SANN | Chapter 1.1

A dimly lit room, no larger than a singlepyeong¹, was illuminated solely by the faint glow of a monitor.

The floor chair, chosen to minimize noise, didn’t make a sound as it moved. The silent mechanical keyboard with no-contact switches allowed for long hours of uninterrupted gaming.

For Gureum, time was money. In most games, this might not hold true, but in Cloud Online, the game that supported Gureum’s livelihood, it was an absolute fact.

As usual, Gureum’s mechanical fingers swept across the keyboard while he farmed money in the hunting grounds. Suddenly, the messenger in the bottom-right corner of the screen blinked. It was from a regular customer—someone who could arguably be called Gureum’s financial lifeline.

Chaesyong: Heize~ Are you busy? ^^
Chaesyong: I’m thinking of buying some money. Do you have about 10 billion?

Ten billion money. Fortunately, Gureum had more than enough in his storage. He quickly opened the message and responded without delay.

Me: Yup! I’ve got about 15 billion.
Chaesyong: I’ll take all of it. When are you free?
Me: I’m good right now!! I’ll teleport over to you.
Chaesyong: Alrighty ^^

Although Gureum still had time left on the drop rate boost potion he’d used for hunting, he couldn’t keep a regular customer waiting because of it.

Since they were already friends in the game, Gureum opened the friends list to locate Chaesyong’s character. With a quick Teleport, he arrived at his location. There, in the center of the village, stood Chaesyongsyong’s character, adorned in expensive cash shop outfits. Gureum opened the gift window and invited him.

[hazeee]: Hi, Chaesyong!
[Chaesyongsyong]: Hello~ ^^
[hazeee]: The market rate today is 8,300 won per billion money, but I’ll sell it to you for 8,000! Thanks so much as always 😀
[Chaesyongsyong]: I already sent the payment. Please check ^^

At that moment, Gureum’s phone vibrated with a bank transfer notification.

“Huh…?”

But something felt off about the amount.

[hazeee]: Chaesyong, um, I got 1.5 million won instead of 1.2 million… That’s 10,000 won per billion…ㅠㅠ I’ll send back the extraㅠㅠ
[Chaesyongsyong]: Nah, it’s fine. I added a little extra as thanks for always selling to me.
[Chaesyongsyong]: Buy yourself a treat with the leftover money ^^

Before Gureum could reply, Chaesyongsyong quickly hit the Complete Trade button and logged off, leaving Gureum’s fingers lingering awkwardly over the keyboard.

This was just like him—always adding extra, making Gureum feel both grateful and burdened at the same time. Thanks to his generosity, Gureum’s income had improved enough that he no longer had to face his father’s wrath as often.

[Whisper][hazeee]: Thank you so much, Chaesyong ㅠㅠ
[Whisper][hazeee]: I’ll work even harder…
[Whisper][Chaesyongsyong]: Work harder? What’s left to do? Your back’s going to give out.
[Whisper][Chaesyongsyong]: Take it easy. I buy money from you because you’re reliable^^

“So, he buys from other sellers too…”

Gureum had suspected as much. With his rapid rise to World Ranker status and his impressive gear, it was clear that Chaesyong’s spending habits weren’t ordinary. Still, Gureum found himself admiring him anew. After sending another thank-you message, Gureum pulled up the map to return to the hunting grounds.

But then—

[Whisper][Chaesyongsyong]: Oh, right, Heize.

The sudden message startled Gureum, making his shoulders twitch. Did he do something wrong? The thought crossed his mind instinctively.

[Whisper][hazeee]: Yes?
[Whisper][Chaesyongsyong]: There’s an open spot in our boss party right now.
[Whisper][Chaesyongsyong]: Would you like to join?

“Hmm?”

As it happened, the Hard Boss Party Gureum had been part of for the past three months had recently disbanded due to conflicting schedules.

Gureum’s character, hazeee, was a Red Medic—a support class focused on buffs and healing. While not the most exciting class, it was highly valued in Hard-level boss fights for its utility. In fact, it was one of the few support roles available in Cloud Online.

“If it’s a boss within my specs, I might consider it…”

[Whisper][hazeee]: Which boss is it?
[Whisper][Chaesyongsyong]: Maze Queen.

“Wait, what…?”

Gureum blinked in disbelief. The Maze Queen was an END-tier boss—one of the highest-level bosses in the game. Not only was it newly released, but no team had defeated it yet. It was the talk of the World Rankers, who were still attempting to clear it.

