TWKH Ch 17

Thanks to the girls who took Shin Jehyun away, Baekyung ended up sitting with the male sunbaes. Seated across from Seo Eunjae, who was still rambling about his embarrassing past, Baekyung occasionally glanced at Shin Jehyun sitting at the far end.

It seemed Jehyun had trimmed his hair in the past few days, as his once longer locks were now slightly tidier. With his jet-black hair casually tousled, Jehyun leaned back in his chair, chatting with the girls around him.

“Oppa, don’t you use Instagram? It’s been ages since I sent you a follow request.”

“Instagram? I rarely check it. Wait, let me follow you now.”

“Me too, me too!”

“Okay… Is this your ID?”

“Yes!”

“Oppa, this one! That’s mine.”

Unlike the table Baekyung was at, which had shifted to a conversation about military service, the atmosphere at Jehyun’s table was lively and cheerful. Though uncomfortable, Baekyung sat still, forcing a smile while listening in on their chatter.

Freshmen, who had initially been intimidated by Jehyun’s stern first impression, now seemed to like him. Just as Jehyun’s peers often sought him out, the freshmen also chatted and joked with him without hesitation.

What irritated Baekyung was that Jehyun entertained all of it.

It stung. When Baekyung was alone with Jehyun, it felt like he was being treated specially. Yet, around others, that belief began to blur. Jehyun smiled at everyone, and he was kind to everyone.

“Yeji, let’s follow each other too. Honestly, my dream is to hit one million followers.”

“What? Oppa, didn’t you just say you rarely use it?”

“Oh, I was just taking a break. Yeji, what’s your account?”

“Me too! Yeji, tell me yours too.”

Kim Yeji, a shy peer of Baekyung’s, often struggled to mingle with others. Even when she was present, her silence gave off a sense of detachment. However, when Jehyun casually asked for her social media handle, the girls next to her also followed suit, asking to connect with her.

That was when Baekyung felt how he wasn’t special to Jehyun. Though Jehyun seemed to share many similarities with him, the stark difference lay in how people gravitated toward Jehyun, who was effortlessly sociable.

Ha Baekyung might have appeared to have many friends and a wide social circle, but on a deeper level, that wasn’t true.

Baekyung was selective with people. Although he had been surrounded by people since childhood, he realized early on how exhausting it was to maintain all those connections. After that realization, he chose to open his heart to only a few select individuals.

While he appeared to speak kindly to everyone, that kindness was superficial. Since entering college, Baekyung hadn’t truly accepted anyone as a friend. Though he was part of group chats and occasionally joined classmates for meals or department events, he had never met up with them outside of school. He had declined every invitation.

Perhaps sensing this, his peers seemed to find him somewhat intimidating these days. Yet, Baekyung didn’t care. He had no energy to waste on building relationships. His schedule was already overflowing with responsibilities.

And yet, Baekyung had been trying to find opportunities to get closer to Shin Jehyun—a realization that dawned on him just now.

It seemed… he liked Shin Jehyun.

“…”

Biting his lip, Baekyung directed his gaze toward Jehyun, sitting far away.

He had always thought that falling for someone would happen in a deeply significant moment. But reality wasn’t like that. With a single, seemingly casual touch from Jehyun, Baekyung had come to terms with his true feelings.

And that feeling had been rooted in his heart for a long time—he had just become aware of it now.

It probably started that day.

The day he went to confront that gaming-obsessed lunatic late at night near the back gate. On the way home, Jehyun had pulled Baekyung closer at the crosswalk, saying he’d protect him.

Now, Baekyung understood the unfamiliar feeling he had back then.

That night, that dawn—Ha Baekyung had fallen for Shin Jehyun.

Despite being shorter and smaller than him, Jehyun had tried to protect Baekyung with his unfamiliar yet endearing kindness. That was when Baekyung couldn’t help but fall for him.

That’s why he kept wanting to get closer. He wanted to approach him. He wanted to hold Shin Jehyun’s hand when he got scared while watching a movie and to grab his hand, using the excuse of being drunk.

When Jehyun called him late at night, he was happy. But hearing that he had been drinking with someone else until that hour left him slightly annoyed. In hindsight, it was jealousy.

