This wasn’t the first time.
She’d been sniped at hundreds of times before, and countless matches had ended with her being cruelly toyed with and defeated.
Each time, she’d shed tears out of frustration, but never once had she truly lost her temper.
That was Vivian—until today.
Even if she were to concede that being sniped at was unavoidable, the last match had crossed a line.
From start to finish, the mercenary lord had deliberately targeted only Vivian, and the time spent waiting to respawn far exceeded the time spent actually playing—a ridiculous situation that was no laughing matter.
Already on edge and irritable from pent-up frustration, it was like pouring gasoline on a burning fire.
So it was no surprise that Vivian’s eyes glinted with a deadly intensity as she huffed and puffed.
“Where do you live?”
Even after a match ends, players don’t just scatter immediately.
The screen shows the match results, and there’s a chat window for users to talk.
“No, I’m asking why you do this. It’s not just once or twice—it’s hundreds of times. Let’s meet face to face so I can hear your reasons.”
Her voice was low and husky.
It was basically saying, “Let’s talk in person,” but with eyes that sparkled with suspicion—no one would trust her.
“Tell me where you live. You don’t have to come out; I’ll come to you. Where do you live? Scared now?”
Vivian even threw in a taunt, showing just how badly she wanted to meet.
Spider Witch Vivian: Me?
The sniper, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
Without hesitation, they even gave their full address.
They revealed the city, district, and neighborhood—more than enough.
Vivian’s eyebrows twitched as she read it.
“You… you know Suhyun Apartments, right?”
Spider Witch Vivian: Of course. It was built by the Soyoung Group. Not a place you can just walk into.
“And Suhyun Park?”
Spider Witch Vivian: Yeah, I know that too. I go there often.
Vivian clenched her fists tightly.
She felt like she’d feel better if she could just land a few punches in person, and surprisingly, they lived in the same neighborhood.
It was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up.
“Good. Come out right now. You know the central fountain in Suhyun Park? Let’s meet there.”
Spider Witch Vivian: Wait a minute. I never said I’d come out.
“What? Scared? Afraid of a delicate girl like me?”
Spider Witch Vivian: …………………….
For a moment, Vivian thought she heard a faint sound of someone retching, but her focused ears didn’t catch it.
Spider Witch Vivian: It’s not that. It’s just too late… and I don’t want to fight.
“Who said we’re fighting? I just want to talk.”
Spider Witch Vivian: If we start talking and voices get raised, it could turn into a fight.
“No—”
Spider Witch Vivian: And look at your face. You look like you’re about to hit me. Haha.
“Wow… this is driving me crazy.”
Vivian scoffed outwardly but was inwardly anxious.
If they just left without a word, it would all be for nothing.
At least if she could claim some kind of moral victory, she might be able to sleep better.
“So, you’re not coming out? Running away?”
Spider Witch Vivian: Well, I don’t want to fight you, and even if I did, there’s not much to gain…
At that moment, something caught Vivian’s eye.
“They said ‘gain,’ huh.”
Though she’d only been on Earth for half a year, Vivian had already adapted enough to consider herself 100% fluent in Korean.
She knew what people here valued and what they considered important.
“Wait a minute. Hold on.”
Vivian immediately opened her desk drawer.
She reached deep inside and pulled something out.
It was a bankbook.
“This is a bankbook. You know what that is, right?”
Spider Witch Vivian: Yeah.
“All the money I’ve earned from streaming is in here.”
Spider Witch Vivian: So?
Vivian cleared her throat.
To catch a big fish, you need the right bait.
“Here’s the deal. If I even lay a finger on you, I’ll give you this bankbook right then and there. The password’s written inside, and I’ll bring the card and seal—everything you need. You just have to come out.”
Spider Witch Vivian: …What?
Vivian shook the bankbook gently in front of the camera.
Would the fish bite or not?
The sniper stared at the screen with nervous eyes.
Spider Witch Vivian: Seriously? You’re not bluffing?
Finally, the fish took the bait.
Vivian smiled triumphantly inside.
“Yeah. If you want, I can even prove it.”
Spider Witch Vivian: Let’s stop chatting here for now. You have KakaoTalk, right?
Taking the lead, the sniper eagerly pushed to exchange IDs.
Vivian smirked inwardly at how foolish they were and exchanged IDs.
And just like that, the sudden meeting was set in motion.
