Chapter 68 : Reach the Ends of the Sky (5)

In the wake of Argon’s sudden disappearance due to food poisoning, a brief, awkward silence fell.

Yoo Seoyeno glanced down at the small bundle in her hands, her big eyes staring at it, tilting her head.

“I couldn’t give him the gift…”

Thanks to Yun Hayeon, who was a fan of Argon, a good connection had started, and she wanted to express her gratitude. 

But suddenly, he had become a runaway ninja, claiming he had a stomach ache.

The timing was just unfortunate.

Rydel, who had been watching the situation, shrugged her shoulders and spoke up.

“Wow, it seems like Argon was really in a rush. He logged out at the speed of light!”

“Yeah. He must’ve been… really sick.”

Yoo Seoyeno tilted her head again.

She couldn’t imagine that Argon had freaked out thinking it was a PvP challenge and bolted out of fear.

She had no interest in PvP at all, so she never thought he would run away because he was scared.

She just thought, “I should be careful with raw beef next time…”

“So, what was the gift you were going to give him?”

Rydel asked curiously.

“Gold. Honestly, that’s the only gift I could give right now.”

Gold is the best gift, hands down.

No one knew what would carry over into the next season after this server ended, but gold would always be useful in any situation.

You could buy items for the next season with it, after all.

Even if the items themselves didn’t carry over, gold would.

And besides, Yoo Seoyeno had plenty of it to spare.

“I’ll give it to him next time… when he logs in.”

She thought to herself.

“Hmmm. Argon will be really disappointed.”

Rydel chuckled lightly.

Argon was the type of guy who would jump for joy even with a small gift from a girl, but now he was missing out on this opportunity because of food poisoning.

“What now?”

The two of them continued toward the village square.

The 2-month journey was nearing its end in the Pixel Wars streamer server.

The central city, Belheim, had become quite a fortified stronghold.

During the last “Foundations of the Final Battle” event, Yoo Seoyeno had spent a whopping 45 million gold to purchase 30 ancient power cores.

These power cores activated powerful magical cannon turrets, which had been installed in various places just behind the city walls, proudly displaying their might.

Sparkling crystal spheres took the place of cannon barrels.

It was clear to anyone that this was preparation for a large-scale monster invasion and the final defense event to come.

“That’s really strange… Why hasn’t the invasion event notice popped up yet? It feels like it should be happening soon.”

Rydel muttered as she looked at one of the crystal turret cannons.

Other streamers and viewers gathered in the Belheim Plaza also shared similar concerns.

The server was originally supposed to run for a full two months.

Near the end, everyone expected a large-scale monster invasion featuring the final boss-tier monsters, followed by a defense event to stop them. 

That was supposed to be the highlight.

“I wonder about that too.” 

“LOL, they built all these turrets. Are they just for decoration?” 

“Looking at those, it does seem like something’s going to attack soon.”

‘Piggybank’ Donated 3,000 Won!

Did she run away after seeing the silver-haired lady?

“LOL, that’s a possibility.” 

“Failed difficulty balancing, LOL.” 

“At this rate, it might just end without an invasion, LOL.”

The chat was filled with similar reactions.

“I spent 45 million gold just to activate those towers… If this is all it’s going to be, why did we even bother with the ‘Foundations of the Final Battle’ event?”

Rydel sighed as she pointed at a massive magical cannon.

Yoo Seoyeno had won 1.5 billion at the underground gambling hall, but even so, 45 million gold was a huge sum.

She had spent all that money activating the turrets, but now there was no clear use for them.

Although it wasn’t her money, Rydel felt a bit uneasy.

But Yoo Seoyeno, the one who had spent the gold, merely gazed up at the turrets with a blank expression.

“Well… they’re still cool, right? Sometimes shooting them helps relieve stress.”

She seemed pretty indifferent, as if she wasn’t bothered by the gold spent.

45 million gold? 

No big deal.

Rydel chuckled bitterly at Yoo Seoyeno’s reaction.

“Well, yeah… you’ve got plenty of money now. The rich really are different.”

Rydel teased playfully.

Even after activating the turrets and showering gold on others, Yoo Seoyeno still had over 1 billion gold left.

When it came to wealth, she was the undisputed top.

Even the entire wealth of the CritZone Clan couldn’t come close to what she had… she had become so rich that even their feet couldn’t catch up to hers.

“45 million gold toy, LOL.”

“Silver-haired lady is really something, LOL.”

“LOL, as long as it’s cool, that’s what matters.”

“???: But it’s still cool.”

“But seriously, don’t you think that money is a bit much?” 

“Should we protest to the admins?” 

“Silver-haired lady doesn’t do that kind of stuff.” 

“Silver-haired lady is known for being a big-hearted person, lol.”

It was at that moment.

Ding-!

With a clear and refreshing notification sound, a message appeared across the entire server.

