice] Healer: Not blaming you, Crab. Just a reminder.

[Raid] Crab2: Could you call me Crab, please?

In the middle, Crab shared the progress of the Four Heavenly Kings raid. Saying they saw 50% meant they were also doing a 10-minute delayed stream, having cleared Phase 2 ten minutes prior.

Were they quicker in Phase 1? Their raid was much faster. Clicking his tongue inwardly, Baekyung glanced at Jehyun and whispered to ElkaRose.

[Whisper] To ElkaRose: Cut it out.

[Whisper] ElkaRose: Sure~ I’m going first, good luck^^77

The user has blocked you.

[Raid] MapalChun: 6Party had Fury Inducer before. It was definitely a different color than Fury.

[Raid] MapalChun: But I turned off system logs, so I’m not sureㅠ

[Raid Leader Notice] Healer: How can you turn off system logs during a try..

Trying to get under Elka’s skin backfired as they blocked Baekyung immediately, seeing through his intent. Sighing, Baekyung focused on Jehyun’s voice beside him.

“Assuming one Fury Inducer per Party. Trusting Palchun’s observation, make sure system logs are on. You don’t need to watch them constantly, just for debuffs. Turn off damage logs, keep system logs on.”

Sangjae→ Yes, yes.

“Phase 1, you all know. Hit the statue of the opposite color to nullify. Miss the first approach, run to the distant statue. Don’t hit with others, statues will remain. Phase 2, boss speaks, Fury Inducer debuff appears. Near affected player, you get Fury. Stop attacking at dialogue, check debuffs, affected separate, cleanse twice, rejoin. Watch for debuffs throughout, they might come without dialogue.”

DPS Point→ Got it.

“Phase 3 likely curses. Nobody dies, you know. Expect chain reactions aiming to kill. Evade well.”

ClearEyedCrazy→ Got it.

After the long briefing, Jehyun buffed up and turned to Baekyung, locking eyes with him as he spoke.

“And… I’ve been debating when to say this, but now is the time. We’re tighter on time than I thought. With over-saturation, our guild luckily got consecutive first clears. As most know, if we succeed in the raid first clear, our guild will have first cleared all over-saturation dungeons post-server merge.”

Ness→ Screaming! So cool!

Sangjae→ Enger isn’t a first clear.

Sangjae teased Jehyun with a playful tone. Why nitpick now? Baekyung thought Ha Jaekyung was an irritating person.

“You know better. Sure, the achievement is theirs, but our faster first clear in over-saturation should get patched soon. Not adding pressure, but getting all new dungeon achievements in one guild isn’t easy. It’s a rare honor to share this moment in Caplet and Korean gaming.”

Jehyun’s voice brimmed with confidence, fully believing his raid would get the first clear. Playful reactions followed.

Matgom→ Is this an award speech? When did we clear?

Sangjae→ Claiming the raid first clear already?

Annoyed by the interruptions, Baekyung raised his voice.

“Ah, quiet down.”

Jehyun chuckled softly at the irritated command. Shin Jehyun reached out, gripping Baekyung’s right hand as he continued.

“See, only Habaek supports a loser guild leader like me. Anyway, this is a great chance for all to make a special memory in Caplet, so let’s work hard. You understand?”

Jehyun’s passion for Caplet shone through. Baekyung, realizing his genuine dedication, resolved to secure the first clear for him.

As Baekyung steeled himself, Jehyun suddenly pulled Baekyung’s hand, kissing it silently, and added,

“Let’s do our best. I’m counting on you.”

Baekyung smiled, seeing Jehyun’s bright eyes. “Fighting,” Jehyun’s words of encouragement echoed in his mind.

Following Shin Jehyun’s speech-like remarks, the raid resumed without major issues. Entering Phase 3 significantly increased the difficulty, but it was anticipated. Despite several hours and countless attempts, the raid members’ spirits remained high.

“Run. Prepare to dodge. Now!”

They grew accustomed to Hellkaras’s increased attack speed, and fewer raid members were hit by basic patterns. Most raid members, except a few guild members, had cleared Hellkaras over 20 times, and guild members who had received Hellkaras tutoring for two weeks were selected for their good skills, ensuring smooth progress.

The more people there were and the more instant-kill mechanics in the dungeon, the more important it was which party made fewer mistakes to achieve the first clear.

A few mistakes by one or two members were manageable. That could be covered. But as the number of mistakes increased to five or six, focus shattered, and progress slowed.

