Chapter 31: Climb First, Talk Later

1.

The enemy stronghold burned and crumbled. A white flag rose atop the central tower.

『Enemy team has agreed to surrender with 5 votes for, 0 against!』

“They surrender right before the game ends. Why even bother…”

The match was decided around the 15-minute teamfight. Why drag it out?

– Surrendering just before it ends is kinda lame lol

– Ugh, so gross, clinging till the end

– High-tier games usually don’t go like this, this one’s weird

– Still, Carrier crushed it lol

『Congratulations, Hero! You’ve been promoted to Inferna’s Mage Tower, Diamond II!』

Back in the lobby, a promotion message appeared. I smiled.

“Climbed up.”

– Damn~~~~~~~

– Insane lol

– Wow, climbing tiers this fast in one day,

– The score gains are crazy lolol

– That climb speed’s unreal???

“Managed to get close to Master in a day.”

Less than 24 hours since starting the Challenger climb stream, and I’d already hit the edge of Diamond.

“With high MMR and provisional bonuses, the score gains are wild.”

After placements, there’s a “provisional” period where score changes are massive, often leading to two- or even three-tier jumps.

‘I’m reaping those benefits now.’

I exited the game and checked a match history site. A dazzling record greeted me.

『Diamond II』

🔥 29-game win streak! 🔥

Win rate: 100% (29 games, 29 wins, 0 losses)

“Played 24 games today. If they’d surrendered faster, I might’ve hit Master…”

– So close

– Look at the viewer spike lol

– Her skill’s legit, makes it fun to watch, plays are so clean

– Ever seen a female top laner like this? Never ㅇㅇ

– Unnie, you’re so cool ㅠㅠ

『Live Viewers: 1,714』

About 500 more viewers than when I started.

I couldn’t quite grasp why so many were watching.

“Not a streamer thing to ask, but… is my stream fun?”

– Huh?

– Watching ‘cause it’s fun, duh

– For real lol

“I mean, I barely talk during games. Still fun?”

I get immersed in the battlefield, making it hard to chat.

I know I should talk more, but it’s tough to adjust.

– Your plays are good ㅇㅇ
– Skill-focused streamers don’t talk much during games ㅇㅇ
– Not many Legends streamers are chatty lol

Reading the chat, I wasn’t unusually quiet after all.

『Warning! You’ve played for 12 hours! Excessive gaming may disrupt daily life!』

A notice popped up while I was chatting in MyRoom.

– 12 hours?

– Time flies

– First time seeing someone play Legends for 12 hours outside pros,

– True battle maniac lol

“Got the warning, and I climbed way more than expected, so I’ll head out.”

I stood from the bed and bowed.

“Thanks for watching today. I’m off. Bye.”

– Byebyebye

– Carrier~~~

– CarrierCarrier

– Byebyebye

『Stream has ended.』

I logged out of VR right after. My vision flickered, and I was back in reality.

Pressing the button to exit the capsule, I felt dizzy.

12+ hours of gaming and streaming? No wonder my body was shot.

Leaning against the wall, I steadied my breath, and the dizziness faded.

I shuffled to the living room. Noona was gone.

A delivery container sat on the table. I hadn’t cooked, so she must’ve ordered.

‘Feel kinda bad.’

If I stream long like this again, I’ll take breaks.

I peeked into Noona’s room. She was fast asleep on the bed, so I headed to the kitchen, relieved.

‘Hungry.’

I checked the fridge and pantry for something to eat. After days of cooking, ingredients were scarce—just enough for instant ramen.

I considered delivery but was too tired. Ramen it is.

【Hot Water】

I summoned water with magic, poured it into a pan, and lit the stove. Grabbing a ramen pack, I thought, ‘How to eat this?’

There was cheese in the fridge, so I went for Kujirai-style.

I added half the seasoning packet. When the broth boiled, I tossed in the noodles, let them cook briefly, and flipped them.

Testing with chopsticks, the noodles felt perfectly loosened.

I cracked an egg in the center, covered the pan, and lowered the heat.

After a minute, I roughly cut green onions with scissors, added them, and topped it with chili powder and cheese. A sprinkle of sesame seeds, and it was done.

Red-seasoned noodles, a golden yolk and fluffy white in the center, garnished with rough-cut onions and sesame.

The spicy, savory aroma made my mouth water.

“Let’s eat.”

I poked the egg with chopsticks. The yolk burst, spreading over the noodles. Mixing it, I took a big bite.

Slurp—

“Mmm.”

The rich, creamy egg and cheese blended with the spicy seasoning, harmonizing perfectly.

I devoured the ramen in a trance. Feeling it was a bit heavy, I grabbed some kimchi.

Slurp—

A bite with kimchi refreshed my palate with its crisp, cool spice.

They say hunger’s the best seasoning. I demolished the ramen.