All these realizations hit him in that brief moment when Jehyun was protecting him earlier. So, I like this person. As soon as Baekyung acknowledged that, he became curious.

Who was Jehyun drinking with until dawn?

Sunbae, who were you meeting that day? He almost blurted it out earlier. But Baekyung wasn’t the kind of person who couldn’t control himself to that extent. He swallowed the question with difficulty.

Now that he understood his situation, it became clear why he had felt uneasy whenever Jehyun was with others.

When it was just the two of them, Jehyun’s seemingly extra attention and kindness felt special. But when mixed with others, it no longer seemed that way. Jehyun was kind and gentle to everyone equally.

Memories of Jehyun casually joking with him came flooding back. On the surface, those remarks could hint that Jehyun was open to dating men, but on the flip side, they could also be things said without any such intention at all.

…Was it all just a joke? Baekyung thought about Jehyun joking about marriage with Seo Eunjae as if it were nothing and bit the corner of his lip. As he quietly stared at him, their eyes suddenly met. Jehyun looked at him and smiled brightly.

The sharp eyes that made him look like a thug softened as they curved into a gentle smile. Baekyung smiled back at him while clenching his fists tightly.

“Thank you for the meal!”

After the meal, Baekyung saw the juniors greeting Jehyun as they headed downstairs. After stopping by the restroom to check his appearance, Baekyung finally approached Jehyun and grabbed his arm.

“Sunbae, next time, it’s my treat.”

He said it with a smile, and Jehyun replied lightly with a smile of his own. As Baekyung followed the group heading toward the back gate, he walked side by side with Jehyun.

Even when wearing a cap, Jehyun’s face looked remarkably small. His sharp eyes, tiny nose, and delicate lips were neatly arranged on a face so small it could be covered with one of Baekyung’s hands.

When Baekyung first saw Jehyun, he thought he had the kind of face he wouldn’t want to get involved with. But the closer he got, the more handsome Jehyun seemed. He was different from Ha Baekyung. While Baekyung’s face exuded a clean and upright impression, Jehyun had an alluring charm that came from the contrast between his cold demeanor and an unexpected warm smile.

Baekyung first noticed Jehyun’s handsomeness at a bar they ran into before the semester began. During orientation, there were too many people for him to pay attention, but seeing Jehyun drunk and smiling so freely had shocked him with how different he looked from his initial impression.

He vaguely remembered them talking about Caplet back then. Baekyung had even mistaken Jehyun for a healer.

Now, he didn’t think the two were the same person. With thousands of students at Korea University, there could easily be others who played Caplet. Voices that sounded similar were everywhere, and there was no way that irritating person could be Shin Jehyun. Jehyun wasn’t the twisted, insufferable type a healer would be.

As his thoughts drifted in that direction, buried memories resurfaced, causing Baekyung to frown slightly.

That week they lost in a guild war against Jicheonwang, they failed to reclaim first place in the guild rankings. If they had maintained the top spot for four weeks, they could have entered the Hall of Fame and achieved their goal. But they missed the chance because of the healer’s ridiculous mistake.

This week’s siege battle also left their prospects for first place uncertain. Next week, a new oversaturated dungeon would open, further complicating things. Last week had been the perfect chance to secure the Hall of Fame and quit Caplet, but the healer had ruined it.

Come to think of it, it had always been that way. At critical moments, it was always the healer who messed things up.

Who even was that person? Baekyung didn’t know, but it was obvious they would be as irritating as someone like Seo Eunjae, who constantly flaunted his close friendship with Jehyun.

Lost in thought about the healer, Baekyung’s face slowly twisted into a pout.

“Hey, hey… Hold on a second. What’s going on with you two?”

Walking alongside Baekyung, Jehyun suddenly shouted into the air, sounding utterly baffled. His question snapped Baekyung out of his thoughts.

Looking down, Baekyung saw that Jehyun’s gaze was fixed on something. Following it, Baekyung’s eyes widened when he saw Seo Eunjae holding hands with Hyun Jiwon, the first-year class representative.

And then came Seo Eunjae’s response, which left Baekyung inwardly startled.

“Yeah, we decided to date.”

