Supporting Characters in the Game are Obsessed

Multiple characters in the monitor simultaneously charged towards the giant monster.

Above the head of the final boss of the dungeon, bold letters appeared.

【Katalos, the Golden Meteor】

Seeing that name, one might think of someone, but according to the game content developer (Eve), it’s merely a coincidence caused by data mining.

I couldn’t argue any further.

I just shrugged it off.

Katalos’s health was already on the floor. The graphics showed Katalos swinging his fists and glowing.

Just a little more, just a bit more.

After countless failures and attempts, I was on the brink of clearing the dungeon.

《I will never give up!》

The boss’s dialogue appeared in the game text. A red circle spread out from the floor where the boss stood.

I urgently typed into the chat.

[ ImARealWizard (Warrior): Breath!!! Move to the corner!!!! ]

It would have been great if I could give orders through the mic.

Unfortunately, most players (including myself) preferred to hide their identities.

Thanks to that, all instructions and explanations had to be relayed through chat.

That meant as the Guild Master of the Warrior Craftsman Union, I had to move around busily.

Everyone moved to the corner after seeing my chat.

I had previously explained the boss’s attack patterns, so characters that died from the final desperate attack were nowhere to be seen.

Except for me.

Flames erupted from Katalos’s mouth, filling the dungeon.

[ ‘ImARealWizard (Warrior)’ has died. ]

I had tanked in the center until the very end, and that was the result of needing to type commands in chat.

I left my character’s ghost behind and turned my head towards Eve, who was diligently controlling her character.

“…Can you do it?”

“Yes, I can.”

Eve pounded on the keyboard.

At last, Eve’s character cast the final fire magic, exploding on the boss monster.

The graphics were terrible, but after hours of trying, that scenery felt magnificent and splendid.

《You’ll see…, I will return!》

With that text, Katalos slowly turned transparent.

That was when everyone’s chat burst out.

[ P2034871140 (Warrior): Got it!!! ]
[ P77648 (Warrior): Kyaaaaa!! ]
[ Grepejamiohnya (Thief): That was close;; ]

Party members sent short impressions.

Eve then approached my fallen character to revive it.

Phew, we cleared it.

As I watched my character rise, surrounded by a halo of light, I typed in the chat.

[ ImARealWizard (Warrior): Everyone, great job on the raid! ]

I had no idea how many hours it took.

It felt like I’d been going from morning till evening. Naturally, I hadn’t eaten during that time.

The second officer I had first recommended as a Warrior approached me and typed in the chat.

[ P2034871140 (Warrior): You’re really the Guild Master, drawing aggro until the end was nice. ]
[ ImARealWizard (Warrior): Nah, it was thanks to all of you who didn’t fall off and tackled it. ]

Other party members in the dungeon were also savoring the aftertaste.

[ Grepejamiohnya (Thief): I think I might die from that poison, heal me… ]
[ Eve (Wizard): Dotakbung ]
[ Grepejamiohnya (Thief): ? ]

First, I collected every single item the boss monster dropped.

It was a predetermined step from when we first formed the party.

Now, it was time for rolling the ‘dice’ that people expected just as much as tackling the dungeon monsters.

[ ImARealWizard (Warrior): Everyone gather here! I will distribute drop items by profession! ]

Even just glancing at the items’ appearances, their quality was beyond imagination.

With a limited number of players, this might be the first clear.

As such, many people were eager.

Players who had scattered to chat quickly clustered near me.

During that time, I spoke to Eve, who was sitting at the computer right next to mine and watching the monitor.

“Eve, you worked hard too.”

“Positive statement, saving to voice data. And you can reward me later.”

“Hmm?”

I didn’t know what she needed, but I couldn’t not do something for Eve, who played a crucial role in the strategy.

“Well, first, let’s distribute the items.”

I turned my gaze back to the monitor.

And then.

[ ImARealWizard (Warrior): First, I’ll distribute Warrior gear through dice (typing…) ]

– Thud, thud, thud!

