Chapter 53: Toward the Finale (2)

Thump, thump—

Yoo Seo-yeon was the first to sense a presence.

She tilted her head toward the source of the sound.

Quiet, yet heavy steps brushing over the grass.

Each step held a subtle weight of pressure.

“Silverhair? What’s wrong… Huh?”

Following Yoo Seo-yeon’s gaze, Raidel turned her head as well.

Beyond the brush on the outskirts of the hunting grounds,

A large figure emerged, striding toward them.

They were still a fair distance away, so Raidel hadn’t heard the steps yet.

‘How did she catch that so fast?’

There was a rustle just now.

But this was the middle of a noisy hunting ground.

The wind rustling the leaves, the sound of a roe deer dashing through the underbrush—

Distinguishing specific footsteps among all that noise wasn’t easy.

But Yoo Seo-yeon had noticed.

Like she could hear something from a different world.

“Hmm.”

Soon, the man stepped into view.

A male player with a sharp expression.

Jet-black armor covering his body,

A massive greatsword slung across his back.

A deep scar by his eye made him look intimidating, even in avatar form.

His nickname: Argon.

Not as prominent as Silverhair or Kreetzone,

But still a well-known name in the streamer server.

He had been a pro gamer in Raid & Master.

A scene where competition was brutal, and popularity extreme.

Wearing the title of ‘Pro’ there was proof of exceptional gaming sense.

Even more so, Argon had played as a Mid Laner—the so-called royal class.

Unlike other roles labeled as butchers, tools, or psychopaths,

Mid Laners were respected.

“Ahem!”

Argon wasn’t just a title.

Thanks to his insane physical ability and instinctual game sense,

He had managed to earn the hidden class “Rune Slayer” in Pixelwars.

There were even community debates about whether he could go toe-to-toe with Silverhair individually.

Now, Argon stood right before Yoo Seo-yeon and Raidel.

“Hello, Raidel. Long time no see.”

“Argon! Nice to see you again. I haven’t seen you at all this server.”

Raidel smiled politely.

They weren’t close,

But since they played the same game, Raid & Master, they had exchanged greetings before.

“Haha, I’ve been buried in the lava zone since day one. Was aiming for the Rune Slayer class.”

Argon proudly showed off a blood-red sword at his hip.

A weapon only usable by Rune Slayers.

“And… you’re Silverhair, right?”

His gaze moved to Yoo Seo-yeon.

“I’ve heard a lot. I never imagined you’d clear the raid using a golem… Incredible.”

He wasn’t mocking.

It was pure admiration.

He too was a former pro—a believer in winning by any means necessary.

Silverhair’s move was praiseworthy.

Even Argon’s recognition made the chat explode.

[Silverhair getting shoutouts from Argon?!]

[A Raid & Master pro acknowledged her!]

[All the people crying about cheese gotta shut up now lol]

[A true Mid royal recognizes greatness, fr]

“Th-thank you.”

Yoo Seo-yeon gave a small nod.

Calm and unassuming.

Most streamers would’ve flipped at praise from a former pro,

But Yoo Seo-yeon stayed strangely composed.

For a good reason.

‘…Who is this?’

She simply looked up at the so-called Rune Slayer with a blank face.

She had no idea who Argon was.

Of course, she didn’t know he was a former pro gamer.

If she had been streaming, she might have picked it up from chat.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t broadcasting at the moment.

To Yoo Seo-yeon, Argon was just a big dude with a scary face.

Raidel nervously glanced between them, unsure if Argon might feel snubbed.

But then Argon reached into his inventory.

“T-this… Maybe you could use this.”

He suddenly pulled out several shimmering red gems and some rare monster leather.

All top-tier materials from the lava zone.

Raidel’s eyes widened.

“Whoa, Argon! Are you sure it’s okay to give us something this valuable?”

“Haha, I just picked them up along the way. My inventory’s full anyway. You two might find better use for them.”

He spoke like a true gentleman.

But his face, as he handed the items over, was shy like a schoolgirl.

A stark contrast to his fierce appearance.

Chat ignited.

[LMAO here goes Water Buffalo again]

[This dude loses it the moment he sees a girl]

[“Oh, I just happened to find this” lol]

[Silverhair’s voice IS adorable though]

[Water Buffalo Water Buffalo~]

Argon.

A pro gamer who devoted his youth to gaming and had zero dating experience.

