Season 4: Chapter 80. The Unknown Participants (2)

Day one in Cheese Village continued.

[Healing Game: Living Peacefully in Cheese Village]

That was the title of Almond’s stream, but his current behavior didn’t exactly match that description.

“If they die, they drop everything.”

Almond, crouched in the bushes, seriously contemplated murder for a fishing rod.

— Didn’t he say this was a healing game?

— He’s already lining up a kill and calling it peaceful lol

— This is a killing game, huh?

— Cheese Village off to a chaotic start lmao

— Why kill them tho? LOL

Almond felt confused at the chat’s reactions. ‘

Why not kill someone?’

“That’s how you get their items.”

— Bruh

— Flawless logic

— Chef’s kiss

— This guy is a certified nut

— Cyber psycho behavior LOL

Almond adjusted his UI and pulled something up.

“Hold on...”

[Village Rules]

He suddenly began reading through the official village regulations.

==== ====

[Murder]

If a player kills another player in the village without initiating a duel, they will be marked as a Red Player.

A Red Player will be banned from entering the village and must pay a bail fee or stand trial to be cleared.

If found guilty at trial, the player will serve a sentence before returning to the village.

==== ====

Almond finished reading the murder clause and nodded, coming to a decision.

“So... it doesn’t say I can’t kill.”

— Huh?

— Wait, what??

— Dude that was a long-winded way of saying DON’T kill people

— Bro didn’t read a single line properly LOL

— Did he just Ctrl+F “Can’t kill” and didn’t find it???

— This man’s brain wiring is something else

Viewers were convinced Almond had either skipped the fine print or just flat-out ignored it, but no, he had read the whole thing.

“There’s only info on what happens if you kill, not that you can’t kill.”

— Wait what

— HE’S NOT WRONG THO??

— Is this how Almond reads legal docs???

— It’s actually true LOL

— Technically yeah, it doesn’t forbid it. Just tells you the outcome.

— Bro’s running loopholes like a villain

The village laws never explicitly said what

not

to do. They only outlined the consequences. Each player could interpret and determine what was allowed.

“Even in the job list...”

Almond pulled up another document and pointed at two entries.

[Pillager]

[Thief]

“These are actual jobs!”

— Whoa

— No way

— Why is he suddenly doing proper research??

— Guess this ain’t a healing game after all...

— I’m so confused lol

Ding!

[MeowMeowPunch has donated 10,000 won.]

[Digging through the lawbook just to justify murder... you’re a real psycho, huh?]

— LOLOLOL

— Bro that’s savage

— These donors are going feral

— AHAHAHA

“Thank you, MeowMeow. It’s not like that. I’m still thinking about it. Their gear just looks... really good...”

Almond didn’t know much about

Survival Craft

, but he did know that gear stats mattered a lot. Those two players’ equipment looked top-tier this early in the game.

[10,000 won Donation Bonus]

[Random Buff Granted!]

Almond suddenly received a random buff.

[All Movement Speeds +30%]

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

That was all it took to erase any hesitation.

***

Meanwhile, back on the Cheese Village production team...

“Looks like everyone is doing something. As expected, lots of people are mining first.”

Park Oh-Hoon, one of the crew members working with PD Jang, watched in satisfaction.

PD Jang nodded. “Yeah. It’s popular early on. Great for building houses.”

“Some are going Herbalist. I even saw a few trying to be Fishers.”

The villagers who had just migrated to Cheese Village began to settle into their roles. The place was still a barren wasteland, but they would gather resources and build homes soon. Then, the village systems would start to take shape.

“Wait, hold on. Camera fifteen, did they just meet?”

On feed fifteen, Almond had come face-to-face with two unidentified players.

PD Jang quickly gave the order. “Shift cameras sixteen, seventeen, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, and thirty-seven to Almond.”

A huge portion of their camera network now focused on one encounter. Normally, more cameras would be on the main village hub. Was it favoritism toward Almond? Not at all.

“He already ran into the Paprika team? Of course, he did. Some people just get content handed to them.”

This meeting between Almond and the Paprika streamers would become a key turning point in the edited release later.

“Seriously... how did they get there so fast?”

“Well, Paprika is full of skilled players, aren’t they?”

These weren’t just random Paprika streamers. They were originally Treevy streamers who had migrated to Paprika. At first, this cross-platform setup had sparked backlash.

“Wait, you’re letting Paprika streamers into a project funded by Cheese? Have you lost your mind?”

Maybe they had, but being reasonable wasn’t always the right approach. Even the

Fake National Team

series was an absurd idea at first. Thanks to his experience with that and other major projects, PD Jang successfully pushed his concept for this through.

“If this fails, you’re taking full responsibility.”

PD Jang laughed at the memory of that threat. “And it’s already paying off.”

Just like he planned, they had secretly invited the Treevy streamers who had joined Paprika. Their spawn point was set far from the main village. Per their contract, they couldn’t stream until a certain time, which meant no live income.

