Chapter 9: The YouTubers can’t play the games. (2)
“Ah, not that one. That gun isn’t very good.”
“Make sure to bring a lot of smoke grenades and healing items.”
“You’re not just shooting without holding your breath, are you? You have to hold your breath while shooting to control the recoil.”
His real name was Go Daeil.
In Battle Survival, using the nickname ‘Groot’, he was sincerely giving advice.
He was naturally a lazy person and didn’t talk much.
Even when hanging out with friends, he was quiet, occasionally chipping in.
Such a person was currently speaking more than ever.
“Yes, yes.”
The reason was the woman he was duoing with.
Compared to other popular male-dominated games, Battle Survival had more female players, but they were still very few.
Even he, who had played for quite a long time, had never seen one before, which said it all.
The few female players who did exist either didn’t use mics or played with friends, making them virtual natural monuments.
Therefore, when he first heard her voice, he couldn’t help but be surprised.
“Lucy. Where are you?”
“I’m still looting.”
“The magma’s coming soon. We should start moving.”
“Okay. I’ll follow.”
Yoo Serin, or Lucy, used her nickname as is, but Go Daeil didn’t know that.
He simply considered her an ordinary person.
That’s why he was seriously dedicated to her request to teach her the game.
‘If she’s just starting now, it’s going to be tough. Especially for a woman.’
Korean trait, serious about games.
Especially many men were obsessed with winning and losing.
He had somehow seen a woman playing, and he couldn’t let her quit, swept away by the hardships of the world.
‘The game is too dull.’
Having only played with men for hundreds of matches, he felt his spirit darkening.
Even if it was a shooting game, it didn’t have to be like actual military service, did it?
As a gamer who loved Battle Survival, he felt a sense of mission.
“Does this grenade really explode this late when you throw it?”
That was secondary, and actually the biggest reason was that he couldn’t refuse.
Lucy’s voice was beautiful and special.
‘Is she using a good mic?’
It was unique enough to make him think that naturally.
How to put it, like she wasn’t an ordinary person.
If she asked with such a voice, it was impossible for him as a man to refuse.
“If you just throw it, that’s what happens. Before throwing it, like this…”
“Ah! I understand. So that’s how it is.”
Lucy’s bright voice tickled his ears.
Go Daeil chuckled for no reason.
Strange. His friends always called him gruff.
Was Battle Survival such a cheerful game?
“Then the rocket launcher? How do you use this? Can I try experimenting?”
“First of all, you can’t shoot me.”
“Then this is…”
“Ah, that part is…”
Because she was so enthusiastic about everything, he could keep hearing her voice.
Lucy really seemed to want to learn the game.
He had thought it was a joke at first, but it was a genuine request.
He liked her even more.
Is there any man who dislikes a woman who likes games?
“Enemy spotted! I’ll ping. Just follow my commands.”
“Leave it to me, Captain!”
Was this how a pro felt when entering a competition?
With Lucy’s broadcast-level energy added in, he decided to give it his all.
That way, he could play with her longer.
And.
Such efforts brought a strong reaction to the broadcast.
[–Aah.. Root-ham…]
[–Thank you for helping our Lucy]
[–Ta-ge.]
[–He’s Korean, why ‘Ta-ge’? Call him King.]
[–Isn’t ‘King’ English too?]
The chat window, having changed direction and revived its firepower.
It was filled with words praising the duo.
I had died emptily for 10 games.
After only seeing such scenes, watching a proper game made them breathe easier.
[–But he really seems kind.]
[–Fr.]
[–He could’ve just played, but he’s helping so diligently.]
[–Lucy seems to have learned a lot too.]
[–Now she knows the basics.]
[–It’s more shocking that she really knew nothing lol.]
[–Her skill is still bug-like, though;;]
[–Still, she evolved from a maggot to a fly lol.]
Since starting the broadcast, I had many new experiences.
This time was no different.
Even if it was a duo with a stranger, as long as I was broadcasting, I couldn’t help but pay attention.
I was simultaneously focusing on the game and occasionally checking the chat window, in other words, multitasking.
‘So, everyone did it like this.’
But this isn’t very easy.
Since it was a broadcast, I had to keep filling the audio and also monitor viewer sentiment.
The awareness that many people were watching was a bonus.
It was the moment I understood what many streamers claimed: that their skills didn’t show up on broadcast.
With the heart of one who had realized, I turned off my in-game mic and spoke.
“I finally know. The reason I was bad.”
[–?]
[–?]
[–???]
[–Suddenly?]
[–Is there a reason for being bad?]
“It was because I was broadcasting. So it’s not my fault; it’s your fault.”
[–Oh, come on.]
[–Fk lol.]
[–Wow…]
[–Only admiration comes out;;]
[–Mindset is legendary.]
[–Strong willed.]
I had only met with a backlash like a raging inferno.
Hmm.
Strange.
It’s the right thing to say, but.
‘…Well, I admit I’m a little bad.’
But considering it was my first time, I must have been doing alright.
Or not.
Still, it was clear that my skills were improving, even if only slightly.
“Lucy, nice kill! That’s how you do it.”
“Thank you, Captain!”
It was thanks to my duo, nicknamed Groot.
Honestly, I just blurted it out, but I didn’t expect him to help so well.
Perhaps gamers were a bit kinder in the past?
After learning various things and getting carried for a while.
Before long, there were only about 10 survivors left.
Chicken was right around the corner.
“Now we have to go into the final fight. Do you have enough throwables and healing items?”