Thus, the nickname: Water Buffalo.

He always lost composure around women.

He denied it and insisted he was a man’s man,

But no one believed him.

‘Heh, nailed it.’

Argon felt proud of his cool line.

Yoo Seo-yeon tilted her head, looking up at him.

Pure and innocent eyes like a baby animal.

“Thank… you.”

She bowed again politely.

Argon’s lips twitched.

“K-khem!”

He hurriedly cleared his throat and covered his mouth.

“I-it’s nothing. Not like I need those right now.”

Though he could’ve sold them for a hefty sum,

He wasn’t technically lying.

That remark ended the conversation.

Silence.

Raidel smiled politely.

Yoo Seo-yeon stared blankly.

A bead of sweat rolled down Argon’s back.

So awkward.

He had to say something…

But his mind went blank.

Having never talked to a girl for more than 10 minutes, Argon was stuck.

[Argon, say something lol]

[This man really IS a virgin lmao]

[It hurts to watch…]

[‘I feel like I’m watching myself’ hahaha]

[It’s okay bro]

[Where you from, king]

[Don’t say stuff like that…]

[He has an e-girlfriend, okay]

“So, uh… d-do you like movies…”

Argon tried to blurt something—anything.

Ding—!

A clear system notification rang across the server.

[Event: ‘Foundation of Final Battle’ has begun!]

All eyes turned to the floating message.

[A massive threat looms… Prepare for the ‘Final Invasion’!]

[Collect 30 ‘Ancient Power Cores’ to power up your town’s defense system.]

[The player with the highest contribution will receive control of the final defense: ‘Touch of Aegis’!]

A surprise event.

Just as things had settled down.

And with less than a month left in the server, this was clearly the final major event.

[LEZZZGOOOOO]

[Oh sh*t, big one inbound?]

[Zeronix really dropping bombs lol]

[What does defense system control even mean?]

[Where do you find Ancient Power Cores?]

[Is this like the Elderyn event but bigger?]

[Let’s goooo!]

[Final Invasion tease?]

[Defense… do we get to build turrets or what?]

“No breaks, huh.”

Raidel swallowed hard, rereading the alert.

It reminded her of the item-collection event for Elderyn.

If not for Yoo Seo-yeon’s godlike carry, it would’ve been impossible.

Would it go that way again?

Raidel shook her head.

‘Not falling behind this time.’

Zeronix was a capable admin.

This time, they would scrutinize every exploit.

Cheesing the system like before wouldn’t be possible.

They had to move quickly.

“First, we need info. We gotta know where to find those cores.”

Yoo Seo-yeon nodded.

Then,

“Um, Silverhair, Raidel. This event… Might be a bit much for just two people, don’t you think?”

Argon cleared his throat.

“Ahem. My clan has some skilled members. Maybe a small clan alliance?”

Other streamer clans would already be moving.

After the last event, they knew:

Strength in numbers.

If not for Silverhair’s ridiculous carry,

Kreetzone’s giant coalition would’ve won.

Argon’s proposal made sense.

Though mostly, he just wanted to party with two girls.

“Thanks for the offer,” Yoo Seo-yeon said.

Argon smiled.

“But let’s figure out the requirements first. We can team up later if needed.”

Argon’s smile froze.

A polite but clear rejection.

He glanced at Raidel, but she just nodded at Silverhair.

After last time, Raidel had fully handed over her decision-making to Yoo Seo-yeon.

If Silverhair said it, it was right.

“See you around, Argon.”

With a wave, the two vanished using their spatial distortion skill.

“So cold…”

A single tear, hot as lava, rolled down Argon’s cheek.

---

“Whew… I hope this event goes well.”

In the operations room, Frost sighed while watching the monitor.

Unlike the 1-month event, which had been hyped everywhere,

This one dropped with no warning.

“The last one ended too fast. So we rolled this one out early.”

Zeronix sipped a Zero Cola.

“Think Silverhair will flip the board again?”

He smirked.

Silverhair.

He had nothing against her.

Actually, he liked her.

The last event turned out fun in the end.

But that didn’t mean they could let her cheese it again.

“I can’t say she won’t… But it won’t be easy this time.”

This was about pride as a server admin.

Zeronix smiled and checked the requirements for obtaining Ancient Power Cores.

“Turns out, the simplest things are the hardest.”