Chapter 90
Chapter 90
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: The Departed Guild Master
-----------------------------------------------------------------
* * *
[ #Eom-sot: How is it?? ]
[ #Eom-sot: Did you get my message?? ]
[ #No Future: I saw it but no reply... ]
[ #Eom-sot: ㅠㅠ Guild Master... ]
[ #Eom-sot: I wish you'd come back.... ]
[ #Ju-dyu Ju-dyu: Didn't Shoshot buy up almost all the gear? ]
[ #Eom-sot: Yeah but ]
[ #Eom-sot: Anyway with the burning event + new area patch this time, top gear's getting pierced ]
[ #Eom-sot: With Guild Master's kind of funds, seems like you could just get new stuff instead of buying back from Shoshot ]
[ #Dap-du: Shoshot, didn't you take a loss? ㅠ ]
[ #Shoshot: Nah nah, Guild Master gave it to me cheaper than market price ]
[ #Shoshot: And so what if there's a little loss...... It's just a game, chasing value retention is greedy ]
[ #Dap-du: I'd be lying down in the game forums yelling about value retention;; For real, I respect you ]
The guild where Gerdeni had resided.
After its guild master left, Shoshot had taken over, but—
Ever since the big spender departed, they were steadily losing ground to rival guilds in raids and all sorts of metrics.
[ #No Future: Still, I'll keep messaging ㅇㅇ He'll have no choice but to come back eventually ]
[ #No Future: You know this game has salmon but no quitters lol ]
[ #Shoshot: If you're coming back, now's the time lololol The feed's no joke ]
[ #Lobby's Ghaster: Anyone got hotdogs? ]
[ #Shoshot: Got it... lol ]
[ #Shoshot: Would be great if Guild Master came back, I hate seeing the neighbors brag about being top guild with trash gear not even half as good as yours... ]
[ #Dap-du: I'm struggling too without a steady gold buyer ㅠㅠ Prices are tanking already, dying here ]
[ #Lobby's Ghaster: Anyone got hotdogs? ]
[ #Lobby's Ghaster: Need hotdogs ASAP ]
[ #No Future: Ghaster, I'll put hotdogs or whatever in the guild storage, can you shut your trap for a bit? ]
[ #Lobby's Ghaster: Ok ok I'll shut up ]
[ #Lobby's Ghaster: Trap shut! ]
'Haa.'
She, using the nickname No Future, closed the game chat window and let out a deep sigh.
Igugugug Gerden.
He was the one who taught her—a lifelong solo player in this MMORPG because she hated pandering to people—that guild life wasn't so bad.
To her, who had no close friends due to her standoffish personality, he was like her first friend since getting that big head.
She kept playing this game—not just for fun anymore, more out of inertia—
But mostly because she could always meet Igugugug Gerden—Gerdeni—whenever she logged in.
She didn't know his real name, only that he was a guy her age, inferred from the profile pic on the messenger app after friending via in-game ID—
But to her, Gerdeni felt more vividly real, more like a true friend, than the people around her in real life.
'Idiot…… Are you really quitting the game? Wasn't this all just WWE…….'
This wasn't the first time Gerdeni said he was quitting.
Whenever there was trash balance patch, or a pathetic "remaster" update, or user-hostile changes that users endured but hated seeing others milk—
He'd always declare with a firm face, "I'm done with this crap game," liquidate all his items to guildmates, and leave.
So like always, she'd thought he'd be back in a few weeks like nothing happened, gearing up again and haunting the game like a ghost—but
Surprisingly, he kept updating his "days since last login" record day by day.
She figured it'd take longer since he sold even his precious endgame gear.
But she never imagined he'd stay away despite the game company dumping historic levels of feed.
'No reply…… If you read it, just reply, it'd make me happy? What's so busy? You always had time for the game…….'
Staring idly out the window like that, a reply from Gerdeni finally came.
'It came!'
Her eyes lit up as she checked it right away—and it was—
A scene from some cheeky manga zooming in on the breasts of naked female characters bathing in a hot spring.
Key parts obscured by steam, sure…… but it was plenty explicit enough.
"Ah, you crazy pervert otaku bastard!!"
She chucked her smartphone with gusto—
But still, how long had it been since his last reply?
She picked up the phone from the bed, checked his message again.
And scrutinized the photo he'd sent once more.
It was a blatantly explicit manga panel of a group bath.
Face burning, she cautiously examined the photo and thought.
'Really…… Do guys actually like breasts this huge……?'
Moderately big is fine, but bigger than her head?!
Sure, the shape and form were pretty great, and if picking sides, she preferred big over small too……
But this was…… too much, right?
'Like two watermelons hanging there.'
Just what part of these massive tits captivated Gerdeni?
Lost in thought, staring blankly far too long at the scene of big-breasted girls showing off their charms—
「……What am I doing?」
She snapped out of it and fired back a reply to Gerdeni.
