Stalkerizing

There was either some other motive, or they were such an outcast that they couldn’t find anyone to team up with, even among the most despised classes. Either way, they were definitely a player.

What supported that assumption was the temporary nickname they seemed to have been issued.

There was only one reason someone would end up with a name like that—getting reported for having an offensive or inappropriate character name.

Just how disgusting was their original name…?

Sa-yoon furrowed his brow as he stared at the monitor.

He had never seen a player with such an inappropriate name who was actually in their right mind.

[Whisper] a10235044: Aren’t we going?

Still, rejecting the offer outright was difficult—the Hunter’s party invitation was too tempting.

…Fine, just a quick daily quest, then we’ll part ways.

[Party] Chasa: But I get first dibs on the middle three chests.

[Party] a10235044: Sure, sounds good!

This was a precaution to prevent loot theft. The player with the temporary nickname accepted without hesitation, not even pausing to consider.

Were they not a scammer, at least?

[Party] a10235044: I’ll clear the way ahead.

[3-Player Dungeon – Medusa’s Hideout has appeared.]

The system message announcing the dungeon’s opening popped up the moment the temporary nickname spoke.

The speed was unnatural—unless they had been waiting at the entrance the whole time. Sa-yoon’s suspicion only grew. Regardless, he quickly made his way to the dungeon’s entrance, his carefully dyed black cloak billowing with each step.

[May the blessing of the Twelve Gods be upon you.]

As he approached the shrine NPC responsible for dungeon entry and initiated dialogue, the NPC greeted him with a blessing and presented the selection menu.

[Where would you like to enter?]
/

Old habits were strong—his hand instinctively moved toward the left option before hesitating. Selecting a three-player dungeon was an unusual experience for him.

The screen transitioned, revealing the dungeon’s interior.

A quick glance from the starting point showed that the stone chamber doors leading further inside were already open.

Before stepping in, Sa-yoon swiftly summoned a demon.

[[Combat] At the call of the Contractor ‘Chasa,’ the high-tier demon Vine is summoned.]

A summoning circle lit up on the ground, and from it, a massive serpent-like demon emerged.

Sa-yoon sent his summon ahead. The black scales along the snake’s back shimmered as it slithered forward.

The high-end graphics settings, upgraded with an entire paycheck back when visuals were constantly breaking new records, were proving their worth.

The moment the serpent lifted its head upon arrival at its destination, Sa-yoon rapidly hit the screenshot button.

In an instant, more than twenty images were saved to his screenshot folder.

If a summon was left idle in one spot without commands, it would cycle through various animations. Sa-yoon wasn’t about to miss out on those.

After taking solo shots of his summon, he joined it in the frame. When the master stood nearby, interactive animations would trigger—looking at each other, playfully showing affection—adorable gestures like that.

The background was so stunning that every shot turned out great no matter where he positioned himself.

Afterward, he adjusted his perspective and repeated the same actions in the middle of the open doorway.

For a warlock, Medusa’s Hideout was a rare destination.

Especially the starting area, where beams of light streamed through cracks in the ceiling—an absolute prime location among fashion screenshot enthusiasts.

If he could, he would have meticulously captured every inch from start to finish.

Just two hours would be perfect.

But no party member enjoyed having progress delayed just because someone wanted to take personal screenshots.

Sa-yoon knew this all too well, so with a tinge of regret, he stopped taking screenshots.

Medusa’s Hideout had a straightforward structure: upon entering, it followed a pattern of stone chamber—corridor—stone chamber—corridor. The third stone chamber housed the mid-boss, while the final chamber contained the dungeon boss, Medusa herself.

Yet, the first chamber was completely empty, and one of its doors stood open. A sudden sense of unease crept over Sa-yoon.

[Party] Chasa: Where are you right now?

[Party] a10235044: Clearing Room 2.

[Party] Chasa: Sorry, sorry! I’ll be there soon.

The pace was far faster than he had expected.

Are Hunters’ DPS usually this high? So this is why people keep raving about them. Clearing this much solo… definitely a busted class…

Suppressing the inevitable jealousy that came with the gap he couldn’t overcome, Sa-yoon popped some buffs.

As he stepped into the elongated corridor, he spotted the temporary nickname waiting for him at the far end. The closer he got to his party member, the more he found himself questioning his own eyes.

[Party] a10235044: Hello.

