Chapter 16
Collaboration Offer
In a dimly lit room, the faint glow of neon signs from the bustling street outside seeped through the window.
The only source of light in the dark room was a monitor, illuminating the face of a man.
A pleasant, melodious voice flowed from the screen.
– Behold, this is the cursed island where I reside.
– What do you think? Can you tell where this is?
Click.
Pause.
The man with shadowed eyes stared silently at the frozen screen for a long time.
One part of the island was blanketed in white snow, another was a desolate wasteland, and yet another bubbled with crimson lava. It looked like a mischievous god had haphazardly stitched together disparate lands.
“…”
A signal detected from beyond the rift.
It matched the spectrum emitted by a Twitch Version 3.01 capsule, consistent with the capsule serial number VRX-2402-A provided by them.
A strange island teeming with rare elixirs and dangerous beasts.
A mysterious girl stranded there.
Coincidentally, she went by the name HeavenlyMaiden and claimed to be the sole survivor of this cursed island for ten years.
Was this all a coincidence?
“…We’ll find out in time.”
The man, who had been analyzing the Demon Realm from HeavenlyMaiden’s video, ended the VOD playback. He then accessed the Moonlight Divine Sect’s website, completed a simple registration process, and posted a comment.
– HeavenlyMaiden, I’d love for you to visit the snowy region for tomorrow’s outdoor stream! Haha.
“Done.”
The man with somber eyes gave a faint smile.
“The sea’s intriguing too. I hope she visits the sea next time.”
Determined not to forget to vote, he returned to Twitch and scrolled through his follower list. As expected, Eun Taeyang’s stream was offline again.
Tsk-
Clicking his tongue, he muttered.
“Is that guy causing trouble with an alt account again?”
Scrolling down, he noticed a red dot (indicating a live stream) next to a streamer’s name at the bottom of the list.
A rookie streamer who had recently signed a partner contract: HeavenlyMaiden.
Unlike a certain lazy, promise-breaking slacker, she diligently streamed every single day without fail.
“What’s our VIP up to?”
Humming a tune, the man entered HeavenlyMaiden’s stream.
There, he saw her juggling what looked like dangerously blazing fireballs.
“…What’s going on here?”
For a man whose expression rarely changed, a look of bewilderment spread across his face.
————
“…”
MagicGeniusRomero stared at HeavenlyMaiden, who was juggling fireballs, with a dumbfounded expression.
The chat was equally baffled.
– ?
– What’s she doing?
– Playing with fireballs like that?
– Isn’t it hot?
– How’s she doing that?
How could she casually catch and toss fireballs like they were nothing?
Anyone watching might think they were toy balls shaped like fire.
No, more importantly…
Why aren’t they exploding?
The fireballs she was juggling weren’t ordinary. They were Romero’s specially crafted ‘Explosive Fireballs,’ packed with compressed flames that should burst with the slightest touch.
And yet, she was juggling them.
Romero was bewildered.
Did I mess up the incantation?
– Lol, she’s definitely going easy on him.
– Threw her a fireball-shaped toy to play with, huh?
– Our streamer’s secretly kind.
“…”
Romero cautiously called out to HeavenlyMaiden, who was playing with his fireballs.
“Uh, HeavenlyMaiden?”
The girl, juggling his three fireballs, looked at him with a challenging glint in her eyes.
“You can throw more. I want to test my limits.”
“…That’s not what I meant. Could you give those balls back?”
“No more throws?”
“No.”
Was that a hint of disappointment, or was he imagining it?
“Fine, then.”
She tossed the three fireballs back.
Romero reached out to catch them as she had.
Boom!
The compressed flames exploded in a massive blast, instantly reducing Romero’s health bar to near zero.
As a mage specializing in fire and earth magic, Romero typically raised earth barriers to block incoming attacks, but there was no time for that now.
He’d fallen for his own trick.
As the explosion’s aftermath cleared, a thoroughly charred Romero was revealed.
“…”
– Lololololol!
– I’m dying, so funny, haha!
– What’s he doing?
Singed and lying flat, Romero stared blankly at the sky.
He couldn’t comprehend what had happened.
To be defeated by his own magic.
For a mage, there could be no more humiliating defeat.
Then, a cute face peeked into his field of vision.
“Oh.”
Seeing the smoking Romero, HeavenlyMaiden’s face lit up with recognition.
“Now I remember. You’re MagicGeniusRomero, aren’t you?”
Still lying down, Romero asked.
“You know me?”
“Of course! Your stream was the first one I ever watched. How could I not know you?”
“Really?”
“Yup.”
Hearing that she was a viewer of his stream softened Romero’s expression.
“Don’t just lie there, get up.”
“Oh, right.”
“Ngh.”
Romero took HeavenlyMaiden’s small hand as she pulled him up. She clicked her tongue, brushing off his clothes like a grandmother scolding a clumsy grandchild.
“You’re all blackened. Couldn’t even handle one properly.”
As she nonchalantly dusted off his charred clothes, Romero felt a wave of embarrassment.