The idea of Gureum participating in such a fight felt absurd. He quickly assumed Chaesyong had overestimated his capabilities. Trying to clear up the misunderstanding, Gureum typed out a response.

[Whisper][hazeee]: Uh, Chaesyong…ㅠㅠ I can barely manage Hard Nightmare. Maze Queen is way out of my league. I’m so sorry, but I can’t accept…ㅠㅠ
[Whisper][Chaesyongsyong]: It’s fine^^ With our five dealers, we’ll probably clear it in a few tries.
[Whisper][Chaesyongsyong]: Your support specs don’t matter. I asked the team, and everyone’s fine with it^^

“Oh my gosh…”

Chaesyong was serious. Gureum wanted to refuse, but he was terrible at saying no. If Chaesyong pushed any harder, Gureum could already see his future self, reluctantly joining the party and struggling through the fight.

[Whisper][hazeee]: But… I don’t know the Maze Queen’s patterns at all…ㅠㅠ
[Whisper][Chaesyongsyong]: You learn patterns by trying. We’re all in the same boat^^
[Whisper][Chaesyongsyong]: Honestly, we’re old-timers. You might have to carry us ㅎㅎ
[Whisper][hazeee]: I’m seriously weak, though…ㅠ.ㅠ I don’t want to be a burden.
[Whisper][Chaesyongsyong]: If you can handle Hard Nightmare, you’re strong enoughㅎㅎ
[Whisper][Chaesyongsyong]: So, see you in the party?
[Whisper][hazeee]: Ahㅠㅠ Chaesyong…ㅠㅠ
[Whisper][Chaesyongsyong]: Yay, I’m so glad^.ㅜ I’ll send you the That’s Code invite link for the trial party next week. See you then~^^

Chaesyong’s unrelenting determination left Gureum stunned. The That’s Code invite link had already appeared at the bottom of the screen.

Gureum sighed, scratching his head. He lacked the courage to refuse again, and it seemed like Chaesyong wasn’t listening to objections anyway.

Trying to stay optimistic, Gureum thought about the fact that the other party members had agreed to his participation. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad? But his introverted nature made the thought of joining the That’s Code voice channel nerve-wracking. His palms were already sweating at the thought of turning on the mic.

“Oh, what do I do…?”

Hesitating, he hovered the mouse cursor over the link. As he tapped his finger in thought—a nervous habit—he accidentally clicked it.

“Gah…!”

Since That’s Code was one of the programs Gureum had set to auto-login, he was automatically added to the channel. The notification, “Welcome hazeee to the channel!” popped up amidst the five-to-six-member chatroom, drawing immediate attention.

There wasn’t even time to calm his startled heart. As Gureum checked the list of party members in the That’s Code room, his jaw dropped.

In Cloud Online, there was a monthly ranking content called Monthly Ranker. This wasn’t determined by playtime or control skill but purely by measuring raw damage output over three minutes. It was a way to decide who was the strongest in the world.

Initially, the content received heavy criticism for encouraging excessive spending. The rewards for the top 50 rankings included a medal that could be worn for a month, with stats so overpowered it was borderline unfair.

The medal offered increased damage against bosses, a 60% boost in item drop rates, a 50% increase in buff duration, and an extra 50% experience gain even without potions. On top of that, it enhanced critical hit rates, defense, evasion, and more. Essentially, owning one of these medals was equivalent to equipping several high-end items, driving players to spend enormous amounts to compete.

With Cloud Online boasting hundreds of thousands of players over its decade-long reign in the gaming world, breaking into the top 50 rankings required massive spending—starting at several hundred million won and often reaching billions. It wasn’t an exaggeration to call the medals Golden Spoon Medals.

And now, excluding Gureum, every member in this party was one of those top 50 rankers.

The host of the That’s Code channel, Chaesyongsyong, was already a rising star not just on their server but across the Cloud Online world. Although they didn’t stream or run a blog, they had skyrocketed to the top 10 rankers in less than a year, despite not even reaching max level.

Chaesyongsyong’s class, Black Hander, was a rogue-type DPS known for its high utility and consistent damage output, making it a fan favorite. However, its consistent but relatively lower burst damage made it challenging to excel in the three-minute damage test required for ranking. Despite these limitations, Chaesyongsyong had bulldozed their way to the top entirely through sheer spending power.