Therefore, to secure the first clear, it was crucial to enhance raid members’ concentration and reduce their mistakes. Jehyun led the raid by sternly scolding members at times and encouraging them at others. Amidst this, a critical moment arrived.

As raid time surpassed eight hours, and Hellkaras’s health dropped below 50%, entering Phase 3, not a single member had died or made a mistake.

“You’re doing well. Let’s keep this up.”

Jehyun reassured the raid members with a composed voice.

25, 24, 23, Hellkaras’s health steadily decreased.

Finally, at 19%. When Hellkaras’s health first entered the teens, Jehyun had a strong intuition that they could clear it.

Excited but trying to stay calm, Jehyun licked his lips and spoke.

“We’re seeing a clear path. Let’s focus.”

Sangjae→ Yes.

Even Sangjae, who had been teasing Jehyun since the meeting, replied concisely for once. Apparently, others also felt the same intuition, and many, including Sangjae, silently concentrated on the clear. Jehyun watched the screen with his lips slightly bitten.

Ancient Dragon Hellkaras All will share the same fate….

Ancient Dragon Hellkaras Behold the flame of the abyss.

“Fate and statues are appearing together! Check your buffs and clear the statues properly!”

The statue pattern from Phase 1 appeared sporadically. With the ‘Fate’ curse, causing instant death to all characters within a 50M radius of a dead member, raid members received either Abyssal Flame or Ter’s Blessing. Confirming Abyssal Flame on himself, Jehyun ran towards the yellow statue.

At that moment,

Ancient Dragon Hellkaras Humans are always creatures of confusion….

The effect of Abyssal Flame has disappeared.

You feel the effect of Earth God Ter’s Blessing.

With Hellkaras’s confusion dialogue, the debuffs flickered, and in an instant, states swapped from Flame to Blessing. Realizing this, Jehyun quickly used Retreat to distance from the approaching statue.

“The buffs have changed! Check! Approach the statues cautiously!”

Ness→ Ah….

“Ah!”

Some noticed the change and moved quickly, while others, too close to the statues, couldn’t avoid it.

BlueBubble has died.

DadAndDaughter has died.

Crab2 has died.

MapalChun has died.

ClearEyedCrazy has died.

⁝

Seeing the death messages flood the system log, Jehyun clicked his tongue in regret. But confusion had just appeared for the first time. A wipe was inevitable.

“We’ll go for a quick retry. That was good, right? If we keep this up, we can clear it. Confusion seems to be the last new pattern, so always keep in mind the debuff change after 19% when statues appear.”

DPS Point→ Ah, so close.

ClearEyedCrazy→ Yes, what a pity. We had a clear path.

Reviving after his death, Jehyun heard the regretful voices of raid members. He shared the sentiment but tried not to show it. As the raid leader, he couldn’t let the recently fallen members feel guilty.

“These guys are vicious.”

Matgom→ They won’t make it easy, right. But it’s nothing special?

“Right. Besides, swapping debuffs? Not unexpected?”

Jehyun’s casual remark elicited laughter nearby. He looked at Baekyung, who hadn’t made a single mistake, with admiration, lightly patting his head before placing his hands back on the keyboard.

“Let’s go again. Counting.”

Priests and Elementalists rotated buffs, and DPS applied their own buffs. Amidst the vibrant effects, the counting numbers Jehyun posted appeared on the screen.

3, 2, 1, start. But the resumed raid didn’t go as smoothly as before. Several minor mistakes occurred, and while they could reach Phase 3, there were issues with clearing the statues again.

[Raid] whwsnakehealer: ㅋ Sorry.

Due to the death of the 5Party Priest between Hellkaras’s hind leg and foreleg, both the 4Party at the foreleg and 5Party at the hind leg wiped. Eight statues remained uncleared on the map. If someone with Blessing or Abyssal died, their debuff disappeared entirely, leaving remaining statues impossible to clear.

Continuing the raid while leaving eight roaming statues on the map was incredibly difficult. However, Hellkaras’s health had dropped to 15%, and it felt like they were close to clearing, prompting some hesitation.

“…I’ll go revive them. Beoseot, cover the head. DPS Point, take care of 2Party.”

Deciding to try and recover, Jehyun ran to Hellkaras’s right side, while BeoseotTangsuyuk moved to the tanks’ position at the left foreleg. NimaDeal moved from the left hind leg to the foreleg, covering both 2Party and 3Party.