What have I done…
Blinded by jealousy, how could he have stooped to such disgraceful behavior against this tiny, kind-hearted girl?
He’d visited her stream with an alt account to leave toxic comments and sniped her to teach her a lesson. Now, he felt utterly ashamed.
Lost in regretful thoughts, he looked at HeavenlyMaiden, who was grinning mischievously up at him.
“What?”
“Romero.”
“Yes, that’s my name.”
“Romero’s Romero even spelled backward.”
“?”
– ?
– ???
Unlike Romero’s stream, often harsh and lacking in humanity, HeavenlyMaiden’s chat overflowed with laughter.
– Hahahaha!
– Lol, Romero’s Romero backward, haha!
– Oh no, Sect Leader, I can’t find my belly button!
– So lame; is this funny?
– メHeavenlyDemonForever: You punk.
– (SocialMisfit has been kicked from the stream)
– Gasp.
– メHakoDigger13: Laugh, ^^ don’t ruin the vibe.
– Hahahaha!
– Haha, Sect Leader, haha, my belly button, haha!
– Lol.
Proudly watching the lively chat, HeavenlyMaiden turned to Romero.
“Romero.”
“Yes?”
Caught up in the atmosphere, Romero instinctively used polite speech.
“Can you do magic besides fire?”
“Oh, yes. I can do a bit of earth magic too.”
“Show me.”
“Huh?”
“Do it.”
“Alright.”
Romero chanted a spell, pointed at the ground, and shouted.
“Dig!”
The ground instantly caved in, creating a pit.
“Oh! That’s cool. Magic’s really amazing.”
“Haha, thank you.”
“Got anything else?”
“I can do a bit of water magic…”
“Show me.”
“Water!”
Romero summoned a blob of water in the air.
“Ooh! So refreshing! Real water!”
HeavenlyMaiden poked the transparent water blob, marveling at it, then looked at Romero again.
“Anything else?”
“…”
By now, cold sweat was dripping down Romero’s back.
He had a gut feeling that saying “no” would lead to trouble.
Her amethyst-like purple eyes radiated an ominous aura.
“Nothing? Is that all?”
“N-No, there’s more. This time, wind magic. Wind!”
– A mage who can use all four elements?
– Rare talent.
– So what? He’s worse than a mage who specializes in one.
– For real, the epitome of mediocrity.
– Perfectly Gold-tier.
The chat wasn’t kind to Romero, but his broad, shallow magical skills shone in this moment.
“Oh, cool. Show me more.”
“…”
“Can’t do it? Fine then.”
“No, I can!”
– Third-circle mage turned clown, lol.
– Trying so hard.
– Why’s he working so hard?
– Why else? He’ll die if he doesn’t, lol.
– Look at his health, lol. One hit and he’s done.
Magic, drawing on mana, also required significant mental energy.
Casting spells back-to-back wasn’t easy.
Sweat poured like rain.
“Gasp… Hah…”
“Are you sick?”
“No, it’s just… I’ve hit my mana limit…”
“Pity.”
The smile faded from HeavenlyMaiden’s face.
Romero sensed a chilling vibe from her cold, sunken eyes.
“W-Wait! HeavenlyMaiden!”
Romero desperately pleaded.
“Just one chance! Can’t you give me one chance?”
In Rifa, as tiers rise, winning earns fewer points, while losing costs more.
At Gold, wins barely move the needle, but losses hurt.
I worked so hard for those points! I can’t lose like this!
Losing after a hard-fought battle would be one thing.
But losing so pathetically was unbearable. Especially with a promotion match so close.
“Give you a chance?”
“Yes!”
HeavenlyMaiden tilted her head curiously.
“You mean throw the match?”
“N-No, not that. A draw! If we draw, neither of us loses points. How about it? A peaceful solution, right?”
“Hmm.”
“Haha, I’m not in top form today. Let’s fight properly next time!”
After a moment’s thought, HeavenlyMaiden tilted her head.
“Why should I?”
“Uh, well…”
“Tomorrow—no, tomorrow’s an outdoor stream. Got plans the day after?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I’m thinking about a collab. What do you say?”
“Rifa?”
“No, another game.”
“I only stream Rifa…”
One of HeavenlyMaiden’s eyebrows rose.
“Not doing it?”
“No, no, sounds fresh and great, haha.”
“Right?”
“Yup.”
“Haha.”
“Hahaha.”
HeavenlyMaiden grinned.
“See you then.”
She poked Romero’s thigh with her fingertip, and he collapsed with a thud, drained of strength.
“Hey!!”
Watching his nearly depleted health bar vanish completely, Romero passed out.
“A collab with a fellow streamer… Sounds fun.”
– Lololol!
– That’s… a collab offer?
– “Collab with me (or die).”
– “Collab with me (you’ll die anyway).”
– Lol, so that’s how you secure a collab, haha!
– メHakoDigger13: HeavenlyMaiden is amazing!
– メHeavenlyDemonForever: Sect Leader, magnificent!
