NOVEL NEXT chapter 120
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: Taking care of newbies should be the devs’ job, not yours, Honeybread.
[Party] Honeybread: I told you yesterday.
[Party] Honeybread: The market spike? That’s on me.
[Party] Honeybread: I’m just giving out money ‘cause I feel bad about that.
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: Losing one war doesn’t make you responsible for paying everyone, though.
Oh? Did he just say war?
[Party] Honeybread: You know about the faction wars?
I poked him, just to see if he’d slip up again—and sure enough, he went quiet for a second like he’d just remembered what character he was playing.
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: I studied a lot before starting the game.
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: They say market prices shift based on who wins faction wars.
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: It was even in a news article.
[Party] Honeybread: Wow, look at you.
[Party] Honeybread: So studious. I’m proud of you.
That scramble to find an excuse—trying to play it cool—was honestly hilarious.
I kept trading while waiting for his next line. He was clearly being more careful now, typing slower.
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: I just mean there’s no real reason for you to take care of other players like this.
[Party] Honeybread: I'm giving because I want to give.
[Party] Honeybread: I gave to you too, didn’t I?
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: That was a loan.
Sure. Technically. Not like I’ll ever take it back.
[Party] Honeybread: Well, the others got Amber too.
[Party] Honeybread: They can pay it back by contributing in the next war.
[Party] Honeybread: Or by helping other newbies if I can’t.
[Party] Honeybread: As long as it gets used well, I don’t care how.
I typed that out while giving the last person their money. One guy tried to double-dip while I was distracted, but jokes on him—I have a steel-trap memory for nicknames. I rejected the trade and sent a clenched fist emote his way. He whimpered something in general chat and scurried off.
Now it was just # Nоvеlight # the two of us.
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: Most of the people who took your money were just out to benefit themselves.
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: Winning the war benefits them too, so money or no money, they’ll try to improve and fight. You don’t owe them anything.
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: There’s no proof they’ll use it well. How can you trust them enough to just throw Amber at them?
That… yeah. That was a very Gang Jaegyung thing to say. Deeply cynical. Always skeptical of people.
I agreed with him—to a point. But my reason for giving wasn’t really about trust.
[Party] Honeybread: I’m not trusting them.
[Party] Honeybread: I’m trusting me.
[Party] Honeybread: “If the top is clean, the bottom follows.”
[Party] Honeybread: And I’m pretty damn clean, lol.
[Party] Honeybread: If the leader sets the tone, the rest follow.
[Party] Honeybread: So quit stressing. Why so mad?
[Party] Honeybread: We’ve got games to play, not debates to win.
I tried to gently nudge him out of whatever moral spiral he was in. If we were actually in the same room, I probably would’ve shoved snacks into his hands. A shame I couldn’t.
It seemed to work—he didn’t reply right away. But then, finally:
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: So… do you think of the other players as your subordinates?
What the hell?
That came out of nowhere. I froze up a second. Then my brain kicked into overdrive, recalling every little quirk of Gang Jaegyung’s worldview.
We’d just been talking about why I give out Amber. Then I’d said something about “those below me.” And now this guy’s asking if I actually see other players as beneath me.
I didn’t get how his mind even worked sometimes. But if I knew one thing about him from his streams, it was this: he must’ve accepted my reasoning for the giveaways. He understood why I did it. But that one phrase—“those below me”—had triggered a whole new question:
“Wait, why does he talk like he’s above everyone else?”
And honestly… fair.
[Party] Honeybread: Uh…
[Party] Honeybread: That phrase wasn’t meant to sound demeaning or anything;
[Party] Honeybread: It’s more like—I’m the captain, they’re the squad, y’know?
[Party] Honeybread: This game’s all about hierarchy and war. That’s just the tone.
[Party] Honeybread: No hidden meaning. Don’t take it the wrong way—
Truthfully? Yeah, I did tend to look down on people. Grew up pampered, called “the future CEO” since I was a kid, and even among my friends, I was the one they deferred to. That kind of upbringing makes it hard not to develop a superiority complex.
But still, I wasn’t some monster. I didn’t outright treat people like trash. I tried to watch my mouth, even if I often failed.
Especially with Gang Jaegyung… ugh. If he took a screenshot of this and posted it online, it’d explode. Not enough to ruin me, but enough to get all the haters barking.
