GBAS 12

Normally, Hyunwoo’s guild, <Yeonswae>, would have been the most likely candidate for the first clear, but they decided to take a step back and not participate in the Beka Dungeon speedrun.

This was because the Guild Master and several other key members were away, a decision made by the Vice-Guild Master, Camellia, who judged it wise not to start a fight they couldn’t be certain of winning.

[General] BlueSticker: I heard there are already people waiting in front

[General] NoRegretKeepGoing: What about Cheolbaptong?

The guild that was picking up speed, taking advantage of the gap left by Yeonswae, the number one ranked guild and likely first clear candidate, was <Cheolbaptong>.

Along with Yeonswae, Cheolbaptong was part of the upper echelons of the guild rankings, the so-called “concrete” tier, and like Yeonswae, it was a guild composed solely of rankers.

They publicly claimed to be rivals with Yeonswae, but their claim was completely false. While they had gone back and forth a few times in the early days, for nearly a year now, Yeonswae had securely held the number one spot.

Moreover, Cheolbaptong was also the guild that housed the user “Notgeurut,” who played the role of “that bastard” in the prayer that users chanted in unison: “Please, let it not be that bastard.”

[General] JuJuGeneralAssembly: Those ba1stards?

[General] JuJuGeneralAssembly: Of course they’d be thereㅡㅡ;

While no member of Yeonswae held any favorable feelings toward them, JuJuGeneralAssembly, who had clashed with the Cheolbaptong guild members on several occasions, found this situation particularly displeasing.

[General] JuJuGeneralAssembly: Ugh, I hate the sight of them

Even without this, they disliked how those top rankers strutted around causing all sorts of trouble, but if, by some chance, they actually got the first clear……. It was glaringly obvious, without even needing to imagine, just how much higher their noses would be held.

JuJuGeneralAssembly shot up from their seat, crossed their arms, and grumbled in a voice full of irritation.

[General] JuJuGeneralAssembly: You want me to just sit here and watch them be happy?

[General] JuJuGeneralAssembly: I’d rather dieㅠ

[General] Jinyoung-kun: Can’t be helped

[General] Jinyoung-kun: Let’s just play for funㅠㅠㅜㅠ

[General] JuJuGeneralAssembly: Aaaargh, I’m so pissed!!!!!

When JuJuGeneralAssembly stomped their foot in a fit of anger—thump—sparks flew up from the campfire lit in the middle of the group with a crackle. JuJuGeneralAssembly plopped back down with a thud.

Just then, the quietly seated BlueSticker rolled their eyes.

[General] BlueSticker: That

At the voice that seemed to be tentatively broaching a subject, the people who had been laughing and chatting among themselves quieted their voices and looked toward one spot. Camellia, who was polishing a white shield until it gleamed, met their gaze and spoke.

[General] Camellia: Yes, yes, go ahead and speak

[General] BlueSticker: This is an 8-person dungeon anyway, right?

[General] BlueSticker: And there are six of us

[General] Camellia: That’s right?

Camellia replied in a flat voice. Staring intently at Camellia, who was nodding with a placid expression, BlueSticker gulped and asked. Their voice was quite cautious.

[General] BlueSticker: Since we have empty spots

[General] BlueSticker: How about… we call that Bard?

After finishing, BlueSticker scanned the faces of those sitting nearby.

…Uh oh, was this the wrong thing to say?

The guild members, who seemed to have somewhat reluctant expressions, had all glanced in one direction and then scattered their gazes while BlueSticker was distracted, retracing their own words.

What was that?

BlueSticker belatedly tried to follow their gazes, but it had happened so quickly that they couldn’t tell what they had been looking at.

[General] BlueSticker: Wh-what is it, tell me too

As they looked at their guild members with a bewildered expression, hands hovering in the air, NoRegretKeepGoing, who had glanced behind them, broke into a mischievous smile. Then they tapped the bowing BlueSticker on the shoulder and asked.

[General] NoRegretKeepGoing: By Bard

[General] NoRegretKeepGoing: You mean Jooin?

At the welcome question, BlueSticker’s face lit up.

[General] BlueSticker: Yes!!!

The truth was, there was another reason why BlueSticker had joined this guild.

Eyes sparkling, BlueSticker shifted their posture and continued in an excited voice.

[General] BlueSticker: Well, I happened to see a combat video on YouTube

[General] BlueSticker: They were so cool, no, I mean, they were so goodㅠㅠㅠㅠ

[General] BlueSticker: I was hoping I could raid with them at least once…

With arms crossed, NoRegretKeepGoing nodded with an exaggerated gesture and replied.

