Collab Stream
"The game's better than you expected, right?"
[Yeah! This has a great feel to it!]
We took down the hyena and chatted for a bit while our gear repaired.
"Siru, you'd better watch yourself once you hit ten strikes today."
[Hng….]
For the record, we were already at four.
Still, we weren't even halfway there. There was hope, surely?
[This doesn't feel like the bow I had in mind….]
Yerin seemed to be agonizing over her weapon choice, so I recommended one.
"Want to try the greatsword? It's fun."
[Greatsword?]
Along with the hammer, it was one of the heaviest weapons in the game. Heavy meant guaranteed impact — you could call it the dependable comfort-food weapon.
[Hm, greatsword, huh….]
"Or dual blades are fun too."
[Wait, if I use the greatsword or dual blades, do I get a strike system too…?]
"If it's dual blades, you're fine."
[Phew. Then I'll try the greatsword.]
[Me too…! My weapon—]
"You're on dual blades, aren't you?"
[…Yes.]
We started the next quest. This time the monster was modeled on an eagle.
"Ah, this one's a pain…."
Once it took to the air, it rarely came back down, so you had to break its wings as fast as possible while it was still grounded.
Screeeech!
Just like the hyena before it, it let out a roar the moment the fight began.
[Ugh… it's so gross….]
Listening to Yerin's shrieking voice, I rolled through the roar and charged in.
…I shouldn't have looked.
Regretting my decision to sneak a peek at chat mid-charge, I swung the hammer down hard.
WHAM!
Unlike with the hyena, there was no satisfying crunch on impact. I clicked my tongue in disappointment.
"Tch."
This is why I hate birds….
Still, the attack had clearly landed — the eagle's wounded right wing put me in a good mood.
[…Is there even a point to us playing together?]
"Of course there is."
[…That wasn't a compliment.]
Oh. Right.
Feeling awkward for no reason, I glanced at the chat window.
See?
That one was easy to misread. Mhm, mhm.
"Let's finish this one first, then talk."
And so we all pooled our strength, smashed its wings, and beat the grounded eagle like a sandbag until the quest was complete.
"Birds really do have way worse impact feedback than the other monsters…."
When it comes to impact, reptiles are king….
Should I stop at the crocodile today?
"Well, shall we keep going?"
Next we hunted a leopard.
"Siru?"
[I'm sorry! Could you maybe let one strike slide?!]
"Do you think that's happening?"
[Aww…!]
We weren't necessarily going to pass ten, though.
Like that chat said — I was being pretty lenient.
"Ah, that's one more strike."
But that last one? Yeah, that was deserved.
As we kept attacking, the leopard started to flee.
"Ah, leave that one alone."
[Why? Aren't we supposed to be hitting it right now?]
"There's something you absolutely have to do if anyone's running a greatsword."
Monsters that flee like that return to their nests and fall asleep — and in that state, they take bonus damage. That's where the greatsword shines.
"Now, is it here? There it is. Stand on that spot where I marked it."
[Okay.]
"Want to charge all the way to level three there?"
At my words, Yerin whirled her sword through the air a few times, then settled into her stance.
[Got it. Charged.]
"Then plant it right in its head!"
[Yeah!]
She heaved the greatsword back, drove it into the ground, spun once in a full circle — and brought it crashing down on the leopard's skull.
KRA-KOOM!
[Whoa… so THIS is what greatsword dopamine feels like?]
"Greatswords are fun, right?"
[Yeah!]
[There's nothing like that for dual blades… is there?]
"Dual blades look cool, though."
[I… I want to quit dual blades!]
"You want to quit?"
[No! Dual blades are the best! So much fun! Ahaha…!]
After taking down a few more monsters, I could feel we were approaching the time to wrap up.
"Let's take one more and call it."
[Aw, this was fun though….]
[Please…! Please…!]
Today's final monster was the crocodile we'd talked about earlier.
[Ugh…! This one is just… wow…!]
"Teri, want to do a horror game with me next?"
