Vol 1 Ch 5

Nothing special happened today. Even that damn landlord didn’t send me on some errand or whatever.

I closed the office at 7 p.m. and went home. While I was eating dinner, the TV was on, some news segment was bashing Blood Planet, saying it was “promoting homosexuality” or something.

But the funny thing was, no matter how much people tried matching same-sex partners, they could barely hit 60%, let alone 70%. I cracked open a beer and logged in.

<<Welcome to Blood Planet.>>
<<Moving to your last login point.>>

Since I’d logged out after leaving the guild room, I was back in Adventurer’s Town.

“Sigh… so that’s it, huh.”

Seeing the actual banner hanging in the center of town was even more ridiculous in person. A big heart was plastered right between Shut Up’s and my pictures.

‘No wonder people keep calling us a gay couple. Tsk.’

Up top, the partner connection showed [ON]. I sent him a whisper, but Shut Up didn’t reply. All I could see was his current movement log, where he was and where he was going.

“What’s the point of being partners if you’re gonna ignore me like this?”

Grumbling, I started selling off all the junk items I’d picked up that day to an NPC vendor. I noticed my EXP bar slowly creeping up.

“Huh? Wait— whoa!”

Before I could finish being amazed, my body flashed twice, which meant I’d leveled up twice. Checking my stats window, I realized I’d gone from level 1 to 14 since the last time I logged out.

‘What the hell? You can level up even while offline?’

Turned out that was true. Once you’re bound as partners, it forms a kind of “contract”, as long as either the Guide or the Psychic hunts, the EXP is shared between them based on their levels. I was getting way less EXP than Shut Up, but since I was a total lowbie, I leveled insanely fast.

I opened the partner’s status window.

‘Wow.’

Shut Up was level 86. Considering no one had broken level 90 yet, 86 was ridiculously high. From level 50 onward, the grind turned into hell mode, even if I worked my ass off, catching up to him would basically be impossible.

Before heading out to grind, I needed to sort my inventory. I sold the junk, grabbed the cash, and started splitting up potions by weight when—

“Hand it over.”

The voice came from behind me. I turned slightly to see Shut Up looking exhausted, probably fresh from a hunt.

“What?”

“The Elf’s Breath Ring.”

Right, I was supposed to return it after we matched that day, but he’d rage-quit before I could.

‘You’re the one who stormed off.’

I told him to wait a sec and walked to the storage. As soon as I took the ring out, he sent a trade request.

But honestly, that ring was way too expensive to just hand over. Who knows how long this partnership would even last?

“Don’t cut the partnership until I hit A-rank.”

“Okay.”

Even after hearing that, I hesitated and didn’t put the ring in the trade window.

“Why aren’t you putting it up?”

“I just don’t feel right giving it back for free. Give me your info, then I’ll hand it over.”

“You mean my contact?”

“Yeah.”

“…Ha. Unbelievable.”

Shut Up snorted, like, “What kind of idiot are you?” kind of face.

Honestly, Human was a saint compared to this guy. At least he called me “hyung.” But this jerk acted like the whole world revolved around game levels. Forget polite speech, he’d been looking down on me since the start.

But then, to my surprise, Shut Up’s stiff lips actually parted.

“010–7662–8…”

“Home address.”

“You sure you’ve got the guts to come find me?”

“Quit stalling.”

“24, Jamu-ro 54beon-gil, Unit 701.”

I jotted everything down in the in-game memo and even took a screenshot while opening the trade window, just in case. They said he wasn’t the lying type, but still, better safe than sorry.

“If you’re done, then hurry up and give it! You have any idea how f**king embarrassing this has been for me!?”

His voice wasn’t loud, but the sheer force behind it made me flinch. Because it was his real voice, I could literally feel his anger.

“W-wait. Okay, okay.”

I took a deep breath. Goodbye, my once-in-a-lifetime ring. Slowly, I placed the Elf’s Breath Ring into the trade window. The moment I clicked confirm, the window vanished.

