Chapter 115: 5th Blooming Core Server

Streamer Insu was a cautious man.

He had started broadcasting in high school and was now in his eighth year.

Through countless experiences and incidents, the ability to read situations had become second nature to him.

While streamers weren’t held to the same moral standards as celebrities, there were definite lines they shouldn’t cross.

Is it okay to get swept up in this trend?
Is it okay to offer this opinion?
Is it okay to get involved with this person?

In that sense, ‘Esmi Leah,’ who had recently weathered a massive controversy, was someone he could get burned by if he approached her carelessly. Like a sun that incinerated those who drew too close.

Insu always erred on the side of caution. He’d seen too many cases of people getting unfairly caught in the crossfire.

That’s why only now, after Leah had single-handedly overcome the controversy and gained even greater popularity, was he cautiously starting to plan related content.

Truthfully, he’d wanted to cover her much sooner.

As a Voxel Craft streamer, the things she’d shown were incredibly captivating, perfect for content.

In fact, his shorts had surpassed 6 million views, and his long-form video was approaching 2 million.

And so, the ‘Killing a Darkman with an Arrow’ experiment, which he’d started yesterday, continued today.

After countless attempts…

The Darkman would seemingly get hit by the arrow, only to teleport away, and even the rare times it stood still, his timing was off.

He tried to follow Leah’s explanation of the ‘gap after teleportation’ to the letter, but most attempts ended in failure.

This time, too, his arrow missed, and the Darkman had somehow moved behind him. Before he could even register it, a long arm slammed into his back.

Wham.

The last heart in the corner of the screen shattered. With a click, his vision went black and froze.

Thud. A few arrows fell to the ground, and Insu collapsed.

“Kyaaa! How is this even possible!?”

• Dude screaming like a girl lol

• Insu-hyung… when did you get the surgery…

• Give up, you can’t do it lol

• Kingkman ㄷㄷ

• This is so frustrating… how can he not kill it even once?

“Hey, don’t be so mean. I succeeded once yesterday, okay?”

• That was a fluke lol

• Aren’t we the ones being
  , having to watch you endlessly retry against a Darkman?

• That lucky shot is your limit… Let’s end this now.

“I have my pride as a pro Voxer. I can’t end it like this.”

• This… is a pro?

• How many years have you wasted? ㅜㅜ

• Leah killed a Darkman with an arrow on her second day of Voxel…

• It’s Insu’s second day of trying to kill a Darkman with an arrow too lol

• The results are vastly different…

• Wasn’t it just a bug?

“Ah, I already said this yesterday. It’s not a bug. To be precise, there’s a very brief moment after the teleportation where it freezes, right? The hitbox opens then, and the arrow goes in. Easier said than done, the problem is that frame is insanely short.”

• So it’s a difference in physical ability…

• Coming from a Voxer, that’s rich…

• When did you start thinking this wasn’t a game of physical skill?

• That Leah person even changed the genre ㄷㄷ

“Yeah, she’s amazing. I’ve rewatched the YouTube videos a lot, but even I, the master, can’t fully replicate it yet.”

• Master, my ss lol

• You should be on your knees begging to be her disciple…

• At least try to get close to her level before talking like that lol

• Leah’s physical abilities are on another level… she’s good at Ori too.

• Heard she’s playing Voxel again today.

• Voxel again?

He was bluffing, but it was clear he was struggling. A hint of anxiety crept into Insu’s muttering.

“…I hope she’s not coming up with another weird challenge.”

Break Notice 🍃

My dear Pias,
It seems I must take a step back from the Voxel Blooming Core server opening we planned to share today. 🌸

Actually, my body isn’t cooperating.
Perhaps due to overexertion in the heat, I’ve lost my voice since this morning.

I’m fine. I don’t have a fever, and I’m not in any pain. But my voice… hasn’t returned yet.

It was a day I prepared for with all my heart.
But Leah, who has lost her voice, has decided not to climb the hill today.

As summer deepens,
I’ll rest in the shade for a while. ☀️🌿

Esmi Leah 🌿

“Ah, ah.”

After posting the notice yesterday and taking a full day of rest, Leah felt much better. Her body recovered quickly, but her voice returning a day late was an unexpected variable.

She started her stream, showing that she was alright.

“May the blessings of the forest be with you. Thank you, Pias, for waiting another day.”

