Waking up feeling refreshed, the sun was already high in the sky. Usually, staying up late into the night playing games and getting up around noon was the norm, so the day always started a bit late. Lazily checking his phone from bed, there was a KakaoTalk message from Americano.
[Park Mokha]
Meat
[Park Mokha]
When should I buy it for you?
Come to think of it, she had promised to treat him. It was something he’d briefly forgotten in the chaos of the recent Battlefield. Considering she’d been quiet until now and suddenly sent a message, it seemed she wanted to talk about her love life. Fine, then, let’s hear what kind of ridiculous mess she got herself into. If I do the Clan War today and go straight to the Battlefield, I should hit Prism tier, right? I don’t need many more points……
With a positive mindset, he set the appointment and roughly grabbed a brunch. A few croissants from yesterday were enough to fill him up quickly.
<Clan Leader ‘Limousine’-nim has logged in.>
[Clan] Americano: hey~
[Clan] BananaMambo: Welcome
[Clan] Pichuragi: Hiyohiyo~
He didn’t log into the game until around 5, since he’d been putting off various errands. Everyone except Jaheun was already online for the Clan War. What diligent gaming freaks.
Feeling satisfied seeing the logins, Limousine teleported to the big city. He was headed to the Battlefield exchange NPC, who swapped currency earned from PvP for items. He’d been running PvP so often that the currency kept piling up, and whenever he hit the cap, he diligently sold it off. It was quite a good profit.
[Clan] Americano: Mousine, is this for real?
[Clan] Americano: I almost passed out looking at the join date
[Clan] Limousine: Yeah
[Clan] Limousine: I think I can hit Platinum from Clan War
[Clan] Pichuragi: ㄷㄷ Wow, sacrificing everything for the Clan War……
[Clan] Pichuragi: Our clan leader’s grace is as vast as the sky……
[Clan] BananaMambo: Even love…… scary……
[Clan] Americano: Rank-grinder monster…… I like it
[Clan] Americano: That’s my friend
Primarily, it was true that he brought Jaheun in for the Clan War, but that wasn’t the only reason. After playing together for a few days, Jaheun turned out to be more pleasant to game with than expected. He had tenacity, grit, enthusiasm…… and most importantly, skill. He was also surprisingly agreeable, so he’d probably get along well with the other clan members. All in all, he was a solid recruit.
He did lose his temper sometimes, but he was the type who calmly filleted others with cold, hard facts. By Limousine’s standards, that wasn’t particularly harsh. People who got defensive and complained about his tone were usually just mad because the truth stung. Based on what he’d seen so far, Jaheun didn’t seem to have a personality bad enough to be regularly discussed in the forums…… strange. If Jaheun’s personality was considered bad enough to be gossiped about, then Limousine should’ve been dismembered like the main psycho of <Celestial Wind>.
And well, some corners of the community did treat Limousine that way. He just didn’t know it himself……
Maybe it was because of the main contribution system, but top-ranked or well-known players in <Celestial Wind> were kind of like celebrities. Since they were posted publicly in main stories or rankings for all players to see, every little action got attention, things were exaggerated, and even things they didn’t do were spun into political drama. Strangely, humans are creatures capable of both admiration and jealousy, so becoming famous in-game meant accepting the shadow of public backlash.
A name in <Celestial Wind> that doesn’t get hate is either really good at managing their image or at playing politics. Or both. A bitter reality.
Maybe he just hadn’t known Jaheun long enough to see his true nature? But even during that sharp first encounter where Jaheun interrupted a quest, he hadn’t shown any signs. Was it really worth worrying about a hidden side that hadn’t appeared even then? Limousine casually glossed over the sharp first impression and thought without much care. Well, if he messes up, I’ll just kick him and apologize to the clan for bringing in a weirdo. That kind of easygoing attitude was one of his strengths.
[Clan] Moto: So Mousine-nim, did you rank up and sleep yesterday?
Why bring that up now? Limousine’s face twisted.
[Clan] Limousine: You’re making me recall bad memories
[Clan] Limousine: Warning
[Clan] Pichuragi: Ah…… Ah…… ㅠㅠ
[Clan] Moto: Sorry ㅠ
[Clan] Americano: Huh? Weren’t you grinding hard yesterday?? The matchmaking sucks, huh……
Seriously. Just thinking about the nightmare that was yesterday made him sigh. What the hell went wrong…… It definitely wasn’t me.
When are we ever going to uncover the truth behind the Rén Hé Sect at this rate? It’s not like those Rén Hé Sect bastards are even actual players, so why are they demanding my PvP record…… Limousine mulled over the thought for the hundredth time while grinding the Battlefield. Still, nothing changed — he was a slave to the quest that required him to go farm Battlefield points again right after the Clan War.