And then, whoosh, pure white angel wings spread out behind him. They were supposed to be angelic, but to me, they looked straight-up demonic. Before I could even react, his figure disappeared, probably warped out.

“What the— did he just… scam me? Hey!”

I immediately sent a whisper.

[TenderTouch: What, you’re just gonna ditch me? Take me with you!]
[ShutUp: Use Partner Warp]

I couldn’t see where that was. Getting frustrated, I stopped a random player passing by. He looked me up and down, saw the banner floating above town, and snorted.

“Hey, could you not laugh and just—”

“Oh, sorry. You don’t know how to use Partner Warp? Hold Alt.”

Guess I needed a keyboard. I pulled up the virtual one I used for typing messages.

“Okay, holding Alt. Then?”

“Press F4.”

“Ah, got it. Thanks, man—”

Suddenly the screen went white, and I found myself staring at my living room. What the hell? Took me a sec to realize, that bastard had told me the force quit shortcut.

Wow. Seriously. Can’t trust anyone in this goddamn world. I’d just gotten pranked by a random stranger and booted out of the game.

My will to play evaporated instantly. I took off the helmet and checked the contact info I’d just saved for Shut Up. I should’ve called first to confirm before sending him that ring, damn it. Anyway, I added him and opened his profile.

“Huh…?”

He actually looked decent. More than decent, honestly. The photo showed him sitting somewhere, his face was shadowed, but I could see his full build.

Weirdly enough, though, he looked… familiar somehow. To make sure it was really him, I texted him, saying I got tricked by some troll in town and accidentally force-quit, so he didn’t need to wait for me.

But not even ten seconds later, I got a reply, a single character. No, not even a word.

[tsktsk]

‘What the hell… tsktsk?’

I only messaged him so he wouldn’t have to wait, and he answers with that? Fine. From now on, I’m not telling him anything.

What’s so hard about teaching me one little Partner Warp command anyway? My real-life job’s already stressing me the hell out, and now I’ve gotta deal with this crap in-game too. I was boiling.

“As soon as I hit A-rank, I’m ditching your ass.”

I muttered at ShutUp’s profile picture, venting my anger, then stood up and grabbed another beer from the fridge.

I popped the can, took a few swigs, then my phone buzzed. A new message. From ShutUp.

I opened it, planning to leave him on read.

[Double-tap my name.]

Hmm…?

Oh. So that’s how you use Partner Warp.

But honestly, logging back in right after he told me felt kinda pathetic. I downed the rest of my beer, cooled my head, and faced reality.

‘Whatever. If a guy like him’s offering to carry me, might as well take it.’

I chugged the last drop, put the helmet back on, and logged in again. It brought me right back to where I’d been before the forced logout.

I double-tapped the partner’s name on the screen, and a prompt popped up asking if I wanted to teleport. I hit “Yes,” and the screen instantly shifted, just like the first time I logged in.

<<Teleporting to ‘Ruins of Amon’.>>

The place I arrived at was a dark castle interior.

A chill, eerie aura swept over me. Huge spiders dangled from webs all around, and the graphics were so realistic that when one locked eyes with me, it immediately lunged.

“Holy sh—! Don’t come any closer!”

I swung my staff wildly. It only got tangled in sticky web, so I had no choice but to cast a spell.

A panel appeared next to the hand holding the staff, displaying a bunch of skill icons. But having never actually hunted before, I had no clue what anything did.

I just used the first skill I saw, [Light Sunset]. The moment I cast it, the area brightened sharply, and dozens of giant spiders hanging from the webs all charged straight at me. Having dozens of eight-eyed insects staring at me simultaneously was pure terror.

‘How many eyes do these things even have…!’

The spiders approaching from all sides made me feel like a horror movie protagonist. Goosebumps crawled across my body, and fear practically froze me in place.

I edged backward slowly, scanning front and sides. But seeing the spiders closing in from all directions, survival instinct kicked in, and I spun around, sprinting.

