Chapter 43

Honestly, it was not a situation where anyone could say, even as empty encouragement, Nice.

Even if he had crippled two teams’ shelters, they were still hopelessly outnumbered compared to all three enemy teams combined.

And yet, strangely, the moment Yeonhoo saw those two words... somehow, without any clear reason, it felt like they might actually win.

(Alliance) FUNK: yeah let’s go

(Alliance) ShinJadu: lol okay sounds good

(Alliance) 1Poop1: every1’s dead

(Alliance) YoureGettingSued: Kyaaaa!!!!

(Alliance) GoodLuck: good~!

And it seemed the rest of the alliance felt the same way.

(Alliance) Miu: BBQ, can you set out food?

(Alliance) Miu: Defense food

(Alliance) BBQ: yup lol

BBQ quickly spread out his setup and whipped food together in no time.

(Alliance) 1Poop1: oh damn that was fast?

(Alliance) BBQ: a cook always carries at least one lunchbox close to the heart lol

(Alliance) KimFactory: isn’t that just a glutton?

(Alliance) BBQ: what’d you say lol

(Alliance) KimFactory: glutton♥

(Alliance) BBQ: you think it counts as praise just cuz you slapped a heart on it lol?

By then the mood had loosened enough for jokes to start flying, and one by one, the players standing near Miu ate the meal BBQ had set out.

A bright little chiming sound rang out, and green plus signs floated over their heads as if their HP were being restored on the spot.

(Alliance) FUNK: as expected this place cooks good

(Alliance) BBQ: the food is kind and the owner is delicious lol

(Alliance) FUNK: isn’t that usually what the customer says?

(Alliance) ShinJadu: thank you for the meal!!!

(Alliance) YoureGettingSued: mm yummy~!! nom!

Yeonhoo stared at the alliance members while they recovered. Every last one of them looked filthy, so why did they all seem so cool?

They’re cool, they’re cool!

At that moment, BBQ suddenly whipped around toward Yeonhoo.

(Alliance) BBQ: uh

Then, after hesitating, he walked over to Yeonhoo.

(Alliance) BBQ: Momo, you should eat too!! lol

When BBQ held it out, the information for the food he had made popped up automatically.

🍲 Immortality Stew Overflowing with Love

Description: A rich stew made with broth simmered from the bones of a deer caught by hand, with potatoes and herbs grown in the garden for deep flavor!

Effect: Instantly restores HP +2,500 / Physical Defense +20% for 20 minutes / Fatigue -15 / Body temperature stabilization effect (Extreme cold & Infection Resistance +10%)

Made by: BBQ

Wow, so this is what a cook....

It looked so valuable that Yeonhoo hesitated. He worried he might be wasting alliance resources if he ate it for no reason.

(Alliance) 0momo0: Is it really okay if I eat this...?

When he asked cautiously, BBQ stared at him and laughed.

(Alliance) BBQ: lolololol these are materials you gathered for us, Momo, what are you talking about lolol

(Alliance) BBQ: Momo, have two bowls lolol

What the...?

(Alliance) 0momo0: BBQ... T_TTTTTTT

(Alliance) 0momo0: I thought you hated me, but I really had it all wrong T_TTTTTTT

This was moving....

(Alliance) GoodLuck: what are we gonna do with that mouth that only tells the truth~

(Alliance) BBQ: pfft.. lololol

(Alliance) dude: i wanna eat too..

(Alliance) KimFactory: don’t forget about Factory hauling resources do-do-do-dong..

(Alliance) BBQ: yours’ll be delivered soon lol just wait lol!

(Alliance) Miu: Everyone here’s eaten, right?

And so the people gathered at C7 all finished off the meal BBQ had made.

(Alliance) Miu: I’m giving orders now

Miu seemed unwilling to turn on voice chat, so he kept speaking entirely through text.

(Alliance) Miu: c7—Hawk team: Miu, 1Poop1, FUNK, Momo / d8—EYE TO EYE team: BBQ, KimFactory, ShinJadu, GoodLuck / e7—HamHidden team: dude, YoureGettingSued, MouseTrap, MyApologyLetterIsInEnglishGlobal

(Alliance) Miu: ShinJadu calls the shots for EYE TO EYE / dude calls the shots on HamHidden

(Alliance) Miu: Each team does briefings in party voice / leave major developments for the full group in chat

(Alliance) Miu: Any questions?

He typed insanely fast. It was so fast Yeonhoo almost wondered if he had written it up somewhere in advance and pasted it in.

(Alliance) ShinJadu: none

(Alliance) 1Poop1: got it lol

(Alliance) YoureGettingSued: Confirmed!!

(Alliance) MyApologyLetterIsInEnglishGlobal: roger that

(Alliance) dude: confirmed

(Alliance) MouseTrap: Confirmed!

