Chapter 52: Toward the Finale (1)

Slurp— I finished off the bowl of beef porridge that Seo-ha made.

It was a little salty—but it was delicious.

‘But still…’

I glanced to the side and saw that Seo-ha was still staring at me with a worried look.

“Was it good?”

“Yeah.”

“Eat more. I made a lot.”

After seeing my eyes get red earlier, Seo-ha kept looking at me like she was walking on eggshells.

It was sweet, but also a little uncomfortable. I felt bad, too.

And—

She looked kind of hungry herself.

It was lunchtime. If she hadn’t eaten yet, she must’ve been starving.

“Um… Seo-ha.”

I set my spoon down for a moment and spoke.

“Do you want some too?”

She waved her hand lightly.

“No, you eat it. I’m fine.”

“It’s too much for me.”

I glanced at the pot. Honestly, there was only about one bowl left—so not that much.

“It’d be a waste to leave it. Have some.”

I brought over an empty bowl and scooped out the rest of the porridge, handing it to her.

Seo-ha hesitated for a moment, then accepted it with a small smile.

“Thanks, unni.”

She looked touched.

‘Why are you getting emotional over this?’

She bought the ingredients and cooked it all herself.

And yet she’s thanking me for giving her a share.

She’s my little sister, but wow, she’s really sweet.

“Good?”

“Yeah. It’s seasoned well and tastes great. What a relief.”

The awkward mood eased up a little.

“By the way, Seo-ha, didn’t you have school today?”

She was still in her uniform… wasn’t it lunchtime?

Seo-ha paused mid-bite and gave me a funny look.

“It’s a holiday today.”

“…Oh.”

So it was a red day?

I had completely forgotten.

That’s why she could show up at my place in the middle of the day.

Judging from the uniform, she must’ve come from school after doing some self-study.

‘I didn’t even know it was a holiday.’

Couldn’t be helped. Last night I’d been grinding Pixelwars until dawn.

And this morning, I was on the verge of exploding from concert anxiety.

On top of that, I’d been prepping for streaming, watching other streamers’ videos on Etube,

keeping up with webtoons and novels to chat with viewers…

Honestly, I’d been living busier than most job seekers.

‘Let’s be real, I’m just a lucky unemployed person.’

Not knowing when the holidays are is a level of disconnection from society that only true hermits attain.

Seo-ha’s face looked even more concerned as she stared at me.

But thankfully, she didn’t nag. She just quietly ate her porridge.

To break the silence, I quickly changed the subject.

“Anyway, uh… so, how’s school going?”

That was about all I could think to ask a high schooler.

“Good. I’m working hard.”

Of course. Seo-ha had always been diligent and smart.

A classic model student.

Her grades were always excellent.

She could probably get into any decent university she wanted.

“Ah, I really wanna go to college already. I want to start a part-time job too.”

“A part-time job?”

“Yeah. I want to earn a bit for tuition and living expenses. It’d feel rewarding too.”

Ugh.

She gets joy from labor?

A job is supposed to be something you do for money, right?

Looking at my little sister, who lived with such a wholesome mindset, I winced a little.

She was too dazzling. I could barely look at her.

As she finished her porridge, she gave me a confused look.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, uh, nothing! You’re just too radiant.”

She still looked suspicious but didn’t press further.

“If you’re done, hand me the bowl. I’ll clean up.”

“Ah, okay. Here.”

I quickly handed her my empty bowl.

Seo-ha smoothly returned to tidying up.

She placed the empty bowls in the sink and quickly did the dishes.

She gathered up the clutter and neatly stacked it in one corner—even if it wasn’t their original place.

If it were just me, it probably would’ve stayed messy until dinner…

‘Thanks, Seo-ha.’

Honestly, I’d been a mess since morning because of the concert.

I even woke up from a nightmare about forgetting lyrics mid-performance.

But seeing Seo-ha calmed me down.

Talking casually helped me forget my worries, even if just briefly.

It felt like I had someone to lean on.

‘Sorry for making you worry.’

Becoming a streamer.

Until now, it was just a vague goal.

Like, ‘Well, I guess I’ll do this.’

But seeing how much Seo-ha cared about me… my feelings changed a little.

At the very least, I didn’t want that kind girl to worry anymore.

‘And I’ll make sure she doesn’t have to work part-time.’

I’ll make it big as a streamer, and keep her far away from awful jobs.

I’ll treat her to tons of good food.

