Season 4: Chapter 125. Fire Watching (2)
Almond had been watching Sweet Radish for some time.
‘Hmm. Radish Servant, he’s...’
Of course, in game time, they had spent several days together in Cheese Village. In reality, they’d only known each other for two days, aside from that one meeting in the LIL tournament in the mid lane.
‘Still, from what I can see...’
Almond felt like he understood Sweet Radish, no, Radish Servant, fairly well now.
‘He’s a nice guy.’
And he didn’t mean that sarcastically. Some people were simply born that way, innately gentle, unwilling to cause trouble, and reluctant to speak harshly to others.
Sure, Sweet Radish sometimes forced himself to bark at Potato Servant, but Almond could see through it. Unless he deliberately exaggerated for the sake of entertainment, he wasn’t the type who could even kick Potato Servant’s backside. It was just his way of keeping his stream alive since he hadn’t fully settled as a pro-turned-streamer.
— Lol
— Radish Servant’s stream popping off
— Look at that viewer count
— He’s betting everything on this event
The reactions showed. Viewers loved it. Radish Servant also realized that kindness was often a handicap in this line of work.
‘The Knights are supposed to handle rough business.’
As a senior in the industry, Almond felt that it was his duty to teach Radish Servant this lesson.
‘I should show him.’
Almond had pitted them against the Union for this reason. He wanted to rile them up further and harden Radish Servant’s resolve.
“If the Union handles the monsters first, then what will happen to the Knights’ honor?”
His words struck at a truth.
“Just like you said, they’ll twist it into politics too.”
“T-They... they would...”
Almond’s words had an immediate effect. Even the gentlest souls couldn’t stand still when their own interests were threatened.
‘Grandma always said not to dare touch another man’s rice bowl.’
Sweet Radish was no different. His eyes lit with fire at the mention of someone touching his rice bowl. In his mind, the Union wasn’t just touching it; they were kicking it across the floor. The Union was made up of devils.
“Those bastards... They’re crossing the line. They called this a healing game and said we could do whatever we wanted!!”
— ?
— They haven’t crossed it yet tho lol
— It’s just a maybe hahaha
— Evil Radish
— Who said healing game?? Not them hahaha
— Evolving into Evil Radish!
“We need to crush them here and now,” Sweet Radish muttered under his breath and began running through scenarios. “If our paths overlap with the Union, what should we do?” He posed the question and answered it himself. “Ah. Like this would work best.”
Scratch scratch.
He scribbled on the chalkboard.
“They might try to play mind games. In that case, we let them think we haven’t noticed.”
He drew up a strategy using deception, traps, and even fire.
“Simply lighting a fire won’t be enough. The flames must form the shape we want and enclose them. We’ll need fuel to control the blaze.”
“How? We don’t have any oil.”
“Hmm... then this.”
Clack.
Radish Servant lifted a candle from Black Tea’s house.
“These candles, NPCs sell them like nothing. In truth, aren’t they highly flammable with refined oil?”
“Ooh...” Almond nodded.
It would work far more efficiently than dry logs and keep the fire blazing just the way they needed.
— Madmen lol
— Can’t believe I’m watching this live
— Lmao planning arson like it’s a meeting
“So, what shape are you thinking?”
“Like this. They won’t escape, and we will...”
Scratch scratch.
Radish Servant sketched on a scroll.
Almond glanced at Potato Servant. “Potato Servant, you and Servant Lemon go set it up. We don’t have time.”
“Yes, sir!” Potato Servant snatched the money for candles and bolted.
‘Impressive.’
Once Radish Servant put his mind to it, everything moved quickly.
Now, some time had passed.
***
“Turn off the lights. Make it look like we’ve left.”
Following Sweet Radish’s plan, they darkened the house and waited inside. They had already disabled their nicknames, which could no longer be seen from afar.
Ding.
[(Whisper) BlackTea: The Union is on the move.]
Maid Black Tea reported to them as the scout. The Union thought the Knights had already left, tricked by the extinguished lights.
— Wow, they really fell for it
— Damn
— Napoleon Radish hahaha
— Strategist Radish Servant!
— Evil Radish is unstoppable...
— Chef’s kiss
After seeing the whisper, Sweet Radish proceeded to give orders. “They think we’ve already left, which means some Union members are watching nearby. Move carefully. And...”
He pushed open a secret back door he had prepared.
“When you kill them, make sure you kill them with fire. If we go Red, we’re done.”
“Got it.” Almond followed with a nod.
The Knights moved out and crossed Cheese Village under the heavy cloak of night.
“Awooooooo!”
From beneath the moon, the cries of approaching monsters filled the air.
***
The Union waited near ForeverAlone’s hut.
“Where are they? Those bastards.” Donuts scanned the surroundings, but saw no signs of the Knights.