[ You otaku bastardㅡㅡ Quit the hentai manga and come back!! Guild's dying without you!! ]
But.
Even after dozens of minutes, the '1' didn't disappear.
'You crazy bastard, not even reading it this time?!'
Flopped on the bed, she thought.
Boobs that great?? And cartoon character boobs at that??
「…….'
She glanced at her own chest for no reason.
No…… She'd never heard anyone call hers small, but compared to these absurd manga mega-tits—
'Uwaaaaa!!'
What am I even thinking!
She shook her head wildly, turning her ire back on Gerdeni.
Not satisfied with game character boobs?!
「……No.'
Their game had super cute, deformed characters anyway.
Breasts weren't even a thing there.
No, even so…… Skipping game for manga? What kind of nonsense is that.
Just read manga while playing!
'I wanna play together…….'
Hugging her pillow tight, she reminisced about the past.
Past meaning in-game chats, but to her, they were her most precious memories.
[ Igugugug Gerden: Making a guild, join lololol ]
[ No Future: Told you I only solo ]
[ No Future: Partying with you is huge already...ㅡㅡ ]
[ Igugugug Gerden: Fuck that nah ]
[ Igugugug Gerden: This idiot thinks you can free-carry online games solo? Real orangutan brain?? ]
[ No Future: ㅗㅗㅗㅗㅗ ]
[ No Future: Anyway don't leave me out or I'll noob out ]
[ Igugugug Gerden: No ]
[ No Future: Why lololol You need me? ]
[ Igugugug Gerden: Yeah ]
[ No Future: ...? ]
[ Igugugug Gerden: Fun playing with you lololol ]
[ Igugugug Gerden: Anyway fuck that, join, I'll cover setup fees ]
'Fun playing with me, you said…….'
I want to game with you.
Don't you want to game with me?
If you were gonna quit like this anyway, why'd you say that and make the guild with me…….
Muttering unanswered questions over and over—
「……If the online friend keeps nagging, he'll get sick of it and come back?」
Yeah.
He's just burnt out on the game for now.
And hooked on some weird…… big-titted girls everywhere manga.
Even if he's wandering outside now, he'll definitely return to the game someday—she firmly believed.
Of course.
Gerdeni said playing with her was the most fun, after all.
Since she joined the guild on that word alone, wasn't it obvious he had to take responsibility?
'He'll be back soon, right? I can wait patiently for now…….'
Like that, she bit her nails for no reason…… slowly stroking her pillow with a deeply meaningful gesture.
* * *
Days had passed since the group bath.
The day the third proclamation dropped, demon territory expanded massively.
Even human villages near dungeons now saw demons appearing openly.
But those villagers, long interacting with demons, didn't mind them wandering their turf much.
Demons and humans coexisting.
What seemed impossible was becoming clear reality, thanks to the Empress's progressive decision and the Demon King's cooperation backed by God's Plain Fact.
While demons feared war and humans lived peacefully without bloodshed, the church's ongoing charity tamed the pandemic that had swept the continent like wildfire.
Naturally, support for the Imperial Family and Church soared to the heavens.
"All for Lord Igugwoden!"
"Gwo-amen!"
"Long live Empress Eirene!"
Such favorable eyes naturally turned to everyone at the cathedral—
And Linea could sense many recognizing her.
"Lady Linea. Thanks to the relief supplies you provided last time, we survived the crisis safely. I'll visit next time to hear God's word."
"Come anytime. The cathedral is always open."
"Ahh…… Such mercy. From Lady Linea the Holy Knight's Divine Power Pouch, this old woman senses God's Plain Fact. Lord Igugwoden's choices all have reason……."
The grandma's words, bowing her head, nagged a bit.
Not about her chest— she'd gotten used to that.
Working daily with religionists praising the Divine Power Pouch's greatness made it inevitable.
What bugged her was the Plain Fact part.
……If even an unbeliever like me makes you feel 'Plain Fact,' is that the right direction— stuff like that.
Ophelia or Luca might be different; they devoutly served Lord Igugwoden far more than her.
'……As a member of the Dish of Holy Knights, I might be a failure.'
She planned to visit Ares again after work.
He was the only one she could talk freely with, and she wondered how his Sister Karen search ended.
But.
Things didn't go quite as she planned—the meeting happened much sooner.
"Sis."
「……Ares?」
Shockingly…… he'd come to Igugwoden Cathedral on his own again!
Unlike last time, when he'd reluctantly visited just to ask her to find Sister—
"Now you'll come to the cathedral weekly on set days……?"
"Yeah. As a member of the Ainsberg Imperial Family, I want to study Lord Igugwoden's Plain Fact diligently. Already got church permission days ago."
"Study……?"
"Right, Sis. I'm officially converting to the Igugwoden Church this time. No more denying Lord Igugwoden's profound will."
—Sparkle sparkle.
He wore an utterly devout expression, full of sincere faith only a true Igugwoden Church believer could muster.