The Uneasy Feeling Won't Fade
Unknown's guest appearance on Jump's stream drew far more attention than anyone had expected. No — calling it mere attention didn't even begin to cover it.
This was Trisch, a platform locked in a constant fight for first and second place in the streaming world. Even setting aside the casual drop-in viewers, the number of Trsu — those unemployed, always-online Trisch bums who lived on the site — was staggering. And among the hundreds of game categories on Trisch, Last of Quantum was a perennial contender for the number-one slot. Naturally, its community boards were just as lively.
On those boards, Unknown was currently the center of the storm.
Last of Quantum wasn't without its cheaters. There was an entire report category dedicated to hacks; they were a headache in every game. Even so, Unknown had become a phenomenon because the play was so good that even knowing it had to be a hack, you couldn't help but be impressed.
Last of Quantum was a game with more people watching streams and pro leagues than actually playing it themselves. Anyone who'd tried it knew why: every single round demanded ferocious concentration, and you burned out fast. So where did exhausted gamers go looking for their fun? Those visceral, high-stakes fights were entertainment enough just to watch. Plenty of people preferred spectating someone else's play to grinding it themselves.
Given that, the Last of Quantum community never stopped talking about pro players and named streamers. Unknown — whose play drew gasps even if you were sure it was a hack — was inevitably going to become the next thing setting the boards on fire.
What kind of hack lets you dodge a bullet fired right in front of your face?
At that point isn't that just future sight?
I'd heard hacks had gotten better lately, but I never thought they'd gotten THAT good.
Don't hog the pretty avatar. Share it around.
There's a reason they say good things are meant to be shared.
Beep.
The first thing I did after waking up was boot the computer. Still half-asleep, I picked up my phone to check the time — already late afternoon.
...How many hours did I even sleep?
I'd just closed my eyes for a second, and it was already six in the evening. Even accounting for how late I'd gone to bed, this was far too late to be getting up. I brushed aside the bangs that kept falling into my eyes and sat down in front of the computer as it powered on.
The moment the desktop finished loading, the mouse started moving. I clicked the Last of Quantum community I'd saved in my bookmarks.
You could ask why the first thing I did after waking up was lurk the boards. There was a reason I'd shoved everything else aside and sat down at the computer the instant I got up.
Just yesterday, I'd been branded with the disgraceful title of hacker. Of course I hadn't actually used hacks — but there was no telling how the game company would see it. If enough reports piled up and they decided I was a cheater, there was no dodging a ban.
"Please, God."
I didn't usually believe in God, but this time I needed one badly. Today of all days, the site felt like it was taking forever to load. An eternity later, the page finally came up, and I went straight to the Last of Quantum notice board.
There was no announcement anywhere about sanctions against users of unauthorized programs.
"So I dodged the ban for now, I guess."
Just in case, I logged into the Last of Quantum site as well. Thankfully, it went through without a hitch.
The sigh of relief didn't last. An unexpected community post was waiting for me — sitting right at the top of the hot threads. A post about a hacker.
I clicked it, and the first thing that came up were screenshots of the character.
People in the know already know, but what do you guys think of this Unknown player who's blowing up the community right now?
Honestly, I'm in the "it's a hack" camp.
Even in a game, dodging bullets is complete nonsense.
Anyone thinking, "Just use Perimeter Awareness," has barely played this game, I swear. If you'd actually used it, you'd know all it does is tell you the direction an enemy is attacking from.
Be real — just because you know the direction of an attack, you think you can dodge a bullet? You don't even know when they're going to fire, and those rounds move faster than the eye can follow. How the hell do you dodge that?
This isn't something you can write off as "good reflexes."
Therefore, Unknown is a hacker. That's my take.
Disagree and you're a newbie who doesn't know shit about the game.
"What... is this."
Without me even knowing, the community had been wallpapered with posts about me. Most of it was hack talk, but comments about appearance popped up plenty too — looks reviews, outright sexual harassment, and piles of hate for the supposed cheater.
As I went through the comments one by one, the disgust made me squeeze the mouse like I was trying to crush it. Thinking I was a hacker was one thing. Why were these random nobodies sexually harassing me?
The comments were technically about the character in the screenshots, but the character looked exactly like me, so it felt like they were talking to my face. Some of them went past insulting into the kind of thing that made a murderous impulse flare up.
I wanted to fire back right then and there. But I knew it wouldn't mean anything, so my hands wouldn't even go to the keyboard. Even if I posted a reply, I'd just make myself look worse.
I left the thread and started browsing others. Maybe watching these anonymous idiots type with their brains off would scatter the junk thoughts and lighten the mood. Of course, if I stared too long I'd get just as empty-headed, so I had to keep it in check.
But no matter which post I opened, people were talking about me. Why was someone dropping "Unknown is one hundred percent a hacker" on a thread asking about builds?
I'd opened the community to get rid of the uneasy feeling... so why was it getting worse?
My head was spinning. Being falsely branded a hacker was infuriating enough — and I didn't have a single person on my side. The boards had already stamped me as a cheater a long time ago.
"Ah..."
Might as well just play.
You could ask what kind of time this was for gaming, but that was exactly why I was turning to it. Like a spring that snaps if you pull it too far, my mind had hit its limit and needed to uncoil. They say stress is the root of all illness, and if games are the best thing for stress, doesn't that make games a cure-all?
A pointless thought.
After some hesitation, I got up from the chair. I'd just woken up anyway. Nothing else to do. Getting branded a hacker didn't mean I couldn't queue up. As long as I didn't get banned, there was nothing to worry about.
A low hum rolled through the room as the Connector whirred to life.