Chapter 258

Chapter 258. I don’t have many friends.

When the merciless onslaught of facts hit me, I chose to resist instead of staying silent.

But the problem was, even if I did that, it didn’t change the reality that I didn’t have many close people around me.

If there was any way to escape this vicious cycle of facts…

—————————————-

**<~Solo Rankers' Room~>**

– [Heya](Icarus)

– [Welcome, Icarus](Menaldu)

– [Sup](Königs)

—————————————-

At least this “Solo Rankers” room felt like a glimmer of hope.

But even though I’d heard about it before…

The so-called “solo rankers” here weren’t exactly what you’d call “pure solo players.”

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– [How’s solo life treating you guys?](Icarus)

– [Solo?](Laura)

– [We’re not exactly pure solo players like you, you know?](Indypatible)

– [But if we’re being honest, even Icarus isn’t exactly a pure solo player, right?](Laura)

– [True](Menaldu)

– [Huh?](Königs)

—————————————-

Aside from me, who was calmly speaking, the other four “solo” rankers…

Well, they were technically solo, but in reality, they all had some form of sponsorship or were affiliated with factions.

For example, Laura, ranked 6th, was practically an external advisor and long-term mercenary for the Justice Clan led by Arcadia.

Indypatible, ranked 7th, was a bit of a mood-driven freelancer, taking jobs from any clan they liked.

They took requests from Justice and Loki Clans, but Humanity Clan’s requests took priority, so they were treated as external personnel for Humanity.

Menaldu was probably the closest to me and could be considered a true solo player, but…

—————————————-

– [Oh yeah, I just got recruitment offers from three clans at the same time](Menaldu)

– [Oh](Icarus)

– [They’re all competing, and I’ll probably join the highest bidder soon, so I might leave this chat](Menaldu)

– [Congrats on the job](Indypatible)

– [Lol, congrats on the job](Königs)

– [Thanks, thanks](Menaldu)

—————————————-

As you can see from the chat that popped up right after that thought, three mid-tier clans under the Xenobia Empire were competing to recruit Menaldu.

So, it wouldn’t be long before they officially joined a clan.

And then there’s Königs…

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– [By the way, Königs, haven’t you gotten any recruitment offers?](Laura)

– [I get a lot, but I don’t want to be tied to just one side in clan wars](Königs)

– [Huh?]

– [?? What do you mean?](Menaldu)

—————————————-

“Hahaha, look at this, Jessica!”

“What is it, Commander?”

“There’s someone else like me!”

“…”

It felt a bit pathetic, but I felt a sense of relief knowing there was someone like me (?) out there. I immediately showed Jessica the chat, but…

That didn’t last long…

Soon, Königs revealed that they were executing a strategy I had once tried but got too busy to follow through on.

—————————————-

– [I just do strategic consulting or advisory roles for small to medium-sized clans]

– [And I join small-scale battles as a mercenary for leveling, earning gold or gacha tickets](Königs)

– [Oh…](Icarus)

– [You’re going a similar route as me, but focusing on advisory roles?](Indypatible)

– [Yeah, I kinda took inspiration from you and Icarus](Königs)

– [Good thinking](Indypatible)

—————————————-

“Hmm…”

“Well, that’s how it is.”

“I thought you were a solo player in the Central Zone, but I guess not.”

After seeing that, I realized Königs wasn’t in the Central Zone, which was full of clanless players, but rather in an area with many small to medium-sized clans. So, I casually asked where they were located.

And to my question…

Königs calmly revealed his zone, saying it wasn’t that hard.

—————————————-

-[Where’s your zone, then?] (Icarus)

-[Zone?]

-[Ah, I’m somewhere between the space Kanfu, Earth Federation, and the Central Zone.]

-[But if I had to specify, I’d say I’m within the Kanfu faction’s territory.] (Königs)

-[Wait, so you’re not from the Central Zone?] (Icarus)

-[No one lives in the center of the Central Zone except you.] (Menaldu)

-[Yeah.] (Indypatible)

-[True.] (Laura)

-[Whatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhat] (Icarus)

—————————————-

At the same time, I coincidentally found out the locations of the other solo rankers.

—————————————-

-[You didn’t know until now?]

-[I’m right between the Central Zone and the Xenobia Empire, for example.] (Laura)

-[I’m not exactly overlapping, but I’m near the Earth Federation border.] (Indypatible)

-[I’m also closer to the Earth Federation and Pirate Alliance side.] (Menaldu)

-[…Wait, were you seriously living in the heart of the Central Zone?] (Königs)

-[F*ck.] (Icarus)

—————————————-

Thanks to this sudden revelation (?) of secrets, I realized why, unlike other solo rankers, no clans had approached me until this event.

I could feel an overwhelming rage burning inside me.

==========

And to add fuel to the fire, it wasn’t just the solo ranker chat room.

The “Solo Players” chat room, which I sneakily checked, had also turned into a social hub for those working as external mercenaries for clans, except for me and a few others.

—————————————-

-[LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]

-[How’s that clan? They’re offering 2500 gold and 1 gacha ticket per month.]

-[Seems kinda lame.]

-[Clans are OP LOLOLOLOLOLOL! You get double rewards after just one battle!]

-[Are there still idiots playing pure solo?]

—————————————-

Feeling even more irritated, I went into the gallery to delete the usual trolling posts to relieve some stress.

Then I spotted one post.

Just as I was about to delete it in annoyance.

—————————————-

Title: Honestly, we gotta admit Icarus is just average.

Author: Anonymous

Content: [Image of a pissed-off toad]

Unlike other rankers, he’s not part of any clan and acts all high and mighty.

And from what I’ve heard, he’s always bragging about his fleet being OP, but without clan support, he’s broke and whines in the auction house.

Other rankers survive with clan support, but this average dude just whines because he’s clanless. Agree? Agree.

Comments:

None

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Normally, I’d just skim past such a post, but after Jessica’s brutal facts and the talk about other solo rankers, and the players sucking up to clans, my already frayed nerves couldn’t take it.

I quickly deleted that damn post and blocked the user for 15 days.

“Jessica, Jessica.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Today’s a day where my pride is taking a serious hit.”

“Your pride…?”

Unlike me, everyone else uses the “cities” or “star systems” conquered by their clans.

While I only get protection, they receive proper resources, material, and human support, living the good life.

“Was I really the only one genuinely playing solo?”

Realizing this shocking truth, I could feel an extreme rage bubbling up inside me, roaring like a volcano.