Chapter 37: The West Camp Strategy

“So, now on voice chat…”

The moment I entered the room, the list of participants was stretched out in a long line.

“Huh? There are so many people in here?”

Looking closer, not only the existing guild members, but even all the new recruits who joined with us were already present.

―Alright, alright. Even Happy-nim is here now.

―Oh~ 100% attendance rate.

―Wow, everyone’s working hard and being so proactive with the event, I love it.

―Seems like we really lucked out with the new guild members this time.

―Hello.

Amidst the chuckling voices, a deep, rough voice rang out.

It seemed unfamiliar to the older guild members, who started asking who it was out of curiosity.

―It’s the Assassin.

I couldn’t help but admire that laughing voice.

Usually, newcomers just read the room and stay quiet.

No matter how well the veterans treat you, there’s always a hint of that old guard atmosphere, but the Assassin had been the first to cross that invisible line.

“Wow, to think of breaking into that… Impressive. Much respect…”

Well, maybe it’s just that everyone isn’t wary of the new guild members anymore, since everyone was smiling and seemed genuinely pleased.

After that, the conversation devolved into random banter, and laughter filled my headset for quite a while.

―Alright, one minute left. Everyone, please pay attention.

Strangely, the voice chat fell silent at those words.

―Nothing difficult. Just do your best like last time. If anything unexpected happens, just follow instructions carefully.

A tone full of leadership and composure.

Is this an INFP? While I was tilting my head in wonder, a party invite popped up.

I hit enter on Lo’s request, and the party window was instantly full.

“Lo, Chonhon, Cheonjon, Ariel, INFP…?”

It was odd not to see Woong for once.

The sub-leaders in the daytime always stick together, but I guess the night shift subs, Seu and Jelly, go separately.

“Come to think of it, INFP, Ariel, and Seu seem close.”

[Party] Ariel: If you need buffs, shout 222

[Party] Happy: Got it, thank you

[Crystal Occupation War has begun.]

[Mining zone is now accessible as of this moment.]

[Party] Cheonjon: gogogo

―Our guild position today is at 9 o’clock. West camp. Please confirm, everyone.

[Party] Chonhon: Oh, is that INFP-nim’s voice right now?

[Party] Ariel: Yep lol

INFP posted the important announcements at regular intervals.

And always addressed everyone with ‘-nim’, keeping things formal.

“This is way smoother than last time. Oh, mobs are spawning.”

―Low-level folks, feel free to roam the outskirts and hunt mobs. Over on Hana’s side, only people of similar level will be wandering, so don’t worry.

[Karma Guild: 1,500 points]

“So, the mob score alone gives us 1,500 points at the start?”

―If you see the center, stop at the pillar as a marker. Get your buffs and wait there. Cheonjon and Haema-nim go in first, Happy-nim can move freely as you wish.

Maybe it’s because my character can handle the Wushin, but I couldn’t help feeling a bit puffed up by the special treatment.

―Once Haema-nim pulls the Wushin to our side and pins him down, we’ll start the attack. Woong-nim, stand by.

“Oh, so it’s to let Woong get the attack in? Now that his character’s attack is effective… Guess I should wait until the position battle ends.”

While waiting on the boundary, four characters started playing a game of nerves.

Cheonjon and Wushin circled the crystal center, as if luring each other, while Haema and Gomae chased after them and used taunt skills when they neared our side of the camp.

The goal was to drag each other as close to their own camp as possible.

But neither would take the bait.

Both Cheonjon and Wushin knew exactly where the worst spot was, so they skillfully dodged the taunts. As a result, a lot of time was spent just trying to get the first good position.

“Should I go in and help? But there might be some kind of rule. What if I rush in and just troll it up?”

The atmosphere was different from last time, when we all just charged in and caused a brawl.

[Guild] Happy: Is it okay if I use slow on Wushin when he comes to our side?

―That’d be great. But you need to get the timing just right. It’s a bit tricky.

[Guild] Woong: If you miss, it’s a bust lol

[Guild] Taki: If it’s Happy-jwa, we can trust it, gogogo

Buoyed by their faith in me, I waited at the boundary and readied my mouse cursor.

“If I go in early, they’ll see it coming and be on guard, so I have to ambush.”

Before long, Wushin and Gomae, who had been circling, came down from three o’clock to six o’clock, and my focus spun with them.

“Now…!”

The moment I dashed forward—

[Guild] Taki: Oh, shit

At the six o’clock position of the crystal heap, Cheonjon suddenly stopped. He’d been caught by Gomae’s taunt.

Haema, who was chasing after him, also stopped and hurriedly grabbed Wushin.

All four characters ended up stuck right near the center, not especially close to anyone’s camp, leaving everyone with question marks over their heads.

[Guild] Baegopa: What’s with the mess over thereㅡ ㅡ

[Guild] Gakdagwi: Ah~ awkward positioning

[Guild] Woong: Shit, can’t reach

[Guild] Taki: Did they stop because they expected Happy-nim to jump in?

[Guild] Chorok: Shit timing, lol

Just as I was starting to get what was going on, my character, stranded in an awkward spot, was suddenly hit by a fire spell.

[Wushin-nim has used Shattering Earth.]

[Wushin-nim has used Inferno Flames.]

“That startled me.”

I quickly threw Black Aria and a variety of debuffs at Wushin and Gomae, then retreated.

The center was already a battlefield, with Cheonjon and Wushin going head to head.

[Guild] Woong: If only Haema-hyung had pulled a little more, lol

[Guild] Taki: Looks like this is how it’s going to stay, just go ahead

“So now I can move however I want, right?”

