“All right, let’s ask Minus Account. There’s probably some money that 0 tossed around yesterday, so he’ll help out.”
Filled with hope, Doyeong opened the guild member list. All three were online.
[Whisper sent to: Minus Account]
[Whisper] Won: Hey, Account. Help me out a bit.
He pressed Enter.
[System Error: Unable to send whisper to the recipient.]
[Reason: Receiving blocked.]
“……?”
Rubbing his eyes, Doyeong tried sending again. Maybe it was a typo?
[System Error: Unable to send whisper to the recipient.]
“What the? Did he block me? He was calling me ‘Hyung’ just yesterday.”
A wave of betrayal surged. When was he saying ‘Hyung, you’re the best’ and now he’s done with me?
Then what about Governor? That muscular orc must be loyal.
[Whisper sent to: Gwanak District Governor]
[System Error: No whisper permissions.]
[Reason: Insufficient guild role permissions.]
“Role permissions…?”
Only then did Doyeong remember.
Yesterday, 0 had changed his guild rank.
[Role: Guild Master’s Private Property]
[Permissions: None (No chat, party, or whisper allowed without Guild Master approval)]
“……Ah.”
Doyeong’s mouth dropped open.
He thought it was a joke. But it wasn’t. It was all calculated from the start.
“T-That bastard…”
His hand gripping the mouse trembled with rage.
Whooosh-!
The sky over the plaza darkened in an instant.
A massive shadow loomed over Doyeong’s rabbit character. Nearby users scattered in panic.
A dragon with dazzling golden scales folded its wings and landed gracefully.
[General] 0: Hyung.
Not a voice through the speaker, but a speech bubble over the chat window called Doyeong.
[General] 0: Why that face? Like a subject who lost their country.
[General] 0: Weren’t you happy to have those shackles off? To be free?
Ihyeon’s chat was strangely calm, which only made it more infuriating. Like a spectator who’d anticipated everything and was enjoying the show.
“Hey. That’s you. You blocked whispers.”
When Doyeong confronted him, Ihyeon chuckled softly.
[General] 0: It’s a security setting. I can’t have weirdos bothering my private property.
[General] 0: Usually when VIP staff are assigned, external contact is blocked by default. Haven’t you signed the contract?
“The talk is smooth, I’ll give you that.”
Doyeong felt his insides burning. He didn’t even have the energy to type. As soon as the party opened, 0 dropped out. He turned on his mic immediately.
“Hey, I was gonna ask Minus Account for help! But you blocked that too! Why won’t that guy answer?”
“Minus Account?”
Ihyeon spoke casually.
“I paid him a million gold to block you.”
“……What?”
“For Governor, I paid two million. They all took the money happily. Capitalism is the best, right?”
Doyeong’s mouth fell open.
This madman had bribed everyone he knew with money to isolate Doyeong.
‘Don’t hang out with Hyung. I’ll pay you.’
Childish but effective.
The only person Doyeong could now rely on in this server was Ihyeon himself.
“You’re the only connection I’ve got, Hyung.”
Ihyeon’s voice was low.
“I made it that way.”
Doyeong was speechless.
Ihyeon had thoroughly isolated him, making sure he had to beg only him for help.
At this point, any other moves would be useless. Whatever he tried, it was obvious this guy would block it.
“……What do you want?”
Doyeong asked in resignation.
Ihyeon finally made his move, like he’d been waiting for this.
“I’ll give you a ride.”
“…….”
“Not just the main quest. I’ll spoon-feed you all the dungeons, quests, equipment farming until you hit max level.”
It was an offer he couldn’t refuse.
Annoying guy, but not petty enough to lie.
“Not for free, I assume.”
“Of course. I’m not a charity.”
Ihyeon snapped his fingers.
[System: ‘0’ has sent [Slave Contract… I mean, Exclusive Party Contract Item].]
The contract item filled the screen.
< Exclusive Supporter Contract >
- 0 (hereafter Party A) will fully support Won (hereafter Party B) in reaching max level and purchasing a tractor.
- Party B shall not party, trade, or talk with anyone other than Party A during the contract period. (Exclusive supply)
- Party B must respond within five minutes when summoned by Party A. (Employment-related issues may be excused with photo evidence)
- Penalty for violation: Confiscation of all pumpkin seeds and unlimited ‘meal truck’ deliveries to home address.
“……Hey.”
Doyeong forced out a bitter laugh.
