He Is That Guy

[Guild] Staeric: Oh
[Guild] Staeric: Is that the staff you took back?

[Guild] Staeric: That thing’s nuts
Once the guild heard the full story, they circled around, checking out the staff in awe.
The blue gem embedded in it glowed brightly, and its stats were way better than before it had been stolen. Just like Yu Chae said, with things turning out like this, the Fever bastards had basically enhanced the staff for free on my behalf.

[Guild] Mocha Bread: No wonder
[Guild] Mocha Bread: You had a cracked weapon but kept using garbage gear
[Guild] Mocha Bread: I was suspicious, tbh

[Guild] DoraHeeImnida: Right?
[Guild] DoraHeeImnida: You were using some seriously busted-ass weapon, LOL
“……”

Even DoraHee was jumping in—guess the staff I’d been using as a placeholder really was that trash. How many people had commented on it already?
[Guild] I’m So Sleepy: It was the weapon of a Fever Guild alt who came after me
[Guild] I’m So Sleepy: I used it on purpose, to kill their newbies LOL

[Guild] GeojeojulgeJalsaga: Damn
[Guild] GeojeojulgeJalsaga: That's cold as hell
[Guild] Park Seungjin99: But honestly, Sleepy, your mechanics are so good

[Guild] Park Seungjin99: The crap weapon didn’t even register
[Guild] ManaOingNam: Yeah
[Guild] ManaOingNam: But as a fellow Mage it did kinda sting

[Guild] ManaOingNam: The DPS difference was no joke
[Guild] Hunting Madman: Stuff that should take 1 hit ends up taking 3
[Guild] Hunting Madman: But I guess if your control’s cracked it doesn’t matter LOL
[Guild] Staeric: Still, lucky the Fever newbie dropped the staff like we planned

[Guild] Staeric: If she hadn’t dropped it before the Elemental ult, we’d be screwed
[Guild] Hwa So-un: For real
I didn’t tell the guild that the Fever newbie—MelodyCode—had intentionally handed the staff over.

The prelims weren’t officially over yet, and she was still part of Fever Guild, so I had to be careful not to let anything slip.
So I only told Yu Chae, Drink Some Water, SseSseSsehajago, and Haereun in DMs that MelodyCode had cooperated with me, handed me the staff, and even leaked info about the Elemental Mage ult.
[Guild] TheHunter: Wait, Sleepy—so does that mean

[Guild] TheHunter: Back during the Hanmaeum Guild prelims, the reason you kept killing that Sharpshooter?
[Guild] I’m So Sleepy: Before I went after the Fever newbie
[Guild] I’m So Sleepy: I was testing it out
[Guild] TheHunter: Holy sh*t;

[Guild] ManaOingNam: So that’s why you killed him????
[Guild] ManaOingNam: How many times was it? Like 10?
[Guild] I’m So Sleepy: LOL, 8 times

[Guild] TheHunter: Man, I legit thought Sleepy
[Guild] TheHunter: Was just some kind of... degenerate freak...
[Guild] ManaOingNam: Yeah I was like “Let’s respect his kink” or whatever

“……?”
[Guild] I’m So Sleepy: What the hell are you people talking about;;
[Guild] Hunting Madman: Like, getting off on killing the same noob over and over?

[Guild] I’m So Sleepy: That’s not a freak, that’s just a piece of sh*t, ffs
[Guild] Drink Some Water: LMAOOOOOO
[Guild] Hwa So-un: LOLLLLLLL

[Guild] Mocha Bread: A highly evolved freak...
[Guild] Mocha Bread: Is indistinguishable from actual trash...
[Guild] Hwa So-un: Facts

[Guild] Hwa So-un: Just look at our guildmaster. Don’t you feel it?
[Guild] Yu Chae: ?
[Guild] Park Seungjin99: LOLLLLLLLLLLLLL

[Guild] Haereun: LOLLLLLLLLLLLLL
The chat teasing me eventually shifted over to talking about the Fever match again.
[Guild] ManaOingNam: Elemental Mages are scary, man

[Guild] ManaOingNam: ^EL^
[Guild] Park Seungjin99: They literally tried to do what we did in the arena
[Guild] Park Seungjin99: Like, word-for-word, same strat LOL

[Guild] Haereun: And they almost pulled it off, which is even worse;
[Guild] Drink Some Water: What cracks me up most
[Guild] Drink Some Water: Is how Fever didn’t even realize we were copying their own plan

[Guild] SseSseSsehajago: LOLLLLL
[Guild] SseSseSsehajago: If you don’t know, you deserve to die, LOL
Exactly. In any game, if you don’t know, you die. That’s just how it goes.

[Guild] Yu Chae: Hyung
[Guild] I’m So Sleepy: ?
[Guild] Haereun: LOL now when someone says “hyung,” Sleepy just answers automatically

[Guild] Monster Born of Capitalism: The only one calling the guildmaster “hyung”...
[Guild] Hwa So-un: Is Sleepy~
[Guild] Staeric: So when are the two of you getting married??

