NoveLight ™
‘...Why is she acting like that?’
The Gravekeeper watched Journey with a curious expression. Was she thinking about eating too?
When Journey offered her a piece of the Cocatrice leg, the Gravekeeper just stared at it blankly.
‘Is she worried it might be poisoned?’
The thought seemed absurd. If the Gravekeeper wanted her dead, there were simpler ways to go about it—like earlier when she killed the Cocatrice. Journey was well aware of how easily she could have been eliminated. Yet here she was, with food being offered to her instead of a fatal blow.
‘She’ll revive even if she dies anyway.’
Journey hesitated, then muttered to herself, "Uh... How do I say ‘eat it’ in Granic?"
She struggled to communicate, muttering in Arqish, the Empire’s language. With cautious hands, she took the meat from the Gravekeeper, who just continued to stare.
‘Should I just snatch it back?’
The thought crossed the Gravekeeper's mind briefly. But just as the notion started to take hold, Journey finally took a bite of the meat. Her eyes widened in surprise, and soon she was eating it with enthusiasm.
Watching her devour the food so gleefully, the Gravekeeper momentarily forgot about eating herself and simply stared.
‘Of course, Cocatrice meat is delicious. I was starting to think my taste buds were the problem, but this confirms it. My preferences are normal after all.’
Journey, realizing she was being watched, coughed awkwardly. "Ahem! It's so good that I couldn’t help myself..."
The Gravekeeper found her embarrassment unnecessary. After all, the food was given for the purpose of eating, so there was no need for such awkwardness.
Journey continued, "It's frustrating not being able to talk properly... I should've studied harder. Does anyone here know Granic? …Of course not."
Muttering to herself in words the Gravekeeper couldn’t understand, Journey seemed to come to a decision. Pointing to herself, she spoke clearly.
"Journey."
"...?"
"Did you not understand? Jo. Ur. Ney."
The Gravekeeper tilted her head slightly in confusion, prompting Journey to repeat herself with exaggerated clarity.
"Journey."
Ah, an introduction?
"Journey," the Gravekeeper repeated with a nod.
Journey's face lit up with excitement, her expression brightening noticeably.
"..."
"..."
"...?"
Silence followed, and Journey’s elation faded as confusion took over. Introductions usually went both ways—one person gave their name, and then the other followed.
However, the Gravekeeper had no intention of sharing her own name. What’s the point? Why should she reveal her identity?
The Gravekeeper mused, 'Why bother exchanging names when I don’t even show my face?'
The idea of getting closer to someone was unappealing.
‘You're so stiff. You look adorable, but your actions make you seem like a boy.’
…Yeah, Garid, I know.
But still, I don’t like it.
The Gravekeeper's hand unconsciously moved toward the choker around her neck but stopped halfway. Instead, she stood up and made her way toward the flower field.
‘Why do I grow flowers? Because they’re pretty. Isn’t that reason enough? You should be grateful for your looks. If you weren’t so cute... oh, never mind. …Ouch! I’m joking!’
‘As if you really meant that… liar.’
Frustrated, the Gravekeeper deliberately plucked one of the flowers with more force than necessary.
It was Garid’s favorite—a pink one. Holding the flower, the Gravekeeper walked toward a nearby grave.
The Crimsone Aegis, a weapon buried in front of the grave, seemed to shine even more vividly today.
"Gracis... greatest... What’s next?" Journey muttered.
Following behind cautiously, Journey, still clutching the piece of meat, squinted at the inscription on the gravestone, trying to read the Granic text.
"Gracis’s greatest shield. Here lies the fallen," the Gravekeeper provided, unable to resist offering the translation.
Of course, she hadn’t brought Journey here as a companion. Journey had just followed her, and the Gravekeeper had decided not to stop her. That was all.
The Gravekeeper placed the pink flowers neatly in front of the Crimsone Aegis.
"..."
"..."
Sadly, nothing remained of what the shield had once protected.
Nothing.
"Doesn’t it seem like there’s a lot of history here?" Journey said, descending the mountain path with slow, deliberate steps.
Although no one walked beside her, Journey wasn’t talking to herself. Her viewers were watching through her stream.
"I’ll figure out what’s written on the gravestone later, but for now, I need to decide what to do next."
Even though the Gravekeeper had read out the inscription, Journey hadn’t understood it. Hearing unfamiliar words didn’t mean she could decipher their meaning.
"Gracis’s greatest shield, it says. Here lies the fallen," someone had already translated the inscription in her chat.
