Chapter 37 : Hidden Piece (5)

It’s a mask mixed with black and silver.

A mask engraved with an incomprehensible pattern in intaglio.

At a glance, it’s clearly not an ordinary item.

“This is it. The reward I got from the Hidden Piece.”

Yoo Seoyeno coolly handed over the item.

「Delbung, don’t run off with it…」

「Looks like Rydel’s hands are shaking lol」

「If she bails, it’ll be legendary lol」

「Swallowing hard, Rydel gets my like lol」

「gch」

「gch」

“I—I’m not going to run away with it! What do you take me for?”

A streamer, running off with loot?

Please.

Rydel shook her head and displayed the item on screen.

『Mask of Deception』

[When equipped, you will appear as an NPC for a certain duration.]

Allows skipping certain quests

Enables infiltration into enemy zones.

Changes NPC reactions during interactions.

Under certain conditions, triggers ‘Deception’: You can fool hostile NPCs.

“A mask that makes you look like an NPC, huh?”

Rydel examined the item.

“Disguising as an NPC… You might be able to ignore some quest requirements?”

“Which means you can bypass some segments without combat.”

“Fooling NPCs—that’s a really unique skill.”

“If used well, it could seriously become a game-changer.”

“For players who like to play clean and proper, this might be a tough item to use effectively.”

‘On the other hand, for someone who likes to twist routes, this is the perfect item.’

‘…And if it’s Seoyeno, she’s definitely the latter.’

Rydel let out a quiet breath.

She’d come to realize something lately.

Surprisingly, Yoo Seoyeno’s gameplay style leaned more towards the unconventional than the orthodox.

Rather than relying solely on raw skill and charging through with brute force.

She favored creative, unorthodox, high-risk plays that walked a fine line.

In a word: dopamine addict style.

Sure, the former is more stable—but the latter is way more fun to watch.

Of course, if your skill doesn’t match the style, the unorthodox route turns you into a useless troll.

But Yoo Seoyeno had proven herself in many ways by now.

Back in Chain Roller, she had skipped the entire stage with a bizarre strategy.

And in Raid & Master, she liked the off-meta skill tree of the Log Master—a path nobody else touched.

She had shown some amazing performances with it too.

Rydel thought that for someone like Seoyeno, that kind of unorthodox item suited her surprisingly well.

‘Somehow… just knowing Seoyeno’s going to use that thing makes me feel like she’s gonna do something weird again.’

「NPC bait item lololol」

「No idea how strong it is but it looks fun lol」

「Fr, looks super fun lol」

《‘EungaeEungaeEungae’ donated 10,000 won!》

It’s strong.

Once there are more quest types later, it’ll definitely become super useful.

「Yeah, if you use it right, it’s OP for sure」

「Zeronix probably thought it through if it’s a Hidden item」

「Feels like the item’s power will totally depend on how you use it」

「Kinda underwhelming for a Hidden item, no?」

「Hmm. Not sure if it’s worth that much.」

Most agreed that it was a fun item, but…,There were a few, albeit minority, opinions that the item was a bit underwhelming for a Hidden piece.

It wasn’t the kind of item that made you obviously stronger like a weapon, so it was natural for opinions to be divided.

Still, most agreed that it was an unexpected and unique item.

‘Feels like it’ll be useful, though.’

Of course, it seemed like an item that heavily depended on the user’s skill,but if used well, it could give you a significant advantage in quests.

Just that alone meant it wasn’t a bad item by any means.

“Alright! Silver Hair, thanks for showing the item. Got to see something cool thanks to you.”

Rydel handed the mask back.

“And honestly, while the item is nice and all—I was more curious about how you actually got it.”

What intrigued her more was how the Hidden Piece was obtained in the first place.

Unlike the item, which could be shown off in under a minute,the process of acquiring the Hidden Piece needed more explanation.

So, to keep the audience entertained in the meantime, she asked to see the item first.

After streaming for quite a while, this kind of judgment came naturally to her.

And now, the item had been reviewed.

It was time to hear the story of how it was obtained.

Yoo Seoyeno nodded.

“Well, first of all—a bird flew at me the moment the game started.”

“Oh, that bird?”

「The one that suddenly charged at you?」

「Wasn’t it just mad after seeing Delbung’s face? lol」

「Same bird showed up for other streamers too」

Rydel nodded.

Not long after the game started, a bird had suddenly flown at her.

To exaggerate a bit, it flew at her at bullet speed.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a monster attack.

The bird that came screeching toward her merely brushed past her ear in an instant.

It wasn’t just Rydel—other streamers had experienced the same thing.

They wondered if it might’ve been a hint, but in the end, it was just a single bird that flew by.

Even if it were a hint, it’d need something to latch onto to be meaningful.

Just a bird flying past wasn’t enough to glean any kind of information.

So every streamer, including Rydel, had simply ignored it.

“That bird was carrying a Baegnyeongmok twig in its beak.”

“Huh?”

Rydel tilted her head.

Carrying something?

It had flown by so fast that she could barely even recognize it was a bird.

Forget Baegnyeongmok—she didn’t even realize it had anything in its mouth.

「??」

「Wait, there was something?」

「The bird was carrying something?」

《5000 Won donation from ‘DeliPunch’!》

 I didn’t even know it was a bird lol.

