LS 19

The few seconds of silence vanished as if it had never happened, with AssaGo’s greeting breaking the spell. The chat quickly flooded with messages as the guild members began welcoming the newcomer in their usual noisy way.

[Guild] YeojinHae: Oh lololol are you the famous newbie AssaGo picked up?

[Guild] YeojinHae: Hi hi, shake the booty booty, welcome~

[Guild] OreckThat Welcooome~ When we meet I give you kissy kiss~ ๑´ ³`)ﾉ

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: Ugh OreckThat I swear I wanna block you so bad right now…

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: Welcome, newbie

[Guild] Tando: Welcome~ ^^

[Guild] PrettyHealerHyung: Haha;;; It’s been a while since we’ve had a new member in the guild

[Guild] PrettyHealerHyung: [laugh emoji] [clap emoji] Welcome!

[Guild] YeohooHae: Heard from AssaGo, so you’re a support, huh?

[Guild] GOingSupporter187: Yes, yes! I just hit level 25… 8ㅅ8

[Guild] GOingSupporter187: I don’t know a lot, so… I feel bad if I cause any trouble

[Guild] GOingSupporter187: But I’ll do my best…! ㅎㅅㅎ

Do your best? Even if an ant tries its hardest, it’s still an ant, it’s not like it’ll turn into a lion. Dohee snorted and typed.

[Guild] AssaGo: Even if you try your best, you’ll still be a lowbie

[Guild] AssaGo: But now that you know how to mine a little and gather herbs, you can try harder

[Guild] AssaGo: Even if I’m not around, these people will help you out

That’s why he brought him into the guild in the first place. The members might be a bit quirky, but they weren’t heartless jerks who’d ignore a newbie needing help.

To be honest, the number of newbie supports Dohee had helped by now was well into the double digits. He had a tendency to jump in and offer advice anytime a newbie showed up, especially if their class was support. But this was the first time he’d ever brought one into the guild.

The kid was totally clueless, and honestly way too soft-hearted, it made him worry they might get scammed somewhere down the line. While he had friended them and tagged along whenever he could, he couldn’t be there all the time. He didn’t live logged in 24/7, and even when he was on, their playtimes didn’t always line up.

So maybe, just maybe, if the guild could fill in the gaps a little, he could have a tiny bit of hope. Just a sliver! Like, really really tiny.

[Guild] AssaGo: Y’all will take good care of them, right?

[Guild] YeohooHae: Of course

[Guild] YeojinHae: Lololol our little cutie squad just got bigger, duh♥

[Guild] PrettyHealerHyung: Of course! If you ever have questions, feel free to ask!! 🙂

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: If you ever need anything, just say the word

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: I’m honestly better than most ** at helping in this guild lol

[Guild] Tando: If you need potions, just ask~ ^^

[Guild] Tando: I make ‘em way better than SiblingSpicyNoodle ^^ I’m a potion master hehe

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: Ugh why are you always starting shit when things are going fine, seriously!!

[Guild] OreckThat Need a carry~? If solo hunting’s hard, just call me baby~ ♪~ ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

[Guild] OreckThat Special newbie discount just for you~ ( •͈ᴗ-)ᓂ-ෆ

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: Look at this guy trying to sell shit to the newbie

[Guild] GOingSupporter187: Oh, thank you… 8ㅅ8! But AssaGo always gives me a premium carry, so

[Guild] GOingSupporter187: I’m okay!

Does this kid even know what they’re saying…?

Dohee let out a long sigh.

Of course they don’t.

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL premium carry bus omg

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: How did the deputy guildmaster end up as a premium bus driver LOL

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: This is fxxking hilarious

[Guild] Tando: But if it’s a bus driven by AssaGo, at least it’s probably safe and crash-free~ ^^

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: I swear this guy is 100% a psychopath

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: “Crash-free~ ^^” what the actual

[Guild] YeojinHae: Of course! Lololol our AssaGo’s driving is top-tier, you know

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: Uh… hmm… so like, what should we call you? haha

The bustling chat fell dead silent with just that one message from SoftRiceCake.

Dohee ruffled his hair in irritation, letting a few strands of silvery-blond float up without caring.

No seriously, I’m gonna kill that bastard someday. Never liked him anyway. And what kind of dumbass username is SoftRiceCake, for real?

[Guild] GOingSupporter187: Um… 8ㅅ8 You can call me whatever you like

[Guild] GOingSupporter187: But… I don’t really like “Knockoff”…ㅠㅡㅠ

[Guild] AssaGo: What do you want me to do, your name looks like a knockoff of GoingSupporter from three meters away

[Guild] OreckThat Boohoo TV, whatever TV~ Boohoo fridge, whatever washing machine~ ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)

[Guild] OreckThat Aww~ our newbie even talks cute! (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: Someone please arrest OreckThat already;;;

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: Still, calling you just “Newbie” all the time feels kinda weird… haha

[Guild] Tando: Hmm… how about “GOing”?

