I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

<Arumdriprinatree donated 10,000 KRW.>

"...Come to think of it, I never actually told you. I moved... maybe a little while ago? I've had a lot to deal with recently, so I never mentioned it. But yes, I moved to a better place."

Ah, right.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t told my viewers about moving yet. Skipping over the whole process and only mentioning the conclusion seems to have thrown everyone off balance.

And so, all of a sudden, while I was browsing the internet with the viewers to see if there were any games other than Dark Zone to try, the topic of my house quickly became the center of the stream. Glancing at the chat, everyone was going wild about the housewarming.

I wondered if it’d be okay to show it now. For a moment, I thought it might raise expectations if I waited and showed it later.

And, thinking about it, I also considered the fact that...

"Until I finalize the housewarming guest list, I’ll hold off on showing the inside of the house. It’s to build up a bit of anticipation."

...Why? Why are they all so desperate to see my house?

Anyway, the viewers' whining was quickly settled. Of course, I didn’t completely ignore them. I’ve been streaming for almost 8 months now, so I’ve gained a little more conscience since I first started. I wouldn’t do something as cruel as just teasing them without any payoff.

So, what did I do?

"I’ve been so busy with the broadcast. What kind of senior would I be if I just ignored it?"

"Ugh... Wait, I feel something soft above my head...!"

"You're making too much of a fuss."

Logan’s sudden interruption completely flipped the situation.

As a giant marshmallow of indeterminate size was placed on top of my head, delicate fingers began to pinch my cheek. As expected, being Western, their physical contact was bold. However, considering how much we had gone through and seen each other’s worst sides, I didn’t think much of it in a suggestive way.

Or at least, I hoped not.

Anyway, while the mood shifted in another direction, I refocused on the thoughts from earlier.

'First, I need to invite Harmony and Dice. It feels like it’d be a bit lacking if I only invite them, so it’d be fine to bring in the pro gamers I went to the U.S. with...'

Of course, I also planned to invite Harmony’s streamer friends. We were bonded by the One Chip Challenge last time. This time, I had to make sure Logan and Laurentina got a taste of the One Chip too.

With that in mind, I gave a brainwave command to the Icarus Gear. It should be able to order the One Chip and have it delivered to my address in under two minutes.

So, as of now, the guest list is roughly... 12 people. While I was thinking about that, a sudden thought hit me. If I also invited the editors and the thumbnail artists who manage the channel and make those cute, colorful thumbnails, it would probably add up to about 20 people.

The guest list was growing bigger than expected.

After muting the microphone for a moment, I turned to Logan, who was quietly sitting beside me, and added:

"I’m planning on having a housewarming, and it seems like there will be quite a few people."

"How many people are you expecting?"

"With me and the two people in my house, I think it’ll be a little over twenty..."

"High five."

Whoosh.

At that moment, Logan’s head jerked around in every direction. Then, of course, he was deep in thought, so I didn’t interrupt him.

He nodded affirmatively.

"The house is big, so if we have enough bedding, we can all sleep here. The only problem is providing meals, but it doesn’t seem like it’ll be a huge issue."

"That’s true."

I could easily get in touch with the facility management staff or a few of the neighbors with whom I’d become friendly. With a little inquiry, it would be no problem to contact a high-class catering service. Moreover, there was a multipurpose reception hall on the top floor of the penthouse, so the venue for the meal would be sorted too.

So, it would be just a matter of checking schedules and confirming who could attend, and handling those little tasks.

And as they say in Korea, “Strike while the iron is hot.”

[ALERT: Would you like to send a joint broadcast request to 'Harmony'?]

With a click.

At that moment, the drone cam released a pulse and scanned the entire room, then overlaid a hologram on top of it. In an instant, the room seemed to change, and Harmony’s distinctive green cat avatar appeared beside me, looking at me.

Her mint-colored eyes met mine.

"Do you have time in two days?"

"I’ve been waiting for you to say that."

"Of course."

Then the background became clear.

Harmony and I had overlapping viewers, and because of that, Harmony had instantly received the information I had just said about the housewarming, relayed through the viewers. The advancements in technology and communication were truly remarkable.

With that, Harmony was successfully invited.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

"I’m thinking about inviting the people who did the One Chip Challenge with me last time. What do you think?"

"Eh... They should all be available. If you plan to stream the housewarming like last time, they’ll all rush over in no time."