[Pixel Wars Streamer Server, Finale Concert Announcement]

[To all streamers and viewers who participated in the Pixel Wars Streamer Server,The journey we’ve been racing through is coming to an end… ]

The night that will adorn the glorious finale is coming to you all.

This is the place where countless stories were born, and unforgettable memories were made.

We are announcing the final concert schedule for the Pixel Wars Streamer Server.]

[Date: 2 days before server shutdown, 8:00 PM]

[Location: Belheim Central Plaza Special Stage]

[Thank you.]

Surprisingly, instead of the final city defense event, the official schedule for the finale concert was announced.

“Finally, it’s here…!”

Rydel stiffened her expression and let out a deep breath.

She would be participating in that concert.

She had heard that not only streamers but also singers would be attending.

Yoo Seoyeno silently stared at the announcement.

Her small fist clenched and relaxed without her even realizing.

In her mind, the face of Yun Hayeon, whom she had met at the cafe, appeared.

The sheet music she had given her came to mind.

<A Letter to the Sky>

It was the song she would sing at the finale concert.

Would her voice be able to convey the song to the people well?

In addition to the trembling and nervousness, she felt a sense of responsibility, and perhaps even a slight burden.

Meanwhile, Rydel, who had been nervously shaking her legs, suddenly spoke to the viewers with a confident expression.

“Hah, for this stage, I’ll just sweep it all up. No joke, it feels like my throat’s cleared up these days. I feel like a master singer.”

“????” 

“Of course, confidence is Rydel’s specialty.” 

“What kind of confidence is that, LOL.” 

“Delbung Delbung…” 

“Did you have a drink or something?”

‘OatsGod’ Donated 1,000 Won!

Honestly, Rydel’s singing is just average, right? 

She has a unique charm.

“Isn’t that a bit of a fetish? LOL.” 

“Nickname match, LOL.” 

“She does have a bit of a metal vibe.”

‘GoraniTears’ Donated 2,000 Won!

Rydel, you really blew the stage away. 

That singing style you’ve never used.

“LOL.” 

“Wow. The beat, rhythm, soul. Just like that…” 

“The fact is, it’s a singing style she really never uses, LOL.”

‘SilverHairedLover’ Donated 10,000 Won!

By the way, Silver-haired lady, what song are you preparing? 

You said you were practicing with the MR last time, LOL.

“LOL, what song are you going to sing?” 

“I think you could handle almost anything.” 

“You sang an anime song really well last time.” 

“It would be nice if you sang something with a good atmosphere.”

“Oh, right. Silver-haired lady. Have you decided on the song you’re going to sing? I’ve almost decided mine.”

Rydel asked, thinking about Yoo Seoyeno, who would still be practicing with the YouTube MR.

Yoo Seoyeno smiled slightly.

“Yes. I’ve decided too… I’ve got a song I really want to sing.”

***

[Pixel Wars Streamer Server Summary]

[The monsters are supposed to be attacking, but there’s still no news. 

If that’s the case, why even build the turrets, haha.

Silver-haired lady said the turret that cost 45 million gold was cool. 

She won’t complain to the admins.

The date for the finale concert is confirmed. 

Two days before the server shutdown, at 8:00 PM.]

Are they really not doing the invasion? 

This is anticlimactic.

I really want to see Silver-haired lady’s stage 😊😊😊😊 What song will she sing?

No, she hasn’t told us yet?

No, most of the participants haven’t shared it. 

We’ll find out that day.

Rydel’s stage… should we… expect it…?

LOL, if you expect it, you’ll be disappointed.

***

Frost was scanning live data with a furrowed brow.

At the end of his gaze, there were responses from users mixed with questions like, “When is the invasion happening?”, “Are the monsters going to sleep?”, and “Are the turrets just for decoration?” all under the ‘Finale Concert’ keyword.

Frost let out a deep sigh and turned to Zeronix, who was still standing with his arms crossed, staring at Yoo Seoyeno’s image on Rydel’s broadcast screen.

“Hyung.”

Despite the quiet call, Zeronix didn’t respond and continued to gaze at the screen.

“…Are we really going to go with this?”

Frost’s voice carried a clear sense of anxiety.

“We installed the turrets in Belheim, and everyone is expecting the final server event to be a grand-scale invasion defense. But this… is going completely opposite to what they expected.”

Instead of an invasion announcement, out of nowhere, only the finale concert schedule had been released.

“Wouldn’t it be better to just go with the usual plan? Announce the invasion event as scheduled, get everyone hyped up by fighting monsters together, and then wrap it all up with the finale concert.”

Frost continued.

“Let’s finish it that way.”

That seemed like the safest and most neutral approach, with minimal user backlash. 

Trying something unpredictable might risk losing the favor of the community at the end of the server.

Only then did Zeronix turn his head and look at Frost.

“Younger brother.”

His voice still held a playful tone.

“It’s too predictable. There has to be a bit of fun with the beats, right?”