– AnonymousSpearGrabber: Haha, back in our day, that’s how we set up collabs.
[Victory to HeavenlyMaiden!]
———-
[Broadcast Stats]
– Peak Viewers: 408
– Average Viewers: 323
– Followers: 311 (+10)
———
“Granny, I told you it’s dangerous, don’t go outside.”
“What’s that, you say?”
“Don’t rifts open without warning? And don’t you know there are still beasts roaming outside the containment zones?”
“Old folks don’t know about that stuff.”
“Ugh, come on.”
As if on cue, a scorpion the size of a medium-sized dog burst from the bushes.
Small for a beast, but its speed was lightning-fast.
“Damn it!”
Trash Pang Deokjo instantly drew his saber.
Shielding the old woman behind him, he swung fiercely.
Ferocious Tiger’s Stealth Strike!
Clang!
But his surprise attack was caught by the scorpion’s pincers.
At the same time, its venomous tail shot toward Pang Deokjo.
“Damn!”
The venomous stinger didn’t reach him.
It stopped just short.
“Granny!”
Pang Deokjo shouted at the old woman gripping the stinger.
“My ears work fine. Speak softly.”
“I said it’s dangerous!”
“There’s a trick to catching scorpions.”
Stab!
The old woman drove the stinger into the scorpion’s head, and it died with a hissing sound, poisoned by its own venom.
“Let’s see…”
The old woman rummaged through the scorpion’s corpse with her hunched back and pulled out a gleaming gem.
A beast’s core.
She tossed it to Deokjo.
“Here, Deokjo, take it.”
“Why give it to me?”
“I don’t have much time left. What do I need this for? You take it.”
“No, but this is…”
“Keep it. Protection fee. Didn’t your group—what’s it called, the Good Kill Squad?—stay here to protect us old folks instead of going to the city?”
“It’s not the Good Kill Squad, it’s the Extermination Squad.”
“Huh? Not the Good Kill Squad for living righteously?”
“No!”
“Whatever. I saw on the internet your Good Kill Squad or Extermination Squad gets a lot of hate. Don’t mind it. Life’s full of ups and downs.”
“…”
“Deokjo.”
“What, Granny?”
“Getting lost means you’ll soon find the way.”
She patted Pang Deokjo’s shoulder and hobbled back to the village.
“…”
– To waver is to be alive. All flowers bloom while swaying.
Why did that kid’s words come to mind now?
– It’s not your fault Hoyeon died.
– Shake off your delusions. Only then can you move forward.
“Ugh.”
Pang Deokjo scratched his head and returned to the village.
At the Extermination Squad’s hideout, the youngest member was typing at a computer.
He’d mentioned editing YouTuber videos as a side gig.
Click-clack, clack-clack-
It didn’t look like he was editing a video.
It seemed more like he was engaged in a heated keyboard battle…
Curious, Pang Deokjo peeked over his shoulder and saw the post.
[Title: Moonlight Divine Sect is a cult ㅠㅠ]
My parents invested ten million won and got nothing back.
Everyone, be careful.
“…Samdol, what are you doing?”
“Oh, brother, you’re here.”
“Moonlight Divine Sect? What’s this?”
Pang Deokjo asked, bewildered, and Jegal Samdol, the youngest member of the Extermination Squad, grinned.
“That kid set it up. Isn’t this a cyberattack?”
“…”
The post had quite a few comments, including one from Samdol’s keyboard battle opponent.
– HeavenlyDemonForever: Are you insane? Take this down.
└ GrannyRickshawThief: Lol, why should I?
└ HeavenlyDemonForever: Damn it, we haven’t taken a single won, let alone ten million. You joking?
└ GrannyRickshawThief: ㅠㅠ So you’re saying I’m lying?
└ GrannyRickshawThief: That’s harsh. Even so, the truth doesn’t disappear. Truth never dies!
└ HeavenlyDemonForever: Final warning. Take it down before I report you for spreading false information.
└ GrannyRickshawThief: Lol, go ahead and report.
└ GrannyRickshawThief: What’re you gonna do?
└ GrannyRickshawThief: What can you do besides tremble, you trash? Lol.
└ GrannyRickshawThief: Can’t do anything, right? Powerless, huh? Pissed off? Wash your feet and sleep, lol.
Samdol grinned proudly.
“How’s that? My keyboard battle skills, honed on the Rifa gallery. Isn’t this an overwhelming victory?”
“Good grief, what a stunt. What if they actually report you?”
“Let them. What’s the worst that’ll happen? A ban?”
Just then.
└ HeavenlyDemonForever: Found you.
└ HeavenlyDemonForever: Just wait.
└ GrannyRickshawThief: ?
└ GrannyRickshawThief: Dude.
└ GrannyRickshawThief: Yo.
“…”
“…”
“Isn’t this bad?”
“Haha, no way. Unless they hack Twitch’s secure network, they can’t trace our location…”
Crash!
The ceiling shattered as a figure in a silver mask appeared.
Blue eyes gleamed ominously through the mask’s slits.
“Found you.”
