Chapter 39: Bug (1)

‘Something’s off.’

The flow didn’t feel right.

When Yoo Seo-yeon explained how she had defeated nine monsters with a pickaxe,

a nagging sense of unease tugged at Raidel’s thoughts.

‘Like… you’re supposed to complete the village chief’s quest to get your starter weapon and shield, right?’

That was the standard game flow.

Complete the tutorial quest,

get basic equipment,

then properly begin the game.

But in Seo-yeon’s story, that order had been reversed.

She went to the island first to get the hidden piece, white spiritwood,

and encountered nine rabid dog-like monsters there.

‘To beat those monsters… wouldn’t you need a proper weapon?’

At the very least,

you’d need the starter sword and shield from the tutorial.

That was the only decent early-game weapon available.

But once you completed the tutorial and got the gear, you couldn’t get the hidden piece.

Even if you went back with the materials afterward,

the system would just say the quest was already complete.

So if things were designed properly,

there shouldn’t have been any combat during the hidden piece quest.

Fighting without being given a weapon would mean the quest design was flawed.

After thinking it over, Raidel came to a conclusion:

‘Those nine monsters… I don’t think they were meant to be fought.’

The fact that they gave no EXP was also odd.

Expecting players to fight unarmed felt clunky.

So maybe the devs intended for those monsters to be avoided or bypassed,

and Seo-yeon just brute-forced it.

Raidel didn’t have a video—just the story—so she couldn’t be sure,

but it seemed likely.

It sounded crazy,

but ‘If it’s Seo-yeon, it might actually be possible.’

If anyone could bash monster skulls with a pickaxe and hand axe, it was her.

Raidel knew better than anyone how monstrous Seo-yeon’s physical skill was.

Her god-tier control in Chain Roller,

her overwhelming combat instincts in Raid & Master.

Stuff ordinary people couldn’t dream of doing—she did without blinking.

‘Maybe she really did just beat them all with pure skill.’

Seo-yeon had said, “It wasn’t that bad,” but—

it had to be absurdly difficult combat.

Clearing it with nothing but a gatherer’s tools was probably not what the devs intended.

It completely ignored the normal route and broke through with raw talent.

‘…Well, whatever. Probably.’

Raidel gave her head a small shake as if to cast the thought away.

All roads lead to Rome.

There’s a saying that even scissors can break rocks.

She’d just accept that Seo-yeon pulled off some kind of strongman show.

With a forced smile, Raidel put away her nagging question.

---

First hidden piece discovery in the streamer server!

The entire community exploded.

【Silverhair Enters Hidden Piece Hall of Fame lololol】

[Wow, I was refreshing Zeronix’s page and freaked out lolol

Silverhair did something huge!]

– For real? Not clickbait?

– Nope. Official notice on Zeronix’s page. 100% legit.

– Who even is Silverhair, you weebs

– Foreigner?

– Is she a girl?

【Pixel Wars streamer server first hidden piece finder is ‘Silverhair’ << That person apparently?】

[Isn’t that the normie Delbung brought in with a golden ticket, who hasn’t even started streaming yet?]

– Yep~

– Raidel brought in a top-tier merc

– Didn’t other streamers also recruit Pixel Wars veterans?

【Streamers who wasted a whole week cry in corner lololol】

[They flushed a week down the toilet lololol]

– Fr lolol I want to see the OG members’ faces.

– A week of hidden-running gone down the drain ㅜㅜㅠㅜㅠㅠ

【But seriously, how did Silverhair find it?】

[Didn’t she take a raft out to sea? Was the white spiritwood out there?]

– We don’t know. She hasn’t streamed.

– Isn’t she not a streamer yet?

– She’s prepping, but Soopjijik didn’t do their job!

– Yeah, she needs clearance to stream. Didn’t get approval.

– Soop’s processing is so damn slow

– Delbung might stream about it soon?

– Fr, maybe she saved the story for Raidel’s stream

– Can’t wait anymore. Spit it out already!

【(Breaking) Raidel’s stream confirms: Silverhair saw the hidden clue right at the start】

[Just tuned in. Raidel’s streaming and Silverhair joined right away to spill the story lolol

Turns out the bird that flew in at the very beginning was holding white spiritwood.

She followed the bird’s direction.]

