MAX 10

【JunkCollectionMaster】 [What’s this?]

【1Jiho】 [Eh? Why?]

【JunkCollectionMaster】 [No, that guy is a bit strange?]

【1Jiho】 [What is it?]

Starting with JunkCollectionMaster’s mysterious death, the party members suddenly began to die off.

Roo-ral-loo ▶ 1Jiho

Roo-ral-loo ▶ EchoThief

Roo-ral-loo ▶ WrigglingDdorak

The culprit was Roo-ral-loo. It happened literally in the blink of an eye.

Watching the scene for a moment, Han Jiho’s expression crumpled into a frown.

‘Ah, no way.’

Watching that unfold, he had a bad feeling.

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: No, why did I die?????

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: I didn’t even see him, so why am I dead?????

[Party] EchoThief: No lolol I was behind a wall lolol this is so ridiculous lolol

【1Jiho】 [Noona, did you see the killcam? Ah, I have my killcam turned off so I didn’t see it.]

【JunkCollectionMaster】 [I saw it just now and it’s weird. His aim was just fking jumping all over the place?]

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: Aw man, I should’ve kept mine on too ㅠㅠ

[Party] EchoThief: I saw it yep.

[Party] EchoThief: He was just fking spraying at the wall lolol.

[Party] EchoThief: I think he’s using a wall-penetration hack? lolol it’s so ridiculous lolol.

A hack.

A memory he had forgotten for a moment resurfaced, and a surge of annoyance rushed over him.

The situation was completely different from back then, but as an aftermath of being tormented for a while, Han Jiho was at a point where even seeing or hearing the word “hack” made him irritable.

“Whew…”

To think there were morons using hacks even here.

Well, in the first place, FPS games and hacks were in an inseparable relationship. Just as there is light where there is darkness, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that most FPS games had hacks.

【JunkCollectionMaster】 [Look at him hacking because it looks like he’s going to lose. What a petty bastard.]

JunkCollectionMaster was right. People who used hacks were petty and cowardly, regardless of the reason.

If your skills suck, you should think about working hard to improve; using a despicable means like a hack to pretend it’s your own skill just to fill a measly sense of pride.

As someone who had never even considered using such a thing in his life, Han Jiho felt he would never understand that mentality even if he died.

Then Chaehyun, who had been quietly listening, asked:

【cogus】 [Are you sure it’s a hack?]

[Party] EchoThief: Yep, for sure. If you don’t believe it, try dying to him yourself lolol.

[Party] EchoThief: Pre-Va, catch the hackers already, fk.

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: To think there are still people using hacks in this dead game… lolol.

【1Jiho】 [Isn’t this proof that EoE has finally become a “God-tier” popular game?]

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: ?

[Party] EchoThief: Eh.

[Party] EchoThief: ???

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: ??

【1Jiho】 […That’s mean.]

While 1Jiho grumbled in a sulky voice at the feast of question marks that poured out as if they had been waiting, Chaehyun, who had been standing still, suddenly began to move. It seemed he wanted to check for himself whether it was really a hack or not.

Meanwhile, the score had somehow been overturned, and the enemy team was winning. However, no one cared about the win or loss of the game right now.

【cogus】 [Yes.]

[Party] HanJiHo98: ???

[Party] HanJiHo98: Why bother…

【cogus】 [It might not be.]

There’s literal evidence like the killcam, do you really have to experience it to know? What does he mean “it might not be”?

[Party] EchoThief: lolol It’s because he gets trauma symptoms whenever he sees a hack yep.

[Party] EchoThief: He’s always like that so you don’t have to mind him lolol.

[Party] HanJiHo98: Ah..

He didn’t know what happened, but it seemed he had bad memories regarding hacks.

But wouldn’t you normally hate them even more then?

Han Jiho tilted his head, unable to understand. Chaehyun’s attitude didn’t seem like he was angry at meeting a hacker; rather, he seemed cautious and deliberate, like someone trying not to suspect others recklessly. It was strange.

【cogus】 [If it’s a hack, I’m going to record a video and report it.]

Since he said so, Han Jiho decided to stay still.

He had already finished reporting Roo-ral-loo early on. He didn’t have any desire to add this or that. He just hoped this round would end quickly.

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: I’ve already reported him for now.