That side seemed fine. Relieved, Jehyun rushed to the right, where bodies lay, and resurrected ElementalKingLochNess and whwsnakehealer.

“Quick regroup. We have eight statues left. Dodge them well. And, ah.”

After reviving the healers and a few DPS, Jehyun was about to return to the head when it happened.

Reviving MangoWorm, the Priest whwsnakehealer collided with an approaching statue and died. Naturally, Snake had the Fate debuff immediately upon resurrection.

Watching raid members, including himself, fall again, Jehyun suppressed a curse, closing and reopening his lips.

“We can’t do this. Quick retry.”

Envelop→ Yes, we’ll die.

“No break, we’re going straight back.”

Pressing the revive button, Jehyun saw many people gathered at Hellkaras’s Sanctuary entrance. Seeing ElkaRose next to Habaek’s character, he frowned.

ElkaRose: ㅋㅋㅎㅇ^^? We cleared it this time.

Habaek: ? Cleared what? Your head?

ElkaRose: You bastardㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Sulp: Okay, if Elka messes up again, I’ll crack Elka’s head.

ElkaRose: Whose side are you on?

ElkaRose was boasting again, just like when he falsely claimed to be at the last boss in K-Hill. Jehyun stared at Baekyung, reacting to Elka’s nonsense, then pressed the entry button.

Entering the dungeon and reaching the safe zone, the raid members were chatting. Though raid time had exceeded nine hours, no one looked tired. They even seemed a bit excited, feeling they were close to clearing.

Jehyun instructed the party leaders to check the members and rotated buffs. He couldn’t turn off the mic, so he whispered to Baekyung.

[Whisper] To Habaek: Are you close with ElkaRose?

[Whisper] Habaek: Should I say close… Our parents know each other, so we’ve been friends since childhood.

[Whisper] Habaek: Why?ㅎㅎ Should I not talk to him?

Baekyung was quite perceptive. Realizing Jehyun was bothered by his casual chat with ElkaRose, Baekyung asked directly, making Jehyun frown and laugh. “I’ll start the countdown,” Jehyun briefed, glancing at Baekyung.

[Whisper] To Habaek: Would you stop talking to him if I asked?

[Whisper] Habaek: Yes, I won’t talk to him.

His tone was exceedingly gentle.

In the past, Jehyun might have thought, “Why is this crazy guy pretending to be gentle?” but not anymore. To Jehyun, Baekyung now seemed like a loyal guard dog who only wagged his tail for his master. It was a bit endearing, even if he bit others.

Feeling pleased, Jehyun complimented Baekyung.

[Whisper] To Habaek: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ You’re adorable.

[Whisper] To Habaek: Good boy.

With that, the raid resumed, cutting off their conversation. Baekyung glanced at Jehyun’s faint smile, then focused on the screen.

The pace was similar to the Four Heavenly Kings. From now on, one mistake would determine the winner and loser. It was time to concentrate.

From the moment the first statue appeared, Baekyung couldn’t relax his furrowed brows.

[Raid] whwsnakehealer: ㅋ Sorry.

[Raid] KimBoksun: ㅎㅎ Mistakes happen.

[Raid] Boss12MoreHours: One statue is okay.

It seemed he died by colliding with a same-color statue. But perhaps because Baekyung didn’t like his ID, even small mistakes were irritating. The pattern was now so familiar that he wondered if Snake was doing it on purpose.

Baekyung almost cursed but held back. Jehyun reassured Snake beside him, saying it was okay.

But Snake’s mistakes didn’t stop there.

[Raid] NoErectionPark: Cleanse.

[Raid] 56BornKimYoungHak: Cleanse, please.

[Raid] whwsnakehealer: Ah~~ Sorry, didn’t see itㅋ

In Phase 2, he delayed cleansing Fury Inducer, and in the later dot damage pattern, two DPS died due to late healing.

Mistakes continued in Phase 3. With the Fate debuff, Snake died to a statue, wiping the right two parties again. While various people making occasional mistakes was fine, one person consistently making errors increasingly soured the atmosphere.

[Raid] whwsnakehealer: ㅈㅅㅈㅅ

[Raid] HIPPO: Ah.. let’s focus.

[Raid] HIPPO: This isn’t the first time.

[Raid] whwsnakehealer: I said I’m sorryㅋ

[Raid] KimDead: ??

