Chapter 90: You’ll be back soon, right?

[#Umssut: What do you think??]

[#Umssut: Have you gotten a reply??]

[#NoFuture: They read it, but no response yet.]

[#Umssut: ㅠㅠ Guild Master…]

[#Umssut: I really hope they come back….]

[#JooDooJooDoo: Didn’t Shoshot buy almost all the items?]

[#Umssut: Yeah, but…]

[#Umssut: With the Burning Event and the new region patch unlocking higher-tier items,]

[#Umssut: if Guild Master has that kind of capital, they could probably build a new setup instead of buying Shoshot’s old gear.]

[#Dapdoo: Didn’t Shoshot lose money on that? ㅠ]

[#Shoshot: Nah, Guild Master gave it to me for less than the market price.]

[#Shoshot: And even if I lost a bit, so what… it’s just a game. Trying to preserve value in games is just greed.]

[#Dapdoo: If it were me, I’d be throwing a tantrum on the game forums demanding value preservation.;; Respect, though.]

This was the guild of GwoakGwoakGwoakGwoak Igogodon.

After the Guild Master left, the new leader, Shoshot, took over the guild.

However, with the departure of their key player, the guild was losing ground to rival guilds in raids and other metrics.

[#NoFuture: I’ll keep sending messages. They’ll have no choice but to come back eventually.]

[#NoFuture: You know how this game works. There are salmon, but no one ever quits for real.ㅋㅋ]

[#Shoshot: If they’re going to come back, now’s the time.ㅋㅋㅋ The freebies are insane.]

[#LobbyGaster: Anyone have hot dogs?]

[#Shoshot: Yep…ㅋㅋ]

[#Shoshot: It’d be great if Guild Master came back. I’m sick of seeing that other guild with half-decent setups claiming to be the top guild.]

[#Dapdoo: I’m struggling without someone to consistently buy gold from me. ㅠㅠ The falling prices are killing me.]

[#LobbyGaster: Does anyone have hot dogs?]

[#LobbyGaster: I really need hot dogs.]

[#NoFuture: Gaster, I’ll put hot dogs or whatever in the guild storage if you’ll shut up for a second.]

[#LobbyGaster: Got it, shutting up.]

[#LobbyGaster: Shutting!]

***

“Haa…”

She, with the username NoFuture, sighed deeply as she logged out of the game she had been chatting in.

GwoakGwoakGwoakGwoak godon.

Despite being an MMORPG player, she had always avoided interacting with others, preferring to play solo to avoid the hassle of dealing with people.

But Igogodon had shown her that guild life wasn’t all bad.

For someone who lacked close friends and had grown up lonely, Igogodon was the closest thing to a friend she had made since becoming an adult.

The main reason she kept playing the game wasn’t for fun anymore.

It was more of a habit now.

But the thought of being able to meet Igogodon anytime she logged in was what kept her tethered to the game.

She didn’t even know his real name.

All she knew was his username and, from a profile picture on a messenger app, that he was a man around her age.

But to her, Igogodon felt more real than anyone physically close to her.

“Idiot… are you really quitting the game? Wasn’t this all just WWE-level drama…?”

It wasn’t the first time Igogodon had said he’d quit the game.

Whenever there was a horrible balance patch, a disappointing remaster update, or a patch that favored the developers over the players, he would declare, “I’m done with this trash game,” and give away all his gear to others.

But he always came back a few weeks later, acting like nothing had happened, rebuilding his setup, and playing again.

So she had assumed this time would be no different.

However, his last login record continued to update with how many days had passed since he’d last logged in.

She knew he had sold off all his endgame gear, so maybe it would take longer this time.

But even with the game developers offering insane rewards, he still hadn’t returned, which was something she never imagined would happen.

“He hasn’t even replied… If you read it, why can’t you just answer? What could be keeping you so busy? You always had time for games…”

She stared out the window idly until a notification popped up.

A message from Igogodon.

“He replied!”

She opened it eagerly, only to see—

A shamelessly provocative scene from a manga where female characters, naked in an onsen, were having their large chests zoomed in on.

Even though the crucial parts were covered with steam, the image was still explicit enough.

“This crazy perverted otaku!!”

She threw her phone onto the bed, but after a moment of hesitation, she picked it up again to recheck the message.

“Seriously…?”

She studied the image more carefully.

It showed a group of women with exaggeratedly large chests flaunting themselves.

Her face heated up as she thought, ‘Do guys really like breasts this big…? This is ridiculous! They’re bigger than their heads!’

Although the shapes and proportions were undeniably well-drawn, she muttered to herself, ‘I mean, sure, I prefer big to small, but… this is too much.’

“Seriously, it looks like they’ve got watermelons hanging off them.”

Why on earth was Igogodon into something like this?

She sent a reply back.

[Hey, you stupid otaku—stop watching those pervy mangas and come back to the game already! The guild is dying without you!]

But the ‘1’ indicating an unread message remained.

“This jerk didn’t even read it?”

Lying on the bed, she sighed.

‘Are boobs really that important? And not even real ones—animated ones?’

She glanced down at her own chest.

‘It’s not like I have anything to be ashamed of… but still… compared to those absurd proportions…’

“Argh!”

She shook her head, embarrassed by her thoughts, and muttered, “Why can’t he just come back?”

***

She recalled their earlier conversations.

[GwoakGwoakGwoakGwoak Igogodon: I’m making a guild, so join up.]

[NoFuture: I told you I only solo.]

[NoFuture: It’s already a big deal for me to even party with others…]

[GwoakGwoakGwoakGwoak Igogodon: Stop whining.]

[GwoakGwoakGwoakGwoak Igogodon: You think you can freeload in an online game by yourself? That’s orangutan-level intelligence.]

[NoFuture: …]

[NoFuture: Fine. I’ll join, but don’t expect me to do much.]

[GwoakGwoakGwoakGwoak Igogodon: Sure, whatever. I’ll cover all the setup costs.]

She sighed.

‘You said it was fun playing with me… but now it feels like I’m the only one left who wants to play with you.’

Still, she was determined to wait.

“Come back soon. I’ll wait for now…”

She hugged her pillow tightly, her thoughts swirling.

It had been a few days since everyone bathed together.

On that day, as the third proclamation was issued, the territory of the demons expanded significantly.

Now, demons were even appearing directly in human villages near the dungeons.

The people in those villages, who had long been interacting with the demons, didn’t seem to mind the presence of demons in their areas.

The coexistence of demons and humans—something that once seemed impossible—was gradually becoming a reality thanks to the Emperor’s progressive decisions and the Demon King’s collaboration wrapped in divine simplicity.

As the demons, who once feared fighting, peacefully coexisted without bloodshed, the aftereffects of the plague that had swept across the continent were also slowly subsiding, thanks to the continuous charitable efforts of the church.

Naturally, the Imperial family and the church were enjoying sky-high public approval.

“Everything is for the sake of GwoakGwoakGwoakGwoak!”
“Gwoamen!”

“Long live Emperor Eirene!”

This favorable sentiment extended to everyone working in the cathedral.

Even Linnea noticed that many of the people recognized her.

[Lady Linnea, thanks to the relief supplies you provided, we were able to safely endure a dangerous time. I’ll be sure to visit and listen to the word of the Divine soon.]

[Feel free to visit anytime. The cathedral is always open.]

[Ah… how merciful you are. From your sacred energy, Lady Linnea, this old man feels the Divine’s simple truth. There must be a reason for GwoakGwoakGwoakGwoak’s choices…]

The elderly man’s words, spoken as he bowed his head, stuck in her mind a bit.

It wasn’t because he brought up anything about her chest—she had gotten used to that by now.

After working with religious figures who constantly praised the greatness of “sacred energy pouches,” she couldn’t help but grow accustomed to such comments.

What bothered her was the mention of “simple truths.”

‘If someone feels the “simple truth” from me, who barely believes in the Divine… is that really the right direction?’

She wondered if someone like Ophel or Luca—who were much more devout in serving GwoakGwoakGwoakGwoak than she was—might be better suited.

‘Am I disqualified as a holy knight?’

She planned to visit Ares again after work today.

Not only was Ares the only person she felt comfortable confiding in, but she was also curious about how his search for the missing nun had concluded.

***

However, her plans to meet him happened much sooner than expected.

“Linnea.”

“Ares?”

To her surprise, he had come to the cathedral of Igogodon once again.

Unlike his previous visit, when he reluctantly sought her help to find a nun, his demeanor was entirely different this time.

“You’ll be attending the cathedral every week… regularly?”

“Yes. As a member of the Imperial Einsberg family, I’ve decided to study the simple truths of Igogodon diligently. The church has already granted me permission.”

“When you say ‘study’…”

“That’s right. Linnea, I’ve decided to officially convert to Igogodonism’s faith. I will no longer deny the deep meanings of GwoakGwoakGwoakGwoak.”

His face radiated sincerity—the kind of expression only a devout follower of Igogodon could wear.