Riu, the Nightmare

In any niche or highly popular game, there exists a group known as "tourists"—or floating viewers. These are people whose primary interest is the game itself, not the streamer or broadcaster. They barge into streams of their favorite games and cause absolute chaos. Their toxic behaviors vary wildly: giving back-seat gaming advice that drives people insane, spoiling the story, or throwing tantrums if the streamer doesn't pay enough attention to a scene they personally found moving.

Naturally, From the Nightmare—abbreviated as Prtherna—which Riu was currently playing, had its own share of these tourists. Known as the "Prtherna tourists," their defining characteristic was that they had never actually played the game themselves. Instead, they watched YouTube clips or streams of veteran players and then barged into other streams to throw around unsolicited advice.

Because of this, their advice was wildly inaccurate and completely detached from actual gameplay reality. They were often the sole reason streamers lost their tempers and rage-quit Prtherna altogether. Yes, the Prtherna tourists were notoriously toxic. And today, a massive horde of these homeless tourists had descended upon Riu's stream.

Unsolicited advice and malicious insults targeted at Riu flooded the chat. Fortunately, the channel moderators were swiftly handing out bans left and right, preventing Riu from seeing the ruined chat. However, for Riu's loyal fans, the Bangsaengis, it was incredibly frustrating.

With nearly four thousand Prtherna tourists flooding the stream, Riu's regular viewers were completely overwhelmed in chat. Eventually, discussions about Riu began to catch fire across various online communities and even on Starlight's official website. Just as the tourists' disruptive behavior reached its peak—and Riu's fifth attempt began—she suddenly leaped toward Rowen.

A jump with everything she had. Riu's strike flew straight toward Rowen's chest.

Slash!

A direct hit. A clear critical strike. Rowen staggered as a third of his HP bar instantly vanished. Riu was blown back by the sudden burst of aura signaling the start of Phase 2. At that moment, the chat exploded.

An absurd jump. With a leap that transcended human limits, Riu had instantly driven her blade into Rowen's weak point. It was practically the first time a VTuber had ever pulled off such a play. It might have been different if she were a streamer already famous for being a pro gamer. But a female VTuber who had debuted less than a week ago, playing Prtherna for the very first time, showing off movements like this? It was a shocking, monumental event that unfolded before anyone could even process what was happening.

"Argh! My sword! My sword!"

Paying absolutely no attention to the shifting atmosphere of the chat, Riu beat herself up over losing her weapon. Her reaction showed she was purely, utterly focused on the battle itself, which only added fuel to the fire burning in the hearts of the Prtherna tourists.

Perhaps they were about to witness it. The first VTuber in history to defeat Rowen within ten attempts.

Yet, they doubted Riu once more. How many players had already crumbled before Rowen's mighty fortress? Clearing Phase 1 was one thing, but the overwhelming consensus was that Phase 2 was impossible. The Prtherna tourists gritted their teeth and desperately tried to downplay her.

Why were they so incredibly bitter?

In truth, these tourists had "once" been pure players and ordinary viewers themselves back when From the Nightmare was first released. They hadn't been this corrupted from the start. But after witnessing countless failures and frustrations, and watching the downfall of the streamers they once cheered for, they had changed.

Rowen was the culprit who had brutally crushed their favorite streamers and made them fail the 10-try challenge. Having projected their own egos onto those streamers, the viewers had to elevate Rowen to soothe their own sense of emptiness.

Rowen is a monster, an impregnable fortress, so of course it's impossible to beat him.

Rowen is the gatekeeper of all nightmares and the greatest obstacle to the true ending, so losing is inevitable.

Watcher Rowen exists solely to bring despair to players, so there's no shame in losing to him.

Watcher Rowen had to be invincible. Only then could they convince themselves that they, whose spirits had been broken by defeat, were not incompetent.

A first-playthrough character had no stat bonuses, no decent equipment, and absolutely no tactical advantages. That was why Rowen was so difficult. Trying to beat him within ten attempts with absolutely nothing made it an impossible feat.

So they refused to believe. It was impossible. Especially for a girl? There was no way she could clear it. She couldn't do it. Give up. Because in the end, she would just die ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠again.

The nightmares gathered. The true identity of those nightmares was none other than the malice of those who had hit a wall in Prtherna and given up. The sense of defeat of those who never reached the ending. Their resentment, their outcries, their grudges, their frustration, despair, and surrender. The bitter words of those who couldn't enjoy the game as a game lent strength to Rowen's sword.