It's not that I particularly like horror games, but judging by her reaction, I was dying to see it.
[Absolutely not! Never!]
"Really? Hmm…."
That would've been so fun to watch….
Ah — would she go for this instead?
"I'll come over to your place. How about an in-person horror game collab?"
Things that scare you alone feel less scary together, don't they? This had to have better odds than the last offer.
I waited, cradling that hope, until Yerin shot back with a voice full of doubt.
[…Wouldn't being alone with you actually amplify the horror?]
Oh. Would it?
…Right. Yes. It would.
[…It would, wouldn't it.]
[That much…! Huh…?]
I decided to channel my anger at the chat, which had stabbed straight into my wounded heart, into the crocodile.
"DIE!"
CLANG!
The hammer met the crocodile's scales with that signature sound.
"Ah…! That's the stuff…!"
See? Reptiles really do have the best impact feedback.
[Ahaha! Hey! You look like a drunk uncle!]
And so we beat down the crocodile with everything we had.
"That was fun today."
It had been a while since I'd played a game with such satisfying feedback.
[Yeah! It was! Now I get why you insisted on this!]
"And as for you, Siru—"
[I'm sorry! Please, PLEASE just let me off the rest of the studying!]
"I was about to compliment you on doing better than I expected?"
[…What?]
[Really…? Roze was going to compliment me…?]
[WHAT?! I didn't mishear that, did I?!]
…No, hold on. Is the idea of me offering a compliment really that shocking?
…I guess it was that bad.
Anyway, I finished what I'd been trying to say.
"For a first-timer, you did more than well enough."
[…What?]
"Good work today. Let's call it a break here."
She'd been fumbling from the very start, so I'd teased her on purpose. It was all calculated for stream content — nothing personal behind it.
Just as I said that and was about to leave the voice channel, Yuna's voice came through.
[This is it, isn't it! The thing where you don't even bother teaching a hopeless student! I'm sorry! I'll do better! Please…!]
Hm?
[Ah! So that's how it is?! Phew…! And here I thought you were actually going to compliment me!]
[That's the Roze I know… what a relief….]
"No, I'm telling you, you did genuinely well?"
I meant it, though….
However lenient my standards were, messing up only thirteen times on day one was genuinely good.
She didn't seem to believe me, so I explained again.
"Honestly, expecting a first-timer not to make those mistakes was the mistake on our end."
[Waaah! So I was doing it right?! Don't throw me away!]
[Roze. Go easy on Siru.]
[Hey! Stop bullying her!]
Ah. That line was easy to misread, wasn't it…?
Flustered by the unintended turn, I checked the chat window.
…It wasn't buildup.
Apparently my usual conduct was inviting all sorts of misreadings from the audience.
Hm… what to do…?
After a brief deliberation, I decided to simply enjoy the situation.
In fact, I should absolutely exploit this situation as buildup.
"You'll work hard, won't you?"
[Yes! I'll really work hard!]
"Whatever I tell you to do, you'll do it all, right?"
[What?! No… wait, that's a bit….]
"Suit yourself, then."
[No no no! I'll work hard! I'll do whatever you say!]
Hm, she's sufficiently motivated now. Time to reveal it.
"Then let's work hard together on a different game."
[…What?]
[What does that mean…?]
[Wait, I'm confused — are you dropping Beast Hunter?]
I answered Yerin's question.
"Yes."
The game felt great after so long away, but…
an occasional treat tastes better than a daily meal, doesn't it?
Sealed for the foreseeable future.
[Th-then dual blades are… really…?]
"I wasn't planning anything, really."
[Then what game are you planning to…?]
To Yerin's question, which trembled ever so slightly for some reason, I shared my thoughts.
"No idea."
[Huh?]
[What does that mean.]
"Haven't thought about it."
Even for a game-obsessed shut-in who'd regressed through time, coming up with a game to play on the spot wasn't easy.
"Well, maybe we could play a fishing game?"
I do happen to know one where you can fish for three straight hours without catching a single thing.