New Raid Dungeon: Trinity
The Trinity Dungeon, composed of five underground floors, was divided into a mid-boss zone and a final boss zone.
Since the mid-boss required a magic DPS and the final boss needed melee DPS along with a tank to draw aggro, the party had to be made up of a proper mix of roles. Still, the lowest difficulty level, Normal, wasn't too demanding, so the team that Muljom had organized was more than enough to clear it.
[Guild] Muljommasyeora: Still, this is actually a decent level.
[Guild] Muljommasyeora: Loremha was on a whole other level, LOL
[Guild] Jeojollyeoyo: Loremha…
[Guild] Jeojollyeoyo: That came out last year, right?
[Guild] Haereun: Yep
[Guild] Haereun: I think the Abyss full clear took like 48 or 49 hours, LOL
[Guild] TheHunter: Freaking hard
[Guild] TheHunter: And the max number of people allowed was just 8
[Guild] TheHunter: Made it even worse
[Guild] YangnyeomGyejangJjeop: The fact they expected you to beat that difficulty
[Guild] YangnyeomGyejangJjeop: With only 8 people, LOL
[Guild] Doraheeimnida: I watched a video of it
[Guild] Doraheeimnida: The graphics were amazing, and the mechanics were flashy and complicated…
[Guild] Muljommasyeora: Rahee and Jollyeoyo, you guys should try it later after you power up some more
[Guild] Muljommasyeora: But honestly, I've never gone back after that full clear, LOL
[Guild] Mokappang: Loremha really was…
[Guild] Mokappang: One of those places only the insane ones went to
[Guild] CapitalistMonster: Last year's Loremha got flamed for being too insanely hard
[Guild] CapitalistMonster: So apparently they made this Trinity one a bit easier
[Guild] ManaO-RingNam: Guess we'll see when we try it
[Guild] ManaO-RingNam: But it's definitely easier than Loremha, no doubt
Because raids require group play, fewer players and more instant-death mechanics naturally make the difficulty harder.
In the case of the newly released Trinity dungeon, though the mechanics weren't fully known yet, the max player count—6 for Normal and 12 for Abyss—suggested a more manageable difficulty level.
[Guild] HuntingGoneMad: Trinity's got generous player slots
[Guild] HuntingGoneMad: We'll probably die a few times until we memorize the mechanics
[Guild] HuntingGoneMad: But once we know them, we can just burst down the boss—totally doable
[Guild] Muljommasyeora: Yep
[Guild] Muljommasyeora: Gotta memorize the mechanics before Abyss drops next week
In raids, mechanics change and are added with each difficulty level. Even so, it's much easier to adapt if you go in having at least memorized the lower-tier mechanics rather than jumping into Abyss with zero knowledge.
Ten minutes before the dungeon opened, as previously mentioned, Yuchae logged into the game.
[Guild] Muljommasyeora: Hurry the hell up, will you? ㅡㅡ
[Guild] Mokappang: Thought you weren't coming ;;
[Guild] Haereun: Muljom, start the party pls
[Yuchae: Hyung]
Ignoring all the guild chat, Yuchae ran over to me standing by the dungeon entrance and sent me a private message.
[Yuchae: Are you playing tomorrow too?]
[Jeojollyeoyo: Yep]
[Jeojollyeoyo: Gotta memorize the mechanics, so I probably will]
[Jeojollyeoyo: Why?]
[Yuchae: Umm]
[Yuchae: I think I'll be a bit late tomorrow]
[Yuchae: Something came up ;ㅡ;]
Something came up?
Yuchae had mentioned being late or having trouble logging in due to personal matters a few times before, but this time, it felt different.
Could it be something related to the Hiore pro team? If Yuchae really was the same person as Chae Yujeong, that was a possibility.
Even if she wasn't actively competing, Chae Yujeong was still part of the team. There had to be things she needed to do—like team meetings, for example…
I asked as naturally as I could.
[Jeojollyeoyo: Will you be really late?]
[Yuchae: A bit?]
[Yuchae: I think it'll be past 7]
[Jeojollyeoyo: What're you doing that you can't come till 7?]
[Yuchae: I live alone]
[Yuchae: But my parents called me to visit home]
[Yuchae: It's kinda far, so going there and back takes time. Sob
'…What?'
I didn't expect her to bring up visiting her parents out of nowhere.
I thought she'd come up with some random excuse, but instead, she gave a completely reasonable answer—which threw me off even more.
[Jeojollyeoyo: Oh, I see;;]
[Jeojollyeoyo: If it's family, can't be helped]
[Yuchae: LOL]
[Yuchae: I'll let Muljom know separately, so don't worry]
[Yuchae: I'll still try to get back early ><]
[Jeojollyeoyo: Just don't push yourself]
Was she telling the truth…? Or just lying so I wouldn't suspect anything?
If I were 100% sure that Yuchae and Chae Yujeong were the same person, it would've been easier to look for solid proof—but being stuck in this gray area just made everything feel unsettled.
When I was with Chae Yujeong, she seemed suspicious. When I was playing with Yuchae, she seemed suspicious. I was starting to get worn down. I'd never been this suspicious of someone in my entire life. It really didn't come naturally.
