"I told you not to call me 'noona' (older sister). You never listen, do you?"
Despite the numerous typos, it wasnât too hard to read. It probably meant another party had arrived.
Not that I was some pro gamer, but sending in an entire team just to take out a sniper seemed like overkill. Then again... he did run off with an item. If they're hunting him down to get it back, I guess it's justified.
The grapplerâs health bar kept fluctuating, suggesting a fierce battle on their end. Watching it, I found myself hesitating for a moment.
âShould I go help?â
Really? I felt like Iâd already done my part. If TorchBearer survives, Iâm supposed to get an additional 20 million gold. But I'm an assassin, not a babysitter. Whether or not TorchBearer makes it while Iâm busy killing enemies isnât guaranteed. Worst case, I could end up working for nothing and not even get paid.
Couldnât I just quit the party and start queuing for an arena match instead?
I was already satisfied after taking out the streamer. DongmiCham had shut off his stream without a word, and the hunt had already gone sideways. To top it off, I had just received a message that made me lose any remaining motivation.
[Whisper from Hukong]
This is the SSA guild master. Our neighbors have declared war.
Thanks to you, weâve gotten some breathing room.
You did a great job. Weâll transfer your remaining payment the same way as the advance.
And yet, despite all that, my legs still carried me back toward the battlefield. There was one last thing I needed to confirm.
The sniper shots echoed continuously in the distance. Just as I had expected, it was a 2v5. They were clearly outnumbered, but surprisingly, they werenât being wiped out immediately.
This was entirely thanks to the grappler, FundochiMania. Using the sniper's cover to the fullest, he focused on stopping the enemy assassins from advancing. His impressive performance, along with the overwhelming stats of a high-tier siege guild, was likely keeping them afloat. Still, there were limits.
A high-end grappler is a well-rounded class. It can deal damage, defend, and even maintain combat sustainability. On paper, it looks flawless. But because itâs so straightforward, it doesnât handle situations where brute force isnât enough. When youâre outnumbered like this, all you can do is try to take the hits without hurting too much.
And as evidence of that, FundochiManiaâs body was riddled with arrows.
[Whisper from FundochiMania]
hlp
kill archrs
ult pls, 2
Sure enough, the desperate message came through. He wanted me to kill the two enemy archers while he held the line. Realizing there was no better option, I immediately started tracking the arrows.
One was perched on top of a stack of containers in the hangar. The other... I couldnât see from here. They were constantly moving, so it wouldnât be easy to track them down.
The skill gap between the two archers was clear. Iâd have to deal with the easier one first and save the tricky one for later. Alright, target acquired.
The best strategy was always to thin their numbers first. Taking out even one enemy would make a huge difference.
[Party Status] [TorchBearer (Sniper) - 76% HP] [FundochiMania (Grappler) - 27% HP]
Time was running out. Fundochi had taken a lot more damage than when Iâd last checked.
It mustâve been too much for him to handle. He was barely holding his ground, engaged in a standoff with the paladin, and the enemy was likely already combing the area for our sniper.@@novelbin@@
Amidst the chaos, I managed to flank the archer who had been raining down arrows.
They noticed me, but it was far too late. A close-quarters fight between an archer and an assassin was never going to end well for them. Both my stats and skills were superior. It didnât take long for my dagger to find its way into the archerâs heart.
[You have forcefully killed Adventurer DeerGuy.] [Due to the opponentâs preemptive strike... PK penalty does not apply.]
There was also a priest nearby, which was an added bonus. They hadnât expected my presence and had positioned themselves carelessly. They must not have heard what happened to DongmiCham.
Why didnât they get a briefing? They shouldâve had ways to communicate outside the game.
Another archer tried to shoot at me, but our sniper retaliated from the shadows, allowing me to easily finish off the priest.
[You have forcefully killed Adventurer AlwaysHelpfulPriest.] [Due to the opponentâs preemptive strike... PK penalty does not apply.]
Snipers, though powerful, have loud gunshots, and their shots leave clear traces. They mustâve been spotted. But if TorchBearer fired, it mustâve been because he had a plan. Heâs not stupid.
With the priest out of the picture, the match was now even. FundochiMania might be low on health, but his superior stats should give us an edge in this fight.
A little time passed as I searched for the remaining archer, and then I saw a welcome message pop up.
[FundochiMania has killed HomoScience.] [FundochiMania has been killed by BurningPantyFairy.]
Our grappler had finally taken out their paladin, though he couldnât survive the follow-up arrow. But thanks to that, Iâd managed to locate the last archer.
This guy was sharp. He immediately started moving the moment he realized his location was compromised, but there was no way Iâd let him slip away. If assassins couldnât catch fleeing enemies, what would be the point?
Dodging his arrows with my dagger, I closed the distance. The chase didnât last longâunfortunately for him, his path led straight toward our sniper.
Bam! A bullet struck the archer in the forehead as he hopped around, trying to escape.
[TorchBearer has killed BurningPantyFairy.]
But there was one thing TorchBearer hadnât accounted for. Did that archer really move in his direction by coincidence?
Of course not.
The archer had been luring me toward their assassin. I wasnât the only one who could track a bulletâs trajectory.
So where was that assassin now?
[TorchBearer has been killed by ThickHairless.]
There went my 20 million gold.
[Streamer âDongmiChamâs Lounge]
[Author: DongmiCham] [Title: Is there a way to raise sensory synchronization above 30%?]
Itâs not a big deal. Iâm just curious.
