Chapter 18: A debt server pretending to be a healing server (1)

“You don’t have to feel bad about it. I was the one who asked Mom to keep it a secret in the first place.”

“Still, I just… Ugh. Never mind. Just lie down.”

“What? Why are you stopping mid-sentence?”

“Just do it. Before I make you.”

My sister forcefully pushed me down, creating a perfect striking distance with her forehead. Her face was slightly flushed, but I decided to let it slide.

Like I said earlier, this wasn’t something she needed to feel guilty about.

Becoming an illustrator had been my way of supporting my family, even just a little.

At the very least, I didn’t want to be a freeloader.

Besides, I was never particularly good at studying. I only majored in Computer Science because it had good job prospects.

As an ordinary, not-so-talented person, illustration was the only skill I had, so I simply chose what I could do.

I sent money home not just to help with our financial struggles, but also so my sister and younger sibling could study comfortably without worrying about expenses.

The reason I asked Mom to keep it a secret was that I didn’t want them to stress over it.

Of course, now that secret was out.

‘But honestly, we’re not that poor anymore.’

I mean, I hate to say it, but I had made a lot of money as an illustrator. Märchen valued my work quite highly.

The old, crumbling roof over our heads was now gone, and we lived in a decent apartment.

Actually, I owned two apartments, including my own.

Granted, my place was just a two-room unit, but still.

So my sister had no reason to feel guilty.

As long as she continued to study hard and achieved her goals, that was more than enough for me as her sibling.

Even if we had been distant, we were still family.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?”

As I was lost in thought, my sister suddenly spoke.

“What do you want me to do if I’m not sleepy? And besides, how am I supposed to sleep when you’re just staring at me like that?”

True enough, she was sitting in a chair, looking down at me.

Even someone who wanted to sleep would snap awake under that kind of pressure.

“…Move over.”

But then, to my surprise, she pushed me aside and climbed into my bed.

Wait.

My bed isn’t even that big.

My mouth hung open at the sudden development, but my sister didn’t seem to care.

She simply closed her eyes.

‘So this is what she meant by helping me sleep?’

I was beyond dumbfounded.

And to top it off, she fell asleep first.

“The front door’s been open for the past ten minutes—”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. I’m leaving now, alright? Geez.”

The next morning, my sister was standing at the front door, hesitating as if she didn’t want to leave.

She sighed shortly, then gave me a once-over before clicking her tongue.

“Tsk. You’re way too skinny. Next time I see you, I expect you to have gained some weight.”

“I’m just slightly under the average…”

“Average, my ass. Anyway, make sure you eat at least three meals a day.”

“This whole time, that’s all you’ve been saying.”

“I’m heading out.”

And with that, my sister finally left, leaving behind nothing but her endless nagging about my eating habits.

She was my sister, but I still couldn’t figure her out.

Now that she was gone, the house felt oddly quiet.

Even though she had only been here for a few days.

I felt a bit lonely for a moment, but then I remembered—I had a stream to do, and just like that, my mood brightened again.

Yeah, I had my viewers.

I had ten thousand friends, after all.

…Even if that was just my own delusion.

Anyway, I quickly set up my stream and posted a notification.

Seeing the flood of incoming comments, I couldn’t help but smile as I stretched.

My cold was gone, and thanks to my sister taking care of me, I was in perfect condition.

“It’s been a while, everyone.”

The Warrior Yuwol broadcast was live.

Three hours had passed since the stream started.

I spent the time talking about everything that had happened recently.

Then—

[BabyDumbPreciousYuwol has donated 50,000 won!]

• Are you joining the Playground event at 6 today?

A topic I had been itching to talk about finally came up through a donation.

“Of course, I’m joining. And since I’m the only one in Cohort 11, it makes things easier for me.”

• Gasp
• That statement…
• LOL, there’s really only one person in Cohort 11.
• The Cohort 5 members had internal conflicts, but here it’s so peaceful.
• It’s calm because there’s only one person… what a mysterious cohort.
• I’m worried about whether the baby warrior will survive.

“I’m not a baby, though.”

• ^^7
• Oh, sure~ ^^
• Pouting, lol.
• Cheeks puffed up~
• Gasp.
• A shadow in their eyes!
• Gasp.
• 700

My viewers were treating me more and more like a baby, but honestly, I didn’t mind.

I knew that all this teasing was just another way of showing their affection.

What worried me more were the seniors I’d soon be meeting.

‘I’m going to meet a ton of them, aren’t I?’

Before I could even do collaboration streams with my seniors, I was about to enter a massive multiplayer server.

Who could have predicted this?

“But does the server open at 6 PM?”