“Ugh! Gross!”

While running, I bumped into someone with a thud. I staggered back from the impact, but the person I hit didn’t move an inch.

Rubbing my nose, I looked up. It was a familiar face.

Without a word, ShutUp extended his hand and shot an electric skill at the nearest spider. I’d expected the single bolt to kill only that spider, but the electricity instantly spread along the webs, fanning out in all directions.

The surrounding spiders were simultaneously electrocuted and dropped to the ground. The charred spider corpses even smelled of burnt flesh. I was genuinely impressed at how realistically the game reflected reality.

“Hah…”

I was about to thank him, but a sigh from behind me made me swallow the words.

ShutUp turned back, motioning me to follow. This castle itself was clearly a hunting ground, spiders were everywhere. They weren’t just decoration; they were aggressive. Even a slight encounter made them relentlessly pursue me.

I brushed against one spider, noticed my HP drop, and pointed at it. “[LV. 30]” appeared above the monster. For someone who had just hit level 15, it was extremely dangerous.

I reacted like any sane person would, but ShutUp, walking ahead, glanced back at me with a look of disdain. I didn’t want to, but I stuck close behind him. At least that spider was scarier than him.

“Ugh, ughhh—!”

As I followed him, I heard a player screaming nearby. The sound came from not far off; it sounded like a newbie, completely covered in spiders. The game setting probably nullified pain, but they must have felt the itch. Being covered in spiders like that… they’d definitely have nightmares.

After walking for a while, ShutUp stopped. Ahead of a massive stone gate, a few others were gathered. The gate was carved with various patterns, it looked unmistakably like a gate to hell.

“ShutUp, party with us!”

A visibly cute guide approached, speaking in a slightly coquettish tone. Her outfit and staff looked way better than mine.

Three others formed a party around her. Parties could only have four members total. If ShutUp joined them, I’d be left alone.

But ShutUp ignored her entirely. Turning his back on her, he sent me a trade request. Accepting it, I saw he’d sent me expensive potions and a small scroll.

“What’s this?”

Curious, I asked, and the guide beside him kept chirping, “Huh? Let’s go together, ShutUp!” in a playful tone.

ShutUp glanced at her, raised his hand, and tapped a few times in midair. The guide suddenly erupted in anger:

“Ah! What the heck! Did you just mute me? Unbelievable!”

Ah… so you can mute someone right in front of them. Another thing learned.

He casually explained the scroll as we passed by.

“Use it if you think you’re gonna die.”

It was probably a Return Scroll. Usually, you’d use these in a boss room; better than dropping items on death. Efficient.

I nodded and followed ShutUp. The team of two Psychics and one guide we’d seen earlier waited by the gate, probably a boss they couldn’t handle even with their setup.

ShutUp moved to open the gate. The guide muttered under her breath that he was a jerk, probably impotent, I snickered quietly. ShutUp glanced at me, then frowned as he watched her mouth moving.

“Don’t split up.”

What a jerk.

When ShutUp forcefully opened the gate, even inside the castle, cracks revealed flowing lava. The flames radiated a slight warmth.

Of course, if it were real lava, I’d be toast. The red glow distorted vision, like heat haze over the ground.

ShutUp walked through it like it was nothing, so I followed, until my foot touched lava. Sizzle— HP dropped. He lifted a hand to stop me.

“Stay there. You don’t have fire resistance.”

I guessed he brought me along to maximize EXP in one area. I nodded and moved to a safe spot near the gate.

In the distance, something huge shifted. The boss itself was massive. It seemed to be sitting quietly, but the moment ShutUp approached, it screamed and stood up.

“Whoa! Wh-what the—!”

Even bigger now, its head disappeared off screen. I could barely see it through the flames, but as it moved toward the center, its full form became clear.

Above its head: [Amon Lv.70]. Owl head, wolf body, snake tail… a bizarre mix of everything.

And it was breathing fire. I’d never thought owls were scary, but with a 360° rotating head staring at me, it was terrifying.

