Netkama Punch!!!

But getting close to Sesam wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.
Usually, when someone like her—who lives and breathes the game—gets attention from the #1 player on the server, they puff up with pride. But not her. It was weird.
She knew full well I was the most-subscribed streamer in all of [Arcadia], and still didn’t even try to butter me up. If anything, I had to keep crawling after her just to get a single word in response.

Even if she still held a grudge against me for whatever reason, the real issue was how completely different she acted with the rest of the clan compared to me.
Party Clan Chat — Whisper
S‘Sesam’ has logged in.

FHeejae: Hey, noona ㅎ_ㅇ?
Today was no different. As soon as Sesam logged in, I rushed over and greeted her, trying to get her attention—but she completely ignored me. No emotes, no wave, nothing. Just walked right past and disappeared into the clan room.
Party Clan Chat — Whisper

CSesam: Hi, Yeou-nim
CYeou: It’s Sesam-nim!
CYeou: Hiiii LOL

And yet, in the clan room, she was all warm and bubbly toward Yeou—calling her by name and chatting sweetly like they were best friends. I folded my arms, mildly pissed, and started watching their conversation.
Party Clan Chat — Whisper
CSesam: Your hat changed?

CYeou: Knew you’d notice, haha
CYeou: You have this one too?
CSesam: Nope

CSesam: It’s cute though lol
CYeou: Right???!! I swear, it’s adorable but barely anyone notices ㅠ
CSesam: hahaha
CYeou: It was super hard to get...

CYeou: I’d been hunting for it nonstop and finally found it in the auction after like a month ㅠㅠ
CSesam: Oh wow
CSesam: Nice lol, good buy!

There they were—talking back and forth like some kind of disgustingly sweet couple.
“That’s cute? Seriously?”
I clicked my tongue, glaring at the chat window where Sesam had complimented her.

That stupid hat Yeou was bragging about? It cost 500 million gold from some scalper at the auction house and looked absolutely awful. Sure, it was a rare limited seasonal item, but it had those stupid cat ears only actual degenerates would wear. ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) (Which, to be fair, Yeou kind of was.)
It wasn’t even just me—literally all the other clan members, even before Sesam logged in, had been clicking their tongues at how Yeou had blown 500 million on that trash.
And yet Sesam hadn’t batted an eye. If anything, she pandered to Yeou’s taste, calling it “cute” and “worth it” while the two of them smeared gold leaf on each other’s faces.

If Sesam were some full-on anime freak like Yeou, I could’ve accepted it—but...
Party Clan Chat — Whisper
CYeou: Want to borrow it, Sesam-nim? Just to try it on, lol

CSesam: I’m good lol
See? That’s a normal reaction. That means her eyes work. So then what—it was all fake? She said it was cute just to keep Yeou happy?
Watching the two of them made my blood boil. The more I thought about it, the more I found Sesam’s attitude infuriating.

“This is pissing me off...”
Not since middle school had anyone ignored my existence this thoroughly. And this was my home turf—Arcadia, where I’m king.
“You’re picking Yeou over me? You seriously lost it, noona?”

The fact that I’d been outshined by Yeou—the literal bottom-feeder of our clan—was the most unforgivable part. So really, what happened after was her own damn fault.
From that point on, I started dragging Sesam around everywhere. If she hated me so much, then I’d make sure she had to stick by my side every damn second.
As expected, Sesam tried her best to ignore me the whole time—or just cursed at me. But I couldn’t have been more satisfied every time I saw her squirm or seethe in frustration.

“That’s what you get for ignoring me.”
The best part? It didn’t take much to get her riled up. One little jab, and she’d erupt like dry grass catching fire. The reactions were addictive. I was completely hooked.
Party Clan Chat — Whisper

PSesam: Hey
PHeejae: ??
PSesam: What gear are you wearing

PHeejae: Huh?
PSesam: I asked what equipment you’re using
Then one day, out of nowhere—Sesam asked what gear I had on.

It was the first time she’d ever shown any interest in me or asked a question. I almost answered immediately, excited, but caught myself and paused.
“Why’s she asking about my gear all of a sudden?”
After playing together for a few days, I’d realized Sesam had a killer competitive streak and was incredibly simple-minded. Which made her very fun to tease.

So I doubted she was looking for advice. She clearly wanted to beat me someday.
Was she trying to spy on my equipment?
“Wow...”

It was so obvious it was funny. And her bold, clueless way of asking didn’t even make me mad. Actually, it made me want to mess with her more.
Before replying, I opened up my gear window and looked over what I was actually wearing:
[Silver Rain Wolfs (Awakened) +9]

[Boots of Swift Icarus +9]
[Holy Atlas’ Wrath Plate +9]
[Holy Atlas’ Wrath Chest +9]

.
.
.