Hyun Jiwon was a girl who had shown subtle interest in Baekyung, constantly reaching out to him. She was also someone Jehyun had once mistakenly thought Baekyung was dating. In truth, there had been no relationship—it was all one-sided affection on her part.

Hyun Jiwon was gripping Seo Eunjae’s hand tightly while smiling and sneaking glances at Baekyung. At first, Baekyung remained indifferent, but soon realized the reason behind this sudden dating announcement. It was the first day of April—April Fool’s Day.

“Wow, Jiwon, your hand’s going to rot. Should I call an ambulance for you?”

“We’re really dating, though.”

“There’s a pharmacy over there. You should get some disinfectant and treat it.”

“I think there’s ethanol in the department room.”

“Hey, isn’t Seo Eunjae so toxic that ethanol won’t be enough to disinfect it?”

“These guys are ignoring me on purpose!”

Seo Eunjae’s friends didn’t even pretend to listen to him. Led by Jehyun, they continued the conversation about disinfectant, which made Jiwon burst into laughter. Then, as if unwilling to let the joke end so easily, she shouted:

“Hey, it’s true! I’m really dating Eunjae oppa!”

“Yeah, seriously, we’re a couple!”

No one budged despite their insistence. Baekyung glanced at Jehyun, who scoffed as if to say make it believable, before lowering his gaze to Jehyun’s hand. Without hesitation, he naturally reached out and interlaced his fingers with Jehyun’s.

Startled by the sudden gesture, Jehyun looked up at Baekyung. Baekyung gave him a playful smile and then turned to Seo Eunjae and Hyun Jiwon, saying:

“It’s a secret, but I’m actually dating Jehyun sunbae too.”

Although it was a statement filled with sincerity, no one took it seriously because of the day’s context. Jehyun was no exception.

Finally catching on, Jehyun raised their clasped hands with a grin tugging at his lips. Then, with a playful air, he kissed the back of Baekyung’s hand and added:

“Yeah, and we’ve been together for 100 days now.”

As it seemed like Baekyung and Jehyun were joining in the joke, other students from the political science department followed suit, grabbing the hands of their peers and seniors.

“We are too!”

“We’re also dating!”

Male-male couples, female-female couples, and male-female couples all declared their “relationships.” Laughter erupted everywhere as everyone joined in the fun. Baekyung, too, laughed, all while keenly aware of the burning sensation on the back of his hand where Jehyun had kissed it. It felt as if he was the frog struck dead by a stone thrown as a joke. It was driving him crazy.

***

The first weekend of April marked the siege battle.

Countess currently held the Capitol Fortress, but it was anticipated that they would lose it during this siege. Defending a fortress was extremely disadvantageous without sufficient manpower.

Though a few new recruits had joined the guild after passing interviews in the month since the server merge, their numbers were still significantly fewer than the other guilds participating in the siege.

No one believed they could successfully defend the fortress. Even Jehyun and Habaek, who rarely gave up easily, were skeptical about their chances.

“We can’t just give it up, so let’s do what we can. If we’re lucky, we’ll hold out. If not, so be it.”

Contempt → Ugh, if Jicheonwang takes it, I’m going to be so annoyed.

“It wouldn’t just be annoying. I’d be ready to lose it completely.”

Boss → It’d be nice if a casual guild took it instead.

There was only one defending guild, but multiple attacking guilds. While having more members was advantageous for engraving control, the inner fortress often devolved into chaotic skirmishes, so it wasn’t unheard of for smaller guilds to claim the fortress.

Everyone in the guild, including Jehyun, was hoping that anyone but Jicheonwang would take the fortress. If Jicheonwang claimed it, it would be much harder to reclaim the fortress in next month’s siege. But if another guild took it, Countess would have a higher chance of engraving again in the future.

Still, the odds were in Jicheonwang’s favor for claiming the Capitol Fortress. Hopefully, that wouldn’t be the case. Jehyun chatted idly with his guildmates while preparing for the defense and organized the parties. With the extra recruits, they managed to form three parties of five members each.