[Clan] Americano: So……
[Clan] Americano: Does that mean only Moto-nim and I are Prism tier in the clan right now? ㅎ;
[Clan] Limousine: ffs shut up
Sensing bad news, Limousine dropped a curse right away. His instincts were right.
[Clan] Americano: Ah…… This is……
[Clan] Americano: I mean, if the clan leader’s just Platinum…… is it even worth doing Clan War……
[Clan] Americano: I’m really starting to worry ㅋ
Seriously unlucky. Americano seemed like she was born just to get on Limousine’s nerves.
[Clan] Americano: Jaheun-nim, sure, he’s new, so it’s understandable
[Clan] Americano: But Clan Leader…… I’m disappointed.
[Clan] Limousine: Just wait till the end of the season, asshole
[Clan] Limousine: You better be in the top 5 of Necromancer before you even think about running your mouth
[Clan] Americano: ㅋㅋ Who gave a Platinum player speaking rights?
[Clan] Moto: Oh fuck ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ It’s not even directed at me and I’m annoyed
[Clan] Pichuragi: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
This kind of personality controversy should’ve happened to someone like her. Limousine couldn’t understand how someone this brazen had a fan base. So if your character’s face is good-looking, nothing else matters? Disgusting looks-first world……
<Clan Member ‘Jaheun’-nim has logged in.>
[Clan] Americano: Ooh wow
[Clan] Americano: I knew it was coming and I still flinched ㅋㅋㅋ Welcome~
[Clan] Moto: Hello!!
[Clan] BananaMambo: Welcome~
[Clan] Pichuragi: Welcoome~~
[Clan] Limousine: Hi hi
[Clan] Jaheun: Hello
Right on time, Jaheun logged in, bringing Americano’s solo show to an end. Thanks to him, Limousine barely managed to stop planning Americano’s assassination in the field at just the right moment.
[Clan] Moto: Still, with Swordsman, Swordsman, Assassin, Staff Wielder, Summoner, Necromancer
[Clan] Moto: The comp’s not too bad
Each class had different PvP styles, so there were matchups and counterpicks, and each class generally had roles they excelled at in Battlefield, meaning there were ‘ideal’ team compositions. In random-matching PvP, of course, you couldn’t really control your composition, so no one cared much, but for the 6-person pre-formed teams in Clan War, everyone tried to put together a solid composition to improve the win rate.
Considering Carnival didn’t have that many players, it wasn’t a bad composition. There were two swordsmen, but they had two ranged damage dealers in Moto and Americano who could punch out backline burst, and Pichuragi played assassin, mainly in charge of carrying the ball.
Pichuragi and Banana Mambo preferred dungeon runs and didn’t do much PvP, but they had good basic mechanics and class understanding — enough for Gold tier. The rest were all Prism tier. Even Ratan, who joined just to fill numbers, had hovered between Bronze and Silver. Thinking back to how they nearly reached Platinum with Ratan around, their chances this season were looking even better.
You had to make the most of it when people were around. With a determined spirit, Limousine opened the party.
< You have sent a party request to ‘Jaheun’-nim. >
< You have sent a party request to ‘Americano’-nim. >
< A party has been formed! >
< You have sent a party request to ‘Moto’-nim. >
< You have sent a party request to ‘BananaMambo’-nim. >
< You have sent a party request to ‘Pichuragi’-nim. >
[Clan] Moto: I may have looked a bit disgraceful during that Laboratory run…… but I’m actually decent at Battlefield
[Clan] Moto: I’ll show you something this time
[Clan] Pichuragi: Oh…… Battlefield Moto…… that’s kinda cool……
[Clan] Pichuragi: I might not be able to do anything flashy…… but I’ll do my job……
[Clan] Pichuragi: I’m good at kicking the ball
[Clan] Jaheun: I’m counting on you all
[Clan] BananaMambo: I like PvP, but I’m not very good at it ㅠㅠ Still, I do follow orders well
[Clan] BananaMambo: Just tell me what to do, and I’ll run there!!
[Clan] Americano: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ This is gonna be fun, I get to do a Clan War with Jaheun-nim
[Clan] Limousine: Let’s go. Everyone, fighting
< Clan War matchmaking has begun. Matching time may vary depending on participation status. >
< Match found! You will enter the battlefield in 5 seconds. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…… >
Battlefields were nothing new, but doing a Clan War with familiar faces brought its own kind of fun. Just like how even the same dungeon felt different between a public party and a run with friends. This was the whole reason to play online games — party play. Limousine, who loved everything fun, waited for the loading screen with excitement.