Show her the power of capitalism and older sibling superiority.

“Unni. You’ve got something on your mouth.”

“Mmh?”

Seo-ha came over with a paper towel and gently wiped around my mouth.

I silently accepted her gesture.

Once the room looked like a livable space again, Seo-ha picked up her bag.

“Unni, I’m heading out now.”

“Already?”

For some reason, I felt a little sad.

“I’ve gotta go to cram school. And I’m having dinner with Mom and Dad tonight.”

She walked toward the door.

“Make sure to eat well. Go to the doctor if you’re sick. Call me if anything happens! Got it?”

“Yeah…”

“And… keep the room clean!”

Maybe she noticed my face had brightened up a bit.

She gave a small smile.

“Got it…”

I answered weakly.

Only after hearing my reply did she open the door.

Then, after a moment of hesitation, Seo-ha pulled me into a tight hug.

A pleasant scent filled my nose.

“I’m off.”

With that, she disappeared beyond the front door.

Click.

The door closed, and I was alone again.

The room, now silent, was much cleaner than before.

It felt like Seo-ha’s warmth still lingered in the air.

I let out a deep breath.

My ridiculously kind little sister.

I felt sorry for worrying her, and grateful.

‘I really… need to do my best.’

The anxiety about the concert bubbled up again,

but this time it felt a little different.

It felt like I had a new reason to try.

The fear had turned into a good kind of tension.

---

“Silverhair, now!”

At Raidel’s shout, Yoo Seo-yeon’s white hand traced a small arc in the air.

[Spatial Distortion]

Srrk—!

In an instant, the terrain warped.

Part of the solid ground caved in, while sharp rock walls shot up on the other side.

“Grah!”

“Kyaaaagh!”

The scattered monsters were instantly funneled into a narrow gap by the newly-formed traps and walls.

Like water down a funnel.

“Finishing move!”

This time it was Raidel who shouted, reaching out.

She also activated the same ability.

Kugugung!

A massive stone ceiling materialized above the mobbed monsters, then crashed down.

Boom!

With agonized shrieks, dust burst upward.

Moments later, only sparkling loot remained on the cleared field.

[You have defeated 17 ‘Pointy-Jawed Hyenas’!]

A reward from winning the one-month event:

The authority granted with the ‘Tuner of Distorted Space’ title.

Spatial Distortion.

Among its powers, the terrain-altering skill was extremely effective for grinding.

Although the cooldown was a bit long,

they rotated skill usage to manage it, sweeping through mobs.

One person would corral monsters with terrain manipulation,

and the other would drop AoE damage using the terrain.

It was overwhelmingly efficient.

「This is nuts lmaooo」

「Now that’s mob grinding LOL」

「Isn’t this just farming on easy mode lol」

「They’re rotating cooldowns like pros; no monster stands a chance ㄷㄷ」

‘The profits were nice today too.’

Yoo Seo-yeon mumbled quietly as she picked up items.

Money still mattered in the streamer server.

To draw rare pets, buy strong gear,

or… gamble.

Anyway, money ruled here too.

That’s why Yoo Seo-yeon was steadily racking up wealth.

‘I heard some of it carries over to the next server.’

Even though this 2-month server was nearing its end,

money still held value.

Because when Pixelwars Streamer Server Season 2 launches, some portion of the current wealth would transfer over.

How much was still being debated,

but Season 2 happening was a given.

This server had just been too popular.

So everyone was grinding monsters or hoarding resources like mad.

“By the way, Silverhair.”

Raidel spoke up as she swept the loot.

“I heard being a miner, farmer, or cook is fun too. Ever think of trying it?”

Pixelwars Streamer Server.

Hunters were the most prominent,

but life skills were also a major content pillar.

Farmers harvesting crops, miners digging ore, cooks crafting buff items—

they formed the backbone of the in-game economy.

The cyber labor class.

Usually a space for streamers lacking physical gameplay skills.

They’d banter with other streamers while crafting or selling.

There was still an audience for that style, so it worked well enough.

“I just like being a hunter.”

Yoo Seo-yeon shook her head.

Of course there were other jobs,

but nothing beat hunting to show off your physical skill.

Life skills didn’t need dexterity—but their results were capped.

She’d just gotten a busted skill like Spatial Distortion. Why waste it?

“Then should we keep grinding a bit more?”

As Raidel said that and stretched—

Step, step—

They heard footsteps approaching.