[General] NoRegretKeepGoing: You bet

[General] NoRegretKeepGoing: Jooin’s buffs are insane

Once one person broke the ice, the other guild members, who had kept their mouths shut until now, began to speak up one by one.

[General] JuJuGeneralAssembly: It’s true there’s no bard like him…

[General] Jinyoung-kun: That’s right, that’s right

[General] Jinyoung-kun: Jwa-ga-jwa-ga-jwang-jwang!!!!!

[General] Jinyoung-kun: I’m telling you, just hearing the sound of his guitar makes you feel a surge of energy even when you’re exhausted

[General] Jinyoung-kun: Oh wait, it wasn’t just a feeling

The reaction wasn’t as bad as they’d thought. Then why were they like that earlier? There was still a puzzling point, but what did it matter? They couldn’t let this hard-won opportunity slip away. BlueSticker blinked with eyes full of anticipation and asked.

[General] BlueSticker: Then shouldn’t we just call him?

[General] Camellia: Oh haha

Wagging an index finger in front of their face, Camellia grinned with a meaningful expression. Seeing them tap and zoom in on something, it looked like they were looking at their friends list.

[General] Camellia: He happens to be online

That smile made JuJuGeneralAssembly’s stomach churn.

Damn it.

<Yeonswae>’s Vice-Guild Master, Camellia, was generally gentle, but sometimes they got a strange look in their eyes. It meant they, too, were one of the people belonging to this group, which was rumored to be a collection of weirdos.

[General] JuJuGeneralAssembly: hehe

Spotting the gleam in Camellia’s eyes, sparkling with delight as if they were about to call Jooin any second, JuJuGeneralAssembly gently took hold of Camellia’s outstretched index finger and shook their head.

[General] JuJuGeneralAssembly: But still, you know hehe;;

JuJuGeneralAssembly smiled sheepishly and averted their gaze. At the end of JuJuGeneralAssembly’s line of sight was a tall man slumped against the roadside fence, Jeonguk-noye-jarang.

Did someone suck his soul out in that short time? JuJuGeneralAssembly’s brow furrowed slightly as they confirmed Hyunwoo’s grim complexion.

Jeez. Seeing the pair of indigo eyes, revealed through the gaps in his bandages, darting around nervously, it seemed he had been listening to their conversation despite pretending not to.

‘It’ll be a problem if that bastard leaves just because Baek Jooin is coming.’

With a serious expression, JuJuGeneralAssembly rubbed their chin and muttered.

Of course, Baek Jooin was an undeniably excellent bard, unmatched by anyone on the current server.

The Bard, classified as a support class, was a job that assisted in making battles smoother by using music as a medium to give buffs to allies and debuffs to enemies.

A skilled Bard utilized not just physical buffs, but also the inherent advantages of music. The music playing throughout a battle boosted the team’s morale and also served to maintain tension, preventing the fight from dragging on.

Among them, Jooin’s playing was very special. Listening to his rough guitar riffs gave you the illusion of being a hero of justice from an anime, facing down a villain.

Should I say it makes your blood boil?

It was the kind of music that ignited a fighting spirit, one that made you want to land one more punch and die a warrior’s death, even when you were on the verge of collapsing.

So why would they be reluctant to lose a mere summoner when they had such an excellent bard? It was because…

A bard’s buffs were AoE. AoE, as the name suggests, was a skill that affected multiple characters in a wide area. Unlike a Bishop, who had to cast skills for each individual for both buffs and debuffs, as long as you were within the range where the music could be heard, the effect was the same whether it was for one person, three, or ten.

In other words, in a fight with a bard, it was most efficient when there was at least one more person to deal damage.

Not only did Frost cover a significant amount of front-line tanking and damage dealing, but if Hyunwoo, who stood in the rear supporting the squishy support classes that often fell with a single tap, were to leave, it wouldn’t be a simple plus-minus zero, but rather a loss in overall combat power.

‘It would be best if we had them both, but.’

While others were desperate to get even one good support, here they were with two. They supposed they should be grateful to take even one of them along.

They had been attached at the hip like best friends for months. Was it last fall that their relationship, which had grown cold after the offline meeting, had become relatively better? Just when it seemed like they could finally breathe, it was clear something had happened again.

As they say, when whales fight, the shrimp’s back gets broken. If they were useless it would be one thing, but because these were talented people who were too good to throw away, the guild members, who were forced to walk on eggshells for no fault of their own, sighed in secret.

JuJuGeneralAssembly confirmed Hyunwoo’s less-than-pleased expression and shook their head.

It was then.