• You’re late, too late ㅜㅜ

• I was worried after seeing the notice…

• Is your throat really okay now?

• Leah taking a break two weeks in a row? ㄷㄷ

• Don’t say it like that, it sounds like she’s always resting lol

• It is two breaks in two weeks though lol

• Are you okay? Ring ding ding… or rather, you can rest more!

“No, I’m fully recovered. This is the first time I’ve caught a cold, so I’ll have to be more careful in the future.”

• Huh?

• Starting with the nonsense right away…

• Not even surprised by this level of exaggeration anymore.

• They say idiots don’t catch colds easily… heh.

“Yes, you might envy the elf physique that’s resistant to illness. But the frailty of humans is what motivates them to strive… so think of it positively.”

• Did anyone read a chat saying they envied her for being an elf?

• She’s creating chats that don’t exist now lol

• Lol hallucinatory chat.

• I think she needs to rest some more…

“No, I can’t delay it any further. I’m already late joining the server.”

So, after quickly wrapping up the conversation with her Pias, she logged into Voxel Craft.

A brief loading screen.

Pixelated light gathered in her vision, and the town square began to appear.

Flash.

The virtual world of Voxel Craft materialized vividly.

The town center spread out before her, surprisingly empty.

The ground was paved with neatly laid stone tiles, and different materials were arranged in rows within each section, but… it felt like it was waiting for something to begin.

A large sign displayed a simple message.

<Lumina Project: Blooming Core Server Season 5>
🏗️ “A town built together, and what lies beyond.”

Below it, there was a line written in smaller letters.

[Current Contribution: 2,430 / Automatic activation upon reaching target threshold]

“…Contribution?”

She paused, her gaze lingering on the sign.

It was too early to call it a town. Only a few building foundations were scattered around, as if staking claims to the land.

She recalled the information she’d received beforehand.

The server reset every season. This was Blooming Core’s fifth season, and the first for the third-generation Vtubers.

And this place was the common area, called the ‘Common Town.’

Excluding one senior who wasn’t participating this season, a total of ten Vtubers from Blooming Core were taking part, and at the heart of it all was a ‘project to simultaneously design the town and the world.’

The theme was simple.

Create unique houses and content reflecting their individual personalities, and weave them together into a single narrative, transforming the town into a ‘memorable story.’

But there was something odd.

In the center of the square, a strange metal frame lay on the ground.

The complex, circuit-like structure wasn’t active yet, but…

[Until Lumina Core Activation: 4%]

She’d never heard of this before.

She lightly traced the ground with her fingertip.

“…Since there was that contribution target mentioned earlier, I guess that increases this percentage.”

• Yeah, that’s right.

• Even just mining and building a house increases it.

• But Leah doesn’t mine lol

• I think she didn’t want to cut down trees last time either.

• Break character, what’s the point if you don’t do that in Voxel lol

• Yeah, she’ll feel pressured if she’s last in contribution…

“I’ll think about that while I walk around. I just arrived, so I need some time to adjust…”

She left the square and started walking without a specific destination.

Perhaps thanks to the day of rest, the further she went from the center, the more impressive the structures became.

Someone had already built a proper house with a garden, and elsewhere, a steel frame towered, as if built by a self-proclaimed engineer.

“Le-ah-ya!”

Just then, a figure came running from afar. That distinctive bright voice could only belong to Koharu.

“You just got here, right? Did you pick a spot for your house? Want to see mine first? Well, I haven’t finished it yet.”

“You seem to have adapted admirably already.”

Leah said, looking at Koharu’s full diamond armor.

“Isn’t the full diamond set cool? I haven’t logged out since I got here. Hehe.”

That meant she’d been playing Voxel Craft for over 24 hours…

“Koharu, do you have a bow and arrows?”

“A bow? I have one right now…”

“Give it t— No, lend it to me.”

“You totally just tried to ask for it before changing your mind!”

“Koharu, I’m worried the diamond covering your head might be blocking your ears too.”

“Don’t play dumb! Sigh. Fine, I’ll lend it to you, since I’m so nice.”

Koharu rummaged through her inventory and tossed Leah a bow and a few stacks of arrows.

“Thank you. I’ll put them to good use.”

As soon as she picked up the bow, Leah felt a sense of grounding. With this, any path could be opened.