Vivian stood up from her chair, clutching the bankbook in her left hand and her smartphone in her right.
“…Do I really have to bring this?”
She hesitated for a moment.
Vivian loved money but wasn’t the type to get tied down unnecessarily.
Still, losing that bankbook was a terrifying thought.
It wasn’t just about the money—it was because she’d soon need it for something important.
Though reluctant, Vivian made up her mind.
No matter what, she couldn’t let anyone forcibly take that bankbook from her.
At least not a normal human.
Ignoring viewers who urged her not to go, she ended the stream and left the room.
“You’re dead.”
Cracking her knuckles, Vivian’s eyes gleamed dangerously as she opened the front door.
For some reason, Gehenna, Ansol, Seraph, Cha Sorim, Han Soyoung, and Hwajeong peeked their heads out from outside.
They watched silently as she roughly slipped on her shoes.
The door closed behind her, and her footsteps quickly faded away.
A little later.
Creak…
In the dead of night, the sound of another door quietly opening echoed.
The source was none other than Kim Suhyun’s room.
Perhaps because of the late hour, the park’s nighttime atmosphere was quiet.
If you put it nicely, it was serene; if you put it less kindly, it was eerie.
After all, if a woman stood motionless, staring at the fountain in an empty park at dawn, anyone would find it strange.
“Why aren’t you coming?”
The Soyoung Apartments and Suhyun Park were close.
More precisely, the park was right in front of the apartments.
Thanks to that, Vivian arrived in less than ten minutes, crossing her arms as the cold air brushed against her forearms, muttering softly.
She’d been chatting with the sniper the whole way, following their ridiculous demands.
They’d asked her to take photos of her ID, seal, card, and bankbook as proof.
Then, she was told to place all those items under the trash bin next to the fountain and stay at least twenty meters away.
On top of that, they demanded a photo as proof.
Judging by all this, it was almost certain the sniper lived in this neighborhood.
They knew the Soyoung Apartments and Suhyun Park, and even the layout of the area perfectly.
Though these conditions were extremely unfavorable for Vivian, she complied without complaint.
Because first, she had to meet.
And second, she was confident.
To Vivian, Earthlings were weak humans who relied on science.
She didn’t mean to belittle science itself, but in terms of individual ability, they were nothing more than declining residents of the Hole Plane.
For such ordinary humans to defeat a great alchemist who could wield magic like herself?
Unthinkable, absurd.
Of course, Kim Suhyun strictly forbade abusing her powers, so even if they met, Vivian had no intention of killing.
She just planned to show some force and teach them a lesson so they wouldn’t mess around again.
The problem was, twenty minutes had passed, and the person who said they’d come still hadn’t shown up.
“Damn… it’s cold.”
Vivian, who had been staring at the fountain since arriving, finally looked around.
There wasn’t a single sign of life—not even an ant.
She even scanned the area with magic detection, but no one else was there.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind.
“Did I get played?”
They said they’d be here in five minutes, but thirty had passed with no sign.
Come to think of it, they hadn’t even read her messages for a while.
Still clinging to hope, Vivian waited another ten minutes before sighing deeply.
“That bastard bailed…”
She’d wanted to relieve some stress today, but what could she do if they didn’t show?
With a sulky expression, she walked over and crouched beside the trash bin.
She never really intended to hand over the money, but since she was saving it for a purpose, she wasn’t about to just leave it behind.
Then, Vivian’s eyes widened.
“Huh? Huh?”
It was gone.
“What? What the hell?”
Her things were missing.
She’d tucked them half-visible under the bin, but now they’d vanished without a trace.
She circled around just in case, but still no sign.
It was enough to make Vivian want to cry.
“This can’t be…”
Then, as she lifted the trash bin to look underneath, a folded white piece of paper caught her eye.
She hadn’t noticed it before.
With trembling hands, she picked it up and slowly unfolded it.
The note read:
“Thank you. I’ll put it to good use.”
Her stunned expression immediately went blank.
She couldn’t understand it.
She’d been staring at the fountain the whole time since arriving at the park.
I did look away for a moment.
But at that time, I was sweeping a wide area with my magic detection.
I can sense even an ant crawling by—how could I have missed a whole person?
It’s impossible.
Yes, it’s absolutely impossible, yet…
“…”
It actually happened.
Whoooosh!
Suddenly, a cold breeze blew.
The note I was clutching with trembling fingers was caught by the wind, fluttering away, drifting far out of reach.
