Chapter 32 : Streamer Server Open

Pixel Wars Streamer Server.

A large-scale event sponsored with a hefty budget by Soopjijik.

“So basically, think of it as a sandbox RPG. Resource gathering, crafting, building, combat… you can enjoy it all freely.”

Zeronix spoke in a serious tone.

Zeronix — a major streamer on Soopjijik who mainly plays Pixel Wars.

He was also the one taking the lead in running this Pixel Wars streamer server.

“Same goes for gathering. If you want to mine ore, you have to swing the pickaxe yourself, and finding ore veins relies on your VR vision and senses.”

Thanks to that, he was currently doing a live interview about the new server.

After all, this was the first large-scale server hosted by the platform itself.

And the platform was fully backing it up.

“And as for participating streamers, we’ve already selected them in advance through a screening process. The first 10 streamers have been chosen as the starting members.”

“The server will operate on an invitation system, where those initial streamers can invite others periodically.”

“Of course, those who are invited will have some participation restrictions.”

“They’ll need to meet certain criteria, like a specific number of YouTube subscribers or Soopjijik followers.”

“However, each starting member will be granted a single Golden Ticket.”

“With the Golden Ticket, they can invite one person without any subscriber or follower requirements.”

“Also, since this is a server for streamers, there are a number of hidden features prepared—but it’s more fun to discover those for yourself rather than me spoiling them, right?”

“The Pixel Wars streamer server will run for two months.”

“We ask for lots of interest and support from all the viewers!”

A massive server exclusively for streamers.

With support from the platform and Pixel Wars superstar streamer Zeronix at the helm, it drew massive attention.

The first ten invited streamers were also major names—big-name creators anyone would recognize.

The stakes were high.

Zeronix and the administrators he personally selected poured everything into running the server.

Week one of the server.

“This is insane.”

Zeronix clenched his fist in excitement.

In just one week, they hit a peak concurrent viewership of 210,000.

And it wasn’t just the peak numbers—steady viewer counts were being maintained from morning until night.

“This is only the beginning.”

Right now, only the 10 starting members were streaming.

More streamers would be invited soon, and viewer numbers would grow even more.

“I was so worried it might flop.”

Even though he had acted all confident, as if success was guaranteed.

To be honest, he had been pretty nervous.

They had received sponsorship, sure—but map development and server maintenance had cost a fortune.

He even had to spend some of his own money.

If it flopped, it wouldn’t just be a financial disaster—it would be a humiliating failure for him as a Pixel Wars streamer.

Fortunately, contrary to those fears, the server was sailing along pretty smoothly.

“Hyung, did you see the new arrivals?”

While Zeronix looked pleased, checking the real-time viewer count, a man approached him.

Frost.

An admin for the Pixel Wars streamer server.

He and Zeronix were close—more like brothers.

With a long history playing Pixel Wars, Frost had earned Zeronix’s trust and was put in charge of operations.

“Yeah. Today’s the first day the invites can be used. I bet everyone used them right away.”

Even if you had a bunch of invites, there were limits on their use.

You could only use a set number during a specific period.

A week had passed since the server opened.

Right now, each person could only invite one streamer.

‘They’ll probably stick with the people they know.’

The 10 original starting members.

They held the first round of invitations.

The streamers being invited now would likely group around the starter who invited them.

‘The sooner you invite someone, the better. You gotta level up and gear up early.’

The streamers invited early would set the pace for this server.

They’d be the ones leading boss raids and dominating in PVP.

In that sense, the first streamers invited played a crucial role.

Zeronix checked out the list of newly added streamers.

‘Yup. All familiar faces.’

As expected, most of the starting members were inviting streamers who were known to be skilled at Pixel Wars.

They were forming teams with proven players.

That way, whether it was PvP or PvE, they could take the lead.

“By the way… don’t you think Rydel made a risky move?”

Frost tilted his head.

“She used her Golden Ticket right away, but the person she invited hasn’t even started streaming yet.”

The Golden Ticket.

A card given only to starting members.

The streamer server had a built-in restriction system to prevent issues—participants had to have a certain level of recognition.

People with reputations at stake were less likely to cause problems.

But using a Golden Ticket bypassed that restriction.

Anyone could join the server.

Since all the starting members were somewhat well-known and unlikely to cause trouble, the tickets were given as a special event bonus.

And Rydel had used hers immediately.