“They’ll come when the monsters show up,” Horn Ramen replied lazily and glanced toward Green Tea.
“Hey, Green Tea, you sure about this?”
“Of course, their lights were out. They’ve already gone ahead to set up. It’s the same trick they pulled with Black Tea.”
Green Tea clearly remembered when the Knights had appeared just at the perfect moment.
“Fine. Let’s trust it.”
The Union waited.
Rumble...
The ground shook as the monsters arrived.
“ForeverAlone will take some damage first. That way, the Knights can show up looking like heroes.” Green Tea’s prediction sounded perfectly logical.
Nobody questioned it. The Knights wanted to restore their honor, rescue ForeverAlone, and secure a new recruit. Why else would they bother?
“They’ll come...” Donuts firmly believed that.
“Awooooooo!”
The wolves were already near.
Rumble!
Moles also clawed up from the earth and tore into the fields.
“Dammit! Why my house!?” Forever Alone burst out, wielding a bronze sword he had somehow acquired.
Slash! Slice!
Surprisingly, he possessed formidable skills. The moles fell one after another, but the real threat wasn’t them.
“Grrr!”
“Woof! Woof!!”
The wolves closed in.
Clack.
ForeverAlone lifted his wooden shield and braced himself.
“Haaah! Hup!”
Thud!
Like clockwork, he blocked and attacked repeatedly, knocking them down.
— Wow
— ForeverAlone’s mechanics are insane lol
— Young reflexes are unbeatable
— Look at that reaction speed omg
— Bronze sword and wooden shield, and still holding? Crazy
“Ah! Behind too?!”
Crunch!
The Ahwooolves attacked from all directions.
“S-Shit... wh-what do I do? Ask for help? But who!?” He half-shouted to his viewers and scrambled for a way out. “Maybe I should just run! Grab some stuff and escape!”
He lifted his shield, retreating step by step until his back hit the hut wall. Now, at least, he didn’t have to worry about rear attacks.
The Union began to fidget.
“Why aren’t they coming?”
“Is this right?”
“Shouldn’t we just save him ourselves?”
If the Knights never showed, ForeverAlone would die.
“If that’s the case, let’s save him. Then we get the glory. Later, we can roast the Knights for doing nothing.”
Even Horn Ramen twitched, ready to move.
“Wait!” Donuts stopped them.
“ForeverAlone is still standing. Hold on.”
They had to enter at the most dramatic moment, which came sooner than expected. The Knights made it happen.
Whoooosh!
Suddenly, a warmth flared at their backs, and the night sky blazed orange.
“What the hell!?”
“A wildfire! It’s a damn wildfire!”
ForeverAlone’s hut stood at the village’s edge, surrounded by dense trees. With plenty of fuel, the flames spread fast.
Fwoooosh!
The Union, fixated on ForeverAlone, didn’t even notice until the fire had already surrounded them.
— Holy...
— What’s happening??
— Fire??
— They’re gonna die!
— This is bad
The Union panicked, but Donuts remained calmer than most.
“Did a fire-breathing monster spawn?” he muttered and rose, scanning for an exit.
A bit of fire was nothing. They just had to wait it out.
“Let’s fall back. We’ll move once it dies down. There aren’t any Knights in sight anyway.”
He made a sound plan, but had overlooked one thing. The fire wasn’t dying.
CRACKLE! WHOOSH!
It wasn’t the scattered flames of a slash-and-burn. It was an inferno feeding itself and growing stronger as if someone kept stoking it. They couldn’t just jump through it.
Survival Craft was also a well-made game with many status effects.
Ding!
[Breathing Difficulty - 15%]
[Gas concentration in the air is high!]
“Khak!”
“Wh-What now!?”
The Union faltered.
“Retreat! Retreat!” Donuts sounded more urgent now.
Horn Ramen pointed. “Th-There! That way!”
They spotted an opening.
“Go! Go!”
Panic drove them forward. Surrounded by flames, instinct overrode reason. They charged toward what they thought was freedom.
Fwoooosh!
The red curtain of fire parted, revealing the true stars of this stage.
Horn Ramen’s eyes went wide.
‘What the...’
The flames reflected off their iron armor like a devil’s grin.
That devil spread its jaw wide and shouted, “Chikicha!”
Thud!
An armored Knight’s boot smashed into Horn Ramen, sending him flying. The line of Union members behind him toppled like dominoes.
‘What the hell?’
‘Huh?’
‘No way...’
Collapsed on the ground and dazed, the Union stared blankly at the Knights.
— LMAO
— What the hell was that??
— Wait... the fire... was them??
— Oh my god hahaha
— Plot twist!
— They’re actual demons lol
— This is fire watching! It’s like a campfire!
— Campfire (fuel: you)