Chapter 8
Chapter 8
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Wow, Damn! So Confident
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A chat message popped up in the corner of her screen.
[What kind of confidence is that? Total asshole.]
[Her attitude's a bit off.]
[Just go. Why should Bom Bomi put up with this?]
Negative comments flooded in. But Bom Bomi didn't back down.
Of course, she felt annoyed too. But just like Naltorri had thought, as a streamer trying to survive in this cutthroat world of Arc, she knew she had to show something special.
And among the info she'd gathered, the gruff guy in front of her was the most attention-grabbing.
"Come on, everyone, calm down. He might just be bad at dealing with people."
[Bad at it? Nah, he's just rude.]
[Humanity in ruins, they say.]
"Or maybe he's really that confident in his skills."
As she said that, Bom Bomi shot a quick glance at Yuseong's back.
'Let's see just how good you are.'
If his skills fell short, she'd tease him a little. Hell, that might even be better for the stream. Provocative footage always drew views.
Bom Bomi hurried to Yuseong's side.
No matter how bad the first impression, as a streamer, she had to maximize engagement.
"By the way, I don't think I caught your name. I already introduced myself, right?"
"Yuseong."
Still that curt tone. And an answer so concise it bordered on speechless.
But she'd expected as much. Just as Bom Bomi was about to toss out another question.
"And the reason I eat black bread is because it's delicious."
Bom Bomi blinked. Then she burst out laughing with a 'pfft!' Yuseong looked at her puzzled.
It was just the answer to the question Naltorri had asked when he first approached him, but Bom Bomi's laughter made no sense to him.
That only made her laugh harder. Her viewers, who'd been on edge, found Yuseong's reaction hilarious too, flooding the chat with 'lololol'.
The tense atmosphere melted away. Bom Bomi streamed on with a much lighter heart.
Yuseong turned out to be more conversational than expected. Bom Bomi and her viewers warmed up considerably.
Then, as they started hunting in earnest, Bom Bomi and the audience were left in awe and shock, just like with Naltorri.
* * *
After that, Yuseong often went hunting with streamer NPCs. Not just Naltorri, who kept sending notes, or Bom Bomi, who dropped by occasionally—others showed up too.
Every streamer who approached him asked if black bread was tasty, and every one marveled at his skills.
And they all wanted to hang out with him more.
"Man, another fail today."
Naltorri eyed Yuseong, who was munching bread by the fountain as usual.
A stranger stood beside him—probably another streamer like Naltorri. Lately, Yuseong was hot stuff among newbie streamers.
[Lmao Date Invite Failed Again]
[Oppa, if you want, I can date him for you! (boing boing)]
"Don't say creepy shit! I like girls!"
[That strong denial?]
[Means yes.]
"You people...!"
After bickering with his viewers for a bit, Naltorri turned back to the fountain. He saw Yuseong walking off with the streamer.
"He's really gotten popular, huh, Yuseong. Makes sense with those skills—only a matter of time."
Among Naltorri's videos, the ones with Yuseong massively outperformed the rest. Same for other streamers.
For total noob streamers desperate to make a name, nothing mattered more.
[Fr, that guy's skilled af]
[I still rewatch Naltorri's vid]
[Me too, like ten times. Especially that red-eyed Giant Sewer Rat trio—still gives me chills]
[Wonder if he could take a bonus boss?]
The chat, which had been hyping Yuseong like he could do anything, shifted.
[That... nah.]
[Epic skills or not, that's a whole other level.]
[Only a handful in the world have cleared it.]
Naltorri pondered as he read the accelerating chat.
Bonus boss.
A mob with special status even in Arc.
Most dungeon bosses at the end have superior power and abilities to regular monsters. The rewards are huge, so players pour effort into hunting them.
But bonus bosses were different.
Other bosses, no matter how strong, could eventually be beaten. Just level up and boost stats. Sure, the cost-effectiveness sucked.
Bonus bosses? Impossible.
They were insanely strong—leagues beyond same-level bosses—enough to crush most challengers in despair.
Unlike raidable bosses you could tackle with a party, bonus bosses forced strict 1v1. No busing, no teamwork.
Those two factors alone spawned massive攻略 headaches, but there were restrictions too.
If your level exceeded the boss's by a certain amount, you couldn't challenge at all. Challenge attempts were also limited.
In short: Solo an absurdly strong boss, underleveled, with no time to learn patterns.
Conditions that'd make anyone curse.
Boss fights were recordable, so some tried memorizing patterns. But when patterns numbered in the hundreds, even that died out.
Just from the description, you wondered if it was meant to be cleared.
That was the bonus boss.
As the chat noted, only a tiny fraction worldwide had beaten one. Yuseong was amazing, but was he *that* elite?