「For real lol」

「Only figured it out from the screeching sound」

The chat was the same.

No one, not even Rydel or any of the viewers, had realized that the bird was carrying a twig.

Many didn’t even realize it was a bird.

“I had no idea it was carrying anything…”

At those words, it was Yoo Seoyeon who tilted her head slightly—then gave a small nod.

“Maybe you were just caught off guard because it happened so early in the game?”

‘Is that it?’

It had shown up not long after the game started.

It was a chaotic moment, so maybe she really had missed it.

‘Still, though…’

It didn’t quite sit right with him,but Rydel focused back on what Yoo Seoyeon was saying.

***

The village chief’s tutorial quest.

It was the usual sort—gather some rocks and wood.

But he did clearly say that if you brought Baegnyeongmok and Silver Ore instead, he’d give you a better reward.

Rydel had assumed it was a quest meant for newbies who joined later.

But.

“Of course. If you bring me Baegnyeongmok, I’ll give you the village’s one and only special piece of equipment.”

He remembered the village chief clearly saying he’d give the only piece of special equipment in the village for Baegnyeongmok.

Come to think of it, that was kind of strange.

If it was a one-of-a-kind item, there’s no way everyone who joins later could all receive it.

A one-of-a-kind item.

Which meant this wasn’t a quest meant for latecomers.

It had to be connected to a Hidden Piece.

Silver Ore was abundant.

The key was the Baegnyeongmok.

He had to find Baegnyeongmok.

***

The raft cut through the current much more smoothly than expected.

Rather than feeling like I was floating on water, it felt as if I were gliding across flat ground.

‘Nice, no seasickness.’

In real life, I’d be swaying from the waves, dazed from motion sickness by now.

‘They really removed all the unpleasant stuff.’

Feeling once again that I was inside a game, I gazed down at the blue surface of the water.

The dazzling sky reflected off the sea, shimmering gracefully beneath the raft.

It almost felt like I was on vacation.

I could finally understand why Pixel Wars was considered a blockbuster hit, why it was so popular.

Of course, I hadn’t built this raft just to enjoy a relaxing cruise.

‘The bird flew in from that direction, right?’

A white tree—presumably a branch from the Baegnyeongmok.

A bird had flown in, carrying it in its beak.

Almost as if it had been deliberately trying to show it to someone.

If that was a hint.

Then the direction the bird came from was where the Baegnyeongmok was located.

Thankfully, my memory clearly remembered the spot it had flown from.

‘It can’t be that far, right?’

Even if it’s a Hidden Piece, it’s from an early-game quest.

It wouldn’t be located that far out.

And sure enough, as if to confirm that hunch.

A tiny dot appeared on the edge of my vision.

At first, I thought it was just a mirage beyond the horizon.

But as the raft drifted a bit farther forward, the dot slowly began to take shape.

An island.

The shape of the island was clearly unnatural, even at a glance.

It wasn’t round, nor was it irregular.

As if it had been drawn on the sea surface with a giant set square,the island’s outline formed a near-perfect octagon.

And around it, no other islands were in sight.

The moment I saw the island, the corners of my lips slightly lifted.

“Artificial, huh?”

Arrival at the island.

The raft gently bumped against the shore and came to a stop.

I carefully stepped out onto the water’s edge.

‘Looks pretty cool.’

Despite the artificial exterior, the inside of the island perfectly replicated the heart of a forest.

The breeze softly rustled the leaves, and the sunlight warmly bathed the grassy floor.

The trees were tall, with thickly interwoven branches,but the light pouring through them gently colored the whole forest.

After walking a bit through the woods,

“Is that it?”

A single tree stood at the center of the island.

It was small.

Surrounded by towering trees that seemed to pierce the sky,it looked even smaller and more fragile by comparison.

About the size of a human torso.

Its surface was white.

Not just plain white.

It was smooth and glossy, like it had been carved out of porcelain.

As the sunlight touched it, a silvery glow spread softly like a reflection.

“The Baegnyeongmok Tree is snow-white, and its shape is so unique that you can recognize it at a glance.”

The village chief’s words came to mind.

I wasn’t sure if it looked snow-white,but I could instinctively tell—it wasn’t just any ordinary tree.

[You have obtained ‘Baegnyeongmok Tree’.]

『Baegnyeongmok Tree』

[A tree inhabited by the spirit of an ancient forest.

It holds arcane magic from ancient times.]

“Nice!”

Now it was certain.

Hidden piece acquired!

My heart was pounding.

A satisfied sigh welled up from deep inside my chest.

I had no idea why the other streamers hadn’t figured it out,but it really was a hidden piece.

There was only one Baegnyeongmok Tree here.

As soon as I harvested it with my hand axe, it vanished.

“Now I just have to head back…”

All I had to do was deliver it to the village chief.

At that moment.

A chill ran down my spine.

A sharp, threatening presence, like someone was watching me.

I instinctively crouched and scanned my surroundings.

Maybe it was because the mood had changed.

The forest that had felt so warm and peaceful just moments ago now felt hostile.

At first, I couldn’t see anything.

But then.

Tap, tap—tap, tap.

Footsteps of wild beasts began to echo through the trees.