[Party] EchoThief: Yep, everyone report him first go go go go.

[Server] WrigglingDdorak: Someone report Roo-ral-loo please go go.

[Server] WrigglingDdorak: That fker is using a penetration hack.

[Server] Roo-ral-loo: ? lol.

[Server] Roo-ral-loo: What you talkin bout.

[Server] 1Jiho: Yeah, the sound of you hacking~

[Server] 1Jiho: Look at him biting his teeth and going “What you talkin bout” like a moron. You’re pathetic, Roo-ral-loo.

[Server] Roo-ral-loo: ? lol.

[Server] 1Jiho: Your life is pretty obvious, hurriedly using hacks because it looks like you’ll lose, right? lol.

[Server] 1Jiho: What do you do in real life since you can’t use hacks? Pfft lol.

[Server] Roo-ral-loo: I make more money than you. 100 million annual salary, so sweet.

[Server] EchoThief: 100 million annuallolsalarylol

[Server] 1Jiho: ;;

[Server] 1Jiho: What is an elementary schooler doing up at this hour.

[Server] 1Jiho: Go to sleep already. You won’t grow if you sleep late.

[Server] 1Jiho: A man’s gotta be over 180, kid.

[Server] Roo-ral-loo: I’m 186 though? lol.

[Server] 1Jiho: …is what a 170-shorty types while crying.

[Server] JunkCollectionMaster: Better to just hit him lol.

[Server] EchoThief: For real lol.

While Roo-ral-loo and 1Jiho were engaged in a childish war of words, Chaehyun’s silhouette was seen moving toward the Central Square.

And then, in the blink of an eye,

So was the sight of him dying from a headshot.

Seeing that, Han Jiho let out a hollow laugh. It was absurd. Because up until the very moment Chaehyun died, Roo-ral-loo was still typing in the chat.

[Server] cogus: lol.

[Server] EchoThief: ?

[Server] WrigglingDdorak: ??

[Server] EchoThief: What? Does he have 4 hands?

[Server] 1Jiho: lol

[Server] 1Jiho: The class of getting kills while typing in chat, damn.

[Server] GirlfriendWanted: ;; That’s too much.

[Server] PleaseSaveMe: What the hell is this.

And Roo-ral-loo, naturally,

Disconnected.

And so, the game ended in an absurd defeat, and the party members criticized the hacker without exception. While it seemed like the party was naturally going to break up…

Han Jiho snapped his eyes open.

He reflexively turned his head toward the window. He wondered why it was so bright, but the sun was already high in the sky. It meant it was at least past noon.

“Ugh…”

Han Jiho, staring blankly at the bright and clear scene, let out a groan and covered his puffy face with his hands.

He was extremely tired. Although he woke up in the middle of the day, he had practically slept for less than 6 hours. It was because he had gotten fired up over playing the game for the first time in a while and pulled an all-nighter until late into the dawn.

Come to think of it, he felt like the sun was coming up when he lay down on his bed to sleep…?

Han Jiho, recalling his hazy and uncertain memory with a dazed face, struggled to sit up.

He desperately wanted to lie back down and sleep, but he was thirsty and even hungry. Moreover, since he had just skipped his morning workout—which he hadn’t missed once in the past six months—he couldn’t lie down with a peaceful mind.

‘The trainer is going to be mad.’

Thinking that, Han Jiho rubbed his eyes, which were stiff from the all-nighter, and checked his phone on the nightstand.

On the screen, there were three missed calls and one message from the trainer, Lee Taeyoung, and one message from Seo Jaeyoon.

He checked Lee Taeyoung’s message first.

Make sure to have a meal when you wake up and come straight to the center ^^ No matter what time it is, I will be waiting for you, Jiho-nim ^^

The smiley faces at the end of every sentence were quite terrifying. In the words saying he would wait no matter what time it was, a muscle-packed tenacity was felt, to the point of giving him a random chill.

Han Jiho quickly sent a reply saying he was sorry and that he would be there soon. After that, he checked the message from Seo Jaeyoon; it said that due to sudden local circumstances, he would be returning home earlier than expected.

He wasn’t particularly curious, but Han Jiho left a short reply and hurried to the bathroom. He had to go to the center as soon as possible. Because if he was any later, he didn’t know what kind of exercise hell would be waiting for him.