[Party Composition Status]

1st Party:

– Healer (Priest)

– BinaengMandu (Elementalist)

– Sangjae (Lancer)

– Trolley (Lancer)

– SpellChecker (Swordsman)

2nd Party:

– BoseotSweetAndSour (Elementalist)

– HealOrIt’sYourFault (Priest)

– HealPlease (Illusionist)

– Habaek (Time Stealer)

– DiscountHolmes (Time Stealer)

3rd Party:

– DPSPlease (Priest)

– Contempt (Chain Blader)

– Boss12MoreHours (Dark Mage)

– DonatePlease (Necromancer)

– CoverOnlyTheEssentials (Mage)

The lineup included a powerful CC-interrupt party with two healers and three tanks, a burst-damage party with two healers, two Time Stealers, and an Illusionist, as well as a balanced initiation party with four DPS classes optimized for PvP.

Setting aside individual skill levels, the class composition wasn’t bad. Thanks to Healer’s reputation, the guild was able to secure three precious healer roles, allowing for comfortable two-healer setups in both the 1st and 2nd parties.

Jehyun scrutinized the raid composition before concluding there was nothing else to adjust. He then sent out a Raid Leader Notice.

[Raid Leader Notice] Healer: Party composition is finalized. 1st Party will handle inner fortress engraving disruption, 2nd Party will assassinate enemy healers, and 3rd Party is for dealing damage.

[Raid Leader Notice] Healer: It’ll be chaotic once the siege starts, but at least mark your party members so you don’t get separated.

[Raid Leader Notice] Healer: Please join voice chat by 40 minutes.

[Raid Leader Notice] Healer: Each party leader should brief their party. I’ll handle the main raid leading.

[Raid] Contempt: Got it ㅇㅅㅇ

[Raid] NimaDeal: Sure, can I be the leader for Party 3?ㅠㅠ

[Raid] Contempt: Go ahead ;ㅅ;

[Raid] NimaDeal: Thank you ><ㅎㅎ

The leader for Party 3 was initially set as Contempt. Watching the leader role pass to NimaDeal, Jehyun narrowed his eyes. The three new members with usernames starting with “Nima” were players who had recently started Caplet.

Will they manage the briefing well? Though a little concerned, Jehyun recalled what Boss, who handled their interviews, had said: all three were hardcore Latere players. They had completed endgame content there and joined after watching Jaction’s streams, so there was hope they’d be different from newbie casual players.

[Raid Leader Notice] Healer: Please handle the briefing well. ^^

Still somewhat worried, Jehyun left that message before alt-tabbing to check the voice chat. Eleven members had joined. Since there was still time before 40 minutes, Jehyun refrained from rushing his guild members and instead opened his mic to test it.

“Can you hear me?”

Deal: Yes, we can.

“Alright, hello.”

Hearing a gravelly voice respond, Jehyun was startled and checked the speaker. Contrary to the cute emoticons they used, NimaDeal sounded older—at least 30, judging by the mature tone of his voice. Jehyun naturally responded in a polite tone.

“Only party leaders should keep their mics on. Nitath, are you here? Please confirm.”

Nitath: Oh, yes! I’m here!

“EvenIfYouDieIt’sYourHeal,” or Nitath, turned out to be female. Judging by her youthful voice, Jehyun briefly wondered if the average age of Caplet players had dropped since the guild merger before responding.

“Alright, the two of you, please handle the briefing well. Nitath, you took over because Boseot said briefing is difficult for him. Are you okay with it? If not, you can pass it to Habaek.”

[Raid] Habaek: ?Mic not working.

Nitath: I’m fine! I’ll do it!

“Great, I’ll leave it to you, then. We’ll check attendance in the fortress at 50 minutes. If you need to swap gear, don’t forget. Please stay focused during the siege.”

Deal: Got it. By the way, Guild Leader, you sound younger than I thought. I expected someone closer to my age.

“Me? How old are you, Deal?”

Deal: I’m 29.

So he wasn’t in his 30s. His voice just sounded more mature than average. Jehyun nodded and replied.

“Oh, really? Then you’re my hyung. I’m 24. You can speak casually with me.”

Deal: No, I couldn’t possibly. I’ll just stick to formal speech.

“Alright, whatever is comfortable for you.”

Jehuyn naturally spoke casually with members like Boss, Contempt, Habaek, and Sangjae. But he couldn’t do the same with new guild members.