[Guild] I’m Lagginggg: They said after the prelims
Here we go again, spreading rumors.
[Guild] I’m So Sleepy: We’re notㅡㅡ

[Guild] I’m So Sleepy: Why’d you call me
[Guild] Yu Chae: If you’ve got nothing else to do today
[Guild] Yu Chae: Let’s enhance the staffㅎㅡㅎ

Enhance the staff? At those words, I reflexively glanced at it.
When Yu Chae first gave it to me, it was a +4 weapon with LUX 2.0. But after passing through Fever’s Sangdanghan, it came back at +6.
Considering how the success rate plummets after +5, it was clear Sangdanghan had invested a lot into it.

“With the LUX effect, every enhancement gives a 1.8x coefficient boost, right?”
So enhancing it wasn’t a bad idea…
[Guild] I’m So Sleepy: But from +6 on

[Guild] I’m So Sleepy: Fails can drop the level, right?
[Guild] Drink Some Water: Yep
[Guild] Haereun: Yeah

[Guild] Haereun: It drops LOL
[Guild] Staeric: That’s why my current weapon
[Guild] Staeric: I’ve gone 5→6→7 like ten damn times ffs

[Guild] Hwa So-un: Ten times? Damn
[Guild] TheHunter: Staeric’s luck is…
[Guild] TheHunter: Honestly cursed, LOL

[Guild] Staeric: Yeahㅠㅠ
[Guild] Staeric: 5→6→7 is nothing
[Guild] Staeric: When I went for +8 it dropped all the way to +5, I blew so much f**king gold

[Guild] Drink Some Water: No but for real, +7 and up is hell
[Guild] Drink Some Water: Trying to get a +9 weapon burns gold like crazy
Most of the guild had been playing for a long time, and it showed—they had plenty of horror stories about enhancement failures. Sounded like hell. I wasn’t feeling too eager about jumping in.

Noticing my hesitation, Yu Chae jumped in to push me toward it.
[Guild] Yu Chae: Hyung hyung
[Guild] Yu Chae: You don’t have to go all the way to +8

[Guild] Yu Chae: Just try for +7 todayㅜㅡㅜ
[Guild] Yu Chae: You haven’t done enhancement even once yet
[Guild] I’m So Sleepy: Hm

[Guild] Drink Some Water: Oh really?
[Guild] Drink Some Water: You’ve never enhanced?
[Guild] TheHunter: Then do it do it

[Guild] TheHunter: Best to try it for yourself
[Guild] I’m Lagginggg: Facts, enhancement is BS but
[Guild] I’m Lagginggg: Honestly kinda fun LOL

[Guild] Marinated Crab, Slurp: For real LMAOOOO
[Guild] Marinated Crab, Slurp: Fun to do, fun to watch—premium content LOL
[Guild] Mocha Bread: Sleepy, you gonna solo enhance?!?!

[Guild] Mocha Bread: Can we watch?!?!
[Guild] Hwa So-un: LET’S GO?!?
[Guild] Hunting Madman: Raise your hand~^^

[Guild] Staeric: Raise your hand~^^
Welp, guess the mood had settled on enhancement. And like Yu Chae said, maybe it was about time I got a taste. After all, in any RPG, enhancement is one of the core systems.
[Guild] I’m So Sleepy: Yeah

[Guild] I’m So Sleepy: Should I buy materials now?
To enhance, I needed a few things: enhancement stones, gold, and a shrine.
Shrines were usually near upgrade NPCs, but players could craft and place them too, so I didn’t need ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) to go hunt one down.

[Guild] Yu Chae: Just come here
[Guild] Yu Chae: I’ve already got all the materials and the shrine readyㅎ.ㅎ
[Guild] Yu Chae: I’m at the Peroco Lighthouse >ㅡ<

[Guild] Hwa So-un: Damn
[Guild] Marinated Crab, Slurp: This is insane LOL
[Guild] Staeric: Is this…

[Guild] Staeric: That “supportive spouse” energy or whatever?
[Guild] Mocha Bread: Server rank #1 waifu energy ㄷㄷㄷㄷ
[Guild] Drink Some Water: Sleepy, I’m jealous~ㅎㅎ

“……”
My head started to ache, so I rubbed my temples. No wonder he’d gone quiet—he’d been setting all this up to enhance my staff?
I let out a helpless laugh and typed:

[Guild] I’m So Sleepy: Dude...
[Guild] I’m So Sleepy: You could’ve told me first
[Guild] I’m So Sleepy: What if I didn’t wanna do it?

[Guild] Yu Chae: Then I would’ve just waited ㅇㅅㅇ
[Guild] Drink Some Water: As one should
[Guild] Hunting Madman: That’s the spirit of true spousal support LOL

[Guild] Hwa So-un: Our guildmaster’s such a good partner
[Guild] Hwa So-un: And Sleepy won’t even marry him, smhㅠ
[Guild] Yu Chae: Facts

[Guild] I’m So Sleepy: Shut up LOL f**k…
[Guild] Drink Some Water: LMAOOOOOOOO