Chapter 24

(Alliance) {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} Miu: Enough

Miu cleanly swatted away my cringe. I could’ve gone on forever, but what came next forced me to stop.

(Alliance) Miu: Momo, I heard from Jadu that you still haven’t done a raid.

(Alliance) Miu: All carries?

(Alliance) 0momo0: Ah... yes, yes!!

(Alliance) Miu: Then when it resets in four days, let’s do Sky together.

(Alliance) Miu: Go read the Sky Terror guide.

(Alliance) 0momo0: Woah... w-wait wE’RE going together?? Together??

(Alliance) Miu: Yes.

I couldn’t help it. A huge grin spread across my face.

(Alliance) Miu: You don’t want to?

(Alliance) 0momo0: No no no no;; no!! I’m just so happy T_T T_T T_T T_T

(Alliance) Miu: And look up the necromancer damage rotation too.

(Alliance) 0momo0: Yes!!!!!!!!

Something good had to be happening for Miyoung. There was no other explanation—there was no way she’d volunteer to do a raid with me this readily otherwise.

“And this isn’t even an easy place!”

The spot Miu picked was one you could only enter starting at level 160.

I was level 161, sure—but for someone who’d only ever ridden carries, it was way too intense of a place to go with me.

“She might still be testing me... but I don’t care!”

I had nothing to hide. Just the fact that I’d be running a raid with Miyoung was enough to make me happy.

(Alliance) KimFactory: wow what is even happening why is my leader like this??? that’s like minimum winning the lottery reaction??

(Alliance) GoodLuck: yooo~ holy shit LOL

(Alliance) FUNK: why is he letting it slide like that for once? what is it for real?

(Alliance) ShinJadu: oh;

Seeing that generosity, the alliance members freaked out. And ShinJadu immediately sprinted over to Miu and started bombarding him with whispers like a maniac, but—

“Damn. I’m finally going to do something called a raid.”

I, who knew none of that, was just sitting there thinking my life was nice and easy.

“Not riding a carry—actually playing. A day like that is coming.”

I was completely clueless about raids. When you rode a carry, you couldn’t let monster aggro get pulled onto passengers, so every time, the second I went in, I sprinted at the mobs and died. That was the entirety of my raid experience.

“Even watching looked hard.”

And now Miyoung was going to help me with that complicated-looking stuff. I wanted to hurry to the training ground to practice necromancer skills, then look up the guide for the dungeon called Sky Terror.

(Alliance) 0momo0: then today can i not harvest and just go practice at the training ground??

A shiny bald head in grimy work clothes—durability worn down until it looked filthy—bounced in place asking if he could go to the training ground. I never moved without Miu’s permission.

(Alliance) Miu: Go now. ℴℴ𝘮

(Alliance) 0momo0: woah woah really???

(Alliance) 0momo0: i can really go without working???

(Alliance) 0momo0: today’s corn day though is it ok if i just leave it??

(Alliance) 0momo0: i can really go?!?!

(Alliance) Miu: Yes.

(Alliance) 0momo0: waaa T_T T_T thank you T_T T_T T_T

(Alliance) 0momo0: seriously thank you so much!!!!! T_T T_T

With permission granted, 0momo0 looked like a slave who’d just been freed....

For a moment the alliance chat turned solemn, and then one by one the members hesitated and edged closer to 0momo0.

(Alliance) ShinJadu: ...haha no.. momo if you want to go you just go.... you can go anytime..

(Alliance) 1Poop1: why is this? why does he look f*cking pitiful..

(Alliance) GoodLuck: LOL oh man~.... go practice good~ then~ we’ll go together~

Spy or not, it was too pathetic.

When the members told me to just study the guide and level my skills properly, my eyes sparkled.

(Alliance) 0momo0: woah you guys will all go with me?! i’m so touched!!!

(Alliance) BBQ: mm.. we can go together..

(Alliance) 0momo0: waah!! that’s so great!! but even bbq you’ll help me too??

(Alliance) BBQ: ah LOL yes yes

I widened my eyes in surprise.

BBQ—maybe it was just my imagination, but ever since I joined, that player had felt like they were subtly keeping their distance.

(Alliance) 0momo0: i thought bbq hated me but i guess not!!!!

(Alliance) 0momo0: maybe i just misunderstood!! i felt like u were kinda avoiding me haha i guess u were just busy!!

(Alliance) BBQ: LOL...?

(Alliance) 1Poop1: wooow daaamn LOL

(Alliance) CheersInMyEyes: LOOOOOOL legendary

(Alliance) 0momo0: ah wait was i not supposed to say that???

(Alliance) BBQ: ah... LOL

(Alliance) BBQ: no... it’s fine... i was in the wrong.. LOL

(Alliance) 0momo0: huh why!! what did u do wrong!

(Alliance) 0momo0: did u say something bad about me maybe?!

(Alliance) BBQ: LOLLOL no.. T_T

Seeing BBQ willing to help with a raid, I thought it really had been my misunderstanding—but actually, I’d hit the bullseye.