Even from afar, its sheer size was intimidating, yet ShutUp showed no fear. He walked calmly, electricity crackling from both hands.

ShutUp’s body shone brighter in the flames, blue against red. Then, KA-BOOM! A deafening thunderclap rang out.

He’d hurled a massive lightning bolt from above? It struck the surroundings with the sound of thunder during a monsoon. Even louder, my ears felt like they’d burst. I had no time to lower the game volume. I just covered my ears and shut my eyes.

I’d read reviews calling Psychics godlike, but now I truly understood. ShutUp weaved above the boss, dodging fire while planting lightning on its head, like he’d been waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

The bolt in his hands sharpened into a spear. Shards flew everywhere, smoke rose, and ShutUp leapt into the air.

He threw the blue spear with all his might. A strong wind whipped around it, clearing the smoky vision in an instant.

“KRRAAAH—!”

Amon roared, bracing for the attack. The blue spear instantly fragmented into hundreds of needles, plunging into the boss like lightning rain. Each needle struck the ground; red blood erupted from Amon in fountains.

But ShutUp wasn’t done. He formed an enormous electric orb above his head. Wind whipped around it as it rapidly grew.

Just when I thought it might pop like a balloon, he slammed it onto the monster’s head. The impact destroyed nearby objects, sending debris flying. Even the pillar I had crouched behind thudded nearby.

‘Wow… he doesn’t even think about me!’

I’d pulled out a Return Scroll just in case.

While I cowered amid the debris, ShutUp stood calm, protected by an electric shield. He didn’t care if pillars collapsed or lava surged.

The monster was already stunned; a few skills would’ve been enough, yet he generated another electric orb above its head. The battlefield was chaos enough; adding this, I feared everything might collapse.

I shouted frantically:

“Hey! Stop! I’m gonna get crushed! Stop it!”

ShutUp ignored me, still enlarging the electric orb.

No, it was growing even bigger than before.

Seeing that made my blood boil. I should have spoken nicely since ShutUp was already worked up, but there was no time for that. I just yelled, letting loose all my frustration, figuring he couldn’t hear me anyway.

“You son of a bitch! I’m stuck with you and having to go through all this crap! Is it too much to just get a decent boost from you? What kind of personality is this! I’m damn lucky I don’t run into guys like you in real life! Take this!”

While shouting, I flicked him the middle finger.

Right as I did it, ShutUp’s gaze snapped to me. Embarrassed, I immediately dropped my hand and pretended to fix my hair. But when my eyes met his, glinting with that sharp blue spark, a chill ran down my spine.

‘He probably didn’t hear me…’

I lowered my face and then looked up again. ShutUp was still glaring at me, electric orb in hand. Amid all the chaos, his voice hit my ears like ASMR.

“What? Son of a bitch?”

So he did hear me.

During battle, player voices switched to a kind of whisper mode so you could hear each other clearly. But there was no way I’d know what he was saying since he hadn’t spoken a word before.

‘Huh? Wait…’

“Wanna see what a real son of a bitch is?”

ShutUp made a motion like he was going to hurl the electric orb at me. If that hit, wouldn’t I die instantly? I stared at him, frozen in fear. Seeing his arm swing wide, I squeezed my eyes shut.

“Ah! Don’t!”

I reached out, but there was no stopping it. My terrified look must’ve amused him, because I heard a faint chuckle in my ear.

‘Huh? He’s laughing at me?’

Then, from afar, a CRASH! rang as something slammed into the ground. Luckily, it wasn’t aimed at me.

<<‘Amon’ has been defeated.>>

The battle-end message appeared on the screen. Experience points shot up, and my body sparkled nonstop.

ShutUp slowly approached. He seemed to be checking loot, tapping something in the air.

“Pathetic.”

Even if he was disappointed, I felt great — I’d hit level 28. Thirteen levels from a single boss fight… wow.