The Paprika streamers participated purely for the gameplay. Of course, they could later post videos to YouTube and earn revenue. For now, this was all about the content. This rule wasn’t just a clause for their deal with Cheese. It was intentional for the project’s vibe.

“Is... is this really okay? I mean, other platform players just being here makes me nervous.” Park Oh-Hoon looked uneasy.

He still didn’t fully grasp PD Jang’s vision, but PD Jang felt confident.

“The Treevy guys have to be together for it to work.”

“But why?”

Indeed, PD Jang had never explained it to the team. He had only said that such a setup would be fun.

‘It’s unpredictable. That’s what makes it exciting.’

After all, this was a virtual world, but also a form of reality TV. Chaos and uncertainty were the content. Even if he had a grand vision in his head, locking everyone into a predetermined story would ruin it. At least for now, no one, not even the staff, could force the narrative.

“It just feels right, y’know?” PD Jang deflected with a casual shrug.

“Of course, you always say that.” Park Oh-Hoon sighed and turned back to the monitors, only to jump in shock.

“Wait, WHAT?! Almond is trying to kill those guys?! If someone dies, their name goes global on the server log!!”

The existence of Paprika streamers was supposed to be a hidden twist. It would cause total chaos if the Cheese Village residents found out too early.

“It’s fine.” PD Jang dismissively waved it off and acted like it was nothing.

“Almond can’t kill them yet anyway, Oh-Hoon.”

“Why not?”

“He’s unarmed, and those two have solid gear from the start. Sure, their spawn point is more rugged, but they’re fully equipped.”

The Paprika faction had fewer members and started in a harsher location, but they had been compensated for that with top-tier combat gear. Their area also had rich iron deposits, making it easier to craft more equipment later.

“Almond probably noticed their gear and will back off... Actually, never mind.”

PD Jang knew Almond too well. He wasn’t some newbie like the corporate marketing duo. He had watched Almond long enough to know better.

Almond wouldn’t walk away just because the odds looked bad. As if on cue, Almond began creeping toward the pair.

“

Hmmm...

” Now, even PD Jang grew nervous.

‘This shouldn’t work.’

However, as he watched Almond part the brush and advance, he couldn’t help but recall the same energy Almond had during the

Civil Empire

tournament. The guy who made the impossible happen. Even if he was using a chibi avatar right now, that spirit remained unchanged.

“I-It’s happening. Camera! Get the cameras! Zoom in on sixteen and seventeen!”

***

“

Hehehe.

”

Black Pepper, one of the Treevy streamers who had migrated to Paprika, giggled as she spotted faint traces of Cheese Village in the distance.

“They probably have no idea we’re even part of this event, huh?”

“Wonder if they’ll be happy to see us~” Salt half-heartedly replied from next to her while casually picking his nose.

“Man... I miss Treevy already.”

He gazed toward the horizon, imagining his old Treevy streamer friends playing over there.

“Then you should’ve joined Cheese.”

“Nah, the real talent went to Paprika. Cheese always seems unstable. I came to help, remember?”

“Please, Paprika told you to. They didn’t even try to stop you.”

“

Ahem.

Still, I convinced everyone. I was the finishing touch on a perfect plan.”

The idea of Paprika streamers participating in a Cheese-funded event was a dream for Paprika. They didn’t have to lift a finger to be included. Approval came instantly, and nearly every former Treevy streamer on their platform could join. Still, they numbered fewer than twenty with a tiny village and an even smaller economy.

“

Hehe.

Let’s be honest. Raiding them is our only option if we want to catch up to those guys.”

“Feels like they brought us in for that exact reason. Didn’t they give us better gear too?”

Sure, they had fewer numbers, but they also had clear advantages. Unlike the Cheese villagers, who got tossed in blind, the Paprika team had been briefed and pre-equipped.

“I mean, we could probably take them even if the Cheese guys look geared up.”

“Take them how? This is a healing game, remember.”

“I’m not saying we need to beat them bloody. We could win economically.”

“Is raiding considered economic activity now?”

They locked eyes and burst out laughing.

“

Pfft!

”

“

Hahahaha!

”

Just thinking about it felt thrilling. The idea of storming into an unsuspecting Cheese Village and causing utter chaos. It made their skin tingle with excitement. They could already picture it. The shocked faces of all the streamers they knew, unaware of the twist. They were giddy with anticipation like students prepping a surprise party.

“What should we do after the raid? Disguise ourselves as villagers?”

“Wait, can we do that?”

“I think so.”

“That’s perfect!”

They laughed even harder.

“

Hahahahaha!

”

“

Fuhuhuhuhu!

”

In games like this, the raider role was quite fun. Everyone else tried to build and relax. Suddenly, the villains would dramatically crash the party with high visibility. The scenario seemed perfect in their minds, but they didn’t realize that the real villain had already arrived.

Pop!

A shadowy figure leaped from the bushes behind them.