On someone referred to as “Silver Hair Silver Hair.”

In truth, that wasn’t even an official streamer name.

It was just a nickname between Rydel and her viewers.

Since that person hadn’t even started streaming yet, they didn’t have an official streamer handle.

Apparently, they were preparing to stream—but for now, they were just an ordinary person, not a streamer.

“Don’t you think her viewers might be upset?”

In this kind of situation, the biggest backlash usually comes from the streamer’s own audience.

The other starting members were all inviting well-known, skilled Pixel Wars streamers.

It was already tough to get someone strong enough, and yet.

She had used that precious Golden Ticket on a completely unproven person—just a regular individual.

It wouldn’t have been surprising if her stream had gone into chaos because of it.

“I checked too, but… the reaction actually isn’t bad.”

Surprisingly, Rydel’s viewers had shown no backlash at all.

On the contrary, the atmosphere around “Silver Hair Silver Hair” was actually welcoming.

“I think the person Rydel invited is a well-known viewer participant.”

A well-known viewer participant—someone who’s not a streamer but becomes known for actively joining viewer participation streams.

If they’ve had a positive influence on a stream, it’s not impossible for them to gain the support of the existing audience.

“Hmm… still, it’s kind of odd.”

“Yeah, it is.”

Zeronix and Frost hadn’t been watching Rydel’s recent streams.

Rydel had been confirmed as a starting member from the beginning, and lately, they’d been way too busy to watch anyone else’s streams.

Running the massive streamer server project had them completely drained.

There was just no time to tune in to other streamers.

So they had no way of knowing who “Silver Hair Silver Hair” actually was.

“Well, I guess she knows what she’s doing?”

“Yeah. The Golden Ticket is hers to use however she wants.”

As long as there wasn’t any viewer backlash, there was no reason to interfere.

Zeronix fixed himself a cup of coffee and resumed monitoring the streamers.

“Hm… but no one’s found a Hidden Piece in the whole week?”

“Yeah. Everyone knows they’re out there, but no one’s been able to locate one yet.”

The ten starting members had all been searching with intense focus, treating anything even slightly suspicious as “too artificial” and chasing it down in hopes of uncovering a Hidden Piece.

But unfortunately, no one had found a single one so far.

“Maybe I made it too hard? Guess it’s true what they say, ‘the darkest place is under the lamp.’”

“Should we give them a hint?”

“No, not yet.”

Zeronix said that as he sipped his coffee.

It was still just the first week—far too early to start giving out hints.

***

“Wow.”

Cold seawater lapped at their ankles.

Taking a deep breath, the distinct fresh and salty scent of the sea filled the air.

Standing at the beach made it really feel like they were on an island.

“VR really is something else.”

Pixel Wars—originally a sandbox-style PC game known for its freedom.

While the game itself was simple overall, its ability to let players create maps and enjoy open-ended gameplay made it hugely popular.

But when the VR market took over the gaming industry, Pixel Wars stumbled hard.

Most players had moved on to VR games.

The game that once defined an era seemed doomed to vanish into the pages of history.

Until a massive investment allowed it to be remade as a VR game.

It retained the freedom of the original while adding a high level of realism.

And just like that, it regained its status as a globally popular game.

‘Still, I feel kinda bad for Hayun.’

Kim Hayun, the one who gave them the Golden Ticket.

Rydel had invited me to the Pixel Wars streamer server.

And not just as any invitee—but as the very first one.

Right now, the Pixel Wars streamer server was the hottest topic on the Soopjijik platform.

To be the first person invited to something like that was an enormous opportunity for any content creator.

‘Even though I haven’t even started streaming yet…’

I thought streaming was just a matter of pressing a button.

But it turns out there’s a whole approval process involved.

I submitted the application ages ago, but it still hasn’t been approved.

It felt like everything was going to fall apart—but what Rydel used was the Golden Ticket.

It didn’t matter how many YouTube subscribers or Soopjijik followers you had.

Even if you weren’t a streamer, you could still be invited.

‘Good thing I did that singing stream.’

On top of that, thanks to unintentionally building a good impression during Rydel’s stream,there was absolutely no backlash from the viewers.

‘Anyway, I heard there’s some kind of hidden piece.’

First things first—I should probably find the village.

Just as I was about to walk past the beach and head toward the village.

Caw-caw.

A bird swooped past my shoulder at incredible speed.