Although they’d been rivals, Yeongdong and Jangji had known each other for nearly five years. That familiarity made casual speech and jokes feel natural after the guilds merged. But it wasn’t the same with completely new members.

Hearing Jehyun’s polite voice for the first time, the Jangji-origin guild members teased him in the chat.

[Raid] Sangjae: Wow, our Guild Leader is so… polite;

[Raid] BoseotTangsuyuk: Guild Leader? More like green onion?

[Raid] Sangjae: Green onionlollollollollollollollolㅋYou mean his formal tone?lollollollollollollollolhaha

[Raid] Contempt: The man’s dual personality.. ㅇㅅㅇㅋ

[Whisper] Habaek: Are you really 24?

[Raid] Boss12MoreHours: lol it feels like we’re strangers;

[Raid] Contempt: But he’ll switch modes as soon as the siege starts.. ㄷㄷ

[Raid Leader Notice] Healer: I’m always like this ^^; New members might misunderstand.

[Whisper] Habaek: I asked if you’re really 24.

[Whisper to Habaek]: How is that your business?

Habaek asked about his age out of nowhere, and Jehyun gave a half-hearted response before switching the chat window to the battlefield channel. There, he could see the chatter of players gathered in front of Capitol Castle.

[Battlefield] Gangdan: Oof.

[Battlefield] KimchiRiceAndEgg: Anyone interested in siege gold betting? Join for one or two days, flexible!

[Battlefield] KimchiRiceAndEgg: Currently 37 participants, minimum loot 10 million.

[Battlefield] KimchiRiceAndEgg: If defense succeeds as the underdog, the payout will be massive.

[Battlefield] Healer: How many are betting on defense?

[Battlefield] Don’tSayIt’sAhnYiyoung: Can I report you for gambling?

[Battlefield] KimchiRiceAndEgg: Oh no, please spare meㅠㅠ

[Battlefield] Gangdan: Kante folks, take it easy on the defense~ You’re gonna lose it anyway.

[Battlefield] Contempt: ㅇㅅㅇ…Gangdan obviously bet on the siege side.

[Battlefield] Healer: How many bet on defense → → → ???

[Battlefield] KimchiRiceAndEgg: One person bet on defenselollolhaha

[Battlefield] Healer: ;Who is it?

Jehyun was baffled by KimchiRiceAndEgg’s response about betting on siege and asked in disbelief. Even as the lord, he wasn’t counting on a successful defense, so he wondered which crazy person was throwing their money away.

[Battlefield] KimchiRiceAndEgg: hahaCan’t tell, it’s anonymous.

[Battlefield] Contempt: If it’s anonymous, how do we know you won’t just run off with the money ㅇㅅㅇ

[Battlefield] KimchiRiceAndEgg: ? I’ve been doing this since the Maverick days..ㅠㅠ

[Battlefield] KimchiRiceAndEgg: It’s upsetting if you don’t trust meㅜㅜ sniff..

[Battlefield] Healer: Who is it? Whisper it to me only.

[Battlefield] Healer: I’m just curious since even I, the guild leader, didn’t bet on defenselollol

[Battlefield] KimchiRiceAndEgg: Nope nope nope, not telling. Whisper me if you want to join.

“Who is it? Does anyone in our guild have money on defense?”

Deal: Not me, for sure.

Nitath: Same here!

“You’re awfully confident. But honestly, I’m a little disappointed. None of you here bet on a successful defense?”

Jehyun asked playfully, and silence filled both the raid and guild channels. It was, of course, expected, so he had only thrown the question out as a joke. Hearing no response, he chuckled and asked again in jest.

“Well, defense success is unlikely anyway. Wise decision. But surely no one bet on Jicheonwang, right?”

At that moment, as if KimchiRiceAndEgg had overheard the voice chat, they dropped a bombshell.

[Battlefield] KimchiRiceAndEgg: FYI, someone in your guild bet on your rival guild winning ㅋㅅㅋ

[Battlefield] Healer: hahaNo way.

[Battlefield] Healer: No one in our guild would betray us like that.

[Battlefield] KimchiRiceAndEgg: ㅠ It’s true, though.

[Battlefield] Gangdan: lollollollollollollollollollollollollollollollolhaha

[Battlefield] DreamsAndDespair: Trust shattered.

