Bang!

Bubblegum jolted inside his capsule and smacked the back of his head. “Ugh!? W-What was that!?”

He had died after being hit by the Dragon of Streaming Destruction’s breath. Then, he waited for his revival, but it never came. Instead, Bubblegum found himself drifting around in Survival Craft as a soul.

“Why am I not reviving?”

— ?

— Huh?

— What?

— Is this a bug?

The chat felt just as confused. Soon, the realization set in.

— Check server chat

— Data deletion???

— They’re saying you get deleted if you’re hit by the Dragon of Streaming Destruction

— ????

[User Bubblegum’s data has been deleted.]

That message appeared in the server chat.

Bubblegum flinched in shock. “W-What?!”

The player was deleted upon death. It was a literal death in every sense.

— LOL what is this

— He really died...

— The storyteller has fallen...

“Is this for real...?”

Bubblegum was dumbfounded. He had worked so hard on Cheese Craft all this time. Now, all his data had just been deleted? Right at the content’s finale?

“Wait... Am I the only one who turned into a ghost?”

With no choice, Bubblegum drifted around like a ghost and watched the Dragon of Streaming Destruction destroy everything.

Another ghost floated up beside him. “Bro... it happened to me too.”

Another soul rose every time the Dragon of Streaming Destruction fired its breath.

— LOL they’re rising in numbers

— Heaven meetup

— What is this ghost club? LOL

Strangely enough, the streamers who were usually bad at games gathered one by one.

Ding.

[Bird has donated 10,000 won.]

[Welcome to the noob club.]

— LOL so true

— Hahahaha

— Noob convention

— Is Bubblegum the club president?

— This is basically a horror club

Bubblegum frowned at the donation. “Hey, but... is there really nothing we can do?”

After becoming ghosts, all they could do was spectate. Almond hadn’t even arrived in Cheese Village yet, so there was nothing to watch.

— You guys not doing anything helps the most

— Just spectate lol

— You died, what are you gonna do LOL

The viewers kept teasing him. As always, Bubblegum ignored them.

“Hmmm... Just watching?”

This was practically Cheese Craft’s finale after such a long time, and he couldn’t participate at all? That didn’t make sense. The production team wouldn’t design it like this.

‘Something’s off.’

A few more ghosts who had died to the Dragon of Streaming Destruction drifted up. Sure enough, a message appeared once their numbers reached a certain point.

Ding.

[Choose Your Hero!]

==== ====

1000 won = Create Cheering Wand

5000 won = Create Placard

10,000 won = Create Shield

100,000 won = Increase Attack

1,000,000 won = Increase Size

==== ====

At first, he didn’t understand what it meant.

“Choose your hero? What is this, an audition show?”

— Please vote for my hero! LOL

— What is this?

— Hero makes me think of an executioner hero

— A hero??

A moment later, Bubblegum understood.

“Huh?”

Almond and the Knights appeared.

“Lord Almond! The Knights! You’re here!!”

“The Lord has come?”

“Ohhh. Could it be the hero?”

Ding.

[Shout out the name of the hero you wish to choose.]

[The donation effects will go to that hero.]

[If you wish to change the hero, shout out a different name.]

More messages appeared. Everyone hesitated while deciding.

Whooom!

A dragon landed in front of Almond. Almond climbed onto its back with Treeana, and they took off toward the Dragon of Streaming Destruction.

“Whoaaa, they’re flying!”

“He’s riding a dragon!?”

Not only had the dragon chosen him, but they rode it into the sky. Almond and Treeana surged straight ahead for the Dragon of Streaming Destruction.

“That’s insane.”

They pierced through a storm of breath attacks and carved a path through the sky.

“Woooooo! Let’s go! Dragon Slayer Hero!”

The ghosts shouted as one.

“Almond!”

“Loooooord!!”

***

Twang...

Countless cheers poured down from the sky. Almond drew his bow. The moment he released his arrow, it flew straight for the Dragon of Streaming Destruction’s eye and pierced it. The arrow looked absurdly small compared to the dragon’s massive size, but it boasted destructive power.

[Today has donated 10,000 won!]

[Yoon has donated 10,000 won!]

[Omedetto has donated 10,000 won!]

...

Countless buffs came in from the donations.

[Damage increased by 20%!]

[Fire Attribute Applied!]

[Speed increased by 10%!]

Though random in theory, the sheer volume of donations made the randomness meaningless. Almond grew stronger in every aspect.

Treeana’s relic, the Bow of Hope, also scaled damage with the viewer count to begin with. That single arrow triggered an explosion as immense as the dragon’s own breath.

KWAAAAAAANG!!!

Violet energy erupted as the Dragon of Streaming Destruction’s eye shattered into blocks. The magic circle it had deployed also collapsed.