Vivian sat there for a long time, unable to pull herself together.
Poor thing, she just stayed crouched in the same spot.
At the same time.
To put it bluntly, the thief was, of course, Kim Suhyun.
The sequence of events was simple.
After Vivian left, Suhyun secretly followed her and hid near the fountain.
Seizing the brief moment when Vivian looked away, he swiftly snatched the note and ran off.
Only Suhyun could pull that off.
His agility had long surpassed human limits, and when pushed to the extreme, he could move right under Vivian’s wide-open eyes without being noticed.
And with magic amplification on top of that, how could she possibly detect him?
Having exerted his full effort—albeit just to tease her—Suhyun was now sitting in the lobby on the first floor, chuckling as he looked at the bankbook.
“Wow… She’s made way more than I thought.”
Sure enough, the bankbook showed eight zeros.
Considering she’d only been streaming for six months, that was a hefty sum.
“No withdrawals at all… She’s been hoarding it like crazy.”
Suhyun frowned, then quickly folded the bankbook and slipped it into his pocket.
He sensed someone approaching from a distance.
It seemed Vivian was taking longer than expected to pull herself together after nearly two hours.
As he moved to the smoking area and lit a cigarette, just as he thought—
Vivian appeared.
She was trudging along with a face drained of spirit.
“Oh, Vivian?”
“…Kim Suhyun?”
Was she surprised to see him?
She lifted her head weakly, a flicker of shock crossing her face.
“Ah, the observation took longer than I thought. And I had to run some errands afterward…”
Suhyun recited the line he’d prepared.
“Is the stream already over for today?”
He asked right away.
Vivian moved her lips, then forced a faint smile.
“Yeah…”
“Oh. That’s a shame. I came as early as I could to help. Anyway, shall we go inside?”
Suhyun flicked the ash off his cigarette and stretched casually.
Vivian nodded and took a trembling step forward.
At that moment—
Just as her foot was about to touch the ground—
“…Ugh!”
She suddenly collapsed.
Her hands hit the floor to support her, but her shoulders trembled precariously, as if they might give out at any second.
“Ugh… sniff…”
Her mouth twisted in agony.
She bit her lower lip hard enough to leave teeth marks, trying desperately to hold back.
But a choked sob slipped out from between her sealed lips.
Suhyun dashed over, practically dancing with worry.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
“…The bankbook… I lost it…”
Vivian kept her head down, staring at the floor as she answered.
“The bankbook? Ah, it’s okay. As long as you have your seal, ID, and card, it’s fine. And you know the password, right?”
“…”
Even though he already knew everything, Suhyun spoke in a reassuring tone.
Some time passed.
Vivian, unable to speak for a while, sniffled and mumbled.
“I’m sorry…”
An unexpected apology.
“I… I’m really sorry… sniff…”
“?”
She kept apologizing.
Her voice was mixed with tears, barely understandable.
Suhyun, who had expected her to be angry or to break down crying, was caught completely off guard.
“A gift…”
Her faint words stopped him in his tracks.
“I really wanted to buy you something…”
“A gift?”
Even with tears streaming down, Vivian nodded weakly.
“Your birthday’s coming up soon…”
“…Ah.”
Only then did he understand.
At the same time, he realized why there were no withdrawal records and why she’d been so stubborn about saving money.
The whole situation stirred a quiet guilt in Suhyun’s chest.
He had planned to just calm her down and return the note.
He never imagined Vivian was thinking like this—it was utterly bewildering.
“I-it’s okay. You don’t have to get me a gift.”
“But…”
Vivian shook her head as if to say that wasn’t it.
Her face was still twisted in pain.
“I’ve been worrying about everything… and preparing all this time…!”
“Vi-Vivian?”
“Me too…!”
“No.”
“I wanted to pick out a birthday gift with the money I earned… I wanted to buy you something nice… I really wanted to give you a gift…”
“…”
Sniffle sniffle—
Her voice, which had been fading, finally broke into sobs.
Though it was a moment they’d both been hoping for, Suhyun couldn’t smile anymore.
Seeing Vivian cover her face with both hands and cry uncontrollably, he felt deeply that something was terribly wrong.
All the while, Vivian kept whispering apologies between her sobs.
Suhyun was at a loss for words for a long time.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Sorry for the delay.
Trying to get back to daily updates, but my body’s not quite keeping up yet ^^;