[Naltorri, what's your take?]
A viewer asked. Naltorri spoke slowly.
"Yuseong's skills are top-tier, no doubt. Like I said before, with average luck and public info, he'll hit high ranks in Arc. But bonus boss? ...I'd say no."
Such was the bonus boss's prestige.
No one in chat argued. Just agreements like 'yep' or 'same'.
"But hey. If Yuseong pulls it off, he'll grab the world's attention overnight."
[Obviously.]
[Like a world-class soccer star popping out of Korea.]
[Why drag soccer into Arc?]
[Fr, soccer, baseball, basketball, NFL—Arc outshines all sports.]
[Back in my day.]
[Boomer...]
"Don't be like that. Sports have their own fun. I like soccer too."
Though he overwhelmingly preferred Arc.
"Anyway, I doubt Yuseong clears one. Only heaven's chosen snag bonus bosses."
[Naltorri, you try?]
"Of course."
Even a doomed challenge was content gold for a streamer. No clear expected, but the attempt alone worked.
"Closest one's 'Master of the Old Mansion.' Boss level 10, challengers up to 12. But survivors say you need 20 minimum—bare minimum."
[Level gap of 10? Wtf?]
[Even scams ain't that bad.]
"Right? Not meant to be cleared."
And skipping them changed nothing in Arc progression.
Bonus bosses were event trophies for the skilled. Brutally hard to claim.
"My goal: Shave 10% off its HP!"
[Lmao Not Even Subjugating, Just 10%]
[That timidity squeezes my heart.]
"No, that's how insane it is!"
Naltorri spat as he defended his modest goal against the mocking viewers.
[Chicken bet again?]
"No way!"
Naltorri shut it down hard.
* * *
After another hunt with a streamer NPC, Yuseong grimaced. His battery was nearly dead. Soon, he'd have to leave this beautiful VR world for that hellish reality.
He sighed, opened his inventory, and pulled out black bread. Nothing beat eating under stress. A truth learned since starting VR.
But his mood didn't lift. Black bread hadn't lost its taste. The streamers freaked at him calling it delicious, but to Yuseong, it was still heavenly.
He'd tried white bread and others—they *were* tastier.
But that didn't make black bread bad.
Especially since it was his first food in VR. Nostalgia kept him hooked.
Problem: Inventory stock had plummeted.
'Should've stuck to the quest.'
Yuseong had mostly gotten black bread from the 'Old Baker Woman's Memories' quest.
His skills and攻略 guide made hunting easy, but he wasn't rolling in cash.
Buying other foods besides black bread, plus inefficient gun costs, left his funds slim compared to earnings.
The guide advised keeping a buffer, tying up a chunk.
So constant black bread purchases strained him.
But the quest reliably topped him up, keeping spares.
Now that he'd quit it, stock vanished fast.
'Buy more black bread?'
That meant cutting elsewhere.
'Can't ditch white bread and such. They're tastier, even if I love black bread. Can't skimp on ammo either.'
Left with the emergency fund the guide mandated.
【Keep a certain amount of money for future contingencies.】The guide preempted him.
'Damn.'
No wiggle room. But quitting black bread? No way.
'Only one path.'
Boost skills, hunt stronger monsters, grab high-level quests for better rewards.
Higher levels meant higher costs, but black bread's cheap—surplus would cover.
The guide agreed. Hell, it was *its* advice to a whiny Yuseong craving black bread.
'Level up ASAP.'
But lately, streamer NPCs kept interfering. Hunting with them slowed him down.
Still, per the guide's insistence, he kept at it.
'Attention's climbed decently.'
He checked his status window. Attention at 800+—proof his efforts weren't wasted.
'Over 1,000 unlocks items.'
He looked forward to it. This starter village had few food types.
They thrilled him plenty, but more variety? Yes please.
What goodies awaited? Salivating at the thought.
[Connected device's battery at 5% or below. Please recharge.]
"......"
Even peak mood tanked at that alarm. Yuseong muttered a curse and logged out.
Game ends always sucked.
* * *
The worn exoskeleton's joints grated annoyingly. Yuseong glared at them in displeasure. But no amount of staring fixed it.
'Time to repair the exoskeleton.'
Parts were the issue, as always. Spare stock exhausted.
He maintained it best he could, but that just delayed the inevitable—briefly.
'Have to scavenge.'
Generator, batteries, exoskeleton—all teetering on expiry. Each vital to survival; had to procure replacements soon.
Local loot? Already stripped bare. Needed to venture farther.
Which meant massive risks.
'If only I could hit the city...'
Back before the apocalypse, teeming with life. Now, that glittering pinnacle of civilization lay ruined and deadly.
Plenty there for the taking. But stepping into that gray death trap? He shuddered at the thought.