• O O
• Yes, yes.
• Märchen planned it to maximize viewership by syncing it with people’s off-work hours…
• They’re even crazier about money than actual corporations, lol.
• Märchen always exceeds expectations…
• TETE –
• The server opens at 6 PM!
• You’re not eating anything today?

“Wow… so that means only 20 minutes left? Then, should we take a look at the server details?”

• Oh!
• Sounds good!
• Ohhh~
• Nice~
• Let’s gooo~
• 700

Of course, my viewers already knew all about the server details.

But the fact that I suggested it made them this excited.

Is this why so many people dream of becoming idols?

“By the way, Cream just surpassed 2 million users recently. Looks like a lot of people from overseas Märchen have joined as well.”

• That’s actually insane…
• Isn’t this the first time a VTuber company hit 2 million members?
• Is this the power of KR Märchen…?
• This is crazy!
• 2 million… unbelievable.
• They’re definitely going to hold an event soon, lol.
• After Yuwol’s debut, the platform gained 100,000 new members…

Oh, really?

I hadn’t realized so many people had taken an interest in my debut.

Now that I thought about it, with 2 million users, an event was bound to happen soon, just like the chat mentioned.

For the 1-million milestone, KR Märchen’s entire roster had released a song medley.

I wonder what they’ll do this time.

No, wait—this isn’t the time to think about that.

I was supposed to be looking at the Playground Server details, but the conversation had completely veered off track.

“Preliminary details… preliminary details… Ah, here it is.”

There were so many portals that it took a while to find the right one.

“Shall we go through them one by one?”

• Start with the guidebook!
• TË TË TË TË TË TË TË TE –
• The server entry requirements seem way too lenient…
• The guidebook is too long, but there’s a summarized post in the popular section!
• The items in this Season 4 are insane… so well-balanced.
• I wonder what the hidden jobs are this time. I hope there’s a warrior class, lol.
• They revamped the hidden jobs this season, so now you can even change jobs, lol.

If I had been careless about anything, it was underestimating how impossible it was to go through all of this in just 20 minutes.

[#The Warrior’s Grand First Step: Day 1 in Mark]

At exactly 6 PM, I changed the stream title and logged into Mark.

For the first time in my life, my screen was filled with those blocky, pixelated squares I had only ever seen in other people’s broadcasts.

• Multiplayer mode, LOL.
• Go into settings and apply the resource pack.
• Does Yuwol even have a skin?
• Will you be using voice chat?
• Wow… 21 players on the first day.
• Akira and Onuri are the only ones under a million subs… Meanwhile, Yuwol is here, lol.
• Cohorts 9, 10, and 11 are just babies. We have to protect them.

Following my viewers’ step-by-step guidance, I slowly finished setting things up and entered the server.

For the first time ever, the Warrior stepped into Season 4 Märchen Playground.

Epic background music played from the lobby, and the chat exploded once again.

The very first thought that hit me upon entering the server was—

I felt bad for the developers.

How much effort had they put in to reach this level of quality?

“Wow… Is this the town hall?”

• It looks like it.
• Holy…
• LOL, they actually made the Märchen managers into NPCs. That’s hilarious.
• How much work went into this build…?
• Type /guidebook!
• LOL, they put Tsupi in the front as the boss.
• F5 camera view, please, just once…

“So we just listen to the NPCs’ explanations and then leave, right?”

• Probably!
• Do you have a skin, Yuwol?
• LOL, even Big Corporation VTubers are in here.
• The corporate overlords have arrived.
• The Warrior’s grand first step!
• If you’re excited for Season 4, hit the like button!

Inside the beautifully built town hall, lined with wooden blocks, 22 NPCs stood in an orderly row.

It was probably meant as a guide for those who hadn’t read the preliminary details.

Sure enough, when I clicked on Tsupi’s NPC at the very front, a pre-programmed message popped up.

“This is the preliminary information. I didn’t read it in detail, but I skimmed through it earlier, so should I just skip it?”

• As expected.
• Warriors are meant to dive into adventure without knowing anything.
• Baby Warrior doesn’t need instructions.
• The way they just glance at Tsupi and leave is so funny.
• 700
• You learn by playing the game.
• Type /guidebook to get a starter stone set!

Just as I was about to leave the town hall, the chat begged me to type the /guidebook command.

So I entered it in the in-game chat.

Just like the chat had said, a stone equipment set appeared in my inventory—along with an unfamiliar book.

“…A ledger?”

• LOL.
• Welcome to Debt Forest.
• The Debt Repayment Playground Server begins now.
• NO WAY, LOL.
• 5 gold as starting debt?! What the hell, Märchen!
• Märchen, you little—!!!
• Baby Warrior is already in debt…
• Gasp.

Inside the book, there was a note saying I owed 5 gold as a starting debt.

Wasn’t this supposed to be a healing server?