"Got it. Also, come to think of it, I was invited to the Engram chat room last time. I should have asked them first."

"Honestly, Eugene, you’re a little sloppy with the details... ugh."

Harmony, hitting me with facts, was unforgiving.

Anyway, with that, I released Minah back into the wild. We didn’t have anything to do together today, and she had her own content to work on. Next up was Dice. After just 30 seconds of sending a message, the number next to the text disappeared, and a call came through.

"Ah, I’ve been waiting for this. My schedule has been so packed lately, it’s been tough, but I’ll use meeting you as an excuse to cancel a few SSM schedules."

"...Is that really an excuse?"

"I’ll just say I’m going to get some tactical training. That’s what they always call me for at SSM anyway..."

Ah.

I quickly understood what he meant. After all, Dice had to prepare for the 4th Final Championship this year, and he also had to act as a coach for future pro gamers... If my name was involved, SSM would probably have a hard time refusing.

So, I’d better do my best to teach him.

Foll𝑜w current novℯls on ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm.

"Well, I’ll prepare until then, so make sure you’re ready."

"Eh...? What? Wait, you said housewarming! Housewarming—"

Click.

Of course, Dice’s frantic protest didn’t last long.

The only people left were the editors and the thumbnail artists, but they were already so busy with their work that it wouldn’t be hard to get them to join. As expected, the group chat for the editor-thumbnail crew was already in chaos. They didn’t even seem to care that I was watching.

With that, I unmuted the mic and spoke.

"For the thirteen people watching right now... I’m not taking any rejections. You all better gather by the day after tomorrow. I’m planning to hold the second team-building event."

The viewers were confused, trying to figure out what that meant, but the group chat was already flooded with positive responses.

Destination: Cheongdam-dong, time left: two days.

It was time to make a reservation for the reception hall.

[ALERT: You are 300 meters from your destination.]

"Wait a minute. The navigation says it’s definitely this building, but..."

"Wow, the Han River is just 500 meters away?"

On the six-lane road leading from the Yeongdong Bridge to Cheongdam-dong, a building with a more glassy facade than structure caught the attention of everyone in the car. The walls, shaped like a fan, were covered in glass, and the car carrying Harmony and the crew soon turned into a busy alley in Seoul.

As the car made its way to the parking lot, a hologram appeared on the floor, directing them to the designated parking space. While the parking lot itself wasn’t special, there were sports cars parked like chocolate chips in a cookie—something you’d typically see on TV.

The scene continued as four cars parked in the large lot, and the four people got out and walked toward the elevator.

The elevator automatically stopped at the first-floor lobby, and as they stepped out, they were greeted by some familiar faces—or maybe not, as the crowd gathered.

"Ah, Dice!"

"Michael, Gambit, Ink... Wow, it’s the four Dark Zone legends who have shone in Korea. Nice to meet you! This is the streamer, Hotteok, running YourSpace. And here are Limit, Dol, and Harmony."

"Ah, nice to meet you. Legends? Not quite."

"Long time no see!"

"Good to see you again, Minah. I’m sure you’ve been doing well since New York?"

The atmosphere was immediately warm and friendly.

As expected, Harmony, Michael, Ink, and Gambit were all familiar faces from New York—people who had helped me out and, on occasion, killed pro gamers two or three times when I wasn’t paying attention.

Of course, the rest of the group, about thirteen people, quickly became the subject of curiosity, and the one at the front spoke up.

"This is Eugene’s editor... and these are the thumbnail artists."

"Ah, I see! Welcome!"

Of course, the phrase "main consumers of carrots" was a meme. In other words, they were the most likely to be replaced if things didn’t work out.

With that, the full group was finally gathered, and as the elevator opened on the top floor, a familiar face appeared.

Not Eugene... but Laurentina.

With full authority.

- SWOOSH!

"Ah?!"

"Getting careless, huh? You’ve gotten a bit too naïve. Looks like you still need some training, huh... heh heh."

"Wait, I didn’t see you move..."

Before I could blink, Laurentina vanished from sight and reappeared behind Harmony, pinching my cheek with her fingers as the lobby staff rushed up with a stack of badges.

And so, with their badges in hand, around twenty people finally received permission to freely roam the penthouse. As they stepped into the elevator leading to the top floor, Dice murmured.

"In about three more years... maybe."

I understood what he meant, but I didn’t want to know exactly what he meant. This was it—this was the start of a memorable housewarming.