Chapter 2: The Infamous Ban-ye

[Title: Ban-ye, This Psychotic Bastard

Author: Anonymous

“You still playing this game?

Not quitting yet?”]

[Likes: 4,442  Dislikes: 359]

[Comments (Expand)]

Ban-ye? Of course, lol. They’re the guardian deity of Chaos Online.

Why are you telling someone to quit their life?

Didn’t they get a 3-month suspension for cursing last time?
└ I thought they quit?
└ They got suspended.
└ They’re going to play again after getting suspended? Seriously legendary.

Fcking bstard, would you quit? Would I, the #1 PvP ranker, leader of Slaughter, and #1 Sorcerer Master, quit?
└ LOL
└ I can’t argue with that
└ “I”
└ Calm down, Ban-ye. I’m so sad.

This is the type of person who chants, “Who am I? I’m Ban-ye of Slaughter!” while showering every morning.
└ What an awakening

Aren’t you going to the military?
└ It’s weird how Chaos Online rankers are all exempt or public service workers.
└ LOL
└ Someone write a thesis on this
└ Oh sh*t, it’s true lol. Only one out of ten actually served in the military lol
└ “Science”
└ How do you even know which rankers went to the military?

What happened with Ban-ye getting caught using aim hacks?
└ They use hacks too?
└ (Comment removed by administrator)
└ It’s Ban-ye….yikes
└ Really no holding back lol
└ LOL
└ Ban-ye, you’re not seriously here after searching your own name, are you? Maintain some dignity….]

“No… This jerk isn’t just a scammer, but a toxic player too?”

I wanted to pull my hair out. If this was the case, even if I caught them, they’d probably just deny it or play dumb.

Ban-ye was either being cursed at or mocked by everyone, as if they had done all sorts of terrible things in the game. They were receiving a mountain of hate, enough to make most gamers quit a long time ago.

But Ban-ye was unyielding.

While reading another mocking post, I saw a comment that seemed to have been left by Ban-ye.

[Title: He says he has a 79.9% win rate because he’s good?

Author: Anonymous

LOL. The 2nd and 3rd ranked players have win rates of 48% and 50%, but he’s the only one close to 80% and swears he’s never used hacks or match-fixed. Who would believe that, you idiot? lol]

(Likes: 11,233 Dislikes: 34)

[Comments (Expand)]

Do I need your belief to be #1? Get rid of your crppy logic lol. With that logic, I believe in myself .^^
└ LOL
└ Crazy …This is so funny I’m crying..
└ LOL
└ “Believe in yourself.” I’m crying…
└ They’re seriously insane lol
└ LOL. Can’t reason with them.
└ That fcking b*stard is so annoying lol
└ LOL
└ I was believing in you, Ban-ye .. I’m so sad… ! I’m cheering for you!]

“Ha… F*ck. Did I really get scammed?”

I was so angry that tears welled up in my eyes.

I wondered if I could appeal to Ban-ye’s guild and get my item back, so I searched for “Slaughter,” which was supposedly Ban-ye’s guild.

And I despaired.

Because… the results were similar to when I searched for Ban-ye.

[Slaughter guild’s arrogance in combat is cringeworthy. Are they all kids?]
[Ban-ye’s guild? Is Ban-ye the guild leader? They’re not kicking Ban-ye out?]
[Ban-ye and Slaughter, tsk tsk…]
[Birds of a feather…]

“So, Ban-ye is the guild leader… No wonder they’re so reckless. Tsk tsk.”

I thought about the saying, “Birds of a feather flock together,” and bit my lip. Should I just consider it a loss and forget about it?

“Ha… No, the amount is too large for that.”

But I was too angry to forget about it. It wasn’t a small amount, and the fact that I fell for a scam that even a newbie would avoid right after transferring servers was unacceptable.

Eventually, I started writing a post filled with rage, just like the other forum users, to vent about Ban-ye.

After pouring out my frustration, I was so exhausted that I just turned off the computer.