[Battlefield] KimBoksoon: I think I know who it isㅎㅎ

[Battlefield] Healer: Who is it?

[Raid] Sangjae: lollollollollollolSeriously, who is it??lollolㅋ

[Raid] Contempt: Sounds fake..ㅇㅅㅇㅎ Makes no sense.

“Who could it be? Wow, this is ridiculous. How could someone do that? Such a lack of trust….”

Jehyun sighed deeply before continuing.

“I’ll let it slide if you confess now.”

[Raid] Sangjae: You’re just trying to split the winnings if the bet succeeds, huh?

[Raid] Contempt: That’s gotta be it..;ㅅ; Our petty guild leader..uwu

“Ah…. Busted. Anyway, I’ll wait for whispers.”

Jehyun chuckled as he responded. It was all just a joke about betting; there was no way he’d seriously be angry over something like that. Betting on a clearly impossible defense was just someone’s way of having fun.

Without any real intention of finding the culprit, Jehyun alt-tabbed and confirmed that everyone had joined the voice chat. He used the guild summon feature to gather everyone in the fortress, then spoke in a calm voice.

“Five minutes left. With the numbers disadvantage, defense will be tough, so don’t feel pressured. For those doing this for the first time, think of it as practice to learn the map and get a feel for the chaos. Just do your best.”

Then he whispered to KimchiRiceAndEgg. It was to place a bet.

[Whisper] KimchiRiceAndEgg: Are you seriously betting like this?

[Whisper] KimchiRiceAndEgg: You guys really have no sense of loyalty, huh?

[Whisper] To KimchiRiceAndEgg: So who’s the one who bet on Jicheonwang?

[Whisper] To KimchiRiceAndEgg: I promise to keep it a secret. I won’t acknowledge it. Just tell me, can’t you?

[Whisper] KimchiRiceAndEgg: If you tell them you’re okay with me revealing where you placed your bet.

[Whisper] KimchiRiceAndEgg: I’ll coolly let you know.

[Whisper] To KimchiRiceAndEgg: ? That’s not cool at all.

[Whisper] KimchiRiceAndEgg: Haha.

[Whisper] KimchiRiceAndEgg: So when will you pay up? The siege is about to start.

[Whisper] To KimchiRiceAndEgg: I’ll pay after it’s over. I can’t leave now. Can’t send mail either.

[Whisper] KimchiRiceAndEgg: I don’t do post-payment deals.

[Whisper] To KimchiRiceAndEgg: Don’t you trust me?

[Whisper] To KimchiRiceAndEgg: If I scam you, you can screenshot this and post it publicly on the forums.

[Whisper] KimchiRiceAndEgg: Then say “Ahn Yiyoung” three times.

[Whisper] To KimchiRiceAndEgg: If I don’t pay, I’m Ahn Yiyoung.

[Whisper] To KimchiRiceAndEgg: If I don’t pay, I’m Ahn Yiyoung.

[Whisper] To KimchiRiceAndEgg: If I don’t pay, I’m Ahn Yiyoung.

[Whisper] KimchiRiceAndEgg: Okay, good luck with the defense.

[Whisper] KimchiRiceAndEgg: Take it easy, okay? Haha.

It seemed even KimchiRiceAndEgg hadn’t bet on Countess Guild succeeding in the defense.

So who was it? Jehyun furrowed his brows as he scanned the raid members list, then shook his head. If they were part of the Countess Guild, they wouldn’t be unaware of the guild’s atmosphere. There was no way anyone would make the foolish decision to waste money on that bet.

It must have been someone crazy about gambling, staking everything on the underdog. That seemed the most plausible explanation. As Jehyun imagined the gambler’s downfall, he clicked his tongue, then noticed there were only two minutes left until the siege. Opening the guild master-exclusive skill window, he used the guild points he had saved up to summon defensive NPCs and the outer wall barrier.

As the guild points rapidly depleted and the summoning commands began to appear, a “ding” sound accompanied a whisper from Habaek.

[Whisper] Habaek: Oh.

[Whisper] Habaek: Stop using guild points?

[Whisper] To Habaek: ??

Jehyun frowned at the sudden complaint. As he typed a question mark, Habaek immediately responded.