[Party] Muljommasyeora: 1 minute left
[Party] Muljommasyeora: If you're not in Discord yet, get in now
[Party] Muljommasyeora: Let's go go
[Party] Jeojollyeoyo: Yep
For now, let's just focus on clearing the raid.
It wouldn't take long since it was only Normal, but the goal wasn't just to clear it. We had to memorize the patterns, so we'd need to keep repeating it until tomorrow.
＊＊＊
[Muljommasyeora: As announced, Abyss run is on Saturday at 2PM]
[Muljommasyeora: 2 in the afternoon]
[Mokappangppangppang: Whew, at least I don't have to wake up early this time]
[Starrickim: 3 days left]
[Haereun: No changes to the party lineup, right?]
[Haereun: Guild master's joining too, yeah?]
[Muljommasyeora: Yep]
[Muljommasyeora: I'll be there this time]
[TheHunter: But for DPS calculations…]
[TheHunter: Someone's gotta take care of that]
[TheHunter: Anyone up for it?]
[ParkSeungConssi: I can do it, hehe]
[Haereun: ?]
[Mokappangppangppang: ??]
[LaggyKid: You can do it? Really?]
[ParkSeungConssi: Why are your reactions so harsh]
[ParkSeungConssi: I'm super fast at math]
[ParkSeungConssi: Test me]
[Haereun: LOL]
[Haereun: What's 478 times 212?]
[ParkSeungConssi: 81534]
[Mokappangppangppang: ?????]
[Haereun: Not even close]
[ParkSeungConssi: But I was fast, right?]
[TheHunter: WTF LOLLLLLL]
[Hwasoun: LOLOLOLOL]
[ManaO-RingNam: He's lost it LOL]
[Starrickim: I'll do it…]
[Muljommasyeora: Yeah… pls do]
It was past 9PM. I was still at school working on a group project with classmates and took a break to sip some coffee and check my phone.
"Are you staying longer, senior?"
"We're gonna head out now."
The juniors I was working with were packing up and asking me as they got ready to leave. I looked up from my phone and gave them a small smile.
"I've still got a long way to go. It's late, so be careful heading home."
"Okay, we'll head out first, then."
One of the juniors met my gaze, smiled back, and gave a polite nod as they left.
As soon as the juniors left, Kim Daeseok, who had been groaning while clutching his head, dragged his chair over to me.
"Look at you, grinning from ear to ear."
"…Why are you picking a fight out of nowhere?"
"Come on, just be honest. There's another reason you turned down that blind date Eunaeseong set you up with, isn't there?"
How long was he going to keep bringing up that introduction I got over winter break? I gave him a pitiful look and turned my head away without a word. But he grabbed my arm.
"I knew it. You're making progress with Solji, aren't you?"
"…Who's Solji?"
"The first-year who made deep eye contact with you just now while saying goodbye! Don't even know the name of your junior?"
"What would a first-year see in a returning student like me? And why are you so obsessed with juniors anyway?"
"Seniors are supposed to look after juniors! Who else would?"
"We've officially decided to call that being a boomer."
Just as I was brushing off Kim Daeseok's hand, my phone buzzed at perfect timing. The caller was Seo Taeyeong.
"Boomer?! Come on, how old do you think I am?!"
Leaving the flustered Daeseok behind, I stepped into the hallway to take the call.
"Hello?"
"Hyung, what's up? Did you have a good trip?"
— Yeah, it was great. You free to talk right now?
"Yeah, it's fine. Why?"
It hadn't been long since we'd met at the wedding, so if Seo Taeyeong was calling separately, it had to be about something.
Sure enough, he cleared his throat awkwardly and started speaking.
— It's nothing major, but… Ji-han, I heard you… ahem, met Chae Yujeong at the wedding?
"I did. But nothing really happened."
— I know. She's been bragging nonstop about how you two exchanged numbers.
"…."
What the hell am I supposed to say to that?
— She's always had a bit of a soft spot for you, so I'm glad you two are getting closer… but lately, she seems too excited, and that's kind of worrying me.
"Worried? About what?"
— She had an interview scheduled recently, I think. The content just came out, and, well…
He paused, sounding unsure of how to say it.
— I think she might have talked about you in it.
"What?"
— She didn't mention any names or usernames, obviously. But the way she phrased things… it just really reminded me of you. It's hard to explain. I'll send you the link—take a look yourself.
A dull headache crept into my temples. So… Chae Yujeong had an interview, and she mentioned me in it?
What the hell is she up to now?
There really wasn't a single day without some kind of mess. I let out a deep sigh.
"I'll check the link and talk to her directly."
— Yeah, it's best if you guys sort it out yourselves. Don't stress too much. It's not that big a deal, but I figured you should know.
True. If Taeyeong hadn't told me, I'd probably never have found out. I didn't check game sites, and I had no idea what Chae Yujeong had been up to lately.
"Got it. Thanks for letting me know."
— Alright. I'll hang up now.
Right after we ended the call, a message from Taeyeong came in. I tapped the link, and it opened straight to a gaming news site. At the top of the page was a banner for Chae Yujeong's interview.
[ 'Sense,' LVS Team Player, Returning After a One-Year Hiatus]
I clicked the banner, and the full interview page loaded. At the top was a photo of Chae Yujeong in her LVS team uniform.
"…Huh."
As I scrolled down through the interview, a faint laugh slipped out near the end.
Chae Yujeong, you damn little—
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