“Well eaten…”

Scraping the pan clean, I leaned back. Fullness brought a wave of sleepiness. I rinsed the pan, tossed it in the sink, and headed to my room.

【Cleanse】

I purified my mouth with magic and flopped onto the bed. Closing my eyes, sleep overtook me.

—

I fell asleep at dawn but woke early to make beef radish soup.

Slurp—

The clear, deep, savory flavor brought a smile. Perfect for a light morning meal. I set it to low heat.

Beep.

The rice cooker signaled completion. I opened it, steam rising from the glossy rice.

I stirred it with a spatula to separate the grains and adjust moisture.

‘All set.’

Breakfast ready, I headed to Noona’s room. Knocking softly and opening the door, I saw her sleeping peacefully.

“Noona, wake up.”

I pulled back the curtains.

“Ugh…”

I shook her shoulders. She cracked her eyes open, hugged the blanket, and turned away.

“Five more minutes…”

“Five minutes, my ass. Get up.”

【Invisible Hand】

I used magic to yank away her blanket and pillow. She grimaced, flipped over, and buried her face in the bed.

“Get up!”

“Just a bit more…”

I didn’t want to resort to this, but extreme measures were needed.

I set the bedding in a corner and used magic to lift her body.

“Waaahhh!”

She freaked at the sudden levitation.

“Stop! Stop! I’ll get up! Let me down!”

Ignoring her, I carried her to the living room and set her in a dining chair before releasing the spell.

“You’ll get up quick from now on, right?”

“Yeah…”

“Drink water.”

I poured barley tea I’d made days ago and set a bowl of beef radish soup in front of her.

“How much rice?”

Her eyes sparkled as she perked up. I piled a mound of rice and added kimchi and radish kimchi.

“Eat well.”

“Yup, let’s eat.”

Noona scooped up some broth.

Slurp—

“Wow… so good, seriously…”

She flashed me a thumbs-up. I smiled, eating some beef and radish.

“Mmm.”

The beef tore softly along its grain, rich with savory flavor. The radish melted with a subtle sweetness.

“Tasty.”

I mixed rice into the broth, topped it with kimchi, and took a big bite.

Crunch—

The salty, spicy kimchi zinged my tongue. Chewing with rice and broth softened its edge.

We ate in silence, lost in the beef radish soup, focusing only on the food.

Halfway through, we finally had room to talk.

“How was the stream?”

“Good. More viewers than expected. But Noona…”

“Hm?”

Her eyes met mine, then darted away. Dark circles shadowed her face, clearly exhausted.

“You stayed up late on the community, didn’t you?”

She flinched.

“Community? M-Me? No way I’d look at that!”

“Should I use a truth-detection spell?”

“…Sorry. I tried not to, but posts about you kept popping up, and I couldn’t resist…”

I sighed deeply. She flinched again, at least showing some guilt.

“So what were they saying?”

It was full-on community addiction. Banning her from it was pointless.

“Early on, the vibe was bad since you swore off cooking streams.”

“As expected. Then?”

“Later, your name faded, but as you kept winning, people got interested again.”

That explained the viewer spike.

“Mid-stream, some praised your skill and debated how far you’d climb. But…”

“But?”

“At some point, bad stuff started coming up.”

She set down her spoon. Guess it ruined her appetite.

“Bad stuff? Like what?”

“That you’re using hacks, smurfing, or getting carried…”

I chuckled. Thought it’d be something big, but it was nonsense.

“Just haters.”

“Yeah, haters. I think it’s people who don’t like you stirring things up.”

“Probably tied to VTubers. I’ve got enemies there, right?”

“Yup. Hater posts piled up, then talk of group chats, vote manipulation, or other groups in disguise. All sorts of claims.”

“And you stayed up digging through that.”

“…Yeah.”

I shook my head.

“Noona, don’t sweat that stuff. Most community talk is meaningless.”

‘No smoke without fire’ is outdated. These days, smoke pours from chimneys with no fire, enough to blot out the sky.

“I know. But since you’re streaming, I got worried. Sorry.”

“No need to apologize to me. I’m just worried you’ll get hurt reading that stuff.”

“You don’t care?”

“Me?”

She nodded. I ate a piece of kimchi and a spoonful of rice.

“Not really. I’ve been hit with rotten fruit, rocks, even assassins for being disliked. This? Doesn’t faze me.”

I was cursed across a whole continent. This is nothing.

“I keep saying, I don’t care. I’ll do what I need to. So you do what you want, too.”

“Okay.”

My firm words seemed to reassure her.

‘Her mental strength’s still shaky.’

We’d talked about this, yet she’s still anxious. Frustrating, but understandable.

‘I’d react the same in her shoes.’

For now, I’d watch quietly.

Her viewers asked when she’d stream, but I’d bring it up when she seemed better.

I watched her eat silently.

This was enough for now. Truly.