[Whisper] Habaek: We’re obviously going to lose the defense. Stop summoning. If we win the weather event tomorrow, we can add more points and take first place. Why do you keep summoning?

[Whisper] To Habaek: The odds of winning the weather event tomorrow are low.

[Whisper] Habaek: It’s not zero.

[Whisper] Habaek: Just stop summoning. Even if we win the weather event, we won’t be able to win at this rate.

[Whisper] To Habaek: I just don’t want to lose the castle outright.

[Whisper] To Habaek: Even if it’s certain we’ll lose, we should still do everything we can.

[Whisper] Habaek: No.

[Whisper] Habaek: If we’re going to lose anyway, why go all out? It’s a waste of points.

The conversation grew longer due to their differing perspectives. Jehyun let out a small sigh and spoke up.

“One minute left? From now on, no talking in world chat. I know defending is going to be tough, but let’s do our best. If we lose the castle in five minutes, it’ll be embarrassing, right?”

DillPoint→ Of course. Let’s hold out as long as we can.

Nitath→ Yes, yes! Let’s do this~!

DillPoint and Nitath chimed in to support Jehyun. In the raid channel, everyone was shouting words of encouragement.

[Raid] NimahillPoint: Let’s go!!

[Raid] Sangjae: Do your best.

[Raid] Boss12MoreHours: Let’s try to hold out as much as we can.

[Raid] StrategicallyCoveredArcher: Let’s give whoever bet on the defense a lesson they won’t forget. Haha.

[Whisper] To Habaek: See? You’re the only one who thinks this is a waste.

[Whisper] To Habaek: Why are you so obsessed with first place?

[Whisper] To Habaek: Just enjoy the game.

[Whisper] Habaek: Sure, you enjoy the game too.

[Whisper] Habaek: Use up all the guild points, lose the castle, and end up ranked 84th.

[Whisper] Habaek: Hope you don’t regret using the points when you win the weather event later.

[Whisper] To Habaek: Sure, babe~ The only regret I have is not meeting you sooner, haha.

[Whisper] Habaek: I really can’t stand you.

[Whisper] To Habaek: Yeah, love you too?

Seeing Habaek being so childish, Jehyun couldn’t just sit back either. Wearing a grim expression, he ended the argument with Habaek and took a deep breath as the 10-second countdown appeared on the screen.

The siege will begin in 10 seconds.

Using Shield of Salvation.

The Holy Shield protects the Party.

Using Call of the Battlefield.

The Party is marked by the God of Destruction.

Attack power and attack speed have increased.

Entered the Realm of the Spirit of Destruction.

Critical hit rate and critical hit damage have increased.

Entered the Realm of the Spirit of Protection.

The effect of pure protection can be felt.

The siege will begin in 5 seconds. Prepare yourselves!

Using Guild Member Summon (Outer Gate).

As the countdown neared its end, Jehyun used the summoning feature in the guild master skill window to teleport all guild members onto the outer wall.

“Everyone to the outer wall. When the outer gate’s health drops to 30%, Party 1 goes to the inner keep, and Parties 2 and 3 wait in front of the inner gate. If the inner keep is breached and the inner gate takes damage, everyone respawn in the lord’s chamber.”

The Battlefield of Annihilation and Capitol Siege were similar but different. The distances were the same, but while in Battlefield you could use airships to enter the inner area, in Siege that wasn’t possible. Additionally, Battlefield had two outer gates, whereas the actual Capitol Castle had only one.

Another difference was that in Battlefield, you couldn’t respawn inside the inner keep before the inner gate was destroyed. In Siege, however, defenders could choose an active checkpoint to respawn at upon death.

The checkpoints were located on the outer wall, in front of the inner keep, and inside the lord’s chamber. If a checkpoint’s Guardian Stone was destroyed, it couldn’t be used for respawning until its health regenerated over three minutes.

The defending side needed to protect the Engraving Stone inside the inner keep. The attackers had to destroy the Guardian Stones, push the defenders back, and either engrave or destroy the Engraving Stone. The guild that dealt the final blow to the Engraving Stone would claim the castle.

Engraving took one minute to complete, but if attacked, the time would decrease by 10 seconds per hit. For instance, if the engraver was attacked after 30 seconds, the timer would drop to 20 seconds. The key point was that other members of the same guild could continue the engraving from where the previous one left off.

