By Zephyria 
Mo Yeon-hu stared blankly at the screen, chewing over the words Kwon Mi-eon had spat out.
‘…When he says “Hyung,” is he talking about me?’
The man, who had been playing the game with an expressionless face that made it impossible to tell what he was thinking, was now muttering in a fierce tone, his eyes gleaming sharply.
‘He’s angry because of me, isn’t he?’
The thought that he had fought that Tanker because of him, and that his mood had soured because Mo Yeon-hu had been defeated, gave him a strange feeling. No, “strange” wasn’t the right word to describe this emotion.
What was this? It was almost like…
(General) oTyudakTyudako: I shouldn’t have stepped in…
(General) oTyudakTyudako: Thank you for helping me;;
‘Ah.’
Lost in thought, Mo Yeon-hu snapped back to reality upon seeing the chat.
‘Right! He didn’t save me; he just helped a fellow Supporter!’
Then again, seeing how Kwon Mi-eon had saved him when he was being beaten in the X Server, he figured Kwon Mi-eon might actually have a subtly righteous personality.
Feeling a complex mix of relief and disappointment, Mo Yeon-hu looked at the screen awkwardly.
(General) NotMiyeong: No, I’m not.
Kwon Mi-eon typed in the chat for the first time. Mo Yeon-hu’s gaze locked onto the words spoken by the man who had remained focused on the PVP without batting an eye, regardless of the mockery he received.
(General) NotMiyeong: I saved my Oppa.
And then, his gaze wavered violently.
‘…Huh? Oppa?’
Kwon Mi-eon even turned to look back at where the arbiter was standing and added one more word as if to drive the point home…!
(General) NotMiyeong: Right, Oppa?
He’s teasing again. With that weird nickname, calling him “Oppa” to make fun of him—he should be angry.
‘…Have I gone crazy?’
The arbiter character looking at him with that absurd sentence floating above its head, Saengnyeonwolilsi lying dead on the ground, and the sound of a soft chuckle coming from the seat next to him.
‘Why does he look so cool?’
Even though it was clearly a joke, instead of getting angry, he felt a strange sensation. It was similar to the feeling he had when he first met him in the X Server, but the sensation was far more intense, and he found himself staring blankly at Kwon Mi-eon.
“What is it?”
Perhaps noticing that Mo Yeon-hu was unusually quiet, Kwon Mi-eon turned his head. His gentle tone, asking if something was wrong, was completely different from the voice he had used while muttering at the screen moments ago.
The man whose eyes had gleamed fiercely was gone; it was hard to keep looking at him as he scanned Mo Yeon-hu with those uniquely glossy eyes.
“…No, I just saw the chat.”
Mo Yeon-hu changed the subject for no reason, scratching his cheek in embarrassment.
(General) oTyudakTyudako: Wow ㅠㅠㅠ
(General) oTyudakTyudako: Mi-yeong-nim, thank you so much; thinking about how my items would’ve been looted, ugh;
(General) oTyudakTyudako: ㅠㅠㅠ I was just acting out for no reason;;
(General) MidOnly: But guys, are Supporters usually advantageous in PVP??
(General) DIdiIdI: No?
(General) IReallyHaveNothing: That’s kind of refreshing, lol
(General) IReallyHaveNothing: I was annoyed that person kept monopolizing the quest… Mi-yeong-nim, thank you so much…
(General) JELLlly: He’s been deciding the spots all by himself since earlier ♥
The chat window was busier than expected. It seemed that not only oTyudakTyudako, but quite a few other users had been watching the situation in silence, pretending not to.
Curious about Kwon Mi-eon’s reaction, Mo Yeon-hu stole a glance. Kwon Mi-eon was typing something with his hand on the keyboard, his face expressionless. Well, with this much praise, he’d probably be in a good mood and say something…
(General) NotMiyeong: I’m not Mi-yeong.
Mo Yeon-hu felt the air leave his lungs.
(General) MustSucceed: Wow, committed to the concept lol
Furthermore, as if he were finished with his business, Kwon Mi-eon took his hand off the keyboard after that one chat. Then, he quietly sent a party invitation to Mo Yeon-hu.
“Let’s finish the quest.”
He acted as if he had zero interest in the surrounding commotion, but the chat window was still heating up with analyses of Kwon Mi-eon’s play.
(General) DIdiIdI: But seriously, is this the first time anyone’s won with Drug Ban among Supporter Skills? ㅅ?
