Surprisingly enough, fishing sat at the very heart of casual healing games thanks to a certain predecessor in the genre.

A cute character held up a fish with a beaming smile.

Ba-bam.

An almost laughably trivial sound effect rang out. It contained the peace, leisure, and quiet restoration of everyday life. Something modern people had lost.

In that tiny, cozy world without any grand tension or outstanding story, something deeply precious existed. After that, similar games poured out one after another. Fishing simply became a rite of passage in games like these.

Perhaps by coincidence, Almond, influenced by past experiences, became fixated on fishing. Only after living as Lord Almond did he finally cast his line beside a small stream.

Whirr!

He swung the rod.

Ziiiiing!

The line flew out with a satisfying sound. Ripples spread across the calm water as the float arced up.

Plop.

“Ooh...”

Almond’s eyes sparkled. He’d wanted to fish so badly all this time. Why hadn’t he done it before?

‘Because there was too much to do.’

Almond settled on that answer. He always had to do something more important. Survival came first. He had simply dealt with what needed to be done to get by.

After losing his parents, that had always been his way. Even as a child, he knew his grandmother couldn’t support him alone. Therefore, he drew his bow with everything he had. Because of that, he’d never gone fishing even once.

People didn’t change that easily. Even after becoming a streamer and playing this game, he still drew his bow the same instead of fishing.

Sweet Potato flicked his own rod beside Almond. “You never even made a fishing rod. What were you doing all this time? The materials are the same as a bow.”

It really did require almost identical materials, yet Almond had made a bow instead. He’d simply never chosen to make a rod.

Almond stared blankly at the float, lost in thought. “Hmm...”

It didn’t move at all and almost felt like he’d cast it without bait.

“I don’t know. Back then, I needed a bow.”

“That’s true. Back then...”

“Yeah.”

The other kids had gone camping on a school trip while Sang-Hyeon drew his bow alone at the training ground. Why hadn’t he gone?

‘Back then...’

Was it because he couldn’t?

‘No, I didn’t want to.’

He hadn’t wanted to go. If he truly wanted to and really wished for it, he would’ve just gone. Back then, Sang-Hyeon only wanted to deal with what was right in front of him. Helping his grandmother mattered more than coming back with stories to brag about.

Maybe fishing was the same. Until he finished everything as Lord Almond, he hadn’t truly wanted to fish. Then, why did he keep fixating on it? Why had he wanted to travel? Why had he felt envious? That remained the real mystery.

Someone approached from behind. “Having fun?”

The older man’s avatar had long hair tucked under a cap.

“Mr. Pang?”

“Well, well. Didn’t expect to meet the famous lord here first.” Pang grinned. “Fishing isn’t that fun, right?”

“Yeah...”

— LMAO

— This guy

— Who even is this guy?

— Now what?!

— Agh...

Viewers felt like smacking Almond for acting so childishly, but Pang understood. Yu Sang-Hyeon was never the type to enjoy fishing in the first place.

“It’s not about momentary focus. Fishing is nothing like archery. You enjoy the time as it flows. You’re not that type.”

“Ah...”

“Sometimes we don’t even know what we want. That’s probably why we need moments like this.”

Whoosh.

Pang cast his line with practiced ease, then waited. “Letting time flow along with the river like this. That’s when you realize, ah, this isn’t anything special.”

— What a man!

— Old man Pang...

— Good to see Pang back

— No wonder he fishes nonstop

— LOL he was ranked first for most fish caught in the exhibition earlier

Tremble...

Then, it happened. Almond’s rod shook.

“Huh?”

He yanked it back with his astonishing reflexes. A powerful force pulled back.

Splash! Splash!

“Ooooh! It bit!”

Almond cranked the reel with all his strength.

Bang!

The fish burst out of the water with no resistance, launching high into the air.

“Whoa...!”

Time seemed to slow. Everyone stared at the massive catch.

‘Huh?’

However, a problem arose. The hook slipped free.

— :O

— ?

— Damn

— Huh? It’s flying?!

Freed from the hook, the fish shot up and almost swam through the air.

‘Damn it?’

Almond stared, mouth agape. After finally catching one, would it end like this?

Pang whispered, “Shoot.”

Almond felt too stunned to react yet.

“Shoot it. What you’re good at.”

In an instant, Almond pulled out his bow.

Twang...

Drawing and aiming happened simultaneously. He released his arrow just as fast. It tore through the air, racing toward the blazing sun overhead, and vanished into the burning light.

Thwuk!

The shadow that had been thrashing froze in midair. Everyone gaped.

“Whoa!”

“H-he hit it! He hit it!”

“W-what do we do?!”

The fish fell straight toward the middle of the river. Left alone, it would be swept away.

Lemon dashed forward. “I’m going!”

Splash! Splash!

She hurled herself ahead and held out her shield like a basket.

Thud...!

The enormous fish landed squarely on her shield.

“Uh... I-I’m getting pushed back!”

She’d gone too deep, and the current began to carry her away.

Thwack!

At that moment, Black Tea grabbed Lemon’s foot. Sweet Radish, Sweet Potato, and everyone else grabbed on, one after another. Almond was last, clutching Sweet Potato’s ankle.

“Guuhh...!”

They pulled with all their might.

— LOOL

— What the hell?!

— Knights teamplay!

— Lord-style fishing goes hard

— ??? Nah, I fish people

Shraaaash!

The current split as the human fishing line strained and dragged back. At long last, they pulled Lemon safely back to the riverbank along with the enormous fish, an arrow still lodged in it.