“If anyone is just standing around near the Engraving Stone, attack them immediately. Don’t kill them, just hit them once. Healers, this applies to you too. Did you all register basic attacks to your hotkeys? If the same person tries to re-engrave, there’s a 10-second delay, so just keep attacking to stop the engraving.”

Failing to stop an engraving during defense was considered disgraceful in Caplet. Letting the enemy stand uninterrupted in front of the Engraving Stone for a full minute was simply unthinkable.

However, because of the overwhelming difference in numbers, Jehyun and his guild members were prepared for the possibility of an engraving failure. Their goal was to leave the impression that they had done their best.

“They’re coming. Let’s brawl until the outer gate’s health drops to 30%. Focus on surviving and take out their healers first. Make sure they can’t respawn on the battlefield.”

In the distance, hundreds of enemy players on makeshift motorcycles came charging toward them. After giving instructions, Jehyun jumped down from the outer gate, landing below. He healed the guild members who followed him and, after some thought, applied the Qualification of Salvation buff to SpellChecker.

“Priests, use Qualification of Salvation on mobile players. I’ve given mine to Matgom. Please check it.”

Matgom waved in confirmation. Jehyun refreshed the buffs for the raid members one more time and stared at the oncoming attackers. The real battle was about to begin.

[Battlefield] Gangdan: Wow, looks like the kids are out on a picnic, haha.

[Battlefield] SillyPop: Hahaha, isn’t the number difference a bit much?

[Battlefield] ElkaRose: We’ll be taking the castle, thanks~~~?

[Battlefield] F1: Hmph, I’ll go in real deep…

[Battlefield] F4: Elka, make that guy stop chatting.

[Battlefield] ElkaRose: Not my problem? Don’t know him.

[Battlefield] Don’tCallMeAhnYiyoung: Outer gate down in 3 minutes? Haha.

The battlefield chat was filled with taunts. Jehyun smirked and prepared for battle.

As the attacking players drew closer to the castle, NPCs stationed atop the outer wall fired their catapults at them. The projectiles flew straight, but the attackers weren’t entirely unseasoned players unfamiliar with siege mechanics.

The 500,000-damage catapult shots forced some players off their makeshift motorcycles, blue light erupting in the air as they were forcibly dismounted. Amid the death logs flashing one after another, the first wave of enemies collided chaotically with the Countess guild members.

BibimnaenginDumpling has died.

Using Blessing of the Raindrop.

You feel the effect of the Holy Raindrop.

The outer gate is under attack!

Doraji’sOppositeIsDosmall has died.

You dealt 2314 damage to Gangdan.

Using Blessing of Protection.

The Priest’s blessing increases Party’s debuff resistance.

Resisted a Weak Spot Hit.

Rank21of21 has died.

GayHealer’sLab has died.

Using Purification.

The battle log scrolled rapidly. Dodging the attackers rushing toward him, Jehyun healed himself and created distance between them.

Most of the attackers, knowing that pointless skirmishes were meaningless, ignored the Countess guild members and swarmed the outer gate instead. The gate’s health was quickly depleting.

“Clear the area in front of the outer gate. Party 1, chase their healers. Parties 2 and 3, use crowd control on their melee dealers and deal AoE damage.”

The seasoned guild members were already casting AoE crowd control, but the newer recruits seemed a bit lost. After giving them clear instructions, Jehyun watched as the area in front of the gate was bombarded with attacks. He repeatedly used Purification as needed.

GanglimDoryeong: Haha, won’t even take five minutes to engrave. This guild is trash.

When Countess guild members didn’t engage in the battlefield chat, GanglimDoryeong, seemingly unable to survive without running his mouth, started spouting nonsense in the public chat.

Him again? Jehyun frowned and called for the guild’s designated GanglimDoryeong handler.

“Habaek.”

Without further orders, Habaek, who had been targeting healers, immediately charged at GanglimDoryeong. Jehyun smirked as he watched GanglimDoryeong retreat to avoid Habaek’s Time Theft skill.

Healer: It’ll take 10 seconds to take your head, haha.

Jehyun followed up with a cold taunt in public chat.