The Taker server, a fresh new server that has just opened for a week.
Within it, there was a young person named Hana who was living sturdily.
Today, like any other day, they spent 20 hours online, except for the 4 hours spent sleeping, leveling up various life skills, and solidifying their foundation as a VTuber, Heidi.
“Time to go to the market, sell some fish, sell some melons, tidy things up, and then head off to bed~.”
Heidi’s steps toward the market were incredibly light.
And for good reason. Today, she successfully harvested the notoriously difficult melons and caught an S-rank fish, the Opah, and by luck got ruby ore from a neighbor.
Watching a character grow is the privilege and the richest source of fun in an RPG.
Heidi was already looking forward to seeing how much she could grow after disposing of her harvest today.
“Thanks everyone for watching today. I know it wasn’t very entertaining since I was just farming and fishing until late….”
[No, no, it was nice to see you work hard]
[I had it on the side while I worked too]
[It kinda felt like a study stream, lol. I was listening to it like a radio while writing a report]
[Grinding is essential in RPGs, lol; I expected that]
[All this blood, sweat, and effort will be a big help in the upcoming guild war]
[The guild leader likes that Heidi is working hard]
Time flowed and soon it was 4 AM, just a few hours away from sunrise.
It was then that Heidi was moving to the market.
Rustle—
“…?”
Feeling something move in the bush next to her, she turned around. But there was nothing there. Just a patch of green bushes standing alone.
‘Maybe I’m just sleep-deprived…’
Ignoring the unease, Heidi continued on her way.
“Now’s the time, ambush!”
“More, ambush!”
Something pounced from behind her.
*
[Kayak, you crazy person, lol]
What were you doing instead of fishing? Ambushing passing people?
– Was the secret strategy to hit the back of passing people’s heads? lol
– Seriously, what a lunatic.
– Fishing a little bit when no one is around is the true highlight, lol.
– No kidding, super dedicated, haha.
[Kayak dunked a person?]
If you start pillaging, doesn’t the server go haywire? What if you’re looting?
– Would she? lol
– Would she?
– If she really ambushed and looted, the gallery would’ve exploded, yeah.
– What’s with the report of her ambushing?
– You’re not watching the stream, are you?
– I was going to ambush but it ended up being a failed attempt, she was too weak.
– Who were you trying to rob?
– Heidi.
– Oh, haha, Heidi, haha.
[Kayak is currently being overpowered and lectured, lol]
“Getting dominated and preached to, lol.”
“Heidi is already lecturing that newbies should live sincerely and can’t just be all about quick bucks, lol.”
“Will Kayak even listen to that? lol”
“Right? She’s a dopamine addict, lol.”
“How old is Heidi? She talks like she’s been through life crises like a 40-50 year old.”
“Surprisingly, she’s still a minor.”
“Is she 07 or 08?”
“Wow, she’s that young?”
“Shouldn’t that kid be studying instead of broadcasting?”
“She’s 18 this year, uh-huh.”
“Kayak is listening to life lessons from an 18-year-old, lol.”
“It’s ridiculous that an 18-year-old tried to punch a baby but got dominated, lol.”
“Taker appears, lol.”
“Where did you hear the news and rush over like that, lol?”
“It’s 4:30 AM right now, lol.”
“Taker, it’s night, and I can’t even sleep.”
“Taker was just managing the server and fixing bugs until 3 AM before leaving, ugh.”
“Taver, how have you been living…?”
“Taker’s thinning hair might have something to do with Kayak.”
“Wow, does Taker have hair loss too?”
“Looks like it’s from all the stress, uh-huh.”
“At this point, Kayak has to take responsibility for Taker.”
“Oh, that statement…”
“The ‘meat-tastic’ crowd is coming, ttttt.”
“What are you talking about, you crazy person?”
“You really jumped over immediately, lol.”
“The ‘panic button’ really works.”
“But is this really a matter for Taker to show up for?”
“I thought it would just be a minor incident, but the reaction is more intense than expected.”
“Attempted murder is still close enough to almost killing someone, after all.”
“Imagine if it had been a plain newbie instead of Heidi.”
“Seriously, if it had been someone weaker than Kayak or An-sae, they’d have lost all their items and would have bolted in their underwear.”
“Oh…”
“If it weren’t for Kayak, it would have been a big deal. If it were Hako, it would have been an instant burial, lol.”
“Other Minecraft servers have gone haywire from looting before.”
“Honestly, it’s better not to loot, lol. Once it starts, there’s too much talk.”
“Spicy looting might seem fun.”
“That’s only for a day or two; if it turns into endless looting, it’s just tiring for everyone.”
“If that’s the case, it’s better to just go for a survival server.”
“If looting is allowed, nobody will live sincerely, lol.”
“Looting is not allowed… no looting…”
“But I’m not making enough money… I’m sorry.”
“Just because you aren’t making money doesn’t mean you can ambush passersby.”
“Please understand it was a crime committed in the spirit of a starving Jean Valjean.”