“Yes. I have a lot.”
“Our position isn’t great, but… I’ll do my best.”
His solemn murmuring made me nervous too.
Why is this person so serious?
“…Enemy on the left! Damn, we’re being flanked!”
“I’m sorry.”
“No. It was my fault.”
In the end, we slipped just before the finish line.
I was still a beginner, and the survivors were skilled players, so it couldn’t be helped.
<8th Place>
[Were you unlucky? You’ll definitely get it next time!]
It was a pity, but I quickly shook it off.
Even this much was a significant improvement.
I expressed my gratitude to him.
“Thank you for granting my request. You could have just ignored me.”
“Huh? Uh… Ahem. It’s nothing at all.”
“As expected, Root-ham…”
“Yes? What did you say?”
“No. The viewers… ah, no. It just popped into my head.”
That was close.
Fortunately, he didn’t notice.
Before parting, he cautiously asked.
“Can I send you a friend request, by any chance?”
“Of course.”
I wasn’t even a celebrity.
And so, after gaining one game friend, I returned to the waiting room.
“Whooo.”
I stretched, loosening my stiff body.
My back and wrists hurt from concentrating.
My throat was also dry from talking so much.
It didn’t hurt this much when I was a man.
Hardships you don’t know unless you experience them.
Today, I felt like I had moved one step closer to being a VTuber.
Feeling the ambivalent emotions of discomfort and pride, I looked towards the chat window.
“It was fun, right?”
[–Yeah yeah.]
[–Pure fun.]
[–Aah.. Root-ham… just GOAT.]
[–Come back, Groot!!]
[–Too bad, we could have won.]
[–Duo is better after all.]
[–Abandon solo.]
I subtly glanced at the status window and spoke.
There were still many missions I hadn’t completed.
“Since we’ve started, shall we do a bit more?”
[–Go go go.]
[–Let’s do it.]
[–Today is Battle Survival day.]
[–Lucy, you’re doing this for a long time.]
[–Seems like she’s having fun lol.]
[–I think she’s preparing to be a pro.]
With viewer sentiment also being good, I played a few more duo matches.
Meeting new people every time felt like rolling a gacha.
Since there was no one better than Groot, the distance to chicken was even further.
For some reason, everyone was kind, so there were no broadcasting problems.
[Objective]
·Get chicken once (0/1)
·Achieve 10 kills (10/10)
·Achieve 20 assists (20/20)
·Revive teammates 5 times (5/5)
Before long, only a single objective remained.
I thought it would be the easiest, but it turned out to be the most difficult objective when I actually tried it.
“Getting chicken is f**ing hard.”
[–Streamer’s real emotions lol.]
[–Lucy Lucy… you should use pretty words…]
[–Chicken prices are expensive these days, yeah yeah;]
[–But weren’t all your teammates good?]
[–They were average.]
[–I think I know who the culprit is.]
[–Uh-huh.]
“No. But haven’t I really improved? I’m getting some kills now. If I just do a little more, I think I can get it, right?”
[–Weren’t those kills practically fed to you?]
[–You did improve… by about 1mm.]
[–Too much to say, but won’t.]
[–Uh-huh. She’s asking for only white lies.]
“No, seriously—”
Just then, a sponsorship dropped.
A sly voice message echoed on the broadcast.
[‘LucyK yaa hoou’ has sponsored 1,000 cash! Thank you!]
[–Then, no end until chicken? I bet 100,000 cash.]
With that, he genuinely registered a ‘challenge mission’ with 100,000 cash at stake.
My eyes widened at the never-before-seen amount.
100,000 won is a lot of money.
Endless streaming until a goal was also a content streamers primarily did.
But.
“Hmm…”
[–Ah]
[–’Hmm’ my ass lol.]
[–You’re not doing this? Throwing away 100,000 won???]
[–It’s a whopping 100,000, why do you look unhappy?? (Seriously don’t know)]
[–Ah, seriously, she can’t do it because it’s endless streaming lol.]
[–If Lucy suddenly became self-aware, that’s fine.]
Indeed, I lacked confidence.
The flytrap named ‘challenge mission’ seemed to exude a sweet temptation.
I had to refuse.
My reason was pleading.
“Hmm. But this is… it’s not that I can’t do it, but…”
“Of course I want to do it. But viewers might get tired of only watching Battle Survival…”
As I showed hesitation, viewers who seized the opportunity eagerly rushed in.
[Scared? She’s scared lol.]
[I knew it.]
And so on.
Even though I knew it was a joke, I still got annoyed for no reason.
Was I originally this kind of person?
More than that, the sum of 100,000 won kept flickering in a corner of my mind.
‘I spent all my money buying the avatar and streaming equipment.’
Money would continue to be spent in the future.
Give this up?
Isn’t it worth doing?
I quietly checked the time.
Normally, I would have ended the broadcast soon.
But I wasn’t doing other work, and it didn’t matter if it was a little late.
“Alright. What the heck, let’s do it. No backing out of the mission, okay?”
In the end, it was my heart that won in the balancing act between reason and emotion.
[–Kyah.]
[–Yeahhhhh.]
[–Breaking News) Endless stream declared (It’s real).]
[–100% she’ll regret it lol.]
[–But if she gets good teammates again, you never know lol.]
Watching the viewers who were certain of my failure, a desire to prank them boiled up within me.
Whatever the case.
‘All I have to do is get chicken, right?’
No matter how I thought about it, it was a battle I couldn’t lose.
……It didn’t even take an hour to realize that thought was wrong.