[Comments]
Itâs not impossible, but why? â No reason, Iâm just genuinely curious.
If you search âVOS jailbreak,â youâll find something, but I wouldnât recommend it. â (External link: Sensory Sync Limit Break) Is this it? â Yeah, but seriously, why are you doing this? â The limitâs set to 15% for a reason. Donât do it. â Even at 30%, if you mess up, it can hurt like hell...
Remember that one streamer, D-Mo? Ended up in the ER from shock while playing a VR game.
[Author: DongmiCham] [Title: Has Gawol ever streamed before?]
I know sheâs not streaming now, but has she ever done it? Not even once? Has she never appeared at any offline events either?
I mean, for someone as famous as Gawol, youâd expect at least a picture or something, right?
[Comments]
Whoa, chill out with the stalking. Youâre scaring me. â Iâm not stalking, dammit! I just want a picture.
How many people do you think have tried to dig up her info?
After Traveler died, Q Prime fans went all out, but they didnât find anything. â Seriously, nothing? â Nope.
[Author: DongmiCham] [Title: Thinking of starting wrestling lessons]
Has anyone here ever tried it? Where should I go? Whatâs the gender ratio like?
[Comments]
Why do you even care about the gender ratio?
Dude, youâve lost it.
Dongtang... what happened to you...
Infinity Black's death penalties were no joke. Youâre locked out for four hours after dying, but if youâre notorious like me, you also lose experience or suffer temporary stat drops. Some items even have risks like âDestroyed upon Deathâ or âOwnership Reverts upon Death.â
Not your average items, of course. These were usually guild items, useful for building siege weapons. They couldnât just let people create game-changing weapons too easily, after all. Just a day before, TorchBearer had told me this:
âI stole a few unique items when I left my guild. I was a high-ranking officer.â
Could he still be holding onto them? Maybe SSA spent all that money protecting him because of those items. It wouldnât surprise me if keeping his unique items safe was part of the deal.
If I was right, then the assassin who killed TorchBearer must have those unique items now. My dagger found its mark, piercing the assassin's forehead.
**[You have forcefully killed Adventurer ThickHairless.]
[Due to the opponentâs preemptive strike... PK penalty does not apply.]
[You have obtained the unique item âTear of the Black Dragonâ.]
This was the reason I decided to risk it and return to the fight. A very efficient bit of looting, indeed.
As I stared at the screen, satisfied with my kill, a part of me felt justified for going back in, even if things hadnât gone exactly as planned. At least I didnât walk away empty-handed.
The unique item, Tear of the Black Dragon, was something that could shift the balance in any major guildâs favor. It wasnât just any item; it was the kind of thing wars could be started over. That was probably why SSA had gone through such lengths to keep TorchBearer alive. And now, it was in my hands.
[Streamer âDongmiChamâs Lounge]
[Author: DongmiCham]
[Title: Is there any way to improve sensory sync above 30%?]
Itâs nothing serious, just curious.
[Comments]
Itâs technically possible, but why would you even want that?
â Iâm just curious, really.
If you search for VOS jailbreak, you might find something. But seriously, donât do it.
â (External link: Sensory Sync Limit Removal) Is this the one?
â Yes, but seriously, why do you want to do this?
â Thereâs a reason the limit is set at 15%. Donât push it.
â Even at 30%, if something goes wrong, it can hurt like hell.
Remember that streamer D-mo? Ended up in the ER from shock while playing a VR game.
[Author: DongmiCham]
[Title: Has Gawol ever streamed before?]
I know sheâs not streaming now, but did she ever stream in the past? Maybe appear at any offline events?
Considering how famous Gawol is, youâd think thereâd at least be one picture of her somewhere, right?
[Comments]
Whoa, youâre trying to dig into her personal info? Thatâs creepy.
â Iâm not stalking, Iâm just asking if anyoneâs ever seen her picture!
Youâre not the first to try. When Traveler died, Q Prime fans went nuts trying to find something.
â Did they find anything?
â Nope, not a single thing.
[Author: DongmiCham]
[Title: Iâm thinking of starting wrestling lessons. Any advice?]
Has anyone here ever done wrestling? Where should I start? And whatâs the gender ratio like?
[Comments]
Why are you even asking about the gender ratio?
Dude, somethingâs wrong with you.
Dongtang... whatâs gotten into you?
In Infinity Black, the death penalties were harsh. Aside from the usual four-hour lockout, notorious players like me faced the possibility of losing experience or suffering temporary stat reductions. Some items had even harsher penalties, like being destroyed upon death or having their ownership transferred to the killer.
These werenât your average items, of course. They were mainly used by guilds to craft siege weapons or other strategic assets. After all, they couldnât let such powerful tools be created too easily. Just the day before, TorchBearer had mentioned this to me:
âI stole a few unique items when I left my old guild. I was one of the higher-ups.â
Could those items still be in his possession? Maybe SSA was willing to pay for his protection because of those very items. Perhaps his deal with them was based on safeguarding these precious relics.
If my guess was right, then the assassin who had killed TorchBearer likely had the unique item now. And if that were the case...
It was already mine.
[You have forcefully killed Adventurer ThickHairless.]
[Due to the opponentâs preemptive strike... PK penalty does not apply.]
[You have obtained the unique item âTear of the Black Dragonâ.]
This... This was why I had gone back into the fight, and in the end, it had all paid off. I had what I came for. A very profitable outcome, indeed.
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!