The other player greeted him, but Sa-yoon was too busy frantically scrolling his mouse wheel in disbelief.

“What’s with this look?”

The temporary nickname’s character was… blinding. And not in the metaphorical, “glad you joined the party” kind of way—no, their character was literally glowing.

“A Travbiata uniform… and who the hell loaded it up with this many accessories…?”

The Travbiata uniform itself was already designed to be extravagant, inspired by the ceremonial outfits of a temple knight order. In fact, most players who wore it opted to leave it as is, without any added embellishments.

The accessories, or “detailed parts,” had zero stat bonuses—they were purely decorative items.

When first introduced, they were met with equal parts criticism for being utterly useless and praise for being the best update ever. Sa-yoon had, of course, belonged to the latter camp.

“Brooch, epaulets, a fashion belt, a cravat… How many pieces are there?”

Accessories inherently made an outfit flashier, but there was a reason the phrase “too much is just as bad as too little” existed.

The temporary nickname… well, they looked like someone who had been consumed by their accessories. Or maybe they were forced into it at gunpoint. It took a special kind of skill to turn perfectly fine cash items into that kind of disaster.

[Party] a10235044: Chasa-nim?

[Party] Chasa: Hello.

The player seemed rather impatient. Which, in hindsight, made sense—after all, they had rushed ahead and started clearing before the rest of the party had even entered.

Even as he quickly returned the greeting, Sa-yoon’s eyes remained locked onto the player’s bizarrely dressed character.

“Are they an aspiring jeweler or something?”

Starting with a circlet embedded with a fist-sized ruby, then moving down to a cravat precariously fastened onto their high-collared coat, and topped off with gold epaulets adorned with tassels—Sa-yoon clicked his tongue.

Why were they wearing not one, but two thick belts, stacked in an X-shape like some kind of tactical disaster?

His mind reeled at the sheer audacity of it all.

The brooches were clustered together like barnacles, each one so garishly prominent that they clashed rather than complementing each other.

Honestly, if they ever fell on hard times, they could probably pawn off those accessories one by one and never have to worry about buying buff items again.

[Party] a10235044: Roamer, your turn now.

[Party] Chasa: Yep.

At that, Sa-yoon finally tore his gaze away and refocused on the battle ahead. In the distance, a naga—a half-human, half-snake monster—had reached the opposite doorway.

The stone chamber was narrow, but the distance from one end to the other was quite long. With its sluggish movement, it would take a while before the monster reached them.

Confirming the monster’s position, Sa-yoon once again zoomed in to the max while standing beside the temporary nickname.

“…And what the hell is up with that partial dye job?”

Now that he was scrutinizing every inch, details he had missed before started to emerge. Honestly, his reaction was closer to a sigh than a proper question. The blindingly excessive jewelry had overshadowed yet another issue.

Partial dyeing was a feature that allowed different colors for the inner and outer layers of clothing or specific sections of an outfit.

Dyeing the originally blue uniform white—that part was fine. Black and white were classic, foolproof choices in any situation.

The real problem? The accent colors were red and blue.

Was this person some kind of patriot? If not, then what the hell was this color scheme…?

As a fashion enthusiast, Sa-yoon had experimented with all kinds of extravagant outfits. He was also generally respectful of other people’s tastes.

He rotated his camera to check his own character, Chasa.

His shirt-style uniform, along with his hair color, was dyed black. The inside of his cloak was a deep blue. Gold served as the accent color, and all his accessories matched, giving the look a cohesive feel.

At a glance, Chasa’s outfit seemed simple, but upon closer inspection, it was a painstaking combination of rare dyes and accessories that were notoriously difficult to obtain.

A belt, epaulets, a cloak, a brooch—enough detail to keep it from looking plain, yet still maintaining balance.

However, standing next to the temporary nickname made his outfit seem unbelievably minimalist by comparison.

Sa-yoon had once made it to the front page of the game’s community board with a post titled “The Ultimate Detailed Parts Combination.” And now, his legs were shaking.

God, I really want to give them some advice.

If they just removed a few of those accessories—or hell, even just changed the dye job—it would be so much better.

Unconsciously, Sa-yoon licked his dry lips.

He didn’t consider himself the type to stick his nose in other people’s business.

This wasn’t that.

This was a fashion lover’s instinct, lamenting a completely ruined look.

Still… It’d be rude to comment on it when they’d just met, right?

Internal conflict clouded his mind.