Chapter 52 : Towards the Finale (1)

Slurp.

I finished the bowl of beef porridge Yoo Seoha had made for me.

It was a little salty, but—it was really delicious.

But still.

When I glanced to the side, Seoha was still staring at me with a worried look.

“Was it good?”

“Yeah.”

“Eat more. I made a lot.”

After noticing my eyes were turning red, Yoo Seoha kept watching me anxiously.

I was grateful, but it felt a little uncomfortable. 

I also felt kind of sorry.

Besides.

She also looked kind of hungry.

It was exactly lunchtime right now.

If she hadn’t eaten separately, this would definitely be the time to feel hungry.

“Hey… Seoha.”

I set my spoon down for a moment and spoke up.

“Do you… want some too?”

Seoha waved her hand lightly.

“No, you eat a lot, unnie. I’m fine.”

“It’s just… there’s too much.”

I glanced at the pot. 

In truth, there was only about one bowl left—so it wasn’t that much.

“It’d be a waste if it’s left over. You should have some too.”

I brought over an empty bowl and scooped the remaining porridge from the pot, then handed it to Seoha.

She hesitated for a moment, then smiled softly and took the bowl.

“Thank you, unnie.”

Yoo Seoha said with a touched expression.

No, but why are you the one getting emotional?

She’s the one who bought the ingredients and did all the cooking.

And yet she’s thanking me just for sharing a little of it?

She’s my little sister, but seriously—she’s way too kind.

“Was it good?”

“Yeah. The seasoning was perfect, and it turned out really well. That’s a relief.”

The awkward atmosphere seemed to ease up a little.

“But Seoha, didn’t you go to school today?”

She had been in her school uniform since earlier… but isn’t it lunchtime now?

Seoha paused with a spoonful of porridge and looked at me like I was saying something weird.

“It’s a public holiday today.”

“…Ah.”

So today was a red-letter day?

I had completely forgotten.

That’s why Seoha could just show up at my place like this at this hour.

Judging by her uniform, she probably came from doing some self-study at school.

I didn’t even know what day the public holidays were anymore.

I couldn’t help it. 

Yesterday, I stayed up all night running around in the Pixel Wars streamer server.

And today, I was stressing out over the concert to the point my head felt like it was going to explode.

On top of that, I’d been preparing for online streaming by watching other streamers on YouTube,keeping up with new webtoons and web novels to create things to talk about with my viewers.

Honestly, I was living as busily as any job-seeker, if not more.

I’m just a lucky unemployed person.

Not knowing when the public holidays are—That’s a level only a seasoned jobless person who’s cut ties with the secular world could reach.

Seoha looked at me with even more concern.

But thankfully, she didn’t nag me and just quietly continued eating her porridge.

Trying to break the awkward silence, I quickly changed the subject.

“Anyway, um… so, how’s studying going?”

That was the only thing I could think to ask a high schooler.

“Good. I’ve been working hard.”

Yeah, Yoo Seoha had always been diligent and naturally smart.

The textbook model student type.

Her grades were always near the top.

She could probably get into most universities without much trouble.

“Ah, I really want to hurry up and get into college. I want to start working part-time too.”

“Oh, a part-time job?”

“Yeah. To help cover tuition and living expenses. And working makes you feel productive and fulfilled, you know?”

Ugh.

Feeling joy from labor?

I thought part-time jobs were just for making money?

Looking at my sister who lived with such a wholesome mindset, I furrowed my brows a little.

She was so dazzling, it was hard to look straight at her.

Having finished her porridge before I realized, Seoha looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“Huh? Oh, nothing! You’re just… too dazzling.”

Seoha still looked skeptical but didn’t press any further.

“If you’re done eating, give me the bowl. I’ll clean up.”

“Oh, okay. Here.”

I quickly handed her the empty bowl.

Taking it, Seoha naturally began tidying up again.

She put the empty bowl in the sink and quickly finished washing the dishes.

Then she moved on to cleaning the rest—gathering all the clutter that had been lying around and neatly piling it up in one corner. 

Maybe not back in their proper places, but at least making it look presentable.

If I’d been alone, it probably would’ve stayed that way until dinner.

Thank you, Seoha.

To be honest, I’d been feeling out of sorts since the morning because of the concert.

I even woke up from a nightmare in my sleep.

But seeing Seoha calmed my heart a bit.

Just having a normal conversation helped me forget my worries, even if only for a moment.

It felt like I’d found someone I could lean on.

Sorry for making you worry.

Becoming a streamer.

Up till now, it had just been a vague goal.

More like, “Well, I guess I’ll try this?” kind of feeling.

But watching Seoha worry about me changed something in me.

At the very least, I wanted to make sure this sweet girl wouldn’t have to worry about me.

And I’ll make sure she doesn’t need to get a part-time job, either.

I’ll succeed as a streamer and make sure she never has to do something as dreadful as part-time work.

And I’ll feed her tons of delicious food.

I’ll show her the true might of an elder blessed with the power of capitalism.

