“Ugh…”
A long, heavy sigh escaped him.
Lying on the bed, Kim Suhyun stared blankly at the ceiling, his face drained of all color and hope.
His lifeless eyes looked like those of someone who had lost all meaning in life.
Modern day.
A world where you can have anything you want with just a stretch of your hand—no enemies to fight, material wealth in abundance, a loving wife, a beautiful daughter.
On the surface, there was nothing lacking in his life.
Anyone else might scold him for being ungrateful, accusing him of wasting his blessings on pointless thoughts.
But…
“…”
Here, none of that existed.
There were no thrilling battles against monsters that made his heart race.
No pulse-pounding explorations of ancient ruins.
Life in the modern world was peaceful, unlike the chaotic existence he’d known in the Hall Plain.
The boredom of this repetitive daily routine was poison to someone like Kim Suhyun, who had grown used to the excitement of the Hall Plain.
His empty heart remained unfulfilled, the void growing deeper with each passing day…
“I’m bored.”
He wished there was at least something—anything—to do.
Was this what it felt like to be a caged animal?
Suddenly, a clear, bright cheer pierced the quiet room, breaking through the walls in a small, distant echo.
“…Looks like someone just dropped some gold coins again.”
Kim Suhyun, lost in thought, twitched his lips.
Then, as if struck by an idea, he suddenly sat up.
He settled in front of his neatly arranged desk, powered on his computer, and with a sly smile, opened the internet.
His previously dull eyes suddenly sparkled.
“Let’s see… the address was…”
Soon, dozens of videos lined up on the screen.
His gaze fixed on one near the bottom titled ‘Genius Alchemist.’
“Genius alchemist, my foot.”
Kim Suhyun chuckled and clicked on the video.
Moments later, the screen switched to a video showing a young woman.
The woman raised both arms in celebration, grinning and nodding happily.
At that moment, the chat window on the right shimmered gold, bursting with dazzling light.
Vivian’s eyes blinked in surprise, her mouth dropping wide open.
Each gold coin was worth 100 won.
So 1,500 gold coins amounted to a whopping 150,000 won.
Considering this was earned in just moments, it was a significant sum.
“Not bad for today’s haul,” Kim Suhyun muttered, his gaze fixed on the screen.
Watching Vivian playfully tease, the tension in Kim Suhyun’s stiff face slowly began to ease.
Currently, the ‘Genius Alchemist’ stream had just over 20,000 viewers.
For the early morning hours, that was quite a crowd.
In fact, Vivian was a fairly well-known streamer on this platform.
Her specialties were gaming and mukbang.
At first, she started streaming half-jokingly, just wanting to casually connect with people in the world.
But unexpectedly, her audience grew steadily, and within a year, she had amassed tens of thousands of fans, becoming a popular broadcaster.
Thinking about it, it wasn’t so strange.
For one, Vivian was pretty.
Despite her slightly vacant, innocent look, her personality was quirky and vibrant.
She was genuine in her words and actions, with no pretense.
She reacted to even the smallest things, which kept her regular viewers engaged.
Most of all, she enjoyed the spotlight and often stirred up attention and drama.
Of course, that alone didn’t explain her rapid rise.
There was another, more important reason why Vivian had so many loyal viewers.
A secret well-known to all her fans, though she herself was unaware of it.
Kim Suhyun, having watched Vivian’s stream for a while, smiled quietly and clicked his mouse.
Just as Vivian was about to celebrate another gold coin drop, she glanced at the chat with a baffled expression.
Summer97: There they are again! LOL
RlffuqRlffuq: Seriously persistent. That’s gotta be a sickness.
NoBigClub: Honestly, this stream wouldn’t be half as fun without them.
Tkddjek: Agreed.
Cuma85: After midnight, forced kicks reset. Time to blacklist them properly.
Istantel Law Lord: Don’t know why I even watch this stream… Nothing special here.
Vivian studied the chat and nodded.