[Valbranca’s Guardian Charm +9]
Naturally, as the #1 player in [Arcadia], I had the best gear on the entire server.
But I kept all gear effects turned [OFF] during dungeons to help detect boss AoEs faster, so my awakened weapon’s visual effects weren’t showing.

That gave me the perfect idea. I quickly swapped out my high-end equipment for some trash-tier stuff lying around in my inventory—carefully picking items that looked visually identical. Luckily, Sesam didn’t seem to notice the switch.
Party Clan Chat — Whisper
PHeejae: You’re gonna be shocked ㅇ.ㅇ

“Ooh, I can’t wait to hear what she says.”
I grinned to myself and toggled my settings so my equipment could be viewed by others.
Sesam must’ve been waiting, because the moment I enabled [View Equipment], she ran right up to my character and stood next to me. I waited about 30 seconds—then dropped the bomb.

Party Clan Chat — Whisper
PHeejae: I play with skill, so I don’t even need top-tier gear lol
PHeejae: Only noobs dump cash into gear, y’know ㅇ_ㅇv

PSesam: lol
“Oh my god, this is killing me.”
Her reaction was all I needed to know I’d hit the mark. She clearly didn’t get why her numbers weren’t adding up and started muttering to herself, confused and frustrated.

Party Clan Chat — Whisper
PSesam: This doesn’t make sense
PSesam: How do you do that kind of damage with that gear?

PHeejae: Who even wears maxed gear anymore lol
PSesam: What kind of buffs are you using?
PHeejae: Just basic stuff lol

Every single message oozed inferiority complex. I was trying so hard not to laugh that my cheeks hurt.
“She actually fell for it...”
I couldn’t tell if she was just gullible or dumb. Even though she hated me, she believed everything I said. It was... weirdly endearing.

After that, Sesam clammed up and didn’t say a single word for the rest of the day. I’d originally planned to switch back into my real gear later and let her figure out she’d been duped, but her sulky silence was kind of cute, so I let it slide.
Instead, I opened her profile and checked out the gear she was wearing.
“Wow... yikes.”

She was decked out in stuff you only get during those new-player burning events. The kind of gear that starts out decent but has a hard ceiling. She’d have to upgrade soon or get left behind.
Still, it was good enough for hunting, I guess...
“What if she quits?”

I’d only just started enjoying dragging her around, and if her gear held her back, she might ragequit.
Party Clan Chat — Whisper
PHeejae: Noona, maybe it’s time to spend a little cash ㅇ.ㅇ?

I offered a bit of advice—just a bit of money would go a long way with mid-tier equipment—but maybe because I’d just finished trolling her, the response came back pretty hot.
Party Clan Chat — Whisper
PSesam: And what the fuck do you care, dumbass

PHeejae: Just asking what the hell that gear is ㅇ_ㅇ...
PSesam: Who are you to judge me, fuck off
She snapped, but even with all that sass, it was clear she knew the limitations of her setup. After I pointed out her gear, I kept catching her idling next to the town’s auction NPC, browsing the listings.

She kept leveling steadily but didn’t actually upgrade anything.
Is she broke?
So I started asking around in our clan subchats for any spare gear that matched Sesam’s level.

Party Clan Chat — Whisper
CHeejae: Yo Yeou ㅇ.ㅇ
CYeou: Huh?

CHeejae: If you dragged in a newbie, take care of her, yeah?
CYeou: What??
CHeejae: What if Sesam quits because you ignored her?

CYeou: Gasp ㅠㅠ whyyy;
CLemonade: Didn’t you adopt her and drag her around 24/7? lol
CHooha: lmao

CHooha: You giving her gear?
CLemonade: tf LMAO
CLemonade: So that’s what this is

CHeejae: C’mon now, you’ve played long enough to read the room
CHooha: 😨
CYeou: ㅠㅠ... What does she even need?

CHeejae: She’s level 190 and still wearing burning-event gear
CYeou: Oh damn
CLemonade: I’ve got some leftovers from that range, hang on

CHooha: I don’t raise alts so I got nothing ㅠㅠ
CHooha: I’ll ask around in the clan tho
And that’s how everyone ended up pitching in to upgrade Sesam’s gear.

Truth is, in a big clan like ours, newbies come and go constantly, so most members don’t bother getting attached. But because I’d been dragging her around myself, people were paying more attention.
Even so, Sesam never noticed all the behind-the-scenes support. She didn’t say a single word to me—me, the one she should’ve thanked the most. Instead, she started acting all sweet to the others who gave her gear under subtle pressure.