(Alliance) BBQ: got it

(Alliance) FUNK: confirmed

(Alliance) KimFactory: got iiiit!!!!

(Alliance) GoodLuck: confirmed~y

The chat came pouring down in a rush, and at the very end of it—

(Alliance) Miu: move ㄱ

—was Miu.

The moment the chat ended, the alliance members who had been around Yeonhoo moved as if they had been waiting for it. The sight of them moving in perfect coordination looked like soldiers, and right away, a party invite popped up for Yeonhoo too.

When he accepted, the party grouped Miu, FUNK, 0momo0, and 1Poop1 together.

(Field Party) Miu: We’ll go straight into orders

The crowd of alliance members that had filled the place thinned out in an instant, leaving only the four of them, and Miu issued his instructions.

(Field Party) Miu: Hawk team’s going to rush those two watchtowers immediately and blow them out. I’ll take right, 1Poop1 takes left / FUNK, keep pressure on their sniper

(Field Party) Miu: Momo, keep repairing the outer wall, and if they say they’re using the cannon, carry cannon shells over and support

(Field Party) Miu: Any questions

(Field Party) FUNK: none

(Field Party) 1Poop1: none, sir!

(Field Party) 0momo0: None!!

Even at this insane pace, the role assignments were lightning fast. The moment the party members answered one after another, Miu immediately started dropping expensive items onto the ground. 1Poop1 did the same.

Yeonhoo, wondering what they were doing all of a sudden, quickly understood.

They’re leaving them behind so they won’t get looted!

If they charged in, the odds of coming back alive were low.

Especially now, with the enemy closely watching this outer wall.

So they were leaving behind all the expensive gear and taking mostly bound items instead.

(Field Party) Miu: Everyone ready?

Miu looked over his party members.

1Poop1 standing shoulder to shoulder with him. FUNK, who had already gone prone and was sniping toward Hawk’s watchtower. And 0momo0, clutching a repair kit and nodding grimly.

After sweeping his gaze over them, Miu jumped straight down from the outer wall.

“Waaah! Please pray for my soul, seriously!”

1Poop1 leaped down after him. To avoid falling to their deaths, the two zigzagged down the outer wall, sparks kicking up nonstop beneath their feet.

—Bang! Tatatatang!! Bang bang!

In that instant, bullets came flying toward 1Poop1 and Miu like a storm. As rounds barely grazed past their bodies, loud gunfire rang out right beside Yeonhoo. FUNK was firing carefully, one shot at a time.

At that moment, through the binoculars he was using to watch Hawk’s distant watchtower, Yeonhoo saw a dark figure drop from the third floor.

The two charging recklessly toward the tower right now believed in one thing.

“One down.”

FUNK.

While FUNK kept the enemy snipers pinned, 1Poop1 and Miu used the opening to rush forward.

“1Poop1, go cut down just one of them and get back.”

“Just one? I’ll cut down two!”

Yeonhoo made up his mind.

From now on, he would regard Siege War...

“Everyone’s so cool....”

...as life itself...!

*****

—Bang, bang bang!

Before he knew it, it was late evening. And if in-game time was evening, that meant real-world time was evening too.

At some point, Hawk and HamHidden had stopped appearing on the front lines and were no longer touching the outer wall. It almost looked like they had given up.

—One more shell came in. Need repairs, quick!

—Ah, fucking dirty, they used smoke. One hit on northwest fourth floor!!

—Kyaa~ one HP left! Cut!

—Nice shot. Good girl.

But the heat of the game showed no sign of dying down.

Because EYE TO EYE, the team that had shown up later, was stubborn as hell.

Hawk and HamHidden had visibly lost momentum after Miu showed up late and wiped their shelters, but EYE TO EYE was still holding on somehow, since their shelter was still intact.

—Get the cannon ready!

—Twelve seconds on cooldown.

—Fourteen on the other cannon.

Even so, alliance <47> now had the enemy’s last watchtower right in front of them.

ShinJadu and dude aimed at the target, ready to dump every last remaining cannon shell they had into it.

—Jadu, call the timing, please.... We’ll fire on it....

—Yep. Got it.

Yeonhoo quietly looked at his own avatar, now turned gray with grime.

He had spent the entire day doing nothing but repairing the outer wall, so his gear durability was on the floor and his cleanliness was at rock bottom.

But it wasn’t just 0momo0 who looked like that.

Everyone here looked the same.

(Alliance) Miu: Stay calm

But nobody paid any attention to the state they were in. They were all too busy watching the enemy camp.

As silence settled over the battlefield, only the wavering glow of the torches they had lit for visibility washed over the alliance members’ faces.

Then, at last, ShinJadu’s command rang out.

“Five.”

“Four.”

“Three.”

“Two.”

“One.”