[Title: Ban-ye, this jerk is a scammer 

Author: Ah-ang

So, I was opening a bunch of Royal Kits today, and this person suddenly asked how many I’d opened… So, I said about a thousand, and they said, “A thousand?” and acted all friendly like they were impressed… 

They went on about how they knew a good spot for getting Royals and asked if I could sell them a Gold Fox if I got one, so I followed them… Until then, I thought they were a good person…

Anyway, I got a Gold Fox at the spot Ban-ye told me, but they f*cking scammed me out of 22.5 billion! I thought we were doing a clean trade for 25 billion?

But they logged out right after the trade. I searched the forums and found out they’re infamous  Sigh, what a waste. ]

(Likes: 501 Dislikes: 48)

[Comments (Expand)]

A thousand for real? Your intelligence lol
└ This is the kind of person who keeps the game going
└ LOL
└ They probably did open a thousand Royals. I was in Channel 8, and the messages kept popping up.

Ban-ye acted friendly?
└ If you opened enough to impress Ban-ye, then…

Excuse me, but our guild leader doesn’t scam people.
└ Immediate defense 
└ If there’s no screenshot, then show us proof.
└ Weren’t they trying to make a quick buck and disappear?
└ Ban-ye has a lot of fans, huh?
└ The state of the forums, believing anything anyone posts lol

Zero-omission scam? People still fall for this?
└ It’s the victim’s fault lol

This guy hacks, curses, match-fixes, and scams. How many charges would that be in real life?
└ Please permanently ban them 
└ Praying for Ban-ye’s permanent ban. Praying for Ban-ye’s permanent ban. Praying for Ban-ye’s permanent ban. Praying for Ban-ye’s permanent ban. (×4 more)
└ The fact that Ban-ye is still playing this game proves the admins aren’t doing their job.

There seems to be a misunderstanding. Check your mail.
└ Whoa, is that Ban-ye?
└ “That person” has descended.
└ lol. If they log in, their guildmates will probably gang up on them.]

However, the comments weren’t what I expected. Many of them blamed me for being scammed, and I ended up deleting the post.

I seriously considered quitting the game. The shock of selling my first 25 billion Gold Fox for a tenth of its price didn’t fade easily.

I turned on my computer and habitually logged into the game, but… the shock still lingered, and I just stared blankly at the screen, not even bothering with my favorite crafting.

“…Should I have just quit?”

If I had just quit cleanly back then, none of this would have happened. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had witnessed all the dirty aspects of this game and clung on pathetically, only to get scammed.

“Argh, how can there be no one on my side? Even that jerk Ban-ye has people defending them…”

Honestly, this part was the most upsetting.

Kwon Da-jung, whom I thought I was dating, and my former guildmates, whom I thought were my friends, all betrayed me, leading me to transfer servers, only to be scammed… And when I posted about being scammed, I was just ridiculed…

“Why is my luck so bad lately… Ugh.”

I groaned and scrolled my mouse wheel aimlessly.

I mindlessly opened and closed my inventory, where the remaining [Royal Kits] from yesterday and the money I received—only a tenth of what I was owed—greeted me pathetically.

Then, I finally noticed a mail notification that I had missed.

“Mail?”

I had sold everything I put up on the auction house, so there shouldn’t be any mail.

Curious, I checked the mail. And as soon as I saw the sender, I gasped.

The person who sent me the mail… was the scammer, Ban-ye.

[Sender: Ban-ye

Sent: 20XX-XX-XX 10:17

Subject: Regarding the Gold Fox trade yesterday.

There seems to be a misunderstanding. I didn’t realize I left out a zero.

Let’s meet at Janggyeong, where we traded yesterday, at 6 PM.]

“What?”

I became extremely tense.

I recalled the deleted post and a particular comment caught my eye.

[lol. If they log in, their guildmates will probably gang up on them.]

“…Really?”

But somehow, it seemed like something Ban-ye would do.

Moreover, Slaughter, the guild led by Ban-ye, seemed to have terrible personalities but good camaraderie…

It was truly unfair, but I didn’t think they had the decency to return the 22.5 billion gold.

After agonizing over the large sum, I created a new low-level character and went to Janggyeong at 6 PM, instead of using my main character.

“They really brought the entire guild?”

Seeing Ban-ye and the Slaughter guild members gathered in Janggyeong, I shook my head.

That bastard…

I finally gave up on getting the 22.5 billion gold back.