– Other streamers said the bird flew by too fast to even notice it was holding anything lolol

– She saw that? Birdwatcher much?

– ???? I thought it was a glitch lololol

– How the hell did she notice that?

– The bird was holding something?

【But how’d she deal with those monsters?】

[Apparently 9 monsters spawned right after she grabbed the spiritwood.

They had huge claws and were deadly on contact.

She said they came charging like rabid dogs with wild eyes.

Said even one hit would kill you.

And she beat them all with just a pickaxe?

No actual weapon? That even possible? Aren’t hidden piece mobs supposed to be tough as hell?]

– Maybe the monsters were weak?

– Fr, there’s no footage. You could say it was 9 chihuahuas and claim they were tigers.

– There’ll be a video eventually, right? Even if she didn’t stream, the devs have it.

– Yeah, I heard Frost was saving the footage just in case.

【If it’s a hidden piece, there’s no way it was trash mobs】

[Frost straight-up said hidden pieces would be hard to get.

Everyone expected strong monsters.

She’s not flexing over killing weaklings.]

– Doesn’t seem like Silver Noona is lying.

– Fr, her gameplay’s weird, but her skill’s real.

Most of the community had a positive impression of Yoo Seo-yeon—Silverhair.

Sure, she vanished the moment she got the hidden piece.

And Raidel didn’t get answers during her sleep.

But people spun it as a noble act of loyalty.

Also, the fact that Silverhair had a beautiful voice helped a lot.

So overall, the tone was upbeat.

But not everyone was convinced.

【Honestly, doesn’t Silverhair seem like a cheater? None of it adds up】

[A complete newbie who’s been playing for less than a day,

finds what 10 pro streamers couldn’t find in a week?

And the only clue was a bird carrying a twig that no one else even saw? Lol

Unless she’s using ESP hacks to highlight objects, how else do you explain it?

It reeks of being fake.]

– Fr lol glad it’s not just me

– Even if she’s gifted, there are limits. This is kinda sus…

– The bird flew by so fast, only someone with hawk vision could’ve seen it.

– People defending her are just naïve

– Staying neutral, but yeah. It’s suspicious.

【Beating 9 monsters with a pickaxe + axe? LOL】

[If the monsters were really that strong, that makes this even more unbelievable.

Pixel Wars mobs aren’t that dumb.

You’re telling me a newbie figured out their patterns and took them down with a pickaxe? LOL]

【But has anyone actually seen Silverhair’s gameplay? Isn’t all this secondhand info?】

[That’s the key point.

Did anyone actually see her on the island, fighting monsters and getting the hidden piece?

No, right?

It’s all just her own story lololol

There’s no POV footage. So what exactly are y’all worshipping?

Raidel vouched for her, but she’s the one who gave her the golden ticket. Of course she’s biased.]

– Exactly. There’s no proof.

【Haters talking nonsense again】

[Didn’t Zeronix and Frost say they saved the video?

Silverhair can’t stream yet, so they’ve been backing up her gameplay manually.

Zeronix isn’t stupid. If she was cheating, they wouldn’t just sit on their hands.

It doesn’t add up. Shut up, haters.]

– Calling people haters, huh lololol

– Still, Zeronix is probably too busy to monitor it all.

– True, maybe they just saved the footage and haven’t reviewed it.

– Shut it. What do you even know?

---

“Hey, kid.”

A low, tired voice called out.

Zeronix stared at the forum threads as he spoke to Frost beside him.

“Yeah, bro?”

Frost, who’d been reviewing system data, turned his head.

“That Silverhair person…”

Zeronix paused, choosing his words.

“There’s talk going around that she might be cheating. Is it true?”

Just like the forums,

Zeronix hadn’t been able to personally monitor Yoo Seo-yeon’s gameplay.

He’d been too busy—

Meetings with Soopjijik executives,

feedback sessions with other streamers…

He couldn’t exactly babysit a semi-normie who hadn’t even started streaming yet.

“If this is a cheat case, we’re f*cked. You, me, all of us.”

The streamer server project had major backing from the platform.

A cheat scandal this early would be devastating.

It could shatter trust in the server.

Hearing Zeronix’s serious tone, Frost gave a conflicted look.

“Bro… uh. How do I explain this.”

After thinking a bit, Frost said:

“You’ll have to see it for yourself.”