The 32nd Challenger

The entire gaming community was in an absolute frenzy over Riu's record-breaking 10-try clear of Rowen. It wasn't just the VTuber communities; even mainstream gaming forums were buzzing. She was only the third Korean streamer to achieve this, and the first-ever female VTuber. Who wouldn't be shocked by such an absurd feat?

People were singing her praises.

Some were skeptical.

And then there were those who simply felt a crushing sense of inadequacy.

Countless people had witnessed Riu's triumph over Rowen. As the recorded clips spread, the internet split into two camps, arguing fiercely over whether her gameplay was real or fake. Those who hadn't watched the live stream couldn't help but doubt. Anyone unfamiliar with Riu's insane physical reflexes would naturally find it hard to believe.

"She is seriously out of her mind."

Among those watching Riu's broadcast was Yeonnok, a famous variety game streamer, who couldn't help but praise her. He was the first Korean streamer to successfully clear Rowen in 10 tries. He was also the man who had broken down and soft-rage-quit the game at the 17th boss.

"Maybe..."

Yeonnok immediately hit the follow button on Riu's channel. Perhaps she could find the answer he couldn't.

The strategy for the 17th boss. Yeonnok had already died to it eight ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠times. He had only two attempts left. If he squandered those last two chances, he would never be able to reach the true ending of From the Nightmare. But if Riu could somehow clear the 17th boss...

"I might be able to copy her and clear it too."

Yeonnok's expectations soared. If he could become the first person in the world to see the true ending of Prtherna, just how many views would that pull in?

"A million? Ha. A million is nothing. Ten million. No, if the algorithm picks it up, it could hit a hundred million."

To reach a height no one else had ever scaled. To conquer a peak deemed utterly impossible. How intoxicating would it feel to be the very first to plant a flag there?

Just imagining the astronomical view counts and global fame that would follow the achievement of the world-first true ending made Yeonnok's mouth water.

"There's no telling what kind of reward is waiting."

Kadami, the developer of Prtherna, had made a public promise:

"To the first person who reaches the true ending, we will bestow a fitting reward."

At this moment, there were only 32 players in the entire world—including Riu—who still had a shot at reaching the true ending. Only five of them were in South Korea.

Two were Twitder streamers: Yeonnok and Riu. One was a YouTuber: Variety Game Guide Guy TV. And finally, two unidentified normal players whose identities remained a mystery.

The challengers of Korea.

Riu had just earned the right to stand on the exact same stage as them.

"Whoaaa! Thank you so much for the bounty!"

Of course, Riu herself couldn't care less about any of that. She was far too busy bowing flat on her face to thank her viewers for the bounty, which had somehow ballooned to $4,000.

I did it!

"Hey, my little Bangsaengis! Didn't I tell you to trust me? Nobody can stop Riu when she's hyper-focused!"

Rowen, you absolute piece of trash! You have no idea how hard that was. I focused so hard I thought my hair was going to fall out, but I finally got him!

I absolutely could not lose my bounty! But wait... why is the bounty $4,000 instead of $2,500?

What? When did another $1,500 get added?!

"Oh my gosh! Someone added another $1,500 to the bounty! I didn't even realize! Thank you so much! Thank you!"

Did these people seriously think this was a safe bet and just threw money at it, expecting me to fail?

The chat was split right down the middle.

On one side, there were the sweet, pure Bangsaengis ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who were genuinely celebrating my victory. On the other side, there were the "darkened" Bangsaengis who had treated this like a safe bet, only to watch their hard-earned cash evaporate into thin air.

Idiots.

"Hahaha! Everyone! No refunds! You should've bet responsibly! But I know some of you really believed in me and put up the bounty! Thank you so much. Thank you for trusting me to the end. Oh, and I'll make the chat window bigger again."

This bounty is insane. Especially Byulbit Riu—how much did he even put up by himself? Wait, he put up almost $2,500 on his own?!

As expected of our channel's Chairman. You're the best.

"So, guys. How was I? Pretty amazing, right?"

The compliments rolled in, filling the screen. Ah, this was it. This intoxicating rush of dopamine. Everyone was chanting my name. This sense of accomplishment was unreal. I would never have felt this if I had just struggled and cleared it alone in my room. This is exactly why I became a VTuber.

"Hehe. But I saw in the chat earlier that clearing it in under 10 tries gives you something. What is it?"

"Ohhh, so there's something like that. I really just picked up this game because it looked fun, so I don't know any of the lore or outside info."

An easter egg like that? I just thought it was a super hard game. But apparently, there's a hidden ending, you need to qualify, and no one has seen it yet.

Is this... an opportunity?

If I get the true ending, wouldn't I hit 100k subscribers on YouTube?

Maybe a Silver Play Button this year? And what is this gift? Whatever it is, it has to be something amazing, right?

"Huh?"

My name is on the official website? Why?

I had to check this immediately. Pausing the game, I opened a browser window and went to the official From the Nightmare website...

"It's really there!"

My nickname was sitting right there at #32.

31 people above me. Are the anonymous ones people who chose not to disclose their info?

Probably. Some people don't want their personal info leaked. For players who didn't stream like I did, the system probably hid their names automatically.

Ding-dong.

A donation alert. The specific sound for a massive donation.

"Byulbit Riuuuuuuu! An $800 donation! Wait, you already gave $2,500 for the bounty, and now another $800?! Thank you so much! Thank you! Hehe, you believed in me. Thank you!"

"GreenTeaGreen! $400! Thank you for the huge donation! Welcome to the pond! You're a Bangsaengi now!"

"Whoa! SongFanatic! Another $80! Thank you!"

"Whoa, the donations are piling up! BlueSky! OnlyRiu! RiuChacha! Thank you all for the $80 donations! Thank you so much!"

The moment the $800 donation landed, the donation train started chugging. The $80 punches were flying in. If I added up all the smaller $1 and $10 donations, how much was it?

"There are too many! Everyone, I've been doing donation reactions for fifteen minutes and they're still coming! Whoaaa!"

My follower count was skyrocketing too. I guess I have no choice. I'll sing a song for you guys.

I couldn't contain this overflowing excitement. I wanted to sing. I wanted to express this joy, this emotion, this happiness!

"Oh, by the way, today's stream ends after this! To be honest, I focused so hard I'm feeling a bit dizzy."

"Yep! Of course Riu will be back tomorrow! Now, time for the sign-off song!"

What song would fit this moment best?

"Everyone, do you know this song?"

Would my viewers know it? Maybe the younger students wouldn't. But I wanted to sing it. The song that signaled the start of an adventure. The song I listened to when I was still dreaming. There was no better song for this moment.

"My dear Bangsaengis. You are my best partners. So let's go on a wonderful adventure together."

Today's sign-off song was "Butterfly."

Thank you, my companions. I'll show you the true ending of this world. Just trust me and follow me to the very end.