— Nice

— Whoa

— Damn

— Holy shit

— Nice

The Dragon of Streaming Destruction squeezed one eye shut and staggered in midair. “WAAAAAAAHHH!!”

A thunderous cheer erupted, but only for a moment.

“You insolent vermin...!”

Whooom.

The Dragon of Streaming Destruction beat its massive wings and launched a direct attack. Its jaws yawned wide as it fired a jet-black beam.

KWAAAAANG!

Without passing through a magic circle, the beam shot straight as a line.

“Turn!”

Treeana twisted their flight path and dodged it with ease. The dragon stabilized itself again, and Almond also drew his bow once more.

‘Huh?’

Fwoosh!

An unfamiliar flame flared up around the arrow. It felt different from the chakra reactions he’d seen before.

[Bubblegum is cheering for you!]

[Atomic is cheering for you!]

[Sora is cheering for you!]

Messages of support appeared as something shimmered in the sky. Cheering sticks floated in midair, and so did support cards.

[Stay strong, Lord Almond!]

[This too is the Lord’s grace!]

[The return of the Mad Hero!]

[Almond, it’s me. Bubblegum]

The messages sparkled like neon signs.

— Huh?

— What’s that??

— Whoa!

— What kind of donation is this? LOL

— Bubblegum?

— No way

The dead were watching from above and cheering for Almond. It didn’t end with mere encouragement. The more support they gave...

Uuuuuung!

Layer after layer of buffs wrapped around Almond.

‘What is this...? Something feels...’

He didn’t know what it was, but he definitely felt stronger.

Treeana, gripping the reins, snapped at him. “What are you waiting for? Shoot.”

— She’s in a hurry LMAO

— Saintess’s tone just dropped the act

— That charisma

“Oh.”

Almond had been looking at all the support and missed his timing. In that gap, the Dragon of Streaming Destruction unleashed another barrage of breath attacks.

Kwagwagwagwang!

Treeana dodged while shouting,

“We’re going back in. Fire!”

Almond’s arrow had already left its string.

Pyung!

It flew far faster than before. Purple flames and white light traced its path.

KWAAAAAANG!

It struck the Dragon of Streaming Destruction square between the brows. The blocks there shattered, and the dragon reeled back once more.

“Grrraaah...!”

— Whoa

— Holy shit

— What is this? LOL

— Feels like it’ll die before Treevy even gets here

— Insane

— Are they actually winning?

After that, the Dragon of Streaming Destruction wildly fired its breath. Every blast barely grazed the dragon’s wings or singed a few strands of Treeana’s long hair. Not a single clean hit landed.

Whoooooong!

Meanwhile, Almond’s arrows never missed even at this extreme speed.

Boom!

Bang!

The first approach had been the hard part. After that, Treeana and Almond went on a pure slaughter.

Bubblegum stared with his mouth hanging open. “Wow... This is insane.”

— Different world

— What are we even watching?

— Why are they winning right now??

— Wasn’t the Dragon of Streaming Destruction supposed to be unkillable? Feels like it might actually die LOL

The other ghosts felt just as stunned.

“H-How is that even possible?”

“Is this AI? Or was it programmed to dodge everything?”

Some thought Treeana’s piloting had to be pre-scripted.

“And how is the Lord landing every shot on its face at that speed?”

They all felt awed by Almond’s flawless aim, which remained at one hundred percent accuracy. The ones most shocked were watching elsewhere.

***

The Cheese production team stared at the battle in a daze.

“W-What is this?” Park Oh-hoon gaped, his jaw hanging open. “In a game like Survival Craft with zero combat mechanics, what is this level of action...?”

Even as the entire project’s direction wobbled, they couldn’t help but marvel.

“Boss... wasn’t Best Yi Sun-Shin just a commander?”

PD Jang hadn’t expected this either. “She was.”

Sure, Best Yi Sun-Shin had shown impressive combat skills in Civil Empire. However, that had been brief. She was a commander by design. They never imagined she could shine like this in Survival Craft too.

“Th-This combination of her and Almond... The Dragon of Streaming Destruction is getting pushed back.”

PD Jang’s mind immediately jumped to the buffs, which meant money. “How many buffs are coming in right now?”

“The buffs aren’t actually that huge. They flooded in at first... but it’s slowed down now.”

Why it slowed down was painfully obvious.

“I mean, Almond aside, but why is Best Yi Sun-Shin going so hard?”

“Should we ask her to take a hit or two?”

PD Jang looked at Treeana’s expression on the monitor. “I don’t know... Saying that would...”

Gripping the reins and cutting through the sky... She looked utterly absorbed. No, more than that...

“She looks like she’s having way too much fun.”

The Saintess Treeana looked genuinely happy.