BBQ had been the one to say 0momo0 might be a spy in the first place. But then the spy they’d brought in just got worked like a slave, and BBQ’s conscience had started pricking at them... and then I said that.

(Alliance) 0momo0: hahaha!!! it’s ok!!! i was wrong!! i’m the bad one

(Alliance) 0momo0: such a warm heart inside bbq even though it felt kinda chilly!! i see it now! i’ve seen it!!

(Alliance) BBQ: LOLLOL... what? T_T T_T T_T T_T

(Alliance) ShinJadu: ahahahahaha T_T LOLLOLLOLLOL

(Alliance) FUNK: he’s so honest it’s fcking hilarious is this a cursed mouth of truth?

(Alliance) 1Poop1: i’m fcking dying T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T

(Alliance) BBQ: ..LOLLOL anyway next time let’s go together haha

(Alliance) 0momo0: yes!! thank yOu!!

The members who knew the whole situation kept bursting out laughing.

After shooting a million thumbs-ups at the people gathered around me, 0momo0 tapped the item [Training Ground Kit].

If you summoned a hot air balloon and rode it up into the sky, you could go to the training ground.

Entering the training ground.

Board the summoned hot air balloon and press the departure button.

The moment I tapped the kit, my character blew a whistle, and a hot air balloon started descending from above. I climbed in and was about to leave when—

Today really was some kind of day.

(Alliance) Miu: yeah yeah, fighting

“Today my luck is absolutely cracked!”

Seeing Miyoung cheering for me, a huge grin settled across my face. I forgot to even hit the departure key and started typing instead.

(Alliance) 0momo0: y-yoa

(Alliance) 0momo0: woah

No. This was insane.

When had Miu ever said something like that before?

(Alliance) 0momo0: so like

(Alliance) 0momo0: that was u cheering for me?????

And maybe because he reacted to the “fighting,” Miu’s character even struck this sturdy, supportive-looking cheer motion with one hand.

(Alliance) 0momo0: that was so cu- no that was CRAZY

(Alliance) 0momo0: hands together like that... so cute

(Alliance) 0momo0: like a total baby rabbit..

I’d lost it. My eyes sparkling, I beamed at where Miu stood.

(Alliance) KimFactory: baby rabbit??? like... him?

(Alliance) 1Poop1: cute? what part of that is cute?

A hulking, black-clad sniper cheering did not look cute. At all.

(Alliance) 1Poop1: isn’t that a declaration of war?

(Alliance) GoodLuck: shhh~

If anything, it looked like he was about to beat someone’s ass with his bare fists.

(Alliance) 0momo0: it’s sooo cute..

(Alliance) 1Poop1: i f*cking don’t get it

(Alliance) 0momo0: it’s so cute

(Alliance) 0momo0: i wanna capture it

(Alliance) 0momo0: can u do it one more time T_T????

(Alliance) FUNK: i feel dizzy

(Alliance) CheersInMyEyes: LOL for real

While everyone was confused by 0momo0 somehow squeezing “cute” out of Miu, I spammed the heart interaction—popping hearts over and over—

—BANG!

A sudden gunshot cracked across alliance territory. The members watching flinched, and I did too.

The owner of the bullet was obvious.

(Alliance) Miu: Ah

Miu, who had fired into the hot air balloon, sighed like he’d forgotten himself, then relaxed out of his combat stance.

(Alliance) Miu: Alliance member♥♥

Right. In a moment of unbearable horror, Miu had forgotten even the fact that alliance members couldn’t kill each other—and had blasted the shotgun anyway.

(Alliance) CheersInMyEyes: LOOOOOOL holy sh*t

(Alliance) GoodLuck: more like an enemy~ than the enemy~ you~

(Alliance) BBQ: LOLLOLLOLLOL ah the cursing LOL why is it so funny LOLLOL

(Alliance) 0momo0: was that a love bullet? hahaha

(Alliance) 0momo0: hmm hmm

But while I kept gleefully spamming hearts, my bald head shining, Miu looked like he couldn’t watch anymore. Without replying, he quickly left alliance territory.

(Alliance) 0momo0: huh where are you going!!!

(Alliance) 0momo0: take me with you T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T

I climbed down from the balloon and, without thinking, started to follow—then ShinJadu’s message snapped me back to reality.

(Alliance) ShinJadu: LOL momo aren’t you going to the training ground?

(Alliance) 0momo0: oh right!!

If Miu was a goldfish, then 0momo0 was the piece of goldfish poop trailing behind him.

Stopped by ShinJadu yet again as I tried to chase after Miu, I waved hard at Miu’s retreating back.

(Alliance) 0momo0: have a good one miu!!!

(Alliance) 0momo0: i’ll have a good one too!!!!>_<

As if he’d never been kind at all, Miu’s reactions disappeared again.

It was a shame to let that cute baby rabbit Miyoung go, now that she’d finally interacted with me for the first time in forever—but I still had things I needed to do.

Welcome to the training ground!