TAHR Ch 16

The moment the loading screen disappeared, Dambi was there, waiting for me as if putting on a show. A trade confirmation window immediately popped up.

He really was trying to get the gold; he’d sent me a trade request.

Not wanting to go back on my word, I placed the gold in the trade window, and he quickly accepted.

[General] Dambi: Thanks

I don’t know why the clinking sound of the gold leaving my inventory sounded so irritating.

“Let’s see how long you can keep that up.”

Jaein followed Dambi, who left immediately after receiving the gold. To conceal his newly prepared tactic, he wore his usual equipment instead of the movement speed gear.

This was the start of his true counterattack.

⋆༺⚔༻⋆️

“Dude, you’ve been acting like a crazy person lately.”

“What are you talking about?”

Jaein was having drinks with Ttunttuni and Kim Hajoo for the first time in a while. It had been exactly a week since the server merge.

“No, I mean, you were always crazy, but…why have you gotten even worse?”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

“What nonsense… Even the guild members are asking if you’ve lost it. Honestly, I’m the most curious. How long are you going to keep chasing that guy?”

Kim Hajoo frowned deeply, watching Jaein casually pick at the snacks.

Jaein, who usually wouldn’t bat an eye unless something piqued his interest, was now completely preoccupied with chasing a player named Dambi. It was impossible for Hajoo not to be curious.

“Until I’m satisfied.”

“Don’t tell me…until he gets a 5-star?”

“You think that’s enough?”

Jaein scoffed and smirked. Kim Hajoo didn’t know, but the 5-star Conimon wasn’t the only thing Dambi had cost him, so that alone wasn’t sufficient. He needed compensation for the mental anguish as well.

At least the past two days had been quite satisfying. His win rate against Dambi was a whopping 100%.

Investing in movement speed had definitely paid off. If Dambi hadn’t been a Valkyrie, Jaein’s win rate would have been decent before, too. It was just a little frustrating that the class difference had led to this situation.

‘Still, it was pretty funny when he was dumbfounded.’

The day Dambi collected the bounty gold himself, his reaction was priceless. When Jaein overtook him without using a scroll, question marks filled the chat window.

It had been so exhilarating; it felt like a hundred years of pent-up frustration had dissipated. It was like the feeling of beating a naturally talented person through sheer effort.

Moreover, after being completely outmaneuvered that day, Dambi hadn’t reported Jaein’s location again. Dambi’s words about Jaein easily finding him while he earned gold had completely backfired.

The next day, Jaein had teased him all day through whispers, asking if he wasn’t making money. Whether it was because his pride was hurt or for some other reason, Dambi hadn’t appeared in the field that day.

Of course, he’d be embarrassed. He’d been so smug, only to be outsmarted.

“Why is this guy smiling so creepily?”

Jaein, reminiscing about Dambi with satisfaction, shrugged at Kim Hajoo’s grumbling, as if to say, “What would you know even if I told you?” Kim Hajoo’s face crumpled in displeasure.

“…What the hell are you up to?”

“You already know, so why ask?”

“No, what I mean is…ha. Hey, Shin Jaein. Everything’s fine, but you absolutely cannot get your account blocked. Got it? Don’t do anything that could get you reported. Okay?”

“Do you think I’m you?”

“I wish you were me. At least I could predict your actions.”

“No way.”

“Why?”

“You’re ugly.”

“……”

Kim Hajoo glared at Jaein, unable to hide his annoyance. He wanted to retort, even if just for show, “And how handsome are you? We both have eyes, nose, and mouth in the same places,” but even he had some sense of aesthetics and couldn’t bring himself to say such a thing.

What good was it if they were in the same places and the same number? The size and proportions were completely different.

Kim Hajoo clicked his tongue and downed his drink in one gulp. The burning sensation of the alcohol going down his throat reminded him of his friend sitting across from him, making him frown involuntarily.

Kim Hajoo slammed his empty glass on the table and picked at the snacks. Then, seemingly struck by curiosity, he said, “Oh, right,” and asked Jaein,

“Are you really going for +26?”