— KYA!

— Damn!

— Wow

— Master catch!

Almond hoisted the fish and struck a pose.

Ba-bam.

“It’s a whopper!”

— LOL

— Kya~

— Amazing

— So cute

Ba-bam!

[RubySword has donated 30,000 won!]

[That’s insane lol.]

Ba-bam!

[TodayAsWell donated 10,000 won!]

[Is this lord-style fishing?]

Donations poured in. The Knights hugged the fish, and each of them took a photo.

“Since we caught something like this, shouldn’t we grill it?”

“Wow, yeah. Can we even finish it?”

“Then let’s call more people.”

***

[Almond: Caught a giant fish. Anyone wanna come here?]

[SweetPotato: His Lordship landed a whopper~ Come eat some fish~]

Word spread through village chat that a massive fish had been caught. Meanwhile, the Knights gathered firewood and built a bonfire.

Thud. Thud.

With their high levels, they effortlessly chopped some wood. Sweet Potato stacked the logs into a campfire shape, and Black Tea lit it.

Fwoosh!

A proper campfire roared to life. Villagers gathered one by one at the sight of the fire.

“Whoa... What is that? Are you really eating that huge fish?”

Miho and Cream Puff arrived. As ranchers, they had ridden on horseback and arrived first.

“Miho! Cream Puff~!”

Black Tea gestured while straining. “Lift it. Put it up there.”

Miho and Cream Puff joined in, hoisting the massive fish onto the barbecue rack. Hot smoke seeped into the skin, releasing a savory aroma.

“Hello~ We heard there was a party!”

“Whoa, what’s with the fish?”

“Hahaha! What is that? Almond really caught this?”

More and more villagers arrived. They didn’t have some grand plan or formal finale, yet it felt as if everyone had agreed to spend the last moments here together. Some even brought wild boars they’d hunted.

“Let’s grill this too.”

“Grill everything! It’s the last day anyway!”

Donuts arrived, carrying piles of corn and potatoes.

“Whoa, that’s a ton of potatoes.”

“From potato illusion to potato clone jutsu. Hahaha.”

When Donuts mentioned the potato illusion himself, everyone burst out laughing.

The sun sank lower, painting the sky red. A campfire blazed under the crimson sunset, and crowds gathered around it. Multiple barbecue racks had been lined up. People clustered in groups, chatting.

“That wasn’t me. The Lord told me to do it!”

“How is everything the Lord’s fault?”

“This too is the Lord’s...”

“I never told you to do that?”

“You just don’t remember!”

They teased each other, reminiscing about the misdeeds of Cheese Village.

“Paprika is here too~!”

“Whoa, Team Rocket!”

The Paprika villagers also poured in.

“We brought this.”

Thud.

They set down a box filled entirely with paprika peppers.

— LOL

— This is insane

— Grilled paprika is actually good tho

“That’s gross.”

“You haven’t even tried it yet!”

Still, they skewered and grilled the divisive ingredient. It tasted delicious. Night gradually fell, and the massive fish was nearly done.

“I-is this the place?” ForeverAlone appeared timidly. “Is it okay if I join? We’re not even on the same team...”

— ?

— ??

— Like anyone came because they were teammates

— Oh my god...

— You’re way late, if anything

— You’re ForeverAlone, dude...

ForeverAlone nervously wiped his sweat at the sight of so many people. He gathered his courage and stepped toward all the social butterflies.

Step. Step.

“Oooooh! Gi-Chan!”

“It’s ForeverAlone!”

The villagers stood up and welcomed him.

“Woooo!”

“Jung Gi-Chan! Jung Gi-Chan!”

— LOL

— This makes it harder to approach them

In the latest Cheese Craft video, ForeverAlone had been a major highlight. He shrank back under the overwhelming cheers.

Almond waved him over urgently. “ForeverAlone~ Over here!”

Next to Almond sat, surprisingly, Orange. Nearby was Miho, whom ForeverAlone barely knew. Beside her, Zelo was chatting lively with someone, probably Choco Shroom.

ForeverAlone took a breath and ran forward.

The villagers deliberately cheered even louder. “Woooo!”

Sweet Potato handed him a slab of grilled giant fish. “Here, eat this.”

Donuts also recommended him the grilled corn, and the Hunter Alliance passed him a piece of boar meat. ForeverAlone barely did anything, yet his plate overflowed with a feast.

“Wow...”

Before long, the sun vanished completely. Night fell, and stars glittered overhead. All the villagers sat together around the flickering firelight.

Miho suddenly stood up. “Should we each share some final thoughts?”

By ForeverAlone’s standards, that sounded terrifying.

“Cheese Village officially ends today. Let’s all say a few words.”

— As expected of an extrovert

— Run, Gi-Chan... you’re doomed

— Damn

— The wall of extroverts is so high...

Gulp.

ForeverAlone tensed.

‘Do I have to speak too? Do I want to?’

Did he want to say anything? Or did he want to stay distant from people? Or get closer?

The veteran streamer Bubblegum stood up first. “Uh, uh. I’ll go first! Hahaha. So, I... First off, I gained confidence in my gaming skills.”

The crowd exploded with laughter.

— Good one

— Already funny

— Lying right away

Bubblegum continued, and the laughter grew louder. After him, a few other streamers spoke.

ForeverAlone clenched his small fist.

‘I have something... I want to say.’

He, too, had something to get off his chest.