ShutUp’s boots appeared in front of me as I crouched. His body was back to normal, the electricity gone.

“Thanks. I leveled up a lot.”

I looked up at him, smiling, but his expression was still sour. He was clearly still annoyed at being called a “son of a bitch.”

“Stand up.”

I jumped to my feet, dusting myself off. As I shook off one arm, both of my forearms were suddenly gripped firmly by ShutUp.

“Huh?”

I expected him to hold my hands like before, but he stepped closer, pressing his chest against mine. I tried to lean back, but he moved faster.

‘Huh?’

Then, unexpectedly, my bottom lip was taken by him.

As I processed that I was being kissed, my top lip was drawn in too. Held tightly by him, I couldn’t move, like a prisoner bound in ropes. All I could do was tilt my head back as far as I could, eventually giving in and letting him take my lips.

Finally, after a kiss that felt like it might have split me in two, he tilted his head and slipped his tongue between my lips. My first time feeling a man’s tongue.

For a moment, memories of a girlfriend in my early twenties came flooding back. We’d shared passionate kisses like this… It only made me more flustered.

Even as he wrapped his tongue around mine, I couldn’t resist properly. Just as I thought the kiss was brief, a warning sound went off in my ear.

<>

The noise snapped me fully awake. I tried to push him off, but he didn’t budge. He even grabbed my cheeks and shoved his tongue in to the very root.

“Uh! Uh! Uh…!”

Trapped, unable to speak, I struggled as much as I could.

When the warning beep dulled my senses, his hands finally released me with a thunk. I collapsed to the floor, breathing heavily, staring at his steady stance.

“Hmm. Effective.”

He looked at his status window and licked his lips with satisfaction. I barely hung on, my GG gauge at 2% — on the verge of fainting.

No wonder my body felt unresponsive. Like I’d taken a sedative, I couldn’t muster strength. Breathing was labored, as if I’d climbed a high mountain. Not painful, but his voice echoed in my ears, fogging my mind like a debuff. Everything felt hazy.

‘…I need to rest.’

I reached to exit the game, but my chin was grabbed, and our fingers interlocked as if linking. I tried to pull free, but his grip wouldn’t budge.

“Hey—. Let go. Ah.”

My voice came out awkwardly. ShutUp just smiled, still holding my hands.

“Wanna see what a real son of a bitch is?”

“Wha—?”

Suddenly, everything went dark.

A message appeared in the center:

<<‘Gentle Touch’ GG is full. Entering faint mode. Recharge time approximately 23 hours.>>

What the hell?

I couldn’t log in again. I took off my helmet — maybe a bug? 23 hours? Ridiculous.

I called Hanwoo.

“Hey, what’s this? GG is full, I can’t log in.”

[You linked with ShutUp, right? Gotta control that.]

“How do I log in again?”

[Wait a day. Or buy a paid item to reduce the time.]

“What? Buy a paid item just to fix this?”

I hung up and turned on my laptop. Searching the official site, GG fainting was a hot topic on the forums.

Everyone was complaining, just like me, stuck because their GG gauge filled. Apparently, there was no way to bypass it without a paid item.

“Ha… what?”

I thought a zero was misplaced. The paid item to reduce the time wasn’t 10,000 won — it was 100,000 won.

“What? 100K? What kind of insane game is this?”

Dumbfounded, I noticed a news article on a portal about Blood Planet. The headline read: “Game item costs 100,000 won? Insane.”

Apparently, it wasn’t that the faint-clearing item was expensive from the start. Due to the game’s addictive nature, players must regulate playtime. Blood Planet was dangerously addictive. By law, playtime was limited to under six hours per day. If a Psychic or Guide overexerted and filled the gauge, the player had to rest for roughly a day.

So that son of a bitch deliberately linked with me to lock me out for a whole day.

“Wow. Haha. Seriously. Ha…”

I had no choice but to sleep early, lying in bed thinking, He can’t be this insane, right?

But ShutUp… turned out to be even crazier than I imagined.