As Vivian moved her mouse, the video abruptly cut off, and the screen switched back to the platform’s homepage.
She’d been forcibly removed.
“Huh.”
Kim Suhyun, suddenly kicked out, let out a dry laugh.
He logged out immediately, then clicked the video again to re-enter the stream.
Since you can’t enter a room you’ve been kicked from for a whole day, he was using a loophole.
But as a guest, he couldn’t send gold coins or chat.
He could only watch.
Of course, he wasn’t about to just sit back and accept it.
Whether or not the guy was listening, Vivian’s words were bold and unrestrained.
Dayfly?
She laughed, waving her hand.
Kim Suhyun took a quiet breath.
“…This is real.”
Rubbing her stomach and licking her lips, Vivian hurriedly grabbed her smartphone and made a call.
Watching Vivian on the phone, Kim Suhyun smirked mischievously.
He hadn’t done anything particularly good himself, but a spiteful urge to bother her had quietly surfaced.
“War of the Stars O server…”
He launched the program, stretching his neck from side to side.
At the same time—
“Hey, you’re here?”
The sound of a door opening made Vivian turn with a sly smile.
Im Hanna, still half-asleep, entered wearing loose pajamas.
“Make me a snack. I’m playing a game first, then eating.”
“…Urgent, huh?”
“That’s the urgent part. I’m hungry.”
“Can’t live with you. You could’ve just called.”
“Hehe. The viewers really like it when you come.”
“…?”
Vivian casually pointed at the screen and adjusted the camera.
Sure enough, the chat exploded.
Summer97: Sister, you’re so pure ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
Dkdlelek55: Oooh, Hanna goddess!
NoBigClub: Wow, those pajamas look big, but the midsection’s kinda bulging.
FallLight: What’s with those twin bumps sticking out?
Tkddjek: Nipples.
Cuma85: Enough with the boob talk already.
As Im Hanna appeared on screen, the chat went wild.
Of course, not everyone welcomed her.
Istantel Law Lord: Not really my type… just big boobs.
NoBigClub: Maybe a 65E?
Istantel Law Lord: 65? More like 75, if you ask me. LOL
OpOpLove: Istantel Law Lord, you’re acting weird. Why keep picking fights?
Istantel Law Lord: ?
TwoMaro: Yeah, your constant negativity is really off-putting.
Istantel Law Lord: Just don’t get it.
TwoMaro: What don’t you get?
Istantel Law Lord: Why guys go crazy over this. Vivian’s not even that pretty.
OpOpLove: So why complain all day long?
Istantel Law Lord: It’s my opinion. What’s wrong with that?
OpOpLove: Nothing wrong, but you’re kinda weird.
Istantel Law Lord: WTF;
OpOpLove: Seriously. Istantel Law Lord? Weird username too.
OpOpLove: They bailed.
There was a small commotion in the chat, but Vivian didn’t notice, busy talking with Im Hanna.
“I’m gonna play a game with the viewers. Bring the snack when you’re done. It’ll take like 20 or 30 minutes.”
“Got it~.”
Despite the one-sided demand, Im Hanna left the room without complaint.
Stretching her arms wide, Vivian loosened her wrists and launched the game.
“Alright, like I said, server O! And the room name is…”
Though it was nearly 2 a.m., with over 20,000 viewers, the players needed for the game gathered in no time.
War of the Stars was a 4v4 AOS-style game.
Players choose one hero from among dozens available in each faction and wage war against the opposing side.
Coincidentally, the hero Vivian picked was a female character named ‘Vivian.’ (Though Vivienne didn’t know this, the game “War of the Stars” had just been released this year, the company’s CEO was Jo Seung-woo, and the developer’s name was Shin Sang-yong—so it was hard to call it a mere coincidence.)
Vivian was a unique mage class specializing in summoning, with the rare ability to transform into a spider.
Once both teams had made their selections, the screen switched to a loading window.
At that moment, Vivienne’s demeanor shifted instantly.
