Season 4: Chapter 116. Iron Rain (2)
Hadn’t this happened to everyone before? Leaving the house only to realize that they left their phone behind. Coming back and forgetting something else. Repeating this process three or four times before finally leaving? This typically occurred to people with poor memory. Sang-Hyeon was one of them.
“You brat! I told you not to keep running back and forth! Always double-check! Haven’t I said that a hundred times?!”
His grandmother used to say, “Always check the fire again.” Not just as a safety proverb, but as a way to scold him for being forgetful.
“How do you check a fire that’s already out, though?”
“You little!”
Smack, smack.
As a kid, his grandma often whacked him for returning home multiple times after heading out. He had fixed the habit three months into working at Ah-Sung, but after quitting six months ago, the old habit returned. Even though he’d already stepped out of the capsule once, he froze mid-step.
‘Wait... Shouldn’t I at least lock it?’
All his iron gear sat in a chest, unprotected. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the servants, but Maid Black Tea had only recently considered spying for Nonghyup.
‘No, I can’t risk it.’
He turned back to the capsule. Ju-Hyeok had just finished showering and was still drying off. He had time.
***
Whoosh.
When Almond logged back in, the chat exploded again. He had returned before the chatroom even cooled down from his logout.
— ?
— What’s he doing? lol
— World’s first stream kiting hahaha
— LMAO this guy
— Why did you come back??
— Still claiming it’s not for donos?
The viewers raged at Almond’s constant coming and going, just like his grandmother used to.
Almond began to explain, “My grandma always said to check the fire even after it’s out. Even if I trust the servants, I should at least lock my chest before I...”
— LOOOOOL always quoting someone else
— The only thing burned out is your memory, bro
— He never says anything original hahaha
— Grandma T_T
“Huh?” Almond suddenly froze.
It wasn’t just him. In fact, Almond’s surprise was nothing compared to the two intruders.
“H-Hiiiiik!?”
The two figures almost choked on their fear. Their faces couldn’t be seen with their names hidden and helmets on.
— ?
— ??
— Eh?
“What’s this?”
It didn’t take Almond long to draw his sword. Anyone could tell these two had broken in with ill intent.
“R-Run...”
Shrring!
His blade flashed, cutting across the lead intruder.
Thud.
Zelo’s back slammed into the wall.
— Fight fight fight!
— Armor up!!
— It’s two on one, you can win!
— Same gear, same stats!
Zelo’s chat urged him to fight back, but he couldn’t.
‘What the...?’
His health plummeted.
[HP: 32%]
‘W-Why’s the damage so high?!’
They wore the same gear, and this game didn’t have any skill scaling. How could it be this lopsided?
***
From the production team’s perspective, Zelo’s break-in became the highlight of the entire arc. The tension reached its peak when Almond re-logged in.
“Camera three, follow! Right there, zoom!”
“Keep the focus locked here!”
Three major factions had formed since the Cheese Village content began: Almond’s Knights, Donuts’s Nonghyup Union, and Paprika Village. Zelo didn’t belong to any of them. Instead, he brushed against all sides while raking in peak viewership.
“This is basically their first real encounter. We have to capture it perfectly.” PD Jang slicked his hair back with gleaming eyes.
Until now, Almond and Zelo had only exchanged a passing hello. For the first time, they clashed in a way that could drive a real event.
“The rookie supernova versus the veteran top streamer. Get ready.”
At his words, Park Oh-Hoon nodded solemnly. “It’s like Lucifer showing up at Satan’s school.”
Smack!
PD Jang cuffed him on the back of the head.
“Idiot. I said focus, not spew nonsense.”
“Ow... that woke me up though.” Oh-Hoon rubbed his head and asked, “But what happens if Zelo’s gear breaks here? Wouldn’t that crush the balance between factions?”
“Huh?” PD Jang scratched his head. “Who knows? Zelo will have to deal with it... But hey, there are two of them. And they’ve got the same equipment. How could they not manage?”
After all, Almond wasn’t even using a bow. They all had the same stubby chibi models and wielded the same swords. Two against one seemed doable... in theory.
“The Paprika village had over twenty people.”
And Almond still took them all down.
“R-Right, but he had massive buffs that time. Remember?”
Back then, Almond had fought under a cascade of donations and buffs. This time, he had logged back in right after logging out. There was no way he’d receive the same kind of support.
“Zelo’s viewers will help him out, won’t they? He’s gone through so much just to get here.”
“Maybe, but Almond isn’t the same Almond anymore.”