[Raid] KimDead: Does that sound like someone who’s sorry?ㅋㅋ

[Raid] Contempt: Let’s not fight.. Just focus a bit more~ㅠㅅㅠ

[Raid] whwsnakehealer: I’ve done well so far, just messed up this round. Give me a break ㅎ

[Raid] Q: ㅇㅇ just focus, mistakes happen.

[Raid] KimDead: No, because of 5Party, we’re all suffering, and then he says “I’m sorryㅋ” like that? How is that okay?

More and more raid members began to react sharply. Once the atmosphere soured, mistakes inevitably increased, as concentration was broken.

At this point, Baekyung began to have a very reasonable suspicion: it seemed like Snake was deliberately sabotaging them.

The mistakes Snake made were all things that should only happen early in the raid. A Priest with over 50 Hellkaras clears should never be making these mistakes so easily. This was the problem.

In this old game Caplet, the only remaining players were those addicted to control. So if Snake was the high-spec Priest Jehyun mentioned, he should naturally be immersed in his control.

Everyone in the Countess guild, including Jehyun and Baekyung, felt self-reproach and guilt if they made a mistake at a crucial point in a dungeon. Their pride was so great that they couldn’t tolerate their own mistakes. This was likely true for Elka and his raid members as well.

Yet Snake’s brazen attitude? Such a response could only come from someone intentionally causing mistakes, not from a gamer proud of their control.

Moreover, the ID. Snake’s ID, which had annoyed Baekyung from the start, supported his suspicion. The 1st-level characters that Kangrimdoryeong used to whisper and insult Jehyun all had similarly insulting IDs. And Kangrimdoryeong had vanished since the 30-man Hellkaras recommendation notice, which was very suspicious.

Though it was only a paranoid theory, it felt highly unsettling. Baekyung’s instincts warned him not to let this situation pass.

Just then, Jehyun, frowning with annoyance, spoke.

“Let’s do a quick retry. Take 5 minutes. Be back by 21.”

Turning off the mic and removing his headset, Jehyun ran a hand through his hair, his neat, smaller hand hovering over the keyboard compared to Baekyung. It seemed he planned to whisper Snake. Baekyung grabbed Jehyun’s wrist before he could type.

“Sunbae.”

“Yes?”

“Please don’t misunderstand and listen.”

His voice was serious. Misunderstand what? Jehyun tilted his head cutely. Baekyung, worried Jehyun might think he was paranoid, continued.

“I’ve been thinking… and I think that person is doing it on purpose.”

“On purpose?”

Jehyun raised his eyebrows in surprise.

He found Snake’s tone irritating, but he hadn’t considered the possibility of deliberate sabotage. After performing well for over 8 hours? It didn’t make sense.

However, since Baekyung said it, the suspicion didn’t seem baseless. Jehyun looked at Baekyung, prompting him to explain. Baekyung hesitated briefly, then spoke.

“Have you ever thought about what that person’s ID means?”

“ID? Snake Healer? Why?”

“You know the letters at the start, whw. Try converting them to Korean characters.”

Pointing to the keyboard, Baekyung spelled it out. W, H, W. Realizing what it spelled, Jehyun frowned.

Baekyung explained what he thought the ID meant, adding that it seemed like an insult directed at him. Jehyun felt a bit absurd and baffled.

“Baekyung… The idea that ‘Healer’ in Caplet refers specifically to me is… a bit embarrassing.”

“Why? You’re the only one called Healer in Caplet, aside from the general meaning.”

“Is that so?”

Baekyung’s firm tone flustered Jehyun. Biting his lip and laughing softly, he looked thoughtfully at the raid member list.

But the nickname alone wasn’t enough to be sure Snake was trolling deliberately. They couldn’t kick out a player they’d been raiding with for over 9 hours just because of a few mistakes.

That would be unacceptable for the raid. They couldn’t find an experienced healer for over-saturation at this stage.

Seeing Jehyun hesitate, Baekyung spoke.

“What’s that person’s main character’s ID? Just tell me that. They’re not from our server, right?”

“No. They’re not, but….”

“Sunbae.”

Regardless of his connection to Baekyung, Snake had explicitly asked for his main character’s identity to be kept secret. Only Jehyun knew, so he couldn’t disclose it carelessly. Seeing Jehyun’s troubled expression, Baekyung gripped his hand tightly.

“Trust me. I’m certain that person is doing it on purpose.”

“…….”

Though Baekyung might have been harsh at times, Jehyun had rarely seen him speak so harshly in front of him. Baekyung usually liked to act innocent like a puppy.