“Why?”

“Just curious.”

“I have to.”

Later, not now.

Jaein answered, hiding his true intentions. He had to keep it a secret that he’d messed with his secondary gear’s options because of Dambi.

He was also worried about his guild members’ enthusiasm. If Kim Hajoo found out the truth, he would be relentlessly pestered. Hajoo would grab him by the collar and yell, “You did that crazy thing just for one player? Are you out of your mind?”

Objectively speaking, spending a fortune on movement speed options wasn’t something a sane person would do. Even Jaein would have questioned someone’s sanity if they’d done such a thing.

Of course, in normal zones, some players used separate movement speed gear, and those short on gold would include movement speed options in their standard setups. Unlike high-level fields, competition was still fierce in mid- to low-level fields. Since players had to run faster than others to get the first hit on monsters, movement speed couldn’t be ignored.

In short, movement speed was a generally useful option but unnecessary for top-tier players. It was to the point where attempting +26 seemed like a better choice.

So, would it be appropriate for the guild master of the Monarch guild, a rank 3 player, to act like a low-level player?

Even with a valid reason, his friend wouldn’t understand.

“I can’t let that happen.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Jaein muttered softly and shook his head, seeing Kim Hajoo’s puzzled expression.

“Hey, but why +26 all of a sudden? You said you weren’t ready and would do it later.”

“Because I have to eventually?”

“So you have all the options ready?”

“…Well…”

Jaein averted his gaze, avoiding the question. Normally, he would have retorted, “Why are you asking something so obvious?” But today was an exception. You’re lucky, Kim Hajoo.

“See, you’re really acting strange these days.”

“Mind your own business.”

“Like I can? You’re the guild master.”

“Really? Then, since we’re on the topic, how are the guild members’ enhancements going?”

“……”

“Have you enhanced your gear at all?”

“……”

“How much taming have you done? You know there are less than three weeks left until the 25th, right? To get five, shouldn’t you have tamed at least one by now?”

“…Well…”

“Don’t tell me you haven’t tamed a single one?”

Jaein’s barrage of questions, though not loud or forceful, felt like a physical beating, draining the color from Kim Hajoo’s face.

Jaein clicked his tongue, looking at his friend with a “Figures” expression.

“What have you been doing all this time?”

“…I’ve been busy.”

“Chatting?”

“Chatting, my ass.”

“Then what? Don’t tell me you’ve been slacking off.”

“No…, hey! You’re the one who dumped the Youngil search on me!”

“And?”

“Do you know how many fake reports I get? I go to each one of them, and they’re all wrong! Plus, there are so many trolls! Anew and I are pulling our hair out because of it! And the guild master is busy stalking some random player!”

“It’s not stalking, it’s revenge.”

“At this point, it is stalking! Stop it! Just stop! Sometimes your ad posts push mine down, you jerk!”

Jaein subtly ignored his friend, who was fuming like a gorilla, and rummaged through the snacks. Even he couldn’t criticize Hajoo for not doing a job he’d delegated.

“Alright, calm down.”

“How can I calm down?!”

“Then drink.”

Jaein deliberately pushed his glass towards Hajoo, who took a few deep breaths before raising his own glass. They clinked glasses, and Jaein downed his drink in one go, which Hajoo matched.

Jaein refilled his friend’s empty glass and asked quietly,

“Are there a lot of trolls?”

“Yeah, tons.”

“How are they trolling?”

“Either there’s no one there when I go, or they report players from other servers. Some even come with level 1 characters and claim to be Youngil. And when I ask them to show me their main character, they’re offline.”

That would be understandably frustrating.

He’d anticipated this to some extent from the moment they decided to search for Youngil. Finding someone among so many players, someone who had never revealed their identity, was bound to be difficult.

Plus, with all the attention Jaein had drawn, it would be strange if odd people didn’t flock to him. He just hoped the real Youngil was among them.

“Haven’t you found any leads?”

“Nope. Not a single person who goes to high-level fields.”