“What? Oh... you mean his personality? He does seem different like he’s gotten too immersed in Cheese Village.”
“No, not that. I mean the Survival Craft proficiency bonus system.”
“...?”
“When you repeat an action enough times, you build proficiency in it. It doesn’t matter what it is. Farm a lot, and your farming proficiency goes up. Mine a lot, and your mining proficiency goes up, allowing you to dig faster. Things like that.”
“And what’s that got to do with anything?”
“What has Almond done the most?”
That was it. Almond had done one thing more than anyone else. He had a higher proficiency in this than anyone else.
‘Killing.’
Almond’s had the highest kill count on the entire server.
PD Jang’s eyes went wide at those words. “W-Wait! Almond is back again!!”
“What!?”
“Quick, camera. Ahhh!”
Shrrk!
By the time the camera panned, Almond’s sword had already cut into Zelo.
***
“Ugh!”
Thud.
Zelo slammed against the wall, and seventy percent of his health instantly disappeared.
[HP: 32%]
‘What... What the hell...?’
He didn’t even have time to armor up. The damage was outrageous. Two swings and he’d be dead.
‘He’s coming!’
Almond’s blade swept down again.
Whoosh!
Zelo scrambled to equip his iron armor and raised his shield.
Clang!
— Yes!
— That’s it!
— Still alive lol
The muscle memory of his old gamer reflexes kicked in after years.
[Durability: 4/12]
However, the shield was crumbling.
‘What is this...?’
They used the same iron sword with no buffs. How could the damage be so overwhelming?
Due to the proficiency system, farmers gained bonuses for farming. Miners gained bonuses for mining. And those who killed again and again...
Almond thrust his sword forward.
Crash!
The shield shattered. Player skill was one thing, and stats were another. Almond’s proficiency was on another level entirely. It felt like a miner trying to fight someone who hunted humans nonstop.
— WTF lol
— What’s that damage??
It was hopeless.
Zelo turned to Choco Shroom. “Y-You... go on without me...”
“What?!”
“No, we can’t...”
“But...”
— Why so dramatic? lol
— Oscar-worthy performance
— Reminder: they’re burglars
He tried to send her away with tragic resolve, but Almond didn’t seem intent on finishing them.
“Who are you? Are you from Cheese Village?”
Killing villagers would mark him red, which would be nothing but trouble.
Choco Shroom caught on and quickly stepped forward. “Y-Yes! We’re from Cheese Village! So... you can’t just kill us!”
Almond eyed them uneasily.
Then, he whispered privately to his viewers, “Guys, I’ve got a lunch appointment... I’ll just let them go.”
— ?
— ??
— LOL IRL excuse
— Bro’s got lunch plans
He coughed and waved them off. “Whatever you came for, leave.”
Almond didn’t even consider that they had stolen from him. He only wanted to lock up and quickly leave.
“Fine.” Choco Shroom forced a brash tone and pulled Zelo with her, bolting for the door.
‘You never know when he’ll change his mind.’
She knew Almond’s unpredictability all too well, so they ran.
“O-Our sign! The sign!” Even in the panic, Zelo reminded her.
“Ah!”
It was the whole point of coming. They couldn’t just leave it behind.
“This is your warning!” Choco Shroom shouted and tossed something as she flung the door open.
Thunk.
Almond caught it in midair and frowned. “What’s this supposed to mean?” He lifted the item and called after them, “What kind of warning is this?”
Zelo turned back to answer. “Can’t you tell? It’s a warning for messing with us... Huh?”
He froze.
Almond wasn’t holding the sign. He was holding the detonator.
‘No...’
Choco Shroom’s face went white. She had thrown the remote instead of the sign. She thought the last item she had held was the sign, but it wasn’t.
‘This can’t be happening.’
They stopped... right at the doorway, where they had planted the bomb. Time seemed to freeze.
Almond’s next words made their skin crawl. “Do I press this to make the warning show up?”
Zelo reached out and desperately shook his head.
“N-No, don’t...”
Click.
Almond firmly pressed it with his thumb.
“... press it.”
A blinding light swallowed everything.
BOOOOOOM!!!
[Zelo has died from an explosion.]
[Choco Shroom has died from an explosion.]
Clatter, clatter...
Iron gear and ore rained down like a storm.
— ?
— ???
— WTF?!
— No way hahaha
— Michael Bay ending lol
— Almondheimer LMAO
— What was that, divine power??
— Iron Rain hahaha
Ding.
[ZeloFan has donated 30,000 won.]
[Today’s lesson: Keep watching even if the stream ends.]