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: Not bad, honestly

[Guild] Tando: Or maybe just “Supporter”?

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: It’d probably be easiest if it’s only two syllables

[Guild] Tando: Yes, Noodle~ ^^

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: Why the hell am I so pissed off when they didn’t even say anything wrong? I’m not gonna live out my full lifespan at this rate

[Guild] Tando: If you ever feel like that, reach out~ Tando Bank ^^ I’ll keep it safe for you~

[Guild] YeohooHae: “187”?

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: Ooh… that’s short and clean too?

What do you mean “good”? “GOing,” “Supporter,” “187”, they’re all trash. That’s why I keep calling him “Knockoff,” you idiots. How do you gather multiple brains and still not expand your collective creativity at all?

Dohee shook his head in disbelief. Whatever. I guess when you throw together a bunch of clowns, this is what you get.

While everyone else kept bickering about which name was better, Dohee was already escorting Knockoff to the center of Ladenska Market. He figured he’d craft a full set of equipment to celebrate level 25.

It wasn’t easy lining up playtimes with Knockoff, so Dohee had decided to take care of whatever he could while they were both logged in, strike while the iron’s hot. This was only the second time in two days their logins had synced.

Just then, the previously chaotic guild chat went completely silent at Daeyoung’s sudden reappearance.

[Guild] YYNNXX: How about “IngSupp”?

[Guild] YeojinHae: Holy sh*t

[Guild] YeojinHae: Daeyoung, are you a genius?

[Guild] YeojinHae: That’s freakin’ adorable lololol

[Guild] OreckThat Ooh~ I like that nickname~! ☆ (>ᴗ0 )

[Guild] SiblingSpicyNoodle: Lowkey solid tho? lol

[Guild] Tando: I think it’s cute too~ ^^ Seems like AssaGo likes it

[Guild] Tando: “IngSupp” kind of fits and still feels nickname-y

[Guild] Tando: Isn’t it a good one? hehe

Tando’s final comment brought another tense hush over the guild chat.

Dohee wiped his hand down the back of his neck.

This is weird. It’s not like we’re face-to-face, but… why does it feel like they’re all staring at me?

He gulped, but before he could even type anything, Fake beat him to it.

[Guild] GOingSupporter187: Gasp, I really love it… 8ㅅ8

[Guild] GOingSupporter187: I honestly didn’t care what anyone called me

[Guild] GOingSupporter187: But you all thought about it together… thank you so much… ㅠㅡㅠ

[Guild] AssaGo: …lol yeah, I think it’s fine too

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: But seriously, “IngSupp” talking is really cute lol

[Guild] SoftRiceCake: AssaGo, where’d you even find a newbie this adorable? lol

[Guild] YYNNXX: AssaGo’s kind of like a newbie magnet… though this is the first one he’s ever actually brought into the guild

[Guild] YYNNXX: Anyway, welcome, Ingseop~

[Guild] YYNNXX: If you’re looking to gear up on the cheap, DM me anytime ^^

[Guild] YYNNXX: Suuuperior quality equiiipment set

[Guild] YYNNXX: Ava❖ilable➤an✦y➱ti☞me

[Guild] YYNNXX: Jus♟t ☛give ♔❦me a ✾ping♞ and ㅈㅓᎷㅎㅎ

[System] ‘YYNNXX’ has been demoted to ‘New Guild Member’.

[Guild] AssaGo: I’m planning to craft their gear set piece by piece myself

[Guild] AssaGo: So keep your filthy merchant hands off, you damn scammer~

[Guild] YeojinHae: Instant block lolololol

[Guild] Tando: AssaGo’s reforging level is high, and he’s mastered equipment crafting

[Guild] Tando: If he makes your gear, it’ll probably shine with power hehe

[Guild] GOingSupporter187: Whoa, really!? 8ㅁ8

[Guild] Tando: Yep~ hehe

[System] ‘Tando’ has been demoted to ‘New Guild Member’.

[Guild] AssaGo: What do you mean, “really”

[Guild] AssaGo: Why would the gear shine, lolololol

[Guild] AssaGo: Seriously, is this really the guild I put you in to help look after a newbie?

[Guild] AssaGo: This is a goddamn circus

Why does adding one newbie into the usual chaos make everything feel three times more insane?

Did I… actually do the right thing here?

Dohee massaged his throbbing temples.

Too late to regret it now.