I stared at his still character, wondering what was going through his head. Would’ve been nice if he replied already.
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: So that makes me part of the squad too?
Whew.
That wasn’t a trap. It wasn’t even aggressive. Just a simple, honest question.
He’d accepted my explanation again.
[Party] Honeybread: You’re more like…
[Party] Honeybread: Hm…………
[Party] Honeybread: A favorite junior?
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: What about Retaking a Class?
…Wait, is he seriously comparing Gonyanyanya to Retaking a Class?
[Party] Honeybread: He’s just an enemy commander...
He went quiet for a second. Then he came back with another angle.
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: So I’m beneath you, but Retaking a Class is your equal?
[Party] Honeybread: I mean, if you wanna be technical…
So that’s it, huh?
“To you, Gonyanyanya’s just a subordinate, but Retaking a Class is your peer?”
Classic jealousy. Like sorting out ranks made him feel better. God, what a petty bastard.
[Party] Honeybread: Don’t take it so personally.
[Party] Honeybread: I don’t even like strict hierarchies in real life.
I added a few lines of soft reassurance, just in case he was playing up the newbie image. Wanted to sound like I was comforting someone who might be emotionally sensitive.
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: Nah
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: I wasn’t offended, really. ㅎㅎ
Damn right you weren’t. You are Retaking a Class.
[Party] Honeybread: ok ok, you’re chill
[Party] Honeybread: nice
[Party] Honeybread: If you’re done pouting, let’s go push some quests, yeah?
I patted his ego and coaxed him back into the main objective. It must’ve worked—his character finally started moving.
I fell in line behind him again, playing the loyal pet. A few more so-called “newbies” passed by, fishing for handouts, but thanks to my earlier speech, Gang Jaegyung just stared silently instead of scolding me.
About twenty minutes later, another message popped up.
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: It says to head to Base 51.
Ooh, finally—field quest time.
[Party] Honeybread: let’s gooooo
[Party] Honeybread: let’s go let’s go let’s go let’s go
My fingers were itching. All the Viajok players were tied up in dungeons and raids right now, which meant the field was packed with Jeojajok. It was gonna be fun.
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: But I’ve got a question
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: Not about the game, though
I was just about to explain buffs to match his newbie act when he said that. Curious, I waited.
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: If, like you said, I really am a hidden god-tier player and I become a combat medic as skilled as Retaking a Class…
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: Then would we be equals?
If Gonyanyanya reached Retaking a Class-level skill… would that make us equals?
Maybe?
Assuming Gonyanyanya was a real person and not a puppet alt, sure. In pure skill, Retaking a Class and I were evenly matched. So if Gonyanyanya matched that level, then yeah—we’d be on equal footing.
But we’d already fallen into a vertical dynamic—mentor and mentee. Could that ever be erased? A relationship that starts equal is different from one that transitions from hierarchy. Some imbalance would always linger.
[Party] Honeybread: dunno;?
My brain didn’t want to handle the nuance. My fingers typed the answer before I finished thinking it through.
Then, belatedly, my thoughts caught up—and panic set in. Wait. Was this a trap?
That was a layered question. One that Gang Jaegyung could’ve easily answered himself. But he wanted my answer. Why?
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: So it would be hard, huh?
So that’s it. He’s hoping it’ll be hard. That I’ll say it’s impossible.
I couldn’t even come up with a counter before he filled the chat window.
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: Parents always see their kids as children... It’s hard to erase a relationship that’s already been established.
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: Even if two people stand on equal footing now, the past doesn’t just disappear—people carry those memories.
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: As long as the weight of perception is different, true equality is impossible.
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: I was just wondering if I could ever become a player you’d value like Retaking a Class. But being compared at all feels hard.
So what he’s really saying is, “I can never be on the same level as Retaking a Class. Only he gets to stand beside you.”
[Party] Gonyanyanya2: That’s a little sad. ㅎㅎ
Yeah, I bet. I could practically see him smirking like an idiot through the screen.
Fine. Sure. Retaking a Class is the only one who’s truly my equal. (Totally ignoring the fact that Retaking a Class is him.)
Congrats, you emotional wreck. Keep shadowboxing and pitying yourself all you want. Won’t last long once I knock that smug little smile off your face.