"Oh wow, someone already figured it out?"
"It might be worth investigating that more. A title like that isn’t given lightly."
Of course, the words on the gravestone could just be someone’s personal opinion...
‘But you’ve got to start somewhere.’
Part of her felt like a detective from a mystery novel, complete with a pipe and magnifying glass. It was fun, after all—being the first to venture down a path no one had walked before.
Although the number of viewers had skyrocketed, Journey had long since accepted it.
"Even if you want to stay over at a friend’s house, you’d feel awkward about it, right? And it’s not like I’m close with the Gravekeeper. Besides, it’s not up to me to stay—it’s the Gravekeeper’s decision."
More importantly, how do you talk to someone who radiates that kind of atmosphere?
Journey recalled the Gravekeeper standing in front of the grave. Despite her cold and fearsome reputation, there was an air of fragility about her—a stark contrast to the ruthless boss that had crushed so many players.
Sometimes, people just need time alone to reflect, without any interference.
That was why Journey had turned away without saying anything.
"Studying Granic, researching the history of Gracis, gathering information... Wow, I have so much to do."
Journey counted her tasks on her fingers, sticking out her tongue in mock exhaustion.
No one was forcing her to do it with a sword to her neck. If she didn’t want to, she didn’t have to.
[‘Anonymous Donor’ has donated 10,000 won! Thank you!]
[‘Atomic’ has donated 100,000 won! Thank you!]
"I’m really curious about her identity!"
"Hasn’t that person already donated 500,000 won?"
"Is that really Atomic?"
"Looks like it."
"Wow, even famous streamers from abroad are watching!"
‘It might not be a sword, but it feels like something is definitely being held to my back.’
Backing out now would feel like closing the chapter on her streaming career entirely.
Goodbye, streamer Journey. Hello, ordinary citizen Shin Da-eun.
But that wasn’t what she wanted—not yet.
Despite how late it was getting, the sun still hung in the sky. As Journey wandered through the dimly lit forest, her eyes caught sight of a small, unknown flower with sharp thorns along its stem, its petals a deep red.
"If you come at 4 p.m., I’ll start feeling happy by 3 p.m."
Journey’s sudden quote confused the chat, but she just grinned mischievously.
"Starting today, my goal is to tame the fox!"
If you want to get close to someone, hang around them often.
Of course, this might get you labeled as a nuisance, but if you do nothing, no opportunities will come your way.
"And I’ll study Granic in my spare time."
Having already learned multiple languages, Journey felt somewhat confident in her ability to pick up Granic. After all, she wouldn’t be stuck on the mountain with the Gravekeeper forever. There’d be plenty of time to study.
"And I trust you guys will help gather information."
"You’re all curious too, right? It’s a win-win situation. Payment? You’ll be paid in passion!"
"Hey, no bad language!"
Journey expected the chat to get fired up, but not this much.
‘At least they dropped the idea of making me go back.’
Having made her position clear, the viewers who had been nagging her about returning to the Gravekeeper fell silent. Journey chuckled to herself, out of view of the camera.
"Alright, I’ll send gift cards to the top 50 people who post useful information on the fan café. But only to the ones who post the most helpful stuff."
The reaction was positive.
After all, who wouldn’t want a gift from their favorite streamer? And with 50 winners, there was a decent chance of being selected.
"Hmm… good question. Something related to Silia Online would be ideal... Ah, I know!"
Journey’s eyes lit up as a brilliant idea came to her.
"How about a 10-month subscription to Silia Online?"
A monthly subscription to Silia Online cost about 10,000 won. Even with a discount for bulk purchases, 10 months was still worth nearly 100,000 won.
To offer that to 50 people was no small gesture, and her viewers were thrilled by the idea.
It was a significant investment, but Journey knew it would pay off. The goodwill she’d earn from her audience—and the new viewers who would stick around after the event—made it well worth the cost.
However, there was one thing she hadn’t anticipated...
[Journey’s hosting an event?]
[Where can I watch the Korea streamer?]
[All this fuss over some random streamer…]
Journey hadn’t realized just how many people were watching her stream—not just in Korea, but from all over the world. People from East Asia, Western countries, and everywhere in between.
It wasn’t just her regular viewers participating in the event, but a massive international audience. Some wanted the prize, some were eager to solve the mystery of the Gravekeeper, and others simply wanted to support their favorite streamer.
Whatever their motivations, it was clear: Journey’s fan café had become a global phenomenon.