Someone knocked on our door.

…Wait.

My instincts were screaming.

I turned the ‘message alerts’ back on, which I had silenced to avoid disrupting the game.

Tens of alerts had arrived, most from a single name.

Upon confirming, I carefully walked toward the front door to avoid making noise.

From beyond the door, a familiar woman’s voice was relayed.

[ Why do I hear a woman’s voice all day inside?! Okay, I’ll count to three. If you don’t come out, I’ll force it open─. ]

Upon hearing that, I instinctively tried to open the door. It was a reflexive action from over a decade spent with Catherine.

However, I was halted by the intense sense of crisis, preventing me from reaching for the handle.

I turned around.

I surveyed the scene in my room.

Eve was sitting in front of the computer, staring at me.

A large double bed.

Signs that it appeared two people lived here.

“Ah.”

[ I just heard everything, I’m opening the door!! ]

This was bad.

17. The Reason for the Visit (1)

Ancient sages once said.

Even if you get bitten by a tiger, as long as you keep your wits, you can live.

In that aspect.

I calmly typed into the chat.

[ ImARealWizard (Warrior): Everyone, genuinely, I’m not lying, I have an urgent matter to attend to, so I’ll distribute the items later. See you then. ]

[ P77648 (Warrior): ? ]
[ Grepejamiohnya (Thief): Are you insane? ]
[ P2034871140 (Warrior): Guild Master? ]

Ignoring their reactions, I exited the game.

Not distributing the drop items might lead to various stories surfacing afterward, but that wasn’t something to worry about right now.

It wasn’t a matter of life and death for me.

I stared at the black screen of the monitor.

After a little mind control, I awkwardly smiled and turned back.

“…How about a tea?”

“No.”

The boss in the game, known as the Golden Meteor, could be handled solely through dealing damage.

But the childhood friend who heard the noise from next door had no such resolution.

“…….”

“…….”

I wished she’d at least say something.

Catherine merely sat in the center of the room, staring at me intently.

At least she took off her shoes before entering, so she hadn’t lost all composure.

I didn’t know how to explain this situation. I quietly awaited Catherine’s words.

Up until now, while living in the cyberpunk world, Catherine had never gotten mad at me, and she didn’t seem to be angry now.

(As crazy as it sounds, it’s true.)

Still.

Looking into Catherine’s moist eyes, I was plagued with an inexplicable guilt.

Catherine finally spoke.

I had no intention of making excuses.

I simply listened to her words in silence.

“……I want to live together.”

“Pardon?”

I doubted my ears.

*

This is a story from long ago.

The time when Catherine and Lee Siwoon first met has become a distant past.

And back then.

The young girl, Catherine, looked at the similarly young Siwoon and thought.

‘…Is this guy insane?’

It wasn’t strange at all.

Because of corporate privatization, hundreds of drones for cleaning (killing) organic matter were flying around, and there he was, looking bewildered, staring at her.

‘…….’

For reasons unknown, Catherine decided to take care of that boy for a while.

Perhaps it was because they were of similar ages.

Or maybe it was because just recently, a childhood friend, who was close to Catherine, had been caught by a drone due to clumsiness.

If Catherine hadn’t helped Siwoon, it was painfully obvious what his future would have entailed.

And that was when it began.

Catherine started to walk around with Siwoon.

From teaching him how to live there, introducing helpful people, solving various incidents, and crossing various lines.

After spending over a decade together, it was not strange for her to develop feelings beyond kinship for the boy she once saw as a younger brother.

Of course, his face also matched her preference.

As such, Catherine couldn’t help but feel an indescribable sense of betrayal regarding the current situation.

Of course, she knew rationally.

Not that this should be articulated as betrayal.

She was also self-aware that if she didn’t want to see such a situation, she should have taken the initiative earlier.

But.

‘…From now on.’

Even so, she wasn’t about to give up.

With this development, regardless of how the situation flows going forward,

Catherine silently vowed that she would never back down.

‘……I should check if Neon City permits polygyny.’

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