For him to call someone a “jerk” and speak so strongly, Jehyun couldn’t just ignore it. Turning, he typed a raid leader notice in the chat.

[Raid Leader Notice] Healer: Many are saying they’re going out for a smoke. Let’s take 3 more minutes. Be back by 24.

Then he looked at Baekyung and spoke.

“Seven minutes left. We have to decide in that time. That person’s main character’s name is….”

Jehyun told Baekyung that Snake’s main character was ‘TooBigToRefuse.’

When he whispered them, they were not online. If it was indeed Snake’s main, that made sense. But Baekyung was almost sure Snake was Kangrimdoryeong.

“Wait a moment.”

There were no name changes in Caplet. If fully awakened, they would be wearing +15 Mayo full set, and such a well-equipped Priest would likely be a well-known player in their previous server. Baekyung quickly whispered F1.

[Whisper] To F1: Hyung

[Whisper] F1: A whisper? Are we that close?

[Whisper] To F1: Do you know a Priest named ‘TooBigToRefuse’? Probably from the Cullin server.

[Whisper] F1: Ha! Do you think I know the names of commoners?

As Jehyun looked at F1’s pompous style with distaste, Baekyung frowned.

“Doesn’t seem to be Cullin. Likely Maverick, since Kangrimdoryeong was from Maverick.”

“…Will asking F1 alone give an answer?”

“That Hyung is a Cullin fixture, so he would know if someone had that spec. It’s all filled with seasoned players. Sunbae, don’t you know most of the raid players from Countess server?”

“I do.”

“Exactly. It’s likely Maverick… but who to ask?”

Maverick server… Jehyun thought carefully, then raised an eyebrow.

“I know someone who might.”

“Who?”

“The Gambler.”

KimchiRiceAndEgg was probably from Maverick. A famous gambler in Caplet, most Maverick veterans would know him. Jehyun quickly typed.

[Whisper] To KimchiRiceAndEgg: Are you around, Kimchi?

[Whisper] To KimchiRiceAndEgg: You’re from Maverick, right? I need to ask something.

[Whisper] KimchiRiceAndEgg: Eh? Yeah, what is it?

[Whisper] To KimchiRiceAndEgg: The important thing is, you can’t tell anyone I asked this.

[Whisper] To KimchiRiceAndEgg: Will you promise to keep this secret?

[Whisper] KimchiRiceAndEgg: ㅋ I have a partner

[Whisper] To KimchiRiceAndEgg: Will you promise to keep it secret?

[Whisper] KimchiRiceAndEgg: Not even listening

[Whisper] KimchiRiceAndEgg: What’s up? Keeping secrets is my specialty

[Whisper] To KimchiRiceAndEgg: Do you know a Priest named ‘TooBigToRefuse’?

KimchiRiceAndEgg didn’t respond immediately. Hurry up, Jehyun thought anxiously as he checked the time. After about a minute, KimchiRiceAndEgg replied.

[Whisper] KimchiRiceAndEgg: You got me killed…

[Whisper] KimchiRiceAndEgg: I was in a dying bet during Mayo saturation, how will you compensate for this loss?

[Whisper] To KimchiRiceAndEgg: Answer quickly and I’ll send you a million gold

[Whisper] KimchiRiceAndEgg: Of course I know BigMoney, we’re close friends, why?

[Whisper] To KimchiRiceAndEgg: Do you know if they are raiding now?

[Whisper] KimchiRiceAndEgg: ??? Raiding?

[Whisper] KimchiRiceAndEgg: Said they’d raid if something came up, right now we’re doing Mayo saturation together

[Whisper] KimchiRiceAndEgg: Just died again… you owe me 2 million gold

[Whisper] To KimchiRiceAndEgg: ? Doing Mayo together?

“What?”

“Told you!”

Hearing that KimchiRiceAndEgg was doing Mayo with TooBigToRefuse, Jehyun reacted in disbelief while Baekyung exclaimed triumphantly.

Caplet enforced a one-account-per-person rule. If banned permanently, players couldn’t return. While some used a relative’s account, if BigMoney was Snake, managing two accounts was possible, but doing two dungeons simultaneously was not.

“Ah, damn.”

Realizing Baekyung’s suspicion was correct, Jehyun cursed quietly and asked KimchiRiceAndEgg.

[Whisper] To KimchiRiceAndEgg: Are they using an alt? What’s the name?

[Whisper] KimchiRiceAndEgg: 5KGiveBuff <<

Even the name made it clear. As Jehyun chuckled bitterly, Baekyung quickly whispered him.