Anyway, for now, no one could enter the center.

I took advantage of Hana Guild’s anxious position and moved deliberately to the front line.

Pineapple, Shinyeong, and the other main damage dealers flinched.

Just a few steps and they could attack me, but everyone held back, afraid they’d get caught in Cheonjon’s skills.

Of course, there’s always an impatient one who’d fall for my taunt.

“You never let me down, do you?”

‘Hope’ charged at me like an angry bull as soon as he saw me. Then he melted like cotton candy under Cheonjon’s AoE attack.

It felt like I could almost hear cursing behind Hope’s character as he went down. Karma Guild’s side burst into laughter and ridicule.

[Guild] Blue: ???

[Guild] Taki: lololololol what an idiot

[Guild] Baegopa: There he goes again, lol

[Guild] Chorok: Be honestㅡ.ㅡ Is he someone’s plant?

[Guild] Sashin: Is he always like that?

[Guild] Chonhon: Every time Happy-jwa shows up, he reflexively charges

[Guild] Manager Go: lololol what a catch

[Guild] Bambi: Bet he’ll get baited again

[Guild] Taki: Yep, I bet a few more will fall for it

[Guild] Woong: I’m going in too, lol

―Ah, wait.

Even before INFP’s urgent voice finished, Woong’s character suddenly charged the center.

My eyes automatically followed.

“Huh? That character’s built for agility right now, isn’t he? If he takes a single hit, he’s done for.”

I remembered that the main player of Woong’s character had ordered the sub to invest all the stat points in agility.

As expected, Woong’s character ran through the center, took a hit from Wushin, and was left barely hanging on.

―Jelly-nim, retreat.

Even with INFP’s warning, Jelly ignored it and came right up to my area. He then fired off arrows and skills at Hana Guild’s side, who were hesitating.

Meanwhile, Wushin’s skills kept flying our way, and Jelly just barely survived by chugging potions in the nick of time.

“Man, does he just like getting hit?”

Rushing in recklessly isn’t always bad… Even when I do it, it must look like a stunt, but I really don’t know where he gets his confidence.

Now even INFP’s voice, usually calm, was rising in my headset, and the others started speaking up too.

―I said get back.

―Youngwook, come here.

Well, at least he wasn’t dying, and the guild folks weren’t seriously mad, so I just ignored it for now.

I had to focus on my character, anyway.

“Things really are different from the first round. Even now, no one dares come in…”

Woong, who was getting shredded by Wushin, was a perfect target. Still, Pineapple, Shinyeong, and the others just watched and didn’t dare rush in.

I’d thought tempers would be flaring from all the recent open-field PKs and low-level harassment, but this was surprising.

“Maybe they’re too embarrassed to die in front of everyone? Fine by me if this keeps up.”

I deliberately moved even closer to Hana Guild’s camp. Then, with a leisurely air, I started tossing debuffs at those waiting in line.

The buffers behind them kept dispelling, so it didn’t really stick, but it had the desired effect.

The provoked damage dealers began to twitch, clearly eager to attack me.

[Guild] Taki: lolol Happy-nim’s teabagging

[Guild] Baegopa: I’d be pissed too, lol

[Guild] Gakdagwi: Wow, Hope is coming down again, lol

[Guild] Bambi: Does that person hate Happy-nim???

[Guild] Manager Go: Lo-nim hates him too

[Guild] Lo: T_T

[Guild] Chonhon: Poor Hope died again, sigh

Cheonjon killed him, but Hope had already died twice at my feet, and it was making me feel pretty refreshed.

Since getting left out of the Wushin party, I hadn’t seen him in the field and things had been a bit dull, but now that he’s acting up, I can’t help but feel happy.

At the same time, thinking back to the last season, it’s ridiculous to remember how much I suffered at the hands of someone like this.

“I knew he was a pain, but I didn’t think he’d be this pathetic…”

Still, Hope was what kept me interested in the game, so I probably won’t ever forget him as long as I play MonWorld.

“Huh, when did Woong get in there? Is he out of potions?”

Just please, don’t do anything stupid.

[Party] Happy: How long am I supposed to wait, anyway?

[Party] Happy: Standing alone in the center is awkward

[Party] Ariel: lololololol

[Party] Chonhon: Can’t we just try pushing in? lol

[Party] INFP: If we want to go for it, all three of us have to time it perfectly

[Party] INFP: Want to give it a shot?

[Party] Chonhon: If all three die, our camp gets wiped, right?

[Party] INFP: Yep

[Party] Ariel: That’s straight-up treason

[Party] Chonhon: lolololololol

[Party] Happy: lololololol

[Party] Lo: gogogo

[Party] INFP: Then go when the 1 disappears

[Party] INFP: 11111111111

The moment the speech bubble vanished, the three mages who’d been hiding in the crowd sprang out all at once.

Scarlet flames shot from their fingertips, scorching Wushin.

Wushin, caught off guard, tried to react but couldn’t keep up while slowed.

Skills rained down in quick succession. Then Cheonjon, quick on the uptake, joined in, and this time Inferno Flames hit four times in a row.

Stripped of buffs and covered in debuffs, Wushin sluggishly fired a single-target skill at Cheonjon before collapsing.

It happened so fast that even over the headset, people were still reacting, “Huh?”

―Sweep them all up!

With INFP’s excited shout, Cheonjon, Lo, Chonhon, and INFP charged toward Hana Guild’s camp.

Massive AoEs followed, and Hana Guild dropped like dominoes.

[Karma Guild: 4,150 points]

In the center, only Karma was left.