“Uh, huh? Jean Valjean? What’s that about…?”
[Jean Valjean is such a joke, LOL]
[Here it comes! Kayak’s nonsense time!]
[Ah, so you’re familiar with Les Misérables, haha!]
[Kayak must’ve felt worse hitting Heidi’s back of the head, poor thing.]
[Being pulled out at dawn to listen to this kind of stuff would definitely warrant a slap, LOL.]
[Our broadcast host is so sorry….]
They mentioned being called out of bed.
Hearing the exhausted and groggy voice of the Taker, my hands instinctively came together in a polite gesture.
I genuinely felt a bit sorry.
“It’s all right, I had an inkling this might happen.”
“What do you mean, you had an inkling?”
“I was prepared for anything when Kayak got pulled onto the server.”
Still, I never expected to be summoned at 4:30 AM.
The Taker’s character nodded and muttered.
[A self-induced disaster, whoa]
[Hmm, well, as long as you were prepared, that’s good.]
[Taker has finally realized about Kayak.]
[Taker is now treating Kayak like a bomb, LOL.]
“That’s a bit excessive. I’m not a troublemaker.”
“Yeah, no looting allowed. There’s going to be war content between guilds later, so please enjoy PVP there.”
No looting, huh? Got it, noted for the future.
“Kayak, please join our guild. I’ll show you what a proper life really is.”
“I’ll think about it.”
That was practically a rejection. Living a nice, wholesome life isn’t really my thing.
Listening to the daily routine of a girl named Heidi made me involuntarily exclaim, “How can she handle that?”
All it left me with was the feeling that my young cafeteria buddy was working really hard.
After the commotion, the Taker and Heidi left, leaving a tip for An-sae.
“An-sae, please keep an eye on Kayak for me. If something seems off, just call me, alright?”
“Sure….”
Using An-sae as a monitor and spy? Wow, Taker really is naive.
That’s because An-sae had almost become an extension of myself. She had long been addicted to the dopamine I provided.
Earlier, when I explained my plan and told her to strike, she hesitated but was excited to hit Heidi.
That alone gave me a good sense of An-sae’s nature. She was definitely my kind, sharing my instinctive aversion to Heidi’s daily grind.
She must have had a tough time until now. Quietly fishing without much excitement, surely enjoying the game while living a boring life.
But those days were over now. Why? Because I was here!
With the business ideas I held, such boring lives would easily be cast aside.
Even though my first plan failed. Life doesn’t always follow a smooth path, after all.
Life isn’t always a smooth ride.
Those who stumble and get trampled but rise again like weeds, without getting discouraged, are the only ones who can achieve grand dreams.
When the two troublemakers, Taker and Heidi, vanished and only An-sae and I remained, I whispered meaningfully.
“Let’s go with Plan B, An-sae.”
“…No raiding, please….”
I raised my voice to the mumbling An-sae.
“It’s not raiding; this time it’s totally legit.”
“Hmmm….”
“We agreed to stick together till the end, right? You promised to help me become a Dragon Slayer.”
“Me…? Am I really…?”
[Now you’re even fabricating things]
[Poor An-sae ㅠㅠ Just stumbled upon a crazy woman for no reason ㅠㅠ]
[An-sae, you’re in big trouble now ㅋㅋ]
[The broadcast is going to boom ㅋㅋ]
[From now on, your name is Chun-ja]
[Feels weird to be deceiving an innocent country girl….]
“An-sae, we’re a community of fate! We are comrades who fished together!”
“…We’ve only met today and it’s just been a little over five hours….”
“Oh come on, usually you get close when you work together! Meeting for the first time and seeing each other for a few hours doesn’t matter!”
It seemed my passionate appeal had worked, as An-sae stopped shaking her head.
“Alright, so we’re doing this together?”
“Yes….”
“Then I’ll take full responsibility for you, An-sae. Just trust me.”
I confidently reassured An-sae as we walked toward the central plaza.
*
“Please, just one coin! I need help! My little brother is starving at home!”
Murmurs filled the air-
I could feel the people in the plaza glancing over and whispering.
So this is Plan B. The second plan!
It was definitely legal. It was more ethical than ambushing a passerby.
But still… something felt off about this…
While An-sae pondered this as she looked at Kayak, Kayak, who was busy begging among the crowd, sent a signal her way.
“…An-sae! Hurry up!”
“Yes, yes….”
Under Kayak’s pressure, An-sae couldn’t help but bow her head just like her.
“P-please give me a coin….”
“Please, just one coin! A child is starving at home!”
“A child is starving, yes….”
The viewers watching An-sae couldn’t help but add their own comments.
[I didn’t picture this sort of scene]
[So this is what you do to run a big company… I never imagined begging]
[Is this really okay, An-sae?]
[The scene is funny, so maybe it’s not too bad]
[The broadcast is booming; hang in there, Host!]
[As long as An-sae is happy, that’s enough.]
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