[Whisper] To 5KGiveBuff: Hey

[Whisper] To 5KGiveBuff: Are you taking money from Kangrim to verify as a Priest for Healer?

[Whisper] To 5KGiveBuff: I know, don’t try to deny it

[Whisper] To 5KGiveBuff: Also, don’t tell Kangrim I messaged you

[Whisper] To 5KGiveBuff: Answer yes/no only

[Whisper] To 5KGiveBuff: If you do, I’ll let it slide

[Whisper] To 5KGiveBuff: We’re near a first clear, need to decide

[Whisper] To 5KGiveBuff: Answer in 10 seconds, I’ll give you double what Kangrim paid

[Whisper] To 5KGiveBuff: 10

Busy with Mayo saturation, BigMoney replied before 9 seconds passed.

[Whisper] 5KGiveBuff: Yes/

[Whisper] 5KGiveBuff: Please don’t kill me

It was confirmed. TooBigToRefuse was indeed the one. Jehyun laughed bitterly, realizing the main character’s ID had hinted at this situation from the start.

Baekyung, scoffing, replied.

[Whisper] To 5KGiveBuff: How much did Kangrim pay? I’ll send double

[Whisper] 5KGiveBuff: 50 million gold

[Whisper] To 5KGiveBuff: Show mail screenshot

[Whisper] 5KGiveBuff: Sorry, it was 10 million

10 million gold equaled 100,000 won. A substantial amount. Although not in need of money, Jehyun thought he’d call Kangrim “Hyung” if offered 100,000 won. It could do a lot.

He was also shocked that Kangrim spent 100,000 won just to sabotage them. Why spend money to hinder others? Such thoughts crossed his mind.

While Jehyun pondered this, Baekyung quickly opened the mailbox and sent gold to BigMoney.

[Whisper] To 5KGiveBuff: Sent 20 million gold. Don’t tell anyone I messaged you.

[Whisper] To 5KGiveBuff: If you tell and get more from Kangrim, you’ll regret it

[Whisper] 5KGiveBuff: Is this a threat?

[Whisper] To 5KGiveBuff: Yes

[Whisper] To 5KGiveBuff: PK is enabled, even if my infamy rises, no one can kill me. Think carefully.

[Whisper] 5KGiveBuff: Your personality suggests you’d really do it

[Whisper] 5KGiveBuff: Okay, I’ll stay quiet

[Whisper] To 5KGiveBuff: Good

Though Baekyung’s PK threat seemed thuggish, it didn’t feel wrong. Jehyun found Ha Baekyung’s quick resolution reassuring.

“What now?”

The threat worked well. BigMoney wouldn’t tell Kangrim they figured out the truth.

With the truth uncovered, the real challenge lay ahead. Less than a minute remained before the next try. A decision had to be made.

“Sigh…”

Jehyun tapped his fingers on the desk, glaring at the raid window.

Kicking out Kangrimdoryeong was problematic, but keeping him was also an issue. They couldn’t proceed with 29 members, and even if Kangrimdoryeong stopped making mistakes, Jehyun didn’t want to grant him the first clear title.

As Jehyun pondered, feeling his frustration build, Baekyung, deep in thought, looked at him and spoke.

“Sunbae, you know impersonation in Caplet can lead to account suspension, right?”

“Yeah, I know…. Oh.”

Impersonation in Caplet was a serious offense. When Baekyung impersonated KimBoksun before, Jehyun had advised KimBoksun to report him, knowing that even without monetary loss, impersonation could get the perpetrator suspended if reported.

Shin Jehyun quickly realized what Baekyung was getting at. Placing his hands on the keyboard, Jehyun whispered Kangrim.

[Whisper] To whwsnakehealer: Healer

[Whisper] To whwsnakehealer: Oh, calling you Healer while I’m Healer is funnyㅋㅋㅋ

[Whisper] To whwsnakehealer: BigMoney? You’re TooBigToRefuse, right? The ID is so long I don’t quite remember, is that right?ㅎ

The baited question was answered quickly. It was commendable that Kangrimdoryeong went to such lengths, but his intelligence wasn’t high enough to avoid this obvious trap.

[Whisper] whwsnakehealer: ㅋㅋYeah, I’m BigMoney

[Whisper] whwsnakehealer: Why?

As Jehyun suspected, Kangrimdoryeong replied without hesitation. Of course, he thought. Smiling, Jehyun continued.