Look. She can't even react to Rowen's greatsword.

That's how it always was. Everyone was sliced in half by that greatsword and died.

You're probably no different from all those other losers anyway.

So stop struggling and just quietly give up on the 10-try clear. It's easier if you just give up. Give up like we did.

Abandon all hope, Player. You can never pass this point within ten tries.

You truly wish to see the true ending?

"Do not make me laugh. None shall pass."

Rowen swung his colossal greatsword.

The Mother AI of Kadami, which managed the overarching AI of From the Nightmare, issued a command: Reduce that tiny girl trying to cross the gateway of nightmares into a heap of shattered polygons. Everyone desires her defeat. No one shall pass the Holy City of Belag.

Nightmares coalesced around Rowen's colossal greatsword. Soon, his blade descended upon Riu's head.

"Oh, no!"

A desperate strike. A lethal slash. Guaranteed defeat. Abandonment. The coffin. The shelf. Three distinct bad endings contained within Rowen's sword flew straight toward Riu.

The chat scrolled up at a blinding speed. Both the Bangsaengis and the newly arrived Prtherna viewers couldn't help but spam question marks at this absurd turn of events. Parrying was by no means an easy technique. The difference between playing with a keyboard and mouse or a gamepad versus playing in virtual reality was astronomical. Thus, parrying in virtual reality was a skill that was practically impossible without innate talent. It was something that required countless hours of practice.

And Riu had just pulled it off.

I can do this.

Riu recalled the sensation from just a moment ago. She could do it. Just once more. If she could succeed just one more time, she felt like she could fully grasp the timing.

"How dare you!"

Enraged, Rowen swung his sword even faster. It was an off-beat attack, striking half a beat quicker than before.

CLANG!!!

This, too, was blocked. Rowen's sword was stopped once again by Riu's tiny buckler. No, it was deflected away—by Riu's perfect parry.

"Whoa, whoa! It actually worked! Nice! I've got the hang of it!"

She had mastered the feel of the parry. Her hyper-focused concentration had made it possible, and her physical capabilities—which far surpassed those of a Normal Human—allowed her to outpace Rowen's sword.

She could see a path to victory. The finish line was in sight. All that was left was to run toward it with everything she had. And that was exactly what Riu did best.

"My lovely Bangsaengis. For this fifth attempt, I'm going to practice parrying a bit. Please bear with me even if it gets a little boring. I am definitely going to beat this guy within ten tries."

With those words, the chat erupted into an even greater frenzy. It was a clear ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠declaration of victory. Hearing this, the tourists who had doubted, belittled, and tried to backseat-drive her finally began to change.

Do you know what another word for a "tourist" is?

It's a "new subscriber."

This was the exact moment nearly four thousand Prtherna tourists transformed into loyal new fans.

The Watcher's Outpost.

A single girl stood there alone. Her hair, resembling the deep blue ocean, fluttered in the wind. Her eyes, which looked as if they were crafted from the bright blue sky, sparkled with life. She stood proudly before the fallen Rowen.

"H-How..." Rowen asked, coughing up nightmares.

Without a word, Riu tightly gripped her Broken Straight Sword in a reverse grip and drove it deep into Rowen's chest.

Thud.

The crystal core embedded in Rowen's chest split in half.

Black smoke billowed from the shattered crystal, seeping into Riu. Rowen's eyes gradually lost their light. Only then did Riu look down at the slowly dying Rowen and answer his question.

"A well-timed parry and a forward roll are all it takes. I've already read your patterns."

At her response, Rowen tightly closed his single remaining eye.

"In the end, you too... shall become prey to the Phantasm."

"What? Prey?"

"If you do not wish to be consumed by the Phantasm... seek the Sage of Geren. He... holds the key to entering the end of the dream."

"Wait, what? What sage? Sage of who? Hey, say that one ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠more time!"

Riu, who hadn't heard him clearly, grabbed the dying Rowen by his collar and demanded.

And the Bangsaengis were just as clueless, having missed it as well.

"Cough... My Saintess. My light. My life. My dream. My everything."

Ignoring the pleas of Riu and the Bangsaengis to repeat his previous line, Rowen called out to his Saintess with his final breath before crumbling into a handful of dust and vanishing.

Riu stared blankly at the various messages floating before her eyes.

"Huh? What is this?"

She was simply bewildered by the situation. She had no idea that defeating every boss within ten attempts would unlock the game's hidden true ending.

After all, her eyes had only been set on the three-million-won mission reward.