“Unnie, you’ve got something on your mouth.”

“Mm?”

Yoo Seoha came over with a paper towel and gently wiped my lips.

I silently accepted her gesture.

Anyway, I will show her the dignity of an older sister.

Once the room looked somewhat livable again, Seoha picked up her bag.

“Unnie, I should get going now.”

“Already?”

For some reason, I felt a bit sad.

“I’ve got to head to my cram school. And I promised to eat dinner with Mom and Dad tonight.”

She said as she walked toward the door.

“Make sure you eat properly. Go to the doctor if you’re sick. And if anything happens, call me, okay? Got it?”

“Yeah…”

“And… keep your room clean!”

Maybe she noticed that my expression had brightened.

Yoo Seoha gave a small smile as she said it.

“Got i~t…”

I replied weakly.

Only after hearing my answer did Seoha open the door.

After a brief hesitation, she gave me one last, tight hug before leaving.

A pleasant scent spread through my nose.

“I’ll be going now.”

Leaving those words behind, Seoha disappeared beyond the front door.

Click.

The door closed, and once again, I was alone in the room.

The room, now suddenly quiet, was much cleaner than before.

It felt like Seoha’s warmth still lingered.

I let out a long sigh.

My foolishly kind little sister.

I felt sorry for making her worry, and at the same time, grateful.

“I really… need to give it my all.”

The anxiety about the concert began to creep back up,But it felt a little different than before.

It felt like I had one more reason to keep going.

That anxiety had turned into a pleasant tension.

***

“Silver Hair! Now!”

At Rydel’s shout, Yoo Seoyeno’s white hand traced a small arc through the air.

[Dimensional Distortion]

Srrrng—!

In an instant, the surrounding terrain warped.

Part of the once-solid ground caved in, while sharp cliffs suddenly jutted up from the other side.

“Graaagh!”

“Kyeeeek!”

The widely scattered monsters were quickly funneled into one spot, blocked by the traps and walls that Yoo Seoyeno had created.

As if they were being sucked into a funnel.

“I’ll finish them off!”

This time, Rydel shouted and stretched out her hand. 

She activated the same power.

Rumble—!

A massive rocky ceiling formed above the spot where the monsters had gathered—then came crashing down.

Boom!

A cloud of dust rose with the sound of wretched screams.

Moments later, the battlefield was left clean, with only glimmering loot scattered across it.

[You have defeated 17 ‘Sharp-Jawed Hyenas’!]

It was a power she obtained from winning the one-month anniversary event.

A skill granted alongside the title “Tuner of Distorted Space.”

Dimensional Distortion.

Among its abilities, the one that altered terrain was especially useful for hunting.

It did have a cooldown, though.

But by alternating their skills and managing the cooldowns, they could wipe out monsters in one sweep.

One person would reshape the terrain to funnel the monsters in,Then the other would use it again to deal massive area damage.

The hunting efficiency was overwhelming.

「Wow, that’s insane ☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️」

「Now that’s how you do mob herding lol」

「Isn’t that basically freeloading?☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️」

「If they keep rotating cooldowns like that, they’re gonna wipe out all the mobs 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂」

“We made a nice profit today, too.”

Yoo Seoyeno muttered in a satisfied tone as she picked up the items.

Obviously, money mattered even on the streamer server.

Whether it was to draw rare pets, buy powerful equipment,Or… use it for gambling.

Basically, there was nothing money couldn’t do here either.

That’s why Yoo Seoyeno was diligently stacking up her wealth.

“I heard the currency carries over to the next server too.”

The two-month server was nearing its end,But the value of money still held strong.

If Pixel Wars: Streamer Server Season 2 opened, a portion of the wealth obtained here would carry over.

How much exactly was still being discussed by the devs, apparently.

Still, the opening of Season 2 was practically confirmed—This server had blown up in popularity.

So even now, whether people were hunting or doing something else,Everyone was grinding to collect as much wealth as possible.

“By the way, Silver Hair,”

Rydel, who had also swept up some loot, spoke up.

“Apparently, life jobs like miners, farmers, or chefs are pretty fun too. Ever thought about trying one?”

Pixel Wars: Streamer Server.

Hunters were definitely the most attention-grabbing,But life skills were also one of the server’s main contents.

Farmers who harvested crops, miners who dug up ore, chefs who crafted buff items.

They were another pillar of the server economy.

A cyber labor camp.

It was usually a content path designed for streamers who lacked raw mechanical skills.

They could casually chat with other streamers while crafting items and running shops.

There was a decent viewer demand for this kind of content, so it was operating well.

“I just… prefer being a hunter.”

Yoo Seoyeno shook her head.

Sure, there were other jobs,But if you wanted to make use of your physical skills, nothing beat being a hunter.

Life jobs didn’t really require reflexes or speed,But that also meant your output was always fixed.

And since she had a broken skill like Dimensional Distortion,She had no reason to switch to something else.

“Then shall we go for a bit more hunting?”

Rydel stretched as she said that.

Step, step—Footsteps approached them from behind.