(General) oTyudakTyudako: True. I’ve seen Supporter Players use it occasionally in PVP, but the activation conditions are incredibly strict.
(General) DIdiIdI: Yeah, I heard you have to hit head-shoulder-belly or something.
(General) oTyudakTyudako: To win by hitting every single one without missing once is just…;
To the Supporter users, it seemed even more obvious how incredible Kwon Mi-eon’s control was.
While looking at the chat, a notification pinged. Mo Yeon-hu checked the bottom of the game screen, but nothing new had popped up. The source of the sound seemed to be on Kwon Mi-eon’s side.
“Did something come in?”
Leaning over slightly to check, he saw an invitation.
[You have received an invitation to join the Alliance <System Error>. Do you accept?]
YES
NO
‘The System Error Alliance invited Kwon Mi-eon?’
Mo Yeon-hu blinked. He tilted his head in confusion, but soon learned what was happening through a whisper.
(Whisper) oTyudakTyudako: Mi-yeong-nim, would you happen to be interested in joining an Alliance??
(Whisper) oTyudakTyudako: Our Alliance needs a lot of Supporters…! And we’re very active in nurturing beginners!!
(Whisper) oTyudakTyudako: I asked the Alliance Leader, and they said a skilled Supporter is always welcome, so would you like to join if you’re interested??
(Whisper) oTyudakTyudako: Our Alliance Members have really great specs!!
They had clearly taken notice of Kwon Mi-eon.
‘So what. Knowing Kwon Mi-eon’s personality, he’ll definitely reject it instantly… Huh?’
However, unlike his usual self, Kwon Mi-eon didn’t press reject immediately; he just stared at the screen. He even looked like he was contemplating it for a moment.
Then again, every piece of content in this game revolved around Alliances. Quests could be solved much faster with the help of Alliance Members.
Click. But Kwon Mi-eon dismissed the Alliance invitation. Then, he simply sent a coordinate to the party chat and asked a question.
“Hyung, how about this way? It looks like there aren’t many people here; wouldn’t it be a good place to hunt?”
He was still talking about the quest.
“You’re not joining the Alliance?”
Mo Yeon-hu was the one who was flustered.
“That Alliance doesn’t look bad…”
Searching the Alliance window briefly, he saw that the <System Error> Alliance had a huge number of members. Moreover, it seemed their rank had climbed significantly recently.
“I’ve been keeping an eye on them, so I didn’t reject it immediately.”
The answer that came back was completely unexpected.
“Keeping an eye on an Alliance?”
If this were the X Server, it would be one thing, but it was quite puzzling that Kwon Mi-eon was monitoring an Alliance in the Eden Server, where most players were beginners.
“There’s a specific reason it’s on my mind. Well… I’m still not sure, but I want to check if it’s the side I’m looking for.”
Kwon Mi-eon explained nonchalantly. But Mo Yeon-hu paused. If it was the side he was looking for…
‘Could he suspect them of being VITA?’
Suddenly, Mo Yeon-hu remembered something he had forgotten in the hustle and bustle.
‘Right! What’s happening with the spy?!’
Mo Yeon-hu wanted to demand an answer from Kwon Mi-eon, but he couldn’t. Now that 0momo0 had declared they weren’t him, what could he possibly ask!
‘Ah, this is driving me crazy.’
It would be different if he had quit the game entirely, but since that wasn’t the case, it was ambiguous. Mo Yeon-hu stealthily gauged Kwon Mi-eon’s reaction and cautiously brought up the topic.
“Let’s join an Alliance.”
“Pardon?”
“Let’s join System Error.”
Since Mo Yeon-hu, who had seemed completely uninterested in Alliances just a few minutes ago, was suddenly burning with enthusiasm, Kwon Mi-eon blinked and then let out a small smirk as if he had realized something.
“All of a sudden?”
“I-I just heard there are a lot of benefits to joining an Alliance. Quests are easier, and if high-level people help us…”
Watching Mo Yeon-hu ramble through his excuses, Kwon Mi-eon paused as if to say something, then shrugged as if he would let it slide this time.
“Yes, well… the game does get easier if you join an Alliance.”
“Right, that’s what I’m saying.”
“Then shall we join that one?”
“Yeah! Ah! Of course, it’s not like I’m joining for some other purpose. I’m joining because Alliances really are good, okay? And you seem to want to go too, so…”
“Yes, I understand.”
“You really understand, right? It’s not because I have some other reason, I just want to go…!”
“Yes, yes. I’ll send the chat.”