Rumors swirled around Chaesyongsyong due to their reputation for buying high-end items at outrageous prices without haggling. Some speculated they were a third-generation chaebol or a wealthy landlord, but no concrete evidence existed. The only undeniable truth was that they had a lot of money.

The other members were equally formidable.

There was King-ga, a streamer with over a million subscribers; Miss Cutie Hee, who had held her rank for five years; Hong Jalla, a top warrior DPS player who climbed the ranks using the obscure Wind Hammer class; and finally, 1st Base 2nd Frame, a player notorious for his questionable motives—rumored to have climbed the ranks just to impress women, earning him a poor public reputation.

Every one of them was a recognized name in the game—a lineup of stars.

“A streamer…?”

Gureum felt his heart sink. If one of the party members was a streamer, that meant this was likely being broadcasted, probably live. Aiming for a first-time clear would undoubtedly require evidence, meaning everything would be under scrutiny.

Gureum could already imagine his mistakes being dissected online, with harsh comments flooding in. Swallowing his anxiety, he cautiously typed into the chat.

Almost immediately, the cursor indicating someone was typing flickered on the screen.

[King-ga]: OMG, you’re finally here!

[King-ga]: Welcome, our support ace~♥

[Hong Jalla]: Wow, what is this? This is insane.

[Hong Jalla]: I’ve been waiting forever for you, Heizeㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[Miss Cutie Hee]: Huh? What’s with all the noise here ㅇㅅㅇ

[King-ga]: Our support ace is here!!

[Miss Cutie Hee]: Whaaat!!! Heize~~~~ Welcome⸝⸝> ̫ <⸝⸝♥

[1st Base 2nd Frame]: Hey, Heize.

[Miss Cutie Hee]: Yay~ So our party setup is complete now, right? ㅇ///ㅇ

[Hong Jalla]: The Red Medic is here. Game on.

[1st Base 2nd Frame]: Yep~ We’re gonna crush the Maze Queenㅇㅇ

The enthusiastic welcome made Gureum’s cheeks flush. It seemed Chaesyongsyong had spoken to everyone about his participation beforehand, as all the members seemed to know him.

[hazeee]: I’m honestly undergeared and super weak, so I’m worried about being a burdenㅠㅠ But I’ll do my best!!

[King-ga]: LOL, why so formal? Relaxㅎㅎ!!

[King-ga]: We’re not going live right away. We’ll do three full practice runs before attempting the kill.

[King-ga]: We’ll announce the party lineup then, too. Just so you know.ㅎㅎ

If escape was impossible, at least this was a relief. They’d have three practice attempts before the official live run. The Maze Queen offered three practice modes every two weeks, and the plan seemed to be to fully utilize them before the main attempt.

[Hong Jalla]: Tbh, it’s just because we’re all boomers that it’ll take a while. Once we get used to the patterns, theoretically, our DPS can bury the Maze Queen.

[Miss Cutie Hee]: “All”? Speak for yourself… shut up!

[Hong Jalla]: Lolol, our Cutie Miss~ Wanna graduate from Cloud Online before your age starts with a 4?

[hazeee]: Haha… Anyway, thanks, everyone…!! I’ll study the pattern videos before thenㅠㅠ

[King-ga]: Aww, our baby is so diligent.

[Hong Jalla]: We’re the ones who need to study, not you.ㅠ

[Miss Cutie Hee]: What the heckㅇㅅㅇ Did I just lose my spot as the baby in this group?

[King-ga]: Pretty much. You’re almost in the double-digits club now… cough.

[Miss Cutie Hee]: Shut. Up. ㅡㅡ

[King-ga]: Lololololololol dying

[1st Base 2nd Frame]: Okay, next up: Miss Thirty-Two.

[King-ga]: You little…

Gureum turned off the increasingly chaotic chat notifications and quietly exited the channel. The fact that Chaesyongsyong hadn’t said a word lingered in his mind, but it wasn’t enough to bother him.

Returning to the hunting grounds, he opened his browser and searched for Maze Queen strategies on YouTube. As expected, there were only a few videos available—none past the second phase, as no party had reached the third phase yet.

The Maze Queen was a four-phase, 60-minute boss requiring mastery of its increasingly complex attack patterns to progress. Clearing even the second phase seemed challenging, making the upcoming fights feel daunting.

“I guess no one’s made it past the second phase yet…”