The smile vanished from her face the moment the game began, her eyes sharpening with fierce intensity.
One reason Vivienne was so popular was her passionate streaming style.
She ate enthusiastically, but when gaming, her focus and immersion reached their peak.
Partly because she hated losing, but also because she saw her character Vivian as an extension of herself.
On top of that, her desire to win was enormous.
She’d even been known to shed tears after crushing defeats.
And then it happened.
As the opposing players’ hero choices were revealed one by one, Vivienne couldn’t hide her shock.
“Oh! The Mercenary Lord showed up…?”
The Mercenary Lord.
A male hero clad in jet-black armor and a crimson cape.
Among all heroes, he had the highest base stats, and with his skill ‘Legend of the Warlord,’ he could dominate the battlefield with ease. But he was notoriously difficult to master, so rarely used.
Even professional gamers struggled with him.
“Who is that?”
Vivienne tilted her head, checking the player ID of the one who picked the Mercenary Lord.
“Spider Bitch… Vivian…?”
Her eyes flared with fire.
“Th-That guy! Wasn’t he the mayfly from earlier?”
Meanwhile, the chat exploded again.
LiverPool(NoBigClub): Oh, the sniper’s here! Sniper’s got the shot!
Yopi(OpOpLove): Haha, looks like we’re gonna see some real tears this time, lol.
KkangKkang(tkddjek): Wait, is that the guy who got kicked earlier?
Kilimanjaro(FallLight): Please, please. May the Mercenary Lord crush Vivian again and make Vivienne cry…
Vivienne instinctively gripped her mouse tightly.
grind
A grinding sound escaped her clenched teeth as she read the chat.
“Damn it. So it really is him. I thought maybe not, but he was the one sniping me?”
Judging by the chat, it wasn’t the first time the Mercenary Lord player had targeted her.
Scoffing, Vivienne let out a sharp breath.
“Good. Hey, mayfly, you listening? After you beat me last time, I couldn’t sleep properly for four days. This time, I’m getting my revenge. You better be ready.”
A bold declaration of war.
But the chat was already flooded with mocking comments like “You?” and “Yeah, right.”
Gritting her teeth, Vivienne pulled her chair closer.
“Just watch. You’re dead meat.”
She glared at the screen with burning eyes, as if ready to devour it.
Moments later, the game began.
“Alright… this should do it.”
Im Hanna snapped her hands over the sink and checked the time.
More than thirty minutes had already passed since she left the room.
She’d made something simple, but because Vivienne had such a big appetite, she had to be careful while cooking.
If she made something too light, Vivienne would be hungry again in two hours, and she’d have to prepare another late-night snack.
“Phew.”
Cradling a large bowl like a precious treasure, Im Hanna turned around.
As she walked lightly, a door across the hall suddenly opened, and someone stepped out.
The man, looking fresh and cheerful, was Kim Soo-hyun, who chuckled quietly as he grabbed a water bottle from the fridge.
He seemed so happy he kept giggling even while drinking.
“What’s gotten into him…?”
Wondering if something good had happened, Im Hanna tilted her head and hurried on.
But when she reached Vivienne’s room, she had to stop again.
Sob—
A pitiful crying sound faintly echoed.
Frozen in place, Im Hanna quickly opened the door.
Sure enough.
“Sob… sob sob…”
Inside, Vivienne sat with her arms limp, crying bitterly in a hoarse voice.
Her swollen eyes streamed with tears.
“Vi-Vivienne? What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
Im Hanna rushed over and checked the computer screen.
But all that was displayed was a huge “Defeat” sign and a chat window flooded with “ㅋㅋㅋㅋ” (Korean equivalent of “lol”).
“Sob… ugh, this is so frustrating… sob sob…”
Vivienne opened her mouth wide enough to show her uvula and began wailing loudly.
…As a side note, Vivienne’s stats from that game were zero kills, zero assists, and 57 deaths.