“What’s clause 3? Photo evidence? I have to send pictures proving I’m picking chilies or something?”
“Of course. How else am I supposed to know if you’re slacking off or working?”
Ihyeon rested his chin on his hand.
“And clause 4. Unlimited meal trucks. That’s frightening. The whole town will hear. ‘He hit the jackpot.’ People will come begging for loans?”
Doyeong’s face grew pale. Rumors in the countryside were deadlier than any nuclear bomb. He had no choice.
His trembling hand moved the mouse.
“But you keep your promise. When I hit max level and sell all my pumpkins, you let me go without drama.”
“Of course. Without credit, I’m just a corpse in business.”
Ihyeon’s lips curled into a smile.
Doyeong clicked the [Sign] button.
Bang!
With a flashy stamp effect, the contract turned into golden dust and vanished.
At the same time, a new title appeared above Doyeong’s character head.
[Title Acquired: 0’s Exclusive Supporter]
- Effect: Experience gain increased by 200% when in party with ‘0’ / Forced summon if more than 10 meters away from ‘0’
“……What the hell is this title? So embarrassing!”
“That’s a mark. Shows you’re mine.”
Reading the title description, Doyeong freaked out.
“Hey! Forced summon? It doesn’t come with a warning beep?”
“A warning beep is noisy. Just pulling you right next to me is faster.”
Ihyeon chuckled contentedly and tapped on the saddle of his dragon, Arakne.
“Come on, get on. Your master’s giving you a ride.”
“……Hey, it’s just a contract, but why does this feel like serfdom?”
“Hyung, you’re mistaken.”
Ihyeon lifted Doyeong’s rabbit character onto the back seat.
“The one who pays is the owner. You’re the one who works for the money.”
His words stabbed like a dagger. No rebuttal. The cold truth of capitalism.
Doyeong quietly slumped into the back seat. The demeanor of a Party B who had just received 50 million gold (and lost a 100 million necklace).
“……Fine. Just make sure the deposit goes through, Master.”
“Don’t worry. If your performance is good, the bonuses will be hefty.”
Ihyeon smiled softly, gripping the reins.
“Hold tight. If you fall off and die, there’ll be penalties.”
Whoosh!
The huge golden dragon spread its wings and soared into the sky. Many users in the plaza witnessed and whispered.
[General] Cafe Mocha: Wow… that rabbit is for real. Zero’s personally kidnapping him?
[General] Zero Swade: Crazy. Officially certified.
The chat window exploded, but Doyeong squeezed his eyes shut.
He was trapped.
He logged in to try selling a single pumpkin seed but got completely caught by the server’s craziest madman. This wasn’t a simple ‘ride.’ It was a slave contract staking his very soul.
His mouth dried up, an unpleasant bitterness on his tongue.
Max level and reaching Act. 4. Even if he just breathed and hunted nonstop, it would take at least two full weeks of grinding.
But what else could he do but comply?
For the next two weeks until Act. 4, he had to survive this livestock-raising game.
“Now that I think of it, we’re mentor and mentee, right? Should be easier.”
Ihyeon’s voice rumbled like a beast clutching its long-awaited prey.
Doyeong sensed that even after these two weeks, there was no way he’d get out easily.
Act. 2 [Shadow Gorge] had once been a beloved dungeon where countless players stayed up all night hunting for parties before the Great Cataclysm seven years ago.
It was a place filled with shouts of “Party wanted!” echoing through the night, and skill effects lighting up the sky in a blazing spectacle.
But now, it had long been abandoned, not even a single ant to be seen in the ruins. Only the eerie whisper of wind filled the empty gorge.
Whoooosh-!
The massive golden dragon landed heavily at the weathered entrance to the gorge. A cloud of dust rose, obscuring vision.
“Ugh… look at the broken map textures.”
Ihyeon frowned descending from the dragon. On his 34-inch 4K monitor, the rock textures looked pixelated down to the smallest detail.
“Hyung, I swear the air here smells like pixels. Graphics bits… makes my eyes rot.”
“Quiet. I already knew this far in.”
“Where’d you hear that?”
“I quit before the Act 2 update.”
Doyeong slowly looked around, nostalgic. This was his hometown, truly. He had ended his last chapter here.
Though the graphics were outdated, the majestic, haunting orchestral BGM